Start Of Laundry Room

last year i laid new tile in my laundry room when i did my kitchen...i also painted in there but that was about the extent of it...i mean, its a laundry room...what do i do in there?? things i don't want to do like wash and fold laundry...

now that i'm a blogger and a pinterst addict, i see alot of laundry rooms i like...if i have to go in there i guess i might as well make it look nice...

my goal for this week was to clean things out and organize better...i keep all of my craft things in there...lots of paint, brushes, etc...i also use it to store some of my stockpile items...yes, i do coupon...not as much now as i did before that "awful" show started...

now that i have everything organized, i can move on to better things...below is what i started  yesterday...

i've very excited about this!! i'm always excited about projects...this is my first time at stenciling...i'm by no means a pro...this took some practice to get the hang of it...i had to wipe off several of them before i could get my paint right...in the beginning i was putting too much paint on...a little paint goes a long way...

i can't wait to share more of this project...

Dishwashing Detergent Canister

i'm trying to get my BFF on the frugal pathway...my BFF husband is laughing about it...he said, what are you gonna do next?? separate your toliet paper and make 2 rolls?? no, not hardly...i'll stick to my scott tissue...

as you might know, i make alot of my own homemade cleaners...i started out with the laundry detergent...moved right along to the dishwashing detergent...i've been using it for about 8 or so months...i've tried several different recipes..the one that i'm using now is the best for me...i have very hard water...

i decided to surprise her and make the detergent and a canister to put it in...since i'm broke (and she is too) i'm making it out of a coffee can...you might think this is super cheap...it is super cheap...i paid  NOTHING for it...

the idea is to get her to use it and like it...and save her tons of money...and my BFF husband tons of money...i couldn't just send it home with her in an ugly old coffee can...

i measured the can, which was about 6 inches high...i then cut some wrapping paper that i had previously bought at the dollar tree...i mod podged it on...printed and cut a label...podged it on...

this post is for the super frugal crafter...LOL...

Clementine Crate

you know what i hate?? when i find something online and i don't pin it for later...i tried to use my memory but you know how that goes...

i saw the cutest little crate that was made out of a clementine box...i didn't even know that oranges came in a wooden box..i thought i wouldn't find one either...i had to go by my mother in laws house the other night and she had 4 of them stacked in her garage!! and since she loves me so much i got all of them...

here is the before...

and the after...painted all of the bare wood black...slightly sanded...drilled holes and added handles...

just a little project...since i have 3 more i might try something different...

thanks for reading about my little crate....

Linking Up To:
Not Just A Housewife
Kammys Korner
HOH
Crafty Scrappy Happy
A Creative Princess
Homemaker In Heels
Be Different Act Normal  

My Kitchen

i wanted to show a few pics of my kitchen...since i don't have great pics or alot of before pics i will just let you see what i got...i moved in here 13 years ago...the house was built in 1974 and alot of it is still the same as it was then...since the majority of my life i've been broke, i've had to learn to decorate the cheap way...keep in mind, this is the house i grew up in...so the old is getting old quick...my parents now live in the "nice" house...LOL..

so don't die laughing at this before...a stool was left beside the counter...she used it to get up there...see the look on her face...priceless!! notice the backsplash...it was yellow..i had already painted the cabinets at this point..no before on those...they were just ugly wood...i tried really hard to clean them and make them look better...i like the black alot...this was a very large job and i did it wrong...not holding up...way before my blogging days...i also lacked the painting knowledge then...

here is a picture of the same wall...minus the dog...i installed this tile myself...the first time i ever did it..don't look too close though...you will see all of my flaws...i used the cheapest tile that home depot had...i bought a tile cutter and made all of the cuts myself...the hubby was at work when i did this...he was very surprised...see the yellow on the right hand side?? its gone

here is the paint i used...don't be jealous...i paid three cents for it...i got 3 of the tester pots...i still have one that i didn't open..got lucky on this one...my daughter helped me pick the color...was just sick of the bright yellow...

i should be ashamed...or shot for posting this of myself..i found this on my computer that was taken along time ago..as you can see, i know how to cook something that comes out of a can...anyway, i have since painted my fridge, the door and trim, and the wall...

here is the same view without  me being silly...not sure the name of the color but it has a greenish tint...i won't paint another refrigerator...it looks awful...i painted the handles with paint made for plastic but it hasn't held up...i believe that its from greasy hands touching it...disgusting...i guess it was worth the effort though...i had to keep the vintage rooster picture...it came out of a tavern...i painted the EAT also...supposed to be an anthro knock off..

wanted to share this one last photo...this was while i was in the process of laying my tile...just peel and stick but looks alot better i think...you can see the finished backsplash too..

thanks for reading

Linking Up To:
Tickled Pink
Chic On a Shoestring Decorating
Addicted 2 Decorating
Every Creative Endeavor 

My Word Of The Year....

i've been trying to figure out why everyone is posting this..i had no idea that The Lettered Cottage was hosting a link party for the word of the year...i only read 2 posts and decided that i had to do this...

let me start off my saying that i have only been blogging since may 2011...i've been doing home improvement projects for as long as i can remember...i only wish that i would have taken more pics of the things i have done...

as i was beginning to write this, i sent my husband a text and asked him how he would describe me...my blog, my work, everything i do..he immediately texted me back the word creative...maybe i am sometimes, but create is what i do..i'm not always creative...i do have my own ideas but sometimes i use other projects to give me inspiration...

the word i picked is determined...i feel like that is a good description of me...i created this blog without anyones help...i had no friend bloggers...no one lead me in this direction..i really didn't know that much about blogging...i knew that it was a way to share with others what i was doing...the main reason for me to create it was because i wanted to do furniture painting and restoration...its been almost 1 year since i did that first piece that gave me the bug..it hasn't really worked out for me in the way i wanted it to...i haven't given up though..i'm still as determined as ever to keep going...

since i'm the determined person that i am, i created a Facebook page and a Pinterest to help get my name out there...so far my blog is growing, i'm doing ok on facebook, and have quite the following on pinterest...

although my "business" is not doing that great, my name is getting out there...i'm now known as the person that does the furniture...LOL...thats a start i guess...but i will remain determined for as long as i am blessed to be able to do it...

thanks for taking the time to read about me

 

Linking Up To:

The Lettered Cottage

Update On Yard Sale Chair

back during the summer i bought a chair at a yard sale for $10...you can read about it Here ...everybody hated it and complained that i bought the ugliest chair in history...now i have it sitting in my living room...its become quite the chosen "one" to sit in...my husband has pulled it over by "his" fireplace...also another family member has made it his favorite place to sit too...

Tom the cat..in his favorite position

i can't understand why they love it so much...we have nice leather recliners to sit in but they always chose the old beat up chair...my kids friends come over and someone always sits in the chair..then they ask why their butt sinks down to the bottom...the reply they get is, my mom redid that chair and you might fall through..haha very funny...believe me, i have enough old tshirts and other junk stuffed in there that nobody should fall through it...LOL

until next time,

Monogram/ Anniversary Date Picture

finally!! after weeks of not crafting i'm back...i was sick with a sinus infection but i don't want to talk about that...i want to share something i made today...

several months ago i found a project on pinterest that i wanted to make for christmas presents...things didn't work out like i had planned...it was a craft failure...here is the link from Delightfully Noted and it shows how to make a family sign using tile backsplash...i went to home depot and bought some tile that was on clearance...some dollar tree frames....wooden letters and numbers...she says to glue the tile onto white cardstock and i didn't have any...thats the part that didn't work...it flopped over...and i almost cried...i planned something else and this is what i came up with...

first of all, i have a bad problem with pictures...i do have a REAL camera...and i use it..i just am not patient enough to use the card reader cause i'm always so excited to post new projects...so, thats why i use my trusty camera phone...

i took some leftover scrap book paper that i used on the Picture Frames that i made last month..i cut it to fit the frame..i then cut a piece of poster board that i bought after the craft failure and mod podged the houndstooth onto it..i plan on trying the tile project again but making it work this time...i painted the letters, numbers, and frame black...just one coat...i then lightly sanded it to get a distressed look...put everything back together and glued the letters onto the glass...hot glue isn't the greatest thing for this project...a few letters fell off to start with..maybe i didn't mash them down enough...its hanging up now and they are still intact...the family likes it!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking up To:
Savvy Southern Style
HOH
Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy
The 36th Avenue
Delicate Construction
Lovely Crafty Home
Every Creative Endeavor
Whipperberry
Design Dazzle
Funky Junk Interiors
Positively Spendid
I Heart Naptime
CRAFT