A beautiful kitchen island (finally!)

Welcome to what I like to call

THE

LONGEST

PROJECT

IN

THE

HISTORY OF MAN.

OK, a little dramatic, but really. It took forever. Serious.

Serious.

It started two and a half years ago when I took our builder basic kitchen island:

And added some molding and paint:

The sides of the island were made from that crapastic laminate stuff that you need to paint with primer. Which I did not. :)

So last May I removed all the molding and replaced it with beadboard and new chunky baseboards:

LURVE.

The little secret that wasn’t such a secret cause I showed you was that I never painted the cabinet side of the island:

I was soooo sceered! I don’t know why, I just didn’t want to touch them! I love our pretty cabinets, and it gave me hives to think of painting this side.

So they stayed like that. For another year and four months. :) More on that in a bit.

When I started my kitchen redo with the help of American Express and their lovely points (whoohoo!) I mentioned I was considering either painting the island a light cream color or a pretty apple green to go with the new lighter tones of the room. I primed the island to see how I liked the lighter, cream idea and it didn’t look right. So I decided to go with the apple green -- it sounded like such a fun idea!!

(Enter foreboding music here.)

I painted that island apple green, and it was a total and complete disaster. It was one of those where you say you just need time to “get used to it” when you really just need time to stop hyperventilating at all the time you just flushed down the toilet. ;)

It was SO bright! OH. my. goodness., it was screaming apple green. The way the light hit it made it completely obnoxious. So I mixed some black into the green to darken it a bit, and painted…again.

It was better! It was growing on me! And then the evening light hit…and it was a disaster all over again. I played the whole, I’ll get use to it (pleeease?) game some more and realized by about 8 p.m. that it wasn’t going to fly. And I looked at the cabinet side of our island and realized something really important – there was NO way on God’s (apple) green earth that I was going to be able to paint our lovely cabinets that color.

I wish I could express to you how wrong the green island looked in our kitchen. (I took pictures with my phone but I’ve since updated to a new one and they didn’t transfer!) If we lived in a beach house – adorable. In a funky, colorful house, perfect. In our traditional house full of warm colors – just wrong. ;) I’m sure it was the tone of that color I picked out that made it look so goofy, but I wasn’t going to try any more. I was done.

So…guess what? I painted. Again. Oh yeah, and again – two coats back to black. It was not a good day around here. ;)

I wanted to (finally) get this island project wrapped up, so last week I got my booty moving on the butcher block top I bought months ago at Ikea. It had been leaning in the garage, unopened, for all that time. (I told you I was highly unmotivated this summer!)

I did some checking around and found a woodworking company that would be able to cut it down to the right size for me. I had a chance to look around their shop a bit, and when I saw the beautiful routered edges they could add to it, my mind started racing. :)

The owner said they could cut it down and router the edge I picked out for $100 – YES PLEASE! I was SO excited when I picked it up last week because this (Numerar Ikea counter for $195):

Was turned into this:

Be still my thrifty little heart.

I was so excited, I installed it that day. I just unscrewed the screws underneath the previous countertop and pulled it off:

When the new top was laid on top, I just screwed them back in, with a couple extra for good measure.

My original plan was to sand down the block and stain it a very deep stain, then poly over the top of it. YUM. But when I saw it in our kitchen, I realized the potential for a really warm, natural looking butcher block instead.

Ikea treats their wood, but you need to do more when you get them installed. I started by sanding it down very lightly, then I did three coats of boiled linseed oil:

You just wipe it on with a white cloth and watch the magic happen. ;) We are not going to use the butcher block as a cutting surface, but linseed oil is perfect if you are planning to do so. It is food safe once it dries.

Because I didn’t want to freak out every time someone put a glass on the island, I also protected it with two coats of tung oil:

From what my Dad told me, the Chinese have used tung oil for about 600 years (give or take a few) on their boat hulls – and if it works for them, it works for me. :)

It gave it an absolutely gorgeous amber finish:

It is just beautiful. And no worries about the everyday stuff that happens in a kitchen!:

If there’s ever any damage to the top, it will be easy to sand it down lightly and reapply the oil. I will probably do a few more coats of the tung oil for an extra strong finish.

To finish off the beadboard, I installed some very thin molding around the top:

The top edges of the beadboad weren’t uneven, but it always looked a little unfinished to me.

I found a fabric I lurve at Calico Corners for the chairs:

 

I upholstered right over the old fabric that I showed you here. I love the slightly contemporary look of the fabric combined with the more traditional island.

And I was (almost) done! THEN, I finally painted the cabinets on the other side of the island. And all was right with the world. Two years and four months later. Good grief.

I present to you our completed, never touching it ever again for as long as I live, island:

I did a photo shoot with it from all angles, Austin Powers style…yeah, baby…YEAH!:

   

I want to curl up and take a nap on it, I love it so very much. Really. Night night:

Because I’m a sucker for before and after shots, here’s the before, a couple of years ago:

And today:

The I’m shaking in my boots to paint the cabinets before:

And the why didn’t I do this two years ago after:

Total breakdown for the transformation was as follows (over the past two years):

- About $50 for the beadboard, I think? Another $20 or so for the baseboards and skinny trim around the top.
- $10 for black paint. Lasted all eleventy billion times I painted it. 
- $18 for two corbels from Home Depot.
- Chairs were from Garden Ridge, buy one get one half off – about $100.
- Less than $10 in fabric to cover the chairs.
- $195 for butcher block (I had to get a larger size) from Ikea – looks like it’s even less now!
- $100 to have the block cut and routered.
- About $20 for oils, foam brushes, etc. (I had some, had to buy some.)

Oh yeah, did I mention I got a quote of $1,300 for a very similar butcher block countertop from the company Home Depot uses? I saved one thousand buckaroos and it looks pretty darn good! I am SO happy with it, and it was so (grumble) worth (grumble) all the work!

P.S. I’ll show you how I painted the cabinets soon – and what I did that you should NOT. :)

Before and After Party: Choo choo!

Hello there! I hope you had a fantastic Labor Day weekend! I got SO MUCH DONE – I labored way too much and rested too little.  ;) I cannot wait to show you what I worked on – squeallllll!! (I’ll show you tomorrow!)

So anyhoo, I’m pretty proud of this project because I built it with my own two hands…I can decorate and saw and craft and organize and drill like no one’s business, but I rarely actually build stuff.

It was FUN. :)

Let’s start with the before…part of our unfinished basement I showed you last year:

The basement has undergone a huge transformation, again. I’m still working on it, but the level of decrapification is high. Like, big time. HUGE.

When I posted the basement last year, we had just started using the space for some of the Bub’s toys. Recently we’ve been moving more and more down there, making this area more of a toy room. I had bought the train table at Goodwill for $10 just to have a flat play space down there – the majority of the train stuff was still up in the loft.

A little over a year ago, back when I was doing the decorating thing, I was at a client’s house with the Bub – most of my client’s had kids and welcomed my kiddo when I was just swinging by. (Big bonus of the decorating gig!) They had a fabulous finished basement, with a HUGE train table set up. My client mentioned that her husband had built it and both the Bub and I were in awe. :)

It was huuuuge! She explained how her husband had put it together and I knew right then I HAD to do it. Well, it only took me a year, but I finally did it! It’s insanely easy, and it started with one large piece of plywood – it was four by eight feet.

I had the guys at Home Depot cut it into three equal pieces for me – four feet by 32 inches each. Then I bought a ton of legs – they had different lengths –- 12, 15 and 21 inches I believe. I figured 15 wouldn’t be quite tall enough, and 21 was too tall, so I got the 21 inchers and cut them down to 18. 

(You could save a TON of cash by just getting 2 by 2’s and double ended screws and creating your own legs – but the ready made legs were way faster to install.)

Because the corners were pointy and a wee bit dangerous, I decided to round them off a bit. I used a spray paint can (because it was closest round thing I could find) and simply put it on each corner, outlined the bottom of the can, then cut it with a jigsaw:

I’m sooo technical. Whatever works, right? :)

My client’s hubby used Astroturf-type stuff for the top of their train tables, but I wanted something a bit softer (and cheaper!), so I just got some green flannel from Joann’s:

With a coupon it was less than $10! I just laid down each table face down and “upholstered” them like I would a chair:

You can see the brackets for the legs here too – you just screw those in, then twist each leg into the bracket. Easy peasy!

That’s it! I was going to brace each table by installing wood between each leg, but they were surprisingly sturdy as is. I did add a leg to the center of each table for a little more support – in case the Bub decided to climb the train tables.

Which he has. :)

The BIG added bonus of these is the extra storage! My original plan was to skirt each one with some fun fabric, but once I got them up I wanted it to be as easy as possible for the Bub…or ME…to slide the bins in and out:

I love these bins by the way! Five bucks each at the Deals store -- they come in fun colors and they hold a ton! LURVE.

Extra bonus – all of the Thomas stuff that was up in the loft is going down here – whoohoo!! My husband son has created quite a collection, so I’m glad to get them all down here where he can really spread them out:

I mean, come one – that is some serious train table goin’ on. Hubby has big plans to get one killer Thomas set up going on these. The Bub may be involved as well.  ;)

And I may or may not be the coolest Mama around right now. This puts me way over the top. Awww yeah.

So my before and after for this month – one wimpy (but cheap!) train table before:

And the my-mom-rules, DIY train tables after:

I hope to show you the completed basement redo next week. :)

Now it’s your turn! Link up your before and afters! Just a reminder – please link to your post, not your blog! (Folks look at these for months and I want to make sure they get to the right post.)

I’ll have the linky open through next Monday. Have fun!!

August month in review!

Well hello there! First of all, I need to announce the winner of the Stella and Dot giveaway (I have been bad at this lately!) – the (randomly drawn) lucky winner is Kelsy from We Weren’t Crazy! Congrats Kelsy! Please email me and I’ll get you in touch with Jennifer.

Okie dokie, onto the review of August and the fun stuff that went on around TDC!

At the beginning of the month, I showed you the series of desks that have graced our office, including a DIY desk gone wrong, wrong, wrong. :)

The heavens opened up when I found this farmhouse table through a friend, and it was only $15!:

It was exactly what I was looking for! It was a mess though – more on that later. :)

At the August Before and After Party, I shared how I turned an 80’s clock from Goodwill into a purdy little cloche:

Not bad for four bucks baby!

I shared my debt story and how this guy has inspired us to change our lives:

That was a VERY exciting day – Dave Ramsey’s peeps linked to my post on their Twitter and Facebook pages!! It was a THRILL and an honor. :)

We have since started Financial Peace University and are more motivated than ever to get rid of our debt! As of today I OWN my car outright – we paid it off!! And tomorrow we are paying another credit card. We are so close but yet still so far away…but we will get there and live like no one else!!

I was thrilled to announce my partnership with True Value hardware stores:

I am in great company in the blog squad!! Check out the post for a list of other DIY blogs involved.

I had two fabulous giveaways this month, and the first was from Wuslu.com:

You have to check out the deals every day over at Wuslu! Such a fun idea.

I finally (FINALLY!) finished the staircase project that I started months ago. I used mdf to add some detail to the staircase wall and love it!:

I finally found a good before picture, by the way, from my Houzz interview a year ago:

Lurve, lurve, LURVE. Sigh.

I showed you my transition from white faux wood blinds to bamboo shades throughout our house:

It’s taken a few years, but I’m pretty much done getting the bamboo up! There are pros and cons to the roman shades, but I love them!

I am seriously obsessed with the fall season, and this year was the first I really, truly enjoyed summer:

It was the first summer I was a 100 percent stay at home momma, and I have a feeling that had a lot to do with why I fell in love with it this year.  ;)

Thanks to True Value, I was able to change out some knobs on a couple pieces of furniture, and I showed you the difference they made:

I just love those glass knobs – so much better than the black knobs that came with the buffet!

Towards the end of the month I shared our warm and cozy family room:

I decorated it with the colors of fall and it works OH so well. :)

I swooned, you swooned, we all swooned for the Stella and Dot giveaway:

Congrats again to Kelsy for winning!

It took some help, but I finally got my farmhouse table turned into a desk:

It was covered with lead paint, so I left the paint removal to the professionals. I have to tell you – I LOVE THIS DESK. It is so huge and the absolute perfect height. You can tell I’m already right at home:

;) You can see a sneak peek of the parson’s chair cover I grabbed for $15 at Cost Plus World Market! Love the color – but I’m going to have to make some adjustments to it.

Many of you asked the color on the walls – it’s called Fired Brick from Sherwin Williams. It is a lovely color – but I’m hoping to get the new paint up next week! :)

I am feeling the itch for fall decor, so we all drooled over the latest Pottery Barn catalog:

And I held an impromptu fall linky party – check out over 100 inspirational links to get you in the mood for fall decorating!

Finally, we lost my dear father-in-law last week, and I celebrated his life and legacy with you all:

And again, I can’t thank you enough for your comments and prayers. I miss him so very much.

Yet again, I have to thank my wonderful advertisers for August! You can click their buttons to get to their sites…

ALL items over at Cute as Pie Office Supplies are less than $35 – and they are adorable!:

Every one of the beautiful pieces at Amy’s site are made using fine materials such as sterling silver, gold-filled, gemstones, freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals:

If you are interested in a photography class that teaches you the basics of beginner photography, how to better use your camera and its settings, etc., then Angie’s class is for you!:

If you need quick, easy dinner recipes and family meals, check out Quick and Easy Dinners for a ton of ideas!:

Dimples and Dandelions is a family owned company that sells the most adorable and unique products available for both baby and child!:

Bomobob’s shop is full of fine carnival, bird, flower, nature and travel photography -- all shot with vintage film, digital, and Polaroid cameras. And ALL unique and original!:

PhotoJewelryMaking.com is the world's largest photo jewelry supplies super store, offering a large selection of photo jewelry making items such as bracelet, brooch, pendant and ring blanks. (And more!):

Need help decorating a room in your house? The designers at My Design Guide will help with everything from choosing the perfect paint colors to picking furniture, lighting and accessories:

And thanks to my additional lovely advertisers for August – The Vintage Pearl, Thirty-One and The Rusted Chain:

And thanks AGAIN for what was by far the biggest month ever at Thrifty Decor Chick – I nearly passed out when I looked at my stats tonight. ;)

I couldn’t do it without all of you!

Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!!

STUFF.

You know how when someone writes in all caps, you feel like they’re yelling at you?

Well, I wrote this post title in all caps so I can look back on it and yell…at myself.  ;)

First things first – I must start by telling you something very, very important…

I LIKE STUFF.

(No, I’m not yelling at you, I just like stuff.)

I like stuff around the house, I like buying stuff. Stuff makes me happy.

Not clutter, just stuff. Pretty stuff. Stuff I like. I would like to think I’m normal. (I know, I know -- that is up for discussion.)  :)

This week has changed something in me though – nothing crazy, like I’m going to live with only 100 items (I’ve read many articles about folks doing that lately – and I don’t think they’re crazy, I just know it would be crazy for ME.)

As most of you know, we lost my sweet father-in-law last week, and we started the process of going through his home to decide what to keep, toss, donate, sell, etc. The process has been a bit overwhelming – not because his house is overly cluttered, but because it’s just 50 years of STUFF. Fifty years!

It really made me stop and think – why I keep the things I do, why I’ve kept certain items for 25 years, why I buy the things I do. I didn’t really have a good answer to any of it. :)

But I was on a mission – I went after the basement with new eyes. I started the process back in January and made HUGE strides, but I still hadn’t completed it. And now I am on a get-rid-of-stuff binge like you’ve never seen. ;)

In just a couple of days, I had another car load ready for Goodwill:

I looked at our things with a whole new light – and realized some of my issues when it comes to stuff.

First – THE TOYS. Oh dear Lord in heaven, help me, the TOYS. Do I need to say more?

I never know when to get rid of them…there are toys we’ve had for years that I see the Bub play with every now and again, and I hesitate to donate them. For so long now, I’ve figured if he plays with it, we should keep it around.

A few weeks ago I did a little experiment. I packed away a ton of the little toys, (the ones that drive you a teeny bit cuckoo) and some big ones as well. And guess what – he didn’t even notice they were gone. For weeks.

Imagine that. ;)

Now there’s certain toys where this totally wouldn’t fly. But 95 percent of them are out of sight out of mind. So two lawn trash bags later, I attacked them with a new mindset:

I realized something else – my son’s toys sometimes mean more to me than to him. I feel an attachment to them as well. I have NO idea why – maybe because I buy most of them? Because I remember who gave him this or that for his birthday? Because I am the one who found it for a steal at Goodwill? Who knows. I know I need to let go of them like I do anything else in the house.

Speaking of Goodwill, I realized another culprit when it comes to the stuff in our home – and it’s a biggie.

Obviously, I like to shop “thrifty” – but thrifty can get you in trouble. Anyone who knows Goodwill shopping knows if you see something you like, you’d better grab it right this second. Many times I’ve walked past something I wanted, shopped through the rest of the store and gone back to get it and it’s gone. (Curses!!)

So I grab things, buy them and always figure, if I can’t use it, I’ll return it. But the seven day return policy KILLS me – I hardly ever get things back on time. And in my head, I tell myself it’s OK because “It was only $2.99.” Or $1.99. Or $4.99. But all of those .99’s add up. :)

And then I want to hold on to each thing I didn’t return (and oh yeah, didn’t NEED it) because I paid for it! What in the world? My thought process is whack!

I love to shop consignment shops as well – and most of these shops have NO return policy. You just can’t do it. I have to be pretty positive I’m going to use something before I buy it, but there’s still items that don’t work and then I’m stuck with them.

So I keep them. Cause I paid for them, right?:

You see my evil cycle yet? :)

I think the biggest issue I have is also due to the thrifty in me – the whole oh NO but what if I may need it one day syndrome. Stuff I bought years ago, and used for years…it served it’s purpose in our home. I keep it because what if one day I need JUST THAT ITEM. What if got rid of it? What would happen?!

The Earth may just fall off it’s axis.

Dear. Lord.

I found plenty of things that I’ve kept for months or years without using or even thought about using, and they were off to Goodwill with the rest of the lot:

And guess what – over the past few months after at least 10 car loads to Goodwill and local shelters, there’s been ONE time when I needed something I had donated. And it cost all of $5 to replace.

I have a new mantra when it comes to our stuff when I’m determining what to donate, keep and what to BUY. It must serve a purpose, be something I enjoy and currently use or will (definitely, no doubt) use in the future, and if it’s a sentimental item, it must be truly important enough to me to use up valuable storage space.

And isn’t it funny how you don’t realize something is sentimental to you until you go through the storage bins every few years? Then, it’s all awwww, I loved this insert-thing-from-middle-school-here so much! Most of the time, I don’t remember that thing I loved so much until I see it. :)

As I continue to go through the basement and the rest of the house (I’m still going!), I have been asking myself if we really need it. Then I ask myself again, NO, do we really need it?

Then I ask again -- “For reals, Sarah. DO YOU REALLY NEED THIS?”

(See? Yelling at myself. In caps. In my head.)

It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for us, and I find that going through the clutter always, always soothes my soul. I literally feel like our house is lighter when I walk in the door. I feel lighter. I know it may sound crazy, but I really believe purging stuff creates space to breathe in your house and in your head.  :)

So are you attached to stuff like me? Do you hold on to things for the reasons I mentioned? Or are you a constant purger? Do you follow the one item in, one item out rule? If so, you are my hero. I’m learning. :)