How you doin’?

No how YOU doin’?? ;)

I’ve been planning this post forever, because there’s lots of projects that I do up in here that I’ve been meaning to update you on. When I see projects out in blogland, I love hearing how they work in real life and how they hold up. It’s like those extreme makeover shows when they show the person a year later and you’re all like, ohhh, they look GREAT. Or ohhh, that’s just too bad…

This is the house version.

And so here. we. go.

First up – the beadboard backsplash in the kitchen:

I cannot express how much I LOVE it. It looks fresh and clean and it’s been way easier than I thought it would be to take care of. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve even had to wipe anything off of them in almost two years -- mainly by the sink. The grooves aren’t exactly easy to wipe down, but I figure at least I can wipe them down – I don't have to deal with cleaning grout or anything like that.

If you remember, I glued those suckers right over the tile. And I have no doubt they’ll be there as long as I want them to be. ;)

There was one little spot that wouldn’t stay put, so I tried a nail gun (yeah, into tile, not the best idea), and it left a not-so-perfect part.

Nothing a fern can’t fix:

Ta DA!!! No mess up. :)

Overall I’m thrilled with the backsplash – especially considering the whole thing cost less than $50 (I think? I’m pretty sure!) to do.

Speaking of the backsplash, I get asked a lot about the cereal containers we keep out on the counter:

OK, the Oats are now chocolate rice krispies and the Bran is chocolate frosted flakes (YUMMO), but whatever. I change the cereal but hardly ever the names. ;)

Yes, it stays super fresh in these (you can find them at Walmart and Target) – I swear longer than it does in the box. By the way, you can get the scoops for the cereal for CHEAP at restaurant supply stores – most of them are open to the public and they have some great stuff. (That’s a whole other post!)

Well, speaking of counters, there’s one more in the kitchen – the butcher block! Another one I LOVE:

I got a butcher block from IKEA, and had it cut down and a decorative edge routered, then replaced the old laminate counter with this beauty.

I used to baby it a bit, but now, it’s like anywhere else. It takes a licking and keeps looking beautiful. ;)

I clean it like I do the other counters, I put hot and cold on it, water sits on it, wine spills on it – it’s fabulous. We don’t have any stains or water rings and I love it.

About once a year I’ll oil it (I explained how to do that in this post), but that’s where the upkeep ends.

In the kitchen, I’d do the backsplash and butcher block again in a heartbeat!

Let’s move on to the family room – where we have our very first, post debt free purchase, the sectional we bought last spring. I researched my heart out and decided on a sectional from Arhaus:

(You can see more about that process here and here.)

This is another one I’m pleased as punch with – I am so glad I did so much research before buying. I went into it thinking I wanted a slip covered sofa, and ended up with a microdenier fabric (similar to microfiber but bunny-soft) instead. And I said I would never do microfiber. That’s what I get when I say never. ;)

The only upkeep for this one is that I flip the cushions every three or four months. It takes a few minutes cause I have meellions of pillows on there:

And yes, usually a little dog.

I take off the seat and back cushions and flip them:

Number two reason I love this sofa so much – the super deep seats! Plenty of room for pillows and tushies.

The number one reason? That these two can do whatever they want to it and the fabric is still like the day we got it:

The Nutter (the dog) jumps on with wet feet (all. the. time.), he digs into it trying to get comfy for his nap, and smushes the back cushions in two spots – one at the back window and one at the end of the sofa so he can monitor the rest of the house. ;) He also cleans his paws and licks the sofa while he’s doing it, which totally grosses me out, and he’s doing it right now. Ew.

And I don't worry about the Bub eating on there – usually it’s just a small snack, but I certainly don’t live in fear of it getting messed up. I think it still looks like the day we bought it!:

 

The sofa when we got it on the left, on the right today.

I love that the cushions hold their shape – no fluffing needed. EVER.:

Now let’s talk about the part of the room that’s not holding up so well…the lovely rug:

I got it from HomeGoods a while back – I think it’s been more than a year ago?

It is NOT doing well. It’s a complete mess actually. ;) You can’t see it well in pics, thankfully, but it’s kind of a disaster. There are small parts the dog has chewed on it, and it’s bare in those areas. But the bigger issue is just the way it wears. It’s not good.

I don’t think I would get this looped kind of rug again. It’s beautiful, and I’m looking for something I love just as much (for a similar price) and not having much luck. But it’s not good quality. For what I paid for it, I guess it’s OK.

A big one I get asked about a lot is the stair redo:

Best project I’ve ever done in our house – hands down. The fact that it was SO cheap didn’t hurt. ;) (The wood under the carpet was in great shape and I used stain and paint I already had.)

I was a teensy bit concerned about them being slippery and they haven’t been. I think we’ve had one small slip on them in two years – and that’s WAY less than we had with carpet. At least in our house, the carpet caused more spills than the wood. :) (Knock on that wood.)

There’s not much upkeep on this either – about six months ago I put a quick coat of white on the risers:

They were scuffed up just a bit, and I didn’t even tape off to paint over the scuffs. It took about 20 minutes total.

The actual treads have held up fabulously! They look like the day I finished.

We used cheap, basic pine boards from Lowe’s for the landing (this was pre-hardwoods), and this area has seen more wear:

It doesn’t bother me (obviously because I haven’t fixed it), because I think it makes it look rustic and worn (in a good way). The big scratch was from when hubs and I were taking a box spring down (or up? I don't remember) the stairs, and we we scooched it and scratched the floor.

I knew this would happen because pine is so soft – and if you wear shoes in the house this would look a lot worse! Again, I kind of like the look. It doesn’t bother me at all.

Because the stairs don’t match our hardwoods, I’m hoping to get our flooring guy out this year to sand down the treads and install our floors on the landing. Then I’ll repaint and restain everything.

Wooee. I can’t WAIT to do all of that again. Can you tell? ;)

Just a little side note – it took about 15 shots before I could get a pic of JUST the floors. Someone has to be in every picture:

       

But he won’t stay still long enough for me to get a good shot of him. Stink.

So there you go! A few updates on some of my big projects and purchases! I don’t steer you Squeezies wrong – I’ll always tell you how I feel about projects and products.

As you know it usually takes me seven years to get any major projects done and that’s because I think them out and plan them for a ridiculous amount of time. In the end it serves me well, so I don’t see that changing any time soon. ;)

Are there any projects I’ve done that you’d like to know more about? I’m happy to share – just let me know! Have any of these little projects appeared at your house? I’d love to hear!

March Before and After Party!

Hello! It’s time again – party hardy at the March Before and After Party! This year is FLYING.

As I mentioned earlier this year, I’ll be highlighting some of the fabulous projects from the month before at each party. (So be sure to link back if you want to be included!)

First up, let’s admire the simple but beautiful transformation of Julie’s classy brassy Goodwill lamp:

  

OK, wait. First of all? That after picture looks like it belongs in a catalog! Gorg. Second, she gave it a tarnished look with two different spray paints – go here to check it out!

Jenny did a little makeover on her basement bathroom (Sigh. Basement bathroom. Can’t wait.) with a just a coat of paint and a few red accessories:

I love that blue grey color and I LOVE how she paired that color with red – it looks fantastic! See more of the redo here.

I love that Brooke is renting but is finding ways to personalize her space. She made some (cute!) Pinterest-inspired changes that spruced up her bathroom:

   

I have pinned the towels in a basket too and I love how they turned out in her bathroom! (Be sure to check out her fun towel hangers here!)

Mandy did something I don’t think I’d have the guts to do – she PAINTED her sofa!:

 

What the what? Can you believe it? It looks GREAT and she gives an awesome tutorial and the pros and cons on her blog here.

Ann Marie made her (unfinished) basement laundry room into a space that’s clean, organized and fun:

She added a little lamp, cute containers and a table for baskets and folding – everything  you could need! I LOVE when people use an unfinished space and make it practical and pretty. (You can see more about her space here.)

Chrissie did an ahhmazing job on this vintage dresser:

Isn’t it gorgeous? That green is stunning, and it’s amazing how the glaze makes all the detail pop. Even the hardware looks better. See more about this redo here.

And finally, Autum and her family turned a (barely) finished space into a perfectly lovely little apartment for her daughter:

Isn’t that wall fantastic? There’s even a little kitchenette – the whole space is full of innovative ideas. Check out their before and after here.

Wowza! I love you guys! I am so glad I’m highlighting your projects instead of mine. Aren’t you? Wait. Don’t answer.

If you love these projects and want to pin them on Pinterest, I encourage you to visit their sites and do so from there to give them the traffic!

OK my dears! Let’s see what you’ve been up to the past month! I ask you only link up projects you haven’t linked before, and add a link back to TDC if you would like to be highlighted!

Have a settee

This post is proof that good things come to those who wait…at least it came to me. This time.  ;)

For about the past, oh…YEAR, I’ve been looking for something very specific for this spot at the bottom of our stairs:

I thought a little settee would look quite lovely there, but it wasn’t really something I needed, so I just kept my eye out. Forever.

I looked at shops, I looked online, I looked on Craigslist. But all I found were the wrong size, the wrong color, the wrong price, or ones that looked like this:

I mean, it’s fine. It’s just not what I was looking for. ;)

And then. THEN. I walked into TJ Maxx a couple weeks ago. I hadn’t been there in so. long. And then I saw it. The roof opened up and there were sunbeams shining down on it.

And it was dark out. So you know that was somethin’.

It was a dark grey/blue color, it was the right size (I was pretty sure), and it the back was (swoon) tufted:

OH em gah, I was hyperventilating. The Bub was like, what the heck Mom? And I was all like, BOY, you don’t understand – Momma’s been waiting a year for this.

I was all caressing it and walking around it stalking it like a cat, and he was just very, very confused. ;)

You know how it is with a place like TJ or HomeGoods – you gotta pounce on it. But I wanted to make sure it would fit in the spot and I’m very much if it’s meant to be it will be kind of girl, so I left it there.

Turns out it was a PERFECT fit, so I raced strolled in the next morning and wished and wished and wished it was still there. You know how it is when you go back for something? The sweating? The tears? The hoping?

Is it just me?

Well, I’m writing this post, you can guess it was still there. And I didn’t have to tackle anyone! Yesss.

I dressed it up with some pillows I made this weekend and LOVE it in this spot. I used the drapery fabric from the adjoining living room to make a couple pillows:

I should have ironed them, but let’s ignore that. :)

The other one you may recognize from our Christmas dining room table – it’s (yet another) placemat pillow:

Yes. I have a problem. I love them – they’re easy and cheap and fun. I added a little blue button in the middle to add a little somethin’.

Click on the pic to see the others I’ve done:

I’ve even made them for outside:

And they hold up GREAT!

Anyhoo, check out my mad sewing skillz:

I don’t even bother to match the thread to the pillow. Cause you know what I say…cookies to all who even notice.

That doesn’t count any of you cause you already know, by the way. So no trying to get cookies.

I love the little settee!:

I love the low arms and pretty lines.

And the tufting. Whooee, the tufting. LOVE it!

It’s just perfect for that spot:

It’s exactly what I was looking for!

Although now that it’s here, I don’t think it will stay for long. It will be AWESOME in the dining room redo. Which is slowllllllly starting. I may have some (teensy) progress to show you in the next couple of weeks.

Now, I kinda love the old windows hanging above the settee, because they are a nice juxtaposition against the more modern look of it:

But I do have a little something in mind instead. We’ll see how it turns out.

I’m not in any hurry though, cause as you know, I take my time. :)

But for now, I just sit on my settee and give it the occasional smooch and I’m happy.

I’m planning on adding some nailhead trim, eventually. Ohh la LA. I thought about putting some small casters on, but I think with the shape of the legs it may be too much.

Sooo…have you waited for that perfect piece forever like me? What was it? Did you cry rejoice when you saw it for the first time like me? ;) Do tell!

P.S. The March Before and After Party will go up Monday night! Join in!

Spring Fling and more!

Hello all! Happy Friday to you all!

I’m the late one making this fun little announcement, but I had to let you know…we’re baaaaaack!! ;)

We have so much fun doing these linkies and I hear you all get some darn good traffic from them, so we are really looking forward it again this spring!

For this Spring Fling, Layla will host spring mantel decor, Rhoda will have the door decor party, Kate will host spring crafts and I want to see all your latest spray paint projects! Cause spring doesn’t just mean flowers and blooms and better temps – it means getting outside and transforming something!! WHOO!

You have a few weeks to get ready, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

I also need to announce the winners of the $40 Heal My Sole giveaway! The two lucky ladies are Jill at JillRDH1 at windstream dot net and emeryandkathy at gmail dot com. Email me and I’ll get you connected with your winnings!

I think the voting for The Homies (over at Apartment Therapy) ends tonight! I so appreciate that so many of you have voted for me. Seriously, I am honored. Seriously.

If you are so inclined, you can vote for TDC by going here:

If you don’t have an AP account, you can go here. (It’s very quick and they don’t send you stuff unless you ask for it.) And if you already have an account, you can go here to sign in.

Thanks again!! Muwah Squeezies!!!!!

I may be back tonight with another quick post. We’ll see. I may decide on sleep instead. ;)