All warm and fuzzy inside..

That is exactly how I feel after being welcomed into the blogging world by Jane over at




She featured my before and after kitchen remodel on her weekly post "A Fabulous Feature".  I am so thrilled because I really love her blog, very inspiring! That was so sweet of her to do, I feel all loved and stuff.

There are so many projects coming up with this house and so many that need to just make it to completion. I'm still working on that desk project and hope to have that finished up this weekend. Beyond that these are a preview of things to come.

1. 1/2 bath paint and decor only
2. Full bath upstairs needs Dora the explorer border removed (yes..I said Dora the explorer) and a fresh coat of paint, possibly going to tile the floor as well.
3. Total basement remodel (it's currently 1/2 finished but we'll be remodeling what is finished).
4. Foyer needs painting(this may be a professional job because they are way to high for me to paint and this girl is scaaaaaared of heights!

I'm giddy just typing this post, I am really looking forward to the New Year and can't wait to get started on the improvements!  Thanks again Jane and friends for the warm welcome!

I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year! 

K

Metamorphosis Monday...my first

I am going to link up to my first Metamorphosis Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch.  This entertainment center was in the house when we purchased it and was like the elephant in the room (our family room).  It came with a giant projection screen tv that didn't work very well.  We removed the whole center section of the unit, recessed the top portion of the end cabinets and rebuilt a center section to hold a wine refrigerator, wine glass rack and lights above.  It now resides in our dining room.  We love it!  I wish my pictures were better.

Before:

After:

Score!

Lovin me some of the red and green ornaments this year and was able to score some at Target today for 50% off.

 Target really had a lot of Christmas stuff left, I thought it would be more picked over than it was.  I've made two of these ornament wreaths this year and now I'll make another with these colors.  Most people are done with Christmas and here I am STILL doing it up.  I learned about these ornament wreaths from Eddie Ross but took some tips from Candace at Crafty Sisters to make my second one and I think it turned out much better and feels sturdier.  Hers are beautiful!

My first wreath using only the hanger and with the ornaments strung on (tops are hot glued on (don't skip this!))

My second wreath using a wire hanger, but only for the first row and then glueing the rest of them on with the hot glue gun.  I like this look better. 

K

Desk Challenge

Today I am going to go and gather supplies to cover up the boring wall area behind the desk.  I would like to create an upholstered memo board similar to this one from Restoration Hardware.  I'd like mine to possibly be framed out and of course the biggest challenge is going to be those outlets!  I realize that they are necessary and I have to work with them but they are so ugly!

off to take of the fun part, shop for supplies!

A Few "Before" and "After" Photos

Here are a few before and afters.  The biggest changes we made on our family room/kitchen remodel were to take out carpet and tile and replace with Brazilian Cherry hardwood (that we left to the professionals).  I apologize for the poor quality photos, they were taken with our video camera because we didn't have our camera during walk through.  When we moved in, it just became chaotic and I never took any more "before" photos. 

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

We painted, added an additional cabinet to the center island, and topped it off with a cherry butcher block top which I took to our local planing shop to route decorative edges.

Family Room - Before

Family Room - After

Wood Floors, Paint, Crown Moulding, Fireplace surround and hearth, removed Entertainment Center (see below for it's own remodel)

Entertainment Center Re-do into a Wine/Liquor cabinet (I know...that's a lot of liquor..what can I say?)  Center section was removed and in it's place we added a wine glass rack, lights, and space for wine refrigerator.  The top portions of each side cabinet was cut down so that they are now recessed from the base cabinets.  We stained it just a little bit darker and we now love it!  Personally I would LOVE to paint this unit black and might just do so in time, but that is going to be a hard sell for the husband.

Soon I'll be posting my next project which is to add/organize my desk area in the kitchen with an upholstered memo/cork board.  Sounds easy right?  Well....it's always those projects that you think are going to be simple that turn out to be difficult.  We'll see......

A Quick Introduction

Hello, my name is Kelly and I am a 30 something stay at home Mom to three beautiful children (twin daughters 4 1/2 years old, and a son who is 3 months old). My wonderful husband and I have been together for 11 years and married for 9. We have moved 5 times during those 11 years. We are currently living in the Midwest and both of us have a passion for DIY remodeling projects. I hope that this blog will allow me to bring you into our home and share those projects with you. I also have a love for cooking, shopping, decorating, and gardening so watch for a little of everything domestic! Please check back tomorrow, I'll be posting "before" and "after" photos of some of our already completed projects along with a "before" picture of my current problem area that I am working on.

K