2nd day Cabinets

So the 2nd day I started priming. Always start with the back then you can put push pins or nails in it and flip it over to paint the other side.

See how it doesn't touch the bottom?

And here is is with its first coat of white paint.

Then I came inside and thought what did I get myself into?  Will this ever get done? It is such a huge project!  Then I started covering everything and taped and boy was that time consuming! Oh and you would die if you saw the top of my cabinets. I had to take everything off the top and there were inches of dust and grime!

 

 

Once I cleaned and sanded the cabinets i was able to prime. The primer (zissner)  I have dries in 1 hours so about 5 hrs later I painted. Then I had to clean everything up and get ready for  work the next day.

So stay tuned this weekend for more!

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Here we go "painting kitchen cabinets" is a search word I have googled for several months now. And guess what? I'm doing it, no turning back now.

Ewwww, I just hate these cabinets and this is actually the last I will see of them.

The first day is over and I didn't even start painting!  I took them down and cleaned them really good with a degreaser then sanded them. I'm not sure why I cleaned them when all I was going to do is sand it off anyway but that is what another blogger did and it just seamed right. I actually went back and forth from sanding to cleaning because after a couple hours my hands were vibrating even when I wasn't holding the sander.

Some of the cabinets needed a little wood filler.

So that delayed the process but it looks a lot better

The blog that I kept referring to is this one http://starterhometodreamhome.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-no-fear-way-to-paint-your-kitchen.html She emphasizes on cleaning and sanding. I have read some blogs where they didn't even mention sanding?  I don't see how the paint will stick? I even "buff" my nails before I paint them because it keeps the nail polish on for much longer. I also like the idea of lightly sanding in between coats, I have done this with other projects and it just ensures a flawless finish.  My greatest fear is that 7 months down the road I have cheap looking chipped cabinets...I would be devastated if that happens. I have also made sure to investigate other blogs. So if they finished there cabinets 6 mos ago I always look for follow up posts to see how there cabinets are holding up and so far I haven't found a horror story.

The next post will be about the 2nd day:
Here is a sneak peek:

lets talk benches...

i made my very own!

Source: sears.com via delilahthomas on Pinterest

It might be hard to believe but Sears.com wanted $243 for this bench.

Source: crateandbarrel.com via delilahthomas on Pinterest

$153 at crate and barrel

Source: potterybarn.com via delilahthomas on Pinterest

And $199 at Pottery Barn....

Or you can make your own for $15-$20

It is simple, i used ana whites plans.

You start by cutting all your wood. I have a table miter saw that I use

So sorry I don't have step by step instructions but I'm always in a hurry to get things done. (this goes back to my post about time) You can see here that I made the base and then I'm just placing the boards on top then started screwing them in.

 

attached the legs and BAM!  How do you like me now?

I love it. it is so pretty. I used Ana Whites plans... her instructions are fabulous!

I kinda wish I would have just stained it but instead I painted it an Antique white because I wanted it to match my deck railings.

Not too shabby right?

Thanks for looking! I will be sharing my project with these blogs:

diy barnyard shutters

my latest creation are these shutters...I'm not exactly happy with them, I need to paint them a different color...they turned out chalky white but I really need to get an antique white...

The picture basically explains itself. I bought fence wood so it was maybe 3 bucks to make both shutters?

We have a table saw so I just cut the wood to the length I wanted then screwed the opposite direction wood to the verticle ones.  (wow, I am so horrible and explaining things)

Then I added a small ledge so I could put i vase or a cute owl on them

here is a close up...see how it clashes?   The shutters definitely need to be repainted.

other than that I love how they turned out...just need to experiment more with paint colors.

Thanks for looking, check out other blogs here:

suitcase decor

Source: abeachcottage.com via delilahthomas on Pinterest

I love these suitcases!  We don't have a lot of thrift stores or second hand stores in my area, there is an antique store but they will rack up the price to about $150 for a trunk like this.

Source: songbirdblog.com via delilahthomas on Pinterest

After seeing these in blogland I had to have one of my own.

Then I happen to be in a thrift store and they wanted $20 for this. This one is not as cool as the ones I found online but I'm going to try to make it work.

First things first is to prime it. I just used a paint roller and went at it. Then whats next? Paint it white of course!

And here we are! what do you think? not your average table right?  I noticed in my example pictures they painted everything white and on mine I left the handles and the buckles but I think I going to go back and paint it all white as well.  I'm also thinking this suitcase is too wide for the space.

here it is next to my couch and it just doesn't flow, It looks like the couch and the suitcase are fighting over that wall.

So then I decided to just have it sit on the floor and again, the suitcase is too wide and flat. I need to find a smaller suitcase to put on top of it.

so here it lays until I find a more permanent solution for it. If I can't find another smaller suitcase to put on top then I definitely have something else in mind with this suit case that will blow your socks off!

Thanks for looking and if you have decorated with suitcases then let me see them! leave your link in the comments. Thanks so much for stopping by. Click on the buttons for more inspiration:

Living Room before and after

I have been waiting to do this comparison until I am COMPLETELY done with my living room but figured...close enough. 

I still need to do something with my window seat and also add a little more to that bare wall. The window pane just can't do its job all alone on that big wall. So I know I have shown my living room before but I never showed you the "before" picture....

 

So here is the before, big difference right? It is still pretty but it's also pretty boring. So what I did was paint that ugly railing white, installed board n batten walls,  bought new couches from Ikea, bought a trunk for $1,

refinished a dresser for the tv stand and switched out the flower picture for an old window pane.....wow I really have been busy.

TA DA! My Cottage living room! and just an fyi, this did not happen overnight. Last summer I decided I wanted a cottage feel living room and thanks to blogland I realized I could have one. So each weekend I would take on a new project. One of the things I love about this room is that you just can't go to Target to get the decor. It takes time to find unique pieces ....I love the character of this room.

So here is a different view, you can see the difference the railing makes

I also have a lot more storage, the trunk is full of things and also the couches have space underneath so I can fit shoes and blankets and my dogs toys. (love ikea)

Here is a side by side, crazy right?

Oh, another thing. I did not repaint my walls, its just the lighting. The color is called rutabega by Sherwin Williams.  So do you have a room in your home you absolutely hate? Well then what are you waiting for...get to work!   What I started to do is pick one room and little by little just work on upgrading that room. Don't work on another room until that first room is exactly how you want it.

 Here is a pix of my bedroom before and after too if you're interested.

Thanks for looking!  

And the inspiration does not stop here, check out these other blogs for ideas too!

BEWARE of INSPIRATION OVERLOAD