Kitchen Renovation - Update

We're not complete on section 5, the wainscoting and molding, but we made unexpected progress on the back splash.

We hadn't really planned on addressing the back splash 'till a little way down the road. It was the one part of the kitchen that I didn't really have a specific vision for.

Then along came my father-in-law... he visits every summer for a week or 2. In addition to being a very loving grandpa to the 2 best grandchildren in the world, he is also a semi-retired general contractor.

: )

He's built 2 of the houses Jim grew up in, among many other things... and for us, he's worked with Jim to put a deck on our town house and then our single family home.

When he arrived, our back splash looked like this:

I'm pretty sure he started twitching right away... then when I explained I didn't think we'd do anything for a while, I'm pretty sure he was ready to faint right there.

That is when he offered to tile the back splash for us. YAHOOO!!!

The next day Jim and Mr. B hit the Restore and picked up just what they needed, simple, elegant, white tile.

And now our back splash looks like this:

While I was prepared to live with the unfinished ugly one for a few months, I'm beyond thrilled that we don't have to.

Initial Coasters (Almost a fail)

After thinking about it for a few days I decided the trivets & bowl didn't feel like enough to give my future sister-in-law for her shower. I wanted to do something a little more personal, something that would mean something to the both of them becoming a family.

Thankfully, I found the perfect napkins to make a set of coasters similar to the ones I made around the holidays.

Materials:

• Cocktail Napkins 
• Tile (mine are from the same box I got before the holidays at the ReStore.)
• Mod Podge (which I STILL cannot believe isn't called Modge Podge.)
• Foam brush
• Sealer/varnish
• Cork sticker thingies to protect the table from the tile (not picture anywhere... sorry!!!)

Step one, wash the tile:

Open the napkin and decide what portion you are going to use:

Then trim it to the part you are going to use and remove the back layer if your napkin is more than one ply, which it likely is.

It turns out, mine were actually 3 ply - I didn't realize this for the 1st 3 coasters, but don't worry, I actually ruined my entire first set of these and when I remade them, I made sure to remove the 2 back layers rather than just 1... more on my mistakes later.

Apply a gob of mod podge to the tile and spread it out:

Then apply your napkin to the top of the tile and coat with mod podge.

Now in the above picture, you can start to see where this project was going wrong... see how the edge of the napkin is visible all the way around? That happened for 2 reasons, first, the area I wanted to show was smaller than my napkin and second, because I didn't remove the 2nd of the 3 ply napkin.

To deal with that I made my third mistake (I was on a roll, why stop at 2 mistakes...) I applied the boarder of the napkins to the tile.

But because of the irregular edge of my tile, the perfect line of the stripes, and how hard it can be to perfectly place this light weight napkin on the tile... we ended up with this:

Ughhhh... that is not the look I was going for.

Thankfully, I started them early enough to start over... and in doing so, I removed that 2nd ply - which meant that once the mod podge was applied over the napkin, then the sealer... the edge of the napkin completely disappeared. All I had to do was apply the cork think to the back to protect surfaces from the course tile and they were good to go!

There... THAT is the look I was going for. Very simple, elegant...

I like them so much, I just might make a set for us.

She Shoots — She Scores!!!

In honor of the kick off of March Madness I just had to go with the basketball reference for the title of this post. We're big NCAA basketball fans here - but you know what I love most about the tournament this year... besides of course that Syracuse being a #1 seed has Bear very happy...

Once the tournament is over:

We start remodeling our kitchen!!!

Yahoo!!!

Now, this isn't a five figure remodel... We're trying to do it for 3 figures. We're going to try and remodel the kitchen for under $1000. We have our work cut out for us. Here are our before pictures:

Problem #1 - Not enough storage. We tried solving that a few years ago with that cart you see in the last picture. It didn't go far enough.

Solution #1 - See this area here:

Look to the left of the sliders - we've got an almost 8-9 foot wall there with plenty of room for cabinets. So about a month ago I started combing craigslist and the 2 local ReStores for cabinets that would as close as possible match what we've currently got. Well first, I looked at Lowes where they still sell the cabinets we have... to get 3 base cabinets, almost $700.

I can't go blowing the budget on the first problem, so that is when I started combing craigslist and the local ReStores. I found one set of 3 cabinets that was close, $180 for the set. Not bad.

But then, one night while I couldn't sleep I was cruising craigslist and found a set of 3 base cabinets - the exact cabinets that we have for $100!!! It took all my will power not to call the guy right then and there, but I didn't think the seller would appreciate my call at 2:30am. So I waited, not so patiently I might add for a return email.

After much negotiating - I got them. Well, I almost got them. Turns out he didn't want to sell the 3rd cabinet... grrrr... thankfully, I talked him into selling me the 3rd on after he stripped it for the doors, hinges and drawers. (He has rental properties with these cabinets and wanted the parts.)

Take a look:

The plan is to paint them white, all of them, old and new-old.

Oh and that cabinet with no drawers or doors, I've got big plans for it.

Stay tuned.

Kitty Litter Screen

Prior to being parents to the 2 best kids in the world, we became parents to the 2 best cats in the world. I'm not just bragging here, ok, well maybe a little... but anyone who meets these cats can't believe what amazing animals they are.

Meet Otto and Wojo (Otto is the long haired red tabby, and Wojo is the russian blue.)

Please forgive their mild annoyed appearance, I'd woken them from a nap while taking the picture. Something that you can only do with these guys if you're going to snuggle or feed them. Taking a picture is NOT an acceptable reason to wake them from a nap.

About 3 months ago Otto was diagnosed with diabetes and he has arthritis in his hips. These two factors have made it difficult for him to get in and out of our old litter box, the kind with the privacy hood.

So we had to get something very easy for him to get in, turn around and do his business - the problem, now we have to see him do his business and no one wants to see that.

Just imagine watching that game while watching a cat do it's business... no thank you.

So - thanks to the 4 shutters I scored at the Habitat for Humanity Restore today... I was able to construct privacy screens to place around their litter box.

Not only will it give them privacy but we're hoping it will cut down on the litter scatter as well. Since I got the shutters from the ReStore, it was really cost effective too. $5 per pair, 4 pairs... $20. Plus I've got 1 panel left over that I'm plotting a use for.

At some point I might paint or do something to dress them up but for now, the immediate problem has been addressed.

(Told ya the ReStore finds were already on their way to being used!!!)

Lets take another look at those sweet kitty cats...  

Seriously. Sweetest. Cats. Ever.

ReStore Visit.

I'm giddy... last month they opened a Habitat for Humanity ReStore 5 miles from our house and I visited it today. We've been to a Restore before, there is one in the next town over, but it is on the opposite side of town and the only reason to head out that way - is for the ReStore.

For those of you who haven't been to a Restore or know what it is - well first, let me say, you're missing out. It is basically a thrift store with a home improvement angle. People/contractors donate items either reclaimed from renovations or left over from building/improvements. You can get everything from appliances and cabinets to tiles and flooring... plus light fixtures, bathroom fixtures, molding, and all other kinds of odds and ends. Some slightly used, some more than used and quite a lot of it, brand new.

And all proceeds from the ReStore, go to Habitat for Humanity. You can learn more - check it out here.

Here are a few photos from my visit today:

 

And here is what I picked up:

4 sets of interior shutters, a box of glazed porcelian stone tiles and a set 3 silver bowls. All for under $40. Everything is already on its way to being wonderful projects.