Medicine Cabinet Update

Super easy update that I made to my bathroom medicine cabinet.

First the before pics. Yup, Drab, plain, kinda dirty. Uninspired. Since I was working on updating my entire master bathroom, refreshing it with a more modern, clearer and more stylish look, I decided to start with the cabinet. Note, I have been in my house only 4.5 years so this was the condition it was in at purchase:

So this was so simple. I went to Michael's and in their paper stock or scrapbooking section and chose a design that would make me happy to look at every day. I decided on this particular pattern because I originally wanted wallpaper like this. Like I've seen in upscale hotels. But with my high, angled ceiling, decided it would be too ambitious a project and opted with a small piece of pattern instead.

Using some leftover wood glue, I matched up the 3 cards I bought, glued together and then glued to the inside of the cabinet.

Missing accomplished. Every time I open this cabinet, it makes me smile!

DIY: Spring Wreath

I had made a fall wreath for our front door and it was early May when the hubs mentioned that it was still up. In the spring, hinting that I guess I was to take it down. After checking online a few places and checking out wreaths at Michael's and Home Goods, I couldn't find anything I liked for less than $60 so on a whim, I decided to make my own. *sigh* another DIY project, when I was actually avoiding it.

But for only $29 bucks I got the wreath base, 

picked out the exact flowers and colors I wanted and some wreath wire

And 15 mins, later done! Easy peasy, fo' sheezy!!

DIY Purse & Shoe Stand

I am probably the only person in the world who felt she just had to have something like this. Since as far as I could remember, I have picked out all clothes for work, shoes, bags and sometimes accessories the night before. I get it from my mom who picked out my clothes for the week and every morning my father only had to pull out the selected outfit in the mornings to get me dressed.

The habit stuck and its one routine I need and has helped save me so much time. Since I began working, I've preferred to also pack my purse and select my shoes to wear for the following day. I usually laid them on the floor near my bed.

Over time, I began to loathe the look of anything just sitting on the floor, especially in the bedroom (which I like super neat) so I began looking for stands to sit my purses and shoes on. Several internet and Amazon searches later, I decided to just make my own and use fabric from Joann's.

I ordered this kitchen stand from Amazon:

Then picked out a home design fabric from Joann fabrics and applied to the stand using heavy glue (didn't do a perfect job cutting but oh well:

Let it dry overnight and done! No more purse and shoes on the floor!

Does anyone else lay their shoes and bag out the night before or is that just me?

Hardwood Floor Upgrade

If anyone has had old, dingy carpet, you know how gross it can become, especially in high-traffic areas. Ours were the original carpets that came with our house which which was at least 18 years old and after 2 cats, a dog and a growing toddler boy running around, I'd begin to cringe everytime I looked down. Cause no matter how much you vacuum, spot clean and even deep clean, that awful bone color would never look truly clean or nice. Plus know how much cat and dog urine, poop and vomit its been through, its hard to believe its ever truly clean again.

So after much whining, pleading and pouting, I finally convince the hubs to get hardwood floors in the living and dining room. And we LOVE them!!!

We decided on the click-lock, engineered wood by the Home Island brand in Hickory Tuscany found at Home Depot and since HD did such a great job with our roof, we also let them install it. It took about 6 hours but we have been more than pleased with the end result.

3 weeks later, I can say that the maintenance so far has been minimal. I sweep once a week and while I have cleaned it once, it barely needed it.

 I'd read a lot about cleaning dark wood floors and how they show everything and can be high maintenance but I can honestly say that after our old carpet, I'd take a wood floor with some lint and prints on it over that nasty, odor and stain-absorbed thing any day. And the whole room feels bigger and cleaner!

Kitchen Reorganization with IKEA

About a year or so ago, my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house and put up a folding table in the kitchen to add for space for the food. Days after the holiday, the table proved to be so useful in holding things we needed that we decided to leave it up longer.

Longer ended up extending to weeks, then months. And I began to hate it!

Cause a folding table with a tablecloth thrown over it and nothing else on the wall or in the area just looked crappy.

I hate the table and I began to hate the whole wall. It just looked sad and junky and just needed to be better. So I began searching for pantries and other food storage options. I found some I liked but hubby and I could not agree. 

Then I saw a Buzzfeed article on how to use Ikea furniture for different purposes and liked the idea of using a bookcase for kitchen storage. Hubs was on board but went a step further and suggested hanging all our pots and pans on rods on the walls an getting metal shelving. I also wanted to add a calendar and corkboard for to hang things we need like date sensitive mail, cards, coupons, etc.

So we set off to IKEA and we're both pleased with the results. We picked up the KALLAX bookshelf (which replaced the beloved EXPEDIT) and the GRUNDTAL rails and wall shelves with accessories.

For the corkboard, I actually found these great 12 x 12 corkboards at Michael's that you can mix and match with chalkboard and a magnetic calendar. 

I chose 2 patterns from Joann fabrics and covered the cork and added the family initial and little flower. Michael's even had cute decorative pushpins.

And voila! Gone was the rundown looking folding table and bare wall. In its place, lots more storage, not to mention all the extra cabinet space from moving the pots and pans.

Hubby feels like a professional chef with all his cooking toys out on display and I get to have a nicer, less craptastic-looking kitchen! 

Double win!!