Eiffel Tower Print

Have you noticed that my definition of soon ranges anywhere from a couple of days to like 10 months? I’ll use the pantry as an example. Do you remember when my dad replaced the light in the pantry and I said, “Oh man, I’m so close! Hopefully I can get those last few projects finished up, so we can have a final pantry reveal soon!” Yeah, that was April 9^th – it’s now 2+ months later and nada.

So, if you saw this post on my facebook last week you probably figured soon actually meant 3 months from now.

Not this time! Soon actually meant soon!

Let’s jump back to my office makeover – when we last left off I still needed artwork.  I loved this print from Etsy, but I needed a portrait-oriented print and this one is landscape (and I’m too cheap to spend $30). It just so happens that one of my friends takes amazing photographs and loves to travel (Hi Scott!). So, I asked him if he had any pictures of the Eiffel Tower/Paris that I could print and hang. He sent me a folder of pictures and after some thought I picked an up close shot of the Eiffel Tower. I cropped the photo to fit an 8x10 frame and had it printed in black and white.

The frame is a Salvation Army find that I’ve been hoarding for this project for months. It used to be an ugly gold/brown color, so I spray painted it white. The mat was included, but with the white frame it’s really noticeable that it’s yellowed. I’ll probably need to replace that.

Anyway, here’s the first official piece of office artwork (not counting the chalkboard):

It’s nice to finally get something up on the walls, but I have a lot more to hang. I’m pushing for a Paris trip next year, so hopefully someday I’ll be able to replace this picture with one of my own. Until then, I’m glad I have friends that travel the world and own really nice cameras =)

Cost

Photograph –  $0 (Thanks Scott!)

Print – Walgreens $1.99 $0

Frame – Salvation Army $7.00 $4.90 (30% off sale)

Total $4.90

Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Sound the horns! I actually created something that I pinned!

(Source via Pinterest)

Mason jar soap dispensers have been all over the blogosphere and Pinterest for awhile now. They are cheap and easy to make…and look a lot better than the plastic dispensers the soap comes in. I’ve wanted one for awhile, but I like foaming hand soap in the bathrooms…and I think the foaming pump would look goofy on a mason jar. So, I gave up on the idea until I realized I could make one for the dish soap in the kitchen!

I’m sure there are a lot of different tutorials out there, but I used the one from Christine at Park House Love.

This is her soap dispenser:

(Source via Pinterest)

This is the soap dispenser I made using her tutorial:

The mason jar was a $1 thrift store find and the pump is from a bottle of Suave lotion. I liked that the gray pump kinda matches the zinc lid. I think the lotion was $2something at Wal-Mart. So now I have a pretty new soap dispenser for less than $4!

I already had the orange dish soap, but I think I’ll get a different color next time. Yes, I care about the color of my dish soap now. I’m weird…I know.

Anyone else create something they pinned lately?

Summer Before – Craft Room

So, last week I went to link up my June Before project and realized this month (through August) Lisa is doing a Summer Before/After party instead. I’m still sticking with my June project, but I thought I’d plan a Summer Before project too. And I have the perfect project – my craft room!

To say the room is a mess would be a serious understatement - It’s a disaster area! It was clean and functional at one point…not anymore. I can’t believe I’m about to show you these pictures…just know – I’m not proud of this mess.

Yikes!

OK, now let’s talk about my plan:

CLEAN UP THE MESS:

Trash/Donate everything not needed

Move “garage stuff” into the garage

Relocate anything else that shouldn’t be in there

Paint the walls

Paint the trim and door

Paint the shelves

Artwork

New chair(s)

Create sewing station

Create craft station

Organize remaining items

To hold myself accountable, I’m going to post craft room updates – good or bad – on June 20^th, July 18^th, and August 15^th. Yep, a set schedule to force myself to complete this room. Otherwise, I probably won’t start working on it until the end of August and stress myself out trying to finish the room. Sigh, I would totally do that…

Anyway, if you have any summer projects you need a little motivation on, link them up to Lisa’s party. And you can follow my once a month update schedule if that helps too.

Linen Cabinet

What has 2 thumbs and FINALLY finished a project around the house?

This girl *points to self with thumbs*

Painting the linen cabinet has been on my to-do list since I moved in (it’s at the end of the hallway, next to the master bedroom door). I love the extra storage, but the wood screams “Look at me! I was built in the 80s!”

I had planned on this being a weekend project, but it ended up being a weekend + 3 days project. It took a coat of primer and 3 coats of paint to cover the wood. I don’t know what they stained that wood with, but it was hellacious! It probably would have been a good idea to sand them first…regardless; it was worth all the work.

Doesn’t it make the hallway feel so much lighter and brighter?! White paint never ceases to amaze me.

And of course everything looks better with a puppy!

Solar Screens

Have you ever heard of solar screens (aka sunscreens)? If you don’t live in a place that gets as hot as…um, hell then you probably haven’t. I’d never heard of them until I moved to Phoenix.

The concept is simple: Windows account for almost half of the heat gain in your house. Adding solar screens to the windows keeps your house cooler because they absorb the heat before it hits the glass or frame.

(source)

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I had solar screens added to some of my windows. It all started with the master bedroom. It faces the south, so it gets hit by sunlight and heat most of the day. Oh, and the pool is right there, so it gets that reflection too. Needless to say, that room is an oven by the afternoon. Especially since we have to keep the door closed to keep Abby out (puppy + carpet = accident waiting to happen).

My boyfriend’s sister-in-law had solar screens put on their house awhile ago and they love them. She brought over some samples that the company had left her…and then I let them sit on the dining room table for a few months. Procrastination at its finest!  Am I the only one that hates calling people to set up appointments or get estimates?

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I finally called and set up an appointment to get an estimate. I was planning to only get the 3 master bedroom windows done and I was hoping this would only be about a $200 project. The estimate was very reasonable, so I ended up getting the 3 kitchen windows done too. Total price? $262 for all six windows…but wait! Our power company offers a rebate per square foot on solar screens. So with my $49 rebate, the whole project only cost me $213. That’s not even considering the energy savings.

You can see the difference here:

I forgot to take a before picture of the bedroom and kitchen windows, so this is a picture of the office window. Different window, same idea (except the bedroom/kitchen windows don’t have the cross bar things in the panes).

This is how the bedroom windows look now:

And this is how the kitchen windows look:

It’s not necessarily a pretty change, but it is a functional one.

You can definitely feel the difference in temperature. The master bedroom is now one of the coolest rooms in the house. And in the bedroom, we got the darkest screens you can get, so it’s also nice and dark. Um, I see a lot more naps in my future…

We’ve only had them for about a week, but we both think they were worth the money.

If you are in the Phoenix area and are interested in solar screens, let me know. I was really happy with the company I used and would be happy to share their contact info.

I should note that this is NOT a sponsored post. I just really like my new solar screens =)

On a completely unrelated note, Ringo finally decided that he wanted to swim with us! Now I have 2 dogs that I can’t keep out of the pool!

June Before – Headboard

I can’t believe it’s already June! 2012 is flying by! 

For this month’s project, I’m planning to finish something I’ve been putting off for months. Remember when “Master Bedroom Headboard” was on my to-do list back in October? Yeah, 8 months later I’m finally committing to starting/finishing that project.

And honestly, it’s not that I’ve been ignoring it. I’ve thought a lot about what I want to do…I’m just indecisive. I can’t decide if I want to upholster a headboard, build a wood headboard, find something on Craigslist/at the thrift store, or something completely different. Decisions, decisions.

This is what the master bedroom looks like right now:

Thanks to the comforter (that I’m still in love with) it doesn’t look completely lame, but it definitely needs a headboard.

I’d love to hear your opinions – what do you think would look good in here? Right now I’m leaning towards upholstered, but I need to find the right fabric.

 25 days to make a decision and make a headboard!

Weekend Junk #15

I’m so excited to share what I found with you! I actually bought it 2 weekends ago, so the excitement’s been brewing for over a week now. Seriously, I think what I’m about to show you is one of my best thrift store finds ever!

A nailhead trim chair (like new) for only $26!

Originally marked $65 (still a good deal), Salvation Army was having a 60% off sale, so I only paid $26! I didn’t want to risk someone else snatching it, so I carried it straight to the register and loaded it in my car before anyone could blink. I’ve seen similar chairs for sale at HomeGoods and Joss and Main for $199, and those don’t always have the nailhead trim. Can you tell I’m still excited?!

We’ve needed extra seating in the living room for awhile now, so it was a great find. It’s actually really comfortable too. We’ve been using it a lot over the past week and no complaints.

OK, so now I want to hear about your best finds. What’s on your “best ever thrift finds” list?