Planned renovation... and how I plan on paying for it!

WHAT: A TOTAL DIY kitchen makeover!!! Yes. I am braving the task of doing it myself!

WHEN: ASAP (goal date to begin is March 1!)

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST: I have researched, and researched some more. I have shopped around for everything I want and (while Daniel does NOT think it is possible) I believe I can give my kitchen a makeover for under $1000! Don't believe me? Stay tuned for future blogs of proof!

WHAT I NEED: well... $1000! Daniel told me I could take on this project if it was FULLY funded through my Mary Kay business! I can CERTAINLY accomplish that! And you can help! I need to sell $2000 in products by February 28th to have $1000 in profits to cover the makeover. Next time you are tempted at Wal-Mart to try a new shade of eye shadow, run out of mascara, or need some face wash rush over to www.marykay.com/hannahjones to help yourself and myself out!

WHY: When I think back to my childhood, so much of our time was spent in the kitchen! It was the central room  in the house, opened up to the living room and entry... and where we often found ourselves sitting on bar stools, leaning on the counter, talking to mom as she made dinner. My mother has always had a knack for making every room of the house feel like a home. Her kitchen had cherry red walls, with collectable cans displayed around the ceiling (she now has a country white kitchen that is just as cozy!). I LOVED gathering in that kitchen, and I want to create a kitchen that will hold many memories to come, but I want to have it done BEFORE I have kids! Here are the before pictures and what I plan to do!

Cabinets will be painted WHITE! So fresh!

Counter tops will be replaced with a java color that has flecks of green and cream in it. Bye Bye butcher board!

Walls will be painted a light grey and base boards will be given a fresh coat of paint!

Table may or may not get a paint job. Depends on how it looks with the kitchen once that is done.

A proper feeding station will be designed for our pups!

And the ONLY thing the budget will not cover? Our pink tile. Oh well. I can live with it for a while longer. That is ONE task I will not do myself!

I am really excited to start this project! Help by purchasing your skin care and cosmetics from me in the month of February, host a party, take a sample basket to work, advertise my website on your Facebook... I sure would appreciate it as every dollar spent will bring me that much closer to my renovation!!! WAHOO!!!!!!

My Kids.

Our babies have brought us SO much joy and laughter. Just look at how cute they are!

On lazy days they like to lay on the couch with Daniel. 

Our sweet Charley

They LOVE these Kong balls! Unfortunately Sam got a hold of Charley's and chewed it up... which allowed Charley to finish it off. She can't get it started on her own. She needs his big dog teeth! Thankfully Sam's is SO big he can't chew his own to pieces like he did to Charley's...

She is a snuggle bug!

Our boy Sam

He and Charley like to play tug-o-war with that rope sometimes. He is even sweet enough to let Charley win!

Look at those sweet, brown eyes! I was a goner when I saw him in the shelter last October!

Don't let their cuteness fool you though! Daniel left the pantry open... and look what we came home too! 

After Daniel cleaned up their mess I left the door to the utility room open... they found the trash bag... I guess I'll clean this one up!

They are worth it though!

LOVE these frames

I think I posted about these DIY frames a while back, but I was recently reminded how much I LOOOOOOVE them when we had new family photos taken. It was so nice to easily swap out pictures around the house! 

Want to make your own? Find WOODEN frames (there were TONS in the garage at our previous home. No backs, broken glass... they were going to throw these treasures away!!!!). Spray paint them. No need to prime unless they have a glossy coat. After paint has dried, rough it up a pit with sand paper. Using a craft staple gun, staple jewelry wire across. Add a mini-clothes pin (found in the craft section) and ta-da! I use my favorite Command strips to hang them around the house. Some (as you can see below) were just to pretty to paint, and I left them in their original beauty!

Project Get Organized: Mission... the bathroom!

Well. I have begun my Pinterest projects that I posted about last time. The ideas I had previously posted about gave birth to different (and better? hmmm) ideas. Here are the results!

So I took the concept of the following 3 Pinterest posts:

Jewelry Hanger

Magnetic Makeup Board

Childs Magnet Board

and made.... THIS!

Cool, right? (cute magnets are still in the making for my pictures...!) My jewelry was taking up all my bathroom counter space in a clear plastic bowl (fancy, I know!)... This board filled a very empty and boring space on my bedroom wall and gave me my counter top back! This was a VERY cheap and easy project. Most of the supplies any crafter will have on hand. 

Here's how I made it (please note that the step-by-step pics are taken with my old and very much BROKEN camera...all pics taken inside are very dark, but the outside pics are still good thanks to the natural light! All future pictures will be taken with my new Canon Rebel T2i!)

Supplies: 

Buy an oil trip pan from Wal-Mart in the auto parts section. They are $9.56 and completely awesome! They are 4 foot by 2 foot so PLENTY of space to hang jewelry and use magnets to post reminders and pictures!

Spray Paint (I keep various shades on hand)

2 yards of material (Always check the $Yard table first!)

Adhesive spray (I keep this on hand always!)

hooks (I started with super cheap ones... they didn't hold much. I ditched them and bought HEAVY duty hooks at Lowes. They were $3 something each in the nail aisle, but can hold 9 lbs each! The little hooks couldn't even hold a 1 necklace!)

magnets (pack of 12 in craft section at Wal-Mart For $2)

wooden dowel rode (pack of 16 in craft section at Wal-Mart For $1.87)

So, these oil drip pans come PRE-greased. Don't know why. You definitely do NOT want the grease on there or the material will not stick! After washing BOTH sides with hot, soapy water AND a good wipe down with kitchen cleaner, I finally resorted to nail polish remover. It got EVERY inch of that grease off!

Spray paint all your hooks and sticks with 2 coats and let dry while you glue on the material!

SLOWLY spray sections of the pan and press the material down. If you rush, you'll get creases. Adhesive spray gets tacky as it dries so it may not seem like it will stick, but give it 60 seconds and you'll have a strong hold! You definitely want to do this outside due to the fumes.

Flip over, cut off excess material, and spray down edges.

Put your magnets on your hooks.

I use the Command strips all over the house! No more nails for me! The velcro ones can hold more weight, and are definitely the best for this kind of project. put one on each corner, then one one each spot of your wall. They lock together to form a strong hold, but if you dont get it level, you can easily adjust it... with out any new holes!

Put on your hooks, lay a dowel rod across the smaller ones for earrings, and voila! I'm still working on a little magnetic bowl for stud earrings and something else for cuff bracelets. For now, those are in a small basket under my sink :)
Can't forget the other Pinterest idea that helped get my bathroom organized! I took this idea:

and made did THIS:

I didn't even use a wooden one! Just a cheap cardboard one! It has COMPLETELY changed my bathroom space. All of the sudden I have room under my sink to put the clutter from my counter top! AMAZING! I also used command strips to mount it!
I love having a spot for everything in my bathroom. I'd take pictures for you, but I just said I organized it... not CLEANED it ;-)

Things I will attempt in 2012

I'm not gonna lie. I love Pinterest. It took me a little while to get in to it, because it can be a little overwhelming and confusing at first. However, it is FILLED with awesome ideas. I often see things that I would LOVE to attempt one day, but of course that day never comes. So, for 2012 I have created a Pinterest board with things that I will attempt, and blog about as I attempt! They range from crafts and home organization, to food and gardening!

WHY? I am NOT the organized-put-together kind of person. We moved into our home over a year ago and while things are "unpacked" they are still not organized. We often find ourselves saying, "Where should we put this?" and it usually gets stacked in the office... I want to live a life of SIMPLICITY, knowing where everything is, and being able to find things when needed. I may even use this list!

I think I shall first start in our master bathroom!
I only have ONE drawer in my bathroom... this is my solution! Think I'll hang it on the wall :)

Jewelry? I'll try ONE of these!

Genius.