Officially Insane or Filled with Ingenuity?...

Ok, I am not sure whether to pat myself on the back for my ceiling cover idea, or if I should start packing my bag in preparation for being sent to the crazy house.  Regardless I would definitely agree that I am a glutton for punishment.  Somewhere inside my brain is a deep seeded need to see how far I can take the frugal decorating thing and time consuming projects seem to be my "go to" solution. This time I am tackling the ugly kitchen ceiling dilemma. Actually, I am using my idea to tackle the ugly kitchen, dining room and living room ceiling dilemma.  The kitchen ceiling is actually the least ugly and problematic but figured I would fully commit to my ceiling coverage idea and use it for all three spaces downstairs.  Ok, so enough babbling about it.  Here is a look at the beginnings of my HUGE undertaking.

 Now I realize that it might be hard to really envision what the entire ceiling is going to look like decked out in my faux flowers, but trust me when I say that the pictures do not really do them justice.  Surprisingly my hubby even loved them once he could see them up on the ceiling.  What are the flowers made out of? Well, that is a very good question.  Would you believe me if I told you that they are made out of paper grocery sacks? Seriously!  The idea struck me as I was pulling my hair out flabbergasted over the amount of paper sacks I had stashed in my cabinet (before I started using reusable sacks of course).  I promise a tutorial on how to make them if anyone would like to try their hand at finding other applications for the faux flowers.  I have already made this posting too lengthy so I will say, "adieu."  

Best wishes for an insanely creative week!

Brrrrr....

It has been super cold around here lately with a small amount of snow to prove it.  I would have taken pictures of the snow we got but it was not really what I consider to be the "pretty snow."  The snow is quickly melting despite the cold temperatures  and did not even leave a lovely dusting on my magnolia tree.  The good thing about the snow is that I was able to dust off my galoshes and bring my own color to the winter world outside.  I absolutely adore my Chooka boots because they are adorned with a colorful peacock pattern. See...

Despite being trapped indoors this week, I have not been overly motivated to get a lot done on the house this week.  I did manage to get my favorite clock hung in our kitchen.

We purchased this clock at a local specialty pet store called the Dog Dish.  Hubby and I fell in love with the clock because it resembles our 1/2 St. Bernard 1/2 lab appropriately named, Bernie.  

The clock was made by a company called F.B. Fogg.  Unfortunately, I recently learned that the company is no longer in production.  I feel fortunate to have this piece as part of our kitchen decor.  It brings a smile every time I look up to see the time.  Next week I will make more progress on the home renovations.  I will also share my inexpensive and unique solution to covering a yucky textured ceiling.

Week of Wishin...

 As I have been putting more of the finishing touches on my kitchen, I have found myself wishing I had more space.  My mind has wandered down the street of "what ifs" and could not help but dream of what I would do in my kitchen if it were just a bit bigger.   My biggest wish would be to have amazing modern barstools and a wonderfully large island with a large pot rack filled with hammered copper pots.  Perhaps something like these:

Traditional Home

Traditional Home

Well, I might not have the space to get my island and barstool wish, but I do know that once my kitchen is done it will be wonderfully unique. A space that my family and I can cook in and make memories together.  After all, that is what it is really all about isn't it?  

My New Best Friend...

For Christmas one of the things my hubby got me for Christmas was a Dremel Trio.  I was soooo excited because I knew the first project I wanted to tackle with it.  I have been harboring a few secret yucky places in my kitchen.  The first space is the area directly below the kitchen sink.  It was cleverly hidden away by some cute curtains but had been bugging me from the first day I saw it.  I did not have any real power tools and did not want to have to ask our neighbor once again to cut a piece of wood for me.  In comes my dremel trio to save the day!  I loved using it because it is smaller and easier for me to handle.  It tackled cutting my plywood with ease and I felt like I had conquered the world after I used it successfully for the first time.  I know, to feel as though I conquered the world is a bit dramatic, but it was true.  I was sooo proud of myself that I had to struggle to keep from shouting it from the porch and then calling everyone I knew.  I settled with celebrating with my hubby and then later calling my mom.  Anyway, enough of my babbling.  Here are the before pictures of the area underneath my kitchen sink.

As you can see it was hideous! Now here are the "After" pictures thanks to the assistance of my new best friend.

I now love that I can better use the area under my kitchen sink!  I just need to get some containers to keep my cleaning supplies nice and organized. Next hidden hideous spot in my kitchen, BEWARE! I am coming for you next!!!

A New Year Full of Projects and Promise...

Like many others, I have decided not to make a bunch of resolutions. Instead I am choosing some goals that I would like to accomplish this next year.  As a person admittedly with ADD it is often a challenge for me to stay focused on one project at a time.  I often find myself getting really excited as I start a new project and it doesn't take long for the new to wear off and I start looking for other things to do.  This has left me with a lifetime of collected projects that I started but rarely finished and more chaos than I even want to think about.  I began my battle of unfinished projects this past year and while I strayed from time to time, I think I was more successful than I have ever been.  My successes of the past year have left me looking to this new year full of hope and promise.  I am determined to get the majority of the renovations completed on the inside of our home this year despite the daunting feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I think about it all.  I am looking forward to spending this next year sharing views of my successes with anyone else who may want to peek into my world. I would also like to hear about any goals others have set for this year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!