Kitchen re-do complete!

My kitchen is now one of my most favorite places in my house! It is finally done, except for my water softener now needs fixed. The joys of home ownership!

So here's what my kitchen started like:

Since the previous owners were taking the fridge from above, I decided to go ahead and get all new stainless steel appliances. I had some time to shop for appliances in between the time my offer was accepted on the house & until I closed to find the best deals.

I found a fridge at Sears Outlet, a double oven & microwave at Best Buy and a dishwasher off Craigslist. When all was said and done, I paid around $1200 or so for a stainless steel upgrade--the fraction of the original costs. I love the double oven. The top part heats up quickly and cuts back on the time it takes to cook.

I also did a hardwood floor upgrade in part of my house. I ended up getting real hardwood floors for under $1 a square foot off Craigslist. Such an unbelievable deal!

The countertops are one of my most favorite parts, and they were about $50/piece (I needed less than 3 pieces but had to buy 3 to make it work). They came from Ikea and were a light wood. I conditioned them first with wood conditioner. Then, I stained them Special Walnut from Minwax with 2-3 coats. Finally, I sealed them with a food-safe wood sealer. And when I say I, I actually mean my sister and myself. She helped out as you have to wait 6 hours between each application. Here's a close-up of the countertops:

I splurged on a great sink-faucet combo from Lowe's that was totally worth it. Don't you love it??

Finally, I used beadboard as my backsplash and just painted it white to make it neutral.

And my final product ended up being a kitchen I love and that looks custom & higher end. I've got more red accents that I'll be adding slowly as I get time to finish those projects, so stay tuned for little additions and changes to my sweet little kitchen!

i.am.not.that.person.

This post is way overdue, but it's because I've been so busy finishing up the house! I'm in the home stretch--like two tiny projects left, and then all will be done.

Finally.

I hit the jackpot today. A "free" sign with a pile of treasures on the side of the road on my way home from work. Just begging me to stop, especially when I glimpsed an

antique window. I had to go up to the next light and turn around, and the entire time, I'm warily watching every car, willing them not to stop. As I loaded my treasures up into my car, I had to groan. I.had.become.that.person.

You know, the one who gets other people's junk. But there will be no hoarders for me. If it can't find a place in my home, it will be sold. Because.I.will.not.be.that.person.

But on to the master bathroom renovation.

I realized that I had no before photos of my master bathroom. But here's the countertop that was on the counters. It had only one vanity underneath, and one sink.

So I knew immediately that I would want to make it a double vanity. But on a budget. So my dad suggested taking the hall bathroom vanity out and attaching the existing vanity to the hall bath one to make two. While he did that, I primed & painted the vanities. Once again, with my amazing gripper.

Then I painted it white with a gallon of paint I had been using for other projects. I visited a local tile store hoping to purchase tile for my countertop, but I guess I wasn't their "ideal" clientele, so after 30 minutes of being ignored, I snapped photos of their displays that I liked to create my own look, without their hefty price tags. Thanks pricey tile store for the inspiration without the price!

I ended up getting travertine for about $40 and some white edge tiles & braid for about $15 or so. My paint color was peach blossom from SW, and although it's more pink than I would have liked, I love it now. New sinks for $30 each, and new faucets for about $60 each got me to this point:

I found the cutest antique crystal knobs on ebay. I got a great light fixture for $20 on craigslist. And I needed mirrors, but I wanted them to match the beading on the edge tiles and they had to be white. Oh, and cheap. I finally found some I liked at HomeGoods, but in black.

Out came the trusty gripper & white paint, and after a little bit of work...the final result, all for well under $400!!

I love it.