kitchen details.

Though I tend to be "big picture" focused in most areas...in design, I have a deep appreciation for little details.
One of my fav little detials [in any room] are flowers.  If i could afford fresh flowers all the time - that is certainly a splurge I would do... but for me, now, I'll stick to fake.
That being said... I searched for quite sometime for a centerpiece for my kitchen. None to be found... SO. Took matters into my own hands.  Found these stems on clearance at Pier1... approx $1-3 per...

combined with a $6 clearance pitcher from Target and...ta da!  Approx $20 custom centerpiece...

Add $0.50 place mat from Marshall's and gifted Pier1 S&P shakers and we're in business...

I also decided to try my hand at wreath making..... found an awesome tutorial over at Jones Design Company and gave it a whirl. Whatcha think?

For further details...check out the tutorial.  This was an afternoon project... homemade flowers and all.  Total cost was well under $10.  

Seeing as these kitchen projects are [several] weeks [okay, maybe months] late... I figure I manswell share some other pictures from around that time... one of my favorite wedding weekends.  Congrats Reebs & Huntman [aka Rebekah and Hunter]

me & cousin Abby

my all time fav P.I.C - Rebekeh - on her day

pre-wedding celebrating

collegemaids

Fall To-do list

well hey friends.  'bout time I check in, huh?

Unfortunately, I missed my 1 year blogiversary [Aug 3].... Life just got in the way.  Guess we can still celebrate, huh? The good news is, I'm back in time to celebrate birthmonth.  It's finally here...September :)

Well.  Seems like the school year is in full swing already and I am quickly realizing this may be one of my busiest seasons yet.  Who would have thought?
Consequently, I don't have many home updates at this point.  [Hence the lack of updates].  I'm sure you all experience it at some point in your decorating/ remodeling process... getting comfortable with the state the house/room is in.  At the same time, I'm feeling the itch to do something creative or change things around a bit.  So... here are a few things on my to-do list....

1.  Refinish and style this coffee table.

This table was a beautiful find in the attic-a-la-Baker. My parents are [maybe] moving, and in the process, have removed everything Sarah-highschool and extra clutter from their home- resulting in this old, beat up coffee table [for free] in my house.

Which brings me to my next to-do...
2.  This room.

Furniture count:
3 chairs, 1 end table, 1 coffee table, 1 dresser, 2 drawer sets, 1 bookshelf, 1 sewing machine table...

This is my front bed room.  As Dad moved all my belongings out of their home, the boxes o' crap made their way here- to my front spare bedroom.  I need inspiration to get organized!!  And...a man to move that gigantic tv on the floor [buried amongst the clutter]

3.  Loveseat wall.

above the loveseat.

I've rearranged my furniture yet again.  [of course, due to the addition of free finds from the attic]... so this wall needs a little TLC.  I'm open to suggestions.  My thrifted, spray painted frames with scrap fabrics just aren't cutting it...

4. Entry way area...

I would love a beautiful desk/hutch combo with some vintage flair and charm to it.

5.  This wall is above my new counters and behind my hanging light and next to my sliding glass doors. What to do, what to do...

and no...the computer does not typically reside there...

I feel like this only scratches the surface of things to be done around here.  If nothing else, this blog post is reminding me of the things to be done around here....guess I better get to working....I'll keep you updated.

kitchen reveal.

viewing the house... 

note the "wood" paneling...

Okay... so it's not completely complete.... but I figured it's about time I let you in on what's been cooking here at my house.  I've been focusing on my kitchen for the last few months [as I've mentioned in previous posts].  To be honest, this was one room in the house that somewhat overwhelmed me at the start.  I simply decided I wouldn't touch it because it just gets complicated and difficult.  At some point, probably with a little encouragement from my parents, I decided to bight the bullet and look into countertop options.  Well... as I shopped, I understood that now was the time to add a bar addition if I was ever going to do it... which lead to a cabinet face lift and hardware update.  

So here we are...shopping for counter tops and deciding to update everything else as well... 

Of course, these posts wouldn't be near as fun if we didn't remember from where we've come.... 

scraping the ceilings...

before pulling up the floors

During floor selection... 

and the afters.....
I chose a java countertop....
and taupish gray cabinet....
oil-rubbed bronze hardware....

incomplete....

I've simply loved how it's turned out.  My 3 new drawers are incredible.  and the extra storage I have now is a dream.

next on the list: finish painting.  assemble new bar stools.  pick and install a backsplash :)

oh... and that's Tres.  

nightstand= complete!

Happy Monday!  Something about this day has just been wonderful from start to finish.  So much so that by the time I got home from work, I was inspired to FINALLY finish a long awaited project that I just so happen to be dragging my feet on: my night stand.  

You may remember it from this post. But this hand-me-down has been a work in progress for some time now.  Tonight, i added the purple knobs.  

before.  {well, forgot to take a complete before... }

This piece was given to me... I sanded this puppy down and painted it with a bit of Oops paint from Lowe's...which was $1.  And the knobs were maybe $5 a pair? From World Market.   So this remodel came in right under $10....

{The flowers are from Target, the tray from the Philippines, and the lamp is just really old with an update Target drum shade.}

Happy crafting!

some time in the kitchen...

Well friends... I've been doing some major research. I know my kitchen cabinets are in need of some attention.  The question is. What's the solution? Subtle color or something trendy?

Remember the before?

original cabinets

during renovations.

so now... what's next?  These images are to die for.

via

via

so... what do you think?
cheers.

april showers. & april flowers.

hey friends. long time, no communication, huh?

So, what's new?
For those of you who don't know, I reside in the great city of Augusta - home of the Masters [golf tournament].  It's exciting because Augusta truly is stunning this time of year.  We seem to have azalea bushes and dogwoods all over the place, which of course are in full bloom these days. I have the joy of living in an older neighborhood that is completely adorned with such plants.
Anyway, where was I going with this? Two directions with this...
First... as you may recall, my yard has been in complete disarray.  I decided with the impending extra visitors and such, it was time I tackle the overgrown bushes, uncut grass, and simply unpleasant curb appeal.  With the help of Dad, we basically gutted the yard.  We decided to try our hand at a little construction project...I mean, manswell with all of our reno experience.  [Do you remember the initial attack of the yellow jackets here and here? Well, we actually tried our hand at carpentry then because we were too defeated to tackle the yard but wanted to accomplish something.  But of course, that's besides the point].

So Dad and I purchased some pieces of wood and some stain and used some drywall screws we already had to assemble the piece.  Of course, I didn't take pics of this process.  But our vision was a planter to emphasize the walkway to my front door.

This simple change to my yard [well, after the MAJOR overhaul] has added a sweet little touch that makes the house appear cozy.  Love it.

Ok. So these rabbit trails...the second reason I launched into the Master's spill was because I managed to find someone to rent my house out for the week... meaning, I had my work cut out for me. I was contacted 2 weeks out from Masters, then cancelled on 1 week out, the re-contacted the Friday prior to the Sunday they would arrive. So- we're talking working at incredible speeds to create anther bedroom and complete some [untouched since Nov. 2010] projects...

 The gray room quickly became adorned with a hodge-podge of decorating elements leftover from who-knows-what.  So, found this mattress and box springs through a facebook status...and the bedding was my college bedding.  And the curtain is actually a shower curtain from my roommates collection.  I pulled the euro pillow from my bed.  And the [incorrect size] headboard is propped up behind the mattress.  Classy huh?

And then, I tried to clean out the junk craft room to make it look presentable [because, let's face it. If you were renting a house for a week, at some point during the week, you are going to snoop through the closed doors and rooms]. So we cleaned and hung some curtains.  Its a start.

So now.  having been in the house 7 months, we're still seeing some progress :)

i guess - a month in review?

has it been almost a month?  dang... my B.
So, what have you missed?

I guess you could say things have been busy! March started out with a business trip to a conference in Tulsa, OK at Church on the Move.  Loved. it.

I'm talking, beyond creative team doing kid min.  I walked away with incredible inspiration on how to minister to kids and how to lead volunteers.
Side note.  On a design level, the above pic is their main stage set design.  Chandeliers hanging at different lengths around the stage.  Absolutely stunning!

So - returning from the [windy] Tulsa, I've loved the spring weather here in Augusta.  With the nice weather came some drive to get some projects completed.  Below is a night stand from my college apartment.  [free from family friend or something?].  It's traveled to TN and back and has def seen better days.  So, I stripped it, sanded it clean, and removed all hardware.

I found this creamy taupe off the Oops shelf at Home Depot.  $3 for a quart.  It's a semi gloss paint. Went on incredibly smooth with alittle sheen.  

I have these perfect purple knobs [via Santa via World Market] that will tie the night stand into my room...pics to come as soon as I can figure out how to drill some holes into the drawers.  

 And finally. Had an unfortunate turn of events on my way to work a couple Sundays ago.  Bright and early. And rainy on top of that.  A yellow jeep rain a red light and hit my front end.  Of course, the driver insisted she had green light as well and was t-boned on "Furious Ferry" but whatever...in a rental now.  and my emotions have leveled out.  But how's that for perspective?

I've missed you blogs friends. And I'll sure do my best to not be gone this long again!  Next up - outdoor update!
Cheers.
Sar

happy friday.

another week- flew by.  this is the weekend of finishing projects for me.  for starters, let's talk lamps.
Remember this beaut?

 Well... I have this shade in my living room and decided it could use some sprucing.

So - I visited my local Hancock and got a few fabrics from the remnants bin. Picked out 3 fabric sections for under $3.  The first was a felt like fabric.  I cut small circles out of this one... 

 Then, I folded the circle in half, the in half again, and clipped the point off of the folded fabric.   This allowed for a flat surface for me to apply hot glue to.  So, I glued the flat surface to a circle cut out, starting in the center and working my way out...

this was the finished first flower.... 

And here it is in relation to the shade... 

I went with this method from memory of random flower research.  But... decided it didn't have the impact I needed.  So, I refreshed my memory by visiting Jones Design Company and remembered to do this ... 

cut out flower shapes.  this is fabric #2.  semi- linen

and I combined the cut out flowers with the cut out circles for this flower... 

Anyway, I repeated method one to made a linen smaller flower and combined the 3 to make this cluster...

extremely pleased.  i'm ready to put flowers on everything.  

Welp. It's Friday. So. hopefully I'll have more to come.... until then, cheers!

-Sar