Garage Mini Makeover

 One of the first things we did when we moved in was install drywall, cabinets, and an organizational system in our garage. Matt painted the drywall with a drywall paint and for some reason did not finish... this has bugged me for the last 22 months.  We have acquired a ping pong table last year that gets a lot of use and the garage is the hub in the summertime.  Nevertheless the garage needed a little sprucing up. 

Before:

After:

I did not finish painting the ceiling.  My hands and arms hurt.  My main concern was the walls and it is a garage.  I will not be hosting any tea parties out here.  We already had the paint on hand, but I did spend a little money.  We needed two additional hooks and the ball rack which was a total of $43.00.  We use the Rubbermaid FastTrack system and I love it.  I got rid of the yucky doormats and moved my existing front door mat here because I scored this one for $3.75 at Lowe's.  

I also painted the door.  This was a DISASTER because I forgot that Matt had added water to the paint when we sprayed the shutters and that resulted in BUBBLES! Even with the shoddy paint job it looks better than the dirty white door.  The door will be sanded and repainted when we buy a paint sprayer.  Speaking of a paint sprayer I have been hoarding my birthday money to buy this. I am a little short, but hubby has agreed to combine his birthday money next month. I can not wait. I have a loooooong list of stuff I want to paint!

See that space to the right of the door?  A shoe bench will be going there... after I make it! Look for that post coming soon!

Pinterest for the Kids

My two youngest are in LOVE with Doc McStuffins and that means that there is a lot of "doctor" role playing.  We have the classic Fisher Price doctor kit, but lost the band-aid long ago.  I saw this cute tutorial on Pinterest and knew that was the solution!

Source: pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I made colored ones and I did not add velcro.  

A mom totally wrote that slogan!

Another Pinterest inspired project was fabric houses for our mini Lalaloopsy dolls. The houses are also great storage for all those little pieces.  I made a boy version for Luke and a girly one for Madeline.  These were actually Christmas gifts (head hung in shame) and I am just now showing you!  This project only cost me $3 for the plastic as I had the fabric in my stash. 

Here is the tutorial:

Source: uklassinus.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

And here are mine:

I hope that this has inspired you to make good on one of your pins and create something!

Linking up to:

Crafty Texas Girls

Madeline's Zoo

This is what we woke up to. Lots of rain.  And yes, my grass needs cut.  There is a lot I will do: take out the garbage, install a light fixture, and pull weeds till I get blisters, but I do not mow the lawn. I guess I am a diva.

Madeline decided to make her own zoo and I was the first customer.  I took pictures like a good patron should and Luke fed some of the animals.  Madeline even made a map that we used to guide us through the two story zoo.  We are going to miss this girl when she heads off to kindergarten this fall.

Starter Plants

I planted my starter plants. Broccoli, bell peppers, and tomatoes need to be started indoors.  I forgot to buy a tray for the little pots and I needed something and decided to use Matt's grandmas' cut glass bowls. I think that these are antiques. They give the pots a little class don't you think?  I am loving this website that tells you what to do each week for your zip code and sends reminders via email.

Saving your Pennies

The other day I was reading a blog that listed all the ways you could save money and one of the suggestions was to stop using the dishwasher and hand wash instead.  Well, I love my dishwasher and that is not going to happen, but it did get me thinking about when the least expensive time to run my dishwasher would be. I looked at my utility website and it listed the rates and the most expensive time of day is from 2pm-7pm and the least expensive is from midnight to 8 am.  We bought a new dishwasher in January and it has a delayed timer!  I want to start utilizing this feature.  I also noticed that my washing machine has a delayed timer too.  I am not sure how much of a savings this would be, but I am going to track our electric bill over the next few months and see.

Free Kitchen Prints from Over the Big Moon

Awhile back I spotted these kitchen prints on Pinterest.

Coincidentally the top two match my decor and when I saw that Walgreens had free prints I jumped on it.  There are two free 8x10 codes that can both be used in separate orders.  The frames are also on sale at Target for $3 a piece so this cute addition only cost me $6 and change.  This deal expires today so hurry and get your free prints!

Spring

The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here in Indy and I believe that Spring may be here and I have been guilty of wearing sandals the last few days. That is always risky because we have been known to have snow in March.  I finally painted my cheese dome cloche inspired by HOH's.  I filled mine with last years nest and eggs.  This will be a fun little thing to fill throughout the year.

See those little specks of white? Yup, that is paint splatter from painting the banister. Oops.   This table needs painted anyway. 

Remember the chicken wire thing? 

 I am not sure this is a step in the right direction, but it adds some color!

Here is the start of my square foot gardens. We need to add the grids and I am going to start figuring out the whole plant thing.  Some seeds can be started indoors and they all seem to have different start times.  I will admit that it is a little more complicated than I thought. When is my last frost?  Are the avid gardeners laughing at me?

So St. Patty's is tomorrow and I failed to dress my child appropriately today. I hope he does not get pinched.  These are clovers from our yard. Madeline did find a perfect four leaf one a couple of days ago. I do not feel lucky, but blessed.  Blessed to have a wonderful husband, three awesome kiddos, and  a Target within three miles.  I did not want to get too serious!

The Powder Room is FINISHED!

Do you know how happy I am to post this?!  It was 2 years ago this week that we signed our purchase agreement for this house and although we have accomplished a lot there was one room that was neglected.  The purple powder room, which ironically is the bathroom that is most used.  I have posted about this bathroom numerous times and I am sure you are sick of me talking about it.  

I passed these hand towels up last week, but they really compliment the prints and at $3.19 cents I could not pass them up. I can not believe how expensive hand towels can get!  The vase was a wedding present from my in-laws when they lived in Korea and I have been searching for perfect place for it and this is it!

Love, love my "new" cabinet! It changes the whole look of the room.

I found this fabulous Waverly print and frames at JoAnn's for a total cost of $25.00.  I did not want to just frame the fabric so I removed the glass and used satin Mod Podge to create a "canvas" look.  

Cost Breakdown:

Paint and supplies: $45

Framed Art: $25

Brushed Nickel Accessories: $43

Light: $17

Mirror: $10

Towels: $7

TOTAL: $147.00

UPDATE:

We used Behr Premium Plus in Stealth Jet for the cabinet.

Valspar Glass Tile for the walls.

Here are links to the accessories.

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