Patio Reveal

The patio is finished!  Matt worked super hard to get this project finished so we could enjoy our new space this summer.  The kids and I usually eat lunch every day at the newly painted picnic table and we are really loving the new umbrella!  I picked up the candle centerpiece at Kohls for $2.66 (it was on sale and I used some Kohl's Cash).  We already had a little accident and broke four of the candle holders. Luckily, Hobby Lobby sells similar replacements for .99.  Yes, I spent more on replacements than the whole thing!  These are totally staged pictures! I threw the pink lawn mower, hula hoops, and purple princess bouncy ball out in the yard and the two other stacking chairs that we own. Speaking of chairs,  I love these chairs from Target  We picked up the first two three years ago and they have withstood the Indiana weather unprotected, so when they went on sale I grabbed two more.  I like them because they are easy to stack, take up little space, and do not need replacement cushions that cost a fortune!  I do not have a total cost on the patio yet, but we did save money by buying all the laying materials in bulk, and we borrowed a neighbor's truck.  That was a back saver! Matt was able to drive the truck into the back yard to unload the multiple loads of base and sand.  We made a slight adjustment to the original layout to avoid cutting.  This resulted in a jut out for the fire bowl off centered as opposed to the original centered plan.   This works to our advantage for the picnic table, which is a beast at six feet by five feet. Overall, we are loving the new space and additional square footage! 

And, Matt's new grill!  Happy Father's Day!

And just a reminder with what we started with three years ago:

Picnic Table Makeover & Patio Update

Matt built a picnic table back in 2011.  It has been a great addition to our back yard and even though we re-stained it in 2012 it was showing a lot of wear from our Indiana weather.  We love this table and it works well with our family so we decided to spruce it up with some paint rather than stain.  

I was inspired by these pretty picnic tables!

Sources:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

We followed our usual steps:  clean, sand, prime, and paint, but this time I had some help!

I chose a rich brown color and applied two coats.  Matt made a hole in the center for an umbrella that is arriving any day!  

The patio is coming along!  Here is what it looked like after Matt used a sod cutter to remove a four inch layer of grass and dirt.  That stuff is HEAVY!  

Here is the first layer of paver base.  Can you visualize the addition a bit better than my toy markings?

Framed Chalkboard Wall

Awhile back I saw this pin and was immediately obsessed with the desire for an over sized chalkboard.  

SOURCE

My search ended a week ago when I came across a five foot leaner mirror at Home Depot for $34 dollars.  The mirror was cracked and I asked for a discount.  I walked away with the mirror for $20 plus tax and spent $10 on the chalkboard paint. Little dough for big impact! 

 This is how I created my framed chalkboard wall:

1.  Find a great deal on a mirror!

2. Safely remove and dispose of mirror.

3. Prime and paint the frame.  I used a sample from my stash that is a lighter shade than my powder and laundry room.  Easy coordination!  We hung the frame on studs and made sure that it was level.

4. Painted three coats of Rust-oleum Chalkboard Paint with a foam roller and waited the three days before priming and writing on the wall (so hard to wait).

5.  Here is the final product- all nice and clean.

6.  Here it is in action! My little brother turned 18... boy I feel old!

Edited to add these additions:

The BIG Kitchen Reveal

I have been waiting for just the right lighting to take these pictures and today was the day! I am so happy to show off our kitchen! I posted a sneak peek at the end of November, but now is time for the full monty. I am in love with my new kitchen! 

The Kitchen

The Island

Side by Side 

Comparisons

My thoughts on this renovation... 

It was really rough at times and I really wanted to give up, but my positive husband kept things going and this kitchen was not possible without all his hard work and ingenuity. From research to execution Matt was on top of things.  One thing that he insisted on was adding red oak (quarter inch) end panels to the cabinets, which resulted in a custom finish.    And his biggest contribution?  Pushing me to go gray and I am so happy that he did!

One hiccup that we encountered was the fact that Sherwin Williams could not tint satin enamel in Dovetail (gray).  They could only do semi gloss and we wanted satin.  We ended up purchasing Valspar paint in a satin finish.  Did you know that Lowe's is able to tint their paint with  Sherwin William's formulas?  The color is spot on and we have been pleased with the performance.  It has been two months since we finished the cabinets and they have held up beautifully.  One piece of advise that I do have is after you install the bumpers rub the spots on the box with a bar of soap to prevent sticking.  We failed to do this and some paint stuck to the bumpers.  

If you are interested in our journey from honey oak to gray I suggest checking out our kitchen posts.  There are a few things that I have not talked about previously.  We were able to score a new refrigerator for under $500 because it was slightly damaged on the side that is not visible and was a discontinued model.   It is platinum rather than stainless, which means less fingerprints!  We also installed a new ceiling light, the Alang from Ikea (thank you LaNae for grabbing it on your last Ikea run).  

Source List:

Cabinet Paint Color

Island Paint Color

Wall Color

Ceiling Fixture

Pendant Light

Faucet

Cabinet Pulls

Runner

Tutorial used for Island

Sneak Peek of Our Painted Cabinets

We have been BUSY! Matt has spent every free moment outside of his full time job working on this for the past 3 weeks. We are not completely done with this project. The island still needs to be painted and little things here and there like base trim and corner pieces, but I would say that we are 90% done!  The island is going to get trimmed out and painted SW Eider White.  We ended up going with SW Dovetail for the cabinets and I am so pleased with the color.  It has totally changed the feel of the kitchen.  I am happy that we went with a lighter color against our dark floors.

Kitchen Cabinets are Primed!

This past weekend Matt and I primed the cabinets.  I only did the boxes, which in my opionion was a lot easier than his job of spraying the doors.  Prior to spraying Matt constructed a spray booth in our garage.  This one is sturdy and was constructed using cull lumber and was less than $10.  The "booth" he made this summer was just plastic taped to the garage ceiling and that jerry-rigged contraption was not going to work this time.   Here is the new booth and my sweet hubby made sure that I could still park in the garage.

Our drying station is the dining room and living room. Using styrofoam cups were cheaper than purchasing painter's triangles.  Two inexpensive garment racks were purchased as drying racks and our extensive collection of coloring books are being used as weights.  

We are making progress and I am so happy! I feel a little more motivated than I did a week ago.  My posts are scaring my friend Mary out of painting her cabinets, but I am hoping that the end result will be worth it.