Pulls, Sinks and Faucets...Oh My!

Because of my lack of internet this last week I got a lot of sewing done from my to do list. Remember you can follow me on Pinterest and see some of my to-dos. I will share some pictures of my projects in a day or two. Ms V's closet is expanding!  

Like my lighting dilemma, it is pretty much impossible to DIY a sink, cabinet pulls or a faucet and all of those things are EX-PEN-SIVE!

I love bin pulls but when I  looked at places like Home Depot they were priced between $4-$5 each. Now, I have a small kitchen and with that price it was still going to cost around $100 just for cabinet hardware.

I started looking online to see if I could find a better deal. I came across a great little Ebay shop that you can find here that was selling the cup pulls for $1.79 each and my handles were around $1.30. Also, because I bought more than 25 knobs and pulls I got free shipping. So I paid around $50 for everything (including 7 pulls for a future furniture build). I felt that even though I couldn't DIY something cheap I still got a great deal and I love them!

Next I really wanted to replace my kitchen sink. We had an old stainless steel sink. I know that stainless steel can be done beautifully but my sink was not an example of that.

Again. after looking around a new kitchen sink was going to be paying at least $100. So I started looking online at a local classified website. We ended up finding a brand new acrylic white sink for only $40. Now that is saving some dough.

We also wanted a new faucet. I went online to ebay, again, and found a faucet for $20 because it was missing the side spray (it usually retailed at $120.) I then bought a side spray for $15. So my brand new sink and faucet set me back only $75!

I think there are some really great deals out there and you can definitely redo your kitchen or any room in your house on the cheap if you are willing to use your creativity, do your research and maybe even be a little patient .

On a completely unrelated note, does anyone watch Bachelorette? What is up with mask guy and why is Bentley such a jerk?

I really couldn't get over mask guy swimming with the mask on! All I could think of was the hilarious tan lines he will soon be rocking if he doesn't take it off!

Any favorites yet?

I have mine.

My Zinc Bookcase: A Faux Finishing Tutorial Part 2

If you remember from the first part of the tutorial, I recently have fallen in love with zinc furniture. My inspiration came from pieces like this from Restoration Hardware. Like this gorgeous nightstand.

Beautiful. But of course I don't have $1000 to throw at a new piece of furniture so I decided to try and create the look myself.

I finished the outside of my bookcase using my faux zinc finishing technique but the inside I had left to look like this.

Yes I know it looks great just the way it is (chuckle) but you know me, I am an overachiever.

It took me a few days to decide how to finish the inside. I kept going back and forth between fabric and the zinc look. All I knew is that I wanted it to have nice clean lines inside and I wanted to hide all the unfinished edges of the tinfoil.

I decided to go with fabric and to make sure my fabric would have clean lines I used poster board and mod podge.

First I had to cover the 2x2s that were in each corner. I cut my fabric to cover the two by two but I added 1 inch to the length. I covered the fabric with mod podge.

I folded each end over 1/2.

I pressed it over the 2x2 and moved it until it fit snugly and smoothed it out.

I did this on all of the 2x2s and then moved on to cover the sides and tops.

I first measured my sides and top and then I cut out my poster boards about 1/4" less. So if I measured 15 1/2 " by 23" I actually cut my poster board to 15 1/4" by 22 3/4".

Next I cut fabric about an inch bigger on all four sides and coated the poster board in a thin layer of mod podge.

I turned it over and smoothed the fabric out. I then wrapped the edges over and glued them down.

I then did another layer of mod podge on the back of the poster board and glued them the the sides of my bookcase until it looked like this.

I really liked how it turned out. It gave me clean lines and it added some interest to the piece. Here is another angle.

Here is a reminder of my inspiration.

I filled my shelves with things to help me get organized.

 

On the bottom shelf I put two baskets.

 I labeled the baskets with upstairs and downstairs. The kitchen is on the main floor and seems to be the gathering place for EVERYTHING in the house. This way I can throw things into the baskets as the day goes on and then take only one trip up and one trip down to put everything back. The baskets are from Ikea and I am going to do a tutorial on the tags.

On the middle shelf I have file boxes.

One thing I have struggled organizing since I have been married is mail. I have tried SO MANY different storage options but it always piles up on me. I am hoping that this bookcase will make opening my mail and then throwing away, shredding or filing right away more reasonable.These file boxes were also from Ikea.

On the top shelf I have my version of this Ballard Designs Desk Organizer.

This was the first thing I have ever built in my life. It is a little rough but I am like a proud mama when it comes to this organizer. I will share a tutorial soon on how to build one yourself.

You could easily use this technique on a existing piece of furniture but you could also build something new. You can visit Ana White's site for some great plans. You can even check here to see the kitchen furniture we built with her free plans.

I hope everyone had a great week. Did anyone else watch the royal wedding? I got together with a few friends and watched it today (thanks to a DVR). They were so cute and I loved watching them break into huge grins. I thought it was nice to see something so sweet on TV when usually it is just sad. My heart and prayers go out to those living in the areas affected by the crazy tornadoes they have been having down south.

My Zinc Bookcase: A Faux Finishing Tutorial Part 1

We have had quite an adventure up here. My husbands company finds us housing to live in while we are away for the summer but when we got here the apartments were not ready to move into, so we have been staying at an extended stay.

Oh, the fun you can have in a tiny room with 3 kids all day.... wait...

Well, after looking into the apartments they had for us I found out that they accepted animals and from most of the reviews it sounded like there are a ton of animals there. Well I panicked a little because my oldest has animal allergies, especially to cats, and those allergies induce asthma attacks.

Bad ones. 

I called the housing department at my hubby's work and they were so sweet and understanding and took it upon themselves to find us a new place on almost no notice! We get to move in on Saturday and I get to kiss this extended stay goodbye. Now that is exciting!

In my kitchen at The Starter Home I have an awkward empty space right next to the fridge. I have always wondered why they didn't just put more cabinets there...

Well I decided to build a mail storage/book shelf thing for that wall so increase my storage space and make use of all that empty space.

My husband built the bookcase using mdf, 2x2's, 1x2's and moulding.

Because the main part of this was made from MDF I knew I would have to paint it but I wasn't really sold on a color or even how it would look once it was all done. After scourging the internet I fell in love with zinc wrapped furniture. Zinc furniture is all over the place in super gorgeous/expensive designs right now. I mean just take a look at this piece from Restoration Hardware. I mean it is only a measly $795. Pocket change....right...?

www.restorationhardware.com

I loved the idea of adding another layer to my kitchen. I had painted wood cabinets, stained wood furniture so I thought a metallic piece would be a great addition but the real questions was how in the world could I create it? I thought about just painting the wood with metallic paint but I was worried that it would look just like that.

Wood painted with metallic paint.

So I decided to get a little creative and pray to the crafting gods that it would all turn out how I wanted.

I used some tinfoil, a ton of mod podge, craft paint (I bought black, cream, gray and brown metallic craft paints) and a foam craft brush.

The very first thing I did was apply the tinfoil. I planned out where I wanted seams and started going for it.

Cut your tinfoil to fit the area you will cover and then use your craft brush to apply a thin layer of mod podge to the wood.

Smooth your tinfoil over the wood being careful to not wrinkle it too much.

Keep up this process until you have completely covered your item. When my hubby walked in at this point you could tell that he hated it but wasn't sure how I felt about it.  He sat there quietly starring and not wanting to hurt my feelings.

I let him struggle for a minute before I told him I wasn't done. Big Huge Sigh of Relief!

Do you see that large container of mod podge! Seriously love that stuff.

Next I used small nails to create the look that the metal was wrapped around the furniture. I used pictures from Restoration Hardware to choose where to place them. Then I started the faux finishing.

I was going to use a glazing medium to create the the faux zinc look but then I decided to use the flat finish mod podge. Not only would it create a protective finish but since it drys clear it would work similar to a glaze.

I poured a bunch of mod podge on a plate and added my colors.

I used mostly the grey metallic color and just added spots of the black, brown and cream. Next I mixed the colors until they were kind of swirly.

Like this.

You don't want to mix it too much because you want there to be variation in the color. I just painted on a layer letting the colors go where they wanted and not trying to be too perfect with it. This was while it was still wet.

Do you see how it is kind of streaky and varied? Let that layer dry and keep layering. I think I ended up with four coats of different mixtures.

This was the side after the first layer had dried. It still looked a little tinfoily.

Now the sides were a little plain so I added metal straps to them. I cut out strips of cardboard and, using mod podge, I covered them in tinfoil.

If you like my granite counters in the background of these photos you can learn how I created them with craft paint here.

I attached the strips to the sides of my bookcase with nails and used my mod podge/paint mix to faux finish them.

I let everything dry thoroughly and then topped it with two coats of satin finish poly-acrylic.

 

Here is just one side. I decided not to finish the inside of it with the zinc finish so I will show you in the next post how I chose to finish the inside and I will also have the final after pictures!

Thanks to all you who come, read and share your thoughts on the happenings at The Starter Home and hopefully the next time I am posting it will be from an apartment and not a hotel :)

The Blue Screen of Death and the Difference That Spray Paint Can Make

Well, I am reporting to you live from Anchorage, Alaska. I am so glad to finally be here and to get into a new schedule with the kiddos and hubby!

My kids and I spotted our first live moose yesterday!

It was on the median in the middle of the road, just nibbling some grass, and not even noticing the cars going 40 mph on each side of it.

My kiddos were so excited but my oldest keeps asking me when he is going to see a bear..... Ummm hopefully never. I am more interested in spotting Ana White.

We have been spending the last few days in an extended stay. Now that is really an adventure with 3 little ones. Hopefully we will get to move into our apartments on Monday. That would be so nice!

Some of you who follow me on facebook or twitter know that when I turned my laptop on after we got here I got the "blue screen of death." Luckily, I have a computer tech on speed dial (my little bro). He walked me through some things I could try .... but nothing worked. Booo!

Anyway, I just left it sitting out and went and ran errands yesterday. I said some serious prayers while I was out. I use my computer to budget, pay bills, keep my fam up to date with a personal blog and of course to blog here. I really don't have or want to spend the money to take it to someone to fix.

When I got home I turned the computer on again and it booted up.

Hooray for answered prayers!

Well here is my first tutorial/before and after in Alaska.

Do you remember when I told you that I must have been obsessed with red?

Well I cleaned out and donated a lot of things over the last few weeks and I can't believe all the red in my house. My kitchen had mostly red accesories, the living room had red in the pillows, chair and curtains, the family room had red pillows and accesories, the boys room had red in the blankets and pillow shams and red bed skirts and red curtains, our master had red pillows and both bathrooms had red towels. Wow.

A lot of this red stuff was in good condition and I decided to try and re-purpose some of it instead of buying all new stuff.

The first thing on my re-purpose list was my paper towel holder and cookbook holder for my kitchen. I really like them but they no longer went with the kitchen. Unless you ask my 4-year-old, he thought the matched perfectly.

I actually got these for my wedding. I just took them outside and primed them with spray paint and then used two coats of a glossy navy spray paint.

Ahhh, much better.

And here they are in use.

I actually got that cookbook for my wedding, too.  It is a cookbook dedicated to nothing but chocolate.

I. Love. It. 

I had to laugh a little when I opened it because the hubby hates chocolate.

So what about you guys? Have you ever gone through a color obsession? Either in your house or your wardrobe? Did you chuck it all or did you try to work with it?

It is great to back and can't wait to blog some more!

Bottle Cap Magnet Tutorial

My-Oh-My what a week it has been. I have been so busy because of our upcoming move and my two youngest have been sick. Really sick. I just hate when my kiddos are sick. They can't tell you what is wrong and there is so little you can do for them.

I am still on the journey of finding some rugs for my kitchen. I purchased one online and I hope that I like it once I actually see it.

I am getting more and more excited for our move and the adventures we will have. The kitchen is done (minus some fabulous rugs yet to arrive) and I have started on the nursery. I completed my first mood board ever for the nursery and I will post it in a few days. I am really enjoying working on this room for my sweet baby girl and can't wait to see the final product.

Now a few days ago I showed you the other side of my new pantry door and I promised to show you how to make some really cute magnets.

First buy you and your kiddos some yummy IBC root beer or cream soda and have a yummy treat with your family. Save those lids.

Gather scraps of fabric or paper to fill your caps with.

Use a disappearing ink marker to trace the bottle caps onto the fabric and cut the circles out. Don't worry if they aren't perfect.

Use a small amount of hot glue to attach the fabric to the inside of the bottle cap.

Next I used the epoxy resin EnviroTex Lite. This is the same product I used on my counter tops.

You want to mix equal parts of the resin and hardener in the straight sided cup. I used about a Tablespoon of each. You want to mix in for two minutes and make sure it is mixed well.

I used about a teaspoon to fill each of the bottle caps with about 1 tsp of resin. Can you see how full of bubbles they are?

Next you want to use a lighter to help the bubbles come to the surface and pop.

Much clearer.

I attached a magnet to the back of the bottle cap. You can use hot glue but the kind of magnets I used had a sticky foam piece already on it.

Here they are holding up some art from my wonderful 4 year old.

You can also buy cute digital art from Etsy that you can print from home. Here are some darling examples.

Piddix

Also if you click here you can see several shops that offer different images to make your own magnets.

This is such a fun project and an easy way to customize your own magnets.

Kitchen Wall Art Tutorial: "Giclee" Print, Silverware Art and Painted Bundt Pan

There was a big blank wall in my kitchen and I kept tossing around different ideas around in my head on what to do with it. Here is the final result.

On my search I ventured upon these two photos.

www.crapivemade.com

I especially loved this one with it's mix of vintage flair and clean modern lines.

www.bluecricketdesign.net

I bought a ton of frames from the local thrift store. I removed the back from the frame and sprayed it with spray adhesive. I also grabbed some left over navy fabric.

After spraying the board I smoothed out the navy fabric over the top.

I trimmed the fabric to fit, leaving about 1/4 inch around the edge.

I spray painted the frame a glossy white and put the fabric covered board back in.

I took my silverware (also purchased from a thrift store) and slightly flattened the forks and spoons (sorry for the horrible next few pics. I had to take them in my garage).

I did 3 coats on the front and 2 coats on the back of the silverware.

Play with the layout of the silverware until you come up with something you like. I used hot glue to attach the silverware to the fabric board.

To finish of my wall I used another thrifted frame that I spray painted white. I used the same technique to attach a swatch from the Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow line into the frame.

I also love the modern word giclee print. I used photoshop to create it. Instead of printing it off at home I printed it off at Costco in a luster finish. The frame I used was another thrifted/spray painted white.

The bundt pan was also thrifted and spray painted navy.

Cost break down:
   Frames: $3
   Print: $1.50
   Silverware: $1.50
   Bundt Pan: $1.50
   Spray Paint: $1
   Fabric: Free

   Total: $8.50

Oh, yeah. I'm cheap like that.

Love it.