It's the Little Things that Make a Big Difference- Thrifty Finds- Ceiling Fan!

In trying to keep with the color scheme of the kitchen and eliminate as much ugly wood as possible, I found a larger ceiling fan for $13.00 NEVER USED still in it's box at Goodwill. The pull chains will be painted and any of the GOLD screws to black, LOL, but it's still 100% better looking!

                                                                   Old fan:

New Fan below:

                           

PS The curtain and the curtain rod are changed out as well- it's so much brighter in the kitchen!
PPS We also need to find better energy efficient bulbs as the globe can not fit over it *sad face*

It's the Little Things That Make a Big Difference- [Thrifty Finds]: Salt & Pepper Shakers:

I never thought to change out my salt and pepper shakers, they did the job, they fit into the decor, and they rarely got used. But we took a trip to Goodwill, and he tracked me down in one of the isles and said, "What do you think of these?" Well, they were a little weird looking to me at first, but they we .99 a piece and black, white and gray. I thought, "Suuuure, I can work with them".
Took them home, cleaned them out (just incase), and they look beautiful! Great find! (I'll post a better picture of it later this week).
After: (feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them)

Before (below):

**SIDENOTE: The sign fits PERFECTLY in my home in more ways than one! Of course it is black and white (well creamy) and the flowers on it fit into what I am trying to achieve, and the saying "May all your weeds be wildflowers" reminds me of an old friend who decided to rid people of her lives then titled her blog, "Picked all my weeds and kept the flowers" and wrote about how insensitive she was. Weeds are beautiful, and when ignored can be even more beautiful when you let them run free. That was .99 cents from Goodwill... well spent!

Butterfly Wall Art for the Kitchen:

I have been searching for artwork, and I don't know why, considering I am a heck of an artist, even so, I couldn't find anything I liked as of yet, so I made some pictures for the encasing part of my cabinets that surround my sink.

I purchased 2 identical stainless steel/ chrome picture frames for .99 a piece at the Salvation Army.
I used 4 translucent, reuseable butterfly stickers (the same style of the ones for the range hood)- From The Dollar Tree, and 2 different shades of yellow construction paper.

I alternated the dark yellow and light yellow rectangles that I cut out to slide behind the picture frame glass, one frame had dark yellow in the top square, one frame had the dark yellow in the bottom square. From there I stuck the butterfly decals on the glass, with the largest butterfly that fit onto the glass on the darker yellow.

This whole project cost me about $2.62 for two beautifully framed pictures that matched my kitchen decor perfectly!
Sorry AGAIN, for my poor photography, I will post better pictures this week.
(feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them)

Thrifty Find- YELLOW Kitchen Curtains!

I have been envisioning YELLOW curtains for the kitchen since I've embarked on this project.
I found the most perfect length, shade of yellow, and exact style at Goodwill. There wasn't a tag on them, but the woman said $3.99-- then I used my trusty Goodwill Discount card and saved 10% off of that!

Below I have a post titled: Inexpensive No Sew Kitchen Curtains, where I tried my crafty skills for the first time in a loooong time, and it turned out alright. I am happy to report that I took those curtains down, put my black panels back up from WalMart [on the large window] and popped these babies onto the rod! I LOVE THEM, LOVE THEM, LOVE THEM! The kitchen is so bright and sunny!
(PS I suck at taking pictures, so I'll have better ones up soon)

AFTER:

The faucet will be getting changed out very soon.

Before pictures are in the other curtain blog.

It's the Little Things that Make a Big Difference- Kitchen Range Hood:

SNEAK PEAK! Ideally I'd love to use appliance spraypaint on this and paint it either black or white, but I rent, and can only do so much. The range hood and the sink are the same color yellow, which inspired me to pull of a black, white, gray and yellow kitchen.

I found these removable, translucent decals from Dollar Tree (for $1.00) and had planned on using them on the wood over the sink... but they were too sheer. I popped one on the range hood, just playing around, and it really turned out cute! It would have been even cuter if the wood grain didn't come off onto the sticker, but you can hardly tell!

After: (PS See what a difference NEW HARDWARE makes on those cabinets?!)

Before: (never mind the walls they were a work in progress, as you can see [in the AFTER picture] the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders)!

Close ups:

It's the Little Things that Make a Big Difference- Matching DISHES! [Thrifty Finds]

I've been with my boyfriend for 13 years come January 17th. When I met him, he had purchased his own set of hunter green WalMart dishes about 2 to 3 years prior to us dating. Half a year into our relationship, we got some hand-me-down dishes from an ex friend, a few years into that we purchased some dishes from Mardens, some plastic bowls from a yard sale, and maybe a dish or two from a thrift store.

It was purely chaos in my kitchen cabinet with the colors. I wanted a set of dishes that not only matched, but matched my decor.
Here is my BEFORE- yes that's all of them, I've managed to break a few over the years: (don't forget to click the pictures to get a better close up!)

Here is my big find! YELLOW and WHITE Couture Styled by Mikasa
Accent Casuals in Jasmine #JH104 6 (SIX) piece setting which included:
1 serving plate, 6 dinner plates, 6 bowls, 6 smaller plates,  and 1 serving dish.....
all for the price of........ $7.99!!!
Yes my friends, SEVEN DOLLARS AND NINETY NINE CENTS from Goodwill! Could you imagine if they would have sat around til the day they went on half off-- it would have been even crazier to get these at $3.99-- which I didn't, and that is totally fine!!!

Not a single chip, break, crack, etc!!! They are in PERFECT condition!!
Ready to see them in the cabinet?!?!

So much better!! I'd like to thank the previous owners of the dishes for keeping them all together and treating them kindly! And a big thanks to Goodwill for the incredible price!

The dishes aren't listed on the site, the stamp looks pretty old, so it's hard to tell if they are "antique" or if they just have an old time stamp. Again, all that mattered was that I have dishes that all match and are all there!

I packed up our dishes and ran them to Salvation Army the next day. It was sad seeing them go, but we'll find tranquility in these matching, unchipped dishes!

Inexpensive No Sew Kitchen Curtains:

My kitchen is black, white, gray and yellow. I personally would love yellow curtains, and will get them later on, but for now I purchased 3 3/4 yards of this gray and black scroll material for $6.00 at Mardens.

This was EXACTLY enough to do my kitchen sink window and my large kitchen window.

I love that I can see out of the windows without having to move my curtain over (which is surprisingly what I HAD to do with my WHITE and blue curtains from WalMart). I also love that they allow for the light to come into the kitchen without having a glare.

(Here is a sneak peak of some of the BIG changes we are doing. This is the BEFORE with the OLD hardware on the cabinets.......

this is the AFTER with the NEW hardware on the cabinets! This is the OLD curtain...... )

the AFTER of the curtain that I made (daylight shot) [it's not that crooked- LOL) ....

the after shot (evening). Please excuse the mess.

the close up of the fabric.

MINI SPOTLIGHT!!

It's the little things that make a big difference!

BEFORE: The actual dish soap bottle is sitting on the countertop.

AFTER: Black, white and silver scroll pump bottle now houses the liquid. It's not only more functional, but a lot more appealing. I got it on clearance at Kohl's for $4.00!

~ I also changed out the papertowel holder from a white one to a more sleek brushed stainless steel one (that matches the new hardware). UPDATE: 2/7/10 I not only removed the new papertowel holder- but I've changed it's location entirely. Photos to follow soon.

~~ I also pulled the metal light cover around and faced it out to hide the bulb, where as before the bulb was exposed and not cute looking. By doing this, the papertowel holder matches even more and the light is more inviting and not in your eyes.

My kitchen is going through a major transformation with blogs and pictures to come. A lot has to do with updating it and making it a lot less dated and more cleanly. Other redecorating includes: much cuter outlet covers (I'm just waiting to finish scrubbing up the walls then I am putting them up), decorative shelf and artwork in the kitchen, a new faucet with sprayer to be purchased soon, and we have changed from buying decorative papertowels to purchasing plain white papertowels to match the kitchen better.

Material and Costs:

Mardens fabric- $6.00

Ikea DIGNITET curtain clips- $4.00 ( 24 quantity)

hem tape- had on hand

iron

Instructions for no sew curtains:

cut the fabric to desired length leaving about an inch around the entire side (I left them longer on the left and right sides to that I didn't have to cut them and risk cutting off more than I wanted). Place viewing side down (backside facing up) Crease about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch over and iron it. Rip hem tape to length of hem. Place the hem tape rough side down against the crease line and fold hem over to cover the tape. Press the iron for 3 seconds working all the way down. It is very important to make sure that you make sure your iron is free of hem tape glue as you are about to turn the curtain over to the good side. If there is any glue residue, be careful, grab a wet rag and wipe it down. Press the good side for about a second or two, working your way down.

These curtains (big window not shown due to placement of rod being moved soon)... were different than my first one, as I used the Ikea curtain clips this time.

When all of your sides are hemmed, Grab your curtain in the top middle and fold it evenly, and attach your first hook directly in the middle and work your way out placing hooks where you so much desire. I used 5 clips on the little window and 11 on the big window.

The total cost was about $8.69 for two windows!

It's the Little Things That Make a Big Difference- Mouse Pad:

My "office" is in my kitchen, so I've incorporated the black, white, gray and yellow theme for the computer area.

It looks so much more sleek, clean, organized and mature. I will have a full blog about the office soon (sadly I don't have a before picture of the file cabinet or the desk).

Here's the old mousepad: (it's a deep red, NOT pink like the camera flash makes it appear like)!

Here's the new mouse pad. This was at Dollar Tree for $1.00! It is a picture frame/ 2010 calendar/ mouse pad!! When I saw it was black and white, I just HAD to have it!

AHHHH, so much better!
Truth be told: My boyfriend HATES it, he removes it and uses the red one because of the squishy wrist rester and he says the red one doesn't slide all over the place like the black and white one [boo hoo]. So, I will be COVERING the mousepad or spray painting it for him, LOL!

My New LOVE: Owls! [Thrifty Finds]

I've been seeing a lot of owls lately, especially in the etsy blogs. I don't know what it is about them... but I really LOVE owls! So out with the old (my moose, black bears, frogs and turtles) and in with the owls!

I found this one at Goodwill for .99!!! I am sure he's an old earring holder, but now he's the perfect little guy for my stand in the hallway! I don't even mind that his color is coming off, it gives him character! He is a '70s Revere Mfg product!

(AS ALWAYS: Don't forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them!)

Then at another Goodwill I saw a black bowl on a picture hanger, flipped over faced down with a price tag of $1.99.
When I flipped it over, I couldn't believe my eyes!!!! An OWL bowl that was black and "yellow" (it's more gold- but it's PERFECT!)!!!! I mean it was a win in itself when it was just a black bowl on a wall hanger, but then to be my new found love--- EXTRA SCORE and to be in the color I need TRIPLE SCORE!!
I quickly put it in my cart!! <3
(haha, when I enlarged the one below, I noticed that he was cross eyed, oh well, LOL, I still love him!)

UPDATE: I found more info about the owl bowl: Someone is selling this same exact bowl- but the eyes aren't messed up like my owl's, LOL! 

"Couroc is Unique"

(1970's label)

Phrenolic Bowl

Couroc of Monterey, California was founded in 1948 by the husband and wife team of Guthrie Sayle Courvoisier and Moira Wallace. Wallace was a gifted artist, whose early work included mosaic designs built from inlaid metal and plastic materials. Guthrie developed the technology further, and began Couroc company, which produced heavy, durable plastic trays with inlaid designs. Couroc set the trend of elegance in the 1940's and 1950's with their high price products for home entertainment in style. Alas the company stopped producing these products for the fashionable home in the lated 1970's and ceased operations altogether in the mid 1990's. 

For the past week I've made it a mission to go to all of the Goodwills and other thrift stores in Maine (and some in New Hampshire and Mass). I guess I can officially use the term "thrifting".

My Inexpensive Monogrammed Refridgerator Magnet Craft!

I purchased a magnetic "C" from Target in the $1.00 isle. It was NOT the colors I was doing my kitchen in. My kitchen is black, white, gray and yellow. I wanted a simple pattern since my refridgerator used to be so chaotic with random magnets. I then found some scrapbook paper at Targe... 8 sheets for .99! I actually didn't think that many sheets were in there, as I fell in love with the first pattern I saw and grabbed it specifically for that one piece, so that was a BONUS! I then went to buy Mod Podge, as I had seen everyone use it around Blogspot. I priced it, wasn't too sold on the price, then decided to get the little bottle of Puzzle Mod Podge. I am glad I did! That stuff worked beautifully!

MAGNET SIZE IS: 6" TALL BY 5 1/2" WIDE- It's fairly large.

BEFORE: Preschool-ish ABCs:

AFTER: More Mature Decor:
(PS Usually I recommend clicking on the picture to blow them up and look at the details, I'd rather you not with this one, LOL, as this was my first attempt and I am incredibly rusty! LOL But from far back it looks GREAT! I mean, if you want to, there's no stopping you, LOL)

Supplies and Costs:

Monogram Magnet from Target's Dollar Isle- $1.00
Scrapbook Paper from Target- .99 for 8 pieces!
Mod Podge- $4 ?? from WalMart
Black Perminant Marker- had on hand for mess ups
Exacto Knife- had on hand

Instructions:
Trace around magnet onto the paper and cut with a knife (or scizzors)- it's alright to leave ends hanging off, as you can touch them up later... as a hairstylists rule of thumb: It's better to leave more than to take too much off and not be able to fix it. I FORGOT to go around the ends of the visible side with the black marker (incase I cut to close and exposed the blue--- and boy oh boy do I know myself, as I did just that)!
Rub your Mod Podge onto the colored side of the letter and position the cut out paper. Press on it, and cut around any edges that are hanging off.
I know people use Mod Podge and/ or a glossy sealant to the tops, but I didn't- and it's totally fine without it.

Total price was about $1. 14!
I am very happy with my results!!

It's the Little Things that Make a Big Difference- Pet Dish Area:

I have an almost 4 year old Chihuahua/ Manchester Terrier. He's had the same water and food dishes for about a year now. They're great, but they didn't really match what I am transforming our kitchen decor into.
So, we went to Ikea in Stoughton, Mass. Not particularly looking for pet dishes, infact, I was looking for everything- but!
Let me just say that this Ikea makes the one in Baltimore look like a little market. This Ikea is ENORMOUS and has this unbelievably insane parking garage underneath and around it.

As mentioned before, my kitchen is going to be: black, white, gray and yellow.

Here's "Sammy's" before:

I purchased the bamboo placemat from Dollar Tree, which I loved!...
Here are the Ikea Pet Bowls, I think they were $3.99 (I'll have to check my list):

I loved the bamboo placemat because it made his area appear more mature. BUT.... Every day when I'd pick up his bowl to rinse it out and change the water, I was noticing water marks underneath. I didn't rinse out his waterbowl for 2 days, and on the 3rd day, I picked it up, and there was mold on the mat. I was saddened, but thought, "Hey it was only a dollar!"

So then we went to Christmas Tree Shops and I saw the most perfect placemats for him!! Not too girly or kitchen-y, and they were the correct color scheme (minus the yellow)!

These placemats were marked at like .69 a piece, but when they rang up, they were 3 for $1.00! Had I known that, I would have gotten more than 4!
I LOVE THEM!

Then Comes the "NEW" Stove!!!

We've been here for 7 years, and have had 2 stoves prior to the new one. The 2 previous stoves were old, refurbished stoves. My ladylady had all the best intentions by keeping with the almond type color, and providing us with a working stove. Well, the 2nd one stopped working almost immediately, but she's such an incredible landlady- that I didn't want to burden her.

When I'd use the stovetop, the burners would stay very hot when turned all the way down, which would burn my food, it would take forever for water to boil, and I once tried baking a 38 minute cake, only to continue baking it for over 4 hours with cold batter throughout the cake.

My boyfriend, Gabe, started looking on Craigslist for a stove, and we hit the jackpot!

Here's Ol' Unreliable:

And here is the new stove (below):

Nevermind the walls, that's a work-in-progress that definately has some before and after pictures to share! I'll be getting to that soon! Actually the stove is the only focus, nevermind anything in the picture, as I will be blogging about what you may or may not see, LOL!

I have never had a glasstop stove before, but let me just say: LOVIN' IT! I have NOT burnt any food (which was by way of the old stove- certainly not an error on my part LOL), water boils in a matter of seconds, and food actually COOKS in the oven! The first time I made chicken tenders and they came out sizzling, I was in awe! The food seriously tastes better too! Our first weekend with it, I whipped up a batch of brownies, and they were just the right consistency, baked all the way through, and over all delicious!

At this point we weren't so much concerned at getting an almond color stove or the like, considering the fact that last year she purchased a white fridge for our kitchen. Our only concern was that it WORKED! Of course it didn't hurt that it looked good too *wink*!

This inspired my kitchen color pallet: black, white, gray and yellow. Rather than making the yellow sink and range hood stick out like a sore thumb, I've decided to incorporate them into the color scheme (there really was no style or anything before, things were just slapped together).