New Kitchen Curtains

I know it's Wednesday and you should be getting a 2 Bills 2 Blow post, but apparently I'm a slacker and didn't get anyone lined up. I need to work on that. (if you are interested in guest posting, feel free to shoot me an email)

I have new kitchen curtains!

When we moved into our house 1 year ago, there were copper blinds in the kitchen. They could not stay, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted. Did I want curtains or did I want blinds? Since I didn't really know what I wanted, and knew I didn't want nasty copper blinds, I found some table cloths on clearance at Target that would be good placeholders until I was ready to commit to something. Table cloths + curtain rods and rings = easy curtains.

I actually modified some other curtains somewhere between the original table cloth curtains and the new ones that I am showing today, but didn't like them so I never showed them to you.

Anyway, I briefly mentioned that I came across a yard sale that was being held by a decorator. Guess what she was selling? TONS of fabric still on the bolt. I went to the sale pretty late, but as soon as I drove up I spotted this brown and white herringbone fabric by RALPH LAUREN and knew that I had to have it. I then looked at the sticker and it was marked $2 for what was left on the bolt. SERIOUSLY! It was perfect. I took it home and measured and there was roughly 3 yards. Plenty to cover the 2 windows in my kitchen, and I liked it better than anything I else I had come across. Oh, and it was TWO DOLLARS!

So, that is the story of my $2 Ralph Lauren kitchen curtains.

Free Printables - exceeding abundantly above

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us   -  Ephesians 3:20

This has been one of my favorite scriptures this past year, and continuing into this year. It will soon be framed and on my desk.


I thought I would share, so I am offering this as a free printable to anyone that would like it. These are for personal use only. Just right click on the picture, save, and print. (prints best up to an 8 x 10)

Linking up to :
Delightful Order
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Positivly Splendid
Tater Tots and Jello

2 Bills to Blow - HOME:MADE

A big, southern "Hey, ya'll" to all you Nikki's Nacs' readers!  My name is Alana and I am the woman behind the blog, HOME: MADE, where I share my passion for intentional homemaking, mostly from the angle of living an organized life.  Two of my favorite hobbies are organizing and decorating, so this series is right up my alley!

First of all, I'd like to thank Nikki for inviting me to take part in this fun series: 2 Bills 2 Blow.  When you asked, I did not hesitate one bit.  After all, the next best thing to shopping for real, is pretending to shop, right?

Of course, if I really had $200, I'd probably put it towards bills or buy a deep freezer because I'm usually super practical that way.  But, the rule states that it must be spent on home decor, so I had to think long and hard about what I might do with that kind of money if, in fact, I had it.  Then, it hit me!

This is my kitchen.  

{Side note: please excuse the iPhone pic.  A professional camera is on my wishlist.  But, alas, it's gonna cost me more than two Benjamins... Sigh...}  

Anyways, back to my kitchen...

Everything, except the wall color, is the same as it was the day we moved in.  Cabinets, counter tops {laminate, ugh!}, back splash {laminate, again.  double ugh!}, floor tiles... everything.  The wall color was chosen "under pressure", which is never good.

Needless to say, I'm not head-over-heels in LOVE with my kitchen.  I've kept it this was mostly because of budget restraints {Money could always go elsewhere.  See?  Super practical...}, but also because everyone who comes over to our house, seems to like it.  I know, I know... that last reason is a pretty pathetic one.

I say all that to say this: if I was given $200 to use on home decor, I would use it to jump-start a kitchen makeover, taking it one step closer to becoming a place I enjoy.  {Hey, maybe if I spend more time in there, I'll become a better cook!  One can only hope, right?  That "one" is probably my hubby...}  ;)

Here is one of my favorite kitchens thus far via my Pinterest board:

{Via}

I absolutely adore this kitchen.  That tile is beautiful but probably pricey.  Because I want my kitchen to be a bright, colorful space, I plan on bringing that teal color into my kitchen, along with orange like those flowers and the yellow of those lemons.  I'm thinking something along the lines of this color palette:

{Via}

So, here's how I'd use the $200 to get the ball rolling on my kitchen makeover: 

I'd paint my cabinets white and then repaint the wall color.

Anyone good at math will automatically realize that this doesn't take up my entire $200 budget.  I have $80 leftover.  I'd probably purchase one of each pattern of these {$36} just because I absolutely heart them:

{Via}

Then, I'd use the rest {approx. $44} to buy one yard of one of my favorite fabrics so I can make a faux roman shade for my kitchen window:

Ahhh... loving my new kitchen already.  Too bad reality is going to set in next time I get a hankerin' {southern word for "craving"} for some sweet tea {southern word for "sugar with a hint of tea"}.  Oh, well!

Whenever I do get around to making these changes, I will be sure to post them on my blog, so be sure to stop by and follow along.

Nikki, thanks again for having me.  

I had so much fun daydreaming about how I'd spend some "free money".  ;)

TV Wall Update

I have fiddled and fiddled with this TV wall. The long term plan is to eventually build custom built-ins for this wall. That will have to wait until we decide for sure and then actually purchase this home that we are currently renting. In the mean time I am trying to work with what I have or come across without spending a whole lot. We are currently using my buffet to hold the TV and all of it's gear. It's not my fav, but it also doesn't bother me. I think I might like it better if I found a dresser that I could convert to hold all of the boxes, but I haven't come across anything so far that is just right.

So for now, I just fiddle with what is on the wall above the TV. Take 1, was not so hot. Take 2, wasn't even blog worthy. This would be Take 3. It has been in place for several months and I am quite happy with it. At least for now, anyway. :)

Ok, now I want to change out he knobs, but that's for another time. Let me tell you about the artwork. The rose painting was something I came across at the thrift store for $1. I really liked the colors, nice and bright. It reminded me of something I had seen in an antique store that was much pricier . The other 3 pieces of art were found all together at the same thrift store, just on a different day. I initially bought them for the frames, but the more I looked at them, the more I started to like them. I don't remember exactly what I paid for the 3, but I'm pretty sure it was around $6.

I may eventually move these all to the dining room and replace them with a large canvas that has been painted with a colorful graphic print like I mentioned in my first 2 Bills 2 Blow post, but for now, they make the TV wall much nicer to look at.

Linking up to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons
It's Overflowing

Excuse the Mess

I'm working on some site maintenance, so if it starts looking crazy around here for a bit you will know why.

Chicken Finger Dip

This stuff is good, and it has just a little kick.

Chicken Finger Dip

1 Tbsp. Mayo w/olive oil

(Just shy of) 1 Tbsp. Southwest Spicy Mustard

Mix and enjoy!  

It's also really good as a spread on a roast beef sandwich.

Calories - 75
Fat grams - 4


Linking up to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons

2 Bills 2 Blow - Satori Design for Living

Hello lovely Nikki's Nacs readers! I'm Shauna from Satori Design for Living. I was thrilled when Nikki asked me to be part of her 2 Bills 2 Blow series. The tricky part was deciding what room I would spend $200 on because I'm planning on doing quite a few updates this year. I settled on the smallest room in our house- the powder room.

Currently our powder room is a blank slate with soft white paint and fixtures- BORING! My overall goal was to infuse color, texture and sparkle to this room.

1. To start with I'd add artwork above the towel bar. These vintage moth prints from Saturated Color on Etsy are unique and full of color (2 at $7.99 each). I'd frame them in these beautiful silver foil frames with linen matting from Indigo (2 at $44.50 each).

2. I'd take advantage of Pottery Barn's white sale and purchase two white hand towels with a sandalwood satin stitch border (2 at $14.00 each).

3. Above the toilet I'd install white shelves from Ikea (3 at $5.00 each) and accessorize with some items I already have- books, coral, shells, glass canisters and a wooden box. Here is the inspiration picture.

{via Mr. Goodwill Hunting on Pinterest}

4. I'd paint out the back of the shelves in deep blue color (blue danube 2062-30) from Benjamin Moore (one quart at $25.95- prices may vary by type of paint and location).

5. Next I'd purchase small wire baskets from Crate & Barrel to hold supplies (2 at $12.95).

Grand total= $199.83

Note: all prices are US (except Indigo) and do not include tax or shipping.

With a small amount of elbow grease and a few purchases totaling close to $200.00, I think my powder room will have the wow factor I'm looking for. Thanks Nikki- this was fun!

Christmas Card Books

I know that Christmas has come and gone, but I wanted to go ahead and show you my Christmas Card Books.

If you are on Pinterest it is safe to say that you have seen the Christmas Card Book by close2myart that is floating around and the printable cover for said Christmas Card Book by eighteen25.

Well, last week when I was putting all of my Christmas stuff up and going through cabinets (am I the only one that does 2-3 major projects at once?) I remembered the pin and decided to just assemble my Christmas Card Books right then. I knew that if I didn't do it right away I may not get around to it. I didn' have any rings, but I did have ribbon, and Christmas cards all the way back to 2005 (They were in one of the cabinets I was cleaning out).  I knew that one day I would come across the "perfect" thing to do with them. Thank you, Pinterest! Ok, anyway, I just hole punched everything and strung them with ribbon. I eventually went back with some Christmas-y cardstock and ribbon to make covers, and printed out a label with the year to put on the front of each book. You can make these as simple or elaborate as you would like. I obviously went simple.

Do you keep or trash your Christmas cards?

Linking up to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons

A Little Dye

Back in October, I told you about the STEAL of a deal I got on parsons chairs that I found on Craigslist.  I'm not a fan of the slipcovers, and the chairs themselves are pretty rough and need to be recovered, but I'm still saving up for the fabric.

In the meantime, I wanted to do something to the two of the six chairs that are normally in the living room. The requirements - I wanted some color and it had to be cheap.  I decided that this was the perfect time to dye something. It's pretty inexpensive and if it didn't turn out like I wanted it wasn't a big deal. I have plans to eventually ditch the slipcovers.

I ended up going with Rit dye in Dark Teal, and followed the directions for the washing machine application. They results weren't great, but not terrible either. Just little splotchy in a few places. I also would like them better if the teal was deeper, but I think that could easily be achieved with an additional box of dye per chair (2 boxes total per chair). Now I just have to get to Hobby Lobby and get another box of dye so that I can do the other one. They only one had one the day that I was there.

Have you ever dyed anything? How did it turn out?

Linking up to:
It's Overflowing - Overflowing with Creativity
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday @ Delightful Order