MYSTERY CABINETS: CREATING DISPLAY SPACE IN THE KITCHEN & SOME DE-BOOBING!

So there are these mystery cabinets above my stove/microwave that sit pretty much empty because they are so high and small that there is no point in really using them.  Until I saw a post on The 36th Avenue about turning unused cubbard space above the refrigerator into open cabinets for display...PERFECT!  And so another project is begun before the last one is finished...

As usual I broke the cardinal rule of blogging...no before pictures (or during for that matter!)  So picture little doors on there.. easy enough...

............. removed cabinet doors and filled in door hinge holes with some white spackle and paint

 

................. added wainscoting cut to run vertically to the back and sides of cabinet walls

.....some potted herbs from my new favorite garden center, cookbooks and a shiny lantern for some bling

The lights FINALLY got changed out too!  We never changed out the original boob lights because I just couldn't find what I was looking for in my price range.

................. DA boobs

That was until I stumbled upon this guy at Menards for $40,  originally $140!  I picked up two...

................. DE boobed

next on the kitchen makeover list...

new counters

adding height to cabinets

french doors

(shhhh don't tell my husband!)

{jen}

Linking to these great parties and thank you to all the gracious hosts!

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.everycreativeendeavor.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.thedelectablehome.blogspot.com

www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

TAG I'M IT

I've been tagged by Dee Dee from d dzine to complete the

The All About You Blog Challenge!

1. What is a secret no one knows about you?

I always dig through the Special K Vanilla Almond cereal box and eat all the almonds

2. What is one of your greatest loves?

Flowers

3. What is one of your greatest fears?

Flying

4. What is your deepest wish?

That my dog will live forever

5. Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

Wherever the temperature doesn't go below 68 or above 72!

6. What is your favorite food?

My Dad's homemade tacos

So good I have to wear my "taco pants" to eat them...you know.. yoga pants... plenty of stretch in the midsection!?  What..everyone doesn't have taco pants?

7. What is your favorite book?

Right now it's the Mortal Instruments series

8. What is your favorite movie?

Christmas Vacation...ALWAYS, ANYTIME OF YEAR!

9. What is your favorite song?

I Alone by Live

Post a picture of yourself

This one was really hard because I am always the one behind the camera..and when I am not, here is what you get..

[not looking at the camera]

[or your head cut off!]



I have also been passed:

The Versatile Blogger Award

asks you to state 7 things about yourself

1.  I rarely wear matching socks... when I even wear socks...I hate them.

2.  I love to box (I box in (mis-matched) yellow gox box socks... lol)

3.  In my pre- mommy/blog/diy days I was an investigator

4.  I love country music

5.  I once worked at Honey Baked Ham fanning hams (yes just like you are picturing while you laugh.. with my hands) for 4 hours, there was ham everywhere...in my hair, shoes, clothes...YUCK..I still can't eat it!

6.  I ALWAYS spell "dosen't" wrong...it is always highlighted when I spell check!

7.  I hate lady bugs

Now to pass these along to some other victims  bloggers!

I am tagging:

Jen @ Migonis Home

Emily @ 52 Mantels

Laura @ Top This Top That

Reba & Eldarose @ RE-invented Style

Aimee @ It's Overflowing

Thanks Dee Dee, it was fun!

{jen}

THE TALE OF A TABLE

I'm back with another favorite Goodwill find!  There is a location near the gym I go to that every once in a while week I stop by to check out the furniture.  Last week I showed you the mirror I found and made into a chalkboard... and here is what I found a few weeks ago for only $12! 

I turned the corner and there was this coffee table in all it's weathered, chippy glory!

but the story doesn't actually start off with the light shining on the table and music playing...no, someone else spied it at the same time as I did but got to the ticket first! PANIC... so we got to talking and she said if she didn't get it I could have it, so I waited stalked her, no really I did!  She was taking FOREVER to decide... I tried to act like I was looking at other things, when really all I wanted was that coffee table in my car going home with me!  I was starting to sweat ... when all of a sudden ... she wasn't going to take it! WHAT?! I tried to play it cool like "yeah, your other finds are definitely better.."  I held on to that ticket like it was the winning lottery numbers!  





I LOVE the worn edges and all the deep grain it shows off...  it was a little rough around the edges so I just lightly sanded it and now it is perfect for the little guy!  

the top looks like an old piece of barn wood .. I wonder if someone made this table? 

perfect spot for my favorite magazines and of course some fresh flowers...

SIGH...I AM SMITTEN

{jen}

 I am linking to these fun parties.. thank you to all the gracious hosts!

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

MIRROR, MIRROR? A GOODWILL MAKEOVER

Yes i'm still here, are you still with me?!  It has been crazy busy around here... I have been working on a million projects and not had time to write a post about any of them!  But here is one that has been patiently waiting for me to edit the pictures and post...

I found this mirror at Goodwill about a month or so ago for $9!  After a few trips to pick it up (it is an awkward size at the top to fit in a car!) here is what I came up with...

................. some white semi-gloss paint

............. hmmm where is the "painting the mirror with chalkboard paint" photo!?

(I guess that is what I get for taking so long to post it!)

.................... can't wait to fill it with the Bears football schedule in the fall! 

Ohhh you Packers fans don't be hatin' ;)

{jen}

(Note to self, definatley need to move "trim around windows" up to the top of on the "TO DO" list!)

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com 

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.thedelectablehome.blogspot.com

www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

AND THE AWARD GOES TO.....

I would like to thank the academy Kari at A Grace Full Life for recognizing Harrison Home with the.....

I have been given this award previously, but it is such a great way to promote and encourage new friendships within the blogging community I was more than happy to pass it on again!  The award is given to a blogger with less than 200 followers, and this is how it works:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

3. Reveal your 5 picks for the award and let them know.

4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people in the blogosphere... other bloggers.

5. Finally, the best rule of all, have fun and spread the love!


But before I open the envelope, you need to go check out Kari and her wonderful blog over at
 A Grace Full Life

..... isn't she creative!  I love all the projects she shares, and she is so funny too! 

Thanks again Kari for recognizing Harrison Home!

........................... AND NOW THE AWARD GOES TO (In no particular order!)

1.  Amy at Blissful Blooms...

2.  Bree at rooms FOR rent 

3.  Pam at Pamela Joyce

4.  Sara at Applestone Drive

5.  Kris at Our Thrifty Nest of 7

Now go put on your party dress pajamas and celebrate with these talented award winners on their blogs! 

{jen}

EASTER MANTEL

Yesterday I shared a clip of our Easter mantel, and as promised here is the full mantel with details on some of the little projects that brought it all together....

I envisioned something clean and simple, so I decided to go with bright whites and crisp greens with a pop of blue for the banner. I also love the bit of shine the polished silver adds.

............................. PB INSPIRED E.A.S.T.E.R  EGGS

I was inspired by a set of hanging wooden eggs from Pottery Barn that spelled out EASTER, but at  $20...YIKES!  So off to Hobby Lobby where I found a set of 8 white wooden eggs for around $4..Then used a black marker to write the letters, small nails hold the white ribbon on for hanging.

......................................................... "RISEN" BANNER

   

For the banner I used scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby in a blue and white chevron pattern, finished the edges with my favorite decorative edger and printed out "RISEN" from a basic font in Microsoft Word.  The little votive holders were a set of three in the dollar bin at Target! (although I think they were actually $2.50?) I love the vintage look of them.

................................. A BACKYARD BOXWOOD WREATH

 

The wreath I made using boxwood clippings from my yard and a plain grapevine wreath I already had.  I simply started sticking the boxwood clippings in the wreath until it was full, then trimmed up the edges to give it some shape...I love the color and texture of boxwood's, and the fact that they look just as good dried!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a

HAPPY EASTER!

{jen}

I am linking to the following parties!   Thank you to all the hosts!

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.everycreativeendeavor.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.thedelectablehome.blogspot.com

www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

dear lillie

www.jenniferrizzo.com

GUEST POSTING AT 52 MANTELS & A PEAK AT OUR EASTER MANTEL

Good morning!!!  I am so excited to be guest posting over at 52 Mantels today!  You can head on over there to see the full post of our Easter mantel, and see all the AMAZING mantels and projects Emily does... then later this week I will have the details on how I made some of the items like the Pottery Barn inspired Easter eggs and the boxwood wreath...

And to those of you here for the first time from 52 Mantels WELCOME!  Hope you can stay a bit and take a look around...you can find links to previous posts at the bottom of the page under "archives", as well as choosing any "label" or "popular posts" in the sidebar.  Thanks for stopping by!

{jen}

MY BIGGEST LITTLE TREASURE

Is it really Monday again!  We spent the weekend finishing  (nothing is ever finished right!) working on projects that have been going for way to long now!  I hope to be able to photograph and post some this week.  But in the mean time I wanted to share with you something very special to me...As you may have figured out by now I love to sew, and my Gramma taught me EVERYTHING I know about it.  She would come over and we would crawl around on the floor pinning drapes, bedding, pillows etc.. She would teach me little tricks like pulling threads to make the ends even, and how to ruffle fabric the old fashioned way.  Those are some of my most special memories, I sew with her old Singer machine, and I love it.  I love the sound it makes, and the smell of the old metal.  But before she was using that machine to make my Mother's wedding dress, my Christening gown, and my son's crib bedding, she had this little machine....

and when I say little... it is the size of a 5x7 picture!

This was her first sewing machine that she got as a little girl.  You turn the wheel with one hand to make the needle move up and down while guiding the fabric with the other hand...

It may be small, but it is one of my biggest treasures...

{jen}

SPRING MANTEL {take 1}: "HOPE" IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS...

Spring is definatley in the air, well here in the Midwest I feel like I should be saying Summer is in the air, it has been 35 degrees ABOVE normal!  And while it has been wonderful to have the windows open and the fresh air blowing in, it has also made me late on posting my spring mantel!  What do you do when your three year old only wants to be outside riding his bike, can you blame him!! 

I also have been holding off posting it because I keep changing things...  Spring brings so much inspiration that it is hard to just stick to one idea, so I have decided to share what I have now, but I can guarantee there will be more to come as it evolves, just like nature in Spring! 

.............  "Hope" is the thing with feathers

  

[I made the wreath using a round wreath form and linnen fabric. First I tore strips of fabric to wrap around the wreath form, and hot glued them sporadically while overlapping the fabric...Then using the ruffle setting on my sewing machine I made some strips of ruffles... I tore the strips of fabric rather than cut them because I liked the unfinished look, but you can cut them also. I then just started wrapping and gluing, overlapping the top of each ruffle.]



......................... That perches in the soul

- emily dickinson

Hope to see you back soon for another installment! 

{jen}

I am linking to these fun parties, thank you to all the hosts!

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.everycreativeendeavor.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.thedelectablehome.blogspot.com

www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

CHOOSING A WINDOW BOX STYLE

I LOVE window boxes, and the fuller the better!  But before I can fill them with beautiful flowers I need to decide which kind I want.  I have four windows in the from of my house, two flanking each side of the front door.  I had iron boxes with coconut liners in them for years, but it can get pretty pricey replacing the liners in addition to the flowers, and they were rotting, so it was time to take them down.  I lived without them for a year, but I really miss the curb appeal and I enjoy taking care of the flowers...well that is until the end of summer when I am sick of being out in the heat and getting bit by bugs while I water all of them!  But I think it is time to put up some new ones, the question is what kind to do.. I definitely do NOT want ones with coconut lines, but here are some alternative ideas I have been thinking about... (all can be found on my Pinterest Outdoor Decor Board)

via

LOVE the simplicity and clean lines of the boxwood's, and the pots will be so easy to take down when needed like a bad storm etc.. My flowers always take a beating here in the Midwest when there is extreme heat or storms.

via

I also like the country look of the "floating" pots.

Via Pottery Barn no longer available

Maybe I could just buy an iron holder and put the pots in it rather than the coconut liner... why didn't I think of that 8 years ago!

via

But I do still love the traditional look of the wood window box that I would line with a plastic drainage liner. 

Hmmm.. better make a decision quick if I want to have them up by spring!  What do you guys think? 

{jen}

RUFFLED SINK SKIRT TUTORIAL

I have been asked by quite a few people for a tutorial on the ruffled sink skirt in my powder room..  I only have photos of the finished project, and I am going off of what I remember (I made it quite a while ago) so this is just a rough outline of what I did!

Materials:
1 yard of fabric (or however much your size sink requires to cover from side to side and top to bottom)
2 yards of fabric for ruffles (can be same fabric or different)
Long strips of Velcro

1.  1 yard of fabric covered my entire sink from top to bottom and side to side.. so I didn't have to do any cutting, but if you need to you would just measure how much you need and adjust accordingly

2.  I then figured out the length I wanted the ruffles to be (mine are 10 in each)...I wanted an odd amount of ruffles so I took the total length and divided it by different numbers until I came up with 5, 10 in. ruffles.

3.  I then cut individual strips from a SEPARATE piece of fabric (so now you have the yard, or however much it takes for your sink, AND another piece of fabric to cut your ruffles from)

* I left the edges of my skirt intentionally unfinished, but if you wanted a more tailored look you would  sew the edges first before ruffling

4.  Then using the ruffle stitch on my sewing machine, I ran each strip though to ruffle it (you can also do the traditional way of ruffling and sew a loose stitch all the way down then "pull" the threads)

5.  Once I had all my ruffles done I started at the BOTTOM of the skirt and sewed my first ruffle to my yard of fabric (I have made the mistake many times of starting at the top of the skirt and ending up with it too short at the bottom!) 

6.  Continue layering the ruffled pieces all the way to the top.. you wan to cover the top of the last one you sewed with a little of the bottom of the next one, while still keeping them at the equal widths. 

7.  Once all the pieces were sewn on I used a long strip of Velcro and attached one side to the edge of the sink and the other to the inside of the skirt.

It really was a quick and easy project...

I think the tutorial took longer to write then making the actual skirt!

{jen}

Linking to these parties!  Thank you to all the hosts!

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.everycreativeendeavor.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.thedelectablehome.blogspot.com
www.livelaughrowe.blogspot.com

(You can also find a list of all the parties on my WEEKLY LINKY'S page above)

STENCILED BASKET TUTORIAL: WORLD MARKET KNOCKOFF

In an ongoing effort to get organized this year, I was browsing through World Market the other day and saw a basket that was stenciled with the word "Organization" on it.  It was so cute (sorry took a picture with my phone but can't download it, and they don't have a photo of it online!).. and of course I thought "I could totally make that!"

The basket I already had, but I did have to buy stencils because I have terrible writing, they were on sale at Hobby Lobby for a few dollars.  After taping the letters on (I only had one "F" stencil so I had to wait for the first one to dry then add the next one!) I painted using white wall paint and a stencil brush.  It was hard to get in between the weave so after the first coat I took off the stencil and using a small angled brush I filled in the spaces.  Here is what I ended up with...

I decided to write "Stuff" on it because it really is going to be used for just that!  I also didn't want to make it to specific like "Toys" so that I could move it around the house where needed.   I am happy with how it turned out and plan to make another one for my office...any suggestions on what it could say?    

{jen} 

Linking this project to:

www.betweennapsontheporch.com

www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.52mantels.com

www.tatertotsandjello.com

www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com

www.southernlovely.blogspot.com

www.atthepicketfence.com

www.itsoverflowing.com

www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

www.stuff-and-nonsense.net

www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

www.daysofchalkandchocolate.blogspot.com

www.everycreativeendeavor.com

www.fivedaysfiveways.com

www.homestoriesatoz.com

www.the36thavenue.com

Thank you to all the hosts!

(You can also find buttons to all the parties under my WEEKLY LINKY'S page above)