Mini Kitchen Island

I'm still working on getting my old blog onto blogger, but until then I thought I'd share with you a little kitchen island I made in my desperation for counter top space.   This is what I started with.

I can't even tell you that I know what it was originally used for.  It looks like it could've been a bookshelf a built in, something.  It may have also had sliding doors at one time.  Either way, all I know is that I picked this baby up for $5 bucks.  Wasn't exactly sure why at the time, but I'm glad I did because when I moved into my new house I needed some extra prep space.  Drum roll please....

Here is is now...

I painted it in a turquoise distressed finish, added ball feet to get it to be counter height, and added a butcher block to the top.

I also added a wine rack that I have had forever stained in an espresso and a shelf.  I had two of these things originally in my old old apartment, you can see what I did with the other one in my old house here.

The side of the wine rack is a great place to store trays and the shelf on top cookbooks as well as a power strip for appliances.  I also decoupaged a thick wrapping paper in the back and insides to give it a fun decorative tin feel and to disguise imperfections.

and my favorite part is this cute little iron butterfly gifted to me by my good friend Tasha when we visited the 127 sale this summer.

xo,


mONICa

Small Kitchen Island

Hello there all,

I am having trouble with exporting my blog to blogger, so in the mean time I will send you all a link to my post over there.  Click here  to see how I turned this:

Into this

Don't forget to follow my new blog to stay posted on my updates.

xo,

mONICa

A Laundry Folding Table At Last

If I could pick something that has been on my wish list since the twins were born it would be a laundry folding station.  Unfortunately our laundry room in Cincinnati was teeny tiny so it would've required stacking our washer and dryer.

Here is how our laundry folding station happened.  I was at Ikea looking for a butcher block style counter top.  The cheapest one was $39.99, which I was ok with until I found a varde freestanding dishwasher cabinet which has a butcher block top on clearance for $49.99.

 Well, I knew eventually I would want to find something for the random space between my washer and dryer (some weird old house plumbing situation).  I thought to myself,"for 10 bucks more I've got a stand for a solution).  Now for a countertop.  Well, since I was planning to use the butcher block for something else, I had to find a countertop.  I'm sure I would've easily found  something in the as is section, but a non scratch and dent  pragel countertop on clearance for $19.99 in the kitchen section.

We didn't even have to cut it, just moved the dryer over a little more to make it fit.

Now we have space for dirty laundry on rollers and our trash bins.  I now have to shop for the perfect trash cans on rollers, one for trash and one for recycle.  Any suggestions?

Special thanks to Elaine and hubby for helping put this together.

xo,

mONICa

Hello Again

So sorry I've been MIA.  I've missed you guys in blogland.  I've been so busy moving into our new home, unpacking, watching her 3 year old twins, etc. We promise the silence is over!! The move went horribly. Things are missing and things are broken. I'm the most crushed ( no pun intended) about the break of my vintage bicycle, and both of my mirrored nightstands, but they are just things so I will get over it.

 

Anyhoo, I've got a million projects to explore in my new house and of course we still have lots of projects to share from our shop. Your gonna love our new little craftsman bungalow. I've already been to Ikea to get a couple small things like a Bygel Utility Cart. Originally our refrigerator was in our laundry area, but I decided to move it next to the stove, which left a small gap and just enough space for the cart to fit in with extra counter space and room for pots and pans.

Here is what the space looked like before

Our land lady decided to paint everything white, but I'm not mad at her since the place was in need of some tlc. I'm kind of into white walls right now anyway, that way I can add pops of color to the rooms in other ways.

Not only is it cute, but functional

I also worked on a really free turned cute dresser for my kids room that I will show you tomorrow. Thanks for bearing with us, we promise there is so much more fun stuff to come.




Much love,




mONICa & eLAINe

Masculine Bedroom- Wonderful For Less Wednesdays

Todays inspiration room is a masculine room.  A guy who would have this room is a professional with good taste, is extremely organized, and is neatly dressed.  Did I just describe my husband?  One can dream, can't she?

Designed by Andrew Halliday and David Greer, this master bedroom is very masculine, with Harry Benson's 1964 photo of the Beatles as the focal point. The fur details add a touch of modern chic. Featured in the July 2008 issue of House Beautiful.

I love the clean line modern bed, the texture of the bed throw, and the drama of the large black and white photo.  Want the look for less?  Here is my version.

Bed- Ikea Malm Queen Bed-$199

Nightstand- Ikea Malm Nightstand-$49 ea.

Lamps- Set of 2 Brushed Nickel Lamps-$109.99

Rug-Black Animal Rug-160.99

Pillows- Set of 2 Black Bolsters-$34.99

Throw-Safari Lynx faux fur throw-$72.99

Print-  The Beatles-$24.99

Paint- Sherwin Williams Downing Straw

So for you guys out there... you can actually get something awesome for a great price.

xo,

mONICa

DIY- Pantry Makeover

I decided I was going to show you pictures of my pantry.  First of all, don't laugh at me, as my cabinets are empty and I really need to get to the store.  I'm definitely not an extreme couponer with my stockpile bursting at the seams.  What I do like however, is a place for everything and everything in its place.

When we purchased this home it had a pretty standard pantry with wire racks and closet sliding doors.  It was really hard to get anything large into the pantry because the closet doors got in the way.  So we decided to change the doors to double doors to make it more accessible.  I got rid of all the wire racks and was lucky enough to find some BESTA shelves on clearance at Ikea( never overlook the as-is section).  They were the perfect size for my pantry.  I stacked one on top of the other and then added a wine storage box and an espresso colored closet shelf to the top from Lowes.  Screwed and L-bracketed everything in its place a wha la!  I have a custom pantry.  For a cost of only $125.00.  For can storage I bought some wire pantry shelves for the doors.  I also have baskets for boxed goods (pasta, rice, tea, etc.), kitchen towels, and fruits and potatoes, Now I have a clean-looking, efficient space.

Wire pantry organizers keep cans in place.  Wine storage is great for storing wine and other beverages (2-liter soda, juice, etc.).

Full view

Baskets are great for storing fruit, potatoes, and dry goods.

xo,

mONICa

Large Wall- Cheap Artwork

I thought I'd share a creative idea that I have for filling up a large wall with some art.  My first thought was to frame a large piece or 3 smaller pieces of fabric to give my wall some color, but I couldn't find inexpensive frames that would work.  Then I discovered sheer panels at Ikea.  The best thing about these panels is that they show through part of your wall color so any one will look like it is made for your space.  They are actually meant to use as room dividers or curtain panels, but I thought this was a good use for them.  Here are some examples of some current ones that Ikea carries.

Anno Inez Panel- $9.99 each

Anno LJUV Panels- $19.99 each

Flyn Jorun Panels- $44.99/ 3 pack

Here is what mine look like up.  I just used thumb tacks and tacked the tops and bottoms and some random center spots.  My ceilings are 9 feet tall and the panels are long enough to run all the way down.

The blue is repeated in our accent wall and our draperies.

The furniture has been moved around since, but I'm sure you get the point : )

I believe I paid around $30 bucks for the set of 3.  So for me it was one of the most inexpensive options and I think it looks great.

xo,

Monica