Kitchen Island: Part 2 and Reveal

As I said in Part 1, the easy part of building my custom DIY came to an end with the conclusion of Part 1.  I finished that portion a few months ago and took a break to figure out the finishing details.

The original plan was to finish it with beadboard and some molding.  After some thought, I realized that this would definitely require some straight cutting and intricate painting.  I also wasn't sure if that was the look I wanted for the kitchen.  In hind sight.... I should have went with the beadboard.

Kitchen Island: Part 1

Let me start by saying that this project is (so far) 10 months in the making.  It's, by far, the most complicated project I have tackled thus far and it has been..... A Learning Experience.

But before I get into that, I'll start from the beginning!  My house has a square kitchen with cabinets along 2 walls.  It's very open but it was lacking work space.  All the counter space was in the corners or just long enough for a cutting board.  I take up the whole counter when I cook, I needed more room to move!

 See all that open space in the middle of the room?

Oh My Wreath.

It's that time of year: the season of seasonal decorations!  I will admit it now, I am decorationally challenged. I don't always do well with crafts and it seems to be pretty hit and miss.  But I try my best and that's what counts?  That's what my mom always told me and I'm sticking to it.

I started with a wreath that I bought from a lovely neighbor who does crafts.  I've had it for a year and always thought it needed.... just a little something.  I put it back up this past week and that feeling came back.

Here's what I started with:

While I really enjoy the colors and the lack of yellow compared to make wreaths, it just looks anemic.  What is a non-crafty person to do?  Cheat.

Project: Laundry Room, Pre-Part 1

I've got a few projects that are partially complete in the house, so, of course, it's time to start a new one!  Am I the only one that does that?  Good, I didn't think so.  I was doing laundry yesterday and a light bulb went off in my head, "This is my next project!"

Just a plain, boring closet.  I guess at least there's a shelf?

You see, my laundry room is really a closet.  A nice closet, but still a closet.  And it has a wire shelf.  1 single, lonely, white wire shelf with supports strong enough to hold an army and take up a lot of room in the process.

Bathroom Vanity Oakness Makeover

One of the many, MANY things that has bugged me in this house since the beginning has been the bathrooms.  Not only is there minimal storage, they don't even match each other!  There's absolutely no sense of style, unless drab and oak is considered a style.  This wasn't my very first project in the master bathroom, but it has been the largest transformation to date.

Let's me introduce you to my bathroom:

Allow me to introduce myself

Wow, here we are!  If you're anything like me, you read lots of blogs about home decorating, DIY projects and arts and crafts while thinking "Really?  You find that easy?  HA!  I'm definitely not that handy."  I have no helper on standby, no DH behind the scenes... it's all me! (and the dog)

Some back story:  I've owned my builder-basic townhouse for 2 years.  I've done some small touches to make this place feel more like home, but it's not quite there yet.  Within the last year, I've been bitten by the DIY bug.  This was probably preceded by the "I'm not made of money" sickness and a dose of reality.  I'm tired of the builder drab and lack of character!

There's just one problem:  I'm not allowed to use a saw.

Ok, ok, that's a big of an exaggeration, but it's not far from the truth.  I've fallen down the stairs, walked into doorways and stubbed my toe more times than I can count.  When I received a Ryobi tool giftset for Christmas 2011, it included a drill/screw gun, flashlight, vacuum and a circular saw.  The first reaction of my friend?  "Is your health insurance current?  If you ever need anything cut, just give me a call, I'll come help!"  Not so confident, right?

So, I've been plugging away at a few projects around the house and have a list that I keep adding to with a vengeance.  In the process I've learned a few things.  #1, I'm not very handy.  #2, Houses don't come with instruction manuals and #3, Most blogs are not done with the DIY-Challenged in mind.

That's where I come in.  I'm going to bring you my very own Misadventures in DIY, attempting to make my house look great in the process and attempting to be handy.