Closet Organizer Giveaway!

I'm sure you've all heard of ClosetMaid and I have great news, they're having a giveaway!  The Love Your Closet Sweepstakes is giving away 2 awesome closets like the ones below

Visit the ClosetMaid Facebook page or @ClosetMaid #Love Your Closet Sweepstakes to enter the LoveYourCloset Sweepstakes!

I know I'll be entering, so make sure to share it with all of your friends!  Click the Facebook link below to share.

Resurfacing My Lovely Island Butch Block

If you haven't read my previous post about my DIY kitchen island (Part 1 and Part 2), then let me introduce you to my kitchen island.

It's been at least 6 months since I completed this project and I've succeeded in beating up the counter top like no other.  I did the initial conditioning of the top and didn't do any follow through.  I know better!  No really, I do.  I've already stained it with beet juice (the ugly dark gray blob) and there are small water spots on it.  It's begging me to be oiled.  Overall, the top was just looking dull and much lighter than when I started, which is a sure sign that it needs some love.  

Quick Update

It's been a bit since I've posted any projects, I know.  I'm trying to get my next project together, but I keep running into roadblocks.  Such is life, right?  Planning my work travel has taken more time than expected.  It's also been a VERY expensive month.  First, then fence and now my refrigerator!  The ice maker is on the fritz and since I HATE the layout of this fridge, I decided that it's time.  I will be the owner of a (hopefully) lovely side-by-side fridge tomorrow.  Luckily, my upcoming DIY projects will be inexpensive, so I guess I have even more incentive to get them going!

Have any suggestion for DIY projects?  Let me know!  Leave me a comment or send me an email.

Project: Floating Shelves

Sometimes, you just look around the room and say "This room is missing..... something."

I had done that for a while in my living room.  So I put a picture on the wall.  That wasn't it.

Then I got lamps.  That helped, but still wasn't 'It.'

One day, when I was trying to sleep, it dawned on me:  I didn't have any shelves.  I didn't have any place to set 'things.'  I didn't have a place for a sense of ME.  My walls were also practically bare.  Painted, but bare.

I don't care of bookcases, but I knew I wanted shelving.  Built-ins were out of the question as they can be somewhat expensive and require more handy work than is all of my family, combined.

As with a lot of my ideas, I started with research.  I figured out what I wanted first and then researched the options available.  It happens that my beloved Ikea has floating shelves.  I liked the options at Pottery Barn, but let's be honest:  Do I seem like the person to buy the Pottery Barn option over the Ikea option?  That would be a no (under most circumstances).

To see if my plan would really work out, I resorted to making a life-size representation.  I seem to do that a lot, right?  It works.

Spring Cleaning FEVAH!

There is a (slight) warmth in the air that can only mean one thing: Spring is coming.  For me, this means spring cleaning.  Why?  Because I'm in a winter funk and I MUST find something to bring me out of it.  I swear, there hasn't been a sunny day in weeks.

I'm starting to brainstorm and plan out my things to tackle in the next few coming months.  There are a few things I've put off and some older projects that I did before I started the blog.  I hope to have a full slate of items to keep me (and you) occupied and active.

What are your plans for spring?  Have anything awesome planned?  Or are you just dreaming of when you can go outside without a sweatshirt?

Mini-Project: Shoe Drying Tray

I've stone-filled shoe trays on Pinterest before and thanks to the endless rain we've gotten over the past 2 weeks, I thought it might be time to give it a try!  My shoes have been wet, muddy and grassy but I was getting tired of leaving them in the entryway on the rug.  So, when I was at the store buying cheap runner rugs for the office, I spotted this shoe tray:

That reminded me of the few pins I've seen with this type of setup.  This was $4.97 and should have room for 3 pairs of shoes.  I went over to check out the rocks in the crafts section, but MAN were they expensive.    As in $5 for 2lbs of smooth river rocks.  Over to Dollar Tree, I went.  Sure enough, after some riffling through their decorative rock area, I found the large river rocks that I was looking for.  I wanted the multi-color version.  Now, I will tell you that I also got a small pouch of rocks from Lowes because they had more unique and eye-catching colors.  However, I only used 1 of those (also $5) and mixed it in with the rest of the Dollar Tree version.  $.50 per 1 pound of rocks is cheaper than $1 per pound of rocks.  

Not-SO-DIY Fence and Misadventures

As a followup on my 'Know when to hire, when to DIY' post, I thought I'd at least show off the wonderful fence that now adorns my yard.  Even though someone else was doing the project, it wasn't without at least 1 hiccup.

But before I get to the 'After' picture, I want to share some tidbits that I learned.  I did my homework with selecting a contractor.  There are quite a few fence companies in the area and I wanted to make sure I didn't jump at the first person that came out for a quote.  So, I used the linear footage information from the a single quote I got 2 years ago to get quotes from everyone else.  I had everyone quote the exact same linear footage, layout and fence material so I could compare apples to apples.  What I found was really interesting!  The prices had about a $500-$600 range for an entry type of vinyl fencing.  I don't always recommend going with the lowest price.  Sometimes it's for lower quality materials, sometimes it doesn't include important items and sometimes the company may not be very reputable.  Do your research.  What I learned about the lowest bid was that they sourced their materials from another fence company (their quote was higher by about $200) and they were reputable.

Also, trust your instincts.  One company lost any chance at my business because I didn't like their salesman.  Scoffing at my concerns isn't a great way to get my business.  If their salesman was like that, I can only image what the installers were like.

After I selected the company, got a full, on-site quote, I ended up selecting another fence style that was the next step up in price.  I don't like thin pickets.  Don't install something you hate that's permanent.  Because, guess what?  It's permanent.  Or really expensive to change.

Side Note:  If you live in the Delaware area and are looking for a fence, check out ABC Fencing.  They're the contractor I picked and couldn't be happier!  I didn't get anything to plug them, they just did a great job!

Misadventure #1 HOA, Land Owner, Survey, Building Permits, oh my.