New Year, New Kitchen

Yes, its been some time since I last blogged. I repent. Forgive me.

I have been working hard on home updates. My kitchen was numero uno on the list. I am half finished, but it looks so much better! I started by stripping off the worst wallpaper ever! The sad secret: it was the original builder's wallpaper, circa 1983! Puke! I have hated since stepping foot in this place and it is finally gone. Forever! It only took me nearly 5 years to get brave enough to attempt it. In 4 hours of sweat and elbow grease, my kitchen looked so much better. Its sad when bare sheetrock looks awesome!

After the stripdown, I went to work on painting. I found an awesome alternative to texturing the walls myself. I bought texturizer that mixes in with the paint and it did the job just fine. I went with a buttercreamish color on the walls, which brightens things up drastically. Love it! And I painted all trims and doors a bright white. Ah! Fresh and bright! I rock!

Costs: stripping wallpaper, free. paint, $36. Texturizer, $2 on sale. Supplies, $10. total : $48

I have a nice base cabinet that was unfinished (paid $15 at a garage sale 5 years ago). I painted it a mossy green color that matched a set of shutters that I bought from an architectural salvage yard a few years back ($7 ea). With very little fresh paint and a lot of sealant, the shutters are back up in the windowsill, looking G-O-O-D!

Costs for paint and sealant: $8

Mom and I found a nice shelf that is sitting atop the base cabinet in the trash last year (that's free, baby). With a little textured, paintable wallpaper (for the interior) and some bright white paint, the shelving unit looks gorgeous. I love the way it looks and I need it for more storage space. Have I ever told you I rock? Well, I do.

Costs: textured wallpaper, free (grandparents rock).

Next on the list: Paint the cabinets white and distress and antique them (and distress and antique the shelf, too). Then, new countertops. I am cheap (and poor) so I will be going with faux granite, laminate. New flooring is also on the list. I will do the stickable tile that looks like travertine, set on the diagonal. Its cheap, easy, and looks much better than the current flooring. We desperately need new lighting, so that is going up. Lastly, we need a new garbage disposal because the current one stinks. Literally. And it hardly works.

Projected costs: about $500 total, unless I can work more of my magic.

Next on the lists of home projects: Girls' room (total redo), Living Room (paint update), Hallways (paint update)...