Outdoor Transformation

WE HAVE A YARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Before" Backyard:

Before the Deck:

"After" Deck:

Patio and fire pit Construction:

I was thrilled to inherit these cute (and free!) benches from Jon and Kori - love the pop of color against the red brick!  Notice I've got some of my cheap shopko lanterns out there as well.

 Basketball Pad

 Sunk in Trampoline between the Basketball pad and the patio

 Slide off the Deck

We had dirt pushed up against the back side of the patio wall so that we have some hills for the kids to play on and sled on in the winter.

It's not 100% done, there is still some trees that will be planted in the fall and the garden area is about to undergo construction but it is sure nice having gotten this far!!!

I cannot take credit for the design that was done by Paul Keeler from Desert Land Design- he was awesome!  He had some great ideas that in the end I feel were worth way more than he charged!  The Landscapers that implemented the plan were from Bulldog Sod.  We have been very happy with the work and the price of both companies!

The Mens Room

I made some very cheap and easy artwork for the boys bathroom this week.  I saw somewhere on a blog a cute vintage mens bathroom sign and I searched for one for my boys bathroom.  I have 3 kids - all boys.  After some searching and no luck I decided to make one.

I painted a blank canvas ($10) with some leftover paint from the bathroom then cut out my man from some cute scrapbook paper.  Then I mod podged him in place.

I then decided to paint the word "MEN" on the bathroom stool.  For that I simply printed out the word on my computer then used tracing paper to trace the word onto the stool.  Then I just painted in the lines.

Pillows

Since getting my cushion done for the bench I wanted a pillow that would tie in with the grey.  After looking for weeks in stores I decided to try online.  I went on Etsy and searched "grey and white pillow" and a ton of cute choices came up.  I decided on this one and I love it!  It was $20 for a 18x18 size and only $2.50 to ship.  It came in the mail quickly and I just slipped it over a pillow form.  Man that made shopping so much easier!!!

 Here is the Link

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74940410/new-decorative-pillow-cover-18-x-18-zig

 A few weeks ago I happened onto these pillows at the Centerville Target - I couldn't believe how cute they were (you know I love that trellis pattern).  And on sale for $9!  If you are wanting some I am sad to say the next time I went they were gone, all out online too.  Maybe your store still has them though.

I have a weakness for pillows!

Outdoor Treasures!

So I have been looking at pictures like this all summer from the Pottery Barn magazine and loving the lanterns.  They have tons of different kinds of lanterns but all of them are expensive - no matter where you buy them!

  So today I about had a heart attack when I saw these 2 ft. tall lanterns at Shopko, original price $50 now on clearance for $8!!!!!!!!!!!  They also had a medium size (18") on clearance for $12 and a small size (14") on clearance for $12.  Why is the largest size the cheapest price, I have no idea?!  I am guessing that the medium and small size ones will be marked down to the $8 price soon so I am going back next week to see.  The other weird thing was that they had lanterns in Bronze and Black - which look almost identical but they were different prices?!  The large black ones were $8 but a large bronze was $16 - again I am guessing it is only a matter of days before the bronze ones are on sale as well.  I bought a bunch for now and I will just take in my receipt if the price changes.  I went to the Shopko in Bountiful and there are still a bunch there (some different styles too, not just the ones I got) - I can't speak for other Shopko's but I would bet they have them on clearance at all their stores, it is worth looking into. 

This is one of the best clearance priced items I have ever seen!!!!

I plan on hanging a couple of the medium size ones off the house - I'm now on the hunt for a couple of big hooks.   I'll post when that's done.

I also recently found this great planter from Real Deals in Bountiful.  It was 20% off so it was $50.  A lot I know but anything this size is.  I really loved the shape of it and the fact that it is very light weight.

However I did not love the color - but that is always an easy fix.

I simply dipped a wadded up paper towel in white paint and rubbed it all over the planter.  The green topiary I picked up at my brother Jon and his wife Kori's garage sale.  Now I just have to wait for my yard to be finished so that I can start putting these items around the yard.  I think that should just be one more week!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!

Boys Bathroom Transformation

The trim work on the boys bathroom is complete and it is officially Matt's last trim work project.  It is the end of the "trim work" era for Matt and we are both near tears (for different reasons).  This is NOT the end of trim work projects around the house (they will just be done by someone else from now on). Basically he got a promotion at work and is too busy doing his "real" job (accounting), and would rather hire a trim guy to do their "real" job at our house.

My inspiration was my brother Jon and Kori's dining room

I decided however to have the trim be a different color than the walls (to make it easier I painted all the trim work before it was hung).  I liked this look for the boys bathroom because it kind of reminds me of a pinstripe suit.

Before:

After:

I figured out all the math before hand and each of the spaces needed to be 17" apart so Matt simply cut two pieces of wood 17" long then used them as "spacers" between the rows.  He does good work!  If the accounting thing doesn't work out he has something to fall back on - J/K!

Thanks Tobi Fairley for the Feature!!

White Kitchens

I obviously love white cabinetry and here is the main reason why- it is classic.  White cabinets have looked good for many years and will continue to look good for many more years while wood tones go in and out of style.  So if any of you are in the mood to change your cabinets to white.........
here is a great post I just found at http://www.centsationalgirl.com/
She did a great job and the kit is at home depot for around $150 (or $79 for a small kit if you just want to do a bathroom).  No stripping, sanding, or priming required!!!
Before:

After: