{Instead of blogging}

I've been doing THIS the last couple weeks. And THANK GOODNESS we're done. I need to hang the valances back up and am still thinking about taking the pot rack down but, at least for a couple days, I'm done! (Without a pot rack, pot and pan storage is SO space consuming and annoying so if any of you have great storage ideas not involving a pot rack - which without an island is hard to accommodate - I'd love to hear them.)

Notice those ugly handles (up above in the "before" picture)? We had to purchase those atrocities because this (photo below) is how many holes were in the cabinet fronts when we moved in. Apparently the not-so-bright owners before us couldn't decide on which knobs they liked so they just kept a drillin'. Ugh.

I initially tried to use hole filler and retouch the cabinet fronts using matching touch-up paint, but there is so much variance from cabinet to cabinet that I would have had to purchase 22 different samples and it still didn't look great. So, on to plan #2: Remove all cabinet/drawer fronts, Remove all hardware, Fill all holes, Sand, Sand, Sand, Primer, Primer, Primer, and Paint, Paint, Paint. Taa Daaaaaaaaaaaaa!

This chair below was another recent project. I found it looking all sad, mistreated, and lonely at Goodwill for $8. So, I brought it home, repainted it and reupholstered the seat and it's as good as new. The boys LOVE it. And when I stripped the old upholstery fabric completely off, the wood base was stamped "made in 1926". Wow. An antique.

This bench was another Goodwill find for only $10. It was scratched, scraped, and worn when I bought it but the hardware is decent and it's real wood so I knew it was a find. Now, sporting its new sanded and repainted look, it stores all the boys treasures and toys inside and doubles as seating. I am on the prowl for some fabric to make a cushion out of.

And lastly, I made this personalized coat hanger in our entry way because, as you can see in the picture below, the mirrored coat hanger is way too high for any children to reach. I found the white wainscoting-style backing in the "discount" area of IKEA for $1.25 a long time ago. I bought 5 of them in assorted sizes because for that price I knew I'd find a way to use them eventually (another one says Dean's name on it and hangs above his bed). Anthropologie sells the letter hooks and I have loved them since I saw them long ago. I was lucky enough to find the same ones at Hobby Lobby for 50% off a couple weeks ago - woo hoo! (And it's an initial hook for each kiddo, not Dean's name missing a letter - haha.)