Open Cupboards

Before Taking Cupboard Doors Off

Excuse the boxes; this was move-in day

After Taking Cupboard Doors Off


Illuminated by incandescent & fluorescent lights
aka I started taking pictures at night again,
 but even during the daytime the kitchen is pretty dark

I framed some old post cards from my dear friend Phebe Hanson's collection.

 Little tray by the stove

Trying to decorate an apartment kitchen can be difficult because you don't have much choice over cupboards/appliances/sink/counter tops, etc. Before we moved I started an Apartment Living pinboard on Pinterest with ideas for the new apartment. Sadly, a lot of my kitchen ideas are not feasible due to the design/shape of my current kitchen and will need to be saved for the next apartment. However, one brilliant idea that kept coming up was having open cupboards. With a little creative arranging I think it turned out quite nicely.

-- Everyday Blessings --

I'm grateful for plants that can survive without much natural light.

I was having a long day at work so my husband brought me lunch. He showed up and had this beautiful ZZ Plant with him. Apparently it is part of a line of plants called "Plants of Steel" that are known for their ultimate survival skills. It does a lot to liven up my desk. :)

Red Owl

I got this little plaster owl from my sister about a year ago. She bought it from a thrift store, and it was a very ugly blue. Her intention was to give it a distressed look by painting it white with visible brush strokes & leaving some blue peaking in from behind; she has gotten much more skilled at distressing things since then. My husband recently repainted it for me.  Have I mentioned yet how much I love spray paint? I'm super excited about the red.

Husband's Birthday

I can't resist the opportunity to make a homemade gift. The gallon jug was a few bucks at a garage sale. I made stencils of the Harley Davidson official skull and painted it on the jug in steps. We now have the perfect place to put our spare change to save up for motorcycle goodies. 

Official Harley Davidson "Willie G" Skull.

 This is the design I used. I printed four or five copies of it so I could cut sections out for stencils (and have extra in case of screw-ups!). Each copy provided a different layer in the final design. This particular picture shows the last stencil I used to fill in the eyes/nose. The extra cutouts helped me to center the design in the right section of the skull.

 There is very little time when I am able to have the apartment to myself to do sneaky projects,

so I did the majority of this project locked in the bathroom.

I originally cut out all the lettering, which was very time consuming. In a hurry,  I left the stencil taped to the jar and I left for work. When I got home the paint had dried to the stencil and chunks of paper got stuck to the jar. Other sections of paint peeled off when I removed the stencil. Major disappointment... so I started over.

The second time I just stenciled the skull. 

My "secret" hiding place for it while it dried in-between coats of paint. 

Here she is, already filling with monies! 

P.S. I need to stop blogging at night. (Or at least taking the photos at night.)

Our Bookshelf

 It turns out 12 foot boards neither fit in an elevator nor a stairwell...

 ...but they do go over the balcony nicely!

 Husband hard at work while I document the process ;)

 I love it! And the lovely plant from my mother-in-law. 

Night-time + poor apartment lighting = dark pictures. 

I will post day-time pictures of the finished product soon.

Four 1 X 10 X 12s, One 1 X 10 X 10, Two 4 X 4 X 10s, a few hours staining and cutting the boards to length, pulling those boards up through the balcony because 12' boards don't fit in elevators or stairwells, & finally the assembly and decoration.

As promised: day-time pictures.

Distressed Red Dresser

Moving day has come and gone. We've been in our new abode for nearly 2 weeks and we finally just got internet set up this weekend (dang you, CenturyLink for taking so long to send us our modem!). 

We're grateful for family with strong arms, patient hearts & pick-up trucks, boxes from Will's work,  our new apartment with plenty of sunshine, a soft bed to rest on & free furniture.

 Free Dresser. Yay!

 The handles were glued on so I spray painted them on the dresser.

 First of three coats of paint and an additional coat of wax.

 A coat of wax and some buffing...

Transporting it from my sister's barn to our apartment abode.

We got a dresser for free off the side of the road. Pretty plain, but I saw it's full potential. A little bit of chalk paint, tough love (aka distressing) & wax and we have ourselves a new distressed red dresser.

Inspiration from Miss Mustard Seed