DIY: Easy Lamp Makeover

There are so many scary ugly lamps out there. If you find yourself in possession of one of these fugly buddies, don't despair! With a few supplies and a little bit of time, you can spruce her up!

My mother gave me this lamp. I don't know where she got it, but her style is very eclectic and I didn't really know where to put it. I liked the detail on the base but wasn't too sure about those jangly beads on the shade. Instead of dropping some cash on a new purchase for our entryway, I decided that this lamp (which was just chillin' in our dusty storage room) was a good candidate for a makeover.

First, I bagged and taped the cord and taped off the shade-holder-thingy (we're getting super technical up in here) on top. You don't want those areas to get paint on them...or you can...it's your lamp! You do you.

Then I set up my broken down cardboard box in our yard and got to spraying. I decided that a silver color would brighten this lamp up so I used my trusty Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Silver Spray Paint. Using a smooth, side to side motion, I applied two thin coats of spray paint in short burts to avoid dripping. Read the directions on your paint for specific wait times between coats. Each brand is different!

Finally (after drying, of course), I topped it off with a simple white shade from Wal-Mart for $7.99 and she was ready to go!

It is a really simple project that makes a big impact! I have another lamp that I scored for $3 at Goodwill that is just waiting for some TLC. I'm sure it will be just as pretty as this one at a fraction of the cost of new!

Have you ever given a lamp a makeover? Please share!

Controlling the Dinner Chaos: Meal Planning

Things have been pretty crazy lately. In the wake of health issues and a pretty strict elimination diet for this nursing Mama, big and small projects have been put on the back burner.

With this crazy elimination diet, it feels like my whole day now revolves around finding or making food that I can actually eat! I am always hungry and I wish I could just stuff my face with any old favorite snack (like cookies. Mmm! One day, cookies. One day, I will return to you.) Basically, if I don't cook...I don't eat. Processed and packaged foods usually have one of the 6 forbidden foods that I have to stay away from for the sake of the baby boy's tummy.

I've found that an actual meal plan is essential to avoid the stressful 5:00 "What's For Dinner?" scramble. This planning concept still feels really foreign to me (since I used to just fly by the seat of my pants) and I'm trying to improve on this skill since I know it makes life so much easier!

My normal process goes as follows:

1 - Realize that I've used up most of our groceries and don't have any ideas for dinner that night. Lots of staring into the fridge and pantry in confusion.

2 - Take 2 days to write a comprehensive list of essential items while family scrounges hungrily at meal times. Write corresponding dinner ideas on the back of the shopping list.

3 - Finally get to the store and feel extreme relief at having a week of meals planned out. 

4 - Forget what I'm supposed to be making for dinner, and frantically search for that shopping list with the dinner ideas.

5 - Family eventually gets fed. Miracle!

Talk about room for improvement. So this week I printed out this handy dandy free Meal Plan printable from Grace and Good Eats.

I think I'll try using a page protector and hang this up in the kitchen. That way I can use a dry erase marker to adjust as needed...because let's be honest, sometimes plans change.

How do you control the dinner chaos?  

Goodwill Decor Makeover: Wooden Storage Box

My discovery of the awesomeness of Goodwill began when we relocated my office and sewing room. I have a lot of crafty odds and ends that need a permanent home and the new office has two floor to ceiling built-ins that I knew would be perfect to store all of my junk treasures.

To me, an office should be comfortable while fostering creativity; throwing a bunch of junk on beautiful built-ins would not fit that bill. Pretty, grown up storage was in order, but with a super small budget, what would I be able to afford that looked decent? And maybe a touch girlie?

Enter? Goodwill.

Exit? Toting a unique, two drawer wooden storage box for just $1.99. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my new find had masking tape holding in the drawer bottoms...or that it smelled like something died in it.

After some hard core cleaning (think a pile of Clorox wipes and half a bottle of rubbing alcohol to kill that stink), a light sanding by hand with a fine grit sanding disc, and some (many) thin coats of Rust-Oleum 2X Black satin Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Silver spray paint, this box now holds bobbins, pins, needles, etc.

There are no before pictures since I completed this project right before starting Keeping Up Kate, but it was scratched, had been stained a reddish brown color and, well...it smelled. Like really smelled. 

I love the result of my very first Goodwill makeover. It was super cheap, looks pretty, and hides my sewing clutter. Mission accomplished!

Upcoming Posts!

Most people enjoy a beautifully decorated house that feels comfortable and home-y (homey? homie?), but most people don't think about hitting up the local Goodwill or thrift store for unique treasures. I have discovered that Goodwill is the place to be when you are working on a tight budget!

While my little dresser (which is done!) waits to be moved into its new home, I am prepping 5 posts on how to revamp and beautify thrifted items from Goodwill. I've already got a few pieces that have been waiting for some attention, and I can't wait to get started on them!

Product Review: L'oreal Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm

Since this blog is all about beautiful things on a budget, I figured I'd jump into my first beauty product review!

Hey, Hair. Let's have a chat. What is the deal with you? You are frizzy. You are dry. The hubs gives me super weirded out looks because he catches me inspecting your split ends.

If he only knew that I was trying to converse with my hair.

I don't know what exactly happened to you, poor mop of mine. It could have been this last pregnancy (I spent many pregnant months horrified by an increase in hair fall), post partum hormones, or my stylist dying you a dark, dark, brown when it was supposed to be a sandy blond. Add in the two highlight appointments to get you back to a shade I could grow out? Le sigh. You are channeling Albert Einstein's 'do over here, Hair. I'll try to take better care of you of you...I promise.

So what does any modern day woman do when trying to fix a hair crisis? Hit up Pinterest and YouTube, of course!

Many beauty gurus and bloggers gush about the L'oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm. It looks like so....

This deep conditioning mask claims to repair up to one year of damage by fighting split ends and weak, rough, dull, dehydrated hair. I fully realize that no product will repair split ends, but the rest of the description was right up my sad little hair alley.

It is so thick that it feels like a body butter instead of a deep conditioner. The smell is very sweet and strong but leaves behind a soft, pleasant scent. And instead of applying for the directed 3-5 minutes, I slather it on for 30 minutes once a week to really give it a chance to sink in.

Overall, this is a yes! Especially at only $5.99. Serious deal, folks. After only a few weeks, my hair shines from root to tip (yes, even the gross, dry tips!) and feels super soft. My ends are less crunchy and the mop isn't as poofy after it air-dries. This little baby is my favorite deep conditioner lately and will be staying in the hair care rotation!

Do you have any miracle hair repair secrets or holy grail products?

Entryway Makeover: Dresser

I have had an issue with our entryway since the day we bought our house. Our entryway storage consists of a weird, tiny corner closet with a total of 6 coat hooks. We end up smashing too many jackets in there and one or two usually end up on the floor with a giant pile of our shoes. I'd been mulling over the idea of finding a storage bench or chest of drawers so we could at least hide all of the shoe craziness.

Then I ran across this little baby at a neighbor's garage sale and was instantly inspired.

I won't think too hard about the fact that it used to be a strange man's college dresser. Still, it was a steal at $15.

Shoes? Gloves? Hats? Sunscreen? Sure!

The hubs was not impressed with my find. I know, I know. This chest of drawers is nothing fancy. It's made of particle board and apparently used to be a lovely shade of 1990's Dreamsicle Orange. Let me reiterate...$15! If we hate it (or I screw it up), then my little experiment won't cost us much. I am convinced I can go all Dr. Frankenstein on this bad boy and bring it back to life.  

Now on to paint! 

Kitchen Mini Command Center: Getting Organized

I'm not going to lie; we have an issue with paper clutter in this house. Can I blame this lovely downfall on genetics? When I was a kid, my Dad's place at the table was always buried in paper! We'd have to shift piles around so that he could eat with us (sorry Dad!) .

I have spent months drooling over some amazing, ginormous Command Centers on Pinterest. Those Moms must have their act together! Surely one of these fancy pantsy Command Centers would help in my quest to get organized, right?? Probably not, but a mama can hope.

 

One Creative Housewife 

Better Homes & Garden

Home Heart Harmony

Despite having grandiose dreams, I fully realize that my family does not actually need that many organizational aids. Babies don't have many important engagements to keep track of (unless my toddler happens to be Prince George...which he's not). A calendar and one spot for bills, mail, and important papers will do just fine at this stage in our family life. Then the light bulb went off when I saw this ingenious idea from Rachael at Lovely Crafty Home.

So simple but just what I needed! I am ridiculously pleased with my new Mini Command Center!

I snagged the same mobile file holder as Rachael since it matches the brushed nickel accents in my kitchen. Attaching the calendar to the front of the file holder is great since we don't have a central location to hang one. Then all I had to do was scrounge up some file folders from my office before my Mini Command Center was complete! This little guy is now living on our kitchen desk since that is our dumping ground for mail, diaper bags, keys, etc.

File Holder - Target, $10.99
Calendar - Target, $5.99
Used file folders and binder clips from college days - $0.00 

Total Investment: $16.98

I already feel like I am benefiting from this method! What tools and ideas do you use to keep your family organized? I'd love to hear!

Intro!

Hi! Thanks so much for taking time to visit my new space!

A bit about me. I rule over live in a house with the Hubs, the toddler boy, the baby boy, and two obnoxious but lovable boy dogs. Sometimes (most times) managing the day to day operations of this house seems impossible. Ok, it's usually impossible to just emerge from this den of testosterone home without looking like a pajama clad zombie! 

As a new Stay At Home Mom, I became overwhelmed with the new "job" of caring for our home and one adorable tiny human. Why bust my tush to get the house clean when it was just going to get dirty again? Then I discovered that spending most days in staring contests with a pooping, drooling baby was kind of boring...and all the clutter and chores were just waiting for me later. And cleaning in a panic when someone wanted to come snuggle on my sweet boy? Awful. Stressful. Over it.

After a while, I was finally getting clutter and chaos under control. People could come over without my running around like a maniac. Meals were planned. I had makeup and real pants on...I was rocking this Stay At Home Mom thing!

Then we decided to have another baby. Talk about derailing your normal schedule and bringing in a whole new level of chaos. Now that our newest tiny tyrant (ruling the roost with an iron fist of baby fury) is two months old, I'm determined to get back on track. I am determined to become a kick ass home-maker who manages to get her makeup on while creating a beautiful home for her family.