Thursday, January 30, 2014

I found an apartment! - Show and Tell Friday






Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  My daughter and I finally decided on an apartment and we start moving Friday, February 7th!  It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in a very large complex with lots of amenities!  The photo above is the large pool and the Jacuzzi. As you can see the Jacuzzi is the size of a small swimming pool!  There are also two other pools on the property. It also has

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Vanity Makeover...

A few months ago, we actually changed my daughter's room.  
It was time for new paint, so we changed the whole color scheme.
Here is a sneak peek...
It is bright and fun!
Today I'm sharing an easy way we changed her vanity.
It was all white before...
We just used Frog tape & measured equal distance between our stripes. 
Then we painted over the top with the coral color.
Then we CAREFULLY removed the tape, let it dry a day & put a coat of polycrylic over the top.
It was an easy way to add a pop of color!
The bench that came with the vanity had broken, so I got a cheap chair that I could paint.
The chair was a bright red color and I just painted it the same color as her walls.
It was an easy way to change something we already had.
My husband didn't like it, but my daughter LOVES how it turned out.
I can't wait to show you the rest of her room!
Sharing with these blogs:

Valentine Pink - Show and Tell Friday




Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  Again, I'm still sharing some old photos because I'm in the beginning stages of packing up and getting ready for my move next month!  I still haven't found a new place yet and as each day passes I get more stressed out!  I was just about ready to make a decision on a place and the rent jumped in price overnight!  I've been watching the pricing on these

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Born and Raised in Northern California - Show and Tell Friday




 

I finally started packing some things for my move next month even though I'm not totally sure where I'm moving! My apartment is not very photo worthy now nor will it be for the next month so I'm going to share some previous photos with you for the next month! At least when I get into my new place I will have something new to blog about! I'm looking forward to that! 

 

This week I saw

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

What Kind Of Farmhouse Sink Is Best?

Our kitchen remodel is in full swing! 
We have decided to cut out our exterior wall and add a few feet to our kitchen.  
This went from a pretty basic remodel to a much bigger & more expensive project than we originally planned!  How does that happen?
I hope it's worth it in the end!
If you saw my last post,  a farmhouse sink is a must.
It was much harder to pick one out than I anticipated.
Should we place it as an undermount sink?  Fireclay? 
One single bowl or two? Most important, cost?
Let me tell ya, these vary in cost quite a bit!
At first, I was going to go with the Ikea farmhouse sink because it has the look I love & it is hundreds of dollars cheaper than most...
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It also looks great and I've read a lot of good reviews, but the only problem is it has to be placed on top of the counters like the picture below.
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I was fine with that, but my mom talked me out of it for two reasons: 
1-You can't just wipe the counter right off into the sink because of the ridge.
 2- The ridge can gather dirt & grime over time.  
My mom's sink (Not an Ikea sink) has this problem and it's growing mold. She can't get it clean.  So, I decided to go with an undermount sink.

Then I started reading about fireclay sinks, which are beautiful! 
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This one is over $2,000 dollars, so it was out of my price range!
They vary in price, but then I got worried as I researched them a little more because they can crack.  
I also read that you should have a special disposal because the shaking of the motor could crack the sink.

So, then I started researching some more and came across an article on ehow.com titled, Fireclay vs. Castiron sinks.  It was so helpful.
It explains the differences between fireclay sinks & cast iron sinks.
They each have pros & cons.
After reading it, I decided to go with a cast iron sink.
They are sturdy and the enamel coating makes it more stain resistant.
It is a heavy sink, so it will need extra support under the cabinet when we install it.
This is the one I bought...
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It's made by Kohler and is part of their Whitehaven Collection.
I purchased mine at efacuets.com
I got it during the Black Friday sale.
This is how it looks installed...
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I'll let you know how I like it after it's installed.  
Has anyone else purchased this sink?  I'd love to here if it's been a good sink!
Sharing with these blogs:
52 Mantels
Home Stories A to Z

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Seashell Wreath Tutorial - Show and Tell Friday






Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  I've been busy looking for a new apartment and also organizing some things around here in preparation for the move next month. I still haven't decided where I will be living but I'm getting closer!  Since my life is so hectic right now I will probably be sharing some old content for the next few weeks.  This week I decided to rerun my seashell wreath

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Avocado and citrus season in California - Show and Tell Friday




 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  One of the benefits of winter in California is it's avocado and citrus time! I see lemons and oranges in everyone's yards this time of the year!

 

 These are the last of the lemons from my garden before I move. It's sad to see the little lemons forming and I won't be here to see them ripen!  I'm just hoping whoever moves in my place next appreciates my

FINALLY...Kitchen Remodel

This has been on our list of projects for over nine years!
It's FINALLY happening...
I've been singing, "I'm dreaming of a white KITCHEN" to my kids all month!
I have to admit that my nerves don't handle the demolition too well.
 Lucky for me these two enjoy it!
There is dust everywhere, but it will be worth it in the end.

Here are a few "must-haves" that I wanted to incorporate into the remodel:
A farmhouse sink...

An island...

A big drawer for the garbage & recycle cans...

It had to be white...

This is the style of our cabinets.
We are debating whether we should bump out the one wall 4 feet to add a little more space.
What do you think?
 I can't decide if it would be worth the extra money.