Paper Lanterns - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  This week I'm sharing my paper lanterns I have hanging on my apartment patio.  I don't have any lights out there and it gets really dark in the evening so I had to come up with a way to light it up without any electricity.  These have battery operated lights that you can turn on with a remote control.  The lights have different setting but I like the slow

Clever Ways to Add Storage to a Tiny Space

The key to living in a small home without going insane, is to find clever ways to organize and add more storage. Here are a few great ideas ways to get you inspired.








 {via}
Adding a bookcase divider is a great way to define an area as well as add more storage. I especially like the idea of using an open book shelf and adding curtains to one side like the photo above.








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Painted Pianos

 I've been playing with the idea of painting my old piano.

It is SO tempting when I see bright & fresh pianos like these...

source and Pinterest

source and Pinterest

source and Pinterest

source and Pinterest

This is my piano now... 

I do love how it's old and full of character.

 I'm getting ready to paint my living room the same color as my GREAT ROOM in the picture below...

I'm thinking a painted piano would really brighten up the space.  

When I asked my family their opinion they all screamed, "NO! You'll ruin it!"

What do you think?  

Would I ruin it? 

 OR 

Would it look beautiful?

Sharing with these blogs:
Love Of Family & Home
Chic On A Shoestring
Just A Girl & Her Blog
The Idea Room

7 Unbelievably Brilliant Clutter Busters

Check out these amazing storage solution ideas.






Photo source left to right: Unknown, Unknown, A Bowl Full of Lemons.






I think every home needs at least one of these over-the-door shoe organizers. They are so versatile and many of them can be cut down to fit smaller doors. They can be used in the pantry to store spices, drink mixes, snacks, baby bottles and sippy cups. Place one

Listerine's New Funky Design

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Listerine for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Listerine has finally caught on to the chevron craze and I couldn't be more excited! I love the funky new design that can add charisma and spunk to any bathroom! The bright colors and fun pattern create a decorative feel - a fresh idea to add simplicity to your morning and night-time

8 Genius Fridge Hacks

Keep your fridge in order with these simple hacks.







Use baskets to organize and group similar items together. {via} Find these same baskets here.





Use a lazy Susan to organize condiments. {via}  Buy a double-stacked lazy susan here.





To keep your kids from using a dozen cups a day, glue magnets to the back and store them on the fridge. This way they always know where

Show and Tell Friday!

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  It's been another busy week...even more so than usual! I'm still in training to become a CASA (Court Appointed Child Advocate) and I have classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In addition to that, this week I also had to sit in on a few hearings at court as part of the training and then we have an all-day training session this Saturday...in addition to

My Secret to Keeping Meals Simple

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Frozen Foods Institute and the Frozen Food Roundtable. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ever since posting my Weekly Menu/ Shopping List Printable I've received many comments from you guys (my readers) stating that you barely have enough time to plan meals, much less actually have the time to cook them. Well today I'm going to let you in

7 New Uses for Old Things

Before you toss out any unused or broken items, why not think of a way to transform it into something useful. Here are a few ideas to get the wheels turning and inspire you to make something amazing. 



Wine Cork Bath Mat {via} 




Mini Bar from Suitcase {via} Unfortunately the author has deleted her original post. However I wanted to include this photo for you to use as inspiration to

Kitchen Remodel {REVEAL}

I'm sure by now you are tired of reading about our kitchen remodel...I know I am!

It only took about 7 months to finish, but we are finally DONE!
Back in November, our neighbor who does kitchens helped us order cabinets from Ikea and he was going to put them together for us.
Then my husband decided to get a bid to see how much it would cost to extend our wall out six feet.  This is when the project got a whole lot bigger, longer and more expensive!

Here is what we started with....

BEFORE

AFTER

 BEFORE

AFTER

This was the plan...

DURING...

My husband tore out the decorative drop down ceiling.
 I wish we had done that years ago, it really opened up the space.

Then we started with the total tear out of our old kitchen.

They started the extension of our kitchen/Dining room six feet...

We lived with plastic walls for a few weeks...

 It was so shocking how much the the six foot addition opened up the whole kitchen...

 We put the kids to work adding to our existing wood floors...

 We lived in chaos for MONTHS, but it was worth it in the end.
I still can't believe this is even the same house!
Here is another BEFORE...

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

 You can read more about our fireplace makeover HERE.

It was also quite an amazing transformation!

Our contractor Jesse completed the addition, the woodwork on our fireplace, windows, baseboards,  pillars and ceiling.

I don't think you can ever go wrong adding woodwork!  

It totally changes the whole look and feel of a room.

Here are some of my favorite parts of the kitchen:

The ceiling...

We did a planked ceiling with beams.  

It added so much character and made the whole room feel bigger. 

 It did add to the cost, but I'm so glad we did it!

The Island...

It turned out huge!

This side is totally functioning and even has a garbage can drawer...

This was another great decision!

Jeff, our cabinet guy, made our corbels and oven hood and they turned out AMAZING!!!

I can't believe how much character they add...

I had add to add one more picture...

I was shocked at how gorgeous the hood turned out!

It's even more beautiful in person...

I love the shelf and corbels!  

The corbels on the bottom match the corbels on the island.

The farmhouse sink...

It's a single bowl and I love how much room there is!

All of our cabinets and hardware are from Ikea.  

They are the Adel cabinets in white.

Our cabinet guy added the crown molding to the top, which made them look more custom.

I love the cabinets and drawers! 

They are easy to wipe clean & the cupboards and drawers are all soft close, which is surprisingly nice!

We also ordered our countertops from Ikea.

 They are quartz and the color was nougat.

In this post I shared where I had purchased my faucet and pendant lights.  This post has a link to where my stools were purchased.

I love that with the added space, our table isn't right up by the window anymore.
It was also a fun area to decorate...

This is where I added a pop of color to our all white kitchen!

 Sorry this was such a LONG post, but this was a LONG project!
In the end, it was worth the time and stress.
 I am thrilled with how it turned out!
It's always nice when you go through a remodel and it turns out better than you imagined.
 Here is one more before & after because I LOVE a good before and after!

Just let him know that you found his info here!

Here are links to see how our kitchen looks for the different holidays:

Christmas

Halloween

Fall

Summer

Spring

I'm sharing with these blogs:

Home Stories A to Z

Not Just A Housewife

Savvy Southern Style

Chic On A Shoestring

Love Of Family & Home

The Idea Room

It's Overflowing

Under The Table & Dreaming

The 36th Avenue

Just A Girl & Her Blog

Thrifty Decor Chick

Cherished Bliss

AKA Design + Life

Whipperberry

Snap

Lolly Jane

I Heart Nap Time

The Girl Creative

Cultivate Create

Not A Trophy Wife

7 {Non-Salad} Leafy Greens Recipes

Leafy greens are not just for salads. Here are 7 green recipes (one for each day of the week) to incorporate into your meal plan.




Cheesy Spinach Squares - Get Recipe




 Beginners Luck Green Smoothie - Get Recipe 




 Stuffed Collard Greens - Get Recipe 





 Kale and Sundried Tomato Hummus - Get Recipe





Raw Spinach and Avocado Dip - Get Recipe





Spinach & Artichoke Grilled

Summer dining in the past - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  As I mentioned last week, I'm in the middle of extensive training this month for a volunteer activity I'm getting involved in.  I have very little free time lately since I work full time so this week I'm just going to reshare some photos from the past. I hope you don't mind...

 




 

This was one of my favorite table settings!




 

I had 12 of these

6 Diy Home Decor Ideas

Check out these amazing Diy ideas to beautify your home.

 
Painted Welcome Mat
via A Beautiful Mess




Paint Dipped Basket 
via Like A Saturday 




Painted Vases 
via Sugar and Charm





Candlestick Makeover
via One More Time Events




Copper Geometric Pendant Light 
via HGTV




Chevron Wall Art
via Spark Living
 

For even more amazing life hacks check out the Tips & Tricks tab

Earn Rewards by Drinking Nestlé® Pure Life®

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the biggest challenges that I face on a daily basis is keeping up with my water intake. Before I had children I pretty much lived off of soda and coffee. Once our children were old enough to make choices for themselves, my husband and I knew that we needed to help our girls make healthier choices by

Giving Back and becoming a CASA - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!

 

This week I will be sharing something a little different.  It isn't a material thing, it's something from my heart! I will apologize right now for this long post but this is my passion right now!

 

I'm sure many of you that have grown children will relate to this.  Now that my children are grown, I feel like my life has become very selfish. I no longer

68 Amazing Tutorials to Spruce up Your Home

Spruce up your home this summer with these fabulous tips and tutorials.






1.Create new lighting or update the old lighting in your home.

You can find these and more inspirational DIY lighting tutorials at 16 DIY Lighting Idea.






2. Give those ugly, outdated flower pots a makeover.


Visit 12 Upcycled Pots to Beautify Your Home for more great ways to transform an ordinary

Happy 4th of July! - Show and Tell Friday

 



 

Happy 4th of July weekend and welcome to Show and Tell Friday! 

 

It's a time to celebrate our country's independence and a time to decorate with a little red, white and blue!

 




 

I found these gorgeous hydrangeas at the grocery store.  There is nothing like fresh flowers to freshen up your home!  I miss having my little rose garden this year and having fresh roses in my home

7 Herb Garden Ideas

Enjoy the taste of fresh herbs with these simple herb garden idea.






Recycled Can, Countertop Garden via HGTV





Mason Jar Wall Garden via Camille Styles





Vertical Planter Garden via Sweet Bella Roos





Hanging Window Garden via Itsy Bits and Pieces 





Hanging Basket Garden via The Telegraph




Hanging Planter Garden via Buzz Feed




Gutter Chalkboard Garden via Chiffons and

7 ways to organize your garage

I'm not going to lie. Our garage is a mess!!
After having a yard sale last weekend we managed to clear out a TON of stuff and now I am on the search for some organizing inspiration. Here are a few fantastic ideas that I came up with.











Overhead Storage - This would be a great place to store holiday decor and camping gear that does not get used often! Using 2x4s and plywood strips,