Part 1: Kitchen Make-over…Let Us Introduce Our Kitchen

In my head my dream kitchen has:

Beautiful soapstone counters, two tone cabinetry, plank flooring, white subway tile backsplash, farm house sink, high ceilings, professional appliances…kind of like these…

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(Of course this dream kitchen also has a professional chef and cleaning crew on staff as well)

But instead I have this…

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How about that beauty eh?
Let’s get a close up of that tile…

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And if the yellow, brown and tye-dyed wasn’t enough, did you happen to notice the “weed-like” tile imprint? Oh yeah a true seventies kitchen remodel happened here!
There are also cherries and a kelp-ish looking printed tile thrown in there too. (Just in case the psychedelic tile wasn’t enough) Of all the decades to remodel it had to be the seventies!

We’ve been living with this grooviness for over two years because a roof and asbestos abatement took precedent over a kitchen make-over. Even the budget friendly updates had to take a backseat.

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Now we’ve finally had enough and put an end to our “dazed and confused” kitchen. Our plan:

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We also intend to add new hardware, organize every inch of space and add new cabinet liners. In the coming weekends we’ll be revealing our kitchen’s transformation and all our cost saving strategies for a kitchen make-over on a shoe string budget. Happy weekend everyone!

Happy Easter…And A Sneak Peek…

Good morning everyone! We hope you are enjoying this beautiful Sunday. In fact don’t swing by today, go have fun, celebrate with family, and hug someone really hard. Easter is very personal to Eric and I and our families, for many reasons. Easter always reminds us how precious life is and how grateful we truly are for it.

Now go! Have an amazing day! But to leave you with something for your inbox on Monday here’s a sneak peek of some fabulous projects and posts we have to share in the coming weeks. Happy Easter and Happy Sunday everyone!

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Painting Stairs…So Romantic!

Eric can’t stand painting…He’ll gladly clean all the windows, spend hours working in the yard, and disinfect toilets before you see a paint brush in his hand.

Which is why I nearly fell over when he offered to paint this:

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And these:

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How about those faux brick steps eh? Stylish right? (Let’s Pinterest those babies!) There were about 6 different colors painted on our granny suite stairs from the previous owner…Blue, black, white, brown, gray, and of course faux brick red.

I was ready to tackle this ugliness, (hubby gone on a guys trip), my paint matched up and ready to go when disaster struck…Sidelined by a stomach bug.

That’s when hubs came home and went to work.

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He even managed to snap a few pics with my phone along the way (I welcomed him to the “official blogging club” and asked him when he’ll write his first post) 😉 For now he’s holding out. Naturally a shy guy, he likes to think of himself as the Little Houses Big Dogs “support staff”

Two coats of custom match Exterior Glidden paint, one afternoon and we have these beautiful new stairs!

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It is amazing what paint can do! We hope in the future to extend the stair landing out and build a mini deck for (ahem… Best snobby voice) “ our guest house” but honestly we’re not fancy enough to ever call it that 😉 What kind of painting do you or your “anti-painting” spouse have this weekend? Happy Sunday everyone!

Ikea Hack: Hallo Cushions To Foldable Dog Bed

“Hey mom! The blog is Little Houses BIG DOGS…Where’s the dog projects!

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We took a break from home projects this weekend to reconnect, spring clean, and play with the pups. Luckily we did have a doggy inspired project up our sleeves.

During spring cleaning we found four Ikea Hallo outdoor seat cushions. (Originally they were meant for an outdoor dining set we never bought a year ago, and now just stored as miscellaneous cushions) Hubby was ready to take them to the Goodwill as a donation when I realized they could serve a “puppy” purpose.

The dogs aren’t allowed on our couch, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be comfortable when we all hang out in the living room. However we have two big dogs and lack space so a standard dog bed was not going to work. Hence out came the sewing “Tupperware” (I do not sew). Then over a (much needed) glass of wine attempted to hand stitch cushions together.

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I basically squished the cushions together and thread the needle thorough one then back through the other (sorry I’m sure there is some technical sewing lingo, but I don’t know it) Once I had two separate sets of two cushions I stitched the two sets together lengthwise.

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The stitch lengthwise actually acts like a hinge and allows the cushions to be folded in half.

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But the best part is that when the cushions lay flat, the dog bed slides right under the couch when not in use.

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Overall the dogs seem to love their new bed and not bad for a project that just cost me a few hours and $0. We hope this inspires you to create for your small space. Happy Sunday everyone!

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