For the Love of Vanessa!

Scott's been working on some chalkboards.

Nothing fancy.

Just some old cabinet doors and chalkboard paint.

Sometimes we let a piece "speak to us" to let us know what it should be...

Not just another chalkboard.

Something with a bit more personality.

He likes to arrange things.

Just to see how long it will take me to rearrange.

I'm telling you...

He's sort of passive aggressive that way!

So he pushed some pushpins into the wall...

And this is what I found when I came home the other day. 

A bunch of almost finished chalkboards waiting to greet me! 

They were patiently waiting for those special touches.

I left them for a bit, but then...

The green with stained frame was destined to be a menu planner for the new pantry.  

The remainder got moved around a bit.  Can't help it.  ;)

We were still waiting to hear what they wanted to be...so we left them ~ to dream...

The next morning, this is what they had to say:

We definitely love you, Vanessa!!!

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$25 Laundry Room Makeover Reveal

Who knew?

We purged,
We donated,
We evicted,
We cleaned,
We painted,
We flooded,
We sawed, hammered, nailed and screwed,
We stained,
We sewed and stapled,
We arranged.
But most importantly~
We beautified.

And the final result may not be worthy of a magazine...but...

Oh the joy it brings!

So much came out, but we were very careful of what we put back in. 

We wanted this space to be:

Open 
and Cheerful.  (I think we succeeded.)

Fresh
and Clean.   (Just look at all of that fresh, clean, organized goodness!)

Light
and Bright.  (No more stacked washer and dryer blocking the window or ceiling light.)

Citrusy

and Beachy.  (Like sipping lemonade while lazing in the sun on the beach.  Imagine!!)

Practical
and Pretty.  (Those curtains hide tons of storage space.)

Fun
and Flirty.  (Just wait until you see the light fixture we made from an Easter basket!) 

And here comes the overload of photos
(mostly because I just adore this "new" space!)

A glimpse of the new light fixture, made out of an Easter basket with the handle removed and a hole drilled into the bottom!

We wanted a wire basket but didn't have one that was just right...this turned out pretty darn cute anyway!

 I made some curtains out of some remnant fabric.  I love the pattern with the little tiny bit of teal and the pale yellow ribbons.

So simple and easy to make.  I cut and hemmed the fabric about an inch wider than the window.  Then I stapled the fabric to a trim board that was just slightly narrower than the fabric and I pneumatically nailed the trim board to the wall above the window.  This window covering is just for appearances, it doesn't need to be closed.

 We built a "counter top" over the washer and dryer.  Scott planed some old fence boards so it would be smooth and I rubbed it with some fairly dark stain.  We can't have everything in here white.  We just love our old wood.

My little ceramic fish is just perfect for holding my bleach pen.

My new thrifty friend, the pig...for loose change.  ;)
Some dryer sheets and the teal globe that Scott just wouldn't let me get rid of. 
It looks perfect right here! 

The lower shelving is a free cabinet that came from Craigslist. 
I tell you, my hubby is OBSESSED with free things!
Okay, I admit, it's hard to turn down a really good freebie.  :)
We are being thrifty!
Scott removed the doors and the horrid laminate that was on it and then primed and painted. 
I added a silver curtain rod and made some curtain panels to hide our cleaners and other miscellaneous stuff.
I think this fabric is kind of beachy, don't you?

Then came the upper wall shelves for some extra storage and display. 
These were old cabinet doors that Scott cut down to size and I put up with the wooden brackets that used to be in our son's room. 

Don't look too closely...those shelves still need another coat of paint...

The perfect spot for my .59 cent baskets found at a discount retailer. 
The clerk was certain it was a pricing mistake but finally gave in and let me take them home with me. 
I'm pretty convinced she wanted them for herself.  Bummer. 

And now for the accessories!!!

An uplifting quote.

 I put some of the leftover fabric from the curtain onto this cork board and framed it in with some turquoise ribbon.

Some "artwork" created from printouts that I put into frames...I love these.

Another inspiring free printable...you can find this one HERE  at http://houseandhone.blogspot.com/2012/01/this-year-i-will-printable.html.  There were other color options too.

Check out all the other fun stuff Miss Emily Hone has to offer while you're there!  This one is also in a thrift store frame.

 I filled my soup/salad server with faux lemons for a pop of color.  :)

The top shelf holds some of my favorite white ceramics. 
All of the ceramic fish dishes are thrift store finds from over the years. 
I finally found a place to display them!!!

It's hard to get a photo of everything in this little room ~ this is as close as I came. 
We love our NEW AND IMPROVED LAUNDRY!

Supplies/Sources/Cost:
Paint ~ freebie leftover from a previous project
Lower shelving unit ~ Craigslist freebie modified
Upper wall shelves ~ salvage freebie modified
Wall Brackets ~ already owned
Curtains on window and shelf ~ remnant fabric and ribbon from Joann's ~ $16 total
Counter over washer and dryer ~ salvaged wood ~ free
White baskets $1.18 ~ Wheeler Dealer in Woodburn, OR
White frames $2.97 ~ thrifted ~ GW
Silver galvanized bucket ~ Target dollar bins
Fish dishes ~ already owned ~ previous thrift store purchase
Printable ~ free
Laundry basket ~ freebie
PB Clock ~ already owned ~ previous thrift store purchase
Easter Basket ~ $3.99
All other miscellaneous items we already had on hand
Total Current Expense = Less than $25

And, of course, my reminder of just how BAD it was before and how much we had shoved into the space:

The Before:

AND AGAIN THE AFTER:

We don't have to talk about the garage now, do we???

Previous posts on this project can be found here:
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge-take.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge-take_23.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/gray-cloudy-and-wet-thats-forecast-in.html


Thanks for stopping by!  We hope you enjoyed your visit!  We would really LOVE IT if you wanted to follow along with us.  Follow by clicking Google Friend Connect on the sidebar or typing in your email address. You can even friend Pondered Primed Perfected on Facebook and Pinterest.

We love making new friends!!!

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Whisperwood Cottage 1st Project of the Year Feature!

Every once in awhile something amazing happens and you find the perfect pieces to make something exciting happen.  That's how I felt when we found this wooden tripod easel.

Our tripod floor lamp has been featured at Whisperwood Cottage as part of their 1st project of the year party! Thank you Whisperwood for including us, we feel so honored! Please pop on over to Whisperwood Cottage and see what they have going on. So many fun, creative, extraordinary ideas have been linked up...you could get lost!

Thanks Whisperwood Cottage!!!

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Welcome to our new pantry space

 

IT'S FINALLY DONE...

And organized.  Aaaahhhh.  Now that feels nice!

Scott created the built-ins with wood we had hanging about.  We painted the shelving white and I painted the back wall a soft green color.  Nothing fancy.  Just practical.  ;)

 

I added wicker bins and baskets so I could organize things by category:  meal components, crackers & chips, snacks & treats, and the one at the very bottom holds our paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins and baggies.  The very top shelf holds baking supplies.

 

After the first built-in was done we realized we needed more space, so Scott added the second built in to go further into the angle of the closet.  There was only so much we could purge without tossing things we'll need.

I brought in a wire rolling cart for all the miscellaneous and canned foods.  It's very narrow so it fits perfectly against the wall.

I used up a good portion of my wicker to organize this space.  The tote at the end holds all of the extra paper shopping bags. 



I put up one of our new handmade chalkboards.  This one I jazzed up a bit with some jute strung across the top and attached with upholstery nails.  AND Seven little clothespins ~ one for each day of the week.  I went to BHG.com and printed up a bunch of labels with our favorite main course meals on them.  It was easy...go HERE if you want to make your own. 

I didn't worry about sides or desserts.  Maybe I'll add those later.  I like this chalkboard here ~ I can jot down the ingredients I will need as I plan my weeks menus.  When we use the last of something, we can write it on the board as a reminder.

Alex helped make these tags.  Next time I think I will print the labels on sticky address labels so we can just peel and stick them.  That would have been so much quicker.

I love these mini clothespins.  I wrote the days of the week on them with a fine tip marker.  I'm not looking for anything extravagant...I like utilitarian...especially in this type of space.

Big Improvement, huh!

More to come tomorrow when I reveal the LAUNDRY ROOM

Previous posts about this space:

http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/good-day-2012-nice-to-finally-make-your.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/storage-under-stairs.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge-take.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/well-stocked-pantry-p3-style.html
http://ponderedprimedperfected.blogspot.com/2012/01/imagine-impossibilities-challenge-take_23.html


We are so glad you've stopped by and we hope you've enjoyed your time here. We would LOVE IT if you wanted to follow along with us. You can follow by clicking Google Friend Connect on the sidebar or typing in your email address. You can even friend Pondered Primed Perfected on Facebook and Pinterest.

We love making new friends!!!

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