Many of you have contacted me wanting to know where Handy Hubby and I found the image used for our cherry blossom tree wall art.

First, we Googled “cherry blossom branch” under the ‘images’ category and saved several of our favorites.  Then Handy Hubby and I sat down one night to filter the images down to one that we could both agree on.  Handy Hubby wanted something modern and graphic while I was drawn to the sculptural branches and blossoms.  We finally decided on this guy…

It’s titled “Cherry Blossom” and we found it on (of all places) a website that specializes in air purifiers.  Yes, you heard me right…air purifiers.  RabbitAir is a company based out of Los Angeles that is committed to improving indoor air quality via HEPA air purifiers without compromising the decor of your home.  Their air purifiers are slim and sleek with the option of being wall-mounted. 

To further improve their appearance, some models are available with a decorative front panel.  That’s where the “Cherry Blossom” image we found comes in.  It’s one of the optional front panels that’s offered in the MinusA2 Artists Series.  According to RabbitAir’s website, they encountered a customer who wanted an air purifier for his RV but didn’t want to give up valuable wall art space.  Hence, the Artists Series was created.  Pretty clever, huh?  You know I’m a sucker for home decor that is multifunctional.

To tweak the Cherry Blossom image to our foyer’s dimensions, we rotated and reversed the image using a transparency and projector.  Just goes to show that you really can find inspiration anywhere.  The nice folks at RabbitAir agreed to let me share their Cherry Blossom image with y’all, so a great big THANK YOU to them.  And kudos to all companies helping to make our homes healthy and stylish!

FYI – I have not been compensated to mention RabbitAir on my blog.  At this time, I do not own a RabbitAir air purifier and cannot attest to their quality or efficacy…but maybe I will in the future.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

If you’re an avid reader of H*T, you’ve probably noticed the absence of my kitchen from the downstairs part of my house tour.  Well, that’s because it’s been in disarray for the last few weeks but I’m happy to share it with you today!  For fun, let’s see what my builder grade spec kitchen looked like before we tackled any DIY upgrades.

And here it is now after painting the cabinets, upgrading countertops, installing a new sink/faucet/backsplash and extending the island.

Pretty different, huh?  In total, the renovations cost us roughly $3,400.  We saved money by waiting to buy all purchases until we were able to pay full in cash.  Which is why it’s taken almost a year to get thus far.  In most cases, on large purchases you can get quite a deal offering to pay cash.  We saved 10% on our granite countertops…complete with installation of the sink and faucet.  It feels really good knowing that we haven’t put ourselves into financial jeopardy during the process of making our kitchen ours. 

We replaced our builder sink and faucet with a Kraus undermount sink (9″ deep!) and chrome faucet-and-sprayer in one.  Both were purchased from Overstock.  We added IKEA hardware to the cabinets and drawers.

After a lot of thought, we decided to only do a 6″ backsplash along the window wall because 1) it may have looked strange just going up a few inches on either side of the window 2) it was cheaper than going all the way to the upper cabinets 3) we found inexpensive pewter tile to make a unique mod border that complements the cabinet hardware.  All tiling supplies came from Home Depot. 

I stole a very ingenious idea from some friends of ours who thought of hanging their kitchen towels from rings attached to their upper cabinets.  (Thanks Jeff & Erin!)

Still need something for the window but nothing has jumped out to grab my attention yet so I’m holding off.

Handy Hubby DIY’d our glass front cabinet and I painted the interior gray with contrasting lime shelves for a pop of color. 

The oven and refrigerator wall got tiled to the cabinets.  I love the subtle geometric pattern and concrete-like texture of the backsplash.  It’s a great contrast to the shiny black counters.

And then there’s the island.  Oh, how I love that little island.  It’s rustic and modern and warm and crisp all wrapped into one.  To see how we DIY’d it, check here.

As strong as the urge was to go out and buy a bunch of new stuff to display on the open shelves, I filled them with bowls, baskets and cookbooks that we already had on hand.  Another unnecessary shopping spree thwarted.  Go me.

I even clipped a pair of blooms from my hydrangea bush and plopped them atop my scalloped cake plate to make a quick, FREE centerpiece for the island.  I’m a little giddy over the fact that I’ve managed to keep that sucker alive long enough to enjoy clippings.

Our kitchen is open to the dining area.  (We have no dining room).

The capiz chandelier helps to ‘dress up’ the kitchen and its utilitarianism.

And here’s how our kitchen fits into the bigger picture…

This is my “workin’ with whatcha got” kitchen.  I still have some tweaks (window treatment, new flooring, creative way to hide my dishwasher, pendants above the island, etc) in mind but those will come all in good time when we can afford them and are willing to put in the time and effort to DIY them.  For now, Handy Hubby and I are enjoying everything we’ve created and accomplished in this room…and it tastes good.

This is how our kitchen island has looked for the last 3 years. 

Even though we upgraded our builder laminate countertops along the perimeter, the island sat untouched. 

Over the course of the summer (in between vacations, Kindergarten preparations, swim lessons, soccer practices…and not to mention 2 ‘real’ jobs), we sporadically worked at bringing the island up to par with the rest of the kitchen.  I wanted something a little more substantial with open shelving and a butcher block countertop.  Like this…minus the TV…

Thanks to Handy Hubby and his generous woodworking friend, I scored a handmade extension for the island.  It only took them a few hours, $30 and a large pizza to finish the job.  Then the 9″ island extension sat in our basement awaiting caulk, primer and paint before being installed.  Handy Hubby caulked the seams a few weeks ago…

 …and I finally got around to priming and painting the darn thing last week.  I picked up a slab of  IKEA’s Numerar oak butcher block.  And by ‘picked up’ I mean I dragged my 2 lil’ guys to the Swedish superstore, artfully rearranged all the car seats in the Trailblazer, guilted some big-boned stranger lady into helping me lift the heavy wood slab and somehow managed to slide it across the tops of all the seats’ headrests.  (IKEA may be the reason why I drive an SUV.)  Which means last weekend Handy Hubby installed the extension AND countertop onto our builder grade kitchen island.  Man, I love that man.  Here’s what he did:

Removed the island drawers…

Removed the builder grade laminate countertop…

Scraped off some random dried paint drips from the bottom of the extension (I’m not a professional painter)…

Placed the open shelving extension…

Clamped it to the existing island…

Pre-drilled holes and screwed the extension into the existing island frame and into the floor…

Once the island was secure and checked for level height all the way around, Handy Hubby laid the butcher block on top of the island.

Luckily, the width was just right but the overhang was a bit much lengthwise.  It was about 10″ too long as-is, so out came the circular saw.

Once the countertop was cut to size, Handy Hubby sanded it then screwed it onto the island and added trim along the back side of the extension where the island meets to hide a seam…

I primed and painted the trim, screw holes and a corner piece that I missed the first time I painted the extension before it was put in place.  (When the task of finding and applying painter’s tape to the floor loomed ominously, I went with the old standby…one of my kids’ coloring books.)

And after all that, we finally have ourselves a larger, less builder-ish kitchen island!  Yippee!!

To obtain a near *waterproof* surface, I’ve been applying mineral oil in quantities larger than Betty White has ever dreamed of.  (That’s a little pharmacist humor.)

(My left hand kinda looks like E.T.’s??!)  The 10″ section of butcher block that we cut off got cut in half and sanded to make 2 custom cutting boards.  We like that we were able to use every last piece of the butcher block.  Some may find it ironic that we painted our oak cabinets white and then added an oak countertop to our island.  In fact, the oak stain of our builder cabinets was so awful that the doors didn’t match the frame and many of the doors didn’t even match each other…and they were all very orange.  Plus, 2 walls of oak cabinets was just too much for us.  The more natural wood tone of the butcher block is the small dose of warmth that we were looking for in an otherwise all white kitchen.  We’re absolutely in love with it and the price tag.  Our island upgrade came in under $250!

Check back to see the final product in its surroundings tomorrow!

Labor Day is almost upon us.  How can I tell?  The historic homes and businesses in my neighborhood are dressed in their patriotic best.  I’m especially fond of the fan bunting versus the standard stars and stripes flag.  You can put them just about anywhere.

Porches…

Fences…

Windows…

Railings…

And don’t forget the gazebo… (yeah, like we all have one of those sitting around)

I think fan buntings are a simple and tasteful dose of Americana.  I’d like to try them on my porch.

I loved going to school.  I loved everything about it…the bus, the friends, the books, the seasonal decorations, the P.A. system, the cafeteria food, the scheduled day, the desks, recess!, the way my legs stuck to the plastic chairs on hot days, the school boxes, the smell of paper/glue/crayons all mixed together.  Layne started Kindergarten yesterday and I think he was equally enthused.  He said it was ‘awesome!’  I’m so happy for him.

Love you Buddy.

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

We’re staying upstairs this week and taking a peek at the laundry room.  Yup, our laundry room is on the second floor and I love it.  It kind of forces me to put clean clothes straight away after they’re folded.  I don’t mind doing laundry…the separating, washing, drying and folding I can handle.  But when it comes to putting washed clothes away…that’s where I get lazy.  You may remember my laundry room makeover here.  If so, here are some laundry room shots with the new camera.  If not, then welcome to where skidmarked Lightning McQueen undies and muddy socks eventually end up in our house.

To the left…

To the right…

The walls are painted in Glidden (Home Depot’s) Gentle Tide.  It’s the same color as our mudroom.  This room is small so storage above the washer and dryer is a must.  Handy Hubby added IKEA hardware to the builder cabinets. 

The seagrass baskets on top of the cabinets hold a light bulb surplus.

I sewed and stenciled the curtains to hide plumbing and electrical uglies out of sight.

Just behind the door are hooks for drying delicates, swim suits and swimming trunks. 

The patterned ironing board cover was an Etsy find.

The trio of mirrors came from Goodwill.  They were initially gold.  I spray painted them white.

Layne made the artwork.  I think I should switch it out soon for something more ‘current’.  Layne recently said, “I made that when I was, like, 4.”  He’s 5.  Butterflies and flowers are so last year.

You may think that the wicker laundry baskets are just for looks but they’re not.  I use them to carry clean clothes to their appropriate room.  They also hold a supply of mismatched, outgrown baby socks that I throw in my front loading washer to balance out loads that are made up of mostly larger items (i.e. sheets, blankets, tablecloths, slipcovers, etc.).  Works like a charm.

Finally, the IKEA stepstool that I stained and poly’d props open the washer door to ward off any mildewy smells that can sometimes occur with front loaders left shut.  It has also come in handy when transferring clean, wet clothes to the dryer.  I happily pop a squat to load the dryer and my back thanks me.  The rugs were $3 each from IKEA.

For a little room, this guy packs a big punch.  Thank goodness.  Our boys sure know how to get dirrrty.  Speaking of which…I think I have some laundry to tend to.  Happy weekend!

This doesn’t have much to do with house stuff other than it was an attempt at learning how to use my new camera for shooting house stuff.  I asked Layne to pose for me a few times…okay, maybe more than a few times.  Poor guy.  I got some good tongue shots.  In fact, all I got were tongue-out-of-mouth shots.

The Straight-On Tongue

The Tired, Head to the Side Tongue

The Monkey Tongue

Must boys always act goofy when their Moms try to take pictures of them?  As luck would have it, my sister, Alina (a.k.a. Nanny Lina), showed up a day later to play with my camera and captured this after a dip in the pool…

Just like that, the tongue stays in his mouth.

A few days ago, I let you in on my wild and crazy Saturday night with Handy Hubby.  On something of a whim, Handy Hubby traced the outline of a cherry blossom branch onto our foyer wall.  Give that man a blank wall, a pencil and some paint and he can work wonders.

It only took him a few days (it’d take you much less time if you didn’t have to work, take care of kids or hold the fort down while your spouse worked) to draw, paint and touch up the graphic branch.  I’m not gonna lie…at one point I couldn’t watch because I was so sure he was going to fall off the ladder and spill paint everywhere.  But then I thought, “Heck, then we could just rip up the carpet on the steps and install a cool runner.”  I always try to look on the bright side.

Luckily (or unluckily, however you want to see it), Handy Hubby did NOT fall or spill any paint.  What he did do was make me very happy!  He sure knows the way to my heart…with a paintbrush.  Really, though, I think he likes the final product more than me.

It’s art.  It’s nature.  It’s something to look at while sitting on the living room couch besides an empty stairwell.  It’s a tree that I don’t have to water (i.e. kill).  And best of all, it was free.  We were able to borrow the projector and make a transparency for free because we know people.  Important people.  With projectors and transparencies.  We already had the paint on hand.  (Hint: You will see this paint color again in a future post.)  I guess now would be the time to mention it is Lowe’s Valspar Elkhorn Cactus.

So, wadda ya think?  It’s a pretty big statement for such a small price tag.  Right up our alley.  But maybe you disagree (like our 5-year-old) and ask, “Um, why is there a tree on that wall?”  And like most projects around here, this one has conjured up ideas for more projects.  As in painting the back of the front door and banister.  This modern wall art has our builder white door and orange-y oak railing looking a tad out of place. 

I like the green color of this door…

(courtesy of DesignMom)

I like the black and white of this railing…

(courtesy of Decorate and Renovate)

Totally DIYable.  Now, I just have to find the time.  Or stay up crazy late for a few nights.

What to do on a Saturday night?  There are the usual choices: movie, dinner, absolutely nothing, go to bed early, eat ice cream, read, hang out on the porch after the kids have gone to bed, etc.  But what about painting?  That’s what we did this weekend.  And by we I mean Handy Hubby.  I did play an integral part in supervising though.  You see, our 2-story foyer is about as plain as it gets.  We’ve been wanting to paint a modern mural of sorts on the large empty wall for a while now.  Well, we finally got around to borrowing a projector.

We knew we wanted a branch-like motif but nothing too country or theme-y.  Something a little more modern.  Something similar to this…

(courtesy of Young House Love)

Don’t you just love those cherry blossom branches?  Handy Hubby wasn’t too keen on so many blossoms.  We eventually agreed on a more graphic cherry blossom print for our stairwell.  Handy Hubby printed up a transparency for the projector and this past Saturday night he traced the outline onto the wall with a pencil. 

We rotated the image so that the branch comes out of the corner just like the inspiration photo from Young House Love.

Handy Hubby wanted to paint it white but I wanted something with a little more contrast.  We settled on a nice muddy gray that’s about 2 shades darker than the wall color.  (Yup, you could say I won.)  There’s nothing more romantic than seeing Handy Hubby up on a ladder with a paint brush in his hand.  It makes my heart flutter.

Handy Hubby likes the contrast now that he can see it up on the wall.  It’s still a work in progress but it’s really coming along.  I’ll be sure to share final pics as soon as it’s done!  Oh, and we aren’t quite finished with that projector yet.  I have another DIY project up my sleeve that requires a large scale guide, too.  Keep watching…

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

This week we’re touring the nursery because 1) I haven’t shared many pics of it and 2) it may not be a nursery much longer.  (Hint, hint, Handy Hubby.)  As far as nurseries go, it’s a pretty simple one.  The baby rooms I see nowadays are ubercool.  As was our decision, we didn’t find out the sex of our babies before they were born.  (Although, I had a very strong inkling they were both boys.)  Our nursery reflects that and is gender neutral.  The nursery you see today is the same one we used with our elder son, too, 5 years ago…albeit in a different house. 

We decided on a calm room that encourages sleep.  I don’t know if it’s the room or our parenting skills OR just plain ol’ luck but both of our children are excellent sleepers who usually enjoy going to bed.

We got the crib online from Target and the cradle in the left-hand corner was actually my cradle as a baby.  We used it in our bedroom when Everett was a newborn.  Now, it’s a great place for extra blankets and stuffed animals.

I put a few IKEA fabric bins beneath the crib for added storage…books, out-of-season clothing and small toys.  Under the crib and behind the bins is one of the boys’ favorite hiding spots.

We sealed an unfinished IKEA dresser then slapped a changing pad on top to make a changing station that can grow with us when diapers are no longer a daily part of life.  (Ahh, that’ll be the day.)  The drawers hold wipes, diapers, butt cream and pajamas.

This is the wall opposite the crib.  I can’t tell you how many nursing sessions and bedtimes stories that chair has seen.  A lot.  I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like foul spit-up.

I painted the wall art after scoring a good deal on a canvas from JoAnn Fabrics.  Next to the chair is a large dresser.

The top of the dresser holds mementos and family keepsakes: a piggybank that was a gift from a neighbor, a sheep music box that was Handy Hubby’s as a child, Everett’s cast from when he broke his leg last fall (hey, the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it!), Everett’s newborn footprints, framed art from my sister-in-law, a starfish from Everett’s Grammy and a personalized wooden block that was a gift from a good friend’s parents.

Some details…

The baby quilt is from my childhood.  I have pictures of me spending tummy-time on it.

Just inside the door to the room are hooks for sleep sacks…a winter must here in the Midwest if you have a baby.  We do…

That baby blanket was mine as an infant also.  Since this room faces east, it gets drenched in sunlight early in the morning.  Blackout drapery liners are another must here.  In broad daylight, I can make the room nap-able.  Thank goodness.

So, that’s our basic nursery with a few meaningful pieces thrown in.  My favorite being the 2-year-old in the crib.  I should disclose that Everett has slept in his big boy bed (in the shared room with his big brother) a half-dozen times.  He’s good at it…once he falls asleep.  He just gets soooo excited to be in the same room with Layne that he giggles for hours.  Handy Hubby and I crack up outside their door on the nights they share a room.  But both boys wake up grumpy and groggy the next day after laughing late into the night.  For now, we’re just playing it by ear and letting them have ’sleepovers’ together when they ask.  Often times, they just want their separate space after a long, exhausting summer day.  And I’m not forcing the issue.  I’m not quite ready for an empty nursery.