Deal Alert

I found a steal of a deal a few weeks ago, and wanted to share before it's gone.

I've been pining over this egg holder at Anthro for awhile now.  And when I've got $14 to throw around, I just never think to go grab it.

Whilst trolling around Jo-Ann's a few weeks ago, I saw a rather similar version in a gross pastel blue-green color.  With a coupon + sale, I snatched that baby up for less than $4.  A few coats of high-gloss white spray paint, she's a welcome addition to the fridge

Actually, it's out on the counter now, displaying some plastic easter eggs.  I really meant to get some cute eggs this Easter, but considering how much these get man-handled by the littles, it's probably best I stuck to the dollar-store variety.

For 10 bucks off, I'd say it's a pretty good imitation.

Happy Friday!

I Heart Free Art

I suspect I've been flagged at Lowe's.

I've been doing some projects around here, with one central theme:  free.

Thanks to Pinterest, I've discovered that the best material for free art supplies is paint chips.

Here's what I've made with paint chips + mod podge:

 

We have this terribly awkward wall in our kitchen.  It's a walkway + has stairs on both sides.  And just for good measure, the thermostat was hung with no rhyme or reason.  But these (heavily inspired by some at World Market), help.

  

The folks over at Young House Love did something akin to this.  We've got this guy hung near our TV.  You know I got the frame at the ol' GW.  Excuse the awkward angle...the sun was producing a glare.

So if you need me, I'm the crazy lady squirreling away paint samples from Lowe's.

Also?  These are terrible iPhone pics...my computer recently decided to start rejecting my camera card.  Awesome.

I'm a Granite Girl

 Our poor kitchen has endured oh-so-many changes since we've lived here.  First, we painted her yellow:

 And accessorized with red?  Why, oh why?  What were we thinking?  No one knows.

Let's not forget the absolutely horrible granite tile countertop:

See, when we moved in, there was one of those fake wood formica jobs.  We didn't like it, and MacGyver's mom had some granite tile laying around (she's the original MacGyver, if you didn't know).  She offered to help me tile it, and I was pumped.

Sadly, it didn't turn out:

I've been wanting to re-do it since the second it was done.  Was it the uneven tiles?  The yellowing epoxy grout?  My perpetual fear of all manner of germs living in the cracks?  Hard to say.

Herein lies the problem.  Once you've had granite, if only for 5 seconds, you can never go back.  Despite our counter's fatal flaws, I loved its heat-resistant properties and gleaming surface.  I just couldn't bring myself to pay money to get something that I didn't even want.

Then, one fabulous evening (four years later, mind you), we got a call from MacGyver's mom.  She knows a granite guy.  He could install new countertops for a fraction of the cost the next morning (we're talking less than formica).  Take it or leave it.  And take it we did.  11:00pm, and we rolled up our sleeves and tore out that wretched granite tile.  Oh, the joy.

Us being, well, us, we couldn't just stop there.  The new solid-surface granite counter inspired an entire renovation.  Behold, our new and much-loved kitchen:

 Is is not fabulous?  I love it.  Love it.  This is one of the first projects that we've completed that I've absolutely loved.

And a close-up of those fantastic counters:

 If only I could cook...