New Toys in the Meyer House

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

After a month of pinchin’ pennies, we thought it was high time that we spoil ourselves with some new toys.  So yes, we splurged!  In the very few days since our no-spend challenge ended, we bought a DSLR camera, a DeWalt power tool set, and a Scotch laminator.  We feel really lucky to have saved enough to buy these items because we’ve been wanting and needing them for a while!

Want to know exactly what we got and how much we paid??? Here ya go!

Nikon D3100 Camera Kit- $700 @ Costco

The kit came fully loaded with two lenses, an instructional video, instruction booklet, and carrying case.  Costco was running a major sale and this camera kit was marked down from $900 to $700.  I’ve been watching cameras for a while… like over six months!  After some hardcore comparison shopping between Canon and Nikon, and some advice from my wonderful blogging friends (Cait at Hernando House and Michelle at Décor and the Dog), I decided to go with Nikon because I simply got more for my money, especially with the sale!

Eric and I are absolutely hell-bent to learn the ins and outs of this camera, so we can take some killer pics for our house!  Hopefully, between the included video and all the tips I’ve pinned on Pinterest, I can figure it all out and look like I half-way know what I’m doing!

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DeWalt 4-Tool 18volt Cordless Combo Kit- $198 @ Lowe’s

This tool kit was a total score!  Originally $398 at Lowe’s, it was marked down to $198 and while we initially passed up on buying it, we quickly realized our stupidity and returned the next day and made the purchase!  The kit included a compact drill/driver that delivers 410 unit watts out of maximum power, an impact driver that delivers 1170 in-lbs of torque and 0-2400 RPM, a reciprocating saw with quick blade change technology  (blade not included), a pivoting-head flashlight, two batteries, a charger, and a carrying bag!  Whew… that’s a LOT! 

Up until this point, we’d been working with a cheap-o Ryobi electrical drill, and while it worked okay, our more intensive DIY projects were really yearning for a higher quality drill with torque and battery power!  We couldn’t be more pleased!

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Scotch Laminator- $28.99 @ Target

After a few bouts of DIY labels without any kind of label maker (seen here and here), I decided that I really wanted a product that would be affordable and that would make labels super durable!  One of my super sweet blogging ladies, Kathy at Lovelace Files, told me about her label maker and how much she l-o-v-e’d it!  I decided that at thirty buckaroos, it was a worthwhile purchase… and then… my mom asked me to make her a bunch o’ labels and some custom signs for her office, so she pitched in $15 bucks and I brought this bad boy home!  And guess what… I L-O-V-E it too!!!  Thanks Kathy!

I see some serious labeling going on in my near future!!!

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All three products have already gotten great use around the home and I can’t wait to share with you all! Smile

ANYONE ELSE MAKE ANY FUN PURCHASES LATELY OR PINCH PENNIES TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED?

Posted in Cool Things, DIY, Shopping | 6 Comments

CHALLENGE RESULTS: No Money, Big Results

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

Well, it’s official, March is over and we’re already into April!  Whew… that went fast!  At the beginning of the month, I challenged myself to an entire month of projects without spending a dime!  I am proud to say that I got quite a few things accomplished, but there are still tons of projects that can still be done for free that I just didn’t get a chance to get to. 

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So how’d I do on money?

Almost perfect!  I spent a total of $30.50 for the entire month of March!  Not bad right?!?!?  I really did plan on spending no money at all, but when push came to shove, there were a couple things I needed.

First, Target seduced me into purchasing five baskets for my office closet makeover!  Though, in my defense, I knew that I would not be able to get comparable baskets for less than $7 a piece, so it was basically a 66% savings and something I just couldn’t pass up!  Do you blame me?

Second, I needed to come up with a fun DIY donation for a local charity, so I spent $20 for an Ikea Latt Kid’s Activity Table.  Technically, I think this $20 shouldn’t count since it was for charity.  Smile

Now, how’d I do on projects?

I’ll let you be the judge…

Biggest Impact: Building Custom Storage for my home office closet, and then using mostly items on hand to get everything organized!  This has given me a ton of usable space, where I had none before.  Now, all of my camera equipment, office/craft/art supplies, and electronics (including cords) have their very own basket to call home.  After I’ve lived with this a bit, I will likely work on an inner-basket organization system to compartmentalize each basket to make them even more efficient!

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Most Fulfilling: Dressin’ up a plain Ikea Latt table for auction at a local children’s charity.  This one was really rewarding!  This is my second larger charity donation via the blog, and it feel great to give back.  I’m really just hoping that this fun little table and chairs goes to a family that will really use it!  After all, it’s meant to be used, not looked at! Smile

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Most Elementary: Making my own watercolor tags for my home office closet organization.  Getting the cheap-o watercolors out made me feel like I was in elementary school all over again!  It was awesome!

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Most Gift-able: Finally having an organized wrapping paper station!  I’ve been wanting to do this for soooo long, and now that I am stoked to have it done.

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Most Eager to Use: After building my wine barrel planter, I am literally chomping at the bit for Spring to start so we can plant some amazingly beautiful plants in there and show it off to all of our family and friends at some bbq’s and swim parties!

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Most Improved: My new chalkboard closet doors have really helped with efficiency and organization!  My project list, goals, and daily schedule are all listed in plain view making it a lot more difficult to get off track.

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Most Appreciated: A healthy dose of color that’s been added to the master bathroom, and a little bit of motivation to temporarily dress up the space until a full, gut-reno can happen!

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Most Functional: My quick paint makeover for our simple hook rack!  The wood and gold just wasn’t doing it for us.  Now, the simple white and silver contrast is the perfect compliment to our laundry room walls.  It’s become the perfect home for keys that usually get strewn about our counters.

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In the end, I am very happy with all of the progress I made through the month, but there are still so many free projects that I didn’t get a chance to do!  Since they don’t require any money, I’ll be doing my best to tackle as many of them as I can and as soon as possible! 

HAVE YOU EVER DONE A MONTH OF NO SPENDING?  IF SO, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?  ANY REVELATIONS OUT OF THE PROCESS?  IF YOU’VE NEVER DONE ONE, WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT?

Posted in Contests, Get Inspired, Get Organized, Great Outdoors, Guest Bedroom, Home Accessories, Home Office, Life | 12 Comments

Living Room Inspiration: Shades of Blue & Green

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

Lately I’ve really been thinking about switching up our living room and family room.  I’ve planned on bringing our leather sofa back into the family room and getting a new smaller cream sofa for our living room, but I might just make some changes first without spending any money.  The reason… I want to make sure that I really like the family room the way I have it mentally pictured before I go buying the replacement sofa for the living room.

The basic idea is to do some sofa-swapping and to inject a bit of blue and green into both spaces and give the rooms a bit more flow!  To really solidify my mental image, I decided to put together a little inspiration post of beautiful blues and greens.

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Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

I’m absolutely loving the bold pops of colors off of the neutral furniture, and I am particularly in LOVE with the painting in the last picture, especially how it beautifully blends the colors!

NOW… let’s see if I can convince the hubby that this change needs to happen this weekend!  I’m not promising anything, but there may be bribes involved!

HAVE A FAVORITE SPACE?  WHICH ONE AND WHY?  ANYTHING YOU PARTICULARLY DISLIKE?

Posted in Family Room, Get Inspired, Living Room | 8 Comments

Master Bathroom Updates

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

Our master bathroom has been a long source of shame in our household.  It was terribly ugly and nasty when we moved in, and besides an extremely thorough cleaning and a quick coat of beige on the walls, it really hasn’t received much attention.  Part of the reason that this room has been put so far on the backburner is that we plan to do a full gut of the bathroom and start from scratch. 

The basic RENOVATION PLANS include:

  • DIY-built double vanity
  • Removal of the junky soaking tub
  • Build out a huge walk-in shower for two people
  • Change out standard window for a really long and high window
  • Removal of carpet (seriously, who puts carpet in a bathroom?!?!? c’mon people!)
  • Installation of fun tile/stone floor
  • Removal of “hollywood” light bar
  • Installation of new light fixtures
  • Vanity mirror dress-up
  • Install pocket/bi-fold door for entry to closet

Lots of plans, right?!?!  Exactly!  That’s why we just haven’t gotten to any of them.  We’re thinking that our bathroom will likely be last on the list to get attention because we are the only ones who use it, and it functions perfectly fine.  But, since it will likely be a while before any serious work gets done in there, I figured I should at least make a small effort to bring it up from completely shameful to at least passable, especially since there is no visual separation from the master bedroom! As paint was really all that had been done, my next steps involve getting accessories! Fun stuff!!!

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As you may have read in my earlier post, I had quite the ordeal finding just the right bath towels, but for now, I am completely happy with my selection.  After I settled on the towels, I scoured the shelves of multiple Ross, Marshalls, and Home Goods stores, praying that I would score awesome vanity accessories.  And, finally, after multiple trips, I snagged an awesome, honeycomb-ish soap pump and large cup (which I use for q-tips).  They have a beautiful color gradation in them, graduating upward from pale blue to deep purple and ending in a rich brown.  Absolutely perfect!

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Also, in our bathroom is a little vintage Bulova clock that used to belong to my granny.  My grandparents owned a jewelry store and the watch companies used to have competitions and give prizes to high-performing stores!  How cool is that!  Since my grandpa was a watch-maker and jeweler, they did really well and received quite a few unique clocks.  So now, my mom and I have matching ones, and we love them. Smile

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I also purchased an absolutely perfect trash can, but unfortunately, it fell victim to some recent food poisoning.  So, needless to say, I’m in the market again.

For now, the bathroom stands in this condition, but I plan on putting in a little creativity and DIY to make it more fun, and a bit less blah until the big reno actually happens!

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ANYONE HAVE A ROOM THAT’S ON THE BACKBURNER TOO?  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TEMPORARILY DRESS IT UP?  ANY FAVORITE STORES TO SHOP FOR BATHROOM DÉCOR?

Posted in Home Accessories, Master Bathroom, Painting, Shopping | 10 Comments

7 Simple Steps to Create Built-In Closet Storage

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

It’s really that simple!  Built-in storage is essential in closets these days.  In a perfect world, closets would always come with a full, functioning, effective closet kit, but they just don’t.  In fact, bedroom closets are nearly useless when in their builder-grade state.  Most closets are equipped with just one rod and a shelf just above it.  This is extremely useless if you are looking to get organized!  In fact, it is almost counter-productive because the one rod and one shelf are usually placed awkwardly two-thirds of the way up the wall, leaving the top, one-third completely useless.  In addition to the wasted “headroom,” most builder-grade closets have a couple feet at each end of the closet that is made almost unusable and inaccessible when clothes are hung because it sits behind the wall.  This wasted side space is exactly the area I chose to tackle this time around.

Ok… my rant about builder-grade closets has ended.  Here we go…

7 Simple Steps to Build Closet Storage

Looking to upgrade your builder grade closet on the cheap without looking cheap? 

You’re in luck!  These are my simple and straight forward instructions to add basic storage to any builder-grade closet- no demo required!

Supplies Needed:

  • MDF (1/2” or plywood if you prefer)
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • Circular Saw (and table saw if you have one)
  • Semi-Gloss or Gloss Paint
  • Brushes and Rollers
  • Caulk (and caulking gun)
  • Hammer
  • Finishing Nails
  • Drill
  • Screws (1.5” course thread drywall screws)

 

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut MDF to size for shelves and shelf supports

NOTE: My shelves all measured 17” deep by 24” wide.  Rear shelf supports were all 24” wide and 2.5” tall.  Side shelf supports were all 16.5” wide by 2” tall.

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Step 2: Once all pieces are cut to size, install rear shelf supports first, leveling.  We used five screws per rear support to attach to the wall.  You may use more or less depending upon your measurements and dimensions

TIP: If you have a finishing nailer, I would recommend using it rather than screws; it will give you a smoother look.

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Step 3: Install side shelf supports by aligning each one with the installed rear support and use a level to align.  Once aligned, secure to the wall with three screws

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Step 4: Once all shelf supports are installed, starting with the bottom shelf, attach each shelf top to the shelf supports using four finishing nails.  Simply use a hammer to tap in each finishing nail

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Step 5: Using paintable caulk in a caulking gun, apply a sufficient bead of caulk around the edges of the shelf that touch the walls and then smooth with your finger

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Step 6: Once the caulk dries, you’re ready to paint!  Using a semi-gloss or gloss paint (for resiliency and durability), paint the shelves on all sides

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TIP: MDF really likes to soak up paint, particularly on the cut edges.  To seal the edges of the MDF and use less paint, mix 50% water and 50% glue.  Paint mixture on with a paint brush, allow to dry, and then you’re ready to paint.  You will NOT regret this step!

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Step 7: ENJOY! 

Arrange your belongings on the shelves and bask in the newly organized beauty!!!

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So, that’s it!  It’s really that simple and now that you know how to do it, my guess is that you’ll get addicted like me… I’m in the midst of planning several more closet makeovers… whether Eric likes it or not! Winking smile

ANYONE NEED MORE STORAGE AND WILLING TO GIVE CUSTOM CLOSET BUILDING A SHOT?

Linking up…
IHeart Organizing

Posted in Closets, DIY, Get Organized, Guest Bedroom, Home Office, Painting | 4 Comments

Maximize Your Closet Functionality FOR FREE!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by

I’ve made huge headway over the weekend in maximizing my home office storage and functionality!!!  Since I’ve been working behind the scenes on some non-DIY projects, I’ve realized that my home office now needed greater functionality than it had before.  In an effort to build extra storage to the existing space without buying anything, I decided to maximize the closet’s functionality!

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How, you ask?  Built-ins!  I decided to devise some built-in storage for those awkward, generally useless spaces that seem to be built into builder-grade closets.  Not sure what I’m talking about?  These are the two spaces I was looking to improve:

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While I had made some basic improvements to the closet when cleaning out and creating my wrapping storage system, there was still lots to do!  My basic idea was to take the left side of the closet and build in four large, deep shelves, and build in just one large shelf on the right side, situated just below my hanging wrapping paper.

The finished results were 100% worth it!  In the end, the spaces now serve the EXACT purposes that I need- storage and beauty!  And… the best part is the price tag!  This project came in at 100% FREE!  We used already purchased MDF that was taking up space in the garage and painted it using the same white paint we’ve used to paint trim throughout our home!  Who doesn’t like free?!?!?

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I’m loving my results so much, that I actually enjoy keeping the closet doors open now, but I can’t!  After all, I have to be able to see the notes on both sides of my chalkboard!  What a terrible problem to have! Winking smile

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full tutorial and supply list to get this look and functionality yourself!

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CREATIVELY AND AFFORDABLY BUILD IN STORAGE IN YOUR CLOSET?

Linking up…
IHeart Organizing

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Posted in Closets, DIY, Get Organized, Guest Bedroom, Home Accessories, Home Office | 11 Comments