Octopuses in the bathroom!?

Okay, so they obviously aren't real octopuses, they aren't even supposed to resemble octopuses, but that is what I think of when I look at the new hooks that I put up in the hall bathroom. They are the same type of hooks that I put in the master bath and since they only cost $3.28 buckaroos for two and they work great in our bathroom, I decided to go ahead a purchase two more for the hall bathroom. The hall bathroom already has a towel bar along the wall but I figured that when we do have the occasional guest it will be nicer for them to be able to grab the pretty clean, folded towel from the towel rack and then hang the used towel on the hook. They are easy to put up and hold towels quite well so I think that my little project was a success. Here are the pics....

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After

Does anyone else think of an octopus when they see these types of hooks?

Repurposing Empty Jars

My goal is to eventually rid my house of the ordinary packaging that everything comes in from the grocery store. I would like to have my pantry all organized and labeled and well stocked in pretty glass containers that are more attractive and healthier to keep food in. With everything that we keep in our pantries now-a-days buying a glass container for every single item will get kinda pricey. Being the cheap person that I am I have started reusing any glass jars that an item comes in from the grocery store already, some examples are pickle and olive jars, coconut oil jars, jelly jars, etc. The most difficult part of reusing these jars is to get the sticky label off the front so that you can label it yourself with whatever item you decide to put in your currently vacant jar. The easiest way I have found to do this is with regular distilled white vinegar. You can buy a huge amount at any grocery store for less than $3 buckaroos. I place enough vinegar in a container big enough to fit my jar on it's side and have the vinegar touching as much as the label as possible. After a few minutes I of the label soaking I can easily use my fingernail or a scrubber to peel the soaked part of the label off. I then turn the jar around so that any part that hasn't been soaking gets a nice vinegar bath until I have peeled the entire label off. Vinegar is also great to use to clean out the inside of the jar if it still smells like it's last occupant. If your lid happens to have the logo or info that would prefer not to see, you can spray paint the lid or even use chalkboard paint so that you can switch up the contents with having to put on a new label.
Here is my most recent jar transformation.

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After

Mia is very protective of our lovely jars, now housing cashews and shredded coconut.

Hootin Hook!

So I went to World Market for the first time ever the other day and lets just say that I told Stephen that I was going to move in and change my address! I love it! There are so many things that I could bring into my home there but most of them will have to wait. I did however "splurge" (meaning I spent about $10 bucks) on a pair of cute earrings (obviously not house related) and a cute owl hook that I decided to put in the laundry room and use for the dog's leash. Here is a little glimpse at our new wildlife addition. These pics make the walls look yellow, which they're not, but they do have a yellow undertone to the tan paint which I really hate. I can't wait to get some nice color up on our walls!

Before

After

 

So lately I have been thinking more and more about taking the plunge and tackling the laundry room. I know you are probably thinking why start with the laundry room? It's not a room people see a lot and it certainly isn't in such a sad state that it needs fixing in any way, but I thought that it was a small enough area that I could tackle everything rather quickly and for not a lot of money. I pretty much know what I want to do to the room and I think it would be a good starter room for beginner DIYers such as ourselves. It will give us a chance to see how we do with planning and sticking to our budget and also will help us work out some kinks for when we go to do some larger projects like the kitchen. So if all goes as planned (which it never does, but one can still hope) I believe that I can get most of my little laundry makeover done for around $250-300 buckaroos. Hopefully I will come in closer to $200, but that really depends on how lucky I am with finding cabinets. Let's just say I will be making quite a few trips to the Restore here in good 'ole RVA.

For the Love of Spray Paint

My thrift store finds

A few weeks ago I made a trip to my local Goodwill and picked up a few items which included a tray, a green flower pot originally from Edible Arrangements, and a ugly decorative vase-type item, all for under $10 buckaroos. I haven't done anything to the green flower pot yet. I kind of like the lime green color and I might just leave it as is for awhile and find a cute little plant to put in it. I have a few ideas in mind for the tray, but you will just have to wait for that. The first item I conquered was the weird colored vase. I decided to go with a glossy white and see how that turned out, because I have learned that almost anything looks better once it is painted white or black.

Ugly vase before

So I went to Kmart to grab some Rust-oleum white primer and High Gloss White Spray Paint. The Kmart near us is closing soon so pretty much everything in the store is on sale, including the spray paint. I look my ugly looking vase outside and placed it on a piece of plastic (I recommend using cardboard though, it was winding and my plastic didn't want to stay on the ground) and primer away. I did two coats of thin primer and then let that dry and then did about four thin coats of spray paint. After letting that dry for a few days in the garage I brought it inside and this is what I ended up with. I think it turned out pretty well. I will probably put some pretty branches or flowers in the vase at some point but I don't have anything at the moment. But I am quite satisfied with my result. What do you think?

 

Vase After

Keep it simple

Recently I bough two oil and vinegar bottles to replace the standard, from the grocery store bottles that oil and vinegar come in because frankly I like the uniform look and it also allows me to buy oil and vinegar in bulk, but still have easy access to them for cooking. Here is what my little set up look like with the new bottles, and our new salt and pepper grinders.

The only issue I had with this set up was the fact that when you use the salt or pepper and set it back down on the counter, little remnants of salt and pepper would end up on the counter and it was just starting to get on my nerves. I saw this picture on Pinterest (where else) and decided that I liked the idea. The only issue with getting a cute little cake stand was that fact that there are cabinets right above my oil and vinegar spot and a cake stand would make everything a little too high, so after doing a little hunting I found a great white plate at Ross's for only $3.99 that would fit everything perfectly. I like how it ties everything together and keeps it looking neat and organized.

Pinterest Inspiration

My Version