Okay, I am down to the final details in my kitchen and soon I'll be taking you all on a tour, but I wanted to give you a sneak peak and show you what a difference window treatments can make.

I was shopping at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and found some adorable tins to use in the kitchen. They were just simple white tins with black or red trim work and they said things like "Tea" , "Sugar", "Coffee", etc. The asking price was $7.99 each, but (of course) they were marked 50% off making them $3.99 each. Um, not in my frugal budget ;-)

Later I was at Goodwill and found some Christmas tins that were similar in shape to the ones I had seen at Hobby Lobby. They were $0.50, $0.50 and $0.80. Okay, THAT was in my budget.

Add some black spray paint, labels made on the computer and some check ribbon ($1.97 at Walmart) and here's what I ended up with:

I had a empty spot on the top of my microwave that just cried out for "something" and my set of tins are just perfect there.

Here is the step by step process I used for painting my kitchen cabinet knobs.

1. This is the BEFORE...simple, nice enough but in need of an update.




2. The first thing I did was spray paint the knobs black. I used a satin black. To make sure I covered all around the knobs I clipped twigs the same size as the opening in the back of the knob and stuck the knobs on top. It helped me to be able to move the knob around easily without smudging the paint. I then stuck the twigs into some florist foam so they could dry over night.



3. Next, I got a deep rich metallic paint to add some dimension. I used a color called "rich espresso"

4. I took a small paint brush and painted over my black knobs with the metallic paint. Make sure to the the underside of the knobs, too.

5. Then I dabbed off the excess paint with a paper napkin. It let some of the black show through and it gave it a hammered look.




6. Again I let them stand up over night on the florist foam so the paint would dry well and give it a chance to cure.

Wow it's been a LONG time since I've posted, hasn't it? I guess getting back into the school routine and doing things around the house has put blogging on the back burner.

I'm currently re-doing my kitchen and I'm SO in love with it. When I get all done (which may take a little while still) I'll give a full update. For now, here's 2 things I'm working on for the kitchen:

I have a ton of cabinets and drawers in my kitchen and that means lots of knobs! 38 to be exact! Well, my old knobs were brass and white in the middle. VERY dated and worn looking. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to replace the hardware. HA HA! The CHEAP ones are $1 each! Minimum cost would be $38.00!

So, I've decided to PAINT the ones I already have! First, I've spray painted them black ($2.97 for 1 can of paint). Next I'm painting over that with a metallic rich espresso and dabbing some of it off ($2.17 ) Finally, I'll spray them again with a clear coat to protect the finish ($2.97 for 1 can).
When I get them complete I'll show you the pics. They turn out SO nice!
I've had a set of Pooh cookie molds since I got married and I just LOVE hanging them in the kitchen. The only problem is the molds are the same color as my walls now and you couldn't see them. Bummer! So, I got creative! I purchased 3 black wooden frames from the Dollar Store for $1 each. I removed the glass and put in a piece of scrapbook paper ($0.59 each). I secured the frames to the wall with one of those stick on, easy removed tabs. Then I screwed a cup hook right through the paper so there would be a secure place to hang my cookie molds. I lined them up under some of my cabinets and I just ADORE IT! (I still need to put a new ribbon at the tops of my molds. The ones I currently have are very worn out!)







I was at the thrift store a few days ago and found this little hidden gem! The glass dome was dirty and had a little sticky stuff on it and the bottom was a pitiful brown color and dirty, too. BUT, the potential was there LOL! I paid the $1.50 they were asking and brought her home. A good washing and a little black spray paint and she was pretty as she could be :-) I picked up a ceramic pumpkin at the Dollar store and added a few leaves, berries, acorns and a raffia bow and my new treasure is all dressed up for fall.


I really enjoy decorating for Halloween but I don't like paying a lot of money for decorations that I only use 1 month out of the year. I made this cutie for $1.46! I got the frame at the Dollar Store. It was one that had the mat in it for 3 pictures. Next I got some scrapbook paper. I traced the mat onto the polka dot paper and cut. Next I glued the spider web paper behind the polka dot paper. I printed the letters from the computer and covered them with orange glitter. I let it all dry over night then put it in the frame. Voila!