Cabin Kitchen Remodel

 We found the cutest 1980's original cabin in the woods that just needed an update. Below is the ORIGINAL kitchen.  

We kept the original cabinets but did these changes. 

    1. New countertops- Silver Pearl Leathered Granite

    2. Black hardware on the doors and drawers

    3. Removed the fluorescent lighting and added can lights

    4. New Black stainless steel appliances

    5. New Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

    6. New backsplash- Bedrosians-Cloe-2.5"x9" white

    7. Removed the decorative piece above the sink

Now she is brand new! 

Check out the other before and afters in this cabin too! 

Furniture Makeovers

I am a furniture painter junkie! Here is a tip though, I HATE to sand... So I don't do it! Some of these pieces were done with chalk paint, others were just plain latex paint. Please comment or email me if you have any questions on any of the pieces! 

Linking here! Linking to the HOST

DIY Kitchen Remodel

Wow has it been a long time since I have posted here. Since then we bought a 1950's fixer upper house and have been having a blast fixing it up! We figured we would do the kitchen slowly and over the next 5 years.. we have lived here 8 months and it is almost complete! Here are some fun pictures of what we did! My husband made our wood counter tops all from scratch, our sink is from ikea and we did the subway back splash ourselves with a dark grey grout.

 BEFORE

 BEFORE

 BEFORE (This awful cabinet blocking the whole kitchen was the first thing to go)

 BEFORE

 BEFORE

 After! Lots of sweat and labor into these countertops, floors, cabinets and back splash but OH I love it.

If you want any details on the paint or materials we used please let me know! Still LOTS of finishing touches to do but I am loving it! Also SO thankful for my thirty-one business to help fund our little home remodel! www.mythirtyone.com/michelledean

Red and Cream Dresser Makeover

Last time I bought paint, I went ahead and got a whole gallon of red paint. I am in love with painting furniture red, and it sets it apart and seems to sell better. So... Here is another red dresser from me! Here is the before.

 My original plan was the paint the drawers cream, and then do red stripes over them with silver handles. I painted the handles silver, and they looked awful. So, in my mind there can never be too much red, so I painted them red for fun. I decided to put the whole dresser together and see how it looked and decide about the stripes from there... once I put it together I was in love, and didn't touch it anymore! This is a basset dresser I got for a steal on craige's list. The drawers open amazing and I love the curved lines!

Wedding Cupcakes

If you read my blog at all, I am sure you wonder if I have a.d.d. or have an identity crisis! ha! I can't decide if I am a furniture restorer, baker, cook, or 31 consultant, and also throw in a stay at home mom with a part time at home administration job. Apparently I like to be busy?

 My husband and I are catering 3 weddings this summer. We are doing the dinner as well as the cupcake/wedding cake. Two of these weddings are on back to back weekends.... crazy? Yes.

I was lucky enough to be asked to do the cupcakes for a beautiful wedding last weekend. The couple were high school sweethearts, and one of my best friend's little brother was the groom. Sweet sweet couple. I made Red Velvet, Chocolate, Lemon and White cupcakes all with cream cheese frosting. 220 of them. It was a long, exhausting 2 day project, but I was happy to do it! Below are my beauties, and if you click on the types of cupcake I did that will take you to a link with the recipes!!!

I love spray paint!

Yard sale season is upon us and I am SOOOOO happy! I always miss it during the winter months, and only have craige's list to feed my junk obsession. Craige's is not the same as yard sales though, there is just something about stumbling on that find that is way under priced and snatching it up before someone else sees it! Here is one beauty I found, and the amazing powers of spray paint to transform! 

Amazing mirror right? I am sure a lot of people couldn't see past the gold, but when I saw it I immediately envisioned it in my daughter's bedroom! Also, I did a little trick on the mirror to not get paint on it.... I put saran wrap on it! It stuck to it perfectly and I just shoved it into the edges of the mirror as best I could. I did get a little bit of paint on the mirror, but a razor blade took it off perfectly. 

Happy Yard Saling!

ONE YEAR OLD!

I am in total shock that it has been a year since our lives were changed forever because of our baby girl Mia! It seems like just yesterday I got a phone call from the agency saying we had been picked for a baby already born and needed to be at the hospital in 2 hours!!! Wild Times.... 

She is the most amazing sweet little girl. She is getting quite the attitude and turning into such a goofball. She is in LOVE with her Daddy. She has him wrapped around her cute little finger, and I am sure there will be trouble with her in our future. She is so beautiful inside and out. She loves her big brother and he loves her. I am so beyond thankful that God chose us to be this precious little girl's parents, and so thankful to her birth mom for choosing life, and choosing us to take care of her precious girl. SO blessed with our kids! 

If you or anyone you know has questions about adoption or would like to ask questions, I am always open to share! E-mail me at michelledean24@hotmail.com

Dining Room Table Makeover

I haven't had any big projects lately, and I was ready to find one! So, last week we set out yard saling. There was nothing really good, but as we were passing by I saw a table out of the corner of my eye, so we decided to stop. The table was pretty beat up, but came with 6 chairs and 3 leaves! 

The chairs had pads on them, so they could be recovered, and I loved the lines of the chairs and the tables. After asking questions and seeing what else we liked at the yard sale, we ended up leaving spending $100... More than I would normally spend, but we also had them throw in a little rocking chair, and a camp chair and the table. The table can get up to 8 feet long! We are calling it our thanksgiving table!

 We think it might be a duncan phyfe.... I kinda hope it is just a reproduction since I painted it all up! Oh well. So there are the before pictures, and here the after!!!

Amazing what a little sanding, primer and paint can do! I think I will keep this table for a while! I have a tendency to change out my table every year or so, so we'll see how long this one lasts!

Construction Cake!

My sweet little boy turned 3 last week! I cannot believe 3 years has gone by... I wanted to make him a special cake for his birthday. My little guy is into all things daddy, and daddy is a construction worker, so a construction cake it was. I started searching on pinterest, because that is where all my inspiration comes from lately, and I found this tutorial. I was inspired by the inside of the cake looking like caution tape, so I thought I would give it a try!!! Let me just say, any time I need to work with a cake from now on instead of just chilling it, I am FREEZING IT. It worked out so much better, and it still tasted great!!!

Above are my frozen cakes after I cut the rings out and placed them together. I then put them back in the freezer to try and meld together. 

 My 3 year old's little cake

TADA! I cannot tell you how excited I was when we cut into it and it actually looked like caution tape! I am not a perfectionist or great at following directions, so considering that, I thought this turned out pretty awesome!

A piece of the cake! Check out the tutorial and her cake, it is so much easier than it looks!

My little construction workers.

My latest endeavor... 31!

So, as if my life isn't busy enough with 2 kids, a part time job and a crazy life in general, I decided to add something else to my life! I have been hearing about this company called 31 for a while, but I had NO idea what it was, until I finally got invited to a party... and out of obligation... went to the party. Usually I will go to these "parties" and find the cheapest thing in the catalog and order it just so I can contribute and help out the hostess and the seller. I was pleasantly surprised at this party when I discovered that my normal very small limit of $20 or so, got me an actual decent bag! Looking through the catalog more, I realized I wanted everything, but I refrained! Instead, I asked questions about selling it for myself and was shocked to find out how much the gal who was selling it made, after only selling it for a year and a half!! AND... she gets lots of free bags!

"The name Thirty-One comes from the verses of Proverbs 31. These words may be thousands of years old, but I am constantly amazed by how today's modern woman can relate to them. The Proverbs 31 woman is dearly loved and respected by her family, yet she is an individual in her own right. She manages the home and property with kindness and integrity. Her savvy business skills are partly brought about by her desire to serve others, to do good deeds and prosper."

So. I jumped on the band wagon and signed up. I am REALLY excited about it and looking forward to contributing more to my household and also to be able to get some of these bags that I wanted so much, but didn't have money in the budget for. 

The main reason I decided to sell 31, is because I really will not feel bad inviting people to a 31 party. If people, like myself, feel obligated to buy something at parties, they can spend 10-20 dollars and get a great product! Or, they can spend more! There is something for everyone and you don't have to spend $100 to get the deals or get great stuff. 

My sister in law was very sweet to be my first person to book a party! Her party is next weekend and I am SO excited! I really love all the products and especially the mission statement of this company. Feel free to check out the catalog on my website and if you see something you can't live without, place an order! My favorite so far is the thermalized tote. It goes with me everywhere and carries all the kid's snacks or lunch. And, it is only $15! Also if you are in the Idaho area, and want to book a party, the average hostess earns $90 in free stuff and several hostess exclusive items at a fantastic price! 

www.mythirtyone.com/michelledean

If anyone read all of this, THANKS!