I Reupholstered Our Fridge

...for the following reasons:

#1- it's disgusting- it was here when we bought the house, it was painted with flat white paint to hide the rust and crust that was on it when we moved in (painted by the previous owners)

#2- I bought a new fridge last week- and when it was delivered, found out it wouldn't fit through the interior doors that lead to the kitchen- I took this as a sign (to hold off on the financial plunge that a new fridge requires) and returned it (my biggest return to-date).

So after having my dream fridge sent back- I really couldn't stand looking at the old fridge anymore...so I started thinking of a way to spice it up...
Here's the background history. On a couple recent blog posts I saw various ways of recovering fridges. Jenny from Little Green Notebook had this great run down of various ways to cover them up- from contact paper- to cork- check it out!
Then I saw this other tutorial on covering a door with fun fabric- also a great post- check it out! (This is the method I ended up using).

This morning I woke up inspired and decided to run (to Walmart) before the inspiration left me- and purchased 4 yards of fabric and box of cornstarch- $26 vs. $1000+, I really do LOVE a bargain! Here's what I found-

it's a stretch jersey tie-dye/ikaty print in brown, pink and cream.

FYI: (I would not recommend stretchy fabric- it was tougher to work with then I can imagine non-stretch fabric would have been)
Not my ideal fabric, but it worked in the scheme of our kitchen (which is quite limited considering the pink floor tile, back splash and counter tops-CRINGE) I will not bore you with all of the inspiration shots I have of my dream kitchen- but I will tell you that the thought of it is one of the things that keeps me plowing through this grad school endeavour;)

 

                                             BEFORE                                               AFTER

Not my dream kitchen by any stretch of the imagination- but a whole heck of a lot better than what it was!

What do you think?

All I Want For Christmas is a West Elm Shopping Spree

You see- my parents get a whole lotta catalogs at their house- especially this time of year.  By a whole lot I mean at least 5 a day. It's slightly absurd, but at the same time, a good way to pass the time.

The winter West Elm came yesterday- and I went through and chose my favorite pieces- all in a variety of prices. Great gift ideas (for me;) and most likely someone on your list! Take a look see-

First on my list- the Bliss collection. It's really lovely. My qualifier for a good sofa is one that is deep enough that I can easily sit with my legs crossed...and this bad boy is DEEP!- like, take a nap on it deep- right up my alley!

The chaise is quite nice too.  I love the classic lines of this collection- but they are still very modern and clean.  I also love the gray slub upholstery- very versatile.

This dhurrie wrapped ottoman is great! Very functional and durable (especially in a house with kiddos!) It adds a nice texture and ethnic vibe to a space.  It's also something that could be fairly easily replicated. Buying a flat weave rug/carpe remnant and reupholstering something like a square ottoman is totally doable- especially if you have a heavy duty staple gun.

Love this modern and clean rocker.  It would be a great piece in a nursery, or a cozy corner of your living room!  It's a warmer spin on the Eames rocker- but in wood and upholstery (rather than metal/molded plastic).

The mirrored trend is fabulous in my opinion.  It adds a little glam and  interest to a space- without adding color or too much glitz.  This piece would be divine in our dining room to replace the white cabinet monstrosity.  I can see it with long white shelves floating above it holding plates, and glassware.

This little metal wrapped side table has the same effect- smaller scale.  It's such an interesting little piece- so much better than a plain wood side table, don't you think?

OOOHH and this dresser totally caught my eye! SO lovely. I love the texture of the stacked wood pieces in the drawer fronts- and I also think this is something that could somehow be DIY'd...maybe with rectangular tiles or something? Very cool!

They also have a bunch of fun decor that is holiday-esque, without being over the top.  It's more winter themed I'd say. Wreathes are something that I like on our front door during the holidays- and this feather one is so pretty and wintry- also- a total possibility for DIY. How awesome would a HUGE one of these look above a mantel?

and this one made from felted wool balls- LOVE- also totally doable (although more time consuming than hot gluing feathers would be!)

Here's a great new light fixture that I'm seriously digging for our dining room- or possibly for a future dream kitchen? I love how simple and modern it is- but it has an industrial flair to it.  I think it would look really clean and crisp in our dining room- and it's under $250- which is a great price for a chandelier!

These trays are simple, fun and super useful to hold accessories- or possibly glasses on a bar/buffet in a dining room.

and I love these owl plates. They are fun and neutral- they would totally work as a little accent plate with our everyday dishes!

I've posted about these hanging planters before- so pretty in front of a window- and a great way to bring a little nature inside the house!

I LOVE these mantle clocks (white would be my pick- FYI)

all images from West Elm

 Happy shopping!



Snownado 10/11 and Halloween #1 of 2

The snownado came in earlier expected Saturday afternoon. Driving home from work at 5pm was scary- 1 lane of traffic on the highway.  Scariest was what I saw when I got home- already on our street there were trees down all over the place- branches everywhere and the worst was still to come...

We lost power around 6pm and started to prepare for a long winters fall night.

We got the fire roaring in the fireplace which thankfully warmed things up. The kids were snug in their jammies- playing with Duplo blocks and reading Christmas books...

...(Zella was reading the self titled book- Beau and Baby Jesus to the dog;)

We spent the night snuggled in front of the fire on various couches/cushions- with numerous blankets to keep us all toasty...and we woke up to this less-than-lovely scene...

It literally was as if a snownado had blown through much of the northeast. So many trees and power lines down- so much damage.  Honestly- I felt bad for all of the trees.  Many of which,  in our yard still had all of their summer leaves on them (hence the incredible amount of damage).

I had to work Sunday- so we made the executive decision to clear as much as we could of the snow/ice and head to my parents (who THANKFULLY) have power.  We have been there ever since.  I went back on Monday to reassess the damage and take more pictures- here is the scene without all the snow.

you cannot access the children's playhouse...

and the saddest thing is that the playscape got crushed in numerous spots:(

the branch in the shot above is down in the neighbors yard in back of us- it reminds me of a dinosaur...it's HUGE-  it's just a branch from a tree and it's literally as tall as their 3 story house! INSANE!!

One thing I will say about all of this mess- despite the lack of power, the crazy lines at the gas stations, the cold nights, the tree massacre in my back yard, the amount of clean up we have a head of us, and the huge inconvenience...it could always be worse.

We are safe, we are warm, we are together as a family, and I am grateful.

Halloween was postponed in town until Saturday- and since we are currently residing at Shuggie and Pop's (40 min.s away)- we still celebrated Halloween on Monday- I called it a "trial run".  I barely finished the costumes- but I got it done.

May I introduce you to Starbright Rainbow Starbright- the Ballerina Unicorn!!

(The gorgeous sweater was recently finished by Shug- and was the perfect topper for the costume on this unusually chilly/snowy Halloween night!)

She's a little spooked in this shot- I think she saw a ghost!

and- I don't know what is up with my camera settings- but capturing a pic of the frequent prancing was tough...

but capturing a picture of the Cookie-Boy was even tougher!!! He refused to wear the costume (his idea- I swear! He's been requesting it for weeks). We had fun- but I will say there's nothing like trick or treating in the close to city suburbs (where we live). Out in the country (where my parents live) it took us 2 hours and we only hit 6 houses! In and out of the car/carseats and driving to relatives houses is tedious!

I hope everyone is holding up okay- despite the crazy end of October snowstorm-that will surely go down in history!!