Front yard before and after photos

Posted by laughing abi

We’ve been working on some outdoor projects and as I was snapping a picture yesterday I realized, some of you have never seen the outside of my house. (Unless you’re secretly stalking me and driving by while I’ve got my butt up in the air planting flowers.) Then I thought, what fun is looking at “afters” if you never got to see the “befores”? So here, for your viewing pleasure, are some pics of my front yard through the years.

Here’s how the front of the house looked when we moved in. The woman we bought it from must have been worried about people peeking in her windows because she had almost every one of them blocked by some kind of tree or shrub.

One month later: oh, there is a house hiding back there. If you look close you can see the tree trunks we hadn’t removed yet.

This is the only pic I could find from 2007. It doesn’t show much but you can see we cleaned things out a little more and filled in with some annuals that year.

In 2008 we removed the circle of shrubs blocking the front steps/window (you can see it in the 2nd pic), reshaped the flower bed, and filled in with grass where we needed. We were left with this clean, blank slate. Ahhhh.

Then we started filling in with some shrubs.

About this time all hell broke loose in the back yard, specifically on our back screened porch. We had to replace the roof. And the floor. And the ceiling. And the deck. (You’ll being seeing pics of all that soon.) So the front yard was put on hold for a while. A long while. Four years to be exact. Last year we finally started working on it again.

This view is looking out from the front door, toward the street. See that big circle of sh!t around the trees? It’s 30% beautiful ground cover and 70% nasty thistle weed. It’s driven me crazy since the day we moved in.

One day I kinda lost it (noticing a pattern?). All that crap had to go. First I hit it with the mower – very therapeutic.

Then it was time to get down in the dirt and start digging, and pulling, and yanking that crap out. We mulched it with leaves for the winter and this spring . . . ta-da!

There’s still some thistle coming up. That stuff is like cockroaches. It could survive a nuclear war. After I conquer it, which I will, the plan is to plant grass and pretend that circle was never there.

And finally, current photos of the house and flower bed. It’s funny to scroll up and see how much that little burning bush has grown. And the crab apple tree really needs a prune job.

Some of you may have noticed the front door went from brown to red. I don’t remember when I painted it but it’s one of my favorite things ever. I’ve always wanted a red door and this house was screaming for it.

So now you’re up to date which means I can start sharing the new stuff we’re working on. Can’t wait!

Do you look back at old pics of your house and see something you forgot? Or something you wish you could forget?

SHARE THIS POST

Cheap spring porch makeover with a DIY painted rug

Posted by laughing abi

Spring has finally arrived in Chicagoland and since we have a huge project coming up this summer in the back yard my top priority for the front porch makeover was CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!

Two things you should know before we go any further. One, this is what the porch looked like before I started.

Two, my house is very traditional on the outside – two story, box shaped, white with black shutters. It’s a pretty place but it doesn’t look much like the bizarro family living in it. So besides cheap, I wanted it to be more “us”. I wanted people to giggle a little when they stepped up to knock.

My first idea was to dig around the garage and see what I already had. I scored this chair, pillow, plant stand and concrete planter. I picked up a black plastic planter at Home Depot ($2.70) and filled it with a sweet potato vine ($3.60) and red petunia ($1.00). Total spent so far: $7.30 (The other petunia you see is included in the price. It was a three-pack I split up into different pots.)

Now for the other side of the porch. Things I already owned: a bright green planter, a fake stone with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote on it, and some cobblestones from another project. What I bought: another petunia plant ($3.60) and a “Be Happy” flag ($13.00). Total spent so far: $23.90.

STOP. I have to take a minute to tell you how much I love that little flag. Usually these things fall into the cheesy-fru-fru category for me but this one has bright, modern colors and a message that’s perfect for our front door. And what a happy coincidence that the green color on the letters matches the planter I already owned.

With all those pieces in place I went searching for an outdoor rug to tie it all together. Holy crap. Do you guys know how much those things cost? I had no idea. The cheapest one I could find was $60 and it was ugly. So I was scrounging around Menard’s and found this number for $10. Total spent so far: $33.90.

Not much to look at but I had an idea. (Insert The Hubs rubbing his temples and shaking his head.) I could just cut the cheapo rug down to size, pick up one of those sample size cans of paint for $3, and paint my own design. Easy squeezy.

Confession time. This idea was an epic fail. Actually, I love the way it looks but the budget was a hot mess. The problem is the rug soaked up soooo much paint. Here’s how far the little $3 can of paint got me.

I couldn’t even get all the way around the rug. So I went back and bought a quart of paint for $16.65. It was still cheaper than the $60 option. Right? Total spent so far: $50.55.

Here’s how far that quart of paint got me.

One. Stripe. Left. I’m not gonna lie. I said some very inappropriate words at this point. Really, really bad ones. Then I went and bought another quart of paint. ($16.65) Total spent so far: $67.20.

And finally . . .

And a night shot, just for fun.

Some notes in case you want to give this a try.
1.If you’re working with a porous fabric like I was, buy more paint than you think you will need. I could have saved some money by buying a gallon of paint in the beginning but who knew 11 little stripes would take over a quart of paint?
2. Use green Frog Tape to tape off your design. It really does do a better job of sealing the edges and keeping the paint from seeping underneath.
3. Make sure you rub the edges of your tape down before you start painting.
4. PUT NEWSPAPER UNDER YOUR RUG FIRST. My paint bled through to the porch.

So altogether I spent just over $67. Not bad for a 3.5′ x 9′ porch but still $30 more than I planned to spend. Sigh. The good news is, I love the way it turned out. It is happy and fun and colorful and modern. It is not traditional or stuffy or fru-fru or boring. Mission accomplished.

This post is part of the Spring Pinterest Challenge going on over at Young House Love. Make sure you click over and see the amazing projects being linked up. Here are some of the pins that inspired me.

What spring projects are you working on? Any that turned out different than you planned? Are you still happy with the results? Did you overspend?

SHARE THIS POST

Display shelf with a built-in bulletin board

Posted by laughing abi

Here’s the latest addition to Teen Queen’s bedroom update – a display shelf with a built-in bulletin board.

When I found it, it looked like this . . .

(Shiznips, I can’t find the before photo. But I promise you it was a sad, ugly little thrift shop orphan.)

I took it home and per Teen Queen’s request (who was only Tween Queen at the time) I turned it into this.

It was what she wanted at the time but now we both agree, it’s hideous. (Did you hear that? We agreed on something!) So transformation #2 began. First, a fresh coat of paint.

A mazillion times better already, doncha think?

Next, I wanted to add a bulletin board to the rectangle opening in the back. I decided to use foam core because I already had some stashed in the basement and I’m cheap like that. I started by cutting it to match the size of the opening, 18.25″ x 9″.

Then I picked up a roll of this adhesive backed cork roll from JoAnn’s for $5. It’s super thin and super sticky. An extra set of hands would be helpful for this part.

After sticking the foam core to the cork my plan was to trim the cork so they were both the same size. At the last minute I decided to wrap the edges of the foam core like a present instead. My logic was this:
1. By wrapping the edges I didn’t have to worry about any white foam core showing if my trim job was less than perfect.
2. The tiny bit of extra thickness the cork created along the edges would ensure a nice tight fit when I put the finished piece into the shelf.

NOTE: I also cut the corners so they didn’t create too much bulk.

Finally, time to put it all together. It took some squishing and pushing and swearing but it fit.

And of course Teen Queen’s own personal touches . . .

One more BEFORE and AFTER.

That’s one more thing checked off the “bedroom update” list. What are you working on? Are you trying desperately to finish up all your indoor projects so you can go out and play in the sunshine? Just me?

Wanna see this bedroom update from the beginning? Click here and here.

SHARE THIS POST

My spray paint addiction and a spring chalkboard

Posted by laughing abi

Some people dream of planting flowers when spring weather hits. Others race outside to jog or ride their bike (pffft). Me? I can’t wait to get my hands on a can of spray paint.

So far this season, in between the freak snow storms and flooding rains (we live in Chicagoland), I’ve finished up three spray paint projects.

The first, Teen Queen’s portable ballet barre, I’ve already shared with you.

What I didn’t show you are the scars it left – a spray paint junkie’s track marks, if you will.

The next project was part of Baby Girl’s bedroom redo. Sorry about the goofy before shot. It’s the only pic I could find with the purple handles. See Baby Girl behind the dresser building her loft bed?

I will never get over how a few swipes of paint can take a dresser from Purple Princess to Tree Top Kid.

And finally, my entry chalkboard.

This transformation is my favorite. I’ve always thought the frame would be glorious in glossy white. And it is. It’s so much more clean and modern and . . . purdy. I’ve got it all chalked up for spring despite the freezing rain blowing outside my front door. Mother Nature is such a fickle b!tch.

What spring addictions are you hiding? Keep it clean people, I don’t want to know all that. Tell me just enough to make me feel normal.

SHARE THIS POST

DIY Laundry detergent

Posted by laughing abi

Laundry sucks. Technically that’s just my opinion but you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who disagrees. While I can’t offer you a laundry boy who looks like Matthew McConaughey and folds like Nate Berkus, I can share a laundry detergent that’s dirt cheap and lasts a whole year.

Full disclosure: I did not create this detergent. I found it over at How Does She who found it over at Blissful 55. Now on with the sharing.

Here’s what you’ll need (from Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle).

Ingredients:

1 (4 lb 12 oz) box Borax – $3.39
1 (3 lb 7 oz) box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda – $3.24
1 (3 lb) container OxyClean – $7.59
2 (14.1 oz) bars Zote Soap or Fels Naptha – $0.97 each
1 (4 lb) box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (my pictures shows 2, 2 lb boxes) – $2.50
1 (55 oz) bottle Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (optional) – $4.79

NOTE: Don’t be afraid when you sniff the Zote or Fels Naptha. (You know you’re going to.) I promise your laundry will not smell like that when you use this stuff. Pinky swear.

Step 1 of 2: Grate Zote bars.
I don’t have a fine grater so I use my regular one and I haven’t had any problems with the soap dissolving. Also, over on How Does She they show a cool idea for cutting the bar into pieces and microwaving it so it crumbles into a fine powder. I’m definitely trying that next time.

Step 2 of 2: Mix it all up, baby.
The only challenge here is finding something big enough to hold it all. Here’s what I use.

Don’t laugh. It works.

Also, I recommend mixing in small portions- add a little bit of each ingredient and mix, then add a little more and mix . . . It’s so much easier than trying to mix all 15 pounds of detergent at one time.

How to use:

ONLY USE 1-2 TABLESPOONS PER LOAD.
Safe for front-load, HE machines.
No bubbles? No worries. This is a low-suds detergent, which actually makes it better for your HE machine.
Put the soap directly in the wash tub with your clothes rather than in the soap dispenser thingy.

Time for the nitty-gritty.

How much does it cost? Total cost for all the ingredients listed above is $23.45.

How long does it last? I wash for a family of four and one batch lasts approximately a year. Yes, a year.

How does it work? I have had no complaints. Zero. Zip. Nada. (The hubs is a long distance runner and he puts this stuff to the test.)

How does it smell? I’ll admit I was scared the first time I used it. The scent was so strong when it went in the washer – not bad, just strong. To my surprise when I took my clothes out of the dryer they were almost scent-free.

I know this is a big commitment. It’s your clothes. I felt the same way my first time. I actually only made a half batch so I wouldn’t have a ton of the stuff sitting around the house if I hated it. If you’re feeling really skeptical you can check out the reader comments over at How Does She. There’s some good feedback to set your mind at ease.

Wanna know what other clean little laundry secret I have? Click HERE to see my balls.

SHARE THIS POST

My “I couldn’t stand it anymore” lawn project

Posted by laughing abi

I was unloading groceries the other day and casually glanced across the back yard. Something inside me snapped. I could not stand to look at my half finished lawn/path project another second. I left the car door open, ran out to the storage shed and grabbed a rake.

The photo above is actually half done already. About 15 minutes into my fury of dirt and rakes and grass seed I thought to grab the camera. You can see our new patio, where the grass is supposed to be, and where the path is. Here it is with the rest of the dirt tilled and the seed down. If you squint and think green thoughts you can see how amazing it will look.

I have to mention that I’m a little obsessed with growing grass. (Lawns people. I’m talking about lawns.) When we moved into this house I had to seed the entire back yard. My kids told the new neighbors that I sat outside everyday and sang to the baby grasses. It wasn’t true (really) but it kind of established my rep in the hood. I just love to see those little green shoots sprout up out of the dirt. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a wheat farm.

I did finally get the rest of the groceries unloaded and put away. Today we are having torrential rains (what the farmers used to call toad-stranglers) that will probably wash all my baby grasses away. Sigh. Here’s what they looked like yesterday. I’m afraid to go look tomorrow.

One last picture to give you an idea of the yard layout. This one is from inside my screened porch. The big circle around the trees is a perennial flower bed that will be overflowing with loveliness in the next 30 days. And the row of rock at the bottom of this shot is the border of another perennial bed. See the little baby flowers sprouting in there? We have a lot of work to do out here this year so these are my official “before” photos. Hopefully I’ll have something beautiful and green to compare them to soon.

Have you had any moments of spring fever yet? Any groceries spoiling in your car because you just couldn’t stand it any longer?

SHARE THIS POST

DIY Portable Ballet Barre: Phase 1

Posted by laughing abi

Psst. Wanna see this room update from the beginning? Read this post first. Updating a teenage girl’s room.

If you’ve been following along you know we’re building a “dance wall” in Teen Queen’s bedroom. One of her ~~demands~~ requests was a hot pink ballet barre so she could practice after school. It didn’t take long to realize the challenge wasn’t going to be building the bar but finding a place to put it. Here are some of the things we had to consider.

1. Mirror placement: A lot of diy examples I found were built with the barre and mirrors on the same wall. In reality the mirrors should be on the opposite wall as the barre. This was a problem for us because there wasn’t space in the room for that kind of layout (unless Teen Queen developed x-ray vision and could see through the furniture).
2. Space: Room for a barre is not a big deal. Room to actually use it is another story. There needed to be adequate space to practice without taking over the entire room.

Eventually, we decided building a portable barre was the best option. This design can be stored flat along the same wall as the mirrors when not being used, and when it’s time for practice can be pulled out into the room, opposite the mirrors (or at least far enough from the mirrors to give the same effect).

We used 1.25″ PVC pipe to make it sturdy, lightweight, and paintable. We also added a lower barre for extra stability even though she is too big to use it any more. With all that decided it was finally time to get to work.

MATERIALS
(4) 1.25″ PVC crosses
(2) 1.25″ PVC tees
(4) 1.25″ PVC elbows
(2) pieces 1.25″ PVC pipe cut to 24″ long
(6) pieces 1.25″ PVC pipe cut to 12″ long
(2) closet rods cut to 57″ long
Craft foam sheets
Sandpaper
Spray paint

INSTRUCTIONS
I won’t bore you with step by step directions for putting this thing together. The photos are pretty self-explanatory. After you get the PVC pieces assembled there are a few last details.

1. Use the sandpaper to “erase” the black number and letter markings from your pieces.
2. Use the craft foam to fill the gaps where the closet rods fit into the tees and crosses.

Cut it the same width as the joint pieces (mine were 4.25″).
Roll it into a tube shape. Depending on the thickness of your foam you may have to overlap the ends so you create a double layer. I found it easiest to remove the PVC joint from the other pieces first so you’re working with one small piece instead of the whole barre.
Slide the rolled up tube into the PVC joint.
Wiggle and twist the barre into the center of the tube. This is a little tricky. I used my left hand to try and keep the foam from shooting out onto the floor but you can see it did slide out a good inch or so. You want it to be a tight fit so it’s stable but not so tight you can’t put it together.

Once I had everything together (and was sure it would work), I took it all apart and hit it with some hot pink spray paint. I’m always amazed how much paint changes things.

I want to point out that this is not as stable as a barre that attaches to the wall. My dancer is 13 years old uses it for balance and form. If your dancer is younger and will be leaning on the barre or putting a lot of weight on it, this may not be a good option for you.

So what unique features have you added to you kids’ rooms? A climbing wall? A race car? A trapeze bar? Hey, it could happen.

SHARE THIS POST

Loft bed for a little girl’s room

Posted by laughing abi

Psst, to see this room update from the beginning, check out these posts:
Phase 1: Decorative storage update for a little girl’s room and no monsters in the closet
Phase 2:A modern tree mural update

Remember this post where I shared a cute way to display a little girl’s stuffed animal collection? Well forget all that. It’s gone. See, the problem with raising creative children is they get these ideas and the next thing you know you’re redoing things that were never even done yet. And yes, I realize I could have just old her “NO” but it was such a goooood idea. It had to be done.

Introducing Baby Girl’s new loft bed.

I know loft beds are nothing new but the genius of this one is it was TOTALLY FREE. We drug the bunk beds down from the attic and put them together without the bottom bunk. The chair is a thrift store treasure that was sitting in the corner of our bedroom, holding piles of laundry. And the little table was her nightstand. $0!!!

Here are some shots of Baby Girl hard at work putting it all together with The Hubs.

As for that Ugly Doll collection, it’s back next to the bed where it belongs – just a little higher.

Some of you may remember that the bed used to be under a recently updated tree mural. Obviously we moved things around to make it all fit. The tree is still there but it looks more like this now.

I’ll admit I’m sad that Baby Girl isn’t sleeping under that tree every night. I designed the whole thing around her bed. But when I see her all snuggled up in that chair, reading a book, I can’t help but smile.

I still have a long list of finishing touches for the loft and the bedroom.

Paint dresser knobs
Touch up paint on bunks
Find something to hang on walls under loft
Create some storage solutions under the loft so things aren’t just laying around
Cover ugly support boards on loft “ceiling”
Paint ladder
“Tape” two small IKEA rugs together to make one patch of “grass” under loft
Sew curtains to create “walls” under loft

My biggest challenge? To get it all done before Baby Girl gets another great idea.

Have you ever decided to redo a project when you were only halfway done? Did it turn out better than the original idea? Please say yes. I really need to hear a yes.

SHARE THIS POST

Updating a teenage girl’s room

Posted by laughing abi

I’ll be the first to admit, this is risky. Decorating with a teenage girl is like playing with a lion cub. It seems sweet and fun in the beginning but there’s a good chance you’ll be crying and bloody before it’s done.

So I decided to approach this project with a “slow and steady” mindset. Baby steps. Little bits at a time so no one gets hurt. Or grounded. Or arrested.

First things first. Here’s a pic of where we started. I painted a horizontal stripe around the room a few years ago to be used as a “frame” for all her posters, etc. Plus I thought it would be easier to update just a stripe when her color choices changed rather than having to repaint the whole room.

Turns out she didn’t want to update the stripe. She wanted to eliminate it. Still easier than painting the whole room. Should be a simple coat of primer followed by the already existing wall color. At least that’s what I thought.

Unfortunately as I started priming I realized my tape lines from the stripe had created a “ridge” that was going to be visible all the way around the room. So we got out our sanding blocks and sanded everything down smooth before we went any further.

With that task done we covered everything in “Sedona Sand” except for one square of color she wanted to frame out her new clock. Other than that, the walls went completely neutral.

Now to start adding some color and personality back into the room. Here’s her wish list.

It needs to be artistic.
There needs to be a “dance wall”.
There should be bright pops of color.
Colors of choice are hot pink, turquoise, and pale yellow.

I will confess and tell you her first idea was to paint the walls completely white and use a black Sharpie to write on them each day. Sort of like a diary on the wall.

Um, no. Moving on. (We did reach a compromise of sorts that I’ll share with you in a future post.)

We decided to start with the thing she loves most – dance. The Hubs offered to build her a ballet bar (another future post) because he’s the best dad ever. So while he was building in the garage, Sophia and I got started on this picture grouping.

The two photographs are magazine clippings she’s had taped to her wall for years. I just put them in inexpensive acrylic box frames from Jo-Ann’s. The ballerina sketch was a garage sale find from last summer. I bought the frame at Michael’s on a BOGO special. (The other frame is the one you saw in Baby Girl’s bedroom update a few weeks ago.) Lastly, the little tap shoes are hers from long, long ago. Sniffle.

I found the frame at a thrift shop and gave it a little face lift. Here’s how it looked before.

Isn’t it amazing what paint can do? (If you want any details about how I put the frame together or stuck the shoes on just let me know. I’m happy to share.)

So that’s all for now. Remember, baby steps = survival. The ballet bar and mirrors are next, which will complete the dance wall. Wish me luck.

Have you ever decorated with a teenager? Do you have a survival story to share?

SHARE THIS POST

My new open kitchen cabinets

Posted by laughing abi

I got a crazy idea to take the doors off my kitchen cabinets. I blame Jen over at Tatertots & Jello. She just made it look so darn good. And she changes it out seasonally so it never gets old. So I decided to give it a shot. Here’s how mine turned out.

This started as a really simple project.

Remove cabinet doors (1.1 Cringe at the chaos lurking beneath.)
Buy a sheet of beadboard from your local home improvement store. (You can have them cut it to size or take it home and do it yourself.)
Paint beadboard.
Place beadboard in back of cabinet, re-install shelves, and arrange dishes, etc.

Unfortunately, I ran into a few problems. Actually there was really only one problem – my husband was sick. Which meant there was no one to run the table saw for me. Being the resourceful woman that I am, I took the beadboard back to Lowe’s where I bought it and had them cut it to size. Problem solved, right? Uh, wrong. Here’s what I came home with.

See that funky angle at the top? That totally “not gonna fit no matter how hard you shove it in there or how many inappropriate words you use” angle? At this point I had no choice but to wait. Wait until my husband felt well enough to run a power tool without slicing off any limbs.

So I waited.

And waited.

And finally, three days later, he crawled out of his death bed and cut the teeny-tiny 1/4 inch off my board. Voila all was right with the world again. A couple coats of paint and I was able to put everything together.

Just to keep things real, here’s how it looked before – nothing wrong with it but kinda snoozy.

I’m really happy with how everything (finally) turned out but have to admit that it’s caused a domino effect. Now I’m repainting all the kitchen walls and sewing new curtains. What can I say? My name is Abi and I’m a decorating addict.

A few notes:

If your assistant isn’t sick this is a super easy upgrade to any kitchen.
I didn’t need to use any adhesive or nails to hold the beadboard in place. My shelves fit right up against it and did the job for me.
I recently read about these little shelf hole fillers from IKEA and plan to get me some soon. (Thanks Storefront Life for sharing.)
There are a million different ways to arrange open shelves. Mine needed to be functional rather than decorative.

Do you have any easy kitchen upgrades? Or any stories about a simple upgrade that turned into a complete room redo? Come on, I can’t be the only one.

SHARE THIS POST

Laughing Abi

where i write about things that amuse me

Front yard before and after photos

Cheap spring porch makeover with a DIY painted rug

Display shelf with a built-in bulletin board

My spray paint addiction and a spring chalkboard

DIY Laundry detergent

My “I couldn’t stand it anymore” lawn project

DIY Portable Ballet Barre: Phase 1

Loft bed for a little girl’s room

Updating a teenage girl’s room

My new open kitchen cabinets