Rental Kitchen Budget Makeover!

It's done!!! Not that it really took that long to do, but with 3 kiddos running around gone are the days of luxuriously starting a project in the morning and working tirelessly ALL DAY to see it completed. So this project was bit off in small chunks at a time and its finally finished! And all for around $100! Now we could have done this MUCH cheaper, but we did splurge a little... I blame my husband :) We were at Home Depot (where most DIY cost trouble starts!) and we saw the faux ceiling tiles there just begging for us to splurge on them. It might have taken longer than it should have to make the decision, but after MUCH hemming and hawing we decided, lets just do it, knowing it would make a big impact and cover some really gross paint. Its so hard to justify spending money on a rental property, but if I'm going to live here for several years more, its an investment I was willing to make... an investment my eyeballs appreciate very much.

Unfortunately I didn't take many "before" pictures and even went searching in my old photo files for when we did our initial walk through of the house and still found very few usable "before" photos. I even went to the Zillow website as I knew there were photos there and about fell over when I read the description of the property. Apparently our rental house boasts beautiful hardwood floors! I had no idea bubbling cheap laminate flooring counted as hardwood! Our house also boasts designer paint... which I guess if you call cheap flat paint that you can't wipe clean and shows EVERY stain in the world, then yeah.... its designer... But I digress. I didn't choose to show the photo from that site simply because it doesn't do the before part of this justice. It didn't show how the cabinets were also a cheap laminate product that were spray painted white without caulking all the cracks in first, or how the wall paint had absorbed all the oil from a year and half worth of living in it (the hood fan doesn't actually blow the exhaust out into anything other than right back into the kitchen). It also didn't show how the caulking around the counter-tops was so old and cracked that it had completely separated from the wall. But heres the best I could find for the "before" photos:

BEFORE

 This is the best full kitchen photo I had from when we just moved in. Fresh wall paint, and cleaned up its really not so bad from far away, but the counter-tops were not in good shape and had many stains and knife marks. Mostly it was just boring, old and dingy.

The counter tops as good as they got.

The cabinets directly above the hood fan have become greasy and GROSS

Close up these cabinets aren't pretty. Poorly painted and flaking off.

So I did my research and found an AMAZING solution to many of my kitchen whoas. CONTACT PAPER. I knew I had to properly paint the cabinets but the newly covered counter tops with contact paper makes the biggest impact in my opinion. The fresh paint, fresh caulk, fresh back splash and covered countertops make for a much more welcoming kitchen. 

AFTER

The faux tin backsplash makes a big impact. Cost $20 per panel (we used 3 in the entire kitchen). I stuck them on using Scotch Clear Mounting Squares at $3 a pack (I used 2) and tacks. The tiles behind the oven fell down when the oven got hot so I nailed them in with tacks and that should take care of that problem. Metal outlet covers $3 each.

 

Two rolls of granite patterned contact paper $12. (Found at Walmart) I also lined the cabinet wall next to the garbage and the cabinet wall next to where the baby sits with white contact paper for easy clean up.

Paint and caulk $19 (If I were to do it again I'd choose an actual "white" paint chip. This is what I like to call "white from the can". I had a half can of white paint already and didn't want to fuss with matching colors properly so I just mixed them together.)

We extended the faux ceiling tiles over the sink to tie in the look.

I purposefully left the dishes in the sink too because this is real, people! There are 5 people using this kitchen and this is as clean as this sink will probably ever be! We do not live in a magazine and I refuse to make you believe I do :) (Although, in truth, I did hide the dirty fry pan on the stove and the old dish towels hanging from the oven...)

Fabric for curtains/valances $8. Tension rods $3 each (we bought 4). Again, Walmart for the win. 

 The full kitchen in all its glory. Again, just keeping it real, it might not be magazine worthy, but it doesn't make my soul die just a little every time I walk into it.

A close up of the faux granite contact paper. This was easy, but tricky to install (I don't know if it's possible to be both easy and tricky, but it was). The tutorials I read on it often suggested using a credit card to smooth things down with but I purchased a plastic "painting shield" to use that worked really well. If you read any tutorials on it they always suggest peeling and laying a little bit at a time as you go and I can't recommend that enough. This stuff is so great because you can patch work things together and you can't even tell. There are seams but they are pretty unnoticeable and any wrinkles or bubbles are hidden by the pattern. The thing that gave me the most trouble was the corners and edges, but even those aren't too bad. I was nervous about the durability of this solution but so far so good! Its really only been a few days but it seems to be unaffected by water from washing dishes or regular use of dishes on the counter top surface. I have read that it can start to look a little worse for wear after a year but at $12 for all the counter-tops, I think I can manage that!


So there it is folks! A rental kitchen that doesn't have to make you cringe! Take control of your surroundings and just cover it with contact paper!

Ens family 2014

Ens  Family Christmas Card Video (Click on the Ens family 2014 link below)

Ens family 2014

Toddler back pack. Now she can haul her own junk around!

Now that Cyrilla is getting bigger she's getting much stronger and I've often thought "she could really carry a lot of things around for me" and as my due date approaches and I'm thinking about all the great stuff I'm going to be hauling around for the new baby (note sarcasm), I figured it was time for Cyrilla to start doing her part... and also because my diaper bag simply is not big enough for two kids! So I set out to make Cyrilla her own back pack. I tried finding one at the thrift store down the road, but had no such luck, so after searching online I found a great tutorial that I knew would be easy to follow and went for it! The results were better than I'd hoped. There are a few things I'd do differently, and I did make some of my own adjustments to the process, but over all I stuck to the plan and Cyrilla now has her own pack to haul her own junk around in! She seems to like it and so far we've gotten lots of compliments... although a few people have asked her if she's going to school (and not jokingly) and I have to sigh and think "my poor giant kid will be getting this her whole life... people thinking she's older than she is. Pretty sure no kid under the age of two goes to school..."

Here is the original link to the back pack tutorial I followed. It has great instructions and easy to follow pictures, which I love. It also is simple and doesn't require too much sewing skill like some of the back pack tutorials I came across. 

http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/2011/04/backpack-tutorial-and-pattern.html

Cyrilla's back pack ready to go

With mine I added an outside pocket instead of a decal so that I could have Cyrilla's sippy cups and snacks accessable without having to open the bag. I added elastic to the top of the pocket, and while it does a nice job of keeping things in place it does cause the bag to pucker a bit in the center. I also sewed a seam down the center of the pocket so it was two little pockets instead of one big one I added a button and elastic hook so that the pack would stay closed but also be flexible for when it was empty or very full.

I used a very heavy wool material that I had on hand from a thrift store ages ago. It was the perfect weight for a bag like this. I also top stitched the entire bag to give it more structure, which make it look really crisp.

The back. Two different button settings for adjustability.

The inside/liner

The liner turned out to be a bit bigger than it needed to be, so again I'd cut that down by a half inch or more next time I do a bag.

Over all a success! I'd recommend trying this one out and thanks again Kalleen for the great tutorial!

Diaper bag for my little girl's baby doll

So as many know I am in count down mode until baby number two comes, which means that A) I need to get all craft projects for Cyrilla's birthday done before March and B) I need a major distraction and crafting has been it!
I knew I wanted to make some awesome things to give my little girl for her 2nd birthday and came up with some good ideas, and after getting more input from searching the web and Pintrest, my good ideas became really great ideas. Here is one of those great ideas. A diaper bag for Cyrilla to use for her baby doll. Not only is it a diaper bag, but it is stocked full of goodies from a wipes case filled with wipes, to diapers, burp cloths, a bib and changing pad. I figure this gift will do double duty as fun for Cyrilla but also helpful for those moments when Mom needs to deal with her own baby and Cyrilla can play right along side with her baby!

I will do my best to explain the materials I used and process in making each item on the list as we go through the pictures.

The diaper bag

I simply cut out two equal size pieces of fabric for the front and back and then two additional  pieces of the same size fabric for the sides (making sure they were the same height as the front and back pieces and one bottom strip that is the same width as the side pieces and length of the front and back pieces. I sewed them all together and then top stitched the bag. The handles were also equal size pieces sewn into tubes, reversed and top stitched. 

The inside

I made a liner for the bag, using the same measurements as the outside bag, but if I were to do it again I'd decrease the measurements by a half inch or more as my liners always turn out too big. I also sewed a pocket to the right side of the liner before sewing the liner together (same as when sewing the outside of the bag.)

The goodies

Wipes case with wipes, Bib, Burp Cloths, Diapers, and Change pad (I did not make the change pad as I had an extra small one on hand) 

To make the diapers I used some extra fleece I had on hand as I didn't want to have to do too much tedious sewing and fleece won't fray (I know, I know, it's quite a wild pattern!). I simply took the doll they were going to be put on and cut out a paper pattern that would fit her and started cutting away at the fleece! I added velcro closures so that they would stay on. Honestly I'd hoped I could just use the hook part of the velcro and that it would adhere to the fleece on it's own, but it didn't so I had to add the softer part of the velcro too.

Baby doll diaper

The burp cloths were by far the easiest to make. It's simply one piece of pretty fabric and one piece of flannel, right sides sewn together, flipped right side out and then top stitched!

Baby Doll Burp Cloth

The bib was also pretty easy, again I made a pattern and tested it on the doll first, then cut equal parts of the same fabric, sewed it together right sides in, flipped it right side out and top stitched. I added velcro closures to the top instead of a snap because I thought it would be easier for my two year old to handle.

Baby Doll Bib

I got the idea for the wipes case from this blog, where there is also a tutorial: http://2littlehooligans.blogspot.com/2011/02/embrace-camera-baby-doll-accessories.html

Her diapers certainly put mine to shame, but I really did not want to do that kind of work! Also instead of using fleece wipes I cut up an old white t-shirt of my husbands and made several wipes. I love them because they are white like a real wipe, and the jersey fabric won't fray.

Wipes case for Baby Doll

And that's it! There is also enough space in her diaper bag to add the little accessories that came with the doll, like a bottle, pacifier, etc. I'm thinking this will be a big hit, but I guess I'll have to wait two months to find out!

Seasons: Felt Tree

Well here it is, finally finished as promised, the seasons felt tree! This project was probably the easiest of all the felt projects I've done for Cyrilla's birthday. Other than the tree and the rainbow I didn't have to bother with creating any stencils for the other smaller pieces, which makes things go WAY faster.
If you're looking to recreate this some tips are:

• Draw out your tree first and create a stencil (on paper or card stock) instead of trying to free hand it, you'll save yourself a lot of felt that way :) 
• Make your leaves simple. The oval shape is so easy to do and you'll be doing tons of them. I thought about trying for a maple leaf look, but that wouldn't be worth my time.
• Because your creating a nature scene things don't have to be perfectly uniform, as they aren't in real life, so don't stress about everything looking exactly the same.
• I created a stencil for the rainbow by cutting out a large rainbow size piece of card stock and then I cut that in half (in the shape of the arch of the rainbow) and then each half into arched thirds (there are six colors). I then labeled each strip as to what color it needs to be (to avoid mistakes and confusion) and cut them out of their prospective colors. I then put the pieces onto a larger piece of white felt and lined them up as a rainbow should look and glued them on one by one to the white felt (I peeled half of a color strip back, glued, pressed and then did the other side so that I didn't have to fiddle with trying to reposition an entire strip and the rainbow stayed intact the whole time.) I then cut the rainbow out of the white felt and trimmed the bottoms to make it look uniform.

Well without further ado here is the Seasons Felt Tree:

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

 

Felt Board Awesomeness

Before Cyrilla was born I got crafty and made a felt board for her bedroom, to hang over her changing table. I imagined myself writing out sweet little messages on a regular basis... but yeah... that did not happen. The only thing I had made for the board was the alphabet and a few lame shapes. A long time ago I took it down for Cyrilla to play with, but she did not get the concept and I considered it a fail. But lately... lately Cyrilla has been really excited about the board. She even knows most of the letters and can put them on the board herself! So I thought I should make some more things for her to play with on the board and give them to her for her upcoming birthday! Here are two of the three things I planned to make. The first is all the pieces to the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Cyrilla had not even read the book before, but I borrowed it from a friend to get an idea for my felts and luckily it's been a hit! The second is a felt dress up doll set. Much like a paper doll, but less rip-able. Here is what I was able to come up with for these two ideas:

(First I should talk about how I made the board. Basically I had a big piece of white flannel on hand and I took an old picture frame I had on hand that was not going to be used. I took the glass out of the frame and stretched the flannel over it, tapping/securing it to the cardboard on the back. I then put the frame back together and volia, instant flannel board!)

Here's my The Very Hungry Caterpillar flannel/felt board set:

Most of my inspiration came from Googling "felt board Very Hungry Caterpillar" and then just looking at the images. It's amazing what's out there!  

Next I decided to do some felt "paper dolls". I was really pumped about this one because I got an amazing template from this blog:
 http://racheldenbow.blogspot.com/2010/12/dress-up-felt-board-tutorial-and.html

And more fashion inspiration from this blog:
 http://fromdahliastodoxies.blogspot.com/2011/11/diy-felt-dress-up-dolls.html

I actually got so excited making these dolls and clothes that it would take me a long time to fall asleep at night because I'd just dream up more and more dresses I could make, but I think I've done enough... I mean, she likely won't even get the idea of this set until a bit later, but man oh man was it fun to make! 

My dress up doll fashionista felt set:

Next I plan on doing a big tree and working on all the seasons. I'll be sure to post that one too when it's done. The hardest part of all of this: waiting until April to give them to my little girl! Momma wants to play!!!

How to be poor.

I hate being poor. I hate not being able to buy whatever I need or want whenever I want it, but such is life and now I must move on and learn to deal with my plight. My mission of being poor is to not appear poor, and make people think I have loads of money... not that it's necessarily working, but below are some of my tips for living if you're poor. These aren't going to be your "make a budget, buy used clothes and sale items, do free activities, meal plan and clip coupons", types of tips. We've all heard those before and are likely doing them. These are the above and beyond tips. Things I've learned along the way that I didn't know or hadn't thought of before.
Now some people will disguise their poorness by saying they're "living simply" or that they're "going green" but lets face it people, if you're washing your ziplock bags, you. are. poor. So if you're one of those poor, or "simple/green" living people see if you can use any of my tips, and please leave tips of your own!

Know what your budget actually is.
This one's obvious, but instead of going into the details of how to budget, my tips in this area are more about keeping track of your money and how to make it feel equal within a partnership. Dan and I do this later part by each getting an allowance of equal amount from our entertainment budge to spend on whatever we want for that month, clothes, beauty products, slurpees, coffee, etc. That way we can't get mad at the other person for spending all the money when the other was planning on using it for something else. We also put all our variable budgeted amounts on a white board on our fridge (three categories: grocery, gas, and entertainment) and as we spend we erase the total amount and write in the new amount. That way we always have a convenient place to find out how much we actually have left for groceries or date nights.

Purge and get organized.

Under my sink.
We have no drawers in our
bathrooms

Having stuff everywhere that you don't use and that you can't find just makes a person feel cramped and out of control. So get rid of the things you don't use. (If you haven't used an item or worn an item in a year it might be time to let it go). Then organize what's left, that way you won't be wasting money on buying duplicates AND you'll be able to find things easier, being less likely to say things like "this house is too small, we need to move to a bigger place!" I LOVE the cloth boxes you can find at dollar stores! They are everywhere in my house.


Keep things clean, tidy and in good repair.
Dirty things make us want new and shiny things, so keep your things clean so you won't be tempted to run out and replace something simply because it needed a bath or a small tune up.

Stock Pile.
But only a little. We shop at Costco, so we've got a mini stock pile in our ensuite shower, but I don't recommend going over board and hoarding. Just buy in bulk when it's convenient and cheap and when you find an awesome sale that you can't pass up and YOU HAVE THE MONEY FOR. (Buying cheap/on sale things if you don't have the money for it is not actually a deal!!!)

Go to the Library.
You can rent movies, tv shows, books, CD's etc all for free. You can also check out passes to museums and exibits if you live in certain places in America. I've seen several new release movies all from the library and have gotten hooked on some great TV shows... I mean really, who doesn't want to watch all 6 seasons of the Cosby show again?!

Make things yourself.
It's amazing the things you can make yourself! I had no idea that I could make my own yogurt until a few months ago and now we do it all the time! It's a big money saver. Here is just a sample of all the things you can make yourself:

• yogurt
• bread
• detergent
• cleaning solutions
• clothes (skirts, maternity pants, cloth diapers)
• Holiday decorations
• Toys

Ok, this list doesn't look that long, but if you have something that you NEED or really WANT try googling how to make it, I'll bet you find a whole slew of websites that will show you how. Or check out youtube for an instructional video. That's where I learned to crochet, how to install a spray hose onto my toilet, how to fix a garbage disposal, how to grow plants on my porch... I could go on.

Modify and get crafty.

Ghetto Sweeper

Two things that always bugged me when cleaning was using my Swiffer Wet Jet and paper towels. Both are disposable cleaning products and once used I'd have to buy more and they're pricey! So I decided I was gonna figure out a way to make my Swiffer work without paying for the refills. I took an old terry cloth washcloth and cut it in half and stuck in onto the Swiffer. I then bought a spray bottle at a dollar store and put water and Pine-sol that I had on hand in it and used that as the spray! Spray, wipe, spray, wipe! Just the same as the disposable except I just throw the washcloth in the wash to re-use! I recently saw a product that Rubbermaid has come out with that is this basic concept, but remember, I'm poor people! I'll stick with my ghetto Swiffer.
I also love the idea of the paper towels that can be ripped into smaller sections, but the cheapest cost friendly towels around here is the Costco brand, so that's what we buy and they are monster sheets. One day I decided, I was tired of wasting a HUGE sheet for a small job, so I took a knife and sliced the roll right down the middle,stopping short of the cardboard tube. Ta da! Half sheets! Now our paper towels will last twice as long!

Entertain at home instead of going out.
Have people bring things too, that way you don't have to foot the bill.

Eat at other peoples homes as often as you can.
This works great with family :)

Get poor friends.
Poor friends are just like you and don't want to spend money. The only problem is they might come to your place for a free dinner... or make you bring food to their place when they entertain :) This sounds like another blog post waiting to happen "What to bring to other peoples homes if they ask you to bring food and you're poor"... I'll include recipes for deviled eggs, popcorn, hummus, pea dip etc...

When getting take out make what you can and buy what you can't.
Dan and I love Indian food, but it adds up when you have to buy the sauce and the rice and the naan. We know how to make rice, but we don't know how to make the sauce as good as the place we love, so that is the part we buy. Dan's example is buying a bag of burgers from McDonald's and coming home using pop/soda that is much cheaper by the half gallon than paying for it in the restaurant.

Tips for saving with kids:
Cloth diaper. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg to cloth diaper. This is a whole nother blog post though. Soon to come.
Look for church SWAP meets to buy all child related items. This is where 90% of my baby girls clothes come from!
Make things like felt food, balls, blankets, blocks, burp cloths, play mats, books, room decor, etc. Again, more blog posts on this to come.


There really are so many ways to save money, sometimes it just takes a little time to get the idea and to incorporate it into our lifestyles. We also have to ask ourselves "is this worth the money it will save me?" and sometimes the answer is "no". In the end my discovery is that being poor is a lot of work. What some people can buy or pay to get done, we have to do ourselves, but when you read books like Little House on the Prairie, you realize how easy you really have it. I'll take making some homemade bread and yogurt any day over having to milk a cow in a blizzard, shovel animal poop every day, build my house and make everything I ever need from scratch! Those poor people didn't even have ziplock bags!