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My New Kitchen Faves

Thank you to Hayneedle for partnering with Unlikely Martha. I was compensated for this post.

Starting next week clear through December I will have a number of folks in and out of my home like a revolving door at Macy’s during Christmas.

When people ask me how I do it all, after picking myself up off the floor from laughing I say you have to plan. I promise y’all, I am a hot mess at least 5 days out of the week and some weeks I am 7 for 7…so there’s that.

Planning  is the P to strive for. Let’s not confuse that with procrastination. YOU HAVE TO PLAN FRIENDS.

In my pre planning for the holidays I created a list of all of the things I needed for my kitchen. The list ranged from the simplest of things like dish towels to a new frying pan. By taking the time to create this list it provided me with the ability to have an accurate account of the things I need and provide me the ability to physically cross off things as I purchase them.

Please never discount the joy that comes from dragging an ink pen  over a completed task.

After a major purge of mismatched kitchen dishes in pursuit of all white dishes and clear glass cups we found ourselves with minimal eating utensils. I went online and searched Hayneedle for affordable all white kitchen dishes.

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Found this 16 piece dinner set and once I got them I fell in love and decided they were far too delicate for daily use. They’ve since been put on the high shelf for guests, and the mugs placed on the mug tree at the coffee station.

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The original price was $124.99 and I was able to get the set for $47.

A kitchen staple that we were thuggin’ with was a trashcan. We had a trash can but the lid half worked and the bag never stayed put so trash would find itself on the floor. My next item on the list was a good trash can. I balled out and got the automated one.

 

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Who knew having an automated trash can would be so life changing. Just a wave of your hands and voila. I was skeptical of these automated trash cans but they are so much better than having to use the step.

This is the one I got and it was listed at $55.

Add Hayneedle to your list of sites to check when shopping for home items. They have a plethora of options that are good to your wallet.

What’s on your get ready for the holidays home checklist? Start planning NOW!!

 

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Home

Home Office Goals – Before

If you are judging me on the current situation of my office, please note I don’t blame you one bit.

I am at my wits end with this space and there shall not be any more putting off of getting my space together.

Office makeover 3

 

After going back and forth with the idea of torturing myself to paint over the black trim like I did here and here, I’ve decided to leave the trim black and carry on my love of white walls down here.

Black and white is one of my favorite combinations as evidenced by both of my brands so it only makes sense to put the combo in the space where business goes down.

Not sure what I am going to do about the chair but I am not against throwing a cover over it until I can afford to have it reupholstered. I’m working on a very limited budget so repurposing things that I already have is at the top of my priority list.

Office Makover

Here is some black and white  inspiration I am pulling from.

black trim

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Wish me luck. Be sure to follow on Snapchat and on Instagram at UnlikelyMartha for updates and sneak peeks of the transformation this weekend!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

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scraping a popcorn ceiling
DIY Home

Scraping a Popcorn Ceiling | How to and the Pros and Cons

Scraping a popcorn ceiling is not for the weak. We did it, and by we I totally mean he finally scraped the outdated popcorn from the ceiling in our living room.

scraping a popcorn ceiling

I’ve said before that this house had the good bones, neighborhood, schools etc. but the inside left a lot to be desired and the two things that grated my nerves have finally been made over.

Before painting the living room walls we went ’round and ’round about whether or not the ceilings would get scraped. After hearing all of the horror stories about the pending mess to ensue we thought it wise to ignore the warnings and have a go at it.

scraping a popcorn ceiling

This doesn’t even seem real 😐

Absolute worst experience. Dust was EVERYWHERE. Disclaimer being that my husband found the bag that attaches to the scraper and collects the particles hindering. To fix that minor irritation he took it off. If only foresight was 20/20.

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Do the math. ALL of the dusty things hit the floor, the air, the furniture, and every room in the house.

scraping a popcorn ceiling

If you are thinking about scraping your ceilings, here’s a list of the things you will need, some tips and my pros and cons

You will need:

Process:

  • Working in small sections spray the area well, but do not saturate as you don’t want to damage the drywall. Let sit for about 3 minutes prior to beginning to scrape
  • Scrape in one direction, with just enough force to get the very thin layer of popcorn off. Do not scrape too hard to avoid damage to the dry wall.
  • Clean as you go, as the process is VERY messy

Cons:

  • Outside of the dust my husband was hurting for days. It was such a large area and the majority of the work required him to keep his hands over his head. If you attempt to do this on your own, make a few days of it to allow your body time to rest.

Pros:

  • Very cost effective DIY in terms of material. Definitely not in time and energy but if you are counting coins the savings was a major pro. We were quoted in excess of $300 to have this done. We spent $25 in materials.
  • It looks amazing. Sometimes we just stare at the ceiling and forget how much of a headache it was. You know, like childbirth

Ace 31 Days of Color

Ace 31 Days of Color

Compared to this..I’m like give me  er’ him all the pain for the gain. The kitchen has since been painted all white.

Ace 31 Days of Color

Because we are DIY gluttons for punishment we’ll be taking on the hallway in a few weeks. I’ll take my own advice and let you know how it goes.

Have you ever scraped your ceiling?

 

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white kitchen
Home

dreaming of a white kitchen

Picking paint colors is about as stressful as buying a house. My kitchen has seen quite a few color changes and transformations in the three short years that we’ve been here.

About a year ago, I decided I wanted to go with a farmhouse look to my kitchen and shared my inspiration. After some time has passed, I think I am truly set in the design aesthetic I want for my house and I think it is a mix of farmhouse, traditional and whatever I see that I like.

For sometime, more specifically like a month after the initial paint job  I knew I wasn’t feeling the yellowish color. The addition of the accent wall was an attempt at salvaging the paint job but I still wasn’t sold. About three months ago, I decided I wanted an all white kitchen and one Saturday morning about a month ago I woke up and decided that day was the day. Headed to Ace, called up my little cousin to help and went to work.

You would think picking a white would be easy but it wasn’t. I wanted a pure white that wouldn’t be too cool or too warm. After taking a number of swatches outside to see how they showed in natural light I made a decision and it was the right one.

 

 

 

I couldn’t be happier with the decision. I absolutely love it, it blends well with my table and chairs and feel that I can move forward with adding in textiles, open shelving, new lighting and bar stools.

Open shelving is going on each side of this window

white kitchen

I’m wishing I would’ve painted the ugly fruit on that medallion above the light but the ceiling is getting planked so I decided to wait.

Next up is the open shelving. I hope to have them up in the next two weeks.

 

Amazing how your likes change over the years. What I once considered plain is now simplicity to me.I like simple more and more as the days go on.

Have a space in your house that needs a little paint transformation? Do tell!

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