Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Light at the end of the tunnel

I have been MIA for almost two weeks...and I have a good reason for that.
source
At least I think I do.
Beside life getting super busy, 
and homeschool taking over a lot of what used to be "spare" time 
(for lack of a better word),
about 2 weeks ago I had decided that it would be a good idea to repaint the kitchen cabinets. 
Right! What was I thinking?
 For all you women out there that have your husbands do the dirty work, 
consider yourself fortunate. 
My husband is in no way interested in doing such jobs...and thinking that his dad is a very gifted handy man.
Rabbit trail...
Back to the cabinets.
I had two coupons for free sample of paint from Lowes, 

one was found in
 their magazine (which is free, just sign up on their website), the other was in the Better Home and Garden magazine (which was free as well...I can't remember how I signed up for a free year, and it's probably about to expire).
So here I was with 2 free paint samples, and had the genius idea to take on this HUGE amount of work.
I actually ended up buying a third sample ($3) to finish the job, a new pack of sanding paper ($5), and a jar of wax ($10).
The kitchen was one of the first things we took on as new homeowners, 7 years ago...and we had zero experience and no electric sander. 
So this time I needed to do a better job, and it had to be sanded down and completely redone. 
I am happy to say that I see a light at the end of the tunnel, 
and for less than $20, 
it will feel like a brand new kitchen.
And it does already, 
as most of the cabinets are done.
...most minus four.
Do you ever make big projects decision out of the blue?
Isn't it fun?

Stay Frugal,
Daniela

Linking to
Savvy Southern Style
Stone Gable

19 comments:

andi filante said...

Looking forward to seeing the finished project! And yes...I desperately wanted to tear out all the wallpaper in the kitchen and my husband said NO WAY. So I grabbed a corner and pulled. At that point we were committed. I still don't think he's forgiven me...

-andi

Junkchiccottage said...

Hi Dani,
I cannot wait to see the finished cabinets. Oh I do those projects all the time and sometimes something will hit me late at night and next thing I know I am painting something or changing up something. I totally get what you are saying.
Kris

td said...

I love that you kept the original hardware. I looks great and I can't wait to see the finished result in toto.

Our Hopeful Home said...

I get those Lowe's coupons all the time and always use them, too! I just filled one sample bottle last weekend to match two other sample bottles I already had from them! How many cabinets do you have? Three sample jars was enough paint? What a great project, I'd love to redo our cabinets white.

Kelly said...

I know that had to be a lot of work. I can't wait to see the finished product. The sneak peek looks great already!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

It looks pretty already! I look forward to seeing the rest.

Khammany said...

I decided to paint my kitchen cabinets years ago and, like you, I did it, not my husband. It was a mess for sure! They ended up very nice looking so I can tell you from experience it's worth it. Can't wait to see your reveal!

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

Looking good Daniela!!

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

Being single and my cats not being good DIYers, I do everything on my own, and sometimes it's just not fun, even if we're happy in the end. But I don't think I would be brave enough to paint the kitchen cabinets on my own... I can't wait to see it all!

Revi said...

I remember being in the middle of painting my cabinets with oil paint, thinking, "WHY DID I DO THIS?" But, after it was finished, I was glad. That's a lot of work!
-Revi

Mindi@MyLove2Create said...

I have done that! I did my Laundry/bathroom cabinets supr of the moment, it was a beastly job, but I was super glad I did it! I can't wait to see yours! I can't believe you could do it with only 3 sample jars!

Unknown said...

The sneak peek looks great, Daniela. I'm sure it was a huge job but it must feel good to be so close to finished.

NanaDiana said...

I have done that several times over the years, Dani...and sometimes just overwhelmed myself. I can't wait to see your kitchen all done up. I had to laugh- his dad is Kim's hubby, right? lol He IS a handy man! Your mil is pretty handy, too- at least with painting but I do believe that you have her beat in the sewing arena! xo Diana

Meredith @ The Laundry Can Wait said...

You are the epitome of a DIYer. I can't wait to see the overall transformation. Hope the homeschooling is going well! XOXO

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Daniela,
Oh sure we have but most of them we did tackle by now. Love your phrase of seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It is so true! At times we asked ourselves; what have we started!
Hugs to you,
Mariette

Unknown said...

Yes, so guilty of starting something and (almost always) finishing exhausted but loving the results. Looking good! :)

Danni@SiloHillFarm said...

Big job and I'm looking forward to seeing the end results. I do take on big jobs and although my husband always agrees to help...something comes up and I end up doing it alone. I hate painting..but love the immediate gratification!

Libby said...

Yes, I have. And it's crazy and exciting at the same time. I remember tackling my kitchen first. Since it was knotty pine, let's just say, there was so much more that I wasn't anticipating. I ended up having to call in reinforcements from my girlfriends at church. Cabinet doors everywhere! But in the end, I loved it. Wouldn't have it another way. :-)

Leslie Harris said...

I can't wait to see how it turns out. And no, I can't believe you started this project (did you say you home school too?) although I'm full of admiration for you. Painting cabinets is SO time consuming although maybe I'm just a wimp. hahaha The truth is we actually paid for the worst painting job ever on our cabinets and to this day I wished I had done them myself for the price we paid. I would've done much better. Good luck and keep us posted!