Tiny Updates-Big Impact: Basement Banisters & Cabinet

This was one of the quickest DIY's we've done and it's made such a big impact (to us at least!).  After our flood last year and updating our basement flooring, we wanted to give the banisters and snack center cabinet a little makeover too.

We had painted our main staircase banister back in 2016 and knew we loved the look.

I unknowingly picked the exact same black paint color from Lowe's-- Tricorn Black--for the basement. Sometimes it's good to have this blog to look back on things!  I barely got a before picture before Mr. Click had removed the top railing and prepped the staircase.

We LOVE it!

I didn't even take a BEFORE shot of the snack center but I had one from this post when we updated our light fixture.

Here's the AFTER!  The oak was looking a little dated and now it's fresh and chic.

Again, what took us so long--all it took was a quart of paint and a few hours on a Saturday.

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Good Random Fun

Pin It

{The Abode} Disaster to Home Improvement

We woke up at 4 am to our refrigerator water line spraying out all over the kitchen.  We turned off the water but it had already leaked through to the basement and office below.   I called in a restoration company to help us deal with the water. They were quick and so helpful in getting the wet stuff out of the house and drying out the rooms.  We then had to start the process of redoing all of the affected rooms.

This was the office with the rugs pulled up and wet drywall cut out.

The basement family room.

The kitchen and adjoining family room had warped floor boards.

We were very lucky that our flooring company could replace the floors and had them in stock to match our recently replaced living and dining room floors.

It definitely got worse before it got better. The subfloors were still damp so the fans had to come back in for another week or so.

Meanwhile the basement was getting a "glow up".  We picked new vinyl flooring in Cocoa and had the walls painted in Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

We ordered a new rug that I love.

Swoon!

The finished kitchen flooring!

Now onto the family room. That also had to be dried out longer than expected.

The finished flooring was worth the wait.

 

Even our old rug looks nice on the new floors.  I'm so glad the work is finished and we have our house back looking better than ever!!

Have you ever had a home disaster? 

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Little Things Thursday

Pin It

{The Abode} Basement Powder Room

We're still not done our first floor powder room makeover but while we were waiting, we decided to paint the basement powder room too.

We used the same color that we're going to use in the other powder room (Benjamin Moore Buxton Blue).

Here's a before pic from when we first finished the basement.   The paint was starting to get scuffed up and needed a refresh,

I'm still looking for accessories but I picked up the shelf at Primark (for College Girl but she didn't take it!) and the basket for toilet paper.  We'll probably hang the shelf once I have all of the accessories figured out.

There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint!

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:
Creative Mondays
Cooking and Crafting with J & J

Pin It

Upcycled Tray 2.0: Marble-ous!

 The last time I upcycled this tray was in 2014. It was a thrift store find that got a  chalk paint and map-scrap makeover.  Miss High School claimed it for her room and there it stayed.

{Upcycled Map Tray}

Until she decided to let it go but I just couldn't.  It languished by my letter board for awhile.

 I knew I wanted to add more marble accents to the basement and I had some leftover marble contact paper from this project so my plan came together.

{Marble Contact Paper Console Table Top}

 Once again I used chalk paint to paint the sides and edges of the tray.

Since I was covering a dark color with a lighter one, I needed about 3-4 coats.  I didn't worry about taping off the center because I would be covering it.

 Then I added the marble contact paper and smoothed it out the best I could.   I had just enough with only a little excess to cut off.

 There are a few bubbles but they don't bother me.

I'm happy with the freshened up look!  Since I already had the paint and contact paper it was a zero cost makeover!

Linking up:

Wordless Wednesday

Pin It

Dollar Tree Finds/Updates

It's been awhile since I've done a Dollar Tree post and I thought I'd share some things I've found there and give an update on some past purchases. Let's go!

These copper and silver metallic votive holders caught my eye. I have some very similar ones from Crate and Barrel and those were not a dollar!

This Oatmeal & Coconut Soap looks so fancy and would be nice in a gift basket or hostess gift set.

I purchased one of these moisture eliminators, stuck it in our basement and promptly forgot about it.  That was, until I found it and checked to see if it was collecting moisture a few weeks later and it was! These work like the product Damp Rid if you've ever used that before.  The charcoal version was new to me and I'm testing that out now.

I love these larger sized fabric bins and have used them in our linen closet makeover and my nemesis drawer organization.  

Organized Master Bedroom Linen Closet

My Nemesis Drawer

The dark grey was a new color for me and I picked three up for our basement shelves.

See how they fit perfectly?

These potato sticks seemed like a fairly healthy snack, they only contained potatoes, salt and oil.  They were tasty!

Speaking of snacks, Dollar Tree has a growing selection of more natural snacks. Yay Dollar Tree!

Did you know you could find Magic Erasers (they're called Quick Erasers here) at the Dollar Tree?  They work just like the name brand erasers.

Do you remember when I was scouring every thrift store to get enough of these chargers for my Thanksgiving table? Well now they have them here for just a dollar!

Thanksgiving 2014

These microfiber scrubbers have been one of my favorite purchases!

They have a "scrubby" side that is great for cleaning up tough spots on the countertop or stovetop.  I use them all over my kitchen, from the granite to the stainless steel, to my induction cooktop!

New Cooktop

Finally, here are the placemats that I used to make my fridge coasters. I still like my pattern best (the grey/white geometric).

Refrigerator Coasters

Do you ever shop at The Dollar Tree? What's your favorite purchase?

Linking up:

Wordless Wednesday

Pin It