August 1, 2011: Kitchen Makeover Recipe

It’s hard to believe another month has gone by in this busy year. Here in Arizona, since the largest metropolitan areas get so hot earlier in the year, the kids will start school while for much of the rest of the country, there’s still another month of summer to enjoy. Since I don’t have any little ones, I’m with the latter group – although I’ll have to remember to slow down for school zones!

With the fresh new beginning of another month, I thought I’d share with you my kitchen transformation. It didn’t happen overnight; in fact it’s taken us a couple years to buy things here and there. But in true thrifty Candy fashion, I was able to redo my kitchen – including appliances – for just over $2,000. Take a look at the before and after pictures.

What did I spend money on? Here’s a list:

Double ovens $800
Refrigerator $500
Stove top $40
Counter tops $580
Gallon of paint $30
Chef’s mats $36
Cabinet knobs $30

All of the décor and furnishings were bought at yard sales for measly prices. It’s taken me a long time to collect things in the particular shade of green I love but it was well worth it. And the cute rooster dish rack? That was a gift from my mother-in-law.

The only thing left for us to replace is the range hood. And the one last thing I really want? An island to give me extra food preparation space. Right now I’m on the hunt for a piece of marble leftover from an order or installation job that I can pick up really cheap. My dad volunteered (ok, actually, it was my stepmom who volunteered him) to make the island base so it shouldn’t cost much.

For me, the kitchen is the most important room in my house and I’m pleased with the results of my makeover!

May 5: 2011: Frugal Spring Makeover Recipes

Well, it finally feels like spring has sprung here in the White Mountains. Although it’s supposed to get cooler again next week, the past couple days have been nice and warm. I even put on shorts for the first time this year yesterday… And probably blinded people with my exceedingly white legs.

I don’t know about you but when the temps finally get warm, I’m ready to makeover my home. I want all the dreary, dark drabness of winter to be gone so I can let in the brightness and warmth of spring. Of course, this can be a real challenge if your budget is slim to none, like mine.

Here a few ways I’ve managed to spruce up my home for spring without spending much of anything.

Kitchen Cabinets

While there’s still a lot of things I want to do to my kitchen in terms of remodeling (primarily a new sink/faucet and countertops), I can still change it for the better with a few little touches.

One thing I’ve been wanting to do is replace all the knobs on the cabinets. There’s 24 of them so this could be an expensive project all in itself. But I ended up spending only $1.73. How did I do it? I’ve been a member of a survey site for quite some time. Every now and then, when I have a few minutes, I’ll take a survey and earn points. I finally earned $20, which is the minimum payout, and ordered an Amazon gift certificate as my reward.

The old, brass knobs

The new, black knobs

I found 24 of these knobs, which were exactly what I was looking for, on Amazon for just over $13. With shipping, the total came to $21.73 so the only money I had to spend was just over a dollar. Although it’s a small change, I think the new knobs make a big difference.

Up next? New paint. And since the painted areas in my kitchen are really small, it won’t take more than one gallon even with two coats; I’ll be able to finish this project for less than $20.

Bedroom Makeover

One of the first things I do when the weather is finally warm enough is take the electric blanket off my bed, washing it before I stow it away in a cedar chest for the season.

With the bulky electric blanket gone, I replace it with a quilt my mother-in-law made. The quilt is lightweight and the predominant color is yellow – it looks sunny and fresh and really brightens the room.

The next thing I do is remove the heavy, dark drapes I use to help insulate my house in the winter. They get replaced with very lightweight, cotton curtains or a simple valance. This adds natural light to the bedroom and looks fresh.

Total cost of this simple makeover? $0!

These are just a couple things I’ve done to very frugally perform a seasonal makeover to my home. I’ll share more makeover recipes with you throughout the rest of the year so stay tuned!

February 24, 2011: Recipe for a Broken Mirror

I’d hazard to guess that many of you readers have at least one mirrored surface in the bathroom (or elsewhere) that has a crack in it. For me, it’s the medicine cabinet doors in my bathroom; ever since we bought our house there’s been a large, jagged crack at the corner edge of one door and we just never got around to replacing it. Honestly, I think we’d have to replace the whole cabinet or do some delicate surgery and we can’t afford that at the moment.

So what can you do to get rid of that unsightly crack? My friend Kathy gave me this idea. You’re not really fixing the crack, but you are covering it up and preventing someone from cutting themselves if the fissure extends to the edge of the mirror.

The solution? Wallies.

These are basically cutout shapes of wallpaper that you moisten. They can be placed on just about any kind of surface – and they work particularly well on mirrors or glass. Now, I’m not being paid to endorse this product and in fact, there may be other similar alternatives, but Wallies are reasonably priced and they also come in a wide variety of styles and shapes – there’s something for any kind of décor.

Because my home is decorated with western and mountain décor, I chose these cute brown bears and pine trees - plus they were on sale for half off. Can't beat that with a stick! Although the mirrored door on the right side wasn’t broken, I added Wallies there, too, to make a balanced design.

Sorry for the somewhat confusing photo - because the Wallies are on my mirrored medicine cabinet and there is another mirror on the opposite wall, I got this unending mirror in a mirror photo effect! But you can see the Wallies best on the very upper right hand corner of the photo.

I still have several bears and trees left over from my mirror fix and I’m thinking of ways they can be used on other items in the bathroom to pull together my decorating theme. I haven’t come up with anything yet, but I’ll let you know when I do.

365 Days of Recipes - Can I Do It?

OK, here we go with one more change to this blog... After watching Julie & Julia I got inspired to do something big - something that would make me write for myself. I also read about a woman who did a 365 days of crock pot cooking blog. But I wanted my idea to be something unique. I love to cook and bake, I love to do home improvement projects and decorate, and I love to open my "kitchen laboratory" and concoct natural cleaning supplies, beauty products, and the like.

Bingo! 

The focus of my blog is going to 365 days of recipes for all of the above - everything you need for a "sweet" life on a budget, using ingredients you can find easily and going organic/natural whenever possible.

Since I didn't get started on January 1st, I'll begin this new adventure on February 1st. Most of the initial posts will be focusing on Valentine's Day, natch.

In the meantime, if you just can't wait, I'll be happy to send you a copy of the eCookbook, Recipes for Romance. Just leave me a message here (be sure to include your email address in your personal info when you post) and I'll send it right away.

Now I've got to get busy writing blog posts. Hope you'll come back and check them out - a new post every day for the next year!