Window Box Inspiration

I’m still trying to finish my kitchen update but was able to squeeze in a very brief trip to Charleston (SC) last week. The weather was beautiful and everything was lovely. Charleston may possibly be my favorite city in the US. My favorite thing to do there is to walk and enjoy the wonderful architecture and spectacular gardens. The window boxes are exceptionally beautiful. Of course, I forgot my camera, but I did take a couple of photos with my phone.

These pictures do not do them justice. They were stunning!

The last two photos have a miniature boxwood type shrub in them to add height.

The last two were mounted to the garage door instead of under a window. The white petunias provide a wonderful contrast to the black doors. Speaking of garage doors, feast your eyes on this beauty.

Absolutely beautiful!  Have a great week!

I’ll be linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

$50 “NEW” Dishwasher

I hope to soon be finished with my kitchen update. As part of the update I changed out the appliances. You can read about the microwave here. And, you can read about the refrigerator and range here. I was able to update the dishwasher for less than $50!

It was really hard to take a picture of the stainless steel because of the glare. Here’s a look at the old dishwasher.

Not a good picture, but you get the idea that it was black. I remembered when I purchased this Bosch, which I really love, that the salesman told me that it was designed so that the front panel could be switched out if my taste changed.  Then I had a brainstorm!! I decided to look for a stainless steel wall shield instead of ordering a new front panel from Bosch. A wall shield goes above the range to protect the wall from cooking splatters.

I purchased this one at Lowe’s for less than $50. It was larger than the front of the dishwasher so I took it to a fabrication shop and had them cut it to the correct size. (According to my research, cutting stainless can be very tricky so I decided not to try it myself.) The outside trim of the dishwasher can be removed by removing 6 screws.

I removed the screws, put the piece of stainless on top of the black front, then re-attached the trim piece with the 6 screws.

I left the protective plastic on until everything was finished. Because my dishwasher is in a corner of the cabinets, I had to take it out to the middle of the floor to be able to reach the screws on the right side. However, the dishwasher had to come out for new flooring any way so I did get two birds with one stone.  Here’s a look at the finished product.

Another baby step of progress. I am very pleased with the results!

I will be sharing with Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and with Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

Ugly Duckling Lamp Becomes A Swan

As I’ve mentioned several times before, I have multiple projects going on now as I am trying to update several areas of our home. One of those ongoing updates is in our living room. I have already updated the end tables here.

The photo above shows the old tables and lamps. Then I ran across this beauty at a thrift shop.

Notice the price tag says $8.50 which I thought was a fair price so I paid it. But, just before I walked away from the register, another employee walked up and said “did you not want the other one?” I told her that I did but that I only saw one. She went to look for the mate but decided that it had already been sold and she said that they were supposed to be sold as a pair. She then apologized and said she would give me my refund since the price was for the pair! I ended up paying $4.25 for the lamp! Oh, I do love an unexpected bargain! I brought it home and proceeded to dissect it. You can read about another lamp dissection here. I emptied the shells, even the blue ones, and gave the lamp a good cleaning. I then purchased a new base and put it on.

I then put it all back together and added a new black shade.

I was able to find another lamp that had already lost the shells for $10. Even though they are not exact matches, they are close enough to use together.

Now, I have to deal with the ugly lamp cords. When I had the skirted tables, the cords did not show so cord covers are on my to-do list. I think I’m going to like the new look. The furniture will be reupholstered soon to help bring the room into the current century! Progress is still being made in baby steps around here but baby steps are better than no steps!

I’ll be linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.

 

New Appliances and $394 In My Pocket

I am currently in the process of updating my 25 year old kitchen. It has served me well but needs a little facelift. As part of the update I have replaced several appliances. You can read about my experience with my microwave oven here. I also replaced the range and refrigerator. I spend much time laboring over a decision before I make it because I tend to keep things a LONG time.  I finally decided on this Samsung model.

Then I chose this range, also by Samsung.

I love the oven. It has 3 racks which will be great for baking. It also has an oven divider so that I can have two different temperatures in the oven at the same time. I can’t wait to try this out. Also, the bottom drawer is a warming drawer. It should be great when I have to cook a BIG holiday meal. After deciding on the models that I wanted, I spent a considerable amount of time researching prices at the stores in my area. HHGregg and Best Buy were very close in price but in the end I went with Best Buy due to some promotions. At the time of my purchase, Best Buy gave a 15% discount if you purchased 2 or more appliances so I qualified for the discount which put the Best Buy price a little lower than HHGregg.  When I asked my salesman about price matching, he assured me that if I found a lower price within 60 days that I would get the difference back. Being the tight wad excellent financial manager that I am, I checked prices weekly. Finally, on Presidents Day weekend I hit the jackpot! The prices at Best Buy were $150 cheaper on both appliances! I took the receipt into Best Buy to get a credit of $339!! Also, we had recently upgraded a tv which I also found for $50 cheaper at Walmart! So, we also got a $55 credit for the tv! Needless to say, I was delighted with the excellent customer service that I received at Best Buy and I had $394!

I’ll be linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.