Thursday, August 16, 2012

My Laundry Makeover: Quatrefoil Style

I've seen the pantry makeovers on Pinterest and thought I might give it a whirl. I've been wanting to redo my pantry for a while now. After I posted my results, lots of people have asked me "how." So here we go...

I saw this blog post and decided to give it a go. I did lots of research and planning - do I buy a stencil or buy vinyl decals?, what kind of paint do I use - regular paint or stencil creme?, what color?, etc. You can do this project however you want, this is how I chose to do mine:

Before I started stenciling, I wanted to add a 5th shelf to put some kitchen items up and away that I don't use every day. And also to spread everything out. I used a 1x2 screwed into the studs for support, then liquid glued and nailed some white melamine on top. Then I caulked over the screws, painted over the wood in white, then got started on the stenciling.

You can buy your own stencils HERE, but I'm too cheap for that. You can also buy vinyl decals HERE, but I'm too cheap for that as well. My only other option was making my own.
I found and printed this printable Quatrefoil pattern, purchased a plastic binder from the Dollar Tree, cut the two sides off and taped them together and outlined the stencil on the binder.  Then I bought a Hot Exacto Knife from Amazon to cut out the pattern.  I tell you - using this knife was so easy. It just melted the plastic, and I had the stencil cut in no time.

I debated whether to use stencil creme, which is a lot drier and easier to use then regular paint. I couldn't find a color I wanted, so I purchased a grey paint sample can at Ace Hardware. I tried stenciling on a piece of cardboard with a sponge brush, and it bled all over the place. So I did more research, tried it out and liked this method: Dabbing back and forth (horizontally) over the stencil with a stencil brush. So your brush should be perpendicular to your wall...just dabbing, or blotting away.  This worked extremely well, and there was little to no bleeding. Any mistakes I made were corrected with the smaller stencil brush in my wall color, white.

As far as attaching the stencil to the wall, I decided not use spray adhesive, just because that was one extra step that I was too lazy to do.  I used painters tape on the edges of the stencil and attached it to the wall.  As I painted each opening, I used my non-dominant hand fingers to hold that specific section against the wall, just so I know the paint wouldn't bleed.  I went over the stencil twice because one coat of paint wasn't enough.

The stenciling did take some time, but I did a little bit each day and within a week I had my pantry finished. I did not paint the sides or the top and bottom, mainly because you can't see the sides, and the top and bottom are covered up with stuff.

After I painted, I hit up Goodwill on their 50% off day and bought some baskets and yellow accent stuff. I organized and organized and finally finished my project. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Save $1.00 Dr. Pepper 24-Pack Coupon

Our family is a HUGE Dr. Pepper fan. My mom will love this - Go HERE to print a $1.00 off a 24-pk Cans of Dr. Pepper coupon. These are hard to come by, so print it now.

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Saturday, August 4, 2012

Famous Footwear: BOGO 50% Off + additional 15% Off!!

 
Right now, Famous Footwear is running an awesome back-to-school promotion: Buy One, Get One 50% off sale — both in store and online. AND - get an additional 15% off with THIS COUPON. Print the coupon and redeem in-store or online between 8/2-8/18. Every little bit of savings helps, especially with all the expenses of back to school shopping. I have had a fabulous online buying experience, so that definitely saves me some time, hassle (and sweat), making back-to-school shopping so much easier.

Famous Footwear always has the shoe that we're looking for, whether in store or online. Since we both are on our feet and very active, we tend to lean towards the Asics brand, and we are never disappointed. Every time we buy online it's such an easy process, and we get our shipment quickly. Check out our deal we got last November HERE. We saved over $100!

If you haven’t already joined, Famous Footwear offers a free rewards program. It’s super easy to use and keep track of. Brian and I frequent Famous Footwear, so we definitely take advantage of their free rewards program. Here are some of the benefits:

* Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend in-store or online
* Accumulate points to earn certificates up to $100 a year
* Discount offer just for signing up
* Other special inside discounts and perks

Brian and I love to take advantage of deals like the one mentioned above. We both go through tennis shoes quickly, so whenever there is a good deal, we like to stock up.

Happy Savings!

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