Painting Cabinets (without sanding!)

Painting Cabinets...

To start off I want to just say... THIS IS NO BIG DEAL. In all honesty I was terrified to paint my cabinets. So much so that I didn't do it at all in my last home, even though I hated my cabinets, because I was simply too afraid to even try it. I will tell you right now, if you are afraid... don't be. It's seriously no big deal, at least not the route we chose to go.

I knew I didn't want this to be a 3 week project. I am a "finisher". I absolutely loath starting projects and having them go unfitted for weeks, months or even years. If you start a project in this home, you better be fully committed to finishing it as quickly as you can.

I finally set my fear aside when the loathing I had for my cabinetry outweighed it, ten fold.

Like I said. I did NOT want this to be a drawn out process that took over my entire house/life for weeks on end while my children were banished from the very center of our home. I found the most incredible primer ever. It is called Gripper from Home Depot. The kind gentleman in the paint section promised me this was THE stuff to use, and I wouldn't haven't to sand my cabinets (you still can if you are so certain it must be done, but I'm here to tell you... with this stuff... it most certainly isn't necessary).

We started with our Kitchen, because why practice on a bathroom when you can go all in kamikaze style on the focus of your home. Once I got up the courage I literally just started taking the doors off the hinges. My husband walked in and was like... Okay... this is happening! (It's a good thing he likes me so much!)

The one thing I will tell you about prepping to paint cabinets is CLEAN THEM... clean them really really well. We used a straight blade to take off any "gross" deposits from the previous owners.... you don't even want to know...

Once they are cleaned and DRY then you can begin by priming them. Make SURE your primer is done as smoothly and evenly as possible. This is where your paint is going to be adhering to, so you want as smooth of a finish as possible. One other thing to note is that, primer is ugly, it just is. So don't freak out when you are priming that your cabinets will be hideous and this crazy Kelsie girl led you astray and now your house is going to be SO UGLY... calm down... deep breath, you're good girl! Primer is just ugly.

Gripper also dries insanely fast, so don't dilly dally... get er done! I used a small paint brush on the inside crevices of the doors and any small spaces that a roller just couldn't get to , and then I used my favorite high density small foam roller for the rest, it doesn't leave a texture like a regular wall roller does.

Now... the paint. I have said it before, you get what you pay for. If you are wanting beautiful DIY cabinets, you are going to need the best paint. I highly recommend not using just any paint. I wanted the best finish possible for my cabinets, so I went with Benjamin Moore Advance. It is a self leveling paint (you read that right... self leveling) and is an enamel paint so it dries hard and beautiful, just like a cabinet should look. It gives a gorgeous finished and polished look. I used Benjamin Moore Advance, in "White Down" for my kitchen and guest bathroom. and Benjamin Moore Advance in "Pure White" on the other two bathrooms.

Apply this generously. I learned that the more lovingly and thicker it is applied the better the end result is. Don't try to squeeze every last drop out of the roller. You aren't painting a closet here, you are painting a statement piece, GIVE IT LOVE. Don't just pour the paint out... but definitely put it on thick and evenly.

I let them dry over night before I attempted to hang them back up and put it all back together.

In the morning, they didn't look "finished" but I hang them up anyway. I have learned (after doing an entire kitchen, and 3 bathrooms) it is easier to get that "finishing touch" done when they are hanging up, you can get every last nook and cranny while they are hanging that you can't get as well when they are laying flat. Like the edges, those are difficult to get when they are on the ground or wherever, So I like to finish the job while they are hanging up.

I am SO in love with the finished product in all of the rooms we have done. I do think however, I will be going back in the next few weeks and giving them an "extra" seal with a high traffic crystal clear polyurethane. Just to make sure they are long lasting, and make me less anxious when my kids run at them with toys, or forks, or anything really.

I hope I covered enough here to help you with your - not so scary - project. I am MORE than happy to answer any questions. Please just leave a comment below if you have anything you need answered! And most importantly... HAVE FUN!!! It really is so much fun to do these projects and see your visions come to life in your home, plus it's really fun to be able to say... we did that! We made our home beautiful!

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Powder Room/Guest Bath

Kids Bathroom

Master Bath Vanity

HAVE FUN! XOXO

Home Make-over Life Take-over

When I bought this house thinking... I am going to DIY myself to the most gorgeous home in the history of ever, AND blog about it at the same time... I didn't realize just how difficult that would be! ESPECIALLY with a broken phone camera (yup that broke when my little peanut decided to drop the phone on the Hotel Tile floor). Not to mention when you get a minute to do a project while your kids are asleep, the last thing on your mind is ... I think I should take pictures of every step of this process.

That being said... I have tried REALLY hard to do just that! Because I know, as a DIY crazed maniac, I wish there were more detailed, and TRUTHFUL posts all about the process.

The first thing we did when we got the keys was purchased gallons of paint, many many gallons of bright, happy, light, white paint.

Here is what I have to say about paint. It is worth EVERY penny to get the good stuff. I used to think paint was paint. It didn't matter what brand it was, and you could easily get away with using the cheap stuff. I learned in our last house that this was NOT true. I tried to use a cheap Walmart paint to paint our nursery and it took 6-7 coats. I am not even exaggerating, it was ridiculous! Once I was done painting that room (days later) I was NO money ahead, in fact I think it ended up costing me even more.

I didn't want to spend ANY more time painting than I had to, this go round. We had so much to paint, basically the entire house, cabinets, etc... So I didn't want to mess around. We bought all the house paint at Home Depot and we used Behr (Silk White). I love it! It brings SO much light into the house.

Here are a few rules I think are crucial when wanting to get the most out of your paint (and not waste your entire life painting one room)

1. PRIMER - primer is SO important, especially when you are painting over dark colors. Dark colors will bleed through more intensely without a primer, and you will end up needing more coats without it. The primer we used was

BEHR PREMIUM PLUS Stain-Blocking Primer and Sealer

It is a really fantastic primer. It covered our dark colors really well. I was covering deep blues, dark hunter greens, browns, etc. 

2. DON'T SCRIMP - The way I look at it is you can spend $40 for a gallon of paint that will really get the job done, and get it done quickly and beautifully OR, you can buy a $20 gallon of paint, and have to go back for more, and then another one... etc. So $40 for the good stuff upfront, or $60+ for the "meh" stuff when all is said and done. I will even help you out, I'll just tell you one of my new favorite paints is BEHR Marquee. It is seriously so incredible. The first coat I used of this, I almost cried I was SO happy. We originally started painting the house with just a regular "premium Behr" paint, and once again... I learned that it is totally worth every penny to buy the really good stuff. I painted our entire guest room with ONE coat (on top of the primer obviously, never skip that primer). But you guys c'mon... ONE COAT! I seriously almost started to sob out of joy and relief. 

3. ROLLERS MATTER - Just like the quality of paint matters, your roller and brushes are going to matter JUST as much. We discovered that one of our favorite paint tools is the High Density Foam roller. We loved these rollers for a few reasons, first of all the end of the roller has foam covering it as well, making it perfect for corners. It is also, just as it says, high density foam, and it covers thick, consistent, and creamy. 

4. CLEAN AS YOU GO - I know most people probably will disagree with this, and think I am completely crazy, but I will say it anyway. I prefer (in most cases) NOT to tape, but rather to keep a wet rag close by. When you get some paint on a light fixture, tile, appliance, or WHATEVER (with the exception of carpet and other absorbent things) it is so much easier to just wipe it up right away rather than having to chip it off later. I also HATE tape because I feel like it is always a surprise underneath when you don't get the line just right, or the tape takes off the paint or finish. I just really prefer the clean lines of cleaning as you go! (This obviously wouldn't apply if you were painting designs on the wall, this is mainly for quick all over paint). 

Here are some (not all) before and after pictures of the painting (keep in mind, these are not AFTER "after" pictures, the house still has a LONG way to go.) Also please don't judge some of the picture qualities... my poor phone :( 

Dinning Room

Guest Room/Office

Girls' Bathroom

Dinning Room

Sunroom turned Playroom:

Please feel free to ask any questions, or give any feedback you may have. I am so glad you stopped by and I can't wait to share more of our home and our projects with you. 

Brownie Peppermint Christmas Cookies

Christmas is hands down my favorite time of the year. I love that "spirit" that lifts everyone's smile just a little bit more. I love holiday parties, I love family gatherings. I love decorating and all the Christmas crafts. I am a sucker for a Christmas movie, the cheesier the better, and I LOVE Christmas music... but I have to say, I absolutely look forward every year to all the Christmas yummies! Oh how I love Christmas cookies, and treats, and brownies... I better stop, I'm beginning to drool.

This year for a wonderful Christmas Cookie Exchange I decided to make the cookies from Cooking Classy. These have been some of my favorites for many years now. I do make my own Frosting instead of using hers, and I used Milk Chocolate Brownie mix instead of fudge (this time) and I could hardly tell a difference. 

I also had SO much fun putting together the little recipe cards. I decided instead of trying to make the font small enough to fit the ingredients AND the directions on a card, I would make them front and back.

A Cricut was used to create the "C" (C is for cookie and christmas), and was also used to create the background. Then I punched a hole in the top corner of everything, and tied them together with a ribbon, so both the front and the back of the recipe card are easily accessible.

I had so much fun putting together these little cookie boxes, and had to REALLY fight myself off from just sitting and eating them all.  

I am a serious sucker for a good cookie! 

Here is the Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy:

Brownie Peppermint Cookies

1 (18.3 oz) pkg brownie mix

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp peppermint extract

1 recipe vanilla cream frosting, recipe follows

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Vanilla Cream Frosting 

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

6 Tbsp heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together brownie mix, flour, brown sugar and salt. Add in eggs and milk and stir with a large spoon. Add in melted butter, vanilla and peppermint extract, stir until well blended. Spoon dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet (you can fit 12 per sheet). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting. Once cool, frost each cookie and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Vanilla Cream Frosting 

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together sugar, butter and cream until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and salt, blend well.

(I used Crisco instead of Butter)

ENJOY!

Red "Rose" Velvet Peppermint Cake

In full disclosure, this was the first time I ever made a red velvet cake. 

It was my Mother-in-Law's birthday, and my Father-in-Law wanted everything perfect! The whole thing was really just the sweetest thing. 

I wanted to make a cake that was as classy and timeless as she is.

I didn't have much time to make the cake, and I'd never made a red velvet before, so I ran to the store and grabbed a few boxes of Betty Crocker.

The frosting on the other hand... that I made from scratch... I ALWAYS make my frosting from scratch. 

Does anyone else think store bought frosting tastes like chemicals?

Anyway. I thought I would share my delicious frosting recipe that helped take this box cake to a whole new level.

First I baked two pans of cake, I cut the second one to be slightly smaller so it could be a tiered cake. After they cooled, I put frosting on the larger cake to add filling between the layers.

Here is the frosting recipe (more or less):

The hard part about sharing this recipe is that it was given to me by my mother, and she isn't really a "recipe" kind of person. She's just good enough to slap stuff together and it tastes amazing. So when I asked for the recipe for frosting for the first time, and she began with "you take a wab of crisco..." I knew I was in for a treat! 

• 1 "wab" Cup of Crisco
• 1/4 cup of Milk (possibly adding more later depending on texture desired)
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract-
• A Dash of Salt
• 4-5 Cups (or more) of Powdered Sugar (Add until you reach your desired texture)

Whip it all together in a Kitchen Aid, or with a hand mixer. Or if you have mad skills, with a whisk.

After whipping this up, I got a hankering to throw in about a teaspoon of Peppermint Extract, and BOY was I glad I did (it was amazing!) That is the beauty of this easy frosting recipe, you can adapt it so easily for any recipe. 

My favorite part of this cake was how simple the design was, yet, it was perfect with the ever-so-classic Red Rose, sprinkled with chocolate shavings.

It. Was. Wonderful.

Not to mention I absolutely LOVED decorating with real, fresh flowers. This will definitely be happening again... and again.

ENJOY!