a little here, a little there

We finally got the new kitchen cabinet hardware installed. There weren't any knobs or handles before, so I got the fun job of measuring and making templates and drilling holes. A few hours later, the job was done, and I think well worth the effort. We couldn't afford true Craftsman style hardware, but we found these on eBay from Bella Living Home Decor (their actual site is much easier to use than their eBay site). The knobs and pulls were less than $2 each, and we did the whole kitchen plus extras for around $60! The knobs are square, although it's hard to tell in the photos. Craftsman-esqe, perhaps.

We haven't done much else to the house, other than finally hemming the curtains. Okay, so I cheated and just washed them, and they shrunk so now they are the perfect length. Hooray for IKEA and cotton fabric!

The rain's been nice the last few days, and it's nice not to have to come home and work in the sauna that has been our yard (and everyone else's lately) while temps went over 100 for something like 9 days straight. The temperature has cooled off and we like the fact that, while the grass hasn't really grown back, at least the parts that are still alive aren't crunchy anymore.

bargain hunting at ikea

We went to IKEA last night, to return the blue/brown/cream curtains. Yeah, I lost the vote, but we settled on some beige ones--ha ha--and I got some green ones for the dining room as well, and got all of those for the same cost as the blue/brown ones. So while I'm waiting in the return line, B calls and says he found one of the SAME curtains in the "As Is" section of the store for $5! By the time I get the return done ($129 back on my check card, thank you very much), he's also found a chandelier for $10! It was this one...interestingly enough called "Gospel":
It's really nothing like the one we love at Home Depot...


but it'll do for now. Turns out it's missing half it's little squiggly metal things, so it is really very simple. Guess that's why it was only $10, marked down from $60.

We also picked up a folding outdoor table made of acacia (?) for $20 because someone had put it together incorrectly and then apparently dropped it, chipping one corner. Oh, and turns out linens were on sale, so I got the single curtain for TWO BUCKS, and now I can make pillows for the bedroom. Woo hoo, compromise!

let's vote!

Who likes these curtains besides me? Brandon says they are too busy. They do remind me of my parents' house in the 70s for some reason, but I like them.