House Flip Project

From time to time, I consult and provide interior design and decorating advice. This is semi-recent flip project I did.

New carpet, paint, blinds and light fixture.

Here, we did the same and added the closet doors. I felt  the sconce on the wall needed to be less intrusive 

New carpet, paint, blinds and light fixture.

This was a great little nook that I saw as a den area. I really wanted to add in some floating shelving on the far wall to make it a more utilized area that felt more custom, but that didn't fall within the budget.

We had another light fixture was to be used in here but there was a delay in the delivery. He already had a renter that was fine with it. I added the chair railing not only to protect the walls, but to help transition the colors more fluidly making the space feel larger and more tied in. 

The kitchen had to be gutted. We salvaged the sink, stove and range hood. The cabinet access on the living room side felt pointless and silly. So, I opted to maintain the space by opting for narrower lower cabinets here, adding the wall and breakfast bar. We tiled the entire area before adding the cabinetry (which was on legs and not toe kicks. Perfect for a rental in case of water damage. The green was more accurately portrayed in the dining room picture. It really played off the color of the cabinetry. 

 We updated the bathroom using the same flooring tile up onto the wall to make the area feel larger and added the trim to modernize and jazz it up. 

I don't have a before picture of this bathroom. However, all that remained was the vanity              cabinet. We used the same concept with the flooring and tub surround.

I updated this master bedroom with new lighting, window blinds, paint, flooring and customized closet organization.

Because this place was planned on being used as a rental, I wanted to keep everything really neutral. I chose colors that would go with just about any furniture and decor but still feel modern and not boring. We had a budget of $8k for the whole thing. This was difficult with a new kitchen to replace. I utilized some of the local Restore places using used items such as the bathtub, fridge, dishwasher and a few other things. I rest I found online, making it so that the owner didn't have to give me any large lump sums of money to purchase them. I made a color board and 3-d mock up of the space. There was also a very large detached garage in the back with a workshop area. We used the upper shelves from the kitchen that weren't damage and installed them in the work area of the garage. We then just installed some work benches to finish it off. The cabinetry and counter tops were bought from Ikea making the whole kitchen replacement cost around $3,000.00 without needing anything custom made. Opted for the narrower cabinets in the kitchen for a larger kitchen area and the ability to have the breakfast bar. Everything turned out great. The owner and new renter were thrilled.

Ugly 80s ceiling fan into contemporary for under $20

Ok. We bought a fixer-upper. I knew full well what I was getting into when we bought our house and immediately started the creative juices flowing. Buying a house isn't cheap....EVER. There's always a list of things you want/need to do to make it home. Every house will have those little pet peeves that you just have to do something about or you'll find yourself glaring at it as if it's done you wrong somehow.

One of my pet peeves? 80s brass ceiling fans. I don't care of they have those 'awesome' wood blades with the brass painted details or if they're white or have that lovely wicker thing going on in the middle. I hate them. (why would anyone add either the paint or wicker details in the first place?) When I started looking for replacement fans for my house I have to change my underwear. The prices were insane. It moves air with a motor that just spins, how expensive should these things be, right? But, my blue blood only liked the $300 + stuff. That was just NOT in the budget when moving in.

The fans in my house looked like this:

Eww. The epitome of 80s Ugly.

I had to do something. I had to do something quick and cheap.

I went to Homedepot. Spray paint was the answer. It always is. (People close to me know I'll spray paint anything.) Looking through the options and taking notes on what I liked about the newer fans, I knew I needed multiple textures in neutrals tones. If I was going to use a metal, I wanted either nickel, oil rubbed bronze or iron. Iron was the easiest to achieve, using a flat black spray paint, so I went with that. Now, what about the texture? How would I achieve that? STONE SPRAY! Of course!

So I found this stuff:

Rustoleum American Accents Stone spray paint in Mineral Brown - Cost right around $10.

Quick Color in flat black - Cost $0.97.

With these and some carefully placed painters tape, I ended up with this:

Is it my ideal ceiling fan? No. But, it's a hell of a lot better than it originally was and with it costing under $20 total, it was well worth it.

If you're going to try this at home, here's some tips to remember:

1. Take it apart first. Take off the globes, blades, brackets, etc. to make sure you get the details painted.

2. Make sure you cover up all the electrical parts involved. The last thing you need is spray paint all up in yo 'lectricalses. 

3. Take is off the ceiling. Don't ever try to paint it in place. That's just silly and messy.

4. Tape off the sockets for the light bulbs. 

5. If you're using a textured paint, prime that area first. 

Garnier BB Cream for Oily Skin

Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector for Oily Skin

So, I received the new Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector for oily skin through my beloved Bzzagent as a campaign to try. I'm one of those girls that, thanks to genetics and a rough puberty, HAS to wear makeup or I look like Charlize Theron in Monster every day. I also have really annoying combination skin. And when I say combination skin, I don't mean I have a 'T-zone', I mean my whole freaking face is both oily and dry. Thus, makeup and I have a real love/hate relationship.

I spent years taking antibiotics and using prescription topical solutions to help with my skin. As mentioned in my previous post, I finally got my skin under control with the Simple Skin Care line, but my face is left with the aftermath of years of trial and error (ie. discoloration, scars and unevenness) With such finicky skin, I've tried everything: primers, mineral makeup, solid makeup, liquid makeup, tinted lotions, etc. For the most part, I require a liquid foundation with full coverage and ton of powder, reapplied through the day. 

When I found out I was selected to try this stuff, I was game - but pessimistic. I was TOTALLY surprised. It went on very smoothly, easily and evenly. It was like applying lotion to my face. My pores were minimized, my skin tone evened out and I didn't look like I had caked on my makeup. Yet, (along with some additionally dabbed on application in trouble spots) it covered as well as my full coverage liquid makeup. But, I still looked like me. It even lasted through the day! (Whether or not that will be the case when we hit 110 here in AZ is still to be seen)

I had but 2 complaints about this stuff. The BIGGIE to me is the lack of shade selection. Alas, my Scottish/Irish genes leave me a pale shade of glow-in-the-dark and the lightest of their shades available in the oily skin line is a bit dark. I have to use either bronzer on my chest and blend the crap out of it or apply self tanner. They do, however, make a lighter shade in the regular version on this stuff (hopefully that will be the case in the near future for the oily skin version)

My other complaint: How do you use this? I admit, although BB creams have been around for a while now, I was not in the know on how this works or how to use it. The directions on the box were for how to use it as sunscreen. (Um, if that's not what it's being marketed as, why is THAT the exclusive directions?) Was it to do under makeup? Do I need powder? Do I need lotion first? A bit more clarity on what the product is and how it works would go farther to the newbies or makeup-phobes out there, in my humble opinion.

Overall, I was very impressed with what this product delivered. I would recommend it to anyone any shade darker than me. 

*Although I did not pay to try this product, the opinions expressed are solely my own and based on my own experience. I have not been paid to endorse this product.