Extreme Room Makeover!

Some have said that once an idea pops into my head, I have to do it and not stop until it's done. Well, I feel that in the case of Extreme Room Makeover, that was definitly the case. Last week, we visited friends in Las Vegas. Well, we went to a FANTASTIC store called Kirkland Home. It has nothing to do with Costco, but for expense, one would think that they were associated. I was like a child at a toy store. Everything was adorable and AFFORDABLE! Usually I don't spend all that much time or money on home decoration because I am too poor most of the time. Not that I don't want to, but I just can't rationalize the expense. Well, all that went out the window when I went into that store. Pieces of art that were nicely framed and matted were as low as 34.99. Mirrors that were huge were going for around the same price. I was in heaven.

So, I have been in my house for over 4 years now and I have had this green family room. It has been an eye soar for me for that long. I have wanted to paint it but I have focused on every other room because it wasn't so horrible that I couldn't live with it. So, I being 5 months pregnant, my nesting period was in full force. I got a couple pieces that I knew I would like to see in that space, trying to keep in mind my color scheme and all. So, I had a great time having a goal in mind and was anticipating my homecoming to start my project.
The night I got home, I went to Lowe's and got my paint. By the next day around 1:00 when the kids went down for a nap, I started the process. I painted my kitchen, my kitchen nook and my family room. It was a huge job. I went a little bolder with the choice of paint, but came out loving it in the end.
Now, if you know me, I have very little experience with real home improvement stuff. I know how to paint and that pretty much it. Well, some of you may know around my fireplace, I have this green tile. Another reason I haven't painted because I knew that would have to go as well and I have never tiled a fireplace before. Well, as I was painting my wall that sits behind the fireplace, I thought about how to get rid of this green tile without going through the actual work.

My conversation I had with myself...

"I hate this tile. I wonder if I can just paint on top of the tile and make it look like I tiled. "

" Oh, but it won't work. It will look cheap and people will think we are poor white trash who can't afford a real tile job. How will I face my friends if it looks like crap."

" If it dosen't work, you can just tile it. What is it going to hurt if I just try it. The end result is tile that looks good in the room. So, if you can figure out a way that is easier, don't you think it is worth the try. "

So, I brought the paint and all my tools and started the process. Mind you it was 11:00 at night when I was started this little process. So, the process was paint first coat, then sponge with my handy dandy scrapbooking tools that saved the whole process. After the first tile, I got really excited. It was looking really good.

The best thing was that Sean was impressed with my work. Sean is wonderful, but he has never given me the props when it came to home decorating. Maybe he was just happy that he didn't have to tile anymore that caused his excitement to overflow, but he was really impressed with my skills. I guess scrapbooking has really come in handy. So, I finished at 2:00 am with a happy dance. NO MORE GREEN! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! I was going to show a before and after shot but I didn't think it would turn out, so just imagine Kermit the Frog green tile. Yeah, gross right?? Now you know why it had to go. Much needed improvement!



I felt overwhelmed with all that I had accomplished, but with hard work came the pain. The whole night, my back was in dire straits. With each move I made, my back felt like it was going to go. I have had this happen before, but I thought about what I still had to do and that was not an option. I could not be bedridden when I still had two kids to watch and a job to work. My table was in need of painting as well, so on Tuesday, I took a day of rest from it all and have been recuperating a little each day. Now, I feel the normal preggers pain, but my back is still in tact and I now have a new beautiful house to enjoy.