Faux Transom Window HACK

 *This post is sponsored by DAP Products and The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product or payment in exchange. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

I was reading an article a couple weeks ago and apparently Phoenix is going through a housing shortage. Tract home builders have been  going gangbusters here for decades and I, like many other Arizonans live in an inexpensive, builder-grade home. We've made several upgrades (like our kitchen and bathroom remodel) but there are some frustrating design issues that are more difficult to change.

My living room area has several large windows, which I love, and a pair of sliding glass doors, which I don't love. My ceilings are 9 ft tall. My front door is 8 ft tall, and all of the windows are set at 8 ft. Unfortunately, like all my interior doors, the sliding glass doors are only 70" tall.

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DIY Industrial Style Tiki Torch

*This post contains affiliate links

How's the weather where you are? It's been absolutely gorgeous here lately. We've been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. Although the days are getting longer, our backyard can get pretty dark. Bamboo tiki torches aren't my style, and steel torches can run upwards of $40 each. I came up with a DIY solution that costs only around $13 per torch, including fuel.

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DIY Hourglass

I've always had a love for hourglasses. My dream thrift store find would be an antique hourglass, but I'm not holding my breath till that day comes. In the meantime, I created my own DIY hourglass from a couple empty soap bottles and a few supplies from the craft store. 

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How to Install an Apron Sink in a Stock Cabinet

When we first started to plan the new kitchen design, one essential element I knew I wanted to include was an apron front sink. I also knew it was going to be a hard sell to my husband. He's not a big fan of the farmhouse style, and has openly expressed his dislike for apron sinks. 

I was planning more of a modern look for the kitchen, and when I showed my husband this stainless steel apron sink from Moen, he could see the vision and agreed. Success! We chose the STo faucet and a modern soap pump, and we were ready to get to work. 

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Dumpster Bike Make-Over

Most of the country is apparently covered in snow right now, or so the news tells me. Here is Arizona, we are flirting with Spring. Indulge me for a minute; this is the time of the year we get to brag to the rest of the country. The temperatures have been in the high 70's and it could not be more beautiful outside. Trees are blooming, birds are singing, and the sidewalks are filled with bicycles, scooters, skates, you name it. With this beautiful weather, I've been begging hinting to my husband that I want a bicycle.

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How to Upgrade Bookshelves

Once I decided to build a Pottery Barn knock-off desk for my husband, I knew the desk would be lonely without a pair of classic bookshelves. Its hard to find good bookshelves people, especially tall ones.  When you look online, you find a sea of particle board and bad laminate. Luckily, once upon a time (like... the 90's) you could easily find solid wood bookshelves. The best news is, since "they" decided oak is ugly, you can pick up a pair of these babies for peanuts on Craigslist. 

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Grey Washed Chair and Country Chic Paint Giveaway

* I was provided the product for this post by Country Chic Paint free of charge. All opinions are my own and not influenced. I'm just happy to spread the word about good products.

I have been in the garage covered with sawdust, but I finally finish one of my favorite projects yet! I can't share it with you yet, but if you follow me in Instagram, you can see a couple sneak peeks. 

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Vintage Yellow Dresser

In Tuesday's post, I showed a couple photos of my latest furniture make-over. By the way, the giveaway is still running till Monday, September 1st, so head over here and enter for a chance to win a *Finish Max Pro paint gun.

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Gold Rope Trim Bench

I've made a few of these upholstered benches before. You can see the first two I made here. 

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Black Edwardian Mirror

I have a before and after to share with you today. Last year, I scored a walnut dresser built around 1890, at a garage sale of all places. I refinished the dresser long ago, and left the poor, sad mirror to sit in my garage for almost a year. 

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DIY Entertainment Center

A few months ago, I told you guys about my good friend Maegan. Maegan's older sister, Nicki has been my best friend for over eleven years. I met her the first day I moved to Arizona and we have been best buds ever since. 

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Darken Cabinets WITHOUT Stripping the Existing Finish

My bathroom makeover may possibly be the slowest in history. It started last year when I removed the hideous, cheap light bar above the vanity and replaced it with 2 beautiful light fixtures. 

The next step was to add moulding to the wall-mounted mirror, and I shared some tricks to make that process easier. 

And that's where things stayed... for months and months. Recently, I finally found the motivation and decided it was time to tackle updating the vanity. If you have lived in a house built in the last 25 years, the odds are pretty good you have lived with cabinets like these. Typical, builder-grade oak, finished in a gold/honey color. 

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Mighty Metal Cabinet

Last week, I shared how my husband gave me the coolest birthday trip ever. On that trip, I picked up a couple cool, small items as well as a piece I truly fell in love with. 

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Easy Built-In Bookcases

Remember when I talked about my good friend Maegan and her amazing entertainment console? Well, she and her adorable husband bought their first home last year and wasted no time starting the upgrades. 

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Turn a Wall Mirror Into a Table Mirror

I wanted to share a quick little project with you today.

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Mid-Century Industrial Storage

This is one of those projects I'm having a reeealy hard time selling. 

You see, it all started a couple months ago at a casino flea market (classy, I know). Bryce was trying to wrangle our boys while I quickly ran through the aisles, browsing. I spotted a cool, industrial metal shelving unit. Not thinking it would be in my price range, I asked the owners "how much". 

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Coffee Table Turned Tufted Bench

I was browsing through my old photos and found this post. I originally shared it over at Home Coming. You can read how I took a old, oddly proportioned coffee table and turned it into a diamond-tufted, upholstered bench.

I can't believe I forgot to take a "before" photo! The original color was that yellow-ish, cream color every piece of french furniture was painted last century. The top was a slab of cultured marble that looked like it was added later. The plan was to incorporate the marble into a different table, but... I have small children. I pulled it off and had it leaning against the wall in the garage, my boys found it, and there went my grand idea. I was able to save one larger piece at least.

With some pieces of furniture I have to get really creative, or put a lot of thought into what I want it to look like. As soon as I saw this table base, I got an idea. Go glam.

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Golden Oak Basset Dresser Make-Over, Sub-title: the 90's are Awesome!

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that I had recently picked up some furniture from a friend cleaning out his investment property. The first piece to get a make-over was the Computer Armoire with a Twist.

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Gold Dipped Armchairs {AKA- The Chairs That Made Me Cry}

I sell most of the furniture I make-over, so I don't typically share the price I originally bought it for. Some pieces I net a fat profit,  and some I barely break even. I don't want my buyers to see what I paid for the piece and think "Hey, I'm paying 5 times that! I got ripped off!" There are other materials and LOTS of labor to consider. Some pieces require a LOT of labor. These chairs happen to fall into that category. 

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Pewter Herringbone Dresser Tutorial

This is my favorite piece I made for the doomed boutique last weekend. Here's what it looked like before.

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