My Newly Spiffed Up Laundry Room

I'm obviously not a professional blogger. Otherwise, I would have taken plenty of "before" pictures to show you.

However, our kitchen cabinets are currently still in the same yellowish-brown glory that the laundry cabinets were before I decided I had had enough of the dreary "blah" in there. So here is what the laundry room cabinets looked like before I got my hands on them:

The problem with home improvement (even when it's just re-decorating) is that it costs money. But with some creativity and reusing old material, I was able to spruce up our laundry room so it's fresh and bright.

TA-DA!

I used some white paint that had been left behind by the previous owners for the trim of the cabinets as well as the base of the overhead drying rod. The cabinet doors are RustOleum's Sail Blue. I picked this color because it was bright and cheery and just made me happy.

And I have a soft spot for anything that reminds me remotely of the Navy, because my husband gave six years of his life in service to his country.

And it came in canisters that had 25% more paint in them for the same price as the regular-sized cans.

Can't pass up a deal, you know?

I also replaced the thick wooden drying bar with an extra white shower curtain rod that we had from our New York apartment. I decided that was a better choice than painting the bar because 1. shower curtain rods are made for things sliding back and forth on them (like coat hangers ... or shower curtains) and 2. I didn't want to bother with painting the wooden rod.

The hardware is actually copper, not gold, but with the lighting, I couldn't get an accurate picture of the true color.

I was inspired to paint the hardware -- including the hinges -- copper by these quirky overhead light fixtures that we have in our kitchen. But before I show you, let me just say that this is proof that I have no pride. After I took this picture, I realized how much I need to get myself on a ladder and "Dust, dust, dust!"

That said, here is what inspired me.

Aaaaah-choo!

We have hemmed and hawed about these light fixtures, and for the time being, we actually kind of like their eccentricity.

And because I don't want to leave you with all that sneeze-inducing dust, here is some cuteness:

B found a light saber at World Market about which he (and Daddy) were QUITE thrilled.

He ate about a third of this before deciding that he wanted to share with Dooey.

I'm off to start my day ... with a dust rag.