Category Archives: Inspiration

Before and After at Harbor Breeze

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Meet:  Ritajoy from

harbour breeze
Ritajoy grew up on a farm in Montana and now views the west coast ocean out her kitchen window.  Lucky!  They live in a wonderful, old history-filled home.  We share the same hobbies:  Rearranging furniture, repainting rooms and decorating creatively on a tight budget! 

While visiting Ritajoy’s blog, I came across some MUST SHOW OFF DIY!

$159 Kitchen Makeover
Yep, you read that correctly. I didn’t leave off a zero.
way before…
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to this…
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now…
upper cupboards by stove
upper cupboards after
are you rubbing your eyes to double check it’s the same space?  Me too!
The first picture was when they purchased their lovely home.  There was an in between stage that looked like this:
whole kitchen
Very pretty before but I love the new wall color (look familiar?!) and vintage/beachy accents and open shelving. Notice the difference in the cabinets too!
whole kitchen after
See how Ritajoy stretched her budget to completely transform and update her kitchen at her original post:  $159 Kitchen Makeover Reveal.
Decorating on a tight budget doesn’t mean we don’t LOOK and fold back pages of catalogs for things we’d love to buy.  We look, right?  And better than spending $$$, we’re inspired to utilize DIY + creativity accomplish the same look. Ritajoy does an amazing job!

This ReStore find…
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became this Restoration Hardware inspired light fixture…
finished light
Total Cost:  a little over $16!

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And this powder room before…
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Is now a BEAUTIFUL inspiration…
(love that sign -see more at Harbour Breeze!)
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Ritajoy, your makeovers are awesome!  You have a way of taking a tight budget and making the most magical transformations!  Thank you so much for sharing your DIY creativity and ideas!

Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂

{AKA} Design – Reclaimed Headboard (and more)

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Sometimes you just see an inspiring DIY project and make plans to add on a bedroom to your home, right?  Okay, so that’s a little extreme but it is a dream of mine after seeing this gorgeous reclaimed wood-look headboard. Too bad that the 3 beds in our house are a poster bed, a sleigh bed and my daughter’s French provincial.  Otherwise, you’d see me making my version of this DIY rustic beauty from Shannon at {AKA} Design. 
I even love the super cute burlap banner…
Looks like real barn wood, doesn’t it?  Sometimes that’s not always available so Shannon and her husband made their own.  They did a pretty realistic job, don’t you think?
It’s a perfect accent to her inspiration board…dreamy bedroom!
You can find the “how to” at
as well as some other amazing DIY ideas to inspire your next project…
(click the picture to follow the link)
There is so much more to see. And what I love about Shannon’s DIY is that they’re not only beautiful and affordable, she makes DIY look easy!  Check out her super adorable digital prints too!  So sweet!
{aka}|design
Thanks so much for sharing your creativity and inspiration, Shannon & Dean.  🙂
Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂

For Whom The Bell Told to DIY….

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DIY Show Off reader, meet:  Katie from For Whom The Bell Told.  “My husband is an accountant and I am a social work major turned stay-at-home mom….not great recommendations for buying a 100+ old house that has seen better years. It breaks down to my husband doing all of the math and me doing all of the painting, and trying to trick blogger into turning my pictures right side up….”

I love the character in old homes!  Let’s take a peek at what Katie’s been doing:

I’d LOVE to have French doors opening to a sun room (two sets!).  This space is going to be beautiful when it’s finished!
Sun room before:
I love all of the windows and the plank walls!
Sun room in progress, after the painted floor…
Lots more to come as Katie’s been collecting furniture including a pedestal table and day bed and decor for warmer temps.   What a lovely area to snuggle up with a good book or munch on a delicious breakfast, to start the day.
A little sprucing up in the kitchen (while 9-months-pregnant)….
Kitchen in progress
See the full kitchen post HERE (details of Katie’s obstacles and more pictures).
Kitchen now…
Progress in the laundry room…
I love all of the charm – those walls!
And a peek at her beautiful, rustic dining room:
You have a gorgeous home, Katie! All of the beautiful trim and French doors.  So much pretty character!  I can’t wait to see more!  You’re doing a beautiful job!  I just love your old home and look forward to your updates!  Good luck!
Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂