KITCHEN MOOD LIGHTING

This past summer when I remodeled my kitchen I wanted to add under and above cabinet lighting.  I didn't want to spend a fortune paying an electrician to do it so I opted to have the electrician add a few extra outlets above my cabinets so that I could add lights down the road.  This is a really simple project that I think anyone could do.

I decided to use small, halogen puck lights for under my cabinets.  I picked these up at Menards for around $20 I think.  I love that these are small, blend in well, and they clip together easily.  Also, they are dimmable which is a HUGE plus.

The pucks come with VERY tiny screws to secure them to the cabinets.  I found this to be the hardest part of the entire project!  Seriously, I probably dropped that darn screw 100 times.  Picture this:  I'm holding a heavy drill above my head, practically laying on my back on the counter, trying to balance this tiny screw...didn't go so well.  Take my word and PRE-DRILL tiny holes.  You will save yourself A LOT of frustration if you do this first.  :)

Next, I drilled holes in between each cabinet to thread the cords through.

All of my cords plug in to outlets above the cabinets so I ran the cords up between the end of the cabinet and the wall.

For the tops of my cabinets I used rope light.  I ordered mine on Ebay but I think you get get it at a lot of places.  Make sure you get either the exact length you need or get the rope light that is cuttable.  I didn't secure the rope light at all, just laid it up there.  Oh and never plug your rope light in while it's all coiled up.  I did and it all melted together.  I had to re-order all of mine :(

I use a lighting control system called X10.  I won't go into a lot of detail now (I'll write up a more detailed post at a later date) but basically each cord gets plugged into a module- pictured below.

Then I can control all of my lights by this handy dandy remote.

I love the way the lights look at night.  These aren't the best pictures but you get the idea. :)

Disclaimer: I am not an electrician...this is just the way I installed my lighting. :)

ISN'T THAT PINTERESTING

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest and I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite posts with you.  Every Saturday I'll be sharing some of my favorite Pinterest projects and inspiration for the week.  You can check out the rest of my boards here.

I love this space.  It's so light and bright and just makes me think about summer.  I have never wanted to paint a room white before, but now I'm considering it!

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I thought this wreath was super cute.  It would be so easy to make too and really inexpensive.  I'm holding on to this idea for my sisters baby shower.  :)

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I thought this was a really good tutorial on making a envelope pillow cover.  I really wish I had seen this a few months ago.  I sewed my pillow inserts in to the pillow covers I made.  Bummer...what was I thinking?? :)

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This Etsy shop has the cutest artwork.  I just loved this sign!

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See all of my pins by following me on Pinterest.
Happy Saturday :)

ISN'T THAT PINTERESTING

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest and I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite posts with you.  I've never done a "series" before, but I'm going to give it a try.  Every Saturday I'll be sharing some of my favorite Pinterest projects and inspiration for the week.  You can check out the rest of my boards here.

This is a great tutorial on making your own tufted headboard.  I would love to do this in my bedroom.

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I also loved this DIY headboard with nailhead trim. Isn't this just gorgeous!

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Isn't this space stunning?  I love the lighting in this room and I adore the the wood beams in this ceiling.

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I've been wanting to host a craft night for some time and this wreath might just be the ticket!  I thought it was so cute and it doesn't look like it would be very hard to make.

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I'm normally not into abstract art, but I absolutely loved this painting.  I think the use of color is perfect.  It's such a happy piece.  I'd love to find a spot for it in my house.  Hmmmm...

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See all of my pins by following me on Pinterest.

Happy Saturday :)

MY NEW BESTIE

I think it's safe to say I'm a coffee nut and I especially LOVE Starbucks.  The folks at my local Starbucks are great and they already know what I'm going to order when I pull up and they are super friendly.  I can't say enough about them, they're fantastic.  The problem is, it was getting pretty expensive to go there every day and I started feeling guilty about my monthly coffee budget, so a couple of months ago I started researching espresso makers to find a solution that would still allow me to have good coffee in the morning, but hopefully cut down on my monthly coffee budget.

After a LOT of research I opted for a Nespresso Pixie with milk frother.  The thing I love about this machine is that it's fast (only takes me about a minute or less to make a latte), it make really great espresso, and it's compact (my kitchen isn't very large).

The initial investment wasn't cheap but compared to some of the other models out there it's not bad at all.  The machine uses pods and each pod is only sixty cents...much better than my $5.35 I was spending at Starbucks.

I've had the machine for a couple of months now and I've been really happy with it.  It is my new bestie! :)

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P.S. This post is in no way affiliated with Nespresso or Starbucks, just a girl that loves my new espresso machine AND Starbucks.  :)