It worked!!!

okay.. so still not actual pictures of the hair thing, but every one sends me e-mails saying they have tried it. All I can say is, it will work on every hair.. short or long. (you just need a smaller curling iron and a really hot one if it's not working.)

BUT the cascade thing DID work for someone! Robin left this comment on my blog today!!

"My husbands bachelor friend stopped by last night with a laundry "issue". He designs and sells t-shirts at car shows. Last weekend he left the box of sample tshirts in the back of his pickup. It rained....it poured....it dried up.....it got VERY VERY warm here.....and the tshirts sat in the back of his pickup the whole time turning into a moldy stinky mess. I told him I would TRY to help him. We did the cascade thing and only about 3 of the 30 or so shirts didn't make it! I was AMAZED!!!! It completely took the stinky smell out and the shirts looked as good as new!! Now I want to try it on my OWN laundry. Thanks so much for the tip!!!"

That is soo cool because I was worried she was going to say.. yeah I tried it and it sucked! LOL

Well onto the update pictures of our house which I think I have promised for a week now. I only took pictures of the kitchen and one bedroom. In the kitchen, Ben repainted the cabinets. They were a dark brown wood and looked really outdated.Here is a before picture: He talked about just having making new doors for the cabinets, but we are on such a tight time schedule that we decided to just paint them and change them next year (we think we might add onto the kitchen). If you remember me telling you earlier last month, that I have always wanted black cabinets. The kind that are a little distressed with brown stain showing underneath in places. But Ben isn't into painted cabinets. He has always like the wood ones, like knotty alder and cherry. So since we were going to replace these, he let me do the painting thing. First he sanded them all down lightly to get any finish off of them. Then he spray painted them black (yes spray paint and that is the TRICK.. Another tip from my husband. Use the cheap spray paint from walmart). Then once they were all spray painted. We took different sizes of nails, screws and screwdrivers and made little holes or dents here and there in the wood to give it an older look (see the pictures of the cabinets up close). Then he sanded them all down lightly just enough to make them smooth but not enough to to take all the paint off. Then he sanded them a little heavier around the edges and cracks to get a distressed look with the brown wood grain showing through underneath. The trick about that too is that you want a dark stain color underneath your black paint. So if you are redoing something, stain it first with ANY dark brown stain. You can do it after but it looks more authentic this way. Then the last thing he did was spray it the a matte lacquer spray (he used a paint sprayer for that).  We were worried they might be too dark for that room, and we haven't painted yet.. so we will see, but I LOVE them. I really disliked the cabinets at first because of the little line detail in them.. but now that they are black.. it's actually kinda cool. Once we get the tile backsplash and counter tops on and the flooring in (which is 5" dark walnut hand scraped planks). The room will have a more early traditional American feel. So I decided to go with brushed silver as accents, with stainless steal appliances and more modern looking lighting to give it a modern but traditional feel. I can't wait to see the finished product. He paints this week!!

so that is the update! The other pictures are of the new windows and molding he did around all the doors and windows. HE also built me a hall tree to go in my laundry room. He is going to paint it black like the kitchen cabinets and add hooks and baskets underneath. He is also building me a laundry box on either side of it. to make it look more like a built in. Man I love my husband.. seriously talented.

Well better head to bed. LONG week ahead of me.. I will be waiting for those e-mails of hair.. waiting and waiting..

Comments

[Robin]

The cascade worked again! I spilled red koolaid all over the front of my favorite white tshirt today. I came home (yeah...of course I was in the "pick up your kids" lane at school when it happened) and just threw it in the sink with cold water and some cascade and within just a few minutes it was completely white!!!! Oh man......I am so totally sold on that trick! Thanks once again!

[Sharon K]

Awesome..The cabinets look great. and the brushed stainless steel will look perfect with the black..

[heather]

I would've never guessed you could spray paint cabinets! You guys did a great job with them.

The Cascade thing . . . I've done this since my second was born 7 years ago. Found the trick when looking to get rid of those yellow formula stains that nothing gets out. I do it in a mop bucket. . . 1 c cascade, 1 c clorox 2, fill it with hot water. . . and let it sit for 3 days. There's very little that won't come out after that soaking (I have found things that don't come out after 2 days, resoak and wait 3 and it is out). I can't do the in the washer thing (first . . .3 days without a washer???, and I have a front loader as well).

[Shelby]

wow! you are a lucky, lucky girl!

[kim in Camas - ScrapToMyLu]

The cabinets look amazing!
I am going to try the Cascade trick. Do you use the regular amount you would use for dishes?

[courtney]

okay, wait - if I have cabinets to paint I can SPRAY PAINT them??? Oh my gosh, I think I love you... BUT... what if they already have one coat of paint on them? Do I need to sand them again? It's the right color... man, that could save SO much time. Yours look awesome! I love the black!

[Jessi]

I still want Ben to come and do hardwoods at my house.......
:)

[lauravegas]

those cabinets looks awesome! someday i want to paint my kitchen cabinets a cool looking red. i'm lucky to have my mom who does tons of woodwork and builds furniture and everything. but she mostly does everything in some sort of nice wood stain. i just had her build me a entry table in black and some shelves for my studio in red. i think it nearly killed her to paint the wood with black and red! lol!

and again ... your husband is so talented! i can't believe how much he has gotten done already. and already building you extras! lol! i wish my husband was that ambitious. although i did get him to clean all 3 bathrooms this morning ... and now he's back to his normal spot ... the couch! lol!

[deb munn]

WOW!!! The cabinets are gorgeous!! You and Ben have definitely given them a new life! That is one talented husband you've got there! What beautiful work he does.

Are you feeling any better?? I hope you have been taking it easy (well... as easy as you can anyway!) and getting better.

Haven't tried the hair thing. Don't own a curling iron... not yet anyway!! But I did buy the Corona Ointment at PetSmart the other day. No cold sores yet, but I'm ready for them now!

~deb~
xo

[Amanda Hart]

Christy, love the bench. What a great way to organize everyone stuff! The kitchen cabinets look great, love the black.

[cindy]

HOLY MOLY Christy!! Those look AWESOME!!! When you said "black" I was a little concerned. LOL!! Now, did you spray paint the base of the cabinets with the cheap spray paint as well?!! I REALLY want to try this!! We live in an older home and my cabinets are white right now and changing to black would REALLY change my decor and I am LOVIN' your look!! Do you think your husband could travel to Missouri and stay a week (or two) to help me out?? What talent that man has!!!

[Elizabeth Roberts]

Oh my gosh I love your cabinets. I have been trying forever to get my husband to let me paint ours black but havent' won the battle. I don't think he will give in on that issue. Love how they turned out. Great job can't wait to see the finished product.

[Sharon]

OMG! Can I have your husband when you are finished with him? What a gem!! Those cabinets are way cool! I paid quite a bit for bedroom furniture that looks like this. (The best part is that the kids only add to the look ;-)

I haven't tried your tricks, if I have time to curl my hair, I have time to wash it. ;-) And we have a front loading washer so no overnight soaks. :-P

Can't wait to see more pics!