The Sarcastic Blonde

home, home inspiration, house, Lifestyle

:: kitchen cabinet DIY ::

March 21, 2016

like I always say, just call me Martha!

as I mentioned last week, we finally tackled a big DIY that we have put off for the year and a half we have owned our condo and painted the kitchen cabinets.

I had been hesitant, not only because of the amount of work, but because I was afraid they wouldn’t turn out well. I also thought we had to use a sander to strip the finish off and I was dreading all of that dust.

When we were at Home Depot picking up paint samples for the walls, a customer was buying this DIY cabinet kit and raved about it.

The cost of the kit is a mere $65. We had to buy a couple brushes and things but the total cost of this renovation was definitely under $100 and was completely a sweat and hard work cost and basically no money.

I can’t believe for the amount of money how great the finished product looks.

I only wish we did it sooner!

but it definitely was A LOT of work. my knees would have bruises from kneeling and painting so often.

I knew the project would be a lot of hard work and take time, but I did greatly underestimate it. Taking all of the cabinet doors off, removing all of the hardware, tempting out cabinets, taping off everything with the blue tape – just the prep to start took time.

tips : Draw a picture of the kitchen and label all doors and drawers with a number. Mark each door with that number on a piece of blue painters tape and keep it taped to the floor in front of the cabinet while you paint it – otherwise, who knows what went where.

Then, there is a three step process for the cabinets

1. The de-glazer to strip any finish off of them and get them ready – this part took a lot of elbow grease and was the worst part of all of it. Hated it.

2. Three coats of the base paint. Which when you have to do each side of a cabinet door and wait hours for it to dry before you can flip it to the other side adds up.

3. A coat of protective top coat to seal it all.

We had cabinets downstairs in the basement living area and upstairs in the guest bedroom.

Those of you with a garage or actual extra space – it’ll be much easier!

Living in the city, garages and space to put everything and do the painting is nonexistent.

please ignore any “styling”, as in, no styling. we have been moving things from one place to another for projects and there is crap all over the place at the moment 🙂

:: BEFORE ::

:: DURING ::

:: AFTER ::

It’s made such a change – it’s so much brighter and feels so much bigger.

and looks so much prettier too of course!

Next up, painting the kitchen and living room.

who knew finding a basic grey or neutral or beige or whatever color was so impossible (oh wait, I did, because I’ve read about it on blogs for years. and newsflash : they are correct.)

come back tomorrow where I’ll tell you about sitting next to James from Vanderpump Rules at dinner on Saturday and NOT GETTING A PICTURE WITH HIM BECAUSE I SUCK.

that’s pretty much the whole story, but come back tomorrow anyway……..

fashion, Lifestyle

:: weekend sales ::

March 19, 2016

popping in to let you know that Revolve Clothing is having a UGE (the annoying silent H for emphasis, Trump style)

sale on tons of dresses and spring and summer goodies!

This tank is already finding its way into my cart for under $25!

:: striped tank ::

and this would be a great wedding weekend contender….

:: strapless dress ::

shop all the sale items HERE

coffee talk, Lifestyle

:: COFFEE TALK ::

March 17, 2016

discuss amongst ya-selves…..

unfortunately it’s quick edition of coffee talk this week.

because we are working on yet another home project….insert giant eye roll.

I can’t even discuss it for fear this one will go bad.

I just am reeaallll nervous. All this chaos is killing me and my brain is like WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? You didn’t eff up the kitchen cabinets, just stop while you’re ahead!

so I’m busy moving piles of crap from one spot to another before there is no looking back tomorrow morning.

right when I get the place looking good again after kitchen-cabinet-apalooza-2016 {pics to come…. um… next week?}

now this…. I. Just. Can’t.
I’m looking at my husbands desk in our bedroom as I type this and thats all I can say about the matter.

:: BACHELOR ::

I just can’t get over how Ben could not have led JoJo on more.

But she’s the real winner because ~~she’s not engaged to a stranger who cries more than her~~ no way would those two have been the ideal match.

Also, so painful that they make the reject girl hop out of the helicopter and start proclaiming her love first, and then he’s like I love you BUTTTT….. no.

I think him and Lauren are the right match and that they actually could make it to the aisle…. I wonder how tight his tux pants will be? Can’t you just picture the teeny little jacket and skinny-bitty little tie to match his skinny pants?

I sure can.

So then we ruin an additional hour of our lives with After The Final Rose.
I mean, I already watched 45 hours too many of this crap, why stop now?!

When Chris introduces “the best bachelor of all time” (um, whats your criteria here Chris? Because by standards, Juan Pablo can’t be touched)
Ben walks out and does like the dad cheering at a kids tee-ball game fist pumping/lawn mower WOO HOO motion I want to die FOR HIM.
ohhhhh my gosh. no. just no ben. no.

I couldn’t find a video but this is basically the closest thing.
so clearly he does this sort of thing A. LOT.

if it doesn’t load click here because you just must see it. with sound.

HANDS OVER EYES I SERIOUSLY CAN’T.

it’s almost as awful as Ben proposing for a second time to Lauren in front of her family and live audience.

It doesn’t make up for the fact that the world knows you didn’t know who the first proposal would be to, but aw how cute.

I MEAN LETS JUST TALK ABOUT THE NEXT SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE!

JoJo! Hallelujah. ~~sorry I’m not sorry,~~
It just would have been the most boring thing in the world with Caila and you know it.

Lauren looks the best she has ever looked with the long wavy hair and that white dress.

she seriously looks ah-mazing.

The SNL Skit last weekend with Lace’s legit Doppleganger, Cecily Strong, was spot on.

:: vanderpump rules ::

I’m really sad to be saying goodbye to all of these horrible ~~kids~~ 30+ year old waiters and waitresses.

lala’s hair and outfit for this engagement party is insanity.

it’s only topped by the words that come out of her mouth, and the way she licked her straw at the Sur after party that I am still trying to remove from my brain.
but don’t worry there were plenty more breasts to go around….

Stassi looked amazing. She wins for look of the night hands down.

ps I love that ratchet is, like, a compliment to these people.

Lala is like a Whore? MY GOOODNESS NO! but Ratchet? YES PLEASE!
I just had to google the spelling of this “word” before finding the James image so I’m patting myself on the back.

side note : Lisa really didn’t let anyone use her bathrooms…..

…… smart lady. don’t let those germs anywhere near your toilet seats.

:: jersey shore ::

UM are RAHN and SAHM back together?!

STAHP. please let this be true.

:: the voice ::

I’ve never watched a full season but this year I’ve been watching and I’m super into it.
I get it.

But really, Adam, what is going on with the Miley hair?

:: jackholes ::

chris harrison and ABC and all of it. always. every year.

we have to kick of three hours of BS for what is really only 30 minutes of new footage with you pretending that a wedding is happening?

just lock it up. this is so stupid.
let’s stick to reality and normalcy : people getting engaged to practical strangers when they were in love with someone else 12 hours before. come on now!

EDITORS NOTE :
as always, ignore my own blatant grammatical errors whilst I make fun of others poor grammar during coffee talk on a weekly basis.

#hypocrite #sorryimnotsorry

I write these posts late at night while simultaneously watching Bravo, taking snapchats of my snoring husband, and making to do lists of everything I was supposed to do and didn’t do that day and likely won’t do the next day either. or the day after that.

images via: Giphy, ABC, Bravo

fashion, Lifestyle

:: wish list wednesday ::

March 16, 2016

lusts for the week……

it’s staying light out later, warmer weather is arriving, and the official start of spring is this Sunday.

and I am so ready for dresses and tank tops and all that comes with it!!

even if i’ll still be alternating it with wearing coats in chicago for who knows how long

might as well start with some blue and white – you know it’s my favorite.

I want all four of these ASAP.

one // two // three // four

and a combination of stripes AND pom poms for the win

:: stripes w poms ::

with easter right around the corner, these would all be perfect little options

one // two // three // four

you can never go wrong with a short sleeve shift dress. loving all of these.

one // two // three // four

and I know there is lots of time before white rompers can be pulled out of my closet, but still….

:: lace v neck romper ::

Lifestyle, recipe

:: crack of the week ::

March 15, 2016

I’ve been trying to expand my dinner menus and trying out new recipes again.

Skinnytaste is always a favorite go-to for healthy but delicious meals.

My friend made this for dinner for a girls night last month and it was so good I knew I needed to recreate it at home.

Confession : I am not a chicken person – I’ll eat it out but hate making it at home. I always end up over-cooking it because I’m scared it isn’t done. However, since these were pounded thin and little tenders it kept me from overcooking them and they kept all their juiciness. And they don’t taste “skinny” at all!

I love tomatoes, balsamic, and onion. and of course I love breadcrumbs so there’s that 🙂

I used Ian’s Panko Breadcrumbs from Whole Foods and I also used Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze which is THE BEST.

:: Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula & Tomatoes ::

recipe via Skinnytaste

and the killer food photography is courtesy of MOI.

as always, it’s just identical to the professionals and you can’t even tell which one is hers and which one is mine! right?!

always top notch skills over here…. I was really feeling the St. Paddy’s Day hangover if that counts for anything?

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
6 cups baby arugula

For the chicken:

24 oz (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese (or parmesan)
1 lemon, juice of
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
olive oil spray (I used my misto)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil and balsamic. Add tomatoes, basil and onions; season with salt and pepper. and toss. Set aside at least 10 minutes so the juices combine.

Preheat oven to 450°. Place a large baking pan in the oven to get hot.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl. In another bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper.

Lightly pound chicken breasts into cutlets, you should have 6. Wash and dry cutlets well with paper towels; season with salt and pepper.

Dip cutlets into lemon/oil mixture, then into breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to adhere.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and spray with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the baking sheets and spray with olive oil spray on top.

Bake chicken, turning once halfway through for about 15 minutes total, or until chicken is golden. Remove from the oven and top with arugula and tomato salad on top.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!!

Lifestyle

:: weekend things ::

March 13, 2016

image

I realized I forgot to discuss Kim’s one on one with my-boyfriend-andy-cohen on WWHL this week.

She is as delusional as ever.

This time in my recovery I decided to keep it to myself.

It’s “not the publics business”

She decides she is “keeping it to myself this time”.

WHAT? You are on a one-on-one talking about it right now? You are still going on episodes of RHOBH this season, and most importantly, you are even stooping to new levels with a NEW reality show that you are on and you drag your daughter into the mess with you?

WHAAAAA ?

and can someone explain to me how you get public intoxication after ONE drink?

I mean…. I’m not exactly a lightweight, but I don’t think a single glass of wine leads to that…..

ANYWAYS……

zara has released their new activewear collection and it is just as great as the rest of their store!

I crack up every time I see the commercial for the new season of Caitlyn Jenner’s show when she says “if Hillary is president the world is over. what has she ever done. just because I’m a woman doesn’t suddenly make me a liberal.”

……. her friends are like

UM EXCUSE ME

Now, I’m not talking anything political

so chilllll

it just seriously cracks me up to watch her say it and watch her friends freak out and the catfight ensue.

I am in need of new nude pumps and I feel like the smart choice would be the classic pump, but I am really in love with this tassle pair too. thoughts?

kristin cavallari pumps // sam edelman tassle pumps

I also ordered this dress for an upcoming wedding and it is a serious contender. It is so flattering and I kinda want the navy color too (comes in so many colors).

I also love, love the cutout back (of course).