White (?) IKEA Kitchen Cabinets

Last Friday I played hooky a little and ducked out early to head to IKEA with my mom, to check out some curtains. No luck on the curtains, but I did get a few goodies and got to check out the cabinets for our kitchen remodel.

We’re going with IKEA cabinets because they’re economical and will work great for us in our house (Our 1975 ranch does not warrant high-end cabinets). I read online somewhere that some of the IKEA cabinets had a tint of pink in them. I didn’t remember noticing that in the past so I wanted to look again.

Turns out, they do!

(I did not edit this pic in hopes of showing the “true” color. It would probably help if I learned to white balance before taking a photo.)
Of the six white cabinets on display, one has a pinkish tint, one a greenish tint, and the others read as “true white” to me. Can you tell which ones?
Hint: Pink is on the right. Green is fourth from right.
Here’s a look at all of the cabinet swatches. 


We checked out some of the kitchen displays. Installed with counters, sinks, and all the other accessories, the difference in color is much less noticeable, but its there.

Still… many a home has been furnished with white IKEA cabinets and looks fabulous. Can you see the color difference?

Newly Woodwards


 Houzz

Houzz

The IKEA lady let me know that you can buy cabinet doors to take home and look at in your home and then return it, so I think we’ll do that. Originally I was going for the Romjo and my second choice was Akurum Adel, but if those look either pink or green at home, we’ll go with Lidingo. (Bonus: Lidingo is cheaper.)


So tell me, am I the last one on earth to notice this difference? Do you have IKEA cabinets? Which ones?
x Pin It

Easy, Delicious Frozen Dessert

Last weekend I was at my parent’s house and one of their friends made a wonderful, super easy, three ingredient dessert. Its so easy, I went home and recreated it the next day because I was dying to share it with you guys.

When I went through the check out line at New Seasons the cashier knew what I was making, so maybe I’m the only one whose never heard of this? Anyway, I don’t know what it is called, so I’ll call it Ginger Dessert (because the woman who made it is called Ginger, not because it tastes like ginger!)


Frozen Ginger Dessert

Three ingredients
Pie Crust (I used graham cracker crust but you could use chocolate too depending on the flavor of the filling)
Flavored Yogurt (2 6-ounce containers)
1 container of cool whip (I used New Seasons’ “natural” version and it worked well also)

 
Instructions

1. Put yogurt and whipped topping in a bowl and wisk together until well-mixed.

2. Put yogurt/whipped topping mixture in the pie crust.

3. Freeze (recommended for at least 3 hours).

(Took this one out of the freezer a little early.) 

4. (If you want) garnish with fruit or other toppings.
 
That’s it! Its really that simple. Its creamy and delicious but lighter than ice cream which is great for summer.

I used marionberry yogurt but you could try any flavor your little heart desires. My mom and I both think using key lime yogurt would be delish. (Ginger recommends 3 yogurts if you do that so you don’t lose the tartness of the key lime.)

What is your favorite summer dessert?

x

Pin It

Convert a Shed to a Chicken Coop (Tips to Make it Easier)

Its done. Well, like every project I do, its 90% complete so I’m calling it done. The chickens are out of the house and their fortress in the dining room is gone!


The shed-coop is the ugliest thing I’ve ever been proud to have made. According to Matt, I did “95% of the work” which feels pretty good! However, I was interested in being speedy so its not the most beautiful thing in the yard. I figure, when we actually fix up the back yard I can beautify it then.


Or maybe its plenty pretty for this gal?





We decided to convert the shed into a chicken coop because we never used the shed much, and we were hoping to save some money. (Though hardware cloth is pretty expensive.)

There are the basic features of every hen house.

The run.

The coop.
 
A ramp to go in between.
 
Roosts.

 
A nesting box.

 
Although converting a shed to a chicken coop is a personalized thing since every shed is different, I have a few tips that will make it easier.


Tips for Converting A Shed to A Chicken Coop

1. Take off the walls one at a time.
We removed all of the outer walls of the shed at once, leaving just the framing and roof in place. The shed got really wobbly and not square. I added blocking (horizontal wood to hold the studs in place), but it was too late. I recommend removing one wall, then add the blocking to that wall. Then move onto the next wall.

2. Remove the floor.
If you’re on a concrete slab this isn’t necessary, but otherwise, I recommend it. Our plywood floor had already started rotting so we didn’t have an option. But, knowing how much the chickens poop and that some rain could get in there, its best just to remove it now. Plus, I think the chickens would rather walk around on dirt than cement or wood. We took out the floor but left the beams in place and just filled in with dirt around all of the beams, to make a dirt floor.

3. Use what you’ve got.
We were able to reuse the walls of the shed to make the coop, used leftover paint to paint the inside, and used doors from our soon-to-be-demo’d kitchen cabinets. The only things I had to buy were a few pieces of wood, hardware, and hardware cloth.

4. Draw out your plans ahead of time.
This is a little difficult when using an existing structure, but having a rough design idea is a good one. I didn’t do this – just flew by the seat of my pants – and there are a few things I’d like to change. For example, the chickens’ waterer is right underneath the big coop doors, so every time I reach in there to get a chicken or clean it out, I spill pine shavings in their water. So even if you don’t have all of the measurements in your drawing, just knowing where things will go will help you avoid minor inconveniences like this.

5. Design a place for storage.
This is something I didn’t do but wish I did. Our shed is 9’ x 12’ so its perfect for our three chickens*, with a little room to expand the flock if we want later. However, I wish I would have built a small storage area on the outside of the shed for food, pine shavings, etc. Right now the food is in a metal garbage can outside but the pine shavings are in the garage which is a pain.

* Sadly, Slash was indeed a rooster so he’s now living with Farmer Pete from the Urban Farm Store.

Have you ever built a shed or chicken coop? Or converted one to the other? What are your best tips?


PS. Look at how much they’ve grown!



PPS. I've heard lots about people that use Bloglovin to subscribe to blogs so I jumped on the band wagon! Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Sharing at Not Just a Housewife and Home Stories A to Z. Pin It