A House Full Of Hands-on Projects

When Kara from Made 2 Create invited us to crash her Tulsa, Oklahoma house we chose that even though we could not make the trek over there in person we needed to virtually cover her casa. Because it is simply that good. And to preface this remarkable house tour we should mention that nearly everything you will see in Kara’s vivid home came from a garage sale, Craigslist or she and her hubby Tim made it with their own four hands. Now let us meet Kara the handy homeowner herself:

And now that we have the formalities out of the way, let us poke around inside. Kara built a faux fireplace to create a focal point and put her go-to saying on the mantle (do what you enjoy) along with bringing in a lot of spendy looking pieces that she hunted down on the low-cost. She even made those billowy and dramatic curtains from affordable Lowe’s drop cloths.

But our hands down go-to part of the dining room is Kara’s homemade mason jar chandelier. Stunning, no?

There used to be two walls cutting the kitchen and the dining room off from the living room so Kara chose to get rid of both of them to open up the space and make for straightforward entertaining. She even built the media console from the old kitchen cabinets that were torn out during the big expansion. Gotta enjoy that use-whatcha-got spirit.

Sadly Kara’s kitchen cabinets were not salvageable (although we enjoy that some of them got a second life as the green media console), so she opted for assemble-it-yourself cabinetry to save money. You’d never guess that it is not custom though, right? We enjoy everything from the glass fronted cabinets that flank the window above the sink to the concrete countertops that she and Tim poured themselves. Kara even made the pot rack from her home’s own reclaimed copper plumbing. And she turned a garage sale table into an island.

Bear in mind when you look at this stunning guest bathroom that this space in fact had wallpaper in the shower! Insane. But it was nothing that Kara could not handle. She brought in striking hardwood floors (and put marine grade poly on them, so water will not be a problem), brought in custom built-ins, and even turned an old desk into a vanity (again topping it with a chic Hands-on concrete counter). And of course we enjoy that she and her hubby did all the work themselves to keep down the cost.

Again, in the interest of saving money (we enjoy this girl), Kara repainted her original bedroom dresser with a flower motif that mimics the flower pattern in her curtains. She also gussied up her old headboard by tufting and upholstering it.

And one of the most major changes in the space was adding this vivid glass door in the place of an old window, which now leads to a lovely private outdoor area. Life is good when you are Kara.

We also enjoy that she was able to increase the square footage of her bathroom by about 25 feet, but she visually expanded it by a lot more when she got rid of an old bulky vanity, brought in reflective white tile and brought in a glass shower screen for that open and airy feeling.

Here is Kara’s “reading room” where she went for an exotic and worldly feeling with a bed nook for enjoying a book (or a nap) and a formerly black dresser that she amped up with colorful paint (enjoy that Moroccan feel).

Everything from the padded pouf to the map on the wall of the reading nook adds to the worldly and well traveled feel. Which is perfectly appropriate for Kara since she in fact lived in Lithuania for a while. Yes, yet another reason to be green with envy.

Kara hoped the guest room to have a rustic-yet-glamorous effect. And the corrugated tin headboard is the ideal combo of those two elements (she was inspired to whip it up herself after a trip to Lowe’s!). Touches of metallics, pops of yellow, and tons of texture truly add to the space. And Kara figured why stop at making that remarkable headboard when you can make the overhead light as well? So she did. We enjoy the giant glowing orb, especially when it is paired with those warm pops of yellow and the rustic wood wall.

And because we know you folks enjoy a source list, here you go:

Dining Room- paint: Earl Gray (Lowe’s), chandelier: DIYed, table & bench & reupholstered chairs: garage sale, cowhide rug: side of the road stand, curtains: Lowe’s drop cloths, faux fireplace: built by Tim, mirror: DIYed frame + old bathroom mirror, purple pillows: Target, artwork: DIYed (she sells the Eye Charts). Living Room- paint: custom mix from leftover paint, roman shades: Home Depot, curtains: Target, armchairs: Target, media console: DIYed from old kitchen cabinets, sofa table: suitcases, coffee table/bench & sofa with slipcover: garage sale. Kitchen- cabinets: Home Depot’s self-assembled, beadboard color: Contemplation (Behr), kitchen island: garage sale, pot rack: made from copper plumbing (she also sells these), desk by the fridge: estate sale. Guest Bathroom- sconces: Habitat for Humanity ReStore, rug: Target, vanity: Craigslist desk, vessel sink: Craigslist, chevron towels: Ross, vanity shelf & bathtub caddy: IKEA. Reading Room- repainted dresser: Craigslist, rug & valance: garage sale, round pendant: Sam’s Club, red pouf: Pier 1. Main Bedroom- paint: Moonlite “something” (Glidden), flowery curtains: Target, yellow fabric: Walmart, chandelier: Habitat for Humanity Restore, nightstands: garage sales, concrete table: built by Tim. En-suite Bathroom- paint: “custom mix”, vanities: Lowe’s (painted & brought in glass inserts), glass shelves: Walmart, mirrors: Ross, vanity lights: Lowe’s. Guest Bedroom- paint: Prusian Cadet (Valspar), headboard: DIYed, bedding: Target, blanket: Walmart, stumps/side tables: mother nature.

So there you have Kara’s Hands-on palace. Does not it look posh and pricey, even though it was anything but? We enjoy that it is full of doable Hands-on ideas that never look the least bit tacky or crafty. Thanks so much for inviting us into your lovely home Kara! And do not forget to drop in on her journal for a lot more delectable Hands-on ideas. Now let us play a little game we like to call what is-your-go-to-thing? We are totally torn between that remarkable mason jar chandelier, the poured concrete counters or that brilliant tin headboard.

Psst- We are consistently on the hunt for a mouthwatering house (or ten) to crash, so if you or anyone you know has a casa that is feature-ready simply shoot us an email along with some photos of the space and if we are ever in the neighborhood we will be sure to drop in.