It sure has been a while since my last post.  Life’s not so slow around here lately, it’s been busy busy busy.  As summer winds down we are trying to capitalize on the rest of the hot weather and the free time we have to enjoy it.

We settled in nicely to our home after one heck of a move and home buying process (more on that in my other post, Real Estate, Sweet Real Estate).  Only a few boxes remain of things we don’t quite know where to put them, or if we still need that stuff anyway.  Finally sitting on this side of the finish line from a long distance move, I say get rid of everything because I never want to move it again!  However, a military move will strike again someday and we will experience that joy once more.  Of course, the money earned from a DIY move is well worth the pain of the process.

Now having lived in the house for a bit it is time to make a couple changes.  Luckily for us we found a home in great shape with fresh paint, new floors and all.  It suits our style and function for our family.  Still, it’s nice to put your personal stamp on a place and make it your own.  Here are two of our favorite and simple improvement projects.

First up: under cabinet lighting via Inspired LED.

This company based in Tempe, AZ will create a custom lighting system for your kitchen.  Send them some measurements and a couple pictures and they design what you need to illuminate your counter space.  This extra lighting brightens the look and feel of the entire kitchen.  It’s also a super simple install once it arrives.  We did this at our old home in 2013 and couldn’t live without it here.  The extra lighting made a huge impression on our old house buyers and I’m sure it distinguished our home from the competition.

Check out their site for even more that they offer.  We are certain to use them again for the under cabinet lighting and could not recommend it enough!  Now, the price you’re wondering?  It depends on the size of your project of course, but in each of our houses it was not much more than $100.  The impact and added light for such little effort and money can’t be beat.  Here is a shot of our old kitchen with the lighting:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Up next: the garage door.

Nothing striking about a plain old garage door right?  It doesn’t have to be that way!  For the past several years carriage style garage doors have been coming into the home scene.  They have an old world meets new feel that is eye catching.  Replacing an entire garage door is too pricey and honestly, if it works, don’t change it.   There is a way to give those plain existing panels a makeover though.  This Crown Decorative Garage Door Kit*, a drill and 30 minutes is all you need.  No longer is the garage door an expanse of white squares, it is sharply decorated for less than $20!

BEFORE

AFTER

There you go!  What do you think of these ideas?  Are you entertaining them for your home?  What are some of your favorite home improvement projects or what feature couldn’t you live without in a house?  Please share in the comments!  For some of my organization ideas see my other post Mission: Organization.

*I’ve only seen this product online or at Home Depot.  Don’t go to Lowe’s, they don’t carry anything like it and will look at you like you’re some typical girl who doesn’t belong in a home improvement store.  Take my word for it.