This week, I gave into the allure of the kitchen backsplash. I’ve never had one. Not behind the sink, not behind the oven. I know I’m not alone, but as my family embarked on our early spring cleaning this week, I found myself scrubbing the wall behind the oven, and a backsplash started to take on an importance it hadn’t before.

If you’ve watched way too many shows on HGTV, you’ll know where I’m going with this. They make it look so easy to throw up a backsplash, and it always turns out great. So now I’ve convinced myself that not only do I need a backsplash, but installing it will be a breeze. Of course, if you watch as much HGTV as I do, you also know the costs associated with a ton of these projects, and there was no way that early spring cleaning was going to turn into a $1,000 project for me. It was time to get creative.

January is a big month for finding things you’d like to change about your home because you’re spending so much time there. If we were cooking out on the grill, I wouldn’t be nearly as concerned with installing this backsplash. Luckily, January is also a month where you might have a little more spare time than you would during warmer months, so there’s no reason why you can’t apply a little elbow grease to the situation. Here’s how I spent this weekend.

First, I’d ordered some of those peel and stick tiles off of Amazon. I didn’t get the actual glass tiles, but instead 3D gel sheets that resemble the real thing. I then started drawing lines and measurements all over the walls in the kitchen. Here’s a hint...if you have small children, don’t let them see you drawing on the walls. They either take it as an invitation or a challenge. Since we’d soon be covering the walls with a backsplash, the kids had a great time drawing kitty cats, monsters, and lots of stick figures on the wall, and I admit I had a pretty awesome time too.

After I had my guidelines drawn, I finally opened the packages with my new backsplash. I really took my time with this part, as it was kind of like Christmas morning all over again. Then we spent the next three hours trying to perfectly line up tiles to the lines on our wall, our countertops, and each other. Finally, I was able to stand back and admire my brand new kitchen backsplash. It was perfect, it was pretty easy, and it was cheap. All good. The only less than stellar part of this project was this: it was unplanned and not in the budget.

Sometimes we get carried away. This weekend isn’t the first time I dived headfirst into a home improvement project without planning, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Could we have lived without that backsplash another few months? Definitely. Still, every time I look at my new-to-me kitchen, I smile, and that’s worth something too.
If you’re considering some home improvement projects this winter, but you’re short on cash, here’s my advice: don’t underestimate the value of a little elbow grease or creativity. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.