Kitchen Mini Makeover

While our ceilings were under construction, I seized the opportunity to make a few cosmetic updates in our kitchen. Gotta strike while the paint brush is hot, right? I'm always amazed at the difference a new paint color makes.

I had always wanted a red kitchen and loved the red for over 8 years. Now, I was ready for a change! We went with the same gray that the rest of our downstairs is. Everything has a nice continuous flow throughout our first floor now. 

Here's a look at the red before. It was a warm color and served us well. But, I love the gray and white now! It's so much lighter and open feeling. Hooray for gray! 

I picked out a new light fixture which makes a world of difference. There was a heavy 6-light chandelier before that overpowered the modest eat-in kitchen. 

I thought this clear glass cake-dish looking pendant was more fitting. It reminds me of a trifle dish! 

The color beneath the chair rail used to be beige. Now, it's crisp clean white. I added a little shelf with hooks (that was sitting in our basement) by the front door, with a message board above. I just love this little entry spot now. Especially with Marshall's little jackets hanging there. 

Another area of our kitchen that needed a major update was the *mirror* back splash. Yes, you read that right. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Literally. It was under the cabinets and behind the stove. Strange. I just couldn't look at it anymore. We considered doing tile or some other type of wall treatment, but the added expense and the thought of dealing with removing (breaking) mirrors, was too much for us with everything else going on. Enter: fancy contact paper. My friend Hilary did something similar in her kitchen and it inspired me to give it a try. I found a pattern on ETSY that I liked for under $20 and one roll was all I needed. It was fairly easy to measure, cut and apply. Done! I love that I can just wipe it clean and it was such an inexpensive quick fix!

 

I had fun designing and assembling a gallery wall where our wooden shelves used to be. Most items were things that I had. The wooden arrow is from my talented friend, Heather. I re-painted the "Welcome" sign and I added new things to the other frames. I found the "With God all things are possible" sign at Tuesday Morning, before the store closed in our area. The touches of gold, wood and white tie everything together. 

Last, but certainly not least, my favorite part was installing a new kitchen sink and faucet! Our old cast iron sink had many scratches (the kind that can't be cleaned, no mater how hard you scrub) and a few small chips from years of use. The two-handle faucet was leaking for a while and was difficult to clean. 

There also used to be a little wooden shelf coming out from the window sill that I needed gone. I convinced Jesse to rip it out for me, even if it left gaping hole. We took care of it. Ha! 

I really like our new single handle faucet with removable spray feature. It's so pretty, too! I was giddy about having this sink installed. It was my early Christmas present. It wasn't an easy job though. This was actually the THIRD sink I ordered. We originally wanted another cream colored sink to match the counter top, but that proved to be a bigger challenge than I imagined. One sink arrived cracked. Finally I ordered a black one, since the price was right, it was available in the style I wanted and it matches all of our appliances. Done. I gotta give Jesse extra thanks for the pain it was to remove the old sink and get this beauty in place. 

One final finishing touch, a new simple white window valance. Which was surprisingly difficult to find (from JCPenney. Thanks for the tip, Jess!). 

That's how we got a "new" kitchen on a tight budget with a few cosmetic updates. I couldn't be happier with the results! Our kitchen could really use a total overall, but that's not a project that we will be doing any time soon. For now, I'm so happy with these updates!

 

Smooth Ceiling Renovation, Part 3: After

It's finally time to reveal our beautiful new ceilings! (drum roll...) Tada! Crisp, white, non-stained, un-bumpy, smooth ceilings all around. I still look up and marvel at how nice it is. I can't express how much better and brighter and newer everything looks now! It feels like it was always this way (and should have been). 

Here's a comparison of the before and after.

Isn't it great? We are very happy with how it turned out and can't thank our friend, Jesse Wilson, of J. Wilson Construction enough for the time he spent working on it and helping us get through this massive project! 

We replaced the old iron wall sconces that had shades, with new simple brushed silver lights - which we discovered were on a dimmer switch. Bonus!

Here is another before and after comparison of the front play room. The light fixture was switched to match the one in the hall (similar style as before).

The living room and kitchen have LED recessed lighting, which are all on dimmers. The amount of light and the quality is amazing now. We can actually SEE what we're doing in the kitchen. Like chopping vegetables and not feeling like I'm in the dark. It makes SUCH a difference! I wasn't sure if we needed as many lights as we were planning on, but it was totally worth it! I don't regret any of them.

 

And last, but certainly not least, a new light fixture for our eat-in kitchen. I selected this pretty glass beauty at Home Depot and it's just right for this spot. Doesn't it look like a trifle bowl or an upside down cake stand? Perfectly fitting. The old chandelier was so bulky for such a small space and trying to keep 6 light bulbs always lit was annoying. I love the simplicity of the new light. 

This gives you a sneak peek at my mini kitchen makeover (no more red). More to come on that, soon!

I now have such an appreciation for ceilings and the work it takes to make them look good. Andrew and I survived another major home project and Marshall made it through his first one! It took two solid weeks of work, and then additional days of finishing up loose ends. Definitely memorable, and in the end, worth all the mess and inconvenience. I'm so thankful for my "new home", because cosmetically, it feels like we got a new first floor.

Mini Coffee Station

 

If there's one thing that will always be a staple in our kitchen, it's a coffee maker. My husband is an avid coffee drinker and he has been since the day we met. Morning, noon or night, he's almost always up for a cup (or two or three). 

I've seen many different types of coffee stations or coffee bars all over Pinterest. I was especially inspired by Katie Bower's desk turned coffee bar. Our kitchen isn't big enough to dedicate much counter space to making a true "station", or add a large piece of furniture, so I kept thinking of other ways to create something on a smaller scale.  

I've had this wooden wine rack in our living room for a few years. It feels like a tall end table. It's been serving as a wine-magazine-candle rack for quite a while. I wondered if it might just work as a mini coffee station. 

It's one of the first things you see when you walk into our house and is snugged right behind our kitchen table next to a bench. Anything bigger would be too much. 

I really wanted to incorporate shelving above to keep mugs and a sugar bowl. The shelves were already there, so all I had to do was re-style them. All you need is some type of stand - it could be an old dresser, hutch, desk, island, table, shelving unit, anything! Add your coffee maker and a basket or tray with supplies - coffee (of course!), filters, stir sticks, whatever you like. And lastly, some pretty mugs, sugar, and other fixin's. That's it! Cute, right?

Make sure you have something underneath your coffee maker if it's a wooden surface or something you'd rather not get wet. I used a round place mat. Andrew's favorite coffee is Wawa hazelnut. He buys some every time we go to Pennsylvania to keep his supply stocked.

I can also store my cookbooks and still use it for wine bottles. A perfect little multipurpose stand! I bought this inexpensive wine rack at Big Lots years ago. Check out the miscellaneous furniture section at similar stores for little gems like this. 

Cheers and happy coffee drinking!

Five Favorite Things

 

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss, Sugar Pie
Every once in a while, I try new products and if I like them, I think it's worth sharing. I was looking for a new lip gloss, in that perfect "nude" shade. Not sparkly. Not sticky. Not expensive. Carmindy, on TLC's What Not To Wear (one of my favorite shows), always references a "nude lip" when she does makeovers. I found a good one by NYX (new brand to me) that was recommended by an employee at Ulta. It's a nice pale pink/nude color, with barely a hint of shimmer (no obnoxious sparkles), it's not sticky, it smells/tastes like candy, and it was just $4.99

Essie Nail Polish, Peach Daiquri

I also picked up an Essie nail polish while I was at Ulta (I wanted to use my $3.50 off coupon). I recently tried Essie for the first time and was impressed with the quality and durability of the polish, as well as the trendy colors. I normally don't pay more than $5 for nail polish (this was $8) but the coupon helped. Peach Daiquri is a perfect bright pink for spring/summer!

Bath and Body Works, Stress Relief Eucalyptus Tea Body Wash

As you know, I can't get enough of BBW's eucalyptus spearmint scented everything (lotion, body wash, home fragrance, pillow mist, hand soap, I love it all). Now, there's another scent coming in at a close second - eucalyptus tea. Andrew gave me the body wash/foam bath for my birthday and it smells heavenly. So fresh, clean, spa-like. I highly recommend it.

 

Crystal Essence, Mineral Deodorant Roll-On Lavender and White Tea

Normally, I wouldn't be talking about deodorant. But have you read any articles lately about the potentially harmful effects of aluminum in antiperspirants etc.? It feels like I've been on a life long "quest" to find the "right" deodorant (for various reasons), and the idea of something natural, without harmful ingredients sounds really appealing. So, I'm giving this one a try. It's a roll-on with a nice scent, but it does take some getting used to. It's not an antiperspirant, but it does battle odor-causing bacteria. So far, I like it. I've been giving it the sniff test throughout the day and so far so good (I think). 

Ninja Mega Kitchen System 1500
I have my husband to thank for this amazing machine. He really wanted one of these and did a lot of research (and watched the infomercial, repeatedly). I've always loved making smoothies. Lately, "super smoothies" and juicing have become very popular. Healthy recipes and energy boosting drinks include fruits as well as vegetables, protein powders, yogurt - you name it. Our favorite smoothies include frozen fruit (strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, peaches), greek yogurt, orange juice and sometimes spinach. It's a great breakfast, especially since this set comes with to-go travel cups. We also picked this one because it also has a food processor. I've never had one, and now we can make hummus, pesto, dips, dough, and other meal ideas. It was definitely an investment, but we got it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. I'm impressed with it's speed and versatility and it's pretty easy to clean.

Kitchen Chairs Makeover

We've been sprucing things up around here. A LOT. It feels like I've done so many little and big projects, that I don't know where to start. I'm diving in with my dining room chairs. 

I've moved this table in and out of rooms about a hundred different times, and I think it's finally found a permanent home in our eat-in kitchen. No need for a formal dining room these days.

The neutral cream tweed fabric cushions started to look a little drab to me. Bor-ing. I always pondered covering them with a fun fabric. That day finally came. 

I LOVE chevron pattern. I know, so does everyone else. There are so many great colors and ways to use it. I've secretly longed to incorporate it into my living space some how. Now that I've taken that leap, I have to hold myself back from going chevron-overboard. 

I found this pale blue chevron fabric with an oatmeal base at Hobby Lobby and decided to go for it. I was quite torn between blue or gray, but decided the blue would add a nice punch and contrast to the red walls.

All it took was cutting the fabric to size, enough for all 8 chairs, and putting my muscles to use with the staple gun. The stapling was the wost part. Those things really pack a punch! And are quite noisy. Am I right Triple C ladies?

After doing the first 2 cushions, I figured out the best way to fold/gather the corners - always working from the inside out, and pulling the fabric taut (with guidance from Miss Christy).

I love seeing them around the table. The fabric adds so much character to our dining space!

I liked it so much, that I made a valance with it out of burlap for over the kitchen sink window.

It makes me happy to look at it. I wonder if it could use a couple fabric flowers to embellish the corner maybe?

One thing's for certain, these two like the new chairs - a little too much! 

If you're looking to spruce up your kitchen/dining room, re-covering your chairs is a quick and affordable project. You can mix and match patterns or change it up every couple of years. A little fabric can have a big impact on a room and give new life to existing furniture.