mirror, mirror on the wall

i have a few little DIY projects for the kitchen walls that i've been working on and wanted to share.

and yes - one of them is a mirror.

i found this gold mirror at my grandmothers a few months back.  she is a gold mine for old stuff in good condition.  and if it's upstairs, it's probably fair game.

so, i brought it home and thought through where the best place for it would be.  once i figured out the best place, i would be able to figure out what color i wanted to spray it.

i finally decided on the kitchen.  the only wall that has anything on it is the wall of photos.  the walls are kind of lacking in decor. 

here's what the mirror looked like when i found it.

i forgot to take a picture with the mirror in it...

and here she is with a fresh coat of paint

awesome huh?  well, not picture of me, but the mirror it's self.  i love stuff like this!  and i love the transformation just a simple coat of spray paint can accomplish!

the back door is pretty much directly across from the mirror and it's the door we use all the time.  the mirror is in the perfect spot for a last minute hair check.  =)

i also wanted to add something to another wall in the kitchen.

this one.  the one to the right of the window.

i don't really have a lot of the blue i've used through out the kitchen on this side of the room.  the blue of that little table.

the other day i was at target and ran across these plates.

.89 cents for the big ones, .78 cents for the little ones.  i kind of fell in love with them.  had to have them. but i didn't want them to just sit in a cabinet...

so, i decided to hang them.  bring in my blue, and now i would get to look at these awesome plates all the time.

so, a little DIY was in order.

i had the hubs pic up some little ring hangers for pictures at home depot.  then, we gorrilla glued them to the back of the plates.

24 hours later, the glue had had plenty of time to dry and they were ready to hang.

i love them!  simple, cheap and i think they look great.  just what i was looking for!

that's it!  just a little spruce up for the kitchen walls.

on a side note, i've been feeling a craft urge lately.  hopefully i'll have some cute stuff to share soon.

have a good monday friends!

kitchen reveal - more detail

when i posted our big kitchen reveal, i promised i would come back with details.  the space has evolved some since these first pictures were taken, but mostly just with random things like an inexpensive clock from target or another set of curtains for the back door.

just in case you forgot, here she is again in all her glory...

the details are mostly on the pictures, but i'll expand on a few things here and there, and give links on where some things can be found.

the IKEA barstools can be found here.  we went with with linneryd natural color with a birch frame.  26x19" high.  i was little worried getting such a light color with C, but the covers can be easily removed and are machine washable.  i wanted something with a back and something that was really comfortable.  these work perfect.

and yes - we went with laminate countertops that are made to look like quartz stone.  we priced actual stone and realized they would take 1/2 our budget alone because of all the countertop space.  we aren't millionaires and know that this is something we can upgrade down the road.  plus, they look amazing.  we upgraded to a beveled edge and are very pleased.

 

schoolhouse pendant light can be found here. we originally ordered 3.  one for above the sink, like shown above, and two for over the peninsula.  once we had the cabinets installed, we realized there wasn't enough clearance for opening some cabinets, and if we tried to move the location of the lights it would all look too crowded.  i was pretty bummed, but i'm very pleased with this one light.

 

faucet was ordered from overstock.com and can be found here.  we opted not to use the sprayer because we don't really ever use them and i kind of hate them.  the top of each handle has a white ceramic insert that says "HOT" or "COLD".  i think that's my favorite part.

the curtains are navy blue and white.  i also made a set for the back door (which isn't pictured but is in the kitchen, next to the fridge).  ring clips and curtain rod (shown below) are from target.

the vintage fiesta-ware was found at my granmother's house about a month ago.  she gave me a whole set of dinner plates and saucers in a variety of wonderful colors.  also this gravy boat and a big yellow platter.  unfortunately i don't have a place to display them.  and i've been told that vintage fiesta-ware is not safe to eat off of because of the lead used in the paint.  my grandmother got them right after she and my grandfather married in 1944.  i love them and have 2 on a plate stand on the countertop.

 

 

it's probably strange, but i LOVE the trashcan drawer.  in every house i've ever lived in (even growing up) we've always had a trashcan on display.  and i HATE it.  even more so when we really got serious about recycling and had two trashcans on display.  this drawer now hides both of our trashcans.  awesome.

 

 chalkboard DIY found in an old post here.  i just sprayed painted it with white i already had.

i've since added another blue table under the blue table holding the plant.  makes more sense on why it's called a "nesting table".

and board and batten technique can be found here.  we used the height from the chair rail (typical is 36") that used to be there.  the new "rail" or board is actually just cedar planks painted white.  and the batten (i guess) are painted lattice strips.  very inexpensive treatment, just a little time consuming.  but makes a great impact if you ask me!

and then our family photo wall.  i actually had this hanging in the dining room before we demoed.  it's one of my favorite things in the house and always a fun conversation piece.  i hung it in the exact same way i had it up before.  i even took pictures to make sure everything went back in place. 

a - a childhood picture of my uncle.  b - a picture of shaun and his dad when he's about 4.  c - me when i'm about 4.  d - a picture of C at 1 week.  e - my grandmother on her wedding day.  f - another picture of C at about 2 months.  g - our 1st easter as a little family, in front of our first house.  h - our wedding day.  i - my dad (a musician) playing guitar in a bar at about age 25.  j - a photo of my great-great-great grandfather at a masque ball in baton rouge, la.  he was crowned the king.  k - picture of C and i when she was about 2 months old.  l - an old picture of my brother, myself and my grandfather bottle feeding a calf on our farm in indiana.  i'm about 10.  m - a picture of my mom and her brother riding a horse.  my mom is probably 4 and my uncle 7.  n - shaun's grandmother and grandfather with their first 2 children.  o - shaun's mom's senior picture.  p - another picture of C at 1 1/2.  the two big multi-picture frames are full of wonderful friends and k-bear kona.

i know that was a long explanation, but i love this wall and everyone on it.  i can't wait to make it bigger as the years go on.

and a little tip if you are making a wall like this yourself.  once you have everything in place, use a level to make sure your frames are straight and then use some kind of double-sided tape on the backs to keep things from constantly moving.  this is a high traffic area in our home and it would drive me mad.

and a little detail on the installation of things.  we did have someone come in and install the cabinets and countertops.  we wanted it done right and new a professional would be the best way to go.  plus, it only took them 1 day!  but pretty much everything else was done by the hubs.  demo, electrical, plumbing, tile, board & batten, paint.  i of course helped here and there, but shaun asked a lot of questions, learned a lot and did the majority of the work on his own and with the help of a few good friends.  big round of applause for mr. cook!  ;)

so - there you have it.  a more detailed reveal of our new kitchen.  we are still in awe of how wonderful she is!

the cooks are cooking - FINAL KITCHEN REVEAL

i know, i know.  you were beginning to think i had forgotten about you, right?  i'm pretty sure shaun did too.

technically, we've been cooking for about a week now.  and everyday, the hubs asks when i'm going to blog and reveal the kitchen.  let's be honest - he's got a lot of hard work to show off.

but there were details.  so many little details that i wanted to have finished and finalized before i showed the world our newest pride and joy.

so, i haven't forgotten you blog stalkers.  i've just been "primping."

are you ready?  ok...

25 days ago, when i walked into the kitchen, this is what i saw...

 

and today - FINALLY - i walk in and see THIS

did you hear that?

oh yeah - it was the "aaahhhaahahaaahaahhhaaahhh" sound from the angels.  

this is my new kitchen.  heavenly, i know!  =)

here are a few before and after shots:

before...

AFTER!!!

 before...

AFTER!!!

totally crazy huh?  i mean, is this really the same space?  we have asked ourselves that same question so many times over the last week.  it's a pretty amazing transformation!

remember that 1 drawer i had before?

check out my drawers now!!!

pots and pans drawer

 

even enough drawer space for C to have her own and at just the right height so she can access it herself.

and check out that cabinet space!  now that the unnecessary soffit is gone, we have 42 inch upper cabinets!!  HELLO!?!?!

 

remember those beautiful floors we had before?  no?  let me refresh your memory...

ah yes - the gorgeous faux brick.  a popular choice in the...60's?

well, check it out now! 

 

yep!  amazing.  the hubs did such a great job.  this tile looks awesome!  

and, it was on clearance!  makes us love it even more.

and i can't forget - since we knocked down the wall separating the kitchen and the dining room, the dining room got an upgrade by default.

before, when i stood in the kitchen, i saw this...

and now we see THIS

i can't tell you how much bigger everything seems now that the wall is gone.  even though we didn't add any square footage to our house, this open concept for the kitchen and dining room is AMAZING!

so, there you have it!  the cook's are back in the kitchen!  

and now my view from the kitchen sink is a whole lot sweeter than before...

details to come soon.  i thought 19 pictures were enough for tonight....

thanks for hanging in there with us!  wanna come over for dinner?

this just in!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!

this just in!

we have a DISHWASHER!!!!

oh yes!  isn't she lovely?!?

thanks to the hard work and dedication of my amazing husband, i can now move back into my kitchen!  i can actually make a meal and not have to wash the dishes by hand.

HALLELUJAH!  HALLELUJAH!

thank you shauny!  you. are. the. best.

in other less exciting news...

~ actually, none of this may be exciting to you...sorry...~

C's cala lily has bloomed!

when C was born, my aunt and uncle sent this lily to the hospital.  i loved the idea of getting a flower that you could replant, so, i did.  then, last may we sold our house and moved into this one.  the lily was starting to grow at our old house, (from where we had planted it the fall before), and i couldn't bear to leave it.  so the hubs dug it up for me and we planted at the new house.  it didn't really do much last year.  it was just green.

then yesterday, i saw a flower!  C's lily is alive and blooming this year!

eventually i'm going to have to find a better spot for her.  we just randomly stuck her somewhere because by the time we got everything loaded into the new house and were trying to get settled in, i kind of forgot about her.  when i remembered, i was afraid she had been out of the ground for too long, so we just stuck her in a random spot.

now that she is doing so well, she will get a proper planting this fall!

well, that's if for the exciting news today. 

i'm off for the next 4 days, but again, that's probably only exciting for me!

have a good thursday friends!

weekend at the farm and a sneak peak

i'm not doing a very good job with catchy titles lately.  oh well...

we had a great weekend at the farm!  this is my families farm and it honestly hasn't changed much in my 30 years of life.  it's all the same.  the same scenery, the same smells, the same barns.  this is one place that i know will be exactly the same as the last time i left it.  i like that kind of familiarity.

i can't tell you how much it means to me to take C here.  to watch her run around and discover new things.



to see the look on her face when a herd of cattle approach the truck, and to hear her say "baby cows!  baby cows!" over and over again with such excitement.

and to see my grandmother laugh and enjoy her company is wonderful as well.  all of the cattle where back in the woods grazing and growing this visit.  i really wanted C to be able to see some, so shaun, C and i loaded up in the truck.  then my mom and ma-maw decided they would join us.  as we were driving back, my grandmother said she hadn't been back in the woods since my poppa died.  10 years.  i'm so thankful that our little C is bringing more life back into this place.

 we also discovered that our C is a little bit country mixed with a little bit diva.

 she loved it up there!  she kept saying "caroline's tractor".  oh really?  not sure where we will park it baby girl...

the weekend we great.  just what we needed.  the hubs and i got to sleep in on saturday morning when gran jan scooped C out of bed around 7.  and we all got to take a nap!  that's big for the cook's.  but, it was what we needed.

sunday brought us back to reality.  a good reality though because monday morning, installation for the cabinets and counter tops started!!  honestly, i'm not sure shaun slept.

so, as the title says - here's a little sneak peak...

i can't even tell you how amazing everything looks!

but, as you can see in the background, we still have A LOT of work to do.  the sink is in place, but no water.  so, a bigger reveal later.  just wanted to keep you with me!  =)

have a good tuesday friends!

last post before the reveal!

yep - this is it.

we are going out of town today and on monday our cabinets and coutertops are being installed!!

AHHHH!!  i'm kind of freaking out - in a good way of course.

the past two nights, shaun has been working hard on the floor.

sometimes, i don't know how he does it.  he kind of turns into a super husband at times like this.  stays up until 2:30 laying tile, wakes up at 7, does more work around the house like mowing the grass, takes the dog on walks and is still able to smile.

i'm proud of you babe. and really impressed.

so, here are the last few pictures before the big reveal.

tile has been laid and grouted!

we still have to wait about 12 hours before we can completely clean it off and seal it, but you get the general idea.  and the picture below gives you an up close of what it will look like cleaned.

cool, huh?  it's porcelain, but has the look of hardwood with a little bit of texture.  looks great with the hardwood floor that runs throughout the rest of our house, but not like we were trying to match. does that make sense?  sorry...

pendant lights will be here today and installed on monday (probably sunday night - he won't be able to wait)

the remaining board and batten will be installed on monday and then painted

we will bring the appliances back in (fridge, range and microwave)

plumbing for the dishwasher

and then....I THINK THAT'S IT!!

no more of this...

and a little correction on the paint color.  it's actually grassland from sherwin williams.  not garden sage.  sorry.

so - there you go.  we are headed to the farm this weekend for a little r & r.  the hubs needs a break and going somewhere with no internet and little cell phone service is just the ticket.

have a good weekend!