Kitchen Makeover - Phase 1

Hello all!

First off, let me say that I have a whole new respect for anyone who has survived lived through a kitchen remodel.  Having the contents of my kitchen strewn around my house is already stressing me out, and I suspect that any Trick or Treaters we had last night thought that we were hoarders if they caught a glimpse.  It was definitely the scariest house on the street.
 
I'm very excited that this project is finally getting off the ground, as it is one that I have wanted to do since we bought the house almost a year ago.  But man, do I loathe the prep work that is involved.  Have you ever tried taping the inside of a cabinet?  Unless you have a small child or a secret elf helper that can sit inside the cabinet and tape it off (and not request to come out), it's pretty much an impossible task.  Or at least impossible to do well.


And no, the dog didn't pee on the contractor paper - I think my daughter got a glass of water from the fridge dispenser and spilled it.  At least I hope that's what happened...

I have googled just about every combination of "taping off kitchen cabinets" that you can fathom, and have come up with zilch.  I found some pictures of cabinets that are taped off, but no good instructions on how to do it (well).  So, if you have any suggestions (or a small elf I could borrow), I'm all ears.

I did get to some of the fun stuff - painting - which was a much needed break from the tedios taping exercise.  The cabinets are primed on both sides and I got the first coat of paint on the back of the cabinets.  I was swooning over the color of the tinted primer and am even more thrilled with the paint.  It's a beautiful, creamy white that I had color matched to my cabinet sample piece.

Let me just say that I'm in love with my new HVLP conversion spray gun.  If you ever decide to do a project like this, I can't say enough about this thing.  You NEED one.  It has made fast work out of my 50+ cabinets and drawers, and at least makes the prep work worthwhile.  I kid you not.  I can knock out a door in 1-2 minutes with this puppy.


I set up a little "staging area" for spraying the doors.  Although my husband asked if it was an "alien abduction area" and my son asked if I had ET back there.  I used a folding table and put a piece of MDF on with with four nails to balance the door.  This way it's easier to pick up and put it back out in the "cabinet farm" to dry with the others.


See what I'm saying about how precise this thing is?  I can dial it down to spray a really fine line around the sides of the cabinets.

And then go on to spray the rest of the cabinet.  The finish is like buttah.

I have to tell you, all of this work has made me feel like an old mare.  My back - oh my aching back!



So, there you have it.  Phase 1 of I-don't-know-how-many phases in this project. :-)



New Wreaths in the Shop

Happy Halloween weekend! Can you believe that November is upon us? Dare I mention Thanksgiving and Christmas! As fast as the holidays are approaching, I don't mind, this is my favorite time of year.

I've been busy stocking my Etsy shop in anticipation of the holidays and will be making even more!
I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for your support!


If you click on the link below each picture it will take you to the listing.

Cornucopia Wreath

Cornucopia Wreath

Berry Wreath with Plaid Ribbon



Snowy Wreath

Fruit Wreath
Poinsettia Wreath

Have a Happy Halloween!





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Taking the Pain out of Painting

Hello all!

So, you know that I have newfound confidence in painting my kitchen cabinets since I finished with my Kitchen Island redo, right?  Well, I think I have The Tool that is going to be my new best friend as I tackle my remaining kitchen cabinets.  And it arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

Meet my new HVLP Conversion Paint Gun.  Helloooo Gorgeous.

HVLP = High Volume, Low Pressure, which means in the end that it will dramatically reduce overspray and also provides a great deal of control so I can spray in a very focused and controlled manner.  This will not only be perfect for spraying my cabinet doors and drawers, but also cabinet bases and frames.  No brushes!

The beauty of this tool is that I can hook it up to our air compressor vs. having to purchase a "turbine" that many of the HVLP guns use, thus reducing my cost.  The gun itself was only $129, and yes, I did order it from gleempaint.com.  I'm not getting paid by Gleem Paint or anything, just an fyi.

Soooo, I have been a busy bee researching paint colors, types and brands for my kitchen cabinet project, as that is the only thing keeping me from getting started.  I have been swooning over lots of beautiful kitchen eye candy in the process. 

Originally, I was planning on glazing my cabinets ever-so-slightly, but I'm finding that I'm really drawn to the simple, clean look of classic white kitchen cabinets.

I mean, what's not to love?




Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest




Source: None via Jenny on Pinterest




Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

At the very least, I can start the paint prep process (which is really the pain of painting, isn't it?).  I'm really getting excited about this project! 

Remind me of this excitement when I'm knee deep in this mess, will you?

Harvest Green Tablescape

It is that time of year when I get inspired just by being outside. I love all the changing leaves and wonderful saturated colors, definitely a perk to living in Missouri. While we were taking pictures over the weekend, we were in an area with several hedge apple trees. I just love the color and texture of them....and decided to bring a bunch home.

The centerpiece I created is really simple. A large cylinder vase (I've used these a million times) filled with water, submerge the hedge apples and placed cut branches. Super simple, high impact.





I placed the vase in the galvanized tray I've had (I've used that tray here and here too) and layered in the rest of the hedge apples. It was so cute Logan kept calling them head apples. :)





Isn't the texture wonderful?





The table that Justin built for me last year has really weathered well, it is a lot lighter, which I am loving. You can't beat the look of weathered wood, you really can't. For the place settings, I started off with place mats I made from burlap (you might remember them from here). Leaf charger plates from Walmart last year (they have a similar version this year too ) and a plain white dinner plate





The glassware, simple, and nothing new ( I really do need to add glassware to my list).





For utensils, I decided to use some of the giant set that I won at auction, I think the gold adds a lot of elegance. The handles look great with the charger plates.





The salad plates are from Walmart, really inexpensive and look really great. I loved how the little bit of green ties back to the hedge apples.





The napkins I found at World Market and they have them in a ton of colors, this one is called celery. The napkin rings are thrifted but I didn't find them this way. They were originally a wooden look but I white washed them for a new look, this is actually the first time I've used them.










SO just out of curiosity, do you call them Hedge apples or Osage oranges?





Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are inspired!






Want to see more pictures? Click HERE


Joining Susan














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DIY Paint Technique (New Version!)

You probably know by now that transforming accessories with paint is one of my favorite things to do. If it's a great shape, or figure in this case, that I love, I KNOW it can be salvaged. Are you ready to learn a new painting technique? I was wanting to try a different look and color that is a little darker than what I showed you this past spring, I guess to go along with the season......so let's go! It's easy!

What You'll Need:


Figurine, statue, or some accessory in need of some TLC


Clean Metal Primer (this works great for ceramics too!)


Territorial Beige (or some form of tan/beige)


Burnt Umber


Gnarly Brush
Spray Sealer in Satin (or flat if you prefer)



Meet Quail. He is old and crying out to be brought to the 21st century! He is pitiful, but potentially pretty.



I gave him a coat of primer and let it dry.
(Hey, if you're into the mod look, after the primer, give him a couple of coats of glossy white and call it done. I like that look too.)


Follow up the primer with two coats of territorial beige, and let dry.
Make sure you get Quail's belly.


Here is the brush that I use for dry-brushing on small projects. It is an artist brush that has been through the ringer a couple of times, but one of my most used brushes. I suggest using a smaller brush because you have more control over where the paint is going, but a small 1 inch chip brush will probbaly do the trick too, you'll just have to make sure that it isn't layered with too much paint.


Burnt Umber is probably one of my favorite paint colors. It is the perfect brown. So while you have some wiggle room on which tan/beige to use, I urge you to use only burnt umber for the top coat. So start off slowly and build up the layers of paint, you'll want the beige to show through quite a bit. I probably went over the bird twice before I felt it looked right. You'll know when it's done.


Here is Quail all finished, but looking rather dull, so on to the next and final step. Is this easy or what?


Give Quail two coats of a satin polyurethane. That sheen really brings out the color and isn't too glossy. He's looking mighty happy and handsome now!


Here is another sampling of the technique, this time on an over-sized pear (I love this too!!) The technique works even if you don't have raised surfaces too. It did take a little longer to get it just right, but it was worth it!


And then I was REALLY happy with the outcome of this one. This one did take some time. But you can't beat the before and after


1980's Ceramic Fruit Topiary Before:



Timeless AFTER:


All three of these pieces I bought to go in my booth, but I think the quail might have to stay with me for a while (and the pear too!) :)


I hope you have a fresh perspective on old and tired accessories, paint them!

This technique is really easy, give it a try!
UndertheTableandDreaming


Domestically Speaking



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