Kitchen Refresh

This is a project I have wanted to tackle since we moved in, but it just seemed too overwhelming. I invite you to take a look back at my previous kitchen post to refresh your memory of how it looked. I thought that everything needed to be changed, and it would all be a domino affect resulting in a gutted kitchen and far too many $$ dollar signs. Then I thought maybe I should try to just paint it, but couldn’t decide on and commit to a color. Plus, I just wasn’t happy with the cabinets, but the daunting task of painting them was a prospect that kept me shying away from the project all together.

As the 2015 New Year holiday approached I was suddenly struck with motivation. The notion of a “fresh start” was at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and I decided that it was time to make a change. I wanted a clean slate for the kitchen, so I decided to go with white. Fresh white ceiling, clean white walls, crisp white trim. I enlisted the help of a few of my amazing friends and family to devote one day of their long holiday weekend to a major workout in my kitchen. It was not an easy job, but we managed to get about 75% of it done. That last 25% stretched out over the coming week or so, specifically the ceiling and the trim. This is the part where having an unbelievable patient and tolerant husband became my biggest asset. This project was my crazy, spur-of-the-moment idea that I dragged him into and now our kitchen was a mess of rags, rollers, and plastic sheets, not to mention all the furniture pushed to the center of the room. Yes, the home stretch was the toughest part of the painting journey, but every step of the way none of us could seem to stop exclaiming “this looks so much better!” The work was worth it, and the result was a better than expected transformation.

Never underestimate what painting the walls can do for a room. I feared that the bright white paint could end up accentuating other areas in need of an update, but it did just the opposite! Suddenly the cabinets seemed less dark and dingy, the counter seemed newer, and the overall yellow haze that had saturated the room was lifted. Everything just looks cleaner.

(Let me make a side-note here to talk a little bit about painting prep and equipment. First of all, choosing a white paint is hard. I would say it is harder than picking out any other color of paint, so be prepared and set aside time. The other big learning curve for this project came from my bright idea to try out a painting tool I had never used called the HomeRight EZ Twist Paint Stick. This is basically a roller attached to a pole which holds the paint inside of it to dispense as you go, eliminating the need for a tray and designed to cut down your painting time. I thought it would be particularly helpful to use on the ceiling. I read reviews. I watched videos. It turned out to be a bad choice for this project, and here is why; I am only 5’1″, my ceiling is 8′. Though I could easily reach the ceiling with the length of the pole, my center of gravity was still too low for me to get the leverage I needed to accurately push the roller to evenly dispense the paint, plus, the added weight of the paint filled tube tired my arms out too quickly. If you are of a more average height and have good upper body strength, this tool might actually be helpful, but it is still a lot of extra work to clean up. In my opinion, just stay away from fancy gadgets and stick with the classic equipment. )

So, now you are wondering, if I painted the kitchen in January, why am I just now showcasing it here? While I often set my mind to large projects and tackle them in a timely manner it is often those little details that I get hung up on that tend to drag things out. Even since I took photos there are a few little things I have tweaked or am in the process of fixing but for goodness sake, it is May already! I just had to stop making excuses.

We added cabinet hardware where there was none before. A very subtle change that, in my opinion, makes a huge difference in functionality on a daily basis. We chose chrome pulls that were salvaged from a 1950s kitchen, which turned out to be another challenge because they did not match up with standard size drilling template we bought. It just made for more hardware store trips, marking, measuring, and margin for error on our part. Once again, a project that dragged out for too long, but sometimes you have to go the extra mile to get those details just right.

I have to laugh when I think about the cycle of changes this house has undergone. It was built in 1961 (my favorite style era) then everything was updated in the mid 1980s (my least favorite style era.) So here I am, scavenging and dragging back in all of these mid century relics to furnish my home more like a home would have been back then which the previous owner clearly tried so hard to more away from. But, this is the story for so many homes isn’t it? You can’t anticipate what the next owner will appreciate; you just have to make it right for you.

And here we have the holy grail. My Jadeite collection is the crown jewel of my kitchen. It is sprinkled all around the room, but the highest concentration of it resides safely nestled in my sturdy china hutch, which we inherited from Chris’ grandmother.

 I have a healthy mix of old and new pieces, mostly old, which blend together quite well. I like having a variety of shapes and textures. The older pieces are definitely the most fun to find, because they have a history to them. The two swirl bowls in the upper left belonged to my grandparents. My mother grew up with them, I grew up with them, and now my grandmother passed them on to me so that I can continue to use them in my home. The smaller batter bowl on the bottom right (filled with corks) was a gift from Chris’ Father and his wife, who love to contribute to my collection. This piece in particular belonged to her grandmother.

I keep a lot of other kitchen kitsch in amongst the Jadeite to add some color. One of my main goals during the kitchen refresh was to clear out a lot of my collection and adhere more strictly to a specific color palette of white, green and red with some yellow. I’ve been pretty good at sticking to it (with the one exception of the turquoise section above the cabinets. I just couldn’t resist!) My favorite motifs to add in are gingham and cherries. Both compliment the Jadeite well and are just so adorable!

I have a fixation with pitchers, especially glass ones.  There just seem to be so many well designed ones out there, they become an art piece.

 I think than any object can be an art piece if you showcase it the right way.

And I love my little apron nook. The diner sign really completes this spot. (No, it isn’t actual neon, just plastic.) It was left hanging in the kitchen of a home my friend bought, and she gifted it to me!

My sweet little shelf has a much bolder impact now that I thinned my collection to feature some repeating objects.

I thought it would be fun to add some string lights to the top of the cabinets for a little evening mood lighting. The glassware really catches the light and casts some interesting shadows.

And for those wondering about how difficult it is to keep an all white kitchen clean, I think it is much easier. Now I notice dirty areas right away, and spots wash off the walls without much scrubbing.

What a relief it is to check off yet another large home improvement project. I hope you enjoyed seeing the transformation as much as we have!

Dress for Digging

I love estate sales. (I bet you knew that already!) I scout out the ones in old houses, with lots of mid century items. That is my jam. I stopped going to garage sales now, since they are usually small, and I don’t find much. Estate sales are big, and I almost always find something. You can’t be afraid to dig and get dirty. If you pick the big sales that are packed to the gills, you have a much better chance of finding good stuff that nobody else even knew was there! Although the sight of this may seem intimidating:

 

Just look at what I came out with!

I did have to do A LOT of very heavy duty cleaning to get most of the stuff to look this good, but it was worth it!

Christmas and Beyond

Christmas has come and gone, can you believe it? Here is a look back on how we enjoyed the holidays.

We had my family over for Christmas Eve. I loved getting to use the pull out leaf of our table, and the red and white colors are perfect for the Christmas table setting!

Since this was our first time to host a big holiday at our house, I thought I would try some simple sounding recipes. We had lemon pesto chicken that cooked in the crock pot (so easy!) with mashed potatoes, honey roasted cauliflower, bread, and salad. All followed by a cornucopia of baked goods and sweets. I was so excited to eat I forgot to take any pictures of the food once it hit the table, but it was delicious and beautiful!

Exchanging gifts was a blast. I love giving gifts, even more than receiving them. I love finding them, making them, wrapping them, and watching them get opened! I made everyone open mine first because I just couldn’t wait! My most crafty gift was for my sister. She loves mason jars, so I made her this custom brooch using her middle name as the brand. Lots of painting, sanding, and sealing went into this one to make all the details stand out. I love it!

I won the award for creepiest gift given, by making a replica of the Laura Palmer glamour shot prop from Twin Peaks for my super-fan husband. He was surprised, delighted, and a little creeped out all at once. I signed it “to Chris, from the Log Lady.”

Christmas Day was spent with Chris’ family, which meant even more delicious food, sweet treats, and fun family time.

The next morning I was off with my parents to visit mom’s family in Iowa/Nebraska for my Grandmother’s 80th birthday. What a milestone! It was so fun to see everyone. We had almost that entire side of the family present. The weather was sunny and 65 degrees! What?! Their neighbors had laundry on the line, and there was no snow on the ground. My aunt & I ditched our coats and popped out for some fresh air and speed thrifting after diner before the store closed. My grandparents town may only have a few hundred residents, but they do have a killer thrift store! I found the exact mid century wire shelf I have been hunting for, as well as some milk glass plates and miscellaneous craft supplies. All in under 20 minutes!

Thrifting was the theme of our journey. There is a lot to see in the midwest, but not so much on the stretch of highway between Chicagoland Nebraska. We tried to keep things interesting by stopping to eat and thrift when we needed a break. That’s how my family gets its kicks. We even stopped by Le Claire to visit picker mecca – Antique Archaeology!

I really got to stretch out the holiday celebrations this year. I got home and a couple days later it was New Year’s Eve! Chris filled in on drums for a friend’s 90s cover band. I tried to get a picture, but it was hard with him moving at warp speed.

So much fun, despite the horrifying driving conditions. In case you missed it, we got some winter in these parts. At one point we checked the radar to find the storm was shaped like a thick line moving straight over our town. We are loving the electric snowblower we purchased this season!

Happy new year!

The Kitchen

This is a room that we would love to remodel, but that is just too big a project for now. I have done my best to distract from the obvious problems with my plentiful eye candy objects. We toyed with the idea of painting the cabinets, but I’m just not sure they are in good enough shape to put forth that effort.

There are some things you don’t really notice about a house until you move in and start cleaning up. I thought the kitchen was just dirty. I stood there staring at a spot on the wall thinking it needed to be scrubbed, then as my eye moved around the room it all looked dingy. It began to sink in that it was actually painted on. They used off white, with a darker off white sponged over it.

It was like the scene in Charade when James Coburn and Cary Grant have a mystery solving epiphany in the middle of the street fair. They spin around, the camera zooms in on all the surrounding evidence, and the music sounds dun duun duun duuun! All of the walls are covered in a dirt colored sponge texture and to my horror, they did it on the ceiling too! AHHH! I’ll just say it, I am not a fan of textured paint treatments. I very rarely see them pulled off well, and this kitchen is no exception. Fortunately it isn’t super obvious until you stare at it for a while and, as I said, I distract with eye candy.

Chris’ grandmother’s hutch holds my most sacred of collections, the Jadeite.

The majority of it resides behind these protective glass doors, but you can find it sprinkled throughout the kitchen as well. Most recently I have been installing mug hooks to get my stacks of Fire King D handles out of the cupboard and ready to use.

I don’t discriminate against reproductions when it comes to Jadeite. My old and new pieces blend together quite well. Jane Ray is the name of the main pattern that I collect, but I am not picky. I like having a variety of shapes and textures. The older pieces are definitely the most fun to find. The two swirl bowls belonged to my grandparents. They are a highlight in my collection – the only pieces with family history. My mother grew up with them, I grew up with them, and now my grandmother passed them on to me so that I can continue to use them in my home.

They sure look nice on our new table too! We are crazy about this beauty we got from Viking Thrift. Antique porcelain with a slide out leaf, and a drawer! It takes up much less room than our old table, and really makes a statement. The chairs were a craigslist find – a perfect match and down right comfy too.

See that phone in the lower photo? That’s no land line, it’s an intercom that goes to the garage! We really don’t have much use for this, but it is a fun novelty.

I call this my kitchen inspiration piece. It captures the essence of what how I want my kitchen to feel – blissful and retro. You can find a lot of similar items in my kitchen – picnic basket, thermoses, gingham, jadeite, and even some tiny flowers.

This is my rainbow corner. I’ve never seen anyone with a toaster like mine. I always wanted a vintage chrome one, but when I saw this I just couldn’t resist. I got it when Linen’s n’ Things closed down, so I paid a tiny fraction of it’s original price. My fabulous “Majestic Yellow” kitchen aid mixer was an estate sale find. It was practically new, complete with the original attachments, but  I paid less than half the retail price. It is one of my best scores for sure.

Plenty of good display space above the cabinets, but a bit hard to photograph. The blue section is my favorite.

 

Our wish list for the kitchen includes: painting the walls a nice Jadeite green to match my prized dishes, plain white ceiling, sparkly black counter top, white tile backsplash, white cabinets, and a much needed refinish to the wood floor. So whether the cabinets get a coat of paint or we completely replace them, it would be silly to do any of the other things first. The kitchen will stay as it is for a while. Hey, it’s big, functional, and pretty cute for now.

That concludes our tour of the main floor. Perhaps some day I will continue with the basement, but for now this is where I am going to stop. Thanks for tuning in! I hope you enjoyed getting a peek into my home.

Kitchen Upgrade

I just found the perfect bowls for our home, and of course they come from Target. I fell in love with these instantly. I have always loved old hobnail dishes, but this way there is no worry about the ceramic being weakened from years of use, or signs of crazing and discoloration. It is a fresh start with a vintage appearance, and it fits in perfect with my whole aesthetic.