Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

I have been getting a lot of requests to see the before and after photos of my kitchen cabinet makeover. We still aren't done with the overall kitchen project. We still need to put tile under the cabinets and pick a new paint color. I am leaning towards a darker sage color but I want to pick the tiles first. You might not notice much of a difference in the photos, but let me tell you that in person, it is a world of difference. I never liked the pink tinge of the maple frost cabinets from the day we bought the house. I was hoping that by putting granite counter tops in would help but I still saw the tinge. Now it just seems warmer and more inviting. I also wanted more of an "old world" look on a budget so you will see a lot of trim work that I put up to bring in that feel.

In the before images, the painter had already taken the doors over the refrigerator and under the sink so he could show me samples of what the glazing would look like. I was horrified when he showed me the fisrt sample. The door was glazed over the entire surface and I had only wanted glaze in the grooves. It was just a bit of miscommunication. I told him in this instance, even though I love shabby chic, that was not the look I was going for. The before pictures were taken at night and the after ones during the day, so the lighting is a bit different. You can click on any of the pictures for a closer look.


BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

This was a cabinet we had custom built to match the kitchen cabinets. It is more in the dinning area and I wanted to pull the two room together yet distinguish each of them since it is really one very large area. The carpet is the great room.

AFTER

We added the crown molding at the top and the trim work on both sides.

BEFORE

This cabinet looks odd because the counter was originally in an "L" shape when we bought the house with Formica counter top. We took the "L" shape off and turned the cabinets into the island. We had maple trim made to match so we could "beef" up the island to make it look like it wasn't just a set of cabinets plopped in the middle of the kitchen. This cabinet actually was the corner of the "L" and faced the small rug so you could get at it from the dinning area. We just turned it sideways to become part of the kitchen. Luckily it had a maple frost side.

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

This is one of my favorite parts of the kitchen. I love how the glaze took to the emblems we put on the pantry doors and the long drawer. I was a bit worried to add something to the upper two cabinets, thinking it might be too much, but the painter left us the paint and glaze and showed me how to do it if I ever change my mind. The DH and I glued all the ornament pieces and trim on ourselves before the doors were spayed.


BEFORE

AFTER

This is the island after we added a bit more trim work to fancy it up a bit. Everyone thought I was crazy when I said we were painting the cabinets cream and the island black. Even my daughter had to admit "mom was right once again". I just adore it and it looks even better with the pendant lights hanging over it. We added those after the painting was done and pictures had already been taken. I will include those when I reveal the finished makeover.


BEFORE

AFTER (from the other end)

So that's my kitchen so far. I am not in as much of a hurry for the tile and paint only because I am enjoying the transformation that has already taken place. Once this settles in, I will head to the tile store for some more brain aching decisions.

~Have fun and enjoy!

A Forest Fairy

I needed to make some samples of the "Faux Mother of Pearl" background technique for our stamp club this month so I used some of the new paper from Graphic 45. The background technique can be found here.

The paper is from the "Once Upon a Springtime" collection and I also used the stamp set that coordinates with this line. Aren't these fairies the cutest! I would have liked to go a bit darker with the green ink I used for the pearl background but it was my first try and I think lighter colors were suggested.

I wanted to keep it sort of woodsy because we all know that is where you can find the best fairies. I kept the colors in the forest hues and didn't go overboard with the embellishments. I even found a brown flower in my stash. I used a few MS punches for the foliage and the main image was stamped on Labels Fourteen. Graphic 45 has become one of my favorites and I am giddy over the fact that they now have stamps to go along with their papers. I can't wait to make a more "girly" card out of this paper.

Starting to get a nice brown base for my trip to Florida. I know, I know, it isn't healthy for me, but it sure feels good. Especially with all this cold weather we have been having. It is snowing again as I write. Now how can you blame a girl for wanting some artificial sun when we are still getting snow in the middle of April. I guess the dusting we are getting is nothing compared to what my dad got up in the UP- a whopping 6 inches. Just another reason to be happy with what you have and where you are.

~Have fun and enjoy!

A jelly bean Easter card

How about a quick and easy project that could be used for any occassion. For this month's project at our stamp club we are going to make this sweet Easter card with a jelly bean sidekick.

My friend Kay had bought a smaller version of this from a craft show that was the size of a note card with a 3" tube filled with M & Ms. The card was decorated for Christmas and the M & Ms were red and green. Kay brought it over to me and asked if I could replicate it, aka- make a pattern. I did one even better by making it bigger. Her daughter Kelly found these larger 6" tubes at her local stamp store for $1 each. I tinkered around with a pattern until I came up with this. The tube was perfect for filling with jelly beans. Actually you could fill this with just about anything. A few chocolate eggs or Hershey kisses would also look festive. A bit of green grass in the bottom would also be cute.

You could alter this to fill the tube with bath salts for a Get Well card or if you measured it out and included the instructions for the amount to use, you could fill it with hot cocoa powder. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with. If you would like the pattern just send me a comment.

The weather is finally getting warmer. We are expecting mid to high 60's with thunderstorms tomorrow. I just hope the storms come earlier in the evening. Last week we had a doozey in the middle of the night. It was the loudest crash of thunder I have ever heard and immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass. I thought for sure one of the windows had shattered. I got up and went downstairs to investigate but I couldn't find anything broken in the kitchen or great room. I went to my stamping room and there on the floor was one of the old fashioned candy jars that I keep my ribbon in, laying on the floor. It wasn't broke so it must have been the metal lid making all the clatter as the jar was hitting the floor. I guess the way the house shook was enough to knock the jar off the shelf that is at least 5 feet off the floor. Luckily I have carpeting or it would have been quite a mess trying to save all my pretty ribbon from the shards of glass.

Our local stamp store just got in the latest Spellbinders so I have been making quite a few trips in to make my purchases. You are only allowed to use one coupon per day so it will take me awhile to get all the ones on my wish list. Yesterday I took my DH in with me on our way out to dinner so he could get one for me with his own coupon. My son calls him "my coupon mule". I would love to hear his answer if they ever asked him what he is going to make with the things he purchases for me. I doubt very much that we are pulling anything over on the store clerks. They know exactly what we are doing. Once in Michaels, DH was in line behind me and the gentleman at the register asked if he could just put his purchases in the same bag as mine. Quite the astute fellow he was.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Get well...

SORRY ABOUT THE PARAGRAPH SPACING. SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENING IN BLOGGER TODAY. Get well soon my friend. Here is another card with the stamps from Waltzing Mouse that coordinates with the Spellbinders dies. I just fell in love with this "Rescue Remedies" set for the Labels 4. There are some fabulous examples in the gallery at their website so head on over to check them out. The paper is DCWV Botanicals and a MS punch quickly turned this card into a perfect "pick me up" for a sick friend. Of course I couldn't get away without using some seam binding ribbon. The kitchen cabinets are finished and I am in the process of putting the kitchen back together. I had to take down the decorative displays I had up over the top of the cabinets and trying to remember how I had the greenery placed was a bit of a challenge for this old brain of mine. Luckily my DH had taken some "before" pictures so I now had a map. I am sure I could have come up with something different, but I liked what I had and changing it might have meant a trip to Hobby Lobby to buy something new. The cabinets set me back quite a bit and I am now saving my pennies for new tile and having the ceiling and walls painted (which means no new stamps). Actually I talked the guy that did the cabinets down $385 dollars and he will paint the walls and the ceiling for $200. Now that is some serious bargaining. We had an electrician come in to give us an estimate for putting pendant lights up over the island. Wow, can I just say I am in the wrong business. I could buy quite a few stamps with that kind of money. I didn't even try to dicker with that guy. The quote didn't include the patching of the drywall in the ceiling where holes will have to be cut in order to run the wiring through each beam. That was the part that intimidated my DH and to say the least, I wouldn't have even let him attempt it. I have some connections with the construction guys at work and the drywaller said he would come over to do it when we were ready. Five small holes- right! Today we are putting the under cabinet lights back up. Next weekend we may be tackling the running of wire and installation of the lights. Wish us luck, I think we are going to need it. ~Have fun and enjoy!

Labels Ten

Like a kid in a candy store. That was me when I finally was able to open my Waltzing Mouse stamps. I had purchased enough sets to get the free shipping (and then some). Since it was coming from Ireland, I figured I would rather spend my money on rubber stamps rather than postage. I literally didn't know which set to start with. I chose the set that coordinated with Spellbinders Labels 10 and the sentiment is from the set called Fancy Phrases. I also couldn't wait to use some of the paper from DCWV Botanicals. Along with everyone else I have fallen in love with seam binding. I had ordered almost every color under the rainbow from a store on "Etsy"- Christopherpines.etsy.com you will love what she has, I promise.

The kitchen is coming along nicely. The cabinet doors have been painted and glazed and they started priming the cabinet trim today. After two coats of paint the trim will get glazed the beginning of the week. The island will be done once the cabinets are totally finished since it will be done in a different color. We purchased some pre-cut wood scroll designs from the trim section at Lowe's that were put on the long drawers and pantry doors. They look absolutely beautiful with the glaze in all of the intricate grooves. We also added some trim and rosettes and I can't wait to see how that turns out.

It has been really cold again and the flurries were flying today. Rather depressing to see more of the white stuff. No one wants to even say the word S-N-O-W around here. It can't come soon enough for me to be in sunny Florida sipping margaritas beside the pool.

~Have fun and enjoy!

My Thoughts for You

I have been so busy with home improvement projects that I have not been able to get any cards made. I even have several stamp sets that I ordered from Waltzing Mouse that I have been dying to get into. They are located in Ireland so I waited anxiously for 5 weeks for them to arrive.

In the meantime I wanted to share with you a few things that I made for my co-worker who is battling liver and pancreatic cancer.

I thought long and hard over this project because I didn't want to pressure Carolynn into feeling like she had to write something to her children, but then I though what mother wouldn't. I made a book for each one of her girls. The one above is for her oldest daughter who is 12. I had just bought this Sizzix die and thought it would be perfect. The books measure just under 9" x 5". I covered thin cardboard with Be Mine designer paper from DCWV and a coordinating pattern on the inside. I added blank pages inside for her to write her thoughts for each child.

The one above is for her middle daughter who is 8.

This book is for the youngest who will be one next month. I chose the paper that had angels on it that looked like a baby. This pack of paper is absolutely beautiful and I love every single pattern. The paper for the angel and the cherubs on the other book are clear embossed with some glitter in it. I didn't do any stamping on the paper. In fact I didn't do any stamping at all on this project. The labels were printed on the computer so it had each child's name and then I cut it out with my Spellbinders.

I have been quite busy with a kitchen cabinet project. I have never liked the color of them from the moment we first looked at the house which was 5 years ago. They are beautiful hardwood cabinets which are rather new but they are maple frost and every time I look at them I see a pink tinge of color. We took apart an "L" shaped counter and turned it into an island and then we put granite on all the counter tops. We then beefed up the island with extra trim and some fancy turnings. There are 37 cabinet doors and 11 drawers and it was going to be a small fortune to replace them so I was hoping the granite would compliment them but take away the hue I didn't like. The granite did make a huge difference as did the new island. It has been a few years now and I am having another decorator's itch- hence a new color of cabinets.

I found a professional painter who is spraying them with an ultra fine sprayer. I wanted a smooth finish without any brush or roller marks. I wanted them to look like I bought them that way. They will be cream and antiqued with a coffee glaze just in the grooves. The island is going to be black. I still have to pick out the tile for the back splash and new paint color for the walls, but I want to see the finished cabinets before I pick out any colors. I will post some before and after pictures when all is said and done.

~Have fun and enjoy!

Hope...

Hope- what exactly does the word mean. I guess depending on your circumstance it can take on many meanings. According to the dictionary it means: "to cherish a desire with anticipation" or "to desire with expectation of obtainment". What if hope means a bit longer with the ones you love.

I was asked by some friends at work to make one of these letters for our co-worker who is bravely battling liver and pancreatic cancer in the advanced stages. I had made these for a few people but under different circumstances. I always used the first letter of the recipients name. In this case her name starts with "C" but I didn't think it was appropriate because I didn't want it associated with the word cancer. I thought long and hard about what letter to choose- days even. Since no one can tell her exactly how many weeks or months she has left (although they said 3-6 months in January) I thought it would be fitting to "HOPE" for a miracle, that the pain is a little less tomorrow, to be able to see your youngest take her first steps and see her celebrate her first birthday, for your oldest to understand that even though you may not be there- you will always be looking over her. This is why I chose "H". My prayers for her are daily and I hope I am never put in this position.

It was just a paper mache letter from Hobby Lobby that I painted and then stamped some flourishes on it. The sentiments are rub ons which were put on when the paint was completely dry, and then some. I didn't want to take the chance of ruining it as I have a tendency to be a bit impatient. I found a few embellishments to apply and did put her initial on it to make it a little more personal. I really liked how it turned out and I loved how it has a touch of femininity to it with the pink.

Not much else is new here. I finally received my stamps from Waltzing Mouse Stamps that fit several of the Spellbinders dies. Hopefully I will be able to get something made with them soon. We are still feeling the chills of winter and the snowflakes that go along with it. It seems that it will never end. We are expecting more bad weather on Wednesday. All I can say is "Carol- here I come".

~Have fun and enjoy!