Pantry

I wanted to share a snazzy new decal added just this morning to my Etsy Shop.

Isn't she cute?

Up close and personal


I'm loving the wreath hanging above.  Just a little something from Desert Book store to remind me of my trip to Salt Lake last year.

Kitchen makeover

When we moved into our house, our cabinets looked like this.

But, the past few weeks have involved a lot of paint and sanding and even a miter saw.  This post is all about our kitchen progress.  I must confess, my "after" pictures have been strategically taken to hide the unfinished parts.  I'm during this transformation in stages because, well, I have a sixteen month old.  That's really all the explanation that's necessary.  I'll be posting my progress here and hopefully in several weeks, they'll be true "after" pictures to share.

First off...the crown molding.  To begin with, there was only a little dinky sad excuse for crown molding atop my cabinets.  I considered removing it completely to make room for the real stuff, but then I realised it could stay nicely as a separator.  So, it stayed.  My first project, therefore was to add a furring strip (a cheap 1 x 2") to the top of my cabinets.  This was necessary so there would be something for my molding to be screwed into. 

Notice I said screwed.  Originally I thought I could do the whole project with furniture nails.  But, I learned the hard way that those little nails were no match for my industrial strength molding plans.  The whole thing was litterally collapsing.  So, furniture screws it was. 

Next came a 1x6" board that wrapped all the way across my cabinets.  This was for hiegth.  My boring builder grade cabinets needed a lift to look established.

You can see if you look closely that I screwed another furring strip to the top of the 1x6"s but, this was entirely unnecessary because when I held the crown molding up I realised it would look best attached directly to the 1x6.  So, I used a ruler and drew a line all the way across the board about one inch from the top to act as my guide line so that I'd have some level molding.  No one likes unlevel stuff and gaps in the corners.

and finally came the crown molding.  I thought this would be a snap.  After all, I have a lovely miter saw that I'm very familiar with and has special little read lines to mark exactly which angle I need to tilt it to for crown molding.  But, I must admit, this made for one very tense afternoon.  I think I even cried at one point.  And those you tube video tutorials that made it look so easy weren't making me feel any better. Word to the wise, buy extra molding.  A lot extra.  But, we got through it and my miter saw and I will be one speaking terms again...someday.

I did pick up two very helpful tips.  Predrill your holes!  Nothing is worse than finally getting a board cut to the right length with the right angles only to have it split when nailing it up!  And secondly, after nailing up your molding, predrill a small hole at the top corner point where your molding meets and then using a small nail, attach them together.  The nail can be hidden with wood filler.  This holds your molding together so it lines up nicely with no gaps.  No gaps = no one will know you did it yourself.  Unless you blog about it of course.

Next came the easier though much messier stage of the kitchen redo.  I removed all the doors and hardware and then scuffed everything up with my electric sander.

Then everything got a coat of primer that is specially formulated to stick to shiny surfaces (a.k.a. fake foiled builder cabinets)

Next I went with a pure white semi-gloss.  I was so afraid of my cabinets turning out yellow that I decided to forgo the cream, offwhite, linen, etc. paintchips I'd been mulling over for a few months (that's how long it took me to muster the courage to take on this project).

Then came the magic part.  Antiquing glaze found at Lowes.  It's less than $10 for a bottle and a bottle goes a very long ways.  You just dry brush in on and then wipe it off.

It basically stays only in the corners and warmed up my bright white just a tint.  I'm in love.  I'll probably use it on all my painting projects for ever more!  You only think I'm joking.

After a week of sneaking into the garage when my baby didn't notice to put another coat on those doors...here's the result.

The bottom cabinets are still in progress and I hope to replace lights, paint the walls, add hardware, etc.  So, I'm far from finished but enjoying the process.

Ruffled Dishcloth

As my trusty followers know, I'm working on a little segment known as Christmas in July.  My kitchen can always use some festooning during the holidays so I wanted to try my hand at some festooned dish towels.  I'm usually not much of a fan of commercially sold holiday dish towels.  They're typically hum drum and sometimes even boarderline kooky.  I've definately seen some great ones, but didn't find their price tag really all that great.  But, here's a little solution that even a novice sewer can enjoy.  Seriously, this would be a fantastic project for a novice sewer.  First of all, no one has to WEAR it!  It's not going to hang on your windows for a decade.  It's just a dish towell.  Something you'll probably toss in a couple seasons.  Unless of course you decide to frame it. 

Here's the tutorial to prove just how simple they are.

Start with some absorbant fabric (white, colored, printed - whatever floats your boat)  Cottons are good.  Fold it on itself to cut an even rectangle.  The size isn't super important, use one of your old dish towels as a guide if you want. 

Then sew a 1/4" rolled hem on all four sides (fold in 1/4 " - iron - fold in 1/4" again - iron again - and sew.)

Next cut an approximately 2 inch wide strip of fabric for your ruffle.  It should be about twice as long as your dish towel is wide.  I had to stich together a couple of strips because my scrap of fabric wasn't long enough.  I just hid that seam inside one of my "ruffles"

Then go ahead and stich around all four edges of your ruffle piece about 1/4" inside the edge.  This allows it to fray some without completely unraveling and creating a stringy mess in your dryer.

Now comes the fun part.  When you sew on the "ruffle" simply free-form the gathers as you go. 

Next you can embellish more if desired with ribbon, buttons, ric rac, etc.

Here she is!

And just because I need a little more PINK in my life...

Now wasn't that easy!?

Check out the linky parties I've joined here.

Fridge Art

I'm in the habit of turning my fridge into a masterpiece showcase. Usually it's my kids artworks. But, I thought this idea was a little more sophisticated and clean. It could just as easily be used to display your last name and then be a space for displaying family pictures. This vinyl applique comes in a two piece set.  I've used black but, any color would do.

Tin Tile Magnet Board

This is a gorgeous tin tile magnet board. It can be used to display a favorite picture, cards, memos, recipes in the kitchen, etc. It comes with two rustic magnets. The board measures 16.5" square with the inset tin tile measuring 12". The tin can be painted or left in a rust finish.

Recipe Stand

Can't you just see this sitting on your kitchen counter, or your mother-in-law's (Hint, hint). It's a clever way to display a recipe card and keep it out of the mess during your whirlwind kitchen creations. It measures 7.5 x 6.5 " and comes with two rustic button magnets.