Coastal Farmhouse Kitchen: A Before & After Reveal

Well, it is FINALLY finished (for the most part)!! We started this kitchen project back in late February I believe. It was supposed to take a week or two to complete...ummm...that did not happen. It actually took us 4-5 months to get all the projects completed and several of those weeks were spent without a functioning kitchen...no countertops, sink, water, dishwasher, etc. It was awful because we didn't prepare for that. That's what happens when two un-handy (is that a word?) people take on a kitchen renovation. It drags on for forever because we second guess ourselves at every step, and underestimate how much time things take and then we get stuck and have to ask, beg, PLEAD for help, lol. True story. I am just relieved that it's done (actually it was done in July) and I can now share some before and afters to all of you. I am in LOVE with the end result. Exactly how I hoped it would look :) I will share helpful links and resources that were helpful during this project throughout this post. Enjoy!


 

This is what our kitchen looked like right before we began this project. Builder Grade boring...blah. It needs some help but the cabinets were definitely workable. A little paint would make a huge difference.

We actually ended up hiring some local painters to take care of this part for us to save time and energy. Of course it costs more to hire someone to do the painting for you but for what we paid it was definitely worth it to avoid the headache. They sanded, primed and painted all the cabinets and doors. They also added beadboard to the side panels, per my request, to add a little extra character. We had to live without cabinet doors for about a week and a half. Don't judge me by the mess on the shelves, lol!

 

This is the result once the painting portion was finished. The upper cabinets were done in Almond Cream and the lowers were done in a robins egg blue called Celtic Grey, both are Behr colors. At this point we had already removed the old countertops and I had begun work on the new butcher block ones in the garage. Sanding, staining, and sealing was a labor intensive process that took about 9 days, working on them multiple times a day, both sides to prevent future warping of the wood.

 

This is what my garage looked like for a while as we worked on the kitchen makeover. We bought our butcher block countertops at IKEA. They are the oak Numerar ones. I followed some great advice and tutorials for staining and sealing butcherblock that I found here and here.

I bought my first power tool for this project, a Ryobi sander! He worked his little tail off on these countertops! The tutorials mentioned above will guide you as to which sanding papers to use...I cannot remember exactly what grit they were...220 and something else.

I used a Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner and wood finish for staining. The color was Special Walnut 224. It's gorgeous!! Then I used Waterlox the seal the butcher block. Some people use mineral oil but that requires regular maintenance and re-application. This Waterlox gives a nice sheen and after a process of multiple coats it will not need to be re-applied often...maybe for touch-ups. I've had my counters in use for 6 months and they still look great. I do use a cutting board to chop on to avoid knicks and scratches. They are holding up beautifully to everyday wear! Water has been no problem, it wipes right off.

 

This is a close-up near the end of the staining and sealing process. It took me about 9 or 10 days. Be sure to do both sides!! If you don't do the underside you risk having some warping later on. Do the underside to completion first so that once you flip to work on top side you won't have to worry about damaging it to flip again.  

This is the way the kitchen walls stayed for quite some time. We installed the counters so that we could use them but we had open holes in the wall with exposed wiring for about 4 mos before we finally got around to tiling. We chose a white ceramic subway tile. It's an inexpensive option that offers a beautiful result! We enlisted the help of some friends to get the tiles on the wall in late June. I actually became very ill (from a virus that I contracted elsewhere that eventually caused a visit to the ER) while the tiling was going on and wasn't well enough to grout them until mid July.  I'm still feeling the effects of that virus over 2 months later.

But, it was finally complete. The DH and I spent an entire day grouting (we were grout virgins and it took us forever!) and finishing up little details. I think I heard angels singing in the heavens that day, lol! Hallelujah it was done! It felt like a weight lifted from our shoulders! And we are loving it! I was kinda going for a coastal farmhouse vibe with my color choices and choice of materials and accessories.

 

 

 

My little photography assistant helping me take some "after" photos :)

This glorious apron front farmhouse sink is one of my favorite parts of the kitchen!! It is HUGE!!  This was another IKEA find and worth every penny of it's over $300 price tag...which isn't bad at all for a double-basin farmhouse sink.

A side view of my lovely sink :) Isn't she pretty?! She can hold a lot of dishes, lol!

 

 I found this adorable vintage kitchen scale on etsy and LOVE it! Fits my coastal farmhouse kitchen perfectly! Tomatoes courtesy of my mom's summer garden. Starting a garden is on my own to-do list!

A slice of watermelon anyone?! Yummo!

This part of the kitchen makeover was actually the first part I completed. I forgot to take a real "before" picture before we replaced our brass light fixture with this IKEA farm one. After replacing the fixture I painted this chalkboard wall!! It's super cool and the kids love it. The shelving is also from IKEA. Did I mention how much I love IKEA?! Loving that we have one about 90min away. But they are available online if you don't have one of their mega-stores near you. 

*Tip for achieving a well-worn chalkboard wall...after the paint is dry rub the side of a piece of chalk all over and then wipe off with a cloth...I just used paper towels. This gives it that nice "used" look!

 

Please ignore the dirty table. I forgot to wipe down the crumbs after breakfast. Just keepin' it real!

 

Most of the decorative items are vintage things I've collected from local antique stores or from the vintage section of etsy.com. I love old stuff :) Nevermind that I haven't hung my coffee mugs up yet..oops.

And here's my awesome Hunger Games basket. It's actually an old basket from a local industrial mill. It was purchased by set designers for use in the Hunger Games movie that was filmed here. I then bought it off an antique dealer who snagged it from the movie prop auction. You can see it in action in this post :) It fits in nicely in this space :)

 

I hope you have enjoyed my little kitchen tour! Feel free to email me or leave any questions in the comments section!


Supply and Resource List:

cabinet colors: Uppers- Almond Cream (Behr)
                         Lowers- Celtic Grey (Behr)
countertops: IKEA numerar
Stain: Minwax Special Walnut 224
Sealant: Waterlox
I used great advice/tutorials for staining butcher clock found here and here
Sink: IKEA Domsjo
Shelving: IKEA

My Little Piece of Hollywood (The Hunger Games)

I love decorating my home with antique items and I love browsing antique malls for my next cool find. Back in January I found an old mill basket and immediately fell in love with it. It had a tag hanging from it saying that it had been used as a prop on the set of The Hunger Games which was filmed at a nearby town. At the time I didn't even know what that was so I didn't really pay much attention to it. I passed on the basket that afternoon b/c I already had an armful of other items and was trying not to overdo my spending. I returned two months later after the release of the blockbuster movie (and after reading the first book) and the basket was still there. I knew I had to have it for my kitchen that was undergoing a makeover. I then went to the movie and LOVED it...but didn't see my basket. I figured it was lost from cameras among all the other antique items used in the film. Fast forward to last night when the hubs and I rented the dvd to watch and there it was. In the scene following Rue's death when Katniss gives a 3-fingered tribute to District 11. A man from the crowd (Rue's father?) storms off to start a rebellion and then you see it clear as day, flying across the screen and smashing into an old grain scale that shatters on impact. The # 2 is what caught my eye! It happens quickly but it's definitely my basket :) I think it's super neat to have a piece of Hollywood sitting in my kitchen. Thought I'd share it here with you! Just goes to show you never know what you might find on your next antique hunt! Have a great Labor Day weekend!

If you want to see it I found this video clip someone recorded of the scene. The basket flies across the screen at 4:22....you have to watch closely to spot the #2 right before it slams into the grain scale.

An Imaginary Place: Ella in Wonderland :)

Just a couple photos to share today. I felt like doing something whimsical and imaginative so I grabbed a few things from around the house and put together this little dreamland. Totally inspired by some newborn images I saw a year or two ago. This is my version :) Happy Friday!

Bye Bye Summer...Hello Back 2 School

Wow...back to school already?! Where did this summer go?! It's insane how quickly these last 2.5 months have passed. So quickly that I didn't have time to blog. Sorry about that! We are still here but have just had lots going on and finding time to blog in the midst of the craziness has taken a back seat. 

Today Halle & Hayden started back in 1st and 4th grades! Halle actually has Hayden's teacher from Kindergarten so that has made this transition a little easier for her. She started to shed a few tears this morning when we arrived to her class but after a little encouragement from me and her teacher she was all smiles. Hayden of course was just fine although a little reluctant to finally let go of summer break. He's not ready for homework he says...lol! It seems the day went well for both of them though because they came home with smiles. Hope everyone else has a smooth transition back to school as well....and if school isn't back in session where you are I hope you're soaking in your last bits of sun & fun!

Vintage Suitcase Turned Kitty Bed...Easy DIY (no sew!)

Last night I whipped up this sweet little kitty bed for Oliver using a vintage suitcase I found on the side of the road in my neighborhood last year. I used fabric and embellishments I already had on hand and the best part was there was no sewing involved (unless you make a pillowcase...but you can use one you already have). In addition to your fabric and trim the only tools you really need are fabric scissors, measuring tape, hot glue gun with glue sticks and an iron. The lining of my suitcase was an ugly mauve color so I decided to line the top part with some regular canvas fabric on the sides and a canvas print on the inside lid. These were some things I already had in my stash plus I figured the heavier canvas would withstand more pawing and clawing than a regular cotton fabric. 

 DIY Instructions 

 1)To cut for the main piece inside the lid just lay your fabric into the lid and be sure to smooth it nice and even and press your fabric around the edges and corners. Then take a pencil and run it all around the crease of the fabric. Then cut out your piece. 

 2)For the edges I measured the width of the lining that was already there and then I measured the length all around the edge so I could cut one continuous piece of fabric. I added a 1/2 to 3/4 inch to the width and length measurements so I could iron down the outer edges to keep it nice and neat. 

 3)My suitcase also had a fabric piece that connected the top and bottom of the suitcase so I measured and cut that piece as well. 

4)Iron down 1/4 inch on either end of your long strip of canvas as well as one long side (the side that will be on the outer edge of the lining). 

 5)Once You have your pieces cut and edges ironed simply use your hot glue gun to glue your fabric pieces in place. I did the outer edges first and then the main piece in the lid. My suitcase was tricky b/c there were several metal pieces I had to cut around so that part was the most difficult. However, not all suitcases have this issue so yours may be simpler.

 6)After gluing in your canvas pieces you can then hide the unfinished inner edge, where the edging fabric meets the lid fabric, by adding some trim. Green ric-rac is what I had on hand so that's what I used. Simply hot glue that into place. 

7)Add any other embellishments you want! My suitcase had a metal bar that I wasn't able to remove easily so I locked it into the upright position and added ribbon trim. Now I use that bar to hang toys and ribbons for my kitty to play with :)

8)To make the actual bed portion I just used an old standard sized pillow and made a pillowcase out of some polka dot cotton fabric I had on hand. If you don't sew you can use a pillowcase thats ready-made!

Well, I hope this inspires you to make your own pet bed! Email me if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help. Go get creative! Your pet will thank you :)

*Safety Note* Be sure that your lid is sturdy and will not close on your pet. My hinges are locked in place and are not going anywhere. Some suitcases may require additional steps to secure the lid in place!

Our Hearts & Home Have Expanded By 4 feet!! Meet Oliver (aka Ollie)

It happened on a whim but we couldn't be more in love with him!! We've been promising the kiddos a pet for a couple of years now...we actually had a sweet pomeranian, Teddy, early in our marriage until Hayden was just one year old but ended up having to give him to a friend because he needed more attention than I could give him with a baby and working full time. Now that the kids aren't babies we've been promising a puppy soon. This would really be their 1st pet since Hayden can only remember Teddy thru photos. One stipulation I have though is that we replace the carpets with hardwoods before bringing a puppy into the home because I am not doing house training with carpet again. We are planning to make this change next year. However, I grew up with a kitty and have always been a cat lover so on a whim late Tuesday night I started looking up ragdoll breeders online "just to see".  I've always admired the sweet, sociable and gentle nature of Ragdoll kitties and figured they'd be a great fit for our family. Within 18 hours of my "idea" my husband (who is NOT a cat person) was on board and we found, visited and brought home our new kitty! Crazy, I know!! We have named him Oliver, for his olive-green eyes, and he is a solid bi-color ragdoll. He is incredibly sweet natured and loves to be petted and played with. He and I have already formed a special bond and I enjoy our snuggle time very much! My husband is already admitting that he may just change his mind about cats! The kids, of course, are in love too!! Here are a few photos to introduce him. I am sure you will see many more photos of him along the way!

Oliver (aka Ollie) 8weeks 4days old

4th of July in Photos

Just wanted to pop in a share a few photos from our 4th of July holiday. I've been sick for the last couple of weeks dealing with a nasty virus of some kind that aggravated my anemia which landed me in the ER for breathing treatments and other tests... but, I am feeling better now although still extremely anemic. My hemoglobin is still in the 7s but I am breathing easier and doing normal activities...except for exercise/running...still not ready for that. However, I enjoyed our holiday visiting family at my PawPaw's house where we go every year to cook-out, swim and watch fireworks. Hope you had a fun and safe 4th as well! Here are a few photos from our day!