Well, I am officially becoming a mommy blogger in June…so the next few months is all about preparation. I just found out I’m having a girl. My husband’s one rule is that the bedroom can’t be pink. Here is my (husband-approved) inspiration for the nursery…
From BHG.com.
Seth emptied our dishwasher yesterday and he pulled out a broken dinner plate. You would think stoneware would last more than just a few years, but that is our fourth broken plate. (And none of them have been dropped. They just crack right down the middle. I think they do it for fun.) So I need to start collecting some new dinnerware. I’m thinking of going with all white dinner plates, salad plates and bowls. That way I can buy some fun things that I can switch out with the seasons. Wouldn’t this plate be fun to have for Christmas? And wouldn’t the bowls be fun in the spring?
From Pier 1
From Kohls
I’ve been moved into my kitchen for a few weeks now. It is lovely. I still have some things on my to do list, but it is functional! Wahoo!
Eventually we are going to put lights in the cupboards with the glass doors. And yes, Seth is wearing a scout shirt, and, yes, we are eating Mac’n'Cheese for dinner. It just happens sometimes.
A view of our pantry. I am very fond of it.
The chairs in the background are from my grandmother. Aren’t they gorgeous?
And here are a few of my favorite details:
Our bitter-sweet faucet. Sweet because we like it so much. Bitter because of what it took to get it and make it work.
Our spice rack and cookie sheet cupboard. I’ll let them speak for themselves.
Two lazy susans! (Sorry the picture is crooked.)
Maybe I should have a kitchen warming party so everyone who wants to see it can come over. I’ll let you know if I so decide.
When I was browsing through Amy Butler’s website yesterday, I found some free patterns. There are beautiful quilts, scarfs, and pillows. But the thing that caught my eye are the fabric silhouettes . I’ve been looking for a cheap placeholder for my walls until I can afford something amazing (therefore expensive) and this just might be it. Now I just need to find some inexpensive frames…I need to go to some yard sales!
Images from Amy Butler’s website.
I think a lot of people know that a good trick to saving money when they want to remodel their kitchen or bathrooms is to keep the cabinets and either paint or stain them. Well, I just wanted to show you proof that this is true.
In my old condo we wanted to redo our guest bathroom because it looked gross. Seriously it was bad. People would come out with their nose wrinkled, and I just knew they were thinking their body was probably infected with some horrible fungus just by stepping in there. However, we didn’t have a big budget. After finding a beautiful black-framed mirror for cheap ($17.77 in the clearance section at Furniture Warehouse on Redwood Road!) we decided to paint the water-warped cabinets to match. We had tried to stain the cabinets a few months earlier, but it just brought out the flaws even more. I was very pleased with the outcome of our paint job.
Here are my tips if you decide to paint your cabinets:
Enjoy the before and after pictures!
Here are a few things I would have done to this room if I had stayed in this condo a bit longer: bought some sweet handles for the cabinet doors, replaced the faucet, and actually have bought a toilet paper holder. Those seem to work well in bathrooms for some reason.
I would love to commission a portrait of my husband and myself. I’m sure it will take years until I can afford it, but doesn’t it just seem so classy? Diane Rollins Feissel does great work (a 16′"x20" is $700) , but it would be fun to find an artist from Utah that could do it. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Picture from Feissel’s website. Idea off Mighty Haus .
So I made a bit of progress on my kitchen this week. (Wah-freakin’-hoo!) It really does feel like a major accomplishment to get a tiny piece of the project complete, especially since my husband was at scout camp all week! I’ve started having dreams in my head of actually eating at my kitchen table, unfortunately I don’t have one and need to find one.
I like the style of this table that I found on KSL.com .
I love the wings that can pop out on the sides, love the $80 price tag, and love the curve on the legs. However, I don’t love the fact that it would become yet another project to complete (totally needs to be sanded and refinished/painted). I’ve seen a few other tables that I almost like, but they are oval and I’m not sure I like oval. Does anyone have any thoughts for or against oval tables?
I found my dream table in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. (July’s issue on page 136. ) I just think it would be so fun to have benches. And I love how everything isn’t matchy-matchy.
I’ve heard a ton about using chalk board paint, but today is the first time I’ve heard of dry erase paint. Cool!
From Lowe’s Creative Ideas monthly e-mail.
I have four potted plants right outside my door, and the poppies started blooming this past week! They have made my townhome have a bit of curb appeal, which it is sorely lacking. Besides actually pulling weeds and trimming your grass, getting some good lookin’ potted plants next to your front door really makes a great statement to passers by. I think I might want to go and get a few more for my front door!