KITCHEN CHAOS COMING TO A CLOSE

I'm excited to report that we are 90% finished with our farmhouse kitchen renovation! The Mister and I have been working in diligent fits and spurts (as time and money have allowed) since January of last year. It has been a long, sometimes stressful, but very rewarding process, throughout which, I am proud to say, that these Do-it-Yourself-ers did ALL the work with our own two hands!

Here's the quaint little kitchen BEFORE we began renovating:

 Wall-to-wall knotty pine wood paneling, linoleum stick-tile flooring, no pantry, no dishwasher, minimal storage, dated laminate counter-top, tiny sink... oh yeah, and what's with that weird beam in the middle of the room?

 Notice the basement door on the right side of the refrigerator (Guess what? we moved it!)

The tiny stove was bent in the middle so nothing cooked evenly (I may have knelt on it once when trying to reach something in the upper cabinets... ahem).  Even Albus, the cat, looks sad and confused in this dark and dated kitchen.

We had a huge TO-DO list and this is what we've CHECKED-OFF so far:

*Replace old, white appliances with new, stainless steel appliances

*Replace linoleum tiles with wood laminate flooring (beautiful mahogany finish)

*Move basement door to recess refrigerator and add new cabinets/counter-top between stove and refrigerator

*Replace overhead wooden light fixture with stainless steel fixture

*Install a dishwasher!!!

*Install new farmhouse sink (large enough to bathe a small child in) and new fixtures

*Add slate tile back-splash behind sink

*Replace old counter-tops

*Build walk-in pantry with floor to ceiling shelving and overhead switch-operated light

*Reface all cabinets and doors --- paint white

*Add multiple electrical outlets and replace old wiring to bring up to code

*Deep clean and reuse current stove-top hood and fan

*Install dry-wall over wood paneling throughout kitchen

*Paint dry-wall (Buttercream with Eggplant accent walls)

*Replace all cabinet hinges, hardware, and pulls (brushed nickel finishes)

*Paint all trim and moldings white

*Build additional counter-tops and cabinets between stove and refrigerator --- paint white

*Mount microwave on shelf above new counter-top

*Add window treatments

Kitchen-in-Progress
(90% finished with renovation):

 

Don't you just love wood on the floor so much more than on the walls?

Notice the door on the left? Since we couldn't move that beam in the middle of the room, we incorporated it into our new walk-in pantry that features floor-to-ceiling storage.

I repainted the entry door and commissioned a custom birdie valance, handmade by Miss Muffets Tuffet on Etsy

I just love this slate tile backsplash! The eggplant accent walls play up the purple brown tones in the slate so nicely.

Moving the basement door access out of the kitchen and around the corner allowed for a recessed refrigerator and extra counter-tops and cabinets between stove and refrigerator. 

A handmade owl tea towel, purchased from Zen Threads on Etsy 
and a colorful print from Artful Escapes add finishing touches to this handmade kitchen.

DOING THIS WEEK :

*Restore, sand, prime and paint original crown molding... scratch that... not able to reuse existing molding

*Purchase and paint brand new molding from our local lumber mill, Siewers.

 We picked out a wider molding with a little more pizazz than the original crown molding had. We will carry the new molding throughout the downstairs of the house as we continue our renovations (the living room is next).

STILL TO-DO:

*Install crown molding

*Install vertical trim along exterior pantry walls

*Install floor trim

*Paint behind and install trim around recessed refrigerator

*Replace windows with energy efficient and historically accurate wood windows $$$

*Add built-in double trashcan cabinet on left side of stove

*Complete final touch-ups 
and eventually...

*Remove baseboard heaters and install HVAC system and vents in entire house $$$$$

Total Cost of Kitchen Renovation: 

$5000 ($2800 went to new appliances, mind you).  

Not squabbling over whose turn it is to wash the dishes anymore: 

PRICELESS.

LANDSCAPED AT LAST!

Last weekend, my hubby and I enjoyed our first whole weekend off together in over a year! Inspired by the gorgeous Spring weather, we decided to use the time to finish landscaping around the front of the house. With a generous birthday gift from my mother-in-law, we were able to buy mulch, flowering perennials, and even a Viburnum tree at our local plant nursery, Ed's Landscaping. (We support local, small businesses whenever possible and this garden center is truly excellent!)

Just for perspective, below are some before and after photos. 

When I moved in with the Mister in 2006, this is what the landscaping looked like (actually the raised beds were a big mound of dirt with no plants in sight). Eager to paint on a blank canvas, I immediately spread and tilled the soil and began to fill it in with perennial splashes of color.  

Within the next couple of years, we re-painted the entire stucco facade white, screened in the front porch and painted the exterior trim around the sunroom, my beloved jewelry-making studio.

Yes, we still have work to do on this old house. More trim to paint, windows to replace, walls to repair. And each year there will be weeds to pull and plants to water and prune, but WOW! the rewards of our labor have been amazing. Caring for a garden and renovating an old home is a continuous work in progress.

But I must admit that after almost 7 years of being together, I am pretty pleased with our progress. (:

Lepidopterans in my Shop

So for the last few years I have been using resin in my jewelry to encapsulate organic materials such as birch bark, moss, flower petals and lichens. (You can view my entire "Captured Collection" here). Last fall I found a few discarded butterfly and moth wings and have been excited to try my resin technique on them.

Sterling Silver, Resin, and Butterfly Wing

Sterling Silver, Resin, and Moth Wing remnant

Sterling Silver, Resin, and Buckeye Moth Wing

If these lovely Lepidoptera pendants make your heart flutter, be sure to catch one before they all fly away.  Each piece is one of a kind and available in my Etsy shop now.

By the way, I'm getting ready to email a top-secret coupon code for my newsletter subscribers only.  If you do not already receive my newsletter and would like to, be sure to sign up by clicking the text "Subscribe to my Newsletter" in the column on the right side of this page.  I only email about 4 newsletters per year, but each one contains show schedule updates, new product info, and exclusive coupon codes for subscribers only.

WEDDING BLISS for a Mister and a Miss

On May 15, 2010,

two hearts that were one,

became one on paper, too. ♥

With 125 guests in attendance, our prayers were answered for a sunny day on the lake.

The Mister made his entrance as a single man via boat.

He marched his handsome butt up from the dock to the platform where we were to be married in front of the lake. The platform was built by his own two hands. He is a talented carpenter, that husband of mine!

My niece and nephew did an amazing job as flower girl and ring-bearer.

My Dad escorted me toward the arms of my husband-to-be.

We were supported with love from so many family members and friends.

Towards the end of the ceremony, just as we were saying our vows, a family of geese decided to swim by with their two off-spring and give us their blessings, as well.

As the afternoon sun peaked overhead, we celebrated our nuptials and danced to Gypsy Roots Swing  (a band that the Mister and I listened to on several of our first dates).

We dined on a smorgasboard of food and drink – mostly vegetarian.  Everything was so delicious! Especially the cupcake I licked off my face…

 I guess I had that one coming, though.

As the Mister and I made our get-away, we were showered (really, I mean pummeled) with hundreds of sunflower seeds. 

Then we stepped into the boat a married couple  and drifted off together on the lake.

Happily.

Ever.

After.

***All photos were taken by the very talented, Dreama Camphuysen.***