Kitchen Makeover Part 3

Published December 17, 2012 | By

Three days have passed since the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Words on this screen can’t possibly come close to explaining
the sorrow our family feels.All of us deal with the emotions and fears that follow
such a tragedy in our own unique way.
Writing is a form of escape for me.
I have chosen to stick to my original schedule, and in doing so,
I hope I can take you away from the sadness for a few minutes.
I read a few articles this morning and I couldn’t bear it.

I first heard the news Friday afternoon directly after I posted my Friday post.
When I read the words “shooting”, “elementary”, and glanced at the line of children crying, my heart fell to the floor and I quickly skimmed the article to find the location. My first thought, was of course my own children.

Next, my thoughts went to the parents, and all of the pain and sorrow they were experiencing and will suffer with the rest of their lives.

Today, my heart lies with the children and heroes that tried to save them.
I made this little picture from a flower I photographed a couple years ago.
It’s my little tribute to these angels.

As I wrote each name,
I was able to pray for and honor each person that lost their life.
You are more than welcome to copy it and share it.

10 days before the shooting I shared a personal post about the day my husband and I were robbed at gun point.
I never imagined I would be referring back to it so quickly.
You can find our story “Stay Safe, Be Thankful” here
if you would like to read our experience.——————————————————–

Now for my attempt to try to take you away for a little while.

Here we are talking kitchen again.
You think I’m obsessed with my kitchen,
don’t you?That’s okay…
my family feels the same way,
and I’m sure even Dude feels this way (my doggie).
I’ve told you all before…
this is me,
and I’m not going to change

Here’s a little reminder of the before…
this was 4 years ago:

Here it is after our original makeover:

I love it, but you have to admit it’s a lot of black to live with day to day.
I was never satisfied with our pendant lights either.
My original kitchen makeovers can be foundhere.This was taken last night.
I made you some cake too.

Can you find what we tweaked?

Between you and I,
when I first gained the energy to dive back into this,
I painted the island white.
My poor hubby came home and was in semi-shock, but held his composure.
I knew it was a huge mistake.
So then it went back to black.
How many coats of paint can my cabinets hold?
I guess I’ll have to let you know.
We also opted not to distress this time around.
The armoire is the only item distressed now.Then there’s the tin backsplash.
I loved the copper,
but it said “flashy” to me.
I wanted more of a distressed, white washed look.

I originally painted it white and didn’t like it.
Once again, huge mistake.
Then I started thinking…

I took a rag, dipped it in some brown paint I had left from moldings,
and rubbed it over the tin lightly, and wiped off the excess.
Reminds me of when you put a penny under a piece of paper and you scribble pencil over it to bring out the lines of the penny.
Same effect here.
It actually looks like wood to me.
I love it.
By the way, the iron decor is from Hobby Lobby.
I found that for $30 (with coupon).
I am addicted to “swirls”.
Our kitchen is full off swirls.
Even the plates have swirls.
Guess I’m a little swirly.Do you prefer cream & sugar?

Here’s another before, after…after.
This one is a shocker.

You will note how the cabinets disappear here:

“Here they are saying,
“Well, hello there! Welcome to our kitchen.”
You can actually see the fine workmanship that went into the cabinets.
Much brighter, and feels cleaner to me.I kept the X ‘s in the window black, although I did try white first (as usual).
They really stand out in the day light.

The pendants I found online and on sale at Pottery Barn for under $100 ea.
These are what held up this post.
They were on back order (grrr).
They were worth the wait.FYI-I used “Beacon Tube” bulbs from Nostalgic Bulbs,
and they really brought out the true beauty of the glass.
I strongly recommend trying these bulbs.

We decided the green bottle chandelier had to go as well.
It was fun for a while, but I grew tired of it.
I will be selling all of my old fixtures at great prices at my new shop
that will be up and running after the new year.I found this baby at Home Depot for $159.
She is a dream.
Once again…I used my favorite vintage bulbs from Nostalgic Bulbs.
He has the best prices I have seen, and fast, secure delivery.

I removed the valance and can’t believe the difference it made in the windows.
I am a firm believer in “less is more” with window treatments.
Of course we need privacy, but the only guys in our back yard are
the ones with feathers, gills, or antlers.
They could care less about the redhead.