Open Shelving Cabinets

Josh and I moved into our home in 2010 and promptly inherited this ugly kitchen. I drug my feet with this room makeover because I was dreading the wallpaper removal process. (Actually, I am still dragging my feet.) Why anyone would want a red kilt-like kitchen is beyond me. 

(source)

I longed for lovely glass-front kitchen cabinets to show off my collection of white dishes.

I had an aha moment and decided to simply remove the cabinet doors to create open shelving in the kitchen.

This task was super easy. Eight screws and one Phillips screwdriver later, I had open shelving in my kitchen! My eighty-nine year old grandma was convinced it was a joke. Why would anyone take off their cabinet doors?!?!

After a few weeks I set out to make the cabinets look even more shelf like. I removed all of the dishes so I could paint the back of the cabinet the same color (Thunderstorm by Dutch Boy) as the walls.

Although the change is small, the color on the back wall makes our white dishes stand out. 

Slowly but surely our kitchen is evolving into a room that I am no longer embarrassed to bring guests into. After this project, I am really excited to paint our cabinets. I know it is going to be a huge task, so I may drag my feet a bit longer...

Marimekko Inspired Curtain Panels

This is a post almost four years in the making. Four exchange students have lived at my parents’ home and we have had the opportunity to visit their homes in Europe.

In 2008, we celebrated Midsummer in Malmo, Sweden. I was enamored with all of the fabulous prints that adorned their windows. 

Ann-Margreth was so sweet and took me to the Marimekko store where she purchased much of her fabric. I was in love. All of the graphic fabrics were amazing. I purchased two meters of this “Putkinotko” print, which was originally manufactured in 1957.

Usually I am pretty adept with mental math; however, on this occasion I miscalculated the conversion rate in my head. I was quite surprised when I arrived home and realized that I spent almost $100 on about two yards of fabric.

Since this is the most expensive fabric I have ever purchased, I set it aside until I could hire somebody to make my curtains. I do not intend to botch my costly souvenir with my basic sewing skills. 

I have yet to find a seamstress to make my curtains, so the Marimekko fabric remains in storage. I found this fabric in the red tag section at Joanns. It was originally $12.99 a yard marked down to $3.50/yard. At this price I had no anxiety about ruining the fabric. (You may recognize the print from my infinity scarf)

Rather than sew crooked seams with my machine, I used this no sew hemming tape I had leftover from various Ikea curtains. I ironed and ironed until the new office curtain panels were complete.

This is what our office looked like before we moved in.

This is the same corner of the room complete with new Marimekko inspired curtain panels. I need to stop procrastinating and quit taking my photos at night.

We replaced the flowery butterfly light fixture and refreshed the room with new paint and carpet. 

I love these little glass candleholders from CB2. I filled them with white beans and dried flowers from our garden. The office is a work in progress, but it has come a long way from the lilac nursery. 

Monday ~ The DIY Showoff Project Parade ~ Made by You Mondays ~ Embellishing Life Everyday ~ Just Something I whipped up Monday  ~ C.R.A.F.T.  ~ The Southern Institute ~ Making the World Cuter ~ Thrify Décor Chick ~ Metamorphosis Monday ~ Sumo Sweet Stuff ~ Gunny Sack ~ Singing Three Little Birds ~DIY Homes Sweet Home ~ 1929 Charmer ~ Everything Under the Moon  ~ ModMix Monday ~ Its So Cheri  ~ Bath Bomb Creations ~ thegingerbreadblog

Tuesday ~ Get Your Craft  ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blackberry Vine ~ Crafty Confessions ~ Me & my Boys ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Home Stories A-Z ~ My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia ~ Carolyn’s Homework ~ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ House of Grace ~ Passionately Artisitc ~ My World Made by Hand ~ Uncommon Designs ~ Trendy Treehouse

Wednesday ~ Blue Cricket Design ~ Somedays Crafts ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Sew Woodsy ~ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Savvy Southern Style ~ {Primp} ~ Rae Gun Ramblings ~ Polkadots On Parade ~ Lollipop Cards ~ JAQS Studio ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ My Girlish Whims   ~ itsoverflowing ~ theletter4

Thursday ~ Transformation Thursdays ~ Somewhat simple ~ Show off your stuff ~ House of Hepworths ~ Delightful Order ~ My Simple Home Life ~ Thrifty Thursday ~ DIY Diva Thursday ~ Tablescape Thursday ~ No Minimalists Here ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ Between U and Me ~ 36th Avenue

Friday ~ The Shabby nest  ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can't Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Answer is Chocolate ~ oneartmama ~  fivedaysfiveways

Vintage Chair Upholstery

 I found these chairs at a flea market in August. Over the past six months I have been building up the courage to tackle this project. I only paid $18 for the pair. The low price made me less apprehensive about botching the upholstery.

The chairs were not in fantastic shape, but they do have some nice details.

The less than ideal condition comforted me in knowing that perfection was not the goal for my makeover. 

Just in case the pretty summer photos fooled you into thinking the chairs were appealing as is, I wanted to show you that these chairs were DIRTY.

 I was apprehensive about what I would find underneath the blue bird upholstery. I had visions of dirt, mold and other griminess. I was pleasantly surprised to find clean batting.  It appears that the chairs were once pink.

 My naked chair.

I found a gallon of blue paint in the “oops section” at Menards. I used the bargain paint and Plaster of Paris to make my own chalk paint. I followed No MinimalistHere’s directions and was pleased with the results. 

The first time I upholstered the chair I used bleached drop cloths, which many bloggers have recommended. Unfortunately I was not happy with the way it looked. I ripped off the drop cloth and headed to Joann’s.

I found both of these fabrics in the red tag section. The cream fabric was $3 a yard and the damask fabric (which I will eventually use to cover small pillows for the chairs) cost $4 a yard.

 This is by far the most challenging upholstery project I have ever tackled and I still have a lot to learn. I know that my chairs are quite flawed, but I still like them.

Since I am a novice at this craft, I am not about to give anyone direction. If you are looking for some upholstery advice check out Miss Mustard Seed’s blog.

I want to eventually make small pillows to sit on the chairs. I hope the pillows will add some contrast…and possibly hide some of my mistakes : )

Monday ~ The DIY Showoff Project Parade ~ Made by You Mondays ~ Embellishing Life Everyday ~ Just Something I whipped up Monday  ~ The CSI project  ~ Menu Plan Monday ~ C.R.A.F.T.  ~ The Southern Institute ~ Making the World Cuter ~ Thrify Décor Chick ~ Metamorphosis Monday ~ Sumo Sweet Stuff ~ Gunny Sack ~ Singing Three Little Birds ~DIY Homes Sweet Home ~ Dittle Dattle ~ 1929 Charmer ~ Everything Under the Moon  ~ ModMix Monday ~ Sew Stylish ~ Its So Cheri  ~ Bath Bomb Creations

Tuesday ~ Get Your Craft  ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blackberry Vine ~ Crafty Confessions ~ Me & my Boys ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Home Stories A-Z ~ My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia ~ Coastal Charm ~ Carolyn’s Homework ~ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ House of Grace ~ Passionately Artisitc ~ Under the Table and Dreaming ~ My World Made by Hand ~ Uncommon Designs ~ Trendy Treehouse

Wednesday ~ Blue Cricket Design ~ Somedays Crafts ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Sew Woodsy ~ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Savvy Southern Style ~ {Primp} ~ Midweek Fiesta ~ Rae Gun Ramblings ~ Polkadots On Parade ~ Lollipop Cards ~ JAQS Studio ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ My Girlish Whims  ~ thethriftyhome ~ itsoverflowing

Thursday ~ Transformation Thursdays ~ Somewhat simple ~ Show off your stuff ~ House of Hepworths ~ Delightful Order ~ My Simple Home Life ~ The Frugal Girls ~ Thrifty Thursday ~ DIY Diva Thursday ~ Tablescape Thursday ~ No Minimalists Here ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ Between U and Me ~ 36th Avenue

Friday ~ The Shabby nest  ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can't Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Shabby Art ~ Answer is Chocolate

Half Bath Before & After

I have been hesitant to share with you some of the rooms in our house because in my mind they are not “finished.” I decided to get over this notion, and share with you the progress we have made so far. This is a photo of our half bathroom that Josh took before we bought the house.  

We replaced everything but the tile floor. The vanity, faucet, mirror, light fixture, and toilet were all from Lowes. (Thanks to our friend Matt for helping install everything!)

I bought this small table at a garage sale for $4. With a quick coat of spray paint, it fits perfectly in the new bathroom.

The yellow urn only set me back a quarter. I still haven’t figured out what I want to put in there. Any suggestions?

I found the quirky embroidery at Goodwill and the towel bar was a clearance bargain from Target.

I had a difficult time trying to capture the whole makeover in such a tight space. (This is yet another reason why I think I need to invest in a wide angle lens) Hopefully you still get the gist of the transformation. 

Just in case you were wondering what I was wearing yesterday, here is a cheesy photo of me in the mirror. 

Monday ~ The DIY Showoff Project Parade ~ Made by You Mondays ~ Embellishing Life Everyday ~ Just Something I whipped up Monday  ~ The CSI project  ~ Menu Plan Monday ~ C.R.A.F.T.  ~ The Southern Institute ~ Making the World Cuter ~ Thrify Décor Chick ~ Metamorphosis Monday ~ Sumo Sweet Stuff ~ Gunny Sack ~ Singing Three Little Birds ~DIY Homes Sweet Home ~ Dittle Dattle ~ 1929 Charmer ~ Everything Under the Moon  ~ ModMix Monday ~ Sew Stylish ~ Its So Cheri  ~ Bath Bomb Creations

Tuesday ~ Get Your Craft  ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blackberry Vine ~ Crafty Confessions ~ Me & my Boys ~ A Bowl Full of Lemons ~ Home Stories A-Z ~ My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia ~ Coastal Charm ~ Carolyn’s Homework ~ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ House of Grace ~ Passionately Artisitc ~ Under the Table and Dreaming ~ My World Made by Hand ~ Uncommon Designs ~ Trendy Treehouse

Wednesday ~ Blue Cricket Design ~ Somedays Crafts ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Sew Woodsy ~ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Savvy Southern Style ~ {Primp} ~ Midweek Fiesta ~ Rae Gun Ramblings ~ Polkadots On Parade ~ Lollipop Cards ~ JAQS Studio ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ Let Birdz Fly ~ My Girlish Whims  ~ thethriftyhome ~ itsoverflowing

Thursday ~ Transformation Thursdays ~ Somewhat simple ~ Show off your stuff ~ House of Hepworths ~ Delightful Order ~ My Simple Home Life ~ The Frugal Girls ~ Thrifty Thursday ~ DIY Diva Thursday ~ Tablescape Thursday ~ No Minimalists Here ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ Between U and Me ~ 36th Avenue

Friday ~ The Shabby nest  ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can't Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Shabby Art ~ Answer is Chocolate