Kitchen Inspiration = Motivation

Can't keep myself busy enough while the older boys are at full-time camp this week.

I was looking around online and finally came across my kitchen inspiration.

That's IT!

MY GOAL

Having gone through the basement renovation last year, I realized I'm extremely visual when it comes to conceptualizing a space.  I can talk through what I like or want.  But in order to wrap my head around it, I have to see it.  Tape it out on the floor (did that a lot) or on the wall (did that more)...but when I find a picture of everything together - my heart skips a beat.

I'm overjoyed!

These pictures are perfect because of many things on my "have to live with" or "want to do" in my kitchen:
- cabinet color and hardware (doing)
- thicker moulding on cabinet uppers (plan to do)
- faucet (want)
- undermount sink (want)
- countertop & color (want)
- flooring (have - sort of, just not as nice as here)
- backsplash (have - well, it's not subway but it's white & tile)

Now just picture it with white appliances and bad overhead lights that (are K&T) won't be upgraded.

Good thing I love my $basement$.

So...after painting the front door, I figured why not keep painting...the kitchen's now calling my name.

WAITING

Still only in it's primed glory, I used the leftover Cloud White from the mudroom and got 'er done.  Kinda hard to see the difference between the primer and paint.  (I only got halfway done yesterday and Steve didn't even notice half the kitchen was unfinished) 

But since I completed the whole first coat this morning (at naptime), I can see a big difference.  Like this:

White walls with...

...awful trim

Aaaack!  Yes, the string continues to unravel itself.  The beat up, crusty, peel-y, gouged, now-yellow-looking trim must be addressed.  So that's next.  It will be tricky given the amount of TLC needed in here.

Milk (?) Window

This adorable window with the old latch needs tons of help.  Might have to strip the painted-over hardware.

Big Window

Again, love the old moulding around the window.  But it has about 18 coats of paint and countless wounds.  I figure anything I do to help smooth it out will be better than what we've got now. 

Looking around the room, I feel like I can totally tackle the trim in here.  That's not a problem.  It's just that the trim in the REST OF THE ENTIRE HOUSE looks just like this.  Three floors.  It's overwhelming.

So excuse me while I block that out of my mind and stare at my kitchen inspiration, instead...


*Inspiration pictures found at remodelaholic.com, post: "Charcoal Grey Kitchen Cabinets"

Door done

Third coat finished during naptime this morning.

I walk by it and get a warm fuzzy feeling.

I'm in love!

Here's the transformation by coat:

Before

One Coat

Two Coats

Three coats = DONE

Streaks are gone.  It's a deep, rich, velvety brick red.  

With the bell cover back on, I'm kinda thinking that needs to be painted red, too.  But don't worry.  That red paint will be making a reappearance.  Now that I've put three coats on the back of the door, I decided I need to add one to the front this spring.  It's lookin' a little pink on the outside compared to the true red on the inside....

...which, did I say, I LOVE!

Mudroom - Part 3

Ever feel like you pull a string and the whole thing starts to unwind?  That's my mudroom.

This morning, I finished rolling the walls with the 2nd coat of "Cloud White".

So I thought I'd get started on the door. 

Dear God

This is my "holy crap" shot.  It's that early moment where I get that sinking feeling in my stomach because I can't go back to the way it was.  I'm in it now.  And this was really dark red into it. 

Streaky

The first coat went on well.  But it's so awfully streaky.  I forgot how bad the red looked at this point when we painted the front of the door a few years ago.  Thankfully, right now I can just open it to reassure myself the back won't look this way forever. 

Since we're sick of piling up our jackets on a chair in the living room, I thought I'd use my NEW DRILL to put the shelves and hooks back up. 

Sweet

Back in business

Steve helped me by holding the shelf while I lined up the screws to the holes and drilled it in.  Now, he and I can work together well, but we readily admit to almost getting a divorce over assembling furniture from Ikea.  (We'd so never win The Amazing Race) 

The shelf was heavy.  And it was impossible for me to find the old holes when the shelf was up in place.  It was touch and go for a minute.  Until finally a screw caught and I quickly (and oh so easily) drilled it in.  Afterward, he said, "Imagine what would have happened if you didn't have that drill."  Oh.  Yeah.

Here's a shot from the staircase looking outside...it's kinda what I get to see when I'm standing in the kitchen:

Hello beautiful

Ok, so I'm loving the white walls.  The ceiling never looked so high.  I'm definitely loving the red door, too.  But the wood?  The mirror frame?  Not loving those.  Gotta go back to my inspiration and figure out a way to make them work...in a kid-friendly way.  

But before I do that, I just want to enjoy thinking about how far we've come:

Before

After

Before

After

Yikes!  Wow.  I'm impressed.  I did that? 

...Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Yup, this is the year.  I'm so excited for it. 

Last night was New Year's Eve, the night Steve and I exchange presents.  We're on the road before, during and after the holiday.  So we leave NYE for us.  At home.  Watching the train wreck that is Anderson and Kathy.

Staying with the non-traditional theme, Steve and I don't really do resolutions.  But if I had to make one, it would be to get all the things I daydream about around the house DONE this year.  And my new Christmas gift will help me do just that:

What the...?

I was totally blindsided.  I had no idea I was going to get a tool for Christmas.  And I love it!

The Works

Two batteries and a flashlight.  With the most power I've ever held in my hand.

Compact and powerful

I see the light!

The best part about the drill, aside from the fact that it's cordless, is that it's got an LED light so I can see what i'm screwin'.  Awesome.

So awesome, that I called my dad right after I opened it up.  He thought it was so funny, he laughed himself into a coughing fit.  I guess he didn't think I was serious about this stuff even after I FIXED HIS DRYER VENT last week...

Can't wait to get started.  There's so much to screw.  I mean, do.

Feliz Navidad...

A good excuse not to blog is being with family.  Especially since family are the only ones reading this...ha!

We had a wonderful time in Wisconsin and Illinois.  Thank you Mom and Dad for hosting us first and doing lots of babysitting...thank you Aunty Laura for joining us in IL...thank you Uncle Joe, Aunty Peggy and Charlie for hosting ALL of us, not to mention the good meat & fine wine (and more wine)...

...and thank you to the boys for being so darn cute on Christmas Morning.

Say....Santa!

And thank you Packers for the big Christmas Day W-I-N!

GO PACK!!

Last Hurrah

I was really hoping to share pictures of a totally finished 2nd-coat-on-the-walls-and-put-back-together mudroom today.  But, a glass of red wine was calling my name last night.  It was louder than the paint, roller and pan all shouting together. 

Instead, here's a sneak peek of the boys' annual Christmas picture:

Picture of a picture

You know there's always a backstory...

If you see fear in George's eyes, you guessed it already.  Henry wouldn't keep his hands off of him.  Mainly, off his face.  Henry was in one of his moods and there was nothing the photographer or I could do or say to keep him from completely manhandling George.  I almost lost it.

This was one of the few shots where George doesn't have a "for-the-love-of-god-save-me" look on his face.

I ended up choosing another pose that's being sent in our Christmas cards.  You'll see Henry's devious smirk at it's best (or worst)...

Merry Christmas!

Mudroom - Part 2

Purple be gone!

WHITE!

Do I look bigger?

Steve walked in halfway through the second coat and gave his approval.  Nice. 

I'm really seeing how a light color can make a small space feel B-I-G.  Not that my entryway is big by any means.  But purple wasn't doing it any favors.

Also got the patches taken care of:

Where are you?

Nemesis gone

Pretty rocker

I can't believe two coats got the job done.  I'm probably looking at two coats of paint.  It's my same favorite Cloud White by Benjamin Moore.  But with the hiding purple and blue-glow-white of the primer, I don't mind some extra elbow grease in the entryway.

Operation Elimination: complete!

Wait.  Too much white on the first floor now?  Where's the color, you say?  Stay tuned for my mirror idea...