Best. Product. Ever!

OK, maybe not ever, as I've said the same thing about Mod Podge, acrylic sealer and scrap booking paper at one time or another. But I did splurge on the product many other craft and home blogs I follow have recommended: Chalkboard Paint.

The fronts of our ironing board-turned-spice-cabinets were looking a little plain, just painted white, like the trim. I kept thinking of adding grape stenciling to them, but I couldn't commit to it. Somehow I found it easier to commit to matte black? I dunno...maybe it was the invitation to relive early elementary school memories of drawing designs on the chalkboard before classes, except this time, they wouldn't be erased by a teacher.

Ahh, look at that blank canvas.

I've noticed that when I'm taping before painting, I finally get the knack of it for the last few pieces of tape. Oh well...I think it's still my least favorite part about painting.

But, even with the tape, I had to touch up the paint a little bit. Oh, it looked terrible when it was wet.

I could barely wait for it to be dry before I went out and got a bucket of chalk and got to work decorating for Halloween, albeit a cheap attempt.

I also "transcribed" a message from Beth, our older cat, who my husband and I feel would rule the world if only she had thumbs.

Mess=Progress

I think my reason for procrastinating putting up a blog was exhaustion due to the non-stop weekend we had and the late nights the week before and this week I've had at work. But, since I finally have some down time, I can update with the progress we made last weekend!

It's weekends like these that make me wonder how we fit 48 hours in a weekend. Don't get me wrong, I would love to expand the weekend to get even more done.

First, I finally got sick of my unpainted trim in the kitchen.

Ooh, it hurts my eyes!

And I got out my old painting clothes (who am I kidding? It's not like I've ever put them away, honestly. I don't think my husband cares I wear  the paint-stained pants to bed) and got to work. I was surprsed when Lenny and one of our friends joined me. Hell, that trim was painted so fast, I had even more time for another project...

Oh, thank goodness! Much better!

Eventually, we will be getting new windows, so I haven't gone through the annoyance of trying to paint the existing windows we have. That's what the blinds cover, thank goodness.

 

In between coats, I began making curtains for the kitchen. Have I mentioned I am in love with my grapes and wine theme?

The green fabric is actually made from a cheap flat sheet from Wal-Mart. The green just happens to accent the grape leaves painted on the walls. And the bottoms? Well, (totally giggling with anticipation of telling you), they're dishtowels!

Here's what they looks like on the window...although, I may do some changing around because the other windows are looking a little bland in comparison.

While I was working on the curtains, my husband began taking down the drop ceiling in our bathroom.

And my father-in-law nailed down my countertops! Sorry for exclamation point, but it's very liberating having countertops that no longer move around when I do anything on them.

What we found above the drop deiling was this, which we have to live with for a little while, but the extra six inches that have been added actually really makes a difference in the feel of the space in our bathroom.

 

Now, this is a very important tool in all of our household endeavors: A kitchen chair we inherited from Lenny's parents. We've used it for everything.

And my final project of the weekend, which I can say my husband gladly helped with, was decorating my window boxes. I found wooden slats at Wal-Mart, which my husband happily spray painted with stone-like spray paint. Our friend and I wrote little tombstone sayings on them, even a few off-color ones ("Billy Mays Here!" and "Michael Jackson Cause This Is Thriller!").

Please forgive the intense need our house has for a good power-washing.

 

More Halloween decorating and construction is scheduled for this weekend! Not to mention, I just got paid. My weekly trip to Joann's is set to commence as soon as I get out of work!

The Perfect Shelf

Lenny and I decided we wanted a shelf in the pantry in the kitchen, which we turned into the area for the sink and the dishwasher. We figured it would be great to be able to use that area to hold dishes, as well, making it easier to transfer dishes from the dishwasher or sink, instead of making multiple trips. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anything either of us liked and we took up valuable cabinet space holding our dishes, only using two of the three shelves because the top shelf was pretty inconvenient to reach.

After a visit to my dentist, who happens to be Swedish, I decided to go to Ikea and get lost for a while while the Novocaine wore off. While in the kitchen section, I came across the cutest little country shelf. So simple, long and just the right size I was looking for.

LINK

Now would be the point in the blog when I should mention my husband says he doesn't like Ikea. Anything I bring home from Ikea, I have to sneak in the house, and tell him later where it came from, once he decides he likes it/doesn't mind it.

After putting it together—with the "help" of the cat, who was very good at finding (and playing with) parts I had dropped—I attempted to hang it by myself. This was a mistake.

After making a few holes in the wall, I waited for my brother-in-law to come over. Thankfully, he was a better stud-finder than I was (and that is now a joke among the family).

And now I have basically an empty cabinet I can store the kitchen odds and ends!

 

Decorating the Kitchen

When first moving in, and basically have a blank canvas at my disposal, I read many a redecorating book because when picturing my dream house, my only criterion was having a yellow kitchen. I hadn't pictured anything else because I never actually thought as far ahead as having my own house.

So, I was to start from scratch.

First I thought I would stay with traditional, keeping the house preserved in 1928. Then I realized I really wasn't a fan of that.

I enjoyed flipping through Ikea catalogs and looking at all the funky cheapness. Then my husband said Ikea would look silly against the old wooden doors and white molded trim. I sneak my Ikea trips into the weekends he's away at National Guard drills, then tell him only after he says he likes it where it came from.

At least I knew I wanted a yellow kitchen. At my bridal shower, my mother- and sister-in-law started giving me towels and pot holders with grapes on them, so my theme for the kitchen was pretty much mapped out. I would have accents of grapes. Well, when I realized I could incorporate that into my love of wine, I realized my kitchen would have a country-esque grape and wine theme to it, and I could get my yellow kitchen.

The kitchen was completely switched around before I would start. We needed most major appliances had to be moved around to get a good amount of space we needed and the always-sticky linoleum had to be removed.

And, as much as I enjoyed the previous wallpaper for its kitchy-ness, my husband told me he couldn't live with it.

Beginnings: The Kitchen

Once that was complete, I could begin painting. (Confession: I still have not painted the trim in the kitchen. I don't remember why I put it off...but, I swear, I'll get to it.)

I wanted to go with one of the background tans in the towels as a basis for finding a complementing yellow. I finally decided on a color called Apple Muffin, which looked like cupcake batter and, therefore, had to eat before painting or else I knew I would absent-mindedly try it.

After the Pergo floor was put down, a trend I'm annoyed to see has gotten quite popular in kitchens now, the new appliances were installed and the cabinets were installed, I used a grape stencil on the walls. I didn't want it to go all the way around because it would have been too busy for such a small space, so I strategically placed them, centering as much as I could over windows and doors.

The finishing touches were the towels and pot holders, which were hung the other day to hide the imperfections in the plaster wall.

The wine bottle is not necessarily decoration. It's actually old red wine that's gone bad that I use for cooking. There is a note on the wine warning myself not to drink it, as I had an autopilot moment a few weeks ago and took a swig, resulting in a terrible shock when I realized what I had done.