Eat, Ate, Tea

I 'shopped til I dropped' - well, not really, but I did shop around a lot for three black letters, but in the end, I just couldn't pay the $'s for it (I'm a penny-pincher!). I knew Mr. D could make me some. He used some scrap wood from his supply and cut the letters out for me and I spray painted them. That part was easier than getting them hung!

The wood has an intriguing texture to it.

The letters are above the kitchen window and are worth the work it took to put them there!

I thought I'd switch the letters around depending on the occasion but I think they'll just stay like they are now! I like the 'oomph' these three letters add to my kitchen.

Link Parties:
Frugal Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Vintage Inspiration

Home Goods Baskets

When I was looking for baskets for this cupboard I wanted them tall enough to tuck into their space but couldn't find what I had pictured. So I settled for second best. Last week I stopped in at Home Goods to get a kitchen scale and found my baskets, exactly the size I wanted, though I certainly did not expect them to be wrapped in burlap! One of the baskets didn't have as much writing on so I used a sharpie to place a number on each side. I'm very pleased with the results!

Here are the first set of baskets that will be used elsewhere!


I understand Home Goods is a hit or miss kind of place...obviously, this was a good hit for me!

Linky Fun!
Creative Things Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, Crafty scrappy Happy Blog Hop,
The 36th Avenue,  Get Your Brag On!, Transformation Thursday,
 Time Travel Thursday

Danger! Home Goods!

Oh.My.Heart...it just melted when I saw these! Home Goods - A.VERRRY.DANGEROUS place to be! The first time I went to Home Goods, I was not impressed AT! ALL! Today? Well, today all I wanted was a food scale and walked out the door with these. The only two that were there in that size. The one on the right will get a word of some kind - next week.

Till then...

Kitchen Credits

 Paul Nissley, contractor

 Matt's Plumbing

 Nissley Electric

 Churchtowne Cabinetry

 Muldoon's Kitchens

(it took five men to place the counter top - it was heavy!)

 Phil Nissley Tile

All of these business men did fantastic work but more than that, they are trusted Christain men.

With the exception of the counter top installers, they also are friends of many years...

THANK YOU!

Pendant Light

The contracter for our new kitchen is dependable, honest and a personal friend. Out of the kindness of his heart, he presented me with an old, brass pendant light, knowing I would love and appreciate it! It needed a complete overhaul, including a rewiring. I wanted to tackle it, but it was too much for me. Mr D was able to do that part of it...thank you, honey!

Because it was old with years of paint collected on it and the brass would have needed to be polished, I chose to paint it. I used a metallic paint not because of the metallic but because it was the closest color to match the kitchen hardware. I was very pleased with the results!

 - Before -

 - After -

It was disappointing when the pull chain broke even though it would not have been used. We replaced it with a knob switch. I'm really liking this thoughtful gift from our thoughtful contractor...thank you, Paul Nissley!

The Third Wall in Our Kitchen

 The third wall in our new kitchen is very different! The cupboard was intended as an island but after several weeks with it in the center of the kitchen, I moved it back against the wall. We both like it better this way. Notice the two footstools under it? They're for our grands to 'help' grandma in the kitchen (and for me!).

 The clock was gifted by daughter J for my December birthday. I picked it out because I wanted the size and the word 'HOTEL Lancaster' on it as we live in Lancaster County.

 I brought a few blue jars back into play again. I fringed the burlap runner and the baskets are from Home Goods.The top is agate which I really like - I can place hot things on it right from the oven. This cupboard started out as the bottom of a generic Hoosier cabinet and I did a retro on it. Info on another post!

 I fashioned this curtain from a bed skirt. I like it's slightly ruffly, flirty, pin tuck look!

This shelf was where the clock is now. All of these changes have cut back on some major dusting, which is an added bonus. I did like it back then but do really like the simpler, cleaner look!

Again, I was blessed by your comments - THANK YOU!

{Details} From Our New Kitchen

THANK YOU for your comments and encouragement through our kitchen rennovation...I was blessed!

We started the kitchen project December 8, 2011 and the counter was in place the twentieth (a wonderful b-day present!) and the kitchen was in use the next day! By seven of that morning, the cupboards were bare and by four-thirty, they were out with some minor repairs done. I'm not exactly sure why the dish drain filled with dishes was there other than it was proof positive that this last time I washed dishes in the old kitchen! :)
Here are pics of the before.

Today, the kitchen is MUCH more organized and functional!

We added a floor to ceiling cabinet on one end and a broom/cleaning cabinet on the other end. Though this took away counter space, it gave me more storage which I really like! To the left of the sink is the wastebasket drawer; in the 'before,' it sat in the open below the window. In the cupboard above it, I asked for an electrical outlet inside the cupboard for the smaller appliances, which sit on a pull-out drawer. It's very handy, as it's sturdy enough to simply pull it out and use it without having to plug it in every time.

The double doors beside it have pull-out drawers for the pots and pans, another very handy feature.

Above that is the silverware, etc drawer.

I LOVE the under-the-counter sink!

To the right of the sink is a long narrow cupboard that is an excellent place for cookie sheets and other tall, narrow items. The corner holds a gigantic lazy susan that holds a lot of awkward items.

To the left of the stove are my 'company dishes.'

The refrigerator was moved over eighteen inches to put a broom/cleaning closet on the end, with the opening facing the dinning room so I could use all of the long, narrow space that is often wasted space. I REALLY like this feature - it's close by and so handy!

Subway tile is all and more than what it's touted to be - I love, love its clean look! I also really like the under-the-cupboard lights...they're the first to be turned on when I'm working in the kitchen. I wanted to leave the corner to decorate and this is what it looks like for now. The blue enamel pan is a thrift find and filled with dish cloths and towels. The old silverware is used at special times and the pictures in the apothecary jar are of my brother and myself when we were babies.

 This pendant light is a gift from our contractor, who is a family friend. I'll do her in another post - believe me, the before looked quite sad!

Here is a peek of a cupboard that was going to be an island but is pushed against the wall now - I'll post more on this later.

And I was going to give credits, but this post is long enough!

To be continued...

Read about...
Pendant light
The Third Wall In Our Kitchen

Link parties:
Winter Blues Wednesday, Time to Shine, Tuesday's Treasures, Faded Charm
Latest and Greatest, Feathered Nest Friday, Vintage Inspiration Friday,
Potpourri Friday, Thriftin' on a Thursday

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