how to build a mock cabinet in a little space...

I thought I'd take a minute to address that little space between my stove and refrigerator today.  I guess I never did let you in on how that happy accident happened. (Thank you Apartment Therapy for the reminder.)

When I made my list of things I needed to address in the kitchen before the revamp, the space between the fridge and stove was right up there.  If I pushed the appliances as far apart as possible it gave me seven inches to work with.

My original thought was to make a pull out shelf on wheels that I could store baking sheets in but I am not a power saw girl and my husband was not working on my time frame (he wasn't ready to drop his list of projects to cut all the pieces for me, go figure...lol) so I went to plan B.

I placed a 6" x 30" shelf on top of a baluster leg and attached the unit to the wall with a 1 x 2 piece of scrap lumber secured to a stud.  Once it was done "we" decided it didn't quite look right with the leg exposed so I pulled a piece of scrap bead board (which happened to be exactly the right size) to see how it would look if I covered it up.

Here's were the lucky accident happened.  As I was contemplating adding a piece of wood to the front, it dawned on me how much the bead board looked like little drawers set horizontally.

One trip to Home Depot later, I added the hammered black nobs using a template I made out of paper to center the hole and a little scrap lumber kick plate at the bottom and wa-la instant "drawers"!

One day hubby man has promised to make me my plan A unit and I can just pop the front mock drawers off of plan B and attach it.  In the meantime, my ingenuity is working out just beautifully.

xo, Patty

bathroom revamp reveal - and then it all came together

Grab a cup of something hot, it's another long one.

Every once in a while you get lucky and while one plan falls away and even better one takes it's place.  And so it was with my tiny main bath revamp.

Our house was built in 1954 and not much real estate was given to our main floor bathroom nor do we have a master bath in our bedroom, so this little bathroom is it for downstairs.

The walls were painted a couple of years ago when a pipe issue caused us to replace the floor and since painting is way down on my list of love to do's, I chose to just clean up, patch up, touch up and go.

I apologize for the lack of before pictures, the demo was a spur of the moment thing and really only consisted of taking down some dated towel bars and a little shelf above the toilet.

I have been collecting things for the revamp for the last couple of months, so that the cost would be minimal, since I've already spent the majority of my decorating budget on the kitchen and the dining room.  Other than a new towel bar, bath mat, towels and a new clock, I shopped my house or made it myself.

I re-purposed the white shelf from the kitchen and hung it over the new towel bar.  I made the "life is beauty full" wooden sign a couple of months ago to use in the bathroom so I placed it on top of the shelf.  I had originally wanted to go a bit more rustic in here but once I placed everything I'd originally gathered for the room on the shelf I was totally uninspired...not that you need much inspiration in the bathroom.

So I removed all the accessories and pouted a while...

Then while I was on the phone moaning to my mom, I happened to glance up and see this large canvas print in the living room.  I threw it up on the shelf, grabbed my vintage ball jars and added the wooden sign and then it all started to come together.

I headed over to Home Goods for a coral towel for a splash of color and spotted this one.  The colors couldn't be more perfect and I love it.  I found the round black clock there as well.  I think it balances out the display beautifully.

I was planning on hanging a collection of mirrors over the toilet but decided that a little color balance was needed on this side of the room so I hung the feather art I finished over the weekend.  (Sorry for the poor quality picture but the lighting is tricky in there.)

I styled and restyled the white shelf and while I love how it looked with the mercury candle holder, it didn't feel like it belonged in the bathroom.  (Thanks for all your IG opinions on the matter.)

So I removed the candle holder and added cotton balls and cotton swabs to the blue jars and I knew I'd finally reached the beauty vs. function I was after.

It feels good to have this room off my to do list.  I still need to repaint the little cabinet above the toilet but all in all this one went pretty quickly.  Let's hope the same goes for the living room.

In other news, my daughter and my grandsons are moving into there own place this weekend so my house will be quiet once again.  Keep reminding me that this is a good thing, won't you?  I'll still be watching them three or four times a week so they will be around plenty.  It's just not quite the same thing as having them sleeping upstairs and coming down noisily every morning...but wait, quiet mornings with my coffee are a good thing, right?  Please keep us in prayer through the transition.

Have a wonderful first weekend of fall!

xo, Patty

gathering inspiration

It has been such a lazy week for me so far, what about you?  I know I should be moving full steam ahead with the last couple of projects on my revamp list but my energy level has really been zapped.

I did manage to gather together the last of the misplaced odds and ends that didn't find a place in the kitchen or dining room revamps.  Those things that I wasn't ready to part with knowing I would find a place for them sooner or later.

It's amazing what a pretty mix of color and pattern they make just grouped together like this.  They have become my inspiration palette for the living room spruce up.

I bought a few cans of spray paint to freshen up some frames and will be purchasing three new shades for the windows this weekend so I am making a little progress.  I also painted a desk I found for $4.00 at Goodwill.

Today I'm off to Hobby Lobby again with my sister in law in search of a knob for the thrift store desk and a yard of fabric for a new bathroom curtain, then it's off to lunch at Islands.  Wish me luck that I only walk out of there with what I went in for.

Happy Wednesday!

xo, Patty

the dining room reveal - room by room

Grab a cup of something to drink and make yourself comfortable.  It's going to be a long one...

Welcome to my colorful cottage dining room.  This is the view to the right as you enter from the front door.

Our cottage is very modest in size but this is actually a nice sized space.  Our table seats eight comfortably and accommodates two additional large pieces of furniture without feeling crowded.

The large double hung windows are original to the house which was built in 1954.  I have resisted replacing them because I love the charm they add to our home.  The mahogany side board was a gift from my husband and is the one piece I refuse to paint.

This large hutch sits directly across from the windows and until last month was oak.  I am still amazed at how much brighter the whole room looks now that it is painted this crisp white.

The shelves have been styled and restyled several time but I think I'm finally happy with them now.  The vintage Pepsi crate holds a few wine glasses and my open bottle of wine.  I had no intention of leaving the black and white frames empty but once I propped them up in the hutch I knew they would stay that way.

The crate on the bottom shelf of the hutch holds mixed drink supplies and alcohol.  The blue painted wine cabinet provides storage for wine, sparkling cider and champagne.

The wall to the left of the hutch leading up the stairs is filled with family photos.  One of my favorite projects is the plate gallery to the right of the hutch.

I spray painted some thrift store tin trays and then hand painted the numbers to add an uncluttered cohesive look to the back wall.

I took a risk with the multicolored curtains but I think pairing them with mostly solids throughout the rest of the dining room gives a nice cottage feel to the space without it seeming overly busy.

One of the final projects in the room was painting the dining room table and chairs.  I am so happy I chose to go with the blue for the table base.  I painted the chairs the same white as the hutch and covered them in an orange geometric pattern.  My husbands approval rating is based on the Pee Wee Herman playhouse test.  If I go too bright or bold he will say it's looking a little Pee Wee Herman in there.  I'm happy to say he actually loves the room, too. Which makes it all the sweeter.

Getting the dining room finished feels like such an accomplishment.  In some ways even more so than the kitchen.  When I began the kitchen revamp I knew painting the cabinets was going to be a huge undertaking so I was prepared.  With the dining room, I thought it would be a little tweak here and there but the little projects just kept snowballing and it actually ended up taking me longer than the kitchen to finish.

But now that it's done, it was more than worth it.  I'll break down a few of the individual projects in the days to come.  If there's something you'd like to know specifically just leave me a comment and I'd love to share.

I thought I'd leave you with a view of the living room, the last room I'll be tackling before my daughters baby shower in November and the rush of the holidays.

I really tried to use restrain in color and pattern but my heart kept getting in the way.  I am a color loving girl...always have been and probably always will be.  The biggest decorating mistakes I've made have been when I ignored that love and tried to be something I'm not.

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Come back soon.

xo, Patty

on deadlines and distractions

I am a girl who works best under pressure.  Give me a deadline and I am all over it.  So when I set up my plan to finish a room or two a month through October it sounded very doable.

The kitchen in July...check.
The dining room and main bathroom in August...
The living room and master bedroom in September...
The gardens and outdoor spaces in October...

Ambitious for sure, but not impossible.  Getting the public areas of the house in order and fluffed up by my oldest daughters baby shower in early November seemed like a very real possibility on paper.  And if everything went according to plan the house would be in tip top shape for the holidays.

And then life happened.

So here we are in September and I am still wrapping up the rooms from August.  The dining room would have been done but just as I was ready to snap a few reveal photos I noticed how dingy the dining room table and chairs looked next to everything I had just finished.

I guess you figured out what I'm doing this first week of September...yup, six chairs and one table are all on the painting block.  Time to readjust and tweak that paper schedule once again.

It's all okay though for as much as I like a good deadline, it can never replace the importance of life's distractions.  What good is a pretty house if nobody is happy living in it, right?

Happy Wednesday friends.

xo, Patty

don't settle

I finally repainted the wine cabinet yesterday.  I decided on Benjamin Moore's Waterloo, which the girl at the paint counter at Ace Hardware made into a chalk paint for me at no extra cost.  I panicked a bit when I first applied it because it looked so flat and well, chalky.  (I know a real "duh" moment for me, it is chalk paint after all.)

I knew it needed a coat of wax but I was not willing to pay what they're asking for it so I googled a home made version.  By the time I would have purchased all that was required to make it myself the savings would have been minimal.  I searched for an alternative and found a tutorial where someone suggested using Minwax Polycrylic finish.  I had that in my paint cupboard already so I gave it a try near the back of the piece where I could hide it if I hated it.

It worked like a charm.  I used clear satin and it gave just enough of a shiny finish to make the blue really pop.

I am so glad I didn't settle for the okay blue that I originally painted it and splurged on another quart of paint.  Which by the way, I plan on using to paint my husbands dresser in our bedroom next month.

All that's left in the dining room is to rehang my picture gallery and make up some new place mats.  I am still shooting for a reveal on Monday.

Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by, I'm always surprised and happy when you do!

xo, Patty

what was I thinking?

Okay, I admit it.  I had a brief moment of panic yesterday as I hung my new dining room curtains to check them for length.  What was I thinking...they are just so...colorful.

But then the sun came out and cast the most dreamy glow over the entire room.

And I knew I made the right choice.

I still have to finish the lining and hem them up before I can share them with you.  I just hope my camera can capture how pretty they really are.

In the meantime what I can show you is this wall of plates I hung randomly meandering to the ceiling.  I saw Flower Patch Farmgirl do this a while back and I knew I had to find a place to include it in my revamp.  I am so happy with the affect they have on this part of the room next to the hutch.

And the best part is that I had all but a couple of the plates in my cupboards.  I did have to head to the thrift store to finish off the arrangement and found the plain blue plate and the white plate with the blue rim for .49 cents each.

One section at a time the room is coming together.  I think I'm on target for an end of the month reveal.  I've decided I'm not in love with the blue I painted the wine storage case so that is back on the project list but I figure I've come this far, I shouldn't settle for any thing less than love, right?

In other less fun news, we are one week into the school year and a yucky allergy/cold/cough has already found it's way into our midst.  Hopefully it doesn't stay long!

xo, Patty

btw...I found the fabric I shared yesterday at Joann's.  It was in the designer quilting cotton section.

cause it makes my heart sing

I woke up today with a light heart.

I don't know when and I don't know how, but somewhere along the line I had let a cloud of heaviness invade my mind.  There was nothing I could point to that was wrong just a lot of tiny little things that I let steal my joy.

It may sound silly but I think taking control of my home, clearing clutter and prettifying my surroundings, has had a lot to do with the lightening of my mood.  We are after all, visual people.  I have purposefully set out to create an environment that feels soothing, a place to retreat to.

So when it came time to pick the fabric for my dining room windows I went shopping with the idea of finding a clean, calming, peaceful, neutral design.

And then I saw this...

And my heart began to sing...

So I bought five yards of it and today it's just me, my cup of coffee, my sewing machine and this yummy fabric.  Sometimes you just need to throw caution to the wind and follow your heart and that feeling of peace will find you!

Happy Tuesday.

xo, Patty

kitchen revamp - the details

It's been a few weeks since I finished my kitchen revamp and other than a couple of small tweaks, (like adding the red band to the curtains) I am still loving the new look.  It is actually a joy to be in there.

I've started the same process of streamlining, decluttering and organizing in the dining room so I thought I'd better share the details of the kitchen before I bombard you with pictures of the projects I'm working on now.

(white curtains without and with the red striped band.)

I started the revamp with a 30 day time frame and a $500.00 budget.  I am happy to say I was able to stay on time and budget with both.  Here is the break down of how I spent my money.

Stainless Broan range hood - $85.00 on Amazon
Behr Paint, Zimmer Primer and painting supplies for the cupboards - appx. $100.00 at Home Depot
shelf and brackets for above the range - $40.00 at Home Depot
red vintage looking clock - $32.00 at World Market
wire basket, new dish towels - $20.00 at Home Goods
paper towel holder, new galvanized buckets - $10.00 at Ikea
new rug - $6.00 at Ross
drapery rods, pot holders - $30.00 at Target
cutting board, organizing dividers - $20.00 at Bed, Bath and Beyond
Post and hardware for small shelf between range and fridge - $20.00 at Home Depot
New coffee pot - $40.00 at Walmart
Miscellaneous trips to Ace Hardware and other stores for odds and ends around $50.00

Because we did the work ourselves and I was able to use supplies I already had on hand, I actually came in under budget at $453.00.  The only thing I wasn't able to replace was the light fixture.  The one I have my heart set on will cost me around $150.00.  So I cleaned up the existing one and will learn to love it until I can afford the one I really want.

I think the most important lessons I learned were to break things down into manageable projects if at all possible.  Set a task and complete it before moving on to the next one.  Be prepared to live with piles of stuff for the duration of the revamp and be flexible.  Somethings will turn out just as you envisioned and others...not so much.  For me, the ones that didn't turn out like I thought, ended up turning out even better with a little tweaking.

And lastly, learn to love the home you're in.  It may not be your dream home but that doesn't mean it can't be a beautiful place to dream in.

xo, Patty

I shared the details on how I built the mock cabinet between the stove and the fridge in a this post.