humble abode & a mural

today's daily diary dish is all about where this sandwich family lives...

this is kinda a funny post to me, as I'm all over lots of posts about our house.  Go ahead and click around on that sidebar, I'll wait...

I think I need to work up some kind of tour--ya know with a big umbrella that peeps can follow around?  I'm trying to think if I have something cool (and more importantly, finished to show you?)  I have a million and a half unfinished projects around these parts...

how about this instead--I talked about the things I miss from my old house (the pool is a big one right now), but here is one thing I have yet to bloggity blog up!
I painted this mural--totally free hand--at the old house.  One of my kiddos (who wishes to remain nameless) was a huge fan of spongebob!

so I painted this huge mural

Gary the snail has a special place in my heart :)

all those characters are so funny, even to an adult--they made me laugh

so there you have it!  something from my house for this post.  I loved painting it, except if I did it again, I think I'd get a projector and skip the 'free-hand' part.  Much simpler.  Whatcha think?  

Hope your weekend is groovalicious!

s:)

(Read More..)

A Kitchen-revealed!

Yowza!  Are we really here?!  What the heck will I blog about after this?  When last we were together we had the hilarity of the kitchen ticker tape parade and some lighting installation.

Now the kitchen is where it is at!  Well, there is forever stuff left to do, but I thought you'd like to see it just the same.  Plus there are some places I'd like to hear your input.

Here.we.go--wheeeee

Before

After

Want to come in for a closer look? Here's a little tour:

(Here the pendants are turned off so you can see the pretty color)

What do you think of the open shelving?

What do you think of the globes?  They were totally copied from inspired by Meg over at Whatever.  If you don't read it already, you should totally check out her blog--it's awesomesauce.  I need more globes.

Here are the new cabinets. 

The counter and my lovely faucet--oh and I grew those callas--how crazeeee is that--I can grow nothing!  Hopefully, they keep growing--cross your tootsies!

What do you think? (of my stinker, er thinker?!)

Here are a few things I'm still mulling over:

--is there a better way to tie the old cabinets with the new?

maybe get the same hardware?

--I need to do more accessorizing.  I'm just not a matchy-matchy dishes peep, but is it too cluttered?

Still on the wish list:

--apron front sink (oh how I lurve thee)

--slate or other Matte counters (ya know, like chem lab--I didn't like chemistry, not no way, no how! Maybe I should say like physics lab, love me some of that!)

--new appliances-not sure what kind-though I had a brief love affair with a red stove

--new coolio, maybe retro stools

A big bloggy shout-out to Edie at life in grace! Her kitchen was such great inspiration.  Here's something funny, the kitchen matches my dishes!  Check it out

The turquoises almost match!  If you are a lover of turquoise, you know that is seldom true. Is it true with most colors though?

 Phew!  Long post!  

I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed the kitchen transformation journey. You can see all the steps in the handi-sidebar under kitchen :)

s:)

I'm also linking this up to House of Hepworths, funky junk interiors and along for the ride!  And just added to Thrifty Decor Chick!  Go check out those sites for lots of creative juices flowing! This is my first linky, so wish me luck!

***I'm changing it up again, I think it looks a little 'cleaner' but I'm still interested in your feedback***

(Read More..)

Ticker Tape Parade and Baby Proofing

In celebration of all the kitchen posts, I thought I'd share a nice story about my youngest--one we affectionately refer to as LB or the Wild Child, she.has.so.much.energy!

I am big on baby proofing.  When friends talk about their little ones learning to walk, I always remind them that they need to make sure their houses are on baby-lock-down.  I offer my suggestions as the mom of a teenager and two little ones, based on my sooooo worldly experience. :)

Well, I have a confession to make.  I am a terrible baby-proofer!  Our new house is not.done.at.all--Yowza!  Really though, my girls are 3 & 1/2 and 20 months, so couldn't I relax a little?  I can reason with them right?  Or move things constantly out of one-in-particular's reach (she has seriously long arms)  Anywho, all my cleaners and meds are definitely out of reach--don't worry your pretty little bloggy heads.   Here is where I learned my baby-proofing lesson...

When we had peeps in to finish up the kitchen, I was going back and forth, keeping the girls busy and making sure the work was going smoothly.  I left the girls in my bedroom for a few seconds minute second, while I discussed light placement.   I didn't want them perfectly spaced out, I'm weird like that.

It was exciting!  The kitchen was almost finished!  The lights were the last BIG thing to put in.  I had three garage sales to pay for these lights.  I had debated their custom length for a week and then worried about picking the wrong thing while they were being made.

  My delovely lights, they needed to be perfectly placed.  Well, while my excitement was building--my LB must have sensed my budding happiness. She came running out of the master bathroom and gave me my very own ticker tape parade! She had crowned me the champion of kitchen-fixer-upping!
  Yes, yes she did, she showered me and she showered the guys working in my kitchen.  Sweet, huh?! What did she use to create said parade?  Why, a full box of tampax of course! Fling, fling they rolled around my lovely bamboo floor.  Then, she sat down in the middle of the kitchen with the directions and 'read' them like a book...

Word to the wise--Always baby-proof...

(Read More..)

Kitchen Re-do part 6

When last we were together here at the BLT we left off with a kitchen at 80% or so...
The counter was in, old (ho-hum) appliances long installed, kitchen cabinets painted...
The kitchen cabinets should have been done right?  I had carefully chosen the shades of blue, looking forward to my retro kitchen.
 I love the open cabinet look, but I wasn't sure it was the thing for our mess stuff different dishes.  Here's an image from Apartment Therapy.

Then to add to my uncertainty, I didn't like the upper white color on the cabinets.  It was wayyyyy different than the white of the new cabinets. 

Can you see how totally different they are--ugh! What to do? What to do?

So, I impulsively decided that maybe painting the upper cabinets blue would be good...

(crazy talk-since the lovely bamboo was already in and I'm a mess-say painter-yikes)

I started carefully painting

the outside of one section blue and the outside of one section white (blue inside)

and the inside became the former white-ish color....

What do you think?

I wasn't quite sure it was working still...

Indecision at dinner time with offspring-never a good plan...

I finally made up my mind.  What do you think I chose?

s:)

(Read More..)

Kitchen Re-do 5!

Yowza hard to believe there is this much to write!  I actually have a bunch more photos of all the work, so really I'm taking it easy on ya!

So we had to live with the cabinets in and wait on the countertops (read NO sink-oi!).

 You see, the granite has to be templated and then made/cut/quarried-I haven't a clue?  But you have to wait...which was not.so.fun. You really depend on your kitchen sink a lot!
When they finally brought the granite, it was in two ginormous pieces and one small side piece.  Remember how we basically doubled the size of the island--ahhh tahrue wove (points for knowing the movie!)

Well they brought that granite in, first they installed the small side piece.
Then they went to work on the big dogs.  And guess what?

  They made.it.wrong. and whoda thunk--it didn't fit.

(see that big goofy gap--they actually tried to fill it at first--goobers!)

soooo, they went back to the (literal) drawing board.  And we went back to having no sink...

Finally a week later, after many dirty bathtub dishes, we had a counter! joyful hipster dancing  abounds!

We also had a sink!   Of course, my boyfriend went in--along with his posse of necessary sink jewelry.

(ugh this is one thing I'm not crazy about, but I had to give the hubs at least a few of the things he wanted!)








It really is all coming together nicely at this point, dontcha think?!  I really love the faucet! I could do a photo shoot/blog session all about him:)  What'd I tell ya--you'd get kitchen info and a lullabye :)
Are you ready for the cabinet conundrum and adventures in lighting?  I might like my lights even more than mr. faucet (sshhhhh!)

(Read More..)

Kitchen Re-do 4

So where are we at!?  Are ya still with me and the infamous re-do?
So I painted the bottom cabinets blue and the top cabinets a white with a blue undertone (it was actually the lightest shade of the turquoise blue I chose.  Nice, huh?
PIC?
Then the new cabinets arrived.  We purchased the cabinets for the island and a new side pantry.  There were a lot of white cabinets, as we added small ones to the other side of the island--hello more storage-I love you!

We went with a white glazed cabinet.  That looks pretty white here, but in person there is a definite creamy tone to the white.  

 Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Anyone?  Anyone?

Um creamy does not work for my vision here peeps!

Anywho, here is a close-up so you can be part of my conundrum

The 'glazing' makes it even creamier (the dude at the showroom totally talked me into this, I'm still not sold on this by any means, but what can you do after the fact?!--that being said, I do like my kitchen more all the time)

So, there I was with these creamy white cabinets and retro turquoise cabinets on the other wall.  I wasn't quite sure how to pull it all together.  

I think the hardware helps some?  What do you think?

Don't mind the surrounding mess :)

I think I need more hardware for the blue drawers and cabinets to really tie it all together, but that will have to wait.  Up next, the countertop and sink adventure.  If you're not snoozing--hello this is my gift to you--insomnia no more!

s:)

(Read More..)

More Kitchen Re-do (part 3)

Ah the time I wasted perused wasted looking at kitchens online!  Oh Lord!  So many wonderful things to look at.  Then I found great inspiration in a blog I read regularly, Life in Grace!  Go check Edie out--she has awesome taste, photos and ideas about all sorts of stuff! Well she had an awesome kitchen in her old house that I just adored!

I already loved turquoise and dontcha know it is like totally the color of 20-10!  Who knew I was that cool?!

So I went for it!  Here we have the next set o' pics!

You'll see a lot of pics from this 'spot' it's kinda my stop-frame-animation of the changes

It looks brighter in the pics, though, I don't think I'd mind--I adore turquoise blue!

Is anyone interested in more info on painting the cabinets?  There are so many tutorials out there, I'm not sure I have much to add?

Oh and if you want to see more of all things turquoise check out

House of Turquoise!

Tomorrow--onto the white cabinets!

s:)

(Read More..)

Kitchen re-do part 2

So we have taken out the island, moved the cabinets over and of course already painted the walls.  The wood floor went in--pause for loving the loverly bamboo--

aahhhh

Oh wait, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.  Next I painted the old cabinets.  Can I tell you how much inspiration there is out in blogland and via google for white kitchens.  Oh, swoon!  White kitchens are classic to me and are so flexible with any decorating style you like.  

Granted there are many 'shades' of white and styles of cabinets, but in general, white kitchens pretty much rock in any shape or form for me.

Now here is where I make no sense.  The more I looked and looked and looked at white kitchens, the harder time I was having deciding how to paint the existing cabinets.

  I really consider myself a retro/vintage/eclectic decorator with a dose of shabby chic cottage mixed in.  Does that make any sense at all? Given my aforementioned adoration for white cabinets, it seems like I should have simply color matched out new cabinets into my favorite paint brand...

Well, I just couldn't do it.  I love multi-colored kitchens so that was my newest source of inspiration.

(forgive me for not noting where the pics are from--if you happen to know where I stole them from, please let me know and I'll be sure to add it)

I had planned on showing you the next 'completed phase' in this post, but I succumbed to the movie watching pressure from the rest of the blts and now it is late.  So until tomorrow!

s:)

(Read More..)