Just a little tease to tide you over .
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Early birthday present
The positives are ;
solid wood
nice shape
drawers; one is a cutlery drawer
lots of storage
low profile ; makes it ideal for using as a "buffet" after all it is a buffet
its going to look so cute after I give it my loving touch.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The island is complete
When the guys left the house the other day we took the box off the butcher block and the two of us laid it in place , that must weight 200 lbs , no joke , but when there is a will there is a way.
Girls Only Island Project
Trust me its just right , and its in just the right location , it is a great addition to this kitchen .
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Painting the bulkhead
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Paint outdated wood cabinets , change hardware , upgrade appliances , add a beautiful backsplash , brackets , mouldings , open up cabinets for display , create a focal point with the range hood , add great lighting ,but don't forget your bulkhead.
My white painted kitchen above is a great example of making the most of standard , I don't think my kitchen gives off a standard look at all . Its the little things that make the biggest difference.
One of the things I learned early on in decorating a painted kitchen, was the deal with the bulkhead and not ignore it , it is the biggest mistake , if you ignore it regardless of the color you choose for your cabinets there will be a break between the cabinets and the ceiling , kind of like an eye brow . Look for yourself at the above before and after of my friend Lisa's kitchen , it is a small improvement with a huge result.
No need to rip out the bulk head , they most likely are hiding the mechanics of the house , I say treat them nicely , paint them in the same finish as the cabinets , add mouldings to the bulkhead , a simple piece of crown moulding or trim where the bulkhead meets the ceiling is all you need to extend the visual look of your cabinets , giving the illusion of more height .
Bulkhead is no longer a 4 letter work , heck I added bead board paneling and lots of trim to mine , I love it , go ahead and treat it right , would I steer you wrong?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Green with envy, and inspired
Monday, January 25, 2010
It's gone , it was hard to see this beauty go , heart pangs , but this is going to a great home with great people so it was the right move.
I have a jam packed week full of design jobs , thrilling ! , and its raining , RAINING? in late January in Ontario , in Canada , unheard of , normally we are waste high in snow , now this is my kind of winter , its been great , no complaints here.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Progress is good
Friday, January 22, 2010
This is the cabinet I wanted them to buy to replace a very modern TV console , it is a piece I saw on Kijiji for a while now , I am in the midst of painting this piece white for a crisp updated look . Won't it look lovely under a wall mounted LCD , the big screen has to stay , I understand , I live in the real world , it will be gorgeous. Secretly I would love it for myself.
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So how do you make a fearless choice on these kind of decisions? well you ask yourself ,
self ? " if money were no object , what kind of kitchen would you have?"
well it turned out she would have a dark espresso stained kitchen , it is her desired look , so she painted the cabinets a deep dark brown and added trim , completely changing the look of her nearly new but tired kitchen .
well it turned out she would have a dark espresso stained kitchen , it is her desired look , so she painted the cabinets a deep dark brown and added trim , completely changing the look of her nearly new but tired kitchen .
So what did the nay sayers say? well they love it , of course .
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Well the Mexican styled pine table and chairs has lost that loving feeling , and my lovely friend desired an island with storage , storage she will get , three doors of closed cabinets and three shelves of open display. We even used the skirting of the table as supports for the cabinet building , ultimate recycling.
It will have a creamy glazed finish , as well as a butcher block counter top from IKEA.
We got to bring our her new tools , see she asked for tools for Christmas , a miter saw and nail gun , it was nice to break them in on what is turning out to be such an impressive piece.
She is still a little worried it is too big but I must assure her it is not , its just what this kitchen needed .
I will be sure to show you the afters.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Eva is loved
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Her name is Eva. 1pound
All babies touch our hearts , we love them well before they arrive , too many babies are lost to those who love them , missed by those who needed them .
We were together ,as we are for celebration we are there in times of loss and sadness .
Saying good bye is so hard .
Thankfully my sister in law made it through the delivery without any medical complications , with her last birth we were really scared because of her grave health due to HELLP ,thankfully there were no problems with bleeding , especially since she has been on blood thinners for the entire pregnancy which was a great relief. A little bit of grace.
We shared this experience regardless of how painful it is , we all need to stand by each other in these hard times .
The nurse was truly amazing , she treated Eva with the same dignity and respect any and all babies deserve , she called her princess . I am still in awe of her , this being a hospital that deals with a large number of high risk pregnancies they have an increased number of still births so they know exactly how to handle these situations and make them as gentle as possible. Being through two such sad arrivals with my brother and his wife , this wonderful care makes all the difference.
There were 5 other families experiencing the same painful loss along with ours that night.
We all spent time with her ,we got to dress her swaddle her , love her , take photos of her , we will always remember our time together.
I thank you for all your love and well wishes , you amaze me , so many of you have suffered the loss of a baby , I am so sorry for that .
Thank you for surrounding me with support.
Eva 01/19/10 and Bella 01/02/09 sisters together forever , rest in peace babies.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Broken hearted
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many times today wondered if I read the message correctly , did it really say what I think it said ? no I couldn't have just read that the "baby is gone" , it is too painful to process , to unimaginable to be real.
My little brother and his wife have been trying to have a family for several years now , they had a couple of early miscarriages , then last year after all looked good , their baby was still born at 34 weeks due to an undiagnosed blood condition {of my SIL} and complications due to HELLP which is a severe form of pre eclampsia .
No parent should have to sit at the funeral of their baby , their pain was so hard to experience from the outside.
It took me a very long time to see a baby and not go back to that sad day , it was a long journey back to hope for them and dream for them again.
They got pregnant again , she was on blood thinners twice daily shots, blood pressure meds , seeing a high risk OB in Toronto , in fact the visits got bumped up to twice a week recently just to be safe . I got to see this precious baby alive an kicking during an ultrasound just a few weeks ago , all looked well , baby looked awesome.
But today on their visit {24 weeks} they found out the baby didn't make it , he or she is gone , some say to heaven , but this hole in our lives just says the baby is gone .
My arms ached as soon as I heard , like I had no life in my limbs , I wish I could make it all better , turn back time . Life should not be this hard for one couple....
I don't think I will be posting too much in the next little while , gonna focus on family .
But I will be back , just need some time ...
I am going to go to be with them this evening , please send me your strength , this is going to be a hard day and night for my family.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
120lbs gained
Before; my well loved, family made plank counters , with the dreaded gaps {dreaded only by me because only I clean the spills} , it was time for them to go , armed with some IKEA brackets , an IKEA butcher block bought for a steal , and two packages of v-groove and some pine strips of wood , this makeover cost out of pocket a mere $45.00 , $30.00 for v-groove and $15.00 for the pine strips , the other things I have long had around the house .
My lovely plank counters have successfully be replaced , I am happy say my old counter top now has a new home in my work room and it looks so nice down there , its a happy switch .
Here is my new/old oak butcher block counter top , purchased from IKEA in the AS IS dept for $50.00 about a year ago , it weighs about 120 pounds , solid as a rock , couldn't beat that price.
I re clad the entire island with v-groove, which is knotty pine boards the v-groove refers to the v cut between the boards when you connect the tongue and groove of the planks , 2 1/2 inches wide are the boards , wider than bead board a little less busy .
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I sanded the corners smooth to remove the sharp corners and edges. I then stained the edge with American walnut stain , water based stain , then gave the butcher block a light staining with the same color , followed by a good rubbed on coat of paste wax, I use Minwax natural paste wax , just rub on the entire surface let dry for about 20 minutes and buff with a clean lint free cloth , think Karate Kid wax on wax off... its a good arm work out , my arms sure are tired today after all the painting , staining and waxing .
My husband and I brought this upstairs from my basement work room yesterday for me to make it into our new island counter top.
Although I love our antiqued dark plank counter top and its warm patina , the gaps were making me bonkers , spills crumbs and dust made their way right on into my cupboards , one can only dust pans for so long.
I took simple pine strips the same depth as the slab and framed the whole slab to add length to the counter to make it long enough for my generous kitchen island which seats 4.
I sanded the corners smooth to remove the sharp corners and edges. I then stained the edge with American walnut stain , water based stain , then gave the butcher block a light staining with the same color , followed by a good rubbed on coat of paste wax, I use Minwax natural paste wax , just rub on the entire surface let dry for about 20 minutes and buff with a clean lint free cloth , think Karate Kid wax on wax off... its a good arm work out , my arms sure are tired today after all the painting , staining and waxing .
Labels:
butcher block counters.,
island,
kitchen island
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The counter is coming.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Summer lovin'
Today outside in mid January the snow is melting , very unusual for Ontario , but I am happy with the melting, however the "real" winter weather does force me to slow down and take a break from home improvement ,at least my own . It does give me time to plan , plan things like my closet remodel and the backyard improvements , this plan includes my wish list .
My wish list includes a small fiberglass pool with stone surround. A little 15 foot pool.
A sweet little shed for pool equipment .
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