My Little House: Kitchen

Part Two:

One of the first things you'll notice about this kitchen is that it is tiny. It seemed fine when I bought the house. But once I moved in I realized that storage was going to be an issue. So creativity was my only saving grace. I rearranged things within the cabinets several times over the years. Perfecting placement and organization. Also, there are all those things I thought I'd need and one day realized I had never used. So I donated them. I LOVE to donate. It means I win three times. I get to give to an organization that helps, I get to write it off on my taxes and I get free space. Free space is liberating.

Kitchen from the doorway

I started the kitchen make over by sanding and painting the cabinets. They were a little outdated. The medium brown color was boring and I wanted to brighten the space up. Before painting the cabinets my aunt, Robin and I updated the cabinet doors with bead board and trim. Once that was done I painted the cabinets antique white. Oh my did that make a difference. I also added a wooden medallion above the sink for a little detail.



Low cabinets allows for open storage for baskets above

My aunt, Peggy gave me some coordinating fabrics. One is a stunning floral and the other a pink and ivory ticking. This set the color palette. The cabinets were already off white, I had pink accessories so I pulled green from the floral and picked a paint. Many of my things are in storage. So I don't have the paint colors available to me. Sorry. I also do not have before pictures. I wish I did. I'd love be able to show the progress. It's something I have since learned. So when I do move into my own house again, I'll be recording everything.

I made a roller shade for the one window with both fabrics. Bringing the colors in the room together. Then I opted not to put the cabinet doors back under the sink. I love the look of a skirted cabinet under the skink. I was going for a country cottage look for my entire house. I also left the doors off above the sink for open storage.


Roller shade: floral lined with stripe

This kitchen is said to be an eat in kitchen. Yeah right. If I didn't need and want the storage I could have put a bistro table and chairs in here. I decided that storage and aesthetics were more important to me. Besides I lived alone with two dogs, how many dining tables did I need? Since I had a designated dining room, no need for the extra table in the kitchen. So I went to an antique store looking for an island. I wanted a sense of history. Hence the antique store. To make sure I got the right size, I laid newspaper out on the floor. Moving it and getting the dimensions correct. I left it there for a day. Moving around it to see if I could live with the new flow of the kitchen. I was happy with it. So shopping I went. I found an old vintage work table that fit perfectly. I lived with it for some time, as is. Then one day I decided it needed to be taller, more portable and needed a shelf. So I built a shelf onto the bottom and put it on casters. Took care of all my concerns. As I said above, I changed things around many times trying to organize the kitchen to work for me. There are not many cabinets. digging pots and pans out got old. A pot rack would have been overwhelming in the space. So I turned the table upside down and screwed cup holders under it. Instant pot rack. Then I added a couple hanging racks from Ikea to the table for dish towels and more pots when needed.

Vintage table used as an island

This wall is the first thing you see when you enter the kitchen. It's also one of the first things you see when you enter the house. This is also where they put the breaker box. WHAT? Yeah, looking at that every day made me want to scream. So I had to get creative yet again. What ever I put there had to be easy to move. Must be able to get to the box in an emergency. I love the look of old vintage black boards. So I ruffed up a framed white board and painted magnetic paint on it. Then covered it with chalk board paint. I built a frame around the back and put it on hinges. Then attached it to the wall. Just flip it open like a door to get to the breaker box behind it. No more ugly box to look at. Woot!

A disguise for the breaker box

Vintage china saucers hang as art work

 When I moved in I had a tall metal shelf in this corner. It didn't say country cottage to me. So I started searching for alternatives. I knew I wanted open shelving. So I measured and planned that. The hard part was finding an inexpensive sideboard for storage and to hold the microwave. I searched online and in local stores. I wanted more drawers. I missed having a kitchen full of drawers. One day while wandering around Target a passed a bookcase. I backed up. The price and measurements were right. It didn't have drawers but I was doing okay without them so I decided to go for it.  To make it fit in better and to hide some of  my small appliances I bought a tension rod and made a skirt for it. Then I put up the shelves. Making sure they were secure.

A place for small appliances

Vintage table cloths and tea towels hang on the wall

This little kitchen features a little pantry. I thought it was a great idea when I bought the house. It's shallow but I pictured canned goods and such fitting there nicely. In reality the metal folding doors only opened so far and getting things in and out was annoying. So off came the doors. Well, that makes function better but what about aesthetics? I've mentioned several times how much I like open storage. But notice that the open storage is PRETTY. So more rearranging and organizing ensued. But the end results are pretty!

Spices in jars with labels made on my computer

Dry pasta in jars instead of boxes is prettier

 

A few more images from my kitchen.

A lazy Susan that holds cooking oils and utensils

Storage above the refrigerator

A peek into the dining and living room

 

Inexpensive cloth napkins save on the environment and are pretty

Tons of storage in a tiny kitchen

Storage ideas that worked for me:

 1. This kitchen has only two drawers. I used one for utensils and the other for all those hand held cooking accessories. This left me with no drawer for dish towels and dish clothes. So I made a place for them above the sink. They are in the two baskets in the open shelving.

Open shelving above the sink

2. The lack of drawers means I don't have a "junk drawer." I had a big one that was very well organized in my apartment. I missed it much more than I would have thought once I moved. So I placed the little six drawer box on top of the cabinet (pictured below next to the mixer) to act as my junk drawers.

3. Designating areas: baking, cooking, canned goods, dry goods, snacks is very important.

4. Hanging things like tea and coffee cups, pots and pans helps to make more room inside the cabinets.

5. I placed a large basket on the shelf under the table. Then "filed" my cookie sheets and cutting boards in it. Much better than digging them out of a cabinet.

Can't forget the dogs! Lily Belle and Sadie have their own spot in the kitchen. I printed their names on scrapbook paper and framed it. Then hung it at their level. I used a plastic placemat that I found at Target with a pretty painted scene to keep the floor from getting messy.

My Little House: The Entry

Part One:

I recently had to move. I didn't really want to. It was time and the economy kind of forced my hand. I also lived 3 and a half hours from my family. The last year and a half  that I was away, I lost three people I loved very much. It felt like I didn't get enough time with them. So I moved home. I'm in transition at the moment. Can't wait to find a new home of my own.

In the mean time I will share pictures of my home in Marietta, GA. I loved this little house. I had lived in an apartment prior to this house. Then learned the value of buying your own place was that you can do anything you want with it. I had a blast!

Entry

The entry way is a short hall way. As you walk in, to the right is a stair case. To the left the kitchen. I worked in retail for many years, the table is the smaller of a pair of nesting tables I got when a store closed. I keep a stack of vintage suitcases underneath for added storage. The printers drawer shadow box was a gift from my grandmother. She had it hanging in her kitchen for many years. I loved it. When her daughters updated her home and took it down she gave it to me. Mini's and all.

Inexpensive bird plates

The plates were a do it yourself project I tried and loved. I saw pretty plates and such in stores, the prices were out of my budget. So I decided to make my own. I bought 4 large white saucers from Old Time Pottery. They were less than a dollar each. I used four different bird stamps and a ink made for non porous surfaces. Simple, easy and beautiful. I do suggest you experiment on paper before stamping your plate. Learn the technique and pressure you need, so you don't ruin your saucer.

I'll share my kitchen next time!

Making A Bunny Full Of Love

When my niece was three, her infant sister Jaiden passed away from SID's. It was a devastating thing to happen to any family let alone a three year old that adored her sister. Shortly after this I gifted Justice with a stuffed bunny. It was large and floppy. She slept with it every night. It meant a lot to her. It represented her sister in some ways. One day it went missing. Stolen by a neighbor child and never returned. Her heart was broken.



Justice as a little girl

She attempted to substitute other stuffed animals for the bunny. None worked. Nana had a brilliant thought. Let's make one. Justice can pick out the fabrics and details herself. Both Nana and I searched the internet for a good pattern that she would be happy with. It took several days of hunting and we finally found one. This one on Pinterest was exactly what she wanted, floppy arms, legs and ears. Nana has a projector. So we were able to make the pattern any size we wanted. We blew it up and let Justice make the final decision on size. Of course the pattern info is in a foreign language so it took us a little bit of time deciphering what was what. But it all became pretty obvious as we went along.

We blew it up and taped craft paper to the wall. Then outlined the pattern. We used a fluffy fabric we bought at the fabric store. Made for stuffed animals. The ears, hands and feet have a pink cotton fabric insert. We bought fiber fill, eyes, glasses and a nose at the craft store. They were easy to install. Much easier than I would have ever thought. We also bought a heavy thread. We are sure the bunny will be well loved, didn't want her falling apart. The plan originally was to make a dress for her. After finishing the bunny, Nana dropped into a thrift store. She guessed at the size and bought a couple things for the bunny. A 3/6 mos size fit perfectly. It was meant to be.

Including Pop Pop in the making of the bunny, we had him cut out a wooden heart. I then sanded it smooth and Justice spray painted it red. I used a paint pen to write Jaiden's name on it. We put it into the bunny before sewing her up. Justice can feel it if she squeezes tight enough, but it's not obtrusive.

Eliza Elizabeth B Bunny

Nana crocheted shoes that tie on

Another thrift store find for Eliza

Justice was so happy when we delivered the bunny. Even a teenager needs a little comforting now and then.

Justice's Big Reveal

So it's all done. The sewing, shopping, crafting, building and painting. On the big day we packed everything into Pop Pop's pick-up truck and a car and drove it all over. Since Nana helped with some of it and was eager to see Justice's reaction she went with us, while Justice  was at school. Her parents started cleaning out the room before we got there.

I tried to anticipate any install issues ahead of time. The only thing that threw us off was the brackets for the full length mirror for the closet door. Which I do believe I forgot to mention in my accessories post. She wanted a mirror and we found an old unused one in storage in the workshop. It was FREE! Anyway, Pop Pop had to go buy new brackets because the ones we had didn't work with her closet door. Here are the before pictures.

Here we go! As you walk into Justice's room to the left is that large television that we could not get rid of. So we made it work for us by building it up with our homemade bookcase. This also helps to contain some of the zoo animals.

Can't beat it. Build it up.

Those are some large monkeys

Next to the television is one of two windows. We finally get to see the roller shade in all it's glory. We put a few of  Justice's many monkeys to work as well.

Monkeying around

To the right of the window is where we placed the desk. It also takes the place of a nightstand, holding the lamp next to the bed. The small shelf I found was placed above the desk to hold some of the accessories. The monkey art was hung above  and the ottoman cube makes cushy seating.

 

More after the jump!

Accessorizing A Teen Room On A Budget

All of the important elements for Justice's room are complete. The furniture, bedding and curtains are ready and waiting. From the start I've been picking up inexpensive accessories for her room as I've been out and about. She already had some of her own. Plus an impressive menagerie of stuffed monkeys. So I didn't want to clutter things up too much.

To start with I went shopping through my late grandmother's garage. It's where nearly the entire family throws their cast offs. I found a pretty basket with flowers that matches our color palette. Also, a little wooden shelf.

Free arrangement

Free shelf

One day Justice and I took a trip to The Dollar Tree for inspiration. I love looking around there, keeping an open mind and then repurposing things I find. We got a cute silver look tray, three candle holders and three votive holders.

Pretty!

To hold odds and ends. Like make-up brushes, hair accessories, etc.

These will be used near her desk to hold tacks and clips

Another great source for cute things is the $1 section at Target. Where I found very cute office supplies and a little tin to use as a pencil holder. 


Girly office supplies

Magazine holders

Nana had a frame on hand that is all wood and unfinished. On painting day, I added it to the pile of things to be painted. Then later embellished it with some monkey buttons I found and a flower that Nana crocheted to go with the lamp shade. I also covered a button with one of the fabrics. Then finished it off with a picture of little Justice.

Inexpensive craft store frame

Painted and ready to embellish

What a cutie!

Money spent:
$7.00 at the dollar store
$10.00 at Target
$3.25 monkey buttons

Coming up soon is the completed room and final total. So exciting!



Under Bed Storage

Justice has a small but decent sized room. She needed storage options to help her stay organized. So as I mentioned before, her platform bed was built with storage in mind. Of course Pop Pop doesn't concern himself with what's pretty. His suggestion was large plastic bins. WHAT? I said NO very quickly. I was also very concerned I'd visit one day and find all her dirty clothes shoved under the bed. Not if she ever wants me to do her room again.

I love baskets. Big clutter busting baskets. Pop Pop and I went shopping around one day looking for inexpensive baskets and a rug. I don't have a picture of the rug yet. So you'll see it in the After photos. But we found a perfect solid burnt orange rug. With all the pattern in the room a solid rug will help to calm things down. The baskets are another story.

Large baskets in our area are few and far between. When you do find them they are not even in the ball park of inexpensive. So I was lost as to what to do. We have nearly exhausted our supply of large pieces of scrap wood, so building boxes was out. Though wheeled boxes would have been awesome. Pop Pop came to the rescue again. Having worked at the Farmer's Market in the past he was very familiar with bushel baskets. So we set out for the market in search of two baskets.



Bushel basket from the Farmer's Market

We were able to buy two for $5.00 each. More than we expected but less than the baskets we had looked at. So still a great deal. Now to make them more attractive. We cleaned them out really well. Then on painting day we painted them to match all the other painted items. Using Olympic Aqua Bay paint.

Much better!

These baskets will sit comfortably under Justice's bed. On top of the hardwood floors. So I did worry that dragging them out each day would scratch the floor. So I cut out three large circles from felt. Then using Elmer's Craft Bond multi-purpose spray adhesive, I attached the felt to the bottom of the baskets. Scratch proof!

The adhesive held the felt very well to the basket

Money spent:
$10.00 two baskets
$24.99 rug
Everything else was on hand


Floral and Plaid Bedspread and Curtains for a Teen

Now that we have built a bed for Justice's room we need bedding. Curtains wouldn't hurt either. Fabric is one of my favorite design elements. It makes a room. I sat down with Justice at the beginning of all of this and we had a conversation about the fabrics. As I mentioned here, Justice picked the floral first. Then I suggested several fabrics that would coordinate.

Fabrics we are working with

Once we knew which fabrics we were going to use, we discussed how she wanted to use them in the room. I knew she needed a bedspread and curtains. Then there were accessories that would get a fabric treatment, such as a bulletin board, ottoman cube and upholstered bed. She favored the floral. So that was assigned to the bedspread.  I started by going to the thrift store to find a comforter in good condition. I found a twin comforter for $5.00. Threw it in the washing machine twice (just to be sure). Then measured it completely. Of course the fabric isn't the same dimensions as the comforter. Since the fabric would have to be pieced I decided to mix it up a little more. Once I had my measurements, I divided the longest length by three. Then cut out two panels of the floral, two of the plaid and two of the solid, adding an inch in all directions for seam allowance.

Completed bedspread

For the front I sewed the plaid in the middle of the floral. I did the same for the back, putting the plaid in the middle of the solid. Then sewed the two sides together on one side. Ribbon was added over the seams all the way around, front to back. Two more sides were sewn up and one was sewn part of the way so that I could insert the comforter. Then closed it up using a ladder stitch. Here is an excellent tutorial on the ladder stitch. It was a revelation for me.

The reverse side of the bedspread

Then we discussed what type of curtains she wanted. Panels, valance or possibly a roller shade? Roller shade it is. I've made one before and loved it. So I was pleased with this decision, as it allows us to use two of her fabric choices and it's very attractive when hanging.

Roller shade

She picked the plaid as the main fabric for the shades. I lined it with the floral. The windows were measured. Justice has two very different length windows. I added two inches on all sides to allow for seam and to make the shade larger than the window casing. She has blinds so the shade could not be installed inside the window frame. I made a channel at the top for the curtain rod. At the same time I sewed ribbon onto the shade. There is four lengths of ribbon, placed several inches from the sides on the front and the back of the shade. When we hang the shade the ribbon will hold the rolled up shade. A channel was also made at the bottom to insert a dowel rod. This aids in rolling the shade. I picked up two inexpensive curtain rods for $5.00 each at a supercenter.

 The stripe fabric is to be used on accent pieces throughout the room. I'll show everything in use and detail in the completed room.

Money spent:

$5.00 comforter
$1.00 ribbon
$10.00 curtain rods