Kitchen update!

We love our kitchen.  But, it was missing something.  We had been talking about doing a backsplash for a year and had the 12x12 sample since January, of 2011.  Thanks to Lowe's gift cards via credit card rewards and Christmas, we got the rest of the tile and supplies and did this a couple weeks ago!  See, told you I was busy with things this last month and couldn't do a post.  That and the motivation didn't embrace me.

I don't know where my recent picture of the kitcen is, this is from when we first moved in and I just threw things here and there.  You get the jist though, the backsplash was boring.  We didn't even raise up the granite with a small backsplash because of the intention of doing a backsplash sooner.

It was worth the wait!  The best part is, we did this ourselves.  It is so rewarding and fullfilling to do these things ourselves.  Part of it is probably because it makes it feel more like home knowing that our sweat and blood was put into it.  We cleaned it up of course. 

Continued over by the fridge.  Sorry, I can't find a before picture of this area.  It's so pretty isn't it?  See that right corner by the ovens, down by the floor?  We finally put in baseboards too!!  Woot woot!  Handy Hubs and his handy dad did those a couple months ago.  (Amazing how baseboards can make it complete!)

Down in the Bathroom...

I am the first to admit it, I suck at my blog.  But.... I have been busy around here doing this and that around the house, so I have a good excuse.  Not a over a month long excuse, but an excuse.  My most recent and much anticipated re-do was the bathroom/guest bathroom in the basement.  It wasn't that it was horrible, it just wasn't me or us.  The tile was the biggest issue, it was just plain ick.  Blah, ugly, ick.  See?

So, my first order of business last Thursday was to just take all that crap tile out.  All.  By.  Myself.  I couldn't lift my rght arm that night.  Pulling up tile and dried mortar is HARD but very satisfying work.  I suggest doing this when you have some anger issues to tackle.  Satisfying!

Friday was just cleaning the rest of that up when my arm was able to. 

Saturday, I painted!  And the best part was, I only need 1 quart for in here  One!  I only did from the ceiling down to about 34 inches from the floor  You'll see why...

Sunday I layed the tile and Monday I grouted.  I have to say this:  I did it all by myself!  Laying it that is.  My hubs cut all the tile for me.  I'm scared of that saw. But I layed every tile and spred out all the grout.  Proud?  Yes, very.  In a good way, I never saw myself doing that myself.  Yay me!

Isn't it pretty?!  I LOVE this tile so.  Texture and colors and movement.  LOVE!

And then, on Monday evening, up went the baseboards and WAINSCOTTNG! I love this stuff.  Love.  I want to do it in the upstairs/kids' bath and in my daughter's room too.  Love! 

So, after cleanup, touch up and decor adding, it is ready to show!

 I forgot to get a picture, but on the Tuesday prior, I painted the vanity!  That set things in motion to get the tile done.  The mirror is the same color, but wants to look orange.  And, the tile has been in the garage since January waiting patiently to be placed.

 Wainscotting!  Lovely, isn't it?

The tile, the wainscotting, the paint.  I've had this shower curtain for so long and I still love it. 

So, that was my project as of late.  We did the laundry room in January.  I think I may need to post that room next.  It's pretty too.

The Master

Ya, I need to get to this more often.  October was the kitchen post?!  Geez.  In my defense, I've been painting, putting tile in the laundry room, putting up baseboards everywhere, crafting, raising children, etc.  But, yes, I should do this more often.  So I will continue with the Master Bedroom!  Woot!

It took almost a year to figure out what I wanted to do in the master.  I really did not like the faux paint on the walls.  Hard to tell by the pictures, but it was really too yellow for me.  The hubs didn't mind it and thought it was fine.  Um, no.  Plus I couldn't stand that comforter.  From the day I bought it I regretted it, but the choices were limited where I got it and I had to get something there because I had a ton of store credit from a return without receipts.  *taking breath*  I knew I wanted red, but not a whole room of red.  Let's face it, red is hard to paint, it soaks in horribly and you end up doing 8 coats or so to get every, last, inch.

Ick.  I started painting before I thought of a picture.  Oops!  Oh that comforter is bad.

I LOVE red walls...  I carried the red into the Master bath too.  That was the big reason for getting red in my Master.  I love red bathrooms.  My skin likes red bathrooms.  :)  The bathroom is in need of gutting, but I had to at least paint it until we can do that.  I'm getting off track..

We made the headboard when we switched to a king years ago, but the plain brown didn't cut it against the red.  Found this lovely fabric and recovered it.  Perfect!  Just had to get a comforter or something.  The blanket wasn't going to cut it for the winter.

Then I found a duvet.  I wanted solid and simple and I found it on clearance! 

Then I needed to finally pick the color for the rest of the walls. 

The color matches the other brown from the headboard.  I so love my Master now. 

My bed making skills are slacking however.  And I need a different skirt.

This is the opposite wall from the bed. I have that opening above the door (I've got to take that plant down!) that carries into the bathroom.  And I should have closed the doors to the Armoire...  Man!

So. Much. Better.

The red paint is from Sherwin Williams and the taupey/brown is from Lowe's.  I've got the names if you'd like them, I am just being really lazy right now.  =)

And the Now

Wow!  Considering I know that I don't even have a handful of people checking this out, I wasn't in a fevered rush to get this post completed.  Plus, my kitchen would not stay clean long enough for me to take an updated picture.  My apologies if you have been checking daily for the reveal.  Hee hee. 
Let's start with the before:

 Notice the height of the cupboards, the placement of the refrigerator and the island. 

 And the linoleum.  It was not "nice" linoleum.

And now, TA DA!!!!

 More cabinet space, much taller.  We moved the fridge over and now there is a perfect spot for the coffee maker.  We added a double oven (I cannot live without one after having one in our previous home) and we had the plumbing moved to turn the island and make more counter space and more functionality.  We chose a lightly sanded black painted island and a gorgeous medium glazed brown for the wall cabinets.  Drawers on the outside by the table for napkin, placemat, and misc. storage.  Love, love, love my kitchen!

 And the horrendous red is gone and replaced by a lovely green.  We have found backsplash tile and will get around to it someday.  Hopefully a soon someday.  Like my 'B'?  Found that on Etsy here.

And my FLOOR!!!  I admire it every day.  Seriously.  It's six inch planks and absolutely lovely.  It is also so much nicer than tile on the bare feet. 

One room reveal is now complete.  This was the most dramatic, so the rest may be an utter disappointment, but I am still loving everything we have done in every room. 

I have linked this post to a favorite blog that I follow, Thrifty Decor Chick.  Click here for more kitchen redos and reveals.  =)



This is My First

I love to decorate, craft and create.  It's probably because it's in my blood, my mother decorates for a living.  I often think why I didn't go into it myself and the answer is siImply I don't know.  I didn't have the desire when I was going to school I guess.  And I still don't know if the desire for a career at it is there, but I just love to do it. 
I don't have a set style for decor.  I like all styles.  I like modern, contemporary, old world, shabby chic, eclectic, and abstract.   I probably have all of those styles in my home.  I like clean lines, but I like distressed and worn.  I love Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen and Robb & Stucky.  I like what I like.
Last November, we purchased a home that needed a little work.  It's still a work in progress and with money just a smidge on the tight side, it will probably stay a work in progress for a while.  That said, I'm just gonna share with you our rooms, my crafties, my decorating styles and my enjoyments.  I may not post daily, yet, but I will post.  So, here we go.  This is what I''m going to start with.  The biggest change in our new home.  The kitchen.
In Arizona, most of the homes are of the cookie cutter variety.  You pick a model, pick some things and you're done.  But, when you purchase one of these homes from someone else, you can do what you will with what they left.  We gutted the kitchen.  The only thing that stayed was the pantry.  We recycled the cabinets into other varies places, moved plumbing and made it OURS!  I love having something that I know no one else has.
Looking at the pictures I have, I need to take new ones of the completed kitchen.  I've changed a few things for the better.  For starters, here's what we delt with upon purchase:

It's not pretty is it?  See how low those cabinets are?  And where the fridge was?!  Hello!  No place for a coffee pot.  I love red, but not how it was done here.  Just a bit awkward for me.  And the floors where horrid!  Linoleum!  This home is not old, built in 2003, who puts in linoleume in kitchens anymore?  Maybe it was the choice, but it was bad.  Stay tuned.