Classy Lady & Some Kitchen Pics

Raise your hand if you're struggling to be back at work after a long weekend! Yeah, me too!

I have lots to share today.. I have had a few requests to share photos of my kitchen redo, I snuck something in for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge, and some other randomness. I'll start with the crafty stuff. Another fun and inspiring color story this week:

I used one of the new releases from Waltzingmouse, You're Lovely.

I stamped the dress form image three times onto Rustic White cardstock and cut them out. Then I stamped the image again once onto Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, and Baja Breeze cardstock. I embossed the dresses with the Swiss Dots Embossing folder, cut them out and then swiped them with a white ink pad. The dresses are popped up on a piece of cardstock stamped with images from the Flourishes - Scallops and Dots set.

I paired the images with some patterned paper from K&Company (Que Sera Sera) that was a perfect match. It is a little busy, but I think it works.

I am a big fan of this set... I think Claire's take on this theme is fabulous.

Ok, so kitchen photos. I realize for most of you viewing these, before and after photos would have been ideal. I didn't take them - once I decided what I was doing, I dove in, so you'll just have to imagine the colors. I live in a Cape Cod style house, built in the late 1940s. I bought the house from the original owners, so only one family has lived in it before me (on a fun sidenote - I live in the same neighborhood I grew up in.. my grandparents were friends with the family that lived in my house and my mom used to play with the kids. I used to trick or treat here, and we always stopped in so Aunt Sue could see our costumes. Who knew, 20 years later I'd be living there?). This also means that very few things have been updated since the time the house was built, including the kitchen. I am still rockin' the Republic Steel metal cabinets, and until I hit the lottery, will continue to do so. A big kitchen remodel just isn't on the books for us, so I did what I could - which means paint and a little reorganization!

Excuse the poor lighting - we're talking about a 12 x 8 foot space here, not much to work with. The cabinets had been painted a lovely shade of pinky beige, to match the lovely pinky beige tiles on the kitchen wall. The project that started out as 'I'm painting the kitchen cabinets' turned into 'I'm repainting the entire kitchen'.

All paint is Behr, purchased from Home Depot. I'll list the paint colors below if you're interested, but I started with a more neutral brown on the tile... I needed something less pink. See that tiny scrap of counter space there, to the right of the stove? Yeah, that was all I was really working with, which *really* started to get on my nerves.

The curtain fabric is from Joann's and I really loved the design and color coordination. They match the blue and brown well and bring in yellow and red, which have been fun colors to use as accents around the kitchen. The sun is blasting through this window right now and makes them pretty difficult to see.

I installed a Lagan countertop and Akurum cabinet combination from Ikea - I spent a lot of time looking at free-standing kitchen islands, but finally decided to design the piece myself and saved a lot by doing so. I lost a microwave stand with storage and a small table in the shuffle, so this piece helped to provide some of that lost storage as well as needed work/eat space. It only makes sense to say that this is working out better!

One of my favorite new features are the wall shelves. Both of these are from the Stenstorp line. I love how cute they look with the canisters and bowls displayed, and that all that stuff is off the countertop.

I also invested in a new pantry in an effort to have enough storage in one unit for all the food in the kitchen. This is the Hemnes Glass-door cabinet and is perfect for this. I can easily find things, the shelves are shallow enough that things are visible, yet deep enough to really function as worthwhile storage. Very happy with this purchase, and should we someday move or remodel this piece could easily transition into the living or bedroom.

All in all, pretty exciting for me! I can show you the pictures, and while a change of color certainly has made things less boring, reorganizing the furniture has been the biggest help. It is much easier to move and work there, and that has made the all the difference!

While I was taking pictures, here's a shot of our completed patio.

Originating from storm damage, we had the flat roof removed and replaced with an extended, pitched version. The patio concrete was just finished at the end of May (after waiting through 6 months of awful weather). What a weight off my shoulders now that this project is done.

And my pitch for Sally Hansen Salon Effects. My girlfriends have been telling me about them, and I think they really are super fun (my husband had a conniption).

They are peel and stick nail polish strips that make your nails strong and can easily be removed with nailpolish remover. They aren't permanent, and a girl can have a little safe fun now and again, no?

That is enough for me. I'm sure you've quit reading 10 minutes ago! Thanks for stopping in my dears!

Anya

Recipe
Stamps: You're Lovely, Flourishes - Scallops and Dots - Waltzingmouse Stamps
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Baja Breeze - Stampin' Up!; Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Que Sera Sera - K&Company
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
Other: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder - ProvoCraft; Edgers #1 Die - Papertrey Ink

Behr Paint Colors:
Walls: Glacial Tint (W-B-520)
Tile: Indulgent Mocha (PWN-70)
Cabinets: combination of Adriatic Mist (490C-2) and Balmy Seas (490C-3)