Come Monday

This morning has had a bit of a rocky start but really need to work on getting back into a routine.  Not gonna let this get the whole week off track!

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Here's to a productive week!

Slow starts

Puttering around the house, cleaning up, watering plants, drinking coffee, it's a peaceful start to the week.  Starting the week in a space like this would be equally dreamy.

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Happy Monday!

Good Morning!

We had a wild and crazy weekend around here with sleepovers and friends playing so now it's time to buckle down and get some things done.

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Happy Monday!

A Pretty Little Makeover

I feel like there are always so many projects and so little time (and money) so I am constantly on repeat with future projects but as the seasons start to change (which they aren't here but schools back in) I seem to turn my attention outdoors.  It's way too hot here in summer to really linger outside but spring and fall can be so beautiful.

We have a storage shed in our backyard that is currently crammed full of gardening tools and furniture to be made over.  But I have grand plans for that little shed and at some point I am going to get to them.  In the meantime this makeover by moth-designs is serving as major inspiration! 

This is the before, even it's inspiring, I am seriously considering a dark color for it.

Now to practice patience.

Happy Monday!

Happy day!  The kids are back in school which means the house stays clean for longer than 5 seconds!  But I sure miss those sweet faces during the day.

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Here's to a calm week!

Erika Powell

One source of inspiration for our kitchen makeover was a makeover Erika Powell did on her old kitchen years ago.  They removed some soffits and added in open shelves and painted everything.  Even though we didn't remove any soffits, her ability to make her kitchen into a space that better suits her without spending a ton completely inspired me.

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But I just found out her home has been featured in Garden and Gun and apparently they did a huge addition and renovation in 2012.  Still love everything about her home.  All images from Garden and Gun.

I love that she kept some elements from her original kitchen redo, like the cabinet color and it looks like she reused the shelves around the flower sink.  It fits into its surroundings so well, and is so cohesively done.  I have always wanted an outdoor shower and now have aspirations to an outdoor tub too!  Love, love, love this home.

Something for Monday

This is the first summer in 25 years that I have not held down at least 1 full time job.  And I made the decision to make this the SUMMER OF FUN for my kids!  Which is great!  We are doing so much!  They are learning responsibility and time management (kind of).  But it's leaving me very little time for things like blogging, reading or writing them.  But I am kind of getting some things done around the house, little things, but still, so maybe I will manage soon to find some time to record them.  Until then I'm going to pretend that I have a corner like this to myself, maybe with a little Wi-Fi action.

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Happy Monday!

Easy like . . . . Monday . . . . morning?

Had a fun filled Mother's Day yesterday, and the ORC is over so today I'm easing into the week.

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Happy Monday!

One Room Challenge - Cottage Kitchen Makeover Reveal!

We are done!  This kitchen for the One Room Challenge was a close call!  I went into it confident that we would be done well ahead of time and for the first few weeks we were doing great!  Then the momentum kind of stalled out but we wrapped it up just in time.  Just a reminder the One Room Challenge was dreamed up by Linda, at Calling It Home, as motivation to complete a room on a tight deadline.  It has grown into an event that features 20 bloggers and design influencers and allows linkups by anyone with a blog, and House Beautiful serves as a media partner.

This is our fifth time participating with a guest link.  We have also done our laundry room, our front porch, our son's room, and our master bathroom.  I would not say that this kitchen was our most labor intensive but it was certainly our largest space so far.  We started with a circa 1990 kitchen and all that signifies.  Oak cabinets, nasty sheet vinyl floor, basic and boring lighting, and a need to keep a desk space, a piano, and a reading spot in here.

We started by removing some of the upper cabinets, and changing the placement of others.  Then we installed a beadboard backsplash and gave EVERYTHING a coat of paint.  Installed some open shelving, and put glass inserts in some upper cabinet doors.  Then we laid a tile floor, installed some bamboo blinds and switched out all the lighting.  The space is sooooooo much lighter and brighter now.  It's my happy place.  We still need to get some drawer and door pulls installed but I'm happy with it for now.

Now I have to try to get the rest of the house back together before summer break so we can enjoy it!

One Room Challenge - Cottage Kitchen Makeover Week 5

We made a ton of progress this week on the kitchen makeover for the One Room Challenge.  We amazingly got the floor tiled, grouted, sealed, lights installed, cabinet doors mostly installed, shelves up, and appliances and furniture back in.  We really just have finishing touches left to complete, which is good because maybe I will have a little more time to check the progress of the featured designers and other guest participants!

Now for the sprint to the finish!

One Room Challenge - Cottage Kitchen Makeover Week 4

This week with the One Room Challenge kitchen makeover has been a slow one.  Which is good because it's giving me more than 5 minutes to put together a blog post, but bad because I have no real progress to post about!  But let's back up, the ORC, for those who don't know, is a biannual event, started by Linda, at Calling It Home, motivating people to finish a room makeover in 6 weekly posts.  It has evolved to feature 20 bloggers and design influencers followed by an opportunity for anyone with a blog to link up and share their challenges.

This is our fifth time participating.  We did an overhaul of our laundry room, opened up our front porch, created a more mature space for our son, and fancied up our master bath.  This time it's the kitchen's turn.  Not a gut job, but a major freshening up.  We have removed some cabinets to make room for open shelves, moved other cabinets to more logical spots, painted those cabinets and the walls, installed and painted a beadboard backsplash, begun building the new hood, and installed most of the new lighting.  We still need to get the cabinet doors and drawer fronts reinstalled with new hardware, hang the open shelving, switch out the overhead light, tile the floor (dreading this so much) and shine everything up.  We are really ready to have this done so our dining room can be utilized again but I am loving the light, fresh feel of the kitchen and how great it looks as it opens to the living and dining rooms.

Back to work!

Silver Linings

It's a rainy Monday here but would love to be having a cup of coffee in this peaceful yard, knowing I had already accomplished some laundry!

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Here's to a slow start and a productive week!

One Room Challenge - Cottage Kitchen Makeover Week 3

Thanks to the One Room Challenge our kitchen is getting a long overdue makeover!  And for those who don't know, the ORC is a biannual event begun by Linda at Calling It Home, motivating people to finish a room makeover in 6 weekly posts.  It has evolved to feature 20 bloggers and design influencers followed by an opportunity for anyone with a blog to also link up and share their challenges. 

We are doing our kitchen, and have, so far, painted the walls, and the cabinets.  Some cabinets have been removed and will be replaced with open shelving, we are working on a beadboard backsplash, and still need to change out our lighting.  We are also going to be building out a custom range hood and tiling our floors.  We still have a ton to do!  But we are moving right along.

So, back to work but see you in a week for updates!

One Room Challenge - Cottage Kitchen Makeover Week 2

So, the kitchen, the only room in the house that we still haven't touched 4 years later.  That's all about to change One Room Challenge style.  The One Room Challenge, in case you don't know, is a platform following 20 bloggers and design influencers as they make over a space with 6 weekly updates.  Anyone with a blog is also welcome to link up as a guest participant, that's me.  And it is a great motivator, you have put it out there to the whole world that you are going to be making over a space, might as well get it done.  It was dreamed up but Linda, at Calling It Home, and many, many homes owe her many thanks!

This is our fifth go round at the ORC.  Our first was a complete overhaul of our laundry room, then we reworked our front porch, our son's room got an update next, and one year ago we freshened up our master bathroom.  This time the kitchen is the victim.  It's being done on a somewhat limited budget though so no gut job this time, which is fine with me as we bought the house not intending for it to need a totally brand new kitchen.

So what's happening is:

A new floor, the old vinyl is nasty, and ugly, and impossible to keep clean so tile is coming in!  Probably something like this.

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The cabinets are staying but getting reworked and rearranged.  And then some open shelves will be joining them and everything, walls included, is getting a fresh coat of paint.  A nice, neutral gray on the walls, with white upper cabinets and shelves, and a subtle greenish grey on the lowers.

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The range hood will be getting a makeover, as will the lighting.

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And some overall inspiration pictures, I have a whole board of them here.

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And a little glimpse of the elements.

We have gotten a decent start so far and will keep plugging along.  In the meantime I'm going to be checking out everyone's progress!