The Kitchen...it's getting closer!

6 years ago yesterday

 (well, it was already the 28th in China, but the 27th in the USA) 

was the BEST day of my life... this wonderful little baby was placed in my arms and made me a Mommy!

She looks thrilled doesn't she?

We had a little party last night complete with cake and presents!

We started this kitchen project months ago... 

 I knew I either wanted a $50,000 remodel or I wanted something a bit kitschy and unusual.  I immediately knew which remodel I'd actually be getting!

Whimsical and fun is more my style anyway...

We started with a kitchen that screams 1990

Oak cabinets, purple laminate counter tops (really, what WAS she thinking?) and no back splash!

A little bit of paint later we had

then this...

After that the Mister went to work on the counter tops

and then the back splash...

Closer...

So now we're just down to the grout, the edge for the counter tops (you know it's a good sign when you find corner and trim pieces with NO prices on them... I have a feeling the trim is going to be more than the entire project!), trim around the window and a new set of French doors...
New stainless appliances would be the cherry on top, but that won't happen this year.
I have this window in my kitchen that needs...something!

I'm going to do a re-do on this custom window piece that I got from a place I use to work.  The trim will have to come off...

We also are going to repaint the entire great room.  There isn't a break so I have to get 1 color for the whole room...  I am going to paint the end wall in the living room a different color, this is what I'm thinking:

The darker turquoise (dragonfly) is the cabinet color, the yellow is my front entry and the green is the color I'm thinking of for the great room, the lightest blue for the accent wall and that magenta?
The magenta is an accent color for the front entry... trust me!
Wheww, I guess we have more to do than I thought.  The mister just said yesterday once we get this all painted He'll re-tile the fireplace and then we'll get new carpet...
It's NEVER done, is it?
Happy Monday!

Hot and Dangerous DIY!

So my last DIY was a total flop... 

I think you're suppose to under promise and over deliver and I did the opposite with my DIY paper mache Easter eggs... let's not talk about it, ok?!

I thought being so unorganized I'd better just do the craft, take the pictures and THEN post rather than promising I'll do something which I'll never follow through on... you know some of us artsy types!
We're leaving on a cruise next week... to Mexico.  I'm a little nervous about Mexico (hey, I watch all those Dateline, 20/20 shows) and a LOT nervous about flying... I'm not a big fan!  Thanks to one little xanex pill I can get on a plane and once I'm off I really don't have much memory of the flight.  We went to Maui last year and had a stop over in Chicago. My friend mentioned something about stopping in Chicago, I said "we did?"
My DIY has nothing to do with this, so let's move on...
Well, it does have to do with the cruise because I bought a new swim suit.  The Mister said "Oh you needed another one?" and I said "nope", cause with bathing suits it's not about "NEED"-don't ask how many I have...
I found this top at TARGET:

and this bottom

 they didn't REALLY go together

but I had a plan!

RHINESTONES!!!
So, in this case I picked out the turquoise stones that match the tie on the bottoms.

To bling out your own outfit:
You need a heat setting tool (I got mine on ebay!), and heat set / flatback rhinestones.  If you're going to heat set them you MUST have the type that have a heat set glue on the back or it's not gonna work!
**CAUTION, This is HOT**
***this is NOT a kid-friendly, or accident prone mom craft!***

Of course me being me, I started with the hardest project (because when I mentioned rhinestones Darling Daughter wanted some on her skirt!)...
1. You need to pick the right size tip for the heat tool.  Mine comes with a variety of tip sizes and to figure out what size you need- set the tool (BEFORE it's plugged in) on the rhinestone, it should fit just perfectly in the tip.
2. this thing is STINKIN HOT, so make sure you're working on a heat safe surface!!
3. Turn the stones UP so you can see the color, NOT the glued side.  You just set the tool on top of the rhinestone and watch the bottom of your stone-wait just a few seconds for the glue to melt- You'll see it bubble up.

Once the glue is melted you just set it down quickly on the spot you want the stone, and lift up and away quickly!
Now, I will say this is NOT something you want to try on an outfit you can't afford to ruin... just sayin!  Make sure the fabric can take the heat too!  I was a little worried about the swimsuit, but it didn't melt thankfully!
As soon as you set that stone down, you have about 1 second to nudge it a bit if you need to move it over a tiny...TINY bit!  Remember: there's glue on the back so you don't want to push it too much or you'll smear the glue and there won't be as much glue on the rhinestone!  I guess what I'm saying is: make sure you set it on the spot where you want it!!

...and you might want to lay it out before you start, just to make sure you like the placement and to make sure you have enough of that color... because some of us idiots never think of that till we stick down the LAST one...

Hey everybody look at my left star boob!!!
Guess who's running to JoAnne's this morning to see if they have more turquoise rhinestones...??
Then I did Darlings skirt, which was much easier because I wasn't following a line and trying to be all straight and even...

above... cute but needing something!

just a little bling...

I might add a few more to hers (and def. to mine) because can you ever have TOO many rhinestones???
Well... actually, yes you can!  Go to Senior Bingo Night and see for yourself!
One other small tip: IF you're working on a small area (like a bikini top) that won't lay flat, I found it easier to put that area on the top of a small jar:
The lid should be about the size of the area you're working on.

I did these on Thursday and when I showed Darling she said AWESOME!  Now.... coming from her this about knocked me over!  To think I got an "AWESOME" out of her is... well, AWESOME!
So if you're brave enough to give this hot and dangerous DIY yourself, let me know!!
Just think how much your husband would like your initials in rhinestones on his underwear!!??

I'm exhausted, I did wedding flowers with my pal "C" last night- she lured me with $-GREEN-$.  More on that later, I've got to go find rhinestones!
Have a fabulous Weekend, I think we're doing countertops... Well, the Mister is, I'll be busy sneaking rhinestones onto EVERYTHING!

My New /Old Kitchen!!

This WAS my kitchen at 8:23 1/2 am on Saturday...

I'm not a big fan.  I don't like oak and how 'bout those purple counter tops?

It's soooooooooooo 1998!

Don't worry the Mister didn't pick it out, he bought it from the 1st owners who, obviously, were graduates of one of those interior design schools you find in the back of a magazine.

Ewwww, I hate this!

oak, purple tops, red plates, white appliances, light turquoise curtains, dark green walls.

I think they call this:

got it goin' ON!

This is the only picture I have of the Island.  Weird how I didn't take more pictures of it, hun? :)

So last summer, this "choosey Mom",  got a bug up her butt and painted the island BLACK:

Saturday I distressed it... I think it looks SO much better

This picture does NOT do it justice, trust me, it looks REALLY good!

So, being the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda gal that I am I just wanted to crack open the paint and start slappin it on, but (lucky for me) the Mister is a real stickler for doing it the "right" way. He took all the pulls off, then removed all the doors and took them to the garage where he had saw horses set up (yee-hawww)

There he is giving me the look...

We painted the top cabinets a color by Behr called: Dragonfly.

Do I have a red and turquoise thing or what?

Red car-Turquoise cabinets!

It looks a little more light blue in these pictures, it's more turquoise actually.

(Red dishes-Turquoise cabinets!)

Obviously, I couldn't go with the clear glass cabinets... I did clean out a few things after seeing

all the crap I have stuffed in these!

10:07 am...

Looking BETTER!

almost 1:30 in the afternoon... we'd been at it all morning!

With the black bottom doors put on too!

The red kettle is from my Aunt Mable who lived to be 99 or 100- no one knew for sure!  She was the sweetest lady to walk the earth and I think everyone should have an Aunt Mable!! (and a giant bottle of Up and Up hand sanitizer!!)

By the time I took these pictures, it was getting later, so I really had to blow out the color so you could see them... my pic's were SO dark.

and of course when we got it all done we knew we HAD to do something with the counters!

We had talked about granite, but I didn't really want to make that kind of investment and put it on old cabinets and we weren't sure if we really wanted to take the leap and put in a BIG $$ kitchen.  After painting the cabinets I told the Mister that I loved them so much I'd just as soon spend some $ on stainless appliances and new counter tops, to which he replied "does it ever end?  You wanting something else?!" that would be a big ol "NOPE!!".  We went to Home Depot and looked at a granite look laminate which I wasn't THRILLED about but I found one I didn't mind.  We grabbed several samples and headed out.... As we were passing by the tile dept. the ol' lightbulb came on... why not install granite tile countertops?!!!  

The Mister is handy and I know everything, so how hard can it be?

This is the one we picked out:

Darling and I are going to order it today!  and.... of course, the Mister (being all reasonable and stuff) will be going to the tile class this Saturday, just to make sure!  Whatever!