DIY reveal: Operation Kitchen success!

It is my pleasure to share with you today the finished kitchen! As with most big projects, there were surprises and decisions made during operation kitchen (a la lost cabinet hinges, new oven hoods, and cabinet re-locations). But, in about 6 weeks (and just in time for the holidays), we transformed our country kitchen into a bright and cozy, traditional-modern space. You'll remember the OK-but-not-great "before" ...
And it's hard to imagine that the situation is improving at all when all of your pots and pans and pantry items are loaded on the dining table and the rest of the room looks like this.

But, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel soon shone down upon us. Now, I'm contemplating curtains (?), a table makeover, and maybe accessorizing with a few accent colors. Also, we're working bit by bit on painting all of the trim in the house the same color as our white cabinets, Behr's warm white Swiss Coffee. But, first things first. The reveal.Here's the rundown of new materials.

New countertops: Home Depot stock laminate in Butterum Granite . We didn't want to over-improve the house with a solid surface top that was too custom or high-end.

Painted original cabinets: Deep brown lower cabinets in Behr Sandwashed Driftwood and upper cabinets and trim in Behr Swiss Coffee.

Backsplash: Home Depot's subway tile in Bone was the best and most neutral option.

We traded the dingy off-white hood for a sleeker stainless look with a dimmer light and fan that goes with the (original) oven and spanking new dishwasher.

While we didn't update every appliance (a.k.a. we still have a white refrigerator), if we want to upgrade later, we'll now be able to go stainless without a mismatched dishawaher.

The island got a facelift as well, with beadboard and new baseboard trim to make it look more sturdy. I'm so lucky that my husband is a whiz at home improvement with the tools that you need to do things right. He has a gift!
For example, he outfitted each of the three kitchen windows with new trim and windowsills to match the style of the rest of our house. It's (strangely) my absolute favorite of the updates we did. The trim makes the room feel finished and less like an afterthought addition to an old home (which is how it looked when he originally inherited it). Oh lordy. How I wish I had "before" photos of THAT mess.

We also now have added storage over the fridge in the form of a restored cabinet (for which we lost the hinges for a few weeks... uh oh!) and a pair of deep storage baskets that hold linens and conceal the "junk drawer" of yore. We gained some utility as well, by trading out a pair of lower cabinets when we added the dishwasher. Those moved to the left of the stove, where a more narrow cabinet previously stood.

Speaking of the dishwasher. I must confess. I lied earlier. My HANDS DOWN most fave part of the kitchen is my dishwasher. Oh how I love thee, automatic washer of dishes. I now come home to clean sinks and clean dishes that only need putting away. With a long commute to and from work, I now gain back the time I/we used to spend cleaning up the kitchen. Glorious dishwasher! Hallelujah!

So there it is, folks. Accessorizing is next on the agenda. Maybe I'll buy some fake limes after all.

DIY: Homegrown gift idea

We tended a large garden this summer. Patrick's hard work, green thumb, and the blessing of rain and mild temperatures made for more plenty than we could consume.

I learned so much about food. Did you know zucchini start as the stem of a gorgeous orange flower? Did you know that one corn stalk only bears a few ears? Or the work involved in picking green beans, one-by-one, from rows of full, low-to-the-ground plants? These are all lessons new to this city girl. Amazing.

So, as I enjoyed the novelty of our backyard bounty and canned many many jars of goodies (or watched the experts do the work), I knew sharing it with others would make it even more special ... and so our "homegrown holidays" gifts were born.

This holiday, I packaged up jars of salsa, green beans, banana peppers, and tomato juice in sweet little boxes or simple brown paper bags. Labels keep it lighthearted and personal. The fresh salsa, for example, is labeled: "not too spicy, not too sweet. made with love, onions, & homegrown banana peppers, green bell peppers, & tomatoes from the Anderson garden (plus a heap of manual labor & a pinch of patient wife)."

The boxes were a Hobby Lobby half-off find. The labels are old address labels I had laying around. Since I'm an admitted craft-challenged gal, I have to say it kind of turned out adorably. Now I only wish we'd made more salsa in August so I could gift more of it!

Happy homegrown holidays! What are you making this year?

Operation kitchen: Progress!

We're making progress. The goal is to have a finished kitchen for Thanksgiving! We just have a few things to finish (notice the one white drawer and the missing sink panels ... wink, wink). And once we're done, I'll post a complete before and after extravaganza. For now, I thought this sneak peek would suffice. TGIF!

Operation kitchen: Part II

Last weekend we spent a few chilly hours outside with our paint sprayer, which is an absolute MUST, I think, for those considering undertaking cabinet-painting. I assisted Patrick (as is most prudent when dealing with a "mad-artist" DIY-er (see previous post)). We had fun making jokes and taking photos, even though there were some tense moments. As we made silly faces, Patrick made me promise not to blog with them. Ugh. Sorry! :)

You saw the kitchen of yore in my post a few weeks ago. Now, see below. This is the kitchen of now. Oy. A little bit of a disaster area.

Since the photo above, we've started demolition of the backsplash. (Goodbye, forever lemon yellow!) We're still contemplating the color, but I think we're pretty sure that we're going with a subway tile shape. Any ideas out there, creative people?

And here is the new counter, set atop the as-yet-incomplete revamped island. I love how the brown "granite" look complements the wall color. Lovely.

DIY: "Spooning" shower gift

For a recent bride's Labor Day shower, Tricia and I dreamed up another fun gift for another recently wed lady. Every couple registers for a bevy of spoons -- serving spoons, teaspoons, mixing spoons, wooden spoons. You get the idea. These essential kitchen items that people really do need kind of make cruddy gifts. Enter our deluxe spooning kit.

All of these spoons ... were bundled up in the light blue pillowcases from the the bride and groom's registry to make for a double-gift. T fashioned an adorable personalized tag. It read: "You’ll be doing a lot of spooning as a newlywed, so I packaged up these gifts for good measure. Each scoop is sure to give you pleasure!"


Fun, right? Katie, the lucky bride who received this prize of a shower gift, was married Oct. 3. (See photos of her big day) Best wishes to the newlyweds!

Operation kitchen!

The project begins. Our quaint country kitchen is completely dismembered this week. We're painting our worn-out wood cabinetry and replacing our countertops to give our little kitchen a facelift. Last weekend, we removed the upper cabinets and primed them for painting. We've spent hours lately working on the doors and removing hardware, sanding, and cleaning. Hence, the slack in posts lately (sorry!).

Yes, we're back to DIY-land. It seems like there are 500 steps now before the kitchen/dining room (one big area) is completely finished, but we're taking things one step at a time. Or at least, I'm trying to wait patiently for my fresh, crisp kitchen.

If there is a true trial and test for a relationship, it's a home project. Think about it: "redecorating" or "renovating" is really just costly and complicated upheaval. We have an older house, so things aren't always square or plumb. And when it comes to tape measures and levels: I. Have. No. Patience.

"Just do it!" I have been known to say.

On the other hand, my husband is precise and exact about his construction projects in the same way that I obsess over words and magazines. When Patrick goes into project mode, he's like a mad artist.

So, readers, bid farewell to that cozy kitchen in the photo above. Project tales and photos to come! For tips that helped us get started: Check out YHL's helpful cabinet-painting guide.

DIY: Wedding Wishes

Shortly after the wedding, I wrote about the wonderfully poignant and funny words of wisdom and well wishes we received in this jar. So, I thought I'd share actual photos of the DIY set-up of our "guest book" table, where our loved ones wrote notes and drew pictures to us on little green cards.
The table welcomed guests and the wish station was set up right next to the seating cards. A framed a sign, explaining what do do, said "Welcome! Please share a wish, memory, or bit of wisdom with the bride and groom."A fun jar of colored pencils and pens and hand-cut pieces of chartreuse card stock helped make the task fun for guests of all ages.

This idea certainly isn't something brand new. Couples are making the traditional guest book into all kinds of fancy things: trees with tags hanging from the branches, clotheslines, photo booths, etc. You get the idea. So, this is just one of those many options. And it was fun; I love that we now have these little tokens in an album to remind us of the emotions our guests felt that day (drunk and sober, wink, wink).

DIY results: Flowergirl basket and pomander

Wanted to share the day-of outcome of the basket and pomander I made for our flower attendants. They carried them around all day, and the end result was beautiful!

We saved money by decorating these items by hand. The ingredients are simple: a glue gun, foam ball, basket, 2- or 3-inch wide navy silk ribbon, craft moss (in sheets), one package of pearl-stud floral pins and one package floral clips (two-prong pins), and natural-looking silk floral accents. The total cost for all of this was only around $20, which is what the florists quoted me per item had they created them.

I am pretty sure that the small berry twigs really made these two items. They added the sweet, whimsical feel I was seeking. And the wreath and hairpiece my mom made for the girls really tied everything together.

DIY Aisle Runner: Oh, the dilemma!

When we set out planning the wedding, I knew there were some things I just didn't want to "mess" with. Most of these things were details that the wedding industry and tradition seemed to say must be done: a slew of bridesmaids, pew bows, a full mass, a gigantic and ornate wedding cake, lots of kitschy group dances (the bridal party dance, the macarena, etc.), favors, etc. One of these little things was an aisle runner. Long story short -- my mother really believed I needed an aisle runner.

The subject repeatedly came up. I tried to explain to her: "If I have one, I don't want a cheap paper one, and it's just not something I want to invest time or money in. But if you realllly want me to have one, go for it." It became a joke. I'd get home from work, and (since I always talked wedding with mom on the way home from work), Patrick would ask if I won the aisle runner debate yet. Well, I lost. But not in the end.

Taking matters into their own hands, my mom and wonderful friend and neighbor Marty crafted the beautiful aisle runner above from about 100 ft. of simple ivory muslin. In its center, they hand-stenciled the gorgeous "Sarah Jeanne and Patrick Dale" from our invitations.

It was stunning in the church, and I was glad she did it. Interestingly, it is one of the things about the wedding that guests have mentioned the most. "Oh I loved your aisle runner!" or "The whole day was so beautiful and lovely, especially the aisle runner." Mom's even had requests from others for homemade runners. This is hilariously ironic, but so sweet.

I like to think that piece of muslin took on the generous and loving hearts of its makers and that's why it was so adored.

DIY: Sugar & Spice bachelorette gift

Last weekend we celebrated dear friend Lauren, who will be a bride in (holy cow!) 22 short days. Since we're long-distance friends (boo!), we wanted to give her a bachelorette/lingerie gift that was also kind of like a shower gift. Enter a set of canisters (from her registry) with the labels "sugar, spice, naughty, and nice." The "ingredients" turned out so adorably that I wanted to share the results! A great idea to mix it up at a party typically filled with pink Victoria's Secret boxes (which are also awesome to get, don't get me wrong!).




It's hard to tell from the photos, but we filled each canister with candies (Hot Tamales for "naughty," jelly beans for "sugar," taffy for "nice," and Hershey's kisses for "spice") and about 2-3 pair of fancy undies that went with each theme. A set of heart-shaped teaspoons was tied to the bag. Even they were oozing with cheezy-ness, labeled "a pinch of patience," etc. We included a "Sheet Music" CD of sexy songs and an amazing surprise item for her hubby-to-be. The bride loved it, and we all loved snacking on jelly beans as she opened the rest of her packages.

TGIF! And thanks to Miss Shea for the great pics, as usual.