One Cupboard to Start the Kitchen

The big cupboard is off the porch and in the kitchen!  This is the "before", James is going to sand the old paint for me and remove the hardware.  I am going to do a distressed white chalk paint finish that should still look old, but clean, which one does desire in a kitchen.  I think I am getting cast iron bin pulls in an eastlake design, but I have to measure to see if they will fit.  The big top piece goes on this--it is still out on the porch, upside down.

We also needed new air vent covers and I really didn't want the regular white shutter looking covers.

A trip to the salvage yard brought us an antique cast iron grate--James cut it in half and we have 2 perfect vent covers--well, almost, they still need cleaning and white paint (I do actually love the green chippy stuff, but decided the white will go more with the rest of the kitchen).

Snow in the Garden

This winter we have not had much snow, just lots of ice with snow crusted on top, so this fluffy snow at last was most welcome.  It looks so pretty on the garden statues.

Let There Be Light

I still don't have cupboards and still have the old tired appliances, but we are gaining ground on the kitchen remodel.  The hideous brown paint is covered in lovely blue, there is new crown molding and tiled walls on each end of the kitchen.  Last night, the antique chandelier was installed.

 It used to have this pretty, but totally wrong era light fixture:

Now it is just right with this Victorian brass chandelier and a new medallion.  It was a gas light, now is electrified.  We had been looking everywhere for the right chandelier, and the only ones we liked were $500 to $1000--yikes!  Last weekend, we walked into the Pink Begonia in Kalona, and there it was, only $150, way better!

Each side of the room now has a tiled wall, and the stove is going to be moved to the other side of the room, and someday be a new stove...

and in the interest of little things that count, an ugly light was removed from the little alcove that you go through to get to the basement, and this pretty antique fixture put in.

It Started with Buttermilk Paint

I started painting a bowl buttermilk, then bread boards and rolling pins started yelling that they wanted to be the same color, then I stenciled one, and I couldn't stop...Then I decided it all needed flour sack stuff to tie it together and here it all is:

flour bread board $38, bowl $78, pillows $25 each

bread board $58, sample flour sack $25

bread board $32, crock $48, rolling pins $28 to $24

framed salt sack $35, double rim bowl $85