An Actual Kitchen Cupboard

One kitchen cupboard is done!  My "new-old" kitchen is going to be completely antique cupboards, no built-ins.  This is the first to be finished and I am breathing a sigh of relief that it is gorgeous.  One never knows when you start with something that looks kind of horrible, but you think it has good bones, then you work on it for a week--burning off old paint, sanding, painting, sanding again, painting again, hoping that it will pay off in the end.  It did!

In case you forgot, here is what it used to look like:

Now, I call that a cupboard miracle.

An Actual Kitchen Floor

Work on the kitchen continues...and we have a floor!  Well, we have half a floor, but maybe a whole floor by the end the of the weekend.  All I have to do is hand tiles to my husband and I am exhausted.  If I had to be on my knees putting them in, I think I'd be in traction by now.

In the meantime, the big cupboard is painted and ready to install after the floor sets for 48 hours and we get the quarter round installed.  Here is a bit of sneak peek, just the top part without its doors.

The next cupboard is out of the garage and up on the porch awaiting my husband's woodworking skills to put a new crown molding and backing on and to fix the broken flour bin.  

this is the top, currently sitting upside down--it will be painted white.

This is the base--I adore the zinc top and it has pull out bread boards!  I am painting this dark blue.  It looks gorgeous in my imagination, hoping reality comes close!

Rolling Pin Extravaganza

About 6 months ago, I had so many rolling pins and dough bowls, I thought I'd never sell them all, but guess what--I almost did!  I don't think I sold more than 2 bowls last year, then all at once, 20 are on their way to new homes, same with the rolling pins.  Thus, here is the last of the pins I've been hoarding, must go shopping!

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