A Few of My Favorite Things!

O.K. So if you have been a follower of this blog for any time at all, you know that I like a project...or a holiday...or a craft...or just ANYTHING to keep me busy. And, because there is no "decorating" holiday this month and I have ALREADY crafted for 4th of July and I have already shown you all (well, there might be a tad bit more) of the spring decor, I found myself doing some reflecting this morning. I was putting on some wash and putting clean dishes away - definitely not blog worthy subjects - USUALLY! Until, that is, when I realized how much I love my barn doors and my cutting board holder...and then I realized how much I really love some of the simplest things I've done around here to make my nest a little more cozy and comfy!

And, some of the projects weren't all that simple but they are all things I have done - some times with the help of my wonderful family who humor me when needed - and the projects not only make my life prettier but some times serve a valuable purpose as well. And so, I hit my digital photos to see what I could find. Ready for a trip down Memory Lane?

Let's start with a BIGGIE - my kitchen!! I NEVER liked the cabinets in our kitchen. They were a walnut colored Formica with decorative groves of avocado green. We bought this house brand new in 1973. EVERYTHING in the kitchen was avocado green. It was one of the colors of the year. Just an aside, one of our bathrooms was the other color (harvest gold) and I am happy to say that has been gone for a long time too.

In any case, as happens around here a lot, I suddenly look at something I have looked at for a long time and can't bear it a second longer! That is what happened with the kitchen. I approached my husband about doing something about those horrible cabinets and I got the answer I got many, many times - "as long as it doesn't cost a lot". And that was all I needed.

Obviously, hiring a contractor was out! Even replacing all of the cabinets was out! And so it was up to me! It was a long project. I bought inexpensive lathing and used it to cover those hideous grooves. Come to think of it, that was when I bought my miter saw as well and it and I have had many adventures since! Then I found a brand new product that allowed one to actually paint on Formica without the paint peeling off. I did such a good job (if I do say so myself - Lol) on the cabinets that we ended up having a pantry built and added on, got rid if the avocado green counter tops, added a sunlight and recessed lighting, built in the microwave and have swapped out every appliance several times over the years. I wasn't blogging back then - in fact, there was no such thing - and for some reason, I didn't document the journey with pictures but, I did find these old pictures with the kitchen in the background to give you a jumping off point. By the time this picture was taken, I had added the lovely Z-Brick back splash, wallpaper and border, painted the groves country red instead of avocado green and changed the original chandelier (which my husband kept hitting his head on) for that beautiful fluorescent fixture...on which I immediately hung not only copper pots but baskets full of baby's breath!

Here's a picture of how the cabinets were coming along. It looks like I have the area above the cabinets STUFFED with stuff. I will admit, there is a lot but if you look closely you might be able to see that I had put up a new wall border of plates and bottles that I guess I was trying to mimic with all of that STUFF!

And here we are today. If you look closely, you can see that I have since changed out the hinges and hardware, added the ball feet and wood applique to the sink area, added the crown to the top of the cabinets and, of course, the pantry to the front left of the picture.

Here's what that area looks like now.

And here is the rest of the kitchen.

I really do like my kitchen and I am pretty proud of my accomplishment. Of course, if I were doing it today, I would have simply had the cabinet above the stove moved up for the microwave to be installed. The difference in cabinet height just wasn't thought of back then so I had a friend cut off the bottom of the cabinet and wire in the microwave. And, I am just starting to think about re-doing the cabinets...just re-painting them. It is definitely time for a touch up so I think I might try chalk paint this time. I have worked with it before and I love it. Just haven't had time to decide if I will go with white again or add a bit of color. Believe me, with the dearth of projects this time of year, that is the ONLY reason I haven't rushed full steam ahead as I usually do. But, it won't be long!

When I started this post LONG ago, I said something about being spurred on by putting away clean dishes. Here is another of my projects that I still adore! This is actually my very first Pinterest project. It is the cutting board holder made out of some of my left over lathing and a small piece of 1X2. And, once I started to get organized, there was no stopping me so I added some pull out shelves that I got at Lowes.

And since I still needed more storage for cookie sheets, baking pans, etc., I used this space...

...to hide all of this!

I have so many more "likes" to share but since this is already crazy long, I will stop for today. I know you're on the edge of your seat but I'll be back soon. Stay tuned.