The Kitchen Pics

Oh boy..it's kinda weird to go back and see the "before" photos--hard to remember my kitchen looking like this! We bought our house in 1998, and i was all about the country look back then. While i still love some of the country decor, i definitely appreciate a more simplistic style now--i.e. a lot less cluttered! I loved all of my apple stuff, but boy did it overwhelm the place.

See what i mean?!

So the "after" has been done a little over a year now, and i'm much happier w/the look. These were taken right after we painted, so i've since added a little more decor, but not enough to take all new pics. The color is Behr Mulling Spice (satin). We moved our dining room table into the kitchen, and i'll tell ya--we eat there more than we ever did when it was in the dining room! The island was moved over to another corner, to serve as extra counter space.
Here's the island. We painted the base a different color--it's actually not the same as the wall, but a bit darker (hard to tell in the photo)
Ditched the bench and got this awesome cabinet at TJ Maxx. Marked down, of course! I only paid $40! (originally $80). Also got rid of the old-fashioned phone. How i loved that phone when we first got it! Just went w/something simple, as a backup for the cordless.

And just a closeup of an under-cabinet detail. Wine rack from Ikea.


Big improvement or what??!!

Thanks for looking :)

She's Crafty.....

Here are some crafty things i've recently put together. I was having a Lia Sophia Jewelry Party, and thought it'd be cute to make a chalkboard (i've been a little obsessed w/them lately!) that listed the drinks i had available.

So this:

Became this:



I purchased everything at JoAnn's (except the ribbon, which i already had--think that was from Michaels). The flowers come already painted. Just had to paint the frame around the chalkboard white, size and cut the ribbon, and glue everything on.

Speaking of my chalkboard fetish, i picked this up at Marshalls last month (for only $16.99--wow!) and just love it! I keep it in the yard and write different sayings on it. I have a plant that goes on the little bottom shelf. My friend borrowed it for her wine tasting party, so i wrote something pertaining to that:


I needed some decor for a new bench my MIL picked up for me. This is on our front porch.

So this:


Became this:



Everything was purchased at JoAnns (except the letter "B" and sign on the bottom shelf, which i already had). I just painted the clay pot white, stuck some floral foam in the bottom, added the greenery, stuck it in the birdcage and voila!

Lastly, here are some cards that i made last weekend. From left to right--Fathers Day Card for FIL, Birthday card for my Sister, Fathers Day card for DH, Fathers Day card for my Dad.



What kinds of crafts are you working on?