Our Kitchen Makeover: The Before

So my husband and I have been itching to makeover our kitchen since we first moved into our new house almost a year ago.  At first glance when we moved in it seemed fine - the counter top was ugly but livable, and the cabinets were white which is one of my favorite looks for a kitchen.  We always thought we would just put in a new counter top, put a fresh coat of white paint on the cabinets, maybe add a back splash and be done! 

After living in the house a while we knew it needed more than that but also realized that other rooms needed more than we originally planned in terms of paint and renovations.  After completing those other renovations in the house we are pretty much sick of living in a construction zone and don't feel like putting out the money for a big renovation either.  With all this in mind our brains got creative and we thought up some other ways to make a big impact on the room with a small budget and small time frame.  Check out some 'before' shots below.  It's not terrible, but we know we want to be in this house for a long time so we just wanted to make the space feel more like us.

(please note the hideous counter top color!)

The previous wall color was not terrible but the yellow-beige just wasn't working with the rest of the house.

Planning a new home for the microwave to free up some counter space!

The white cabinets just didn't work for us in this space.  I like a bright kitchen but I also like a warm kitchen with a "homey" and almost craftsman or rustic feel.  Something about this particular kitchen with the white cabinets just felt cold.  We also use our side door as our main entrance and when you come up the stairs from the porch, the kitchen is the first room you see.  Because of that, we wanted the room to make more  of a statement when walking in the house.  I came across some inspiration photos on Pinterest with cabinets painted more of a taupe or 'greige' color and, well, it was love at first sight.   I also came across an aqua colored ceramic tray in the stationary section of Target (I think meant for paper or office supplies) and thought it would be a perfect tray to sit next to the sink to hold dish and hand soap.  See - keep your eyes peeled because inspiration can hit you anywhere!  Keep an open mind and you will find things or ideas for your home in unexpected places.  

That completed my vision and inspiration for the space.  We decided to go with a darker taupe or greige on the cabinets, a light greige for the walls and white for the counter tops. Did you catch that?  Yes we are painting our counter tops!  A few people I've told think we are a bit crazy but we are so excited!  We know that one day down the road we will do a complete renovation of the kitchen with new cabinets and such, so it is fun to experiment for now and try new things!  I am not afraid of painting and am excited to see the result.  The counters are not pretty right now so really, anything will be better! There is a section of butcher block beside our stove as well that we are keeping which I think will look great with the white and really contribute to that craftsman look I was talking about. 

The photo below is our paint swatches on top of that tray I mentioned which will be an accent color.  It is basically a visual for me of the final look to keep me on track.  

 

 That's all you get for now!  Stay tuned for some after photos coming later this week of the transformation.  I'll also do a tutorial on the counter top painting process for anyone interested in that.  It's amazing how for less than $200 we have totally changed the look and feel of the space - I can't wait to show you the results! 

Hope you all enjoy your week ... Happy Monday! 

A quick kitchen organization tip ...

So my husband asked if I would bake some banana bread tonight (probably just to use up some of the 50 bananas we have in our freezer!) and in doing so, I thought I would quickly share one of my favorite kitchen organization tips! 

I love baking and cooking and find this really helps me stay organized and quickly reach for what I need.  It's super simple ... I hang my measuring cups and spoons on the inside of a cupboard door! That's it! 

It sounds so simple and I have often been poked fun at for being too organized (ummm, I have to object ... you can never be too organized!) but this makes such a huge difference for me and I can't live without it!  When I moved into my new house I didn't have it up right away and anytime I tried to bake it drove me nuts so it wasn't long before I did it again. 

Here is a photo of what it looks like:

 

You can use different options for the little hangers but all I used were the 'Command Damage Free' hooks.  You can also drill small holes and screw in tiny hooks but I like the fact that I can easily remove these hooks if needed.  You do not need to use an actual label maker like I did but I do recommend labeling them somehow just to make it that much easier to distinguish.  You can use little stickers with handwritten numbers or even print them out on small printable labels.  However, if you have ever even considered  purchasing a label maker .... do it! I don't mean to condone bad spending behavior (haha!) but if you are the type of person who likes to organize or wants to simplify your life a bit, a label maker is a great addition to your family. :)  I use mine all the time!

Here are some more close up photos of the finished result:

Again it's a super simple tip and I'm sure you have seen this all over Pinterest! You can definitely be more creative to make it prettier (which I may do since I have a kitchen remodel project happening soon) but I also find it simple yet effective like this! 

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy the upcoming weekend!  With my kitchen project starting this weekend I think I will savor this downtime and pour myself a cup of tea and test out that banana bread I mentioned. :)  

 

 

Organizing: Packing Tips

Hey Friends! 

As I started packing today to head out on a weekend getaway with the hubby, I thought I would share my favorite tip for packing!  I used to be terrible at packing (or should I say, over packing) for trips.  It's like all of a sudden I discovered that I actually loved every single piece of clothing I owned and couldn't go anywhere without taking my entire closet with me! 

** I really wish I felt like that while getting ready for a night out and can't seem to find anything to wear!!  Am I right ladies!??

Anyways ... I have always been a list-maker so one day while writing my packing list I came up with a new strategy.  I write down each day I will be gone and what events I will need an outfit for.  Now, don't get this mixed up with pre-planning my outfits because I don't necessarily do that. I get stressed out trying to plan specific outfits because who knows what I will feel like wearing on that specific day!  Instead I do something that looks a little like this:

Friday:

1. Driving Outfit
2. Concert Outfit
          - dressy outfit & brown boots

Saturday:

1. Shopping Outfit
          - comfortable outfit & taupe boots w/studs
2. Dinner Outfit
          - dressy outfit and black boots

Sunday:

1. Shopping Outfit
          - comfortable outfit & taupe boots w/studs
2. Dinner Outfit
          - dressy outfit and black boots 

Monday:

1. Driving Outfit 

By writing it out I know what I need outfits for and can narrow down my choices.  I go through each day and pick something suitable, then check it off the list.  I usually bring a couple options for each scenario that way I still have some selection (and yes that means I still over-pack - but not as bad as without this list!!)

Once I started writing my packing lists out this way I noticed a huge improvement in my skills (and have more room for my hair, makeup, jewelry, shoes, etc, etc, etc!!!) ... and find packing much less overwhelming.  

It's a simple tip and may be useless to some but it has helped me a lot so I thought I'd share!! Now ... back to packing!! :) 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay tuned next week because I will be posting my 2013 favorite skincare finds!