Kitchen Cart

A good neighbor not only invites you over for dinner, but also inspires you to revamp your kitchen organization! You might remember my kitchen curtain post where I first introduced you to the White Elephant's shabby and not-so-chic heart of the home. You know, the post where I pointed out it's abundance of grunge and made the bright graphic curtain panels in an attempt to divert attention from this grunge? If you didn't, no worries, one look at the speckled linoleum tile flooring and you'll get the jist.

In addition, there's this odd little corner space between the dishwasher and back door;

This is actually a pretty "clean" photo. Usually this spot collects a lot of shoes and a hodge podge of other things. But you get the idea, it's a not so pretty little area for trash and miscellaneous items. Or that's what it was resigned to until I saw my neighbors kitchen and noticed that she had a microwave cart here. Not only did it look a lot cleaner and nicer, but what a good use of the space!

So, after perusing thrift stores and Craig's List for a week or two and still coming up empty handed, I finally went to Walmart and bought the least expensive storage cart they carried. As much as I would have liked to find something used, it was $20 well spent. What do you think? 

Not only did that grungy-corner-for-trash-and-junk look go bye-bye once the new cart was up, but a lot of counter space was freed up as well. And counter space is precious real estate in this kitchen.

Welcome to the new home for the coffee maker, microwave, cook books, and the green firebird rooster. He moved down from the windowsill to get a change of scenery.

Speaking of the coffee maker, it's now in close proximity to my coffee containers for maximum convenience. My daily morning coffee routine just got even easier!



Oh and let me point out a project within a project. Remember this tray? It came from a thrift store for about $1.50.

It needed some cleaning and spiffing up, and that's exactly what it got. For a few bucks more, I picked up a can of "Cherry Red" spray paint and gave it a fun new color to match the curtains.

Then I had a small pile of frames that I'd picked up from Rugged Wearhouse on clearance for $1 each. I also had some fun cards that happened to be the perfect size, so in the frames they went! (The other one's sitting on the windowsill where the rooster used to be.) You might have noticed the little yellow-green acorn frame as well. It was also on clearance for a buck, so I got two and then painted them this yellow-green color (they were originally brown, then lime green- the same color as the firebird, which was too much- and now this shade after mixing the original green with some white to lighten it up a little). As you can see, they (the little "acorns") are empty for the time being, but I have an idea for 'em that I'll eventually get around to.

The trash can still sits here, but now it's not the focal point of the space. I've been toying with the idea of spray painting it red... I've never heard of anyone doing this, but hey, I've got to do something with the leftover spray paint, right?

So that's it for now. We're slowly and surely improving our little "character-rich" kitchen. I say "we" not because Thane has any part in the decor aspect of the makeover, but because he's the one that put the shelf together. Thanks honey!

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P.S. See our ranch house kitchen plans here. (And pssst, they won't just be plans for much longer, the cabinets are going up sooner than we can believe!)

P.S.S. Spray paint works wonders; see how to use it to get the exact look you want for your decorative curtain rods here.

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Where's the Remote?

We've all heard that one a few times. I'm happy to say that ours is no longer in the crack of the sofa cushion, thanks to another great thrift store find. This pretty little box was $1.50, and it's the perfect size for our remote and wireless mouse (for the laptop that's hooked up to the TV).

I haven't quite decided where to put the box. It started on the ottoman tray.

Then went to the side table.

Then went under the side table.

But wherever it is, it's nice to see this pretty little box instead of the mouse and remote!

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P.S. Notice those built-ins in the background of these photos? See them in detail here. And to see more fun thrift store finds, go here!

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Light. Airy. Blue.

It was hard to know what to do with our blue tiled bathroom when we first moved in. Blue's not really my cup of tea, but we happened to have an old set of navy bath mats so down they went, and that was that.

But they kind of bugged me. And since this is the bathroom our guests use, I thought it could stand a little improvement. So, I did a little switcheroo with our long white rug from the master bath. What an improvement!

I also refilled our little woven basket with T.P. It's funny how toilet paper can look nice with a little bit of arranging.

This framed fabric is worth noting- this was a totally free project when I did it back in the fall. I already owned the frames and the fabric (it was supposed to be a baby quilt but never got there, same story with my bible cover). Oh and the frames used to be gold, but got spray-painted white a couple of years back. And thanks to these lovely windowsills, they've got a nice place to perch.

So anyway, what a refreshingly easy way to improve our blue bathroom! I'm learning that when something's bugging me (like the navy bath mats), I can usually "fix" it by swapping around what I already own. By His grace and longsuffering, Jesus is teaching me to be content with what I have (which is abundantly, abundantly more than I'll ever need).

I remember when we first moved into this home and it took about three weeks to get our furniture shipment. That was three weeks on an air mattress while about seven months pregnant, with nothing but a couple of lawn chairs and cardboard boxes as tables. I was so anxious to get our furniture, but I kept reminding myself of the verse that says "having food and clothing, with these we shall be content" {Luke 3:14}. Along with that, I'm getting better and better about repurposing what we already own rather than buying new things every time I think I want something. It's actually a fun "challenge" to see what I can do with what's around the house. No trip to the store necessary! Not to mention the buyer's remorse that often accompanies.

One more thing about the blue...it's actually growing on me!

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P.S. Here's another good verse to remind us that we have all we need (and more!) in Christ. If, in fact, we do have Him... As well as a good reminder of what our behavior should be Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." {Hebrews 13:5}

P.S.S. See more fabric and frame ideas here and here.

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Hang Curtains for Less

Who's hung curtains lately?

When we moved into our Georgia home last fall, one of the first things I noticed we'd need was curtain rods. And if you've looked lately (or ever) you know that they ain't cheap. Not the decorative ones, at least. And with more than a panel or two to hang, we were looking at hundreds of dollars for standard decorative rods.

Well, you know me. When it comes to cash, I don't drop it like it's hot. I'd much rather hold onto it until it's burned a whole in my pocket. And because we'd need at least nine rods to hang curtains in the main parts of the house (living space and bedrooms), that would add up quickly when you consider that the cost of one rod is about $20-30. The longest ones can even get into the $50 range. But for the sake of the discussion, let's just say they're $20 a piece. $20x9 rods=$180. And that's just way to much to ever conceive spending.

So, I racked my brain for a way to hang our curtains without breaking the bank. And then it hit me; spray-paint!

Well, spray-paint + cheap rods. I can't remember how the idea struck, but Ross- the discount retailer- was the first place I went to make it happen. If anybody was selling rods at a deal, it was them. I'm a bronze fan when it comes to hardware. I like the rich, warm, antiqued feel of it. (You might have noticed that the spray-paint top and the actual rod in the first photo look black, but they're actually a dark metallic brown). Anyway, Ross' big chunky rods weren't much less than the ones at Lowes, but they did have quite a few thinner ones in a variety of finishes- silver, brass, black, etc.

This is where spray paint comes in. These thinner (but still very nice) rods were only $6 a pop. And it didn't matter that four were silver, two were black, and three were brass. With a little Rustoleum spray paint and a couple hours time, they were all bronze and ready for hanging!

So let's talk cost: $6x9= $54. Which admittedly still seems like a lot, (to me at least), but it's much less than $180. And, I have the long-term in mind. I've counted up the number of windows, hence rods, we'll need for the ranch house when we move there. And we almost have enough! These here are definitely going with us, and it's nice to know that we'll get years and years of use out of them.

Unfortunately I don't have pictures from the day of the undertaking, but here's a tip I gleaned from the experience. If you lay the rods out on a large piece of cardboard, you can easily paint the rods and hardware at the same time by poking the screws into the cardboard so that they're standing up. You don't want a silver screw standing out against a bronze rod.

I was so excited to stumble upon this creative way to save money. Have any of you guys had a similar light-bulb-on! moment lately?

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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17

Kitschy Curtains & Shoddy Sewing

Let's talk kitchens. First- big news- we've ordered the ranch house kitchen! Installation is scheduled to happen during our upcoming trip next month. We're going to attempt it ourselves, which means a cabinet-installation-DIY-post is coming your way.

But until then, there's another kitchen that's in need of some love. You guessed it, our current one in the Georgia house. What's wrong with it? Nothing, functionally. (Other than the bad light switch placement and burnt out bulb.) So how do I say this the nice way... Basically, she's getting along in years and her two most predominate features are blue speckled linoleum flooring and orange slab cabinets.

I like to pretend these unmatching tiles are a kitchen sink rug.

And these over here get hidden by a real rug.

Thane slapped a big VETO on any sort of painting or flooring. (Flooring in a rental, you say? Our neighbors laid carpet down in their kitchen, and it looks amazing! Not happening here though.) And here's the thing; not only are we talking blue speckled linoleum flooring and orange slab cabinets, but we're talking GRUNGY blue speckled linoleum flooring and orange slab cabinets. No amount of sweeping, swiffering, scrubbing, and/or sweating will put a dent in this kind of dinge. So, what's a devoted stay-at-home-wife/mom to do with the shabby heart of her home?

The bible says that a good wife is like "a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house" {Psalm 128:3}*. In comes the beginning of my little makeover. Hopefully the "fruit" of my efforts will indeed bring some new life to this little space. (By the way, the rest of the verse talks about little vine babies...do sweet peas grow on vines? Hehe.)

So anyway, we'll dub this my "Kitschy Kitchen" redo; from dingy and outdated to funky and eclectic. Or that's the goal, anyway. If it can't be fancy (and who wants a stuffy kitchen anyway?), we might as well make it fun!

First up- curtains! If we can't hide the not-so-chic features of our little space, we'll do the next best thing; divert attention elsewhere. To something bold and fun, like red geometric flower print window treatments. I found this fabric at Hancock on clearance. (And what do you know, it's got coral- pink- in it.)

Now for the shoddy-sewing portion of this post. I have the most basic, rudimentary skills when it comes to using a sewing machine. Which means I can make anything as long as it doesn't require a pattern. This is how I got my valence, crib skirt, bumper, and decorative pillows for Asher's nursery. The common denominator is that they're all super easy projects! Not only do I stick with what's easy, I don't even do a good job when it comes down to it. I'm extremely lazy about doing nice hems or correcting mistakes. The faster I get something sewn, the better.

That being said, here were the few simple steps I took to making some very very easy curtain panels.

First, I did a little photoshopping to figure out how I wanted the curtains to hang, and thus what their measurements needed to be. We have these really big, old school windows and window frames, so no standard size was going to work. These are definitely the best features of this kitchen.



These curtains aren't meant to shut, just to hang as if "open" and look pretty. Which means their width will be very skinny. We live on the second story and privacy isn't really an issue in this case. So I decided on panels that would be 46 (L) by 18 (W). To account for rod pocket at the top and the hemming on the sides and bottom, I added some inches and cut two panels that were actually 50 (L) by 20 (W). That gave me plenty of wiggle room for the hemming.

So out came the supplies... fabric, scissors, measurements, tape measure, pencil, iron, and a flat surface. And of course a sewing machine and straight pins.

Measuring and cutting a straight line was easy since I could follow the pattern. (Went straight down the center of a row of flowers. I wish all fabric made it this easy!)

 

(I got a little scissor happy before finishing my measurements.)

I used a regular pencil to mark the "corner" of the rectangle.

After cutting out my 50x20 rectangle, I ironed a quarter inch hem and secured it with pins.

Here's one panel- the sides are cut, ironed, pinned, and ready for sewing!

Once the sides were sewn, I started on the top.

I folded the top down three inches in prep for sewing. Since I had four total inches of fabric to use for the hem (I cut a 50 inch rectangle in order to make a 46 inch panel), that meant I would have one inch left over to hem on the bottom.



I also ironed the fold down so that I'd have a smooth crease to work with. See it? Once I had my crease, I then ironed down a very small sliver before folding the big portion over again. This made a smoother hem. And let me just say that this is the first time I've actually "double-hemmed" anything. Usually I'm too lazy to go to the effort so I have very sloppy, stringy hems. I guess I was feeling fancy and extra motivated today.



Before sewing the top of the panel closed, I used pins to secure it and actually hung it on the rod to test it. It hung exactly like I planned, woo-hoo! 

See this angled corner? This is the only special sewing trick I know (and I'm sure it's not all that special to someone with real sewing skills). This prevents the folded edge of fabric from peaking out (to the front) once it's sewn. It doesn't require any special treatment on the machine, just sew from the edge like you would even if there was no angle in the fabric.

First panel; check! I followed the same steps for the second panel, except I only hemmed one side. After hemming the first side, I laid it on top of the already-completed panel to see how well they matched up. It turned out that they matched perfectly with only the one side hemmed. Which meant my two fabric cuts weren't exactly the same size... But lucky me, since this fabric is technically meant for outside, it's a little stiffer than normal and didn't fray. SO I skipped hemming the opposite side of the second panel altogether. I'm all for a good shortcut when opportunity strikes! 

Speaking of shortcuts and overall shody-ness, here's a great example of my less-than-stellar-technique; Can you see how I totally missed the hem here? The line of thread runs right off of it...

The right thing to do would be to redo it. But who has time for that? Asher certainly doesn't, so it stayed this way. (My Grandmother, the master sewer, is probably laughing and shaking her head, ha!) Speaking of Asher, usually he would be demanding to be in my arms right about now, but he happened to take a super long nap today. How else do you think these got done in one afternoon?

Alright. Two scrappy-but-functional curtain panels, coming right up! Take another look at the "before" windows.

Ta-da!

And now for a curtain montage;

 

The fact that these things are hanging exactly where I wanted them- in line with the bottom of the window trim- must have been a stroke of good fortune. As you can see from the rest of my sewing practices, clearly it wasn't skill that made it happen.

Once the curtains were up I made one more small improvement. I traded out our black dish-drying rack for this red one. We had it sitting around being unused. It's smaller and little less functional than the black one, but so much funner. 

Alright, as always, let's talk cost; I bought 1.5 yards of upholstery fabric on clearance for $6/yd. I used a little over one yard for this project, so the curtains went up for about $6 and some change. And now I have some left over for a project that's yet to be determined. Suggestions?

This little makeover is just getting started. I'd like to find a good deal on a microwave cart so that we can better utilize the empty space to the right of the sink, as well as free up some counter space. It would be great if we could continue to have a trash can there, but disguise it so it's not in plain sight. And of course I'd also like to add more fun decor... So stay tuned for hopefully near-future updates!

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*Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
{Psalm 128:3} NKJV

-P.S. Kitsch. -noun. "something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste." Derived from the German word kitschen which means "to throw together" (a work of art).

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