Our kitchen is small with zero counter space. I really wanted a small island to add extra counter space but knowing that our kitchen is so small, I knew that the island could not be very large. I also had a huge cutting board that I couldn't use because it took up too much space and it was cumbersome to get out. Our cutting board is pretty special to use because his dad made it after his accident that left him legally blind. While cleaning up the house the other day, I had an epiphany moment when I had noticed his grandmother's sewing machine table was the same size as our cutting board. I was off to find a sewing machine table that I could paint and add hooks. I had obtained and planned all of this while I was at home alone, so glad Chris liked my idea.
Before/After
I am still not finished with this but this is a start. I wiped the cabinet down to clear off any dust and debris. Then I got out a can of paint we had left over from when we painted the walls of our house (our kitchen is teal-- the other rooms are the same gray) and I dry brushed paint on with a thin layer. That is it, it took me maybe 20 minutes and only $10 to get exactly what I wanted!
Have you ever been to a thirft store and found a wooden piece but it is worn out, the bones are good but the finish is not? Don't over look it because the finish is scratched...use some Old English and about 5 minutes you can go from old and busted to new hotness.
Chris and I were looking for two bar stools...and I found these at our cleaning shop..and best of all they were FREE...however the seats were scratched and just not up to par. I brought them home(in my Civic Coupe...Chris was proud) spent about 5 minutes and now we have two new bar stools. Luckily I had some light Old English on hand. $0 spent that is my type of deal!
I have swag...no, no not that swag...I am an utter dork when it comes to my coolness level but I have gotten a new swag lamp from a local yard sale group on facebook. I thought it was beautiful and the seller boasted that is was from the 40's or the 50's still no one took a nibble even at only $20. I thought about that lamp for a few hours. I kept talking about it. I even looked on eBay for similar ones just to see how affordable they are...which come to find out my darling little swag lamp was listed for $90-$120. I told Chris of my findings and he told me to get it! I commented and the seller agreed to meet with me the following day. I paid for my purchase and took my baby home even though I had no clue where it was going to live.
I had always said the small section, which I refer to as a hall, outside of our room and bathroom needed a light fixture but there was no wiring for one and it is really expensive to have it done. But there was a switch there that has previously been used for the furnace(we live in an older home) that no longer operated anything. My dear, sweet husband went out and bought an electrical outlet/switch combo and changed out the old switch. It took him several tries but he finally managed to get it working. and I am sooooo happy that it is working.
Now I have a light fixture that is in the same era of our home! Love it. To top it off its in the shape of a tulip! If I would have bought this piece today it would have been so expensive because of all the metal and thick glass. I love items from the past because they were made to last and not made to be replaced.
Before I met Chris I had been single for 3 years. I had gotten married when I was 18 and then separated at the tender age of 19. I didn't know how to date. I began dating my ex-husband in highschool when I was 16. I was in a new world and not very tech savvy. I began talking to guys on the internet. I was not a whore by no means but I began seeing a pattern in these "men". I finally figured out what I wanted by the time I was 21. I wanted to be in a HEALTHY and LOVING relationship with a man who treated me with RESPECT, but first I needed to RESPECT myself and LOVE myself. With that I needed to work on myself, instead of talking to random guys on myspace, I deleted them ALL and stopped adding people. By the time January of 2008 rolled around I was beginning to love and respect myself, I was content with being alone and didn't find most guys attractive because of the way they acted. Chris sent me a polite message, I looked at his page and saw that we had tons of friends in common....I went on about my business without replying or deleting the message. I got to work and looked at his page again and finally sent him a message back. We talked all through the month of January only online either through messages on myspace or on yahoo messenger. He never once told me I was "hot" or "sexy" he used the words "beautiful" and "pretty". By the first of February he had asked me for my number, we started off texting and then talking on the phone. Seven short days later I invited Chris over to celebrate my 22nd birthday with pizza and Tim Burton marathon. He came over and that night we watched movies, giggled and talked. We stayed up late because I was getting ready for my mom's wedding. He didn't want to go home and to be honest I didn't want him to leave. He ended up spending the night with me. He laid beside me in my bed FULLY dressed and on top of the covers while I laid under my covers in my pjs. The next morning we said goodbye and I went to Tennessee to my mom's wedding. Ever since that night we have been attached to the hip. If I would not have loved and respected myself I wouldn't have found the man of my dreams. This past September we were married. Now on to what I had originally wanted to write about douchebags and hit & quit it guys.
If you are talking to a guy you have NEVER MET face to face these are telltale signs he is one of the above...at least in my experience (like I said before I was not a slut it was just things I noticed and immediately steered clear from them)
1.) If he calls you a pet name such as baby, sweetheart, princess, etc. He isn't the one for you.
2.) If he promises you the world and makes a future for you....DO NOT GET SUCKED IN.
3.) If he says you are hot or sexy he is only in it for sex.
4.) If he is very possessive/jealous...its not cute or sweet...LEAVE
5.) If he says he wants to cuddle...he doesn't know you...GET FAR AWAY
6.) If he makes sexual comments...he's a hit it and quit it type of guy..he doesn't know you and that is disrespectful.
Douchebag looks:
1.) Pencil thin beard.
2.) The pictures of himself half naked showing off the "guns".
3.) Ed Hardy/Tapout clothing.
4.)Wearing his hat cocked to the side.
If I think of anymore factors in the douchebag world I will update....if you think I am writing about your life maybe you need to think about your choices. This is all my experience as a single girl in my 20's and I have been itching to write this to hopefully help girls out there that are struggling with loving themselves. There is someone out there for you, you just need to love and respect yourself first. I know that is a cliche thing to say but it is the truth. To quote one of my favorite movies, The Wedding Date, "Every woman has the exact love life she wants." Let that sink in....
Here is a link for 10 signs you are dating a sociopath...it mentions some of the qualities I have mentioned above.
I am on a Mid Century Modern kick lately. Chris' dad gave us a green chair a few months back. Then the next piece I bought was a dresser that we are using as a media cabinet for our tv.
ignore all the crap in the foreground ;)
When I got the dresser, the night stand was thrown in for $5 more...heck why not? It is currently sitting in my living room with a lamp and a key basket. I also was given a mirror that went with the dresser...I love it...it is HUGE and HEAVY...trying to find a use for it now.
My third piece I have bought is a beautiful ottoman. It opens up and has storage inside! For only $7 it was a score! :-D
I can't wait to decorate with this piece and mount our tv so I can decorate the dresser top! :-D Until next time ( and hopefully not two months) XOXO!
I think I have driven myself mad with wedding details lately. The other day, I took on the task of practicing my wedding hair and makeup. I wanted a vintage/pin up look for the pictures.
I like it for the most part.
Then I started playing with my clip in extensions....
Chris hates them lol
I also started my brooch bouquet, its not complete and what I did finish took me a few hours to assemble.
I gotta hide the pink flowers, reshape it and reinforce some of the brooches.
Next I gotta figure out what my bridesmaids are going to carry and the boutonnieres for the men. I've been trying to come up with flowerless ideas but none seem to fit. At least we figured out our invites. I am so excited about them :) I can not wait to order them and mail them out. Now gotta collect addresses..that,I'm sure, will be a large task.
For the last 5-6 months we have been living with our kitchen half finished. It sucked. Bad. When we moved in we had originally thought that we would paint all the rooms and get them finished before we moved in....we couldn't wait any longer because by the time we moved in it had been super cold and we had no heat at our other house. So we opted to just go ahead and move in and finish up the kitchen little by little. Yeah that didn't happen we just let it go until this weekend. Well yesterday to be exact.
A few weeks ago I was out thrifting, not really looking for anything just wanted to get out of the house. Then I stumbled upon a baker's rack. It was huge. It was awesome. It was $75. Deflated I thought to myself "I don't have any where for this so don't feel bad". Just so happens my mom calls me on her way to go get my sister from school and I of course tell her about the bad mamma jamma (aka the baker's rack) she surprises me and stops in to look herself. She bought it for me and gave me the idea to put it in the laundry room where there were two shelves I already used as part of a pantry. It just so happened it worked. So, back to this weekend...my Christopher sprayed the baker's rack for blue to crisp white. Don't get me wrong I liked the blue it just didn't go with the soft tealy-green I have in the laundry room.
Before
After
Now to the kitchen.
My Vintage Plate Collection
Wooden Fork & Spoon Set
Chris also put up our cabinet doors. Now our kitchen actually looks like a kitchen.
We also straightened up my craft room and the game room. Those are not ready to be photographed. Until next time XOXOXO
