White is in Sight and meet Lily

Well I am off to a much later start than I had wanted in painting the kitchen cabinets on my vacation but that is the way things go with me, I never can tell what each day will bring with how I feel but today I got at it, did a paint store run for a can of Benjamin Moores Snowfall White mixed into a can of Cabinet Coat enamel and then removed the doors, tsp cleaned them and sanded all cream coloured doors except 

ONE DRAWER FRONT!

 Now here is a good tip, it is not a good idea to put handles on a sink false drawer front just for looks and then install a sink after if you ever plan to change them later on and not the sink. We can't get at the screws to do that so I will have to carefully paint around the handles for now and when we eventually change the sink we can remove the drawer front to do it properly.

Tomorrow I will get the doors primed, clean and sand the boxes and trim and if time allows I will get a coat of paint on the doors too. 

Oh this is so exciting! I have been dreaming of a white kitchen for too long.

and now allow me to introduce you to 

Lily

the baby pot bellied pig.

Isn't she adorable?!                                    

As you may know we frequent the drive-in in the summer time and low and behold,
a young girl decided to bring her pet pig Lilly in her gorgeous pink harness. Lily was too busy rooting around in the gravel, munching away to pay any attention to us.

This little lady could grow to be 200 pounds if her owners fed her enough or they could keep her weight down by feeding her less. She sleeps on her owners bed and she climbs up on the couch and snuggles.
Can you believe it!!!

A Pretty Recycle Center and Todd's Pick

Well I have been off on vacation for 3 days now and have felt crummy. I had such plans to get going on the kitchen painting and so I will have to see what I can do before we leave for the second week off. In spite of it all the weather has been just slam dunk perfection.

So with nothing new to show you I realized that I never blogged about our new recycle and storage center that I designed and Todd built for us since the custom doors went on.

 I just love them!

Sorry this picture  is a little blurry, I have the shakes a little today. These baskets which funnny enough   are the perfect size, came from inside my mudroom sink cabinet and I don't mind putting them here since it was a shame to hide them anyway.

The recycle bin is actually out at the curb right now but it fits perfectly into the cubby. One day when we have a dog again, I will use the tall cabinets to store dog food and all his or her doggie stuff along with extra supplies like paper towels, canned goods etc.  

As you can see I still need to paint the floor and am going to try a latex porch enamel and see how it holds up. I wanted to have a nice trim piece under the dark wood shelf but that meant making it deeper and it is already a tight space for moving items up and down the stairs so we opted out of that decorative option.

I also thought I would share this little beauty too that my sweetie found at Home Sense. Every time I ask him if he likes something, he says, "don't ask me" as he knows that I will get it anyway but this time he said "I like it" so I couldn't say no.

 It is a heavy solid wood piece that fits perfectly into this little niche in our now living room that will one day again be our dining room once our living room renovations are all complete. 

I'm not sure what kind of wood this is but I just love the grain and the deep amber colour of it.

I have this great picture frame also from Home Sense for just $16.00 with the matte included and want to find one of my favourite's, an antique sea coral print in an 11" x 14" to put on the wall above it.  

This is the exact one I want from etsy but she can only print it in an 8x10 size.  

I suppose I could buy it anyway and have it enlarged if I can't find another in the right size.

Hope you are having a good week!

Kitchen Changes

I know I have been talking and dreaming of a white kitchen for quite some time now and going on about it

in a couple of posts but I am so excited to say that I now can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

You see, for the first time ever, I'm taking 2 entire weeks off work at once and it is going to be heaven!

If all goes according to plan I will spend one week painting the cabinets white from their glazed cream finish.

The black cast iron sink was originally chosen by my honey but it really should have been white and so  I have been on the  search for a budget friendly replacement. 

I am both nervous and excited as this will be the first project I am doing on my own without Todd's help and I am so grateful that  my health has finally improved enough for me to be doing this!

As you can see a white kitchen will look so much better and will  flow visually with the rest of the house. We have plans to rework the island  as well at a later date when Todd has some free time. If I had a chance to do it all again I would not have chosen these darker granite counters but would  have either white quartz or carrera marble and a white farmhouse sink.

I am considering moving this chandelier into the kitchen but wonder how practical it is. 

I will be using a product that I have heard such good things about a product called Cabinet Coat available at any Benjamin Moore Store. I am thrilled as it is a water based enamel with the qualities and finish of an oil paint. I will be trying my hand for the first time with a spray gun.

                                                       
Wish me luck!

Beach print finds a home

It is a simply beautiful day today, my second off and since I felt better than yesterday,  I've managed to finish  all my house work with some time to spare so I thought I would hang my new print in our bedroom above my console table that I picked up from Kijiji for $75.00. It was originally in our front hall but I think it is perfect here. 

This is a horse hair plaster wall and I prayed it would not crumble when I drilled into it but I guess it was  not my lucky day.  I was going to use the 3M hooks but it would have pushed the picture out from the wall too much.  I love that the edges of this print are taupe and not black.  The original wall sconce with it's little turn key switch  is in a poor location for placing items on this wall and so we will either relocate it or remove it altogether. For now I will spray it white which I don't mind doing since   I verified with an salvage yard that it is not a precious antique.

Our master bedroom is a small room at just under 11 feet x 12 feet and I love it that way. I'm not sure why people feel they have to have massive square footage just to sleep and . . . .

There is no TV in our bedroom because I believe that the bedroom should be a place of peaceful relaxation and sleep and it is said that the blue light from computer  and TV screens disrupts important melatonin production while you sleep.  I want a white slipcovered chair for the corner under the mirror because even though it is a small room it can still fit small scale pieces in it to make it feel larger and cozy.

Now this vintage beauty with it's timeless classic lines that I picked up from Value Village for $40.00 years ago, may not look so grand in it's colour scheme but could seriously resemble a very very expensive Shabby Chic Couture slipcovered chair by Rachel Ashwell if it had it's own slipcover. I will have to decide if it is worth it or perhaps find a deal on a second hand already slipcovered chair instead.  I would love to be able to make a slipcover myself but know that it would be quite a challenge for someone who has only ever sewn pillows before.

Shabby Chic Couture Renee chair

Such a shame that the colours are not different as the detail and plush softness in this fabric that is in impeccable shape is oh so sumptuous to the touch.

   Even though we have put renovating the hallway on hold,  I'm still dying to buy my favourite light (which I have saved up for selling some items on Kijiji)  anyway and hang it in the hallway in front of our door to our bedroom.

I am still making little changes to the bedroom so it feels just right and will share more soon.

Sandra

Is Talent Gone?

It's a perfect Sunday for me today because I don't feel like doing a single thing except listen to music and putter, eat, blog, and maybe some house work if I get a burst of energy! I am enjoying a little alone time while my honey is taking in a man flick, solo. He has no problem doing that, I never could.

 It is the perfect do nothing weather of raining on and off with infrequent short visits from the sun long enough to break the dreariness.

I recently came across these sketches I did when I was a teenager. I am so happy I kept them and only wish that I had not used tape on the back before they were laminated as it has marred them.

This one is not my horse but does resemble my beautiful part Arabian I owned named Jube.

My Silver Jubilee (Jube)

My mom is so talented and so is my younger sister and my older sis is even doing some beautiful sketches.  My grandmother discovered painting late in life and was also very very talented. I think when I'm a little bit more on track with my health I will try my hand again and see if all is not lost.

Have a splendid weekend.

Sandra

Art Love

 There has been a change in our lives that I have promised my sweetheart and out of respect I will not share on my blog.  It has broken our hearts and shook our souls.

And so one night this week to take our minds off of things we headed 20 minutes west for a rare treat of our favourite Pizza Nova pizza (we avoid gluten 95%of the time) and a cruise through our local Home Sense for some eye candy. Window shopping is one of my favourite things to do and is actually very relaxing for me.  But then I spied this gorgeous abstract print and it just made me so happy with the most serene mix of the most beautiful blues, greens, greys and taupes that I could not resist it. 

  

At a mere $40.00 I decided it just had to come home with me. This time I didn't  even give Todd a chance to say if he liked it or not.

 Now to decide where it will go........

A Summer of Ease

Hi all. I hope you have been having a wonderful summer.

 I can't believe that  over a month has gone by since my last post and there is less than one month of summer left. Nothing has been happening with our renovations which has been just fine with me. For the first time in 5 years I have been able to just relax about doing nothing .You see in the past when I didn't feel well I didn't  even relax well, I just spend time stressing about all the things that weren't  getting done.  

This is our kitchen with cream glazed, stained cabinets and Santa Cecelia granite counters, my very first that I ever designed before I became a kitchen designer. It was 8 years ago and I admit that I did not have a vision for the entire home.

  

  

As first time home owners we were so proud and thrilled with how it turned out back then, especially compared

to what we had when we started

 This wonderful kitchen by the incredible Brian Gluckstein was my 

inspiration. I so wanted those marble counters but was talked out of it

and I regret it to this very day. Too bad no one ever suggested quartz back then to me and I never knew such a thing existed.

I would not have had to compromise on my light counters like I did.

So I really think with the improvements in my health  I have my fingers crossed that I will  have enough energy to paint the cabinets white (Todd won't have anything to do with it) and I finally found a picture that shows how they will look with our 

darker granite counters. I just adore the fresh crisp look of a white kitchen and perhaps

I won't feel so tired of the darker counters once the cabinets are white.

I've been dreaming about doing this for a couple of years now and so I had 

previously created a computer rendering of our space in white to convince Todd how much nicer it would look. The walls will

not be darker as you see here but will either be white or an off white and I have been 

watching kijiji for a white cast iron sink to replace the black one which I will sell. The challenge will be finding the same size sink to fit our granite cutout.

Speaking of light counters check this out. If you are on a tight budget for your kitchen and are choosing laminate counters you simply must see the new ones like this incredible one called Travertine Silver in the FX series by Formica. 

Just look at how beautifully it mimics stone and how random the pattern is.

I have used it in 2 white kitchens so far and I think it seriously rivals Corian which is 4 to 5 times more money. 

Although we haven't done anything all summer Todd is gearing up to renovate our living room before the winter. I feel hopeful that I can help too which makes me feel good. We used to be such a team before I got sick. We had to empty our dining room and move our  living room in there which is a little smaller but it will be cozy for the winter with the fireplace to sit next to.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Sandra