crafting – Skies of Parchment

June 17, 2011March 20, 2013

Sewing Projects 101

It’s late. 12.:04am late. I’ve been working for the past 5 hours straight on yard sale things, preparing for our big 7-Family Yard Sale at our home on Saturday. I’m probably 75% of the way finished. :} I haven’t been pricing things the whole time – most of the time, actually, has been up in the 200 degree attic. Clearing away things in there that we thought we could fit in this house. We were wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

Yes, I’m embarrassed by all the things we have – and I even had a yard sale last year before we moved! Living in a smaller house definitely is causing me to now be more ruthless and just get rid of things that we aren’t using, and won’t use in the near future.

Ridiculous how much “stuff” was upstairs in a little un-airconditioned landing, cause an unnamed person to be covered in perspiration from head to toe within minutes. I was ruthless in getting rid of things – if it’s been upstairs a year and I haven’t missed it, I’m not keeping it. Well, I only kept two things. :)

Even Zoe has been talking about “getting rid of stuff” – her stuff! Which is amazing, because she is Pack-Rat 101. We save, save, save, and then we save some more. I’m happy that some of the purging is rubbing off on her.

Except, wait, it wasn’t rubbing off. It was only talk. As the boxes were being brought down the stairs, into the air that was 50 degrees cooler (I’m being generous with my estimates), the girls thought Christmas had come, and went through every box and bag, finding “treasures” that I was hoping were never to be seen again.

“Mommy!! You were going to sell my PETS!” Zoe told me emphatically, after discovering some stuffed animals that I was hoping to hide from their sight and begone forever. Pets, huh? Now that IS sentimental. And emotional attachment. How dare I get rid of PETS?

Now, I’m exhausted after a busy day, but I also need to wind down, so I’m going to attempt to finish this post that I started yesterday. Posts usually take me at least a day or two. :)

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Let me just interrupt this post briefly to share some breaking news:

I’m the only sibling out of six that is in the United States at the moment! My two brothers are in Canada, two of my sisters are in Cambodia for 3 months, and my other sister has been touring Paris and Italy the past two weeks.

Soo, while my sister is dreamy-eyed and touring Italy, and my brothers sing sonnets, and my sisters love on poor children in Cambodia, I sit at home and sew. :) Ha, that sounds like I’m having a hard time, but really, I’m so excited for all of them!

Seeing pictures of Venice has me thinking… If Venice, a mere man’s creation, is so unbelievably beautiful and breathtaking, how much more beautiful and break-taking will Heaven be, created by God Himself? It’s unfathomable!

I’m thinking also of living intentionally, with purpose. My sisters are writing on a blog while they’re in Cambodia. Both of them are incredible writers, with hearts fully of love for God and love for others… You can follow them here.

On to the Sewing Projects. My sewing projects have nothing to do with Venice, for that matter. But Venice has had me thinking of heaven. And until I get there, I want to embrace my life right now, the life God has given me! Little sewing projects and all!

Being very much inspired by baileyandme2, inanorchard, and fruitloops in the past few months by all their genius sewing projects, I decided to put my hand to the plow and be brave enough to try the [frightful, daunting] attempt to make clothing for my little girls.
I’ve done quite a bit of projects around my home. Window panels, pillows, and such like. But clothing scared me.

Probably because I remember an attempt two or three years back when I was trying to be cool like another amazing seamstress and sadly failed. The little dress I had tried to make for the then one-year old Zoe was a hopeless failure. So much for a wanna-be seamstress on her glory-streak of amazing clothing.

And I resigned myself to the fact that I can sewing window panels and pillows. Not clothing. Except simple embellishing, like so:

^^ This was not technically a sewing project. It was a, um, hot glue gun project. :) That is my all-time favorite household item! Hot glue and a strip of lace around the front of a plain tank, and it makes a great layering accessory.

^^ This was an actual sewing project. But I bought the roses in a strip at Wally World (I didn’t make each individually) and sewed it on the top , front only. Then sewed a wide piece of lace around the bottom, to add length and a bit of dressing-up.

I’ve done quite a bit with lace accents. I hope lace doesn’t go out of style quickly, because I love it so!

For my sister’s birthday, I bought a simple tank at Target, and sewed 3-inch black lace and tulle on it in random strips. This looked so pretty when she wore it under a simple cardigan!

A canvas tote that I sewed white and cream wide lace onto, sort of the same idea as the tank, and added a flower. Another sister’s birthday gift.

I’ve taken plain skirts and tried to make them sort of fancy-nancy like.

[before & after]

I’ve taken plain skirts and tried to make them sort of fancy-nancy like.

[before & after]

I’ve taken plain skirts and tried to make them sort of fancy-nancy like.

[before & after]

But this spring, after seeing all the amazing projects of the amazing seamstresses above, I decided to try again.

My expectations were this high: . Yep, that’s right, they weren’t there. Nonexistent. In a very secret place [my house], and without telling a soul, I began my undertaking. If I failed, no big deal. I’ve done that before. If it worked, then great!

And what do you know, but I actually sort of liked what my sewing machine turned out! Not babygap or anything, but still, some little sundresses and skirts that would work wonderfully for this summer. And made with pocket change.

Dress #1

Before: a women’s size dress, but desperately short and not something I’d wear. But Christy found it when we were Goodwill shopping [$4] together, and I adored the fabric! Sort of vintage-y, but ever so fun! She was the one that suggested I make a dress for Zoe from it. And I thought it a wonderful idea! I added it to my stash of about 15 up-cycling projects. :)

After: Taking something from an existing piece of clothing, I’ve found, is FAR simpler than making a whole new outfit. I had to cut down the sides, which I used to make straps for the shoulders, and cut down the piece at the very top. I didn’t cut the length at all (which shows how short it would have been on an adult), liking the longer length on a little girl for something different.

Zoe looks less than thrilled on this picture, but truth be told, she is delighted to be holding a cherry tomato from our little garden plot, and is very proud of the dress. :) Much the delight of the mother!

I call this, The Mini Maxi. I made it for Zoe, but Olivia, never wanting to be out-done, wanted to try it on. So I put it on her, and sat back at laughed at the tiny little girl in what looked like a maxi dress! I’ve never seen toddler-sized maxi dresses, but this sure was cute. Paired with some silver flats, it was perfect! :)

This was made from an adult sized sun dress [goodwill: $4]. I had to remove the bottom ruffle and sew it back on. Zoe also wears this, and it’s about knee-length on her.

The Candy-Stripe Skirt Dress: Zoe’s dress was a ladies’ skirt [goodwill: 88 cents] that I cut down and added straps at the shoulders. I liked how this turned out too.

The Green Skirt:

There is no ‘before’, but I used an x-large or xx-large men’s shirt [goodwill, bargain bin, 88 cents] to make this. Elastic at the waist, a bit of lace at the bottom, and a little bit of sewing. And a flower, made by cutting out circles and ovals of all different sizes and laying them on top of each other from largest to smallest. I think I saw the idea on an Old Navy shirt earlier this year…

[I did end up having to sew the ‘petals’ just right along the edge. The fabric was very lightweight, and the tiny weight of the flower made it sort of hang off the side.]

The Black & White:

This is probably my least favorite, but it still works as a play skirt. I was imagining it to be a bit more full, but two smaller ladies’ shirts from Goodwill [88 cents@, bargain bin] was too good a price to let go. I used a shirt with a scallop on the bottom and lined the striped part with it, letting it hang out underneath.

And I call this: My Fave.

Before: Very pretty skirt, castoff from my sister [for an unknown reason]. So, free. :) Had it fit me, I never would have stuck a scissors in its charming design.

After: Added tucks on the bottom because it was far too long [think, Victorian hoop skirt length]. The gathers in the midst of the tucks weren’t exactly what I was expecting, but because it was so full, and because I didn’t want to cut it lest I loose the beautiful lace on the bottom, the gathered tucks were okay.

Something about the color of this dress too, is so perfect with her coloring. Definitely my favorite. I made a flower like the one on the green skirt, cutting circle and ovals of various sizes, and adding ‘leaves’ from lace that I cut off the sides. I added a few pearly beads to the center of the flower to give it some little extra pretties.

I also hot glued lace on the tank that Zoe is wearing underneath the dress [my whites are washed out in this picture, you can hardly see it], and it adds a nice dress-up touch to an outfit.

This was second favorite, a sweater-dress, repurposed from a 50 cent re-use-it shop adult sweater. My sister-in-law, Mary Jo, did this last fall, and I thought it was soooo adorable and SO cheap! All credit goes to her for her inspiration! The tutorial she [and then I] followed is this.

I was so pleased with how it turned out! And for fifty cents and a half hour of sewing, it sure beats the expensive sweater dresses I saw various places over the winter. I made this a bit larger so she can wear it next winter.

No before pictures of this, but it was a medium size women’s sweater.

I get stuck on my embellishments. Again, a little flower – just three circles cut out of the extra sweater fabric, zig-zagged so it doesn’t fray in the laundry, and a big button in the middle.

It makes me smile when Zoe goes into her closet, choosing what to wear that day, or to go on an outing, and she’ll put out one of the dresses that I made! Over all the other darling Old Navy and Target and other cute dresses in her closet, she likes mine! And she’ll tell everyone who will listen, “My mommy made this dress!” :)
Even Olivia caught on to the gist of things, saying constantly, “My mommy made dis!” about all sorts of things. Mainly things I haven’t made, and couldn’t even attempt to. :)

And a few more projects…

And in non-sewing things, but still involving fabric… [a.k.a. “my safe {non-clothing} zone”]

A Spring/Summer Wreath

Before: I picked it up at a local thrift store for a dollar. I wanted the form. Isn’t it a beauty? :) [read my sarcasm, please] I was laughing to Ben the other day, because I go into this thrift store and buy all the ugliest things they have in there and repurpose them! There is one clerk that is always in there, and she probably wonders what in the world my house looks like, by the looks of the stuff I buy!

After: I picked off all the cloth strips, held by hair pins.

A spring/summer wreath, inspired by JonesDesignCompany.com. Please don’t look at her tutorial though, because mine looks sadly unlike hers. :)
You take a very very long piece of burlap [I had linen on hand and used that instead of buying burlap] and sew a loose stitch. (okay, so this does have a little bit of sewing) Gather it, and hot-glue it onto a wreath form, as shown above. Add moss, make little white flowers, add little eggs (mine were grapes that I rolled in glue and glitter because I couldn’t find any at Walmart. Silly Walmart.), look in your yard for cute twigs, pull a mini nest from the mantel, and hot glue it all together. Ta-da! A very happy little wreath.

Comparison aside from the jonesdesigncompany, I love the little nest wreath on my front door.

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Some headbands, made for an order from My Faire Lady.

[satin & lace white, satin & tulle hot and light pink, satin & tulle white)

The best hair bow and flower organizer ever, inspired by Pottery Barn.
This was a custom-made for my sister-in-law in colors she chose. So pretty!

A few new pillows for around the house…

I think I cut out the little flowers for these pillows last fall already. Thinking I was going to sew them all on, I stalled… and stalled.

The first is felt flowers on white fabric. This is technically not sewing either, since I already had the pillow covers made. My stalling was in vain. It was easy-peasy. This is another hot gluing project. :)
[note to self: use exceedingly much hot glue, or else the flowers will be found floating. shortcuts are not always the best, i sadly learned.]

[inspiration: Pottery Barn]

… Felt on felt. I’m not sure if I like the slight contrast better, or the tone on tone.
Hot gluing troubles aside, I really did like how the glue in the center makes the flowers stand out just a bit since the edges aren’t sewn down.

And the front porch. Same idea as the small flowers above, but in much larger scale, and layered on top of each other. These I did sew. :) Also felt on felt. I like the looks of it, but it does tend to pick up lint and fuzz very quickly. Oh, and cat hair. :{

And what do my children do while I’m projecting and sewing?

Well, they play sweetly and happily, with nary a sound or squabble, of course.

But of course, ‘sweetly and happily, with nary a sound or squabble’ is all because they were busy one afternoon doing THIS:

and THIS:

and this:

I really do think they know better. But in the midst of sewing projects, I’ve also been doing some painting projects – writing words on my walls, and such things. So naughty, yes, they were. But how could I be too upset when they were just doing what mommy does?? Exasperated, yes. Very.

My forgiveness came quite readily when I realized though, that they had used WASHABLE markers to do their artwork. ‘Relief’ doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings!

However, they heard some things from their mother along the lines of “we do not write on walls or doors or dresses without permission [no, i wouldn’t give them permission if they asked, but just saying]. and little girls need to clean up messes that they make!” and they were handed wet rags and cleaning spray. Which all turned into sort of a game, with giggles and laughing.

In the which the mother wondered whether they really understood the memo about not writing on walls and doors and dressers…

And now my winding down is complete. :)
~clarita

November 12, 2010March 20, 2013

Tissue Paper Balls {tutorial}

It’s been quite the week at the Cottage @ 341 South.

This time change on Sunday sure seemed to affect us greatly all week, and in not so good ways. The girls are waking up at very early hours, somehow not aware of the blessed time change. This was always the time change I looked forward to all year!

And somehow this is the week for them to spill everything – candle wax all over the floor, an entire glass of milk at a friend’s house, and entire glass of milk at our house. And I KNOW, it’s just milk, for crying out loud. But somehow milk is not my friend this week. Let’s stick with solids from now on. But then solids crumble in a million pieces, so what’s worse? And then Zoe came running to me this morning telling me Olivia is playing in the toilet with her hands. And Zoe’s been having allergies, which swell her sinuses, which make her semi-deaf to where I feel like I either repeat myself a hundred times to answer her question or else talk LOUD just so she can hear.

I told my husband last night that I think I should just come to expect catastrophes all day with children. Then I won’t be so worked up when it seems like that’s all that happens…

We haven’t had a busy schedule. In fact, I told a friend this week that I’ve been “hermit-ing” after all the busyness of the past few months. So there is really no explanation for a week that feels a bit over the top…

I’ve thought so often of a quote I read on this site several weeks ago. When I read it, it hit me in the depths of my heart and I felt like God was speaking Truth to my heart. Truth that I have had a hard time accepting before this, perhaps. This is the quote:

“I don’t know if most women have given themselves totally to motherhood,
understanding that it will take their all –
their time, body, life, moments, rights, everything really,
to build a godly legacy.
It seems they think their children are “taking up their time”
without realizing that God gave them children in order to provide them
with an eternal work to do –
that it is their best way to influence eternity,
that it is the most strategic work of their lives and will outlive them.”
[Sally Clarkson]

Giving myself totally to motherhood…
Understanding that it will take my all…

I want well-behaved children that are always obedient and never play in toilets and spill candle wax or milk and that play nicely together all the time and that don’t get allergies and are essentially deaf for several weeks a year because of it and that don’t unravel toilet paper for miles and where a potty-trained girl doesn’t still pee herself and another little girl doesn’t eat catfood every chance she gets and where she doesn’t tear pages out of books…

But is that really the full extent of what I want? Is that all? Well behaved children? Is that the epitomy of life?

Elizabeth wrote a beautiful post about children, about what is really important. And it blessed my heart beyond words. It’s worth your time to go read and comment!

And a quote I heard while listening to a sermon from Eric Ludy yesterday while knitting…

“Dependence [upon God] proves it is GRACE that truly saves.”

Because being a mother has made me feel weaker than I ever have in my entire life.
Never have I felt such utter dependence upon God. As in, I will not make it if God doesn’t come through. As in, I can’t do this on my own.
Never have I felt like my own sin shows so blaringly clear.
Never have I felt like I fail so much.
Never have I had to ask for forgiveness so often.
Never have I needed God so much.

And really, I think this is right where God wants me. Where I am desperate for Him. Where He is my life-line, and nothing else comes close to Him. It’s a hard, helpless place to be. And yet somehow I’m believing [or to be perfectly honest, WANT to believe] that it’s a good place to be.

In our weakness, that is when God is strong. Because then God is glorified, not our perfect mothering…

Audrey also wrote a beautiful post about this…

I really wasn’t intending to go into all that, but this has been OnE oF tHoSe WeEkS and my heart is full…

But I feel His Spirit breathing Life into my heart, giving me Grace. And Love in the midst of the mini-catastrophes.

And that is all that I need.
Him. Just Him.

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And on to what I was originally posting about! How these women can think about many things at once…

Quite a few people have asked me about the tissue paper balls, after seeing them on my dining room post.

I work best when seeing things visually, so what follows is a tutorial on making tissue paper balls.

By doing this, I very humbly acknowledge that this is in NO way original to me. This goes way back, probably to my grandparents’ era or older, so I am only passing along information that I learned elsewhere.

When people have asked about how to make the balls, the second question I almost always get is “Is it hard to make them?”

Let me answer that question right off the bat and say that these are so super easy and FUN to make. There are unlimited styles and colors and sizes you can make. I’ve love to see some of your projects!

This girl has made a lot of flowers with the same idea, that are just gorgeous.

And I came across another site one day with some cool ideas as well but can’t find it today. Big help that is, I know…

I love this, because you can use your imagination and just create away!

The Tutorial:

Since I work best with pictures, I’ll show the steps with pictures to show my description.

#1. Choose a pack of tissue paper that you like, in your preferred color.

#2. Take a stack of about 10 sheets.
[if it’s square, make it rectangular shaped; square will not work]
Fold, beginning on the shortest side, accordian-style, in about 1-2″ folds, until the entire stack is folded.

#3. Secure in the middle with a thin wire.

This is what you’ll have.

#4. Trim the ends into a round shape or a > shape.

#5. Beginning on one end, separate each paper from the stack, like so:

Continue to separate each paper, pulling very gently so it won’t tear.

If you want a flower, end here.

If you want a ball, keep doing the same thing on the other side, and you’ll have this:

Super super easy, and it doesn’t take long at all!

The larger your sheets of tissue paper, the larger your ball. And vice versa.

Combine several different sizes like this:

or different colors and sizes like this:

And put large flowers in groupings on your wall,

or hang them from the ceiling (which I’m very extremely doing all over my house)

in your nursery.

And that’s it!

Happy crafting!

I’d love to see what you’ve done! Leave me a little linky so I can see your project!

~clarita

October 28, 2010March 20, 2013

Brewing: Beauty Thoughts and Project Irreversable

Since My Faire Lady and her two festivals are now over [we did a second with a bit more success than the first – yay!], I have a million projects running through my mind for my house. Okay, so not a million. That sounds juvenile. :)

But a lot. As in, I lie in bed at night, before I sleep, there visions of interior design projects that run through my mind. I would love to be an interior designer. At least, that’s what I think from this side. But I’ve never had any formal training other than what I read and observe on my own. So perhaps it’s not as glamorous on the other side as what it seems to be, because I’ve heard interior design is hard work. But I just think it would be so fun to go into someone’s home and beautify it for them.

The thing of finding beauty has been something God has been teaching me, especially the past four years. My years before that were spent in a geographically gorgeous area; the past four years are really not what one would call gardens of any kind. Sure, there are pockets of geographically beautiful land scattered here and there, but one has to look for it. This subject was just brought up to me again within the past few weeks with a few friends and sisters, the subject of finding beauty.

I’ve grown up with an appreciation for beauty – whether it’s architecture [my father is a real estate agent, and as a child I remember driving around dramatic neighborhoods admiring the roof pitch, the color scheme chosen, the angles, the details], landscape, wardrobe/accessories, interior design, floral design… And it seemed that I was simply immersed in beauty for much of my life. I have an uncle who is a phenomenal artist who resides in New York City, I have relatives who are so incredibly gifted in creating beautiful atmospheres and homes and dinners…

Four years ago, when my husband and I moved 800 miles south, I wasn’t prepared for the geographical difference. Where is the beauty?? I would moan to myself. And sometimes I still long for the four dramatic seasons, for an autumn where there is a glorious changing of color, where there is crisp weather for hay rides and barn parties as in my youth. Somehow the 90′ weather of today doesn’t seem too much like autumn. And I really don’t want to run the air conditioner on Christmas day. I really really don’t.

And yet, God is showing me that there is beauty to be found. Granted, it must be searched for. And no, it wouldn’t win world awards or anything like that. Down by the islands, yes indeed.

But even more than that, I often think of the quote by Amy Carmichael, who said,

“In acceptance lieth peace.”

It is true, that as long as we are fighting the place that God has put us in, we will not see the beauty. But in the acceptance of His will, there is rest of heart and soul, and there are new eyes to see beauty around us. There is something about that soul peace, that quietness and rest within the depths of who we are, knowing that we are right with God and that we are surrendered to Him.

And also, in the seeking of God Himself, it seems that there are windows and doors that open within us and rivers that flow out of our very soul – expressing His beauty within our lives, and in the way we live our lives. I think this looks different in every person. For some, it’s pursuing dreams, for others, it could be as varied [but not limited to] as: teaching, MOPS groups, photography, orphan ministry, leading women’s ministry groups, interior design, culinary skills, a heart that always seems to notice when someone needs help and knowing how to practically meet that need, people that care well for others, inner city missions and ministries, children’s clubs and ministries, moms meeting together to pray for their public high school children, people who speak words of encouragement… There is an endless list, really. But it seems that is all flows out of a heart who is surrendered and at peace with God. It flows – it is not forced, and it brings blessing… It springs from a heart who is first seeking God; not seeking to be great at any of the above mentioned [and not mentioned] things.

All that to say, I am realizing that as I come to deeper places of surrender with God, that He places a fuller dimension of Himself within me. And it will always continue to be so – there will always be more places of surrender, and until Heaven, I will not experience and know Him perfectly. I wish, but I won’t. That’s one of the many things to look forward to about Heaven!

I think the giftings within us tend to simply flow out of us the more we learn to know God more. I loved this quote by A. W. Tozer that I read the other morning, speaking of that issue:

“Our gifts and talents should be recognized for what they are,
God’s loan to us,
and should never be considered in any sense our own.”
We have no more right to claim credit for special abilities
than for blue eyes and strong muscles.”

I LOVED this quote. Because there are soooo many varied giftings within every person. No two are exactly alike; not one is better than another. But they are all loans from God, to showcase Himself to the people and the world around us. That means EVERYONE has something to offer, no matter what the gifts. If they are from God, they are unique, they are of incredible worth, and they are given for a purpose of showcasing God. Not for any personal credit or discredit.

Those are just a few of my thoughts today…

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And a project…

My husband called me on his way home yesterday…

I said, Um, I was working on a project today.
He said, Okay, what was it?
I said, Uhh, it’s a secret.
He said, Oh really? So what is it?
I said, It’s a secret. But I really hope you like it, because this is irreversible.
He said, Irreversible, huh? So did you paint the piano? Tear out drywall? Paint the ceiling?
I said, Oh no no no, nothing that drastic. But still, rather hard to undo.
He was nervous.

I’m telling you. This husband of mine is a brave one. And he’s really good about letting me act upon my ideas. Even though sometimes he won’t tell me for years later that he really didn’t like that curtain the hallway, and I wonder why he didn’t tell me because it really wasn’t a big deal!

This was my brewing Project Irreversible:

My music tree. I’ve been dreaming of it for months. I needed something beside my mantel and behind the baby grand. And I wanted a tree.

But not a wallwords tree, not a fabric tree, not a painted tree. I wanted something unique. And because this is the music room, and because I dreamt of majoring in music once upon a time…

A very sweet friend sent me a beautifully ancient book of antiqued brown sheet music, and I bought a few more music books off of ebay for a few dollars, thus varying the page shades.

A MUSIC TREE.

[I do think I need to move that center bird cage… It hides her too much. And I need to move the paper balls. Leftovers from My Faire Lady that I don’t know what to do with.]

Now that she’s up, I’m not sure I’m quite as in love with her as I thought. [I call the tree a “she” because she is too delicate and fine to be called an “it”].

I’m rather afraid she looks like a giant spider spread across the wall behind my baby grand in the music room. Does she??

She sure was fun to make though. It only look me about two hours.

But like I told Husband, It’s irreversible. She GLUED to the wall. Taking her off would be a bit difficult.

I do like her. But I know what she is, a musical tree. I just really hope is that a spider on the wall doesn’t pop into people’s minds when they see her.

And directly opposite of her, above the desk is this…

Husband thinks it’s a slightly an overkill on the whole music idea. Too much of a good thing is too much, that reasoning? He is probably right. But he is very willing to bear with his impulsive wife. :)

This wall is just little strips of tape holding these sheets up. I rather like them. As for the desk underneath it, well, that best remains hidden at this point. Too much stuff to clear off of it for a picture. :)

And another little project yesterday: a halter-style kitchen apron. For sale on My Faire Lady on facebook. :)

And that’s all for now!

A lovely autumn weekend to you!

Camping is involved in our weekend plans. Wish me forbearance.
Rustic camping isn’t my forte. :)
But happy company is, so that compensates!

~clarita

October 14, 2010February 20, 2017

My Kitchen at the Cottage {before and after}

This house has been a dream come true for me. After renting a rather dark and what felt like gloomy house for almost four years, I have been so delighted to actually have our own little home! Yes, it’s little. Only two bedrooms, about 1500 square feet altogether. It’s little. But it’s oh, so cozy. And so full of natural light! I LOVE that. And there is no landlord that says what we can or can’t do. :) Poor husband, now that his wife is let loose!

I felt really stifled in that rental, but you know, I think it was really good for me. For one, it makes our own house so much more special. And two, I think I learned creativity and contentment in a whole new way at the rental house. It wasn’t a natural cute house, so it took a lot of effort to make it cute, without pointing out all the unattractive things about the house. It was a real stretch especially in being content. I can’t say that I mastered that area, but I do feel like the Lord really helped me grow in that. And I keep growing even now.

I think the kitchen in our new house is one of my very favorite rooms. Yeah, well, they’re ALL my favorite. :) But this is especially a favorite. A lot because our rental house had a very very tiny galley kitchen in the middle of the house – no windows, only an overhead florescent light, and if more than two people were in the kitchen it felt overwhelming.

My new kitchen still isn’t large, but most standards. But to me, coming from a teeny kitchen previously, it feels HUGE!

First impressions, though, weren’t very pretty. It was almost the exact colors that were in our rental. Yuck!

BEFORE:

In the middle of January, in 30′ weather, this was very depressing. I had a hard time seeing potential in this place!

Brown and yellow put together may come back one day, but I dare say it will not be for me.

We tore out some walls in between the kitchen and dining room and living room. It made the front of the house seem twice as big, and so roomy and spacious. The kitchen was probably the most work out of any other room in the house.

THIS was my kitchen inspiration photo. I think it came from Better Homes & Gardens. My colors and basic theme came from this.

Of course there are differences that and MY kitchen – they are two totally different houses! So here’s my version… That cool flooring went in a bathroom instead of the kitchen.

So this is AFTER!

Entering the kitchen from the living room and dining room… Ben added these beams, which came from an old house locally.

The hardwoods were refinished, along with the rest of the house. I love the painted floor look too, but it wouldn’t have worked well with our open floor plan.

I made these 12 X 12 burlap squares, thinking they would go by a fireplace, but they seemed to fit here. These are words that describe what I want our home to be like: lots of love and affirmation, peace and comfort and rest, and lots of fun and joy.

The chalkboard in the kitchen was an idea I had wanted since years ago – partly for looks, because I think chalkboards are awesome, despite their ever-growing popularity, and partly because supper time can often be a crazy time of day at our house, and I thought this would keep the girls entertained instead of following me around every inch of the kitchen.

If you look on the first picture, it says, “Let’s celebrate Ben!”, from his party back in August. (see how long ago I shot these pictures?) But it’s covered in little scribbles. So yay, my hopes for this area being child entertainment are fulfilled!

Plus, it’s one of the first things you see upon entering the front door, so it makes a fun way to welcome guests!

For the top of the chalkboard, I dry-brush painted two metal grates that I had found at an antique shop years ago, then tied jute string from one end of the other and clipped pictures of our friends onto it, wash-line style.

Entering the kitchen a bit more… Having a window above my sink is dreamy!

And can you believe that Mr. Husband surprised me with this apron-front sink?? I could scarcely believe it when he told me. This is what I really wanted in here, but gracious, they’re expensive. So this is my birthday and Christmas and birthday and Christmas and birthday and Christmas gift for the next decade. :) We tried to justify the $$ because we really didn’t spend that much on the rest of the kitchen. :)

Ben added crown molding on the ceiling, and also on the top of the cabinets to make it look like staggered heights. This side is existing cabinetry, with the doors removed on the top half. We did order all new doors for the kitchen. [side note: we ordered them online instead of in-person, and they were way too “fussy” in real life. I would have preferred something a bit simpler had I known].

The chandelier was a $7 auction find.

A close-up of the apron-front. I love this baby! Not only does she look lovely and old and vintage-y…

… and fit so well with the butcher block counter top that Ben made out of old 2×4’s out of walls torn out of the house [isn’t that just precious??]…

… but it was perfect for bathing little children before the tub was hooked up…

… and it’s a perfect height for a little girl who loves to wash lettuce and is always asking to help in the kitchen.

One more peek at her. :)

Quite frankly, there is nothing I don’t love about this sink!

I chose the rainy-day blue color because I wanted a cool-feeling kitchen. The color is “Kittery Blue” in eggshell finish from Benjamin Moore, but we mixed pure white with it as well to soften it – the color was too bright blue for me.

It is so hot so much of the year where we live, and i didn’t want a “hot” color to where i’d feel like i was roasting along with my dinner. I think this is the reason I chose cooler colors throughout most of the house, which is quite unlike me, really. I have always loved COLOR. And now I still like color, but more splashes of color than rooms of color. Even though I still people’s bright colors and think to myself how lovely it looks and perhaps i should have done that too… :)

Details in the window cupboards… Wanting it to feel cozy, not sterile (though definitely clean!).

I love my open cabinets. It feels so comfortable. Not sure why, but it does. And guests know where my glasses and everything are. No opening five cupboard doors before finding the right one!

My open cabinets were inspired by The Lettered Cottage and A Country Farmhouse in particular, and a few other magazine sources.

I had so many white/silver/glass dishes, so I didn’t go out and buy many at all. I did add a few little things I found for a dollar or two at junk shops.

Fun little cups I picked up at my favorite little junk shop. These are our chocolate milk glasses. :)

These are my fave. So sweet and cute.

This mirror was randomly placed here soon after we moved, when we tried to clean up the house one day to get ready for guests. And what do you know, but I really liked it there. So it stays! I dry-brush painted this gold frame, and I love how it made the molding stand out. This is also my little picture board while I’m washing dishes. Seeing happy faces while I’m cleaning up seems to make the job happier!

This reads, “peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” [unknown] I so often need this reminder!

A container [found at Goodwill – does anyone even know how much I love Goodwill??] filled with glass vases. Sometimes this is emptied out and used at a salad bowl for company. And sometimes the vases are gone and scattered all over the house, holding various flower arrangements and buds.

And the third fireplace of the house is in the kitchen. Believe it or not. I can’t wait to use it in the winter! I think I will actually like cooking and baking then!

Little girl who follows me around the house while I shoot pictures. :)

And another look I’ve had on this mantel. It’s fun to change it around a bit, but I know I will not be one of those people who changes their mantels every single season. Because, with 5 fireplaces, that would be 20 different mantel-scapes, and I know is not going to happen here!

My baking corner. Pretty much all I need to bake with (pans, mixing bowls, ingredients, beaters, refrigerator) is within arms reach.

Ben also made this concrete counter top. Yeah, he can do pretty much anything he sets his mind to. It all started when we began pricing new counter tops, and were blown away with how expensive they are! My ever-frugal husband began thinking of alternatives to the classic counter tops, and decided to experiment with this. The only cost was a few boards to frame up the counter top and the concrete to pour in it. Very very inexpensive.

People that make concrete counter tops as a business must have formulas and things for different colors. We didn’t, so it was pure experimentation. He added some black dye in the concrete when he first made it, but it only turned it a light grey, and we both wanted a charcoal color. So he rubbed ebony wood stain on top after it was dry, and then sealed it. It turned to the perfect color. I think he’s a genius. :)

Now that we’ve lived with it for a while, I still LOVE it. However, we would go with grout sand rather than concrete sand. It would make a smoother finish.

We searched online for “DIY concrete countertops” and found various blogs and tutorials.

I love the practicality of it as well – my pans can come directly out of the oven and be set on the counter.

Ben took away the old yellow vinyl and replaced it with beadboard. I really like this look.

Bamboo and white tongs in one jar, black and stainless steel in another. I’m funny about that.

A flat-top stove! Very, very exciting after my vintage model at our rental. :) I kept trying to tell myself that “Hey, vintage is cool!” but I wasn’t able to convince myself. A flat-top feels so clean and I have been loving it! We did get all new appliances in the kitchen.

Can you believe that my dear friend Linda found this at a yard sale for TWO DOLLARS, and GAVE it to me?? I couldn’t believe that she didn’t keep it for herself!

And now after seeing my perfectly clean kitchen, looking like it’s never used, I’ll clear up that illusion and tell you that this is what it looks like quite often. Almost daily, in fact. Except without the cookies.

Ben made these cabinets on this side, but we ordered doors.

And now you know that I live in a real world. :) Yes, I realize it does not look safe for my children to be on the counter. But if you only knew how happy they are to be up there with me, you’d allow it too. And yes, I do stay close by. Except when taking pictures. :)

Once more, before:

And

After!

[I think a round jute rug would look so very cozy right in the center of the kitchen, but where do I find one for super cheap??]

Thanks for taking my little long tour!

~clarita

Sources:
Farmhouse Sink: signaturehardware.com

Blue wall color: Kittery Blue; Benjamin Moore, in eggshell, mixed half/half with pure white trim paint [edit: this is discontinued. the closest thing I could find was ‘Harbor Fog’ by Benjamin Moore. This Harbor Fog would not need to be diluted or altered; it’s the closest match to the finished wall color that I could find.]

Butcher Block Color: Waterlox (a food-grade sealer), multiple coats, no poly

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the butcher block countertop through messages, so I’ll answer a bit here:

The kitchen butcher block countertops are made from reclaimed Antique Southern Pine. We then used only Waterlox, multiple layers (like 4-6!) because poly isn’t food-grade safe. The Waterlox does give a water-proof sealant, and also a bit of natural color although it’s not considered a stain. We didn’t use any color/stain on the countertops. The amber color came because of the Antique Pine and combination of Waterlox.

Cabinet color: Dove White, by Sherwin Williams

Floor Stain: Dark Walnut; Minwax

Cabinet doors: cabinet door world