A Few of My Favorite Things: Kitchen Floors

Hi Friends.

In the next few weeks I plan to begin our kitchen overhaul.  New paint on the walls, new paint on the cabinets and maybe even new paint on the floor.  My husband thinks I'm nuts for even thinking about painting the floor, but my thought:  Can they really get any worse??

Okay, it could get worse but that doesn't change the fact that I hate our current kitchen floors.  They are a strange teak wood and the flooring doesn't match the rest of the flooring in the house that is "real" wood.

I've spent the afternoon browsing the web for some kitchen floor inspiration.  

Here's what I've come up with:

(courtesy of Southern Living)

If I chose the yellow and white checkered floor, I'd paint all of our cabinets white.

(courtesy of Coastal Living)

These are actually tile squares; but I could certainly get this look with a couple gallons of paint and my existing wood floors.  

(courtesy of My Home Ideas)

If I chose this whitewashed look, I'd paint the bottom cabinets a light beachy blue and the top cabinets white.

(courtesy of Coastal Living)

If I don't use this look in my kitchen, I think it would work well in my sunroom/office, which also has hideous floors.)

(courtesy of Coastal Living)

This is another great look for a sunroom... not so sure about the kitchen. Hmm...

Other Kitchen Plans:

I also plan to replace the current countertops with butcher block; open up some of the cabinets by removing the door fronts; add some open shelving above the sink... and I'd even like to figure out a way to clad the fronts of the dishwasher and the fridge with bead board.  This to-do list will slowly be checked off as we have the funds to make it happen. Painting the floors and cabinets will come first.    

So what do you think I should do to my kitchen floor?  Have any ideas that I haven't covered? The goal here is to keep it economical as possible by keeping the current floors in tact... and just prettying them up a bit.  

Thanks!

Watering Can Turned Table Centerpiece

Hi Friends,

The other day I was grocery shopping when I spotted a bright blue watering can on the shelf.   I just loved the bright color and immediately knew the watering can would brighten up my kitchen table.  It was $9 once I swiped my shoppers discount card.

I added some fresh spring flowers that I also picked up at the grocery store on the cheap (less than $4).  

I just love the pop of color it adds... 

And I think it's better than any old glass vase.

Hanging Out at the Virtual Home of The Grocery Shrink...

Hi Friends!

I met Angela Coffman, aka, The Grocery Shrink a couple of months ago after I read a guest post that she did for Layla Palmer of the The Lettered Cottage.  After I read her post for Layla, I invited Angela to come on the television show that I produce. 

Angela welcomed my offer to write a guest post for her while she's on maternity leave, so head on over to read my post on Angela's page.  Here it is.

Also, I just want to offer a big welcome to any new faces that may stop by my site after reading my post on The Grocery Shrink site.

Oh and if you want to see Angela's segments on The 700 Club, here they are...





And if you want to see Layla and Kevin's segments (yep, The Lettered Couple was on our show also), here's that video for you.

Running the Distance...

No, I'm not about to run a marathon (however, it is a goal of mine to run a half marathon one day). I'm talking about table runners.  No-sew burlap runners to be exact.  I have a few burlap runners donning tables around the house.  I've never learned to sew but that hasn't stopped me from whipping up a few of these:

The first one is a fringed burlap runner.  Just grab a piece of burlap and cut it to your desired size.  (Note: you will loose a little bit of the width as you begin the fringing process, so be sure to cut your fabric a bit wider than desired.)

Then pop a movie in and use a meat skewer stick to pull out the edges. You can make the fringe as long (or short) as you want it. It's that easy to create a fringed burlap runner!

For the second runner, I hemmed the edges with an iron and stitch witchery. You can buy the no-sew tape at any fabric store.  There really isn't any more explanation needed. Just iron away.  You can use the stich witchery on any piece of fabric. 

The underneath of the runner is by no means straight... or pretty.

But who cares. If someone really wants to take a gander at my handywork (or lack thereof), gaze away! :)

Easy peasy!

Good luck!

Ironing Board Turned Sofa Table

Hi Friends,

My mom and I decided to do a little antique shopping this afternoon.  I wasn't on the hunt for anything in particular but it had been awhile since I had checked my favorite local shops.  It was long overdue.  Our time was cut short due to a severe weather warning in our area (nothing came to fruition in my particular part of town- thank goodness; however, surrounding areas did get hit hard.)

Even though our time wasn't as long as I had hoped, I didn't leave empty handed.  Our first stop was at a salvage shop by the name of Country Boy Antiques.  In past posts, I've mentioned that this place is down and dirty-- very rough, but I've never remembered to snap a picture of the overflowing storefront... until today:

It's certainly messy; yet, it's my favorite antique shop to visit. I've found some of my best pieces at Country Boy...

Like these shutters:

And this luggage:

I love digging through the junk only to find that one gem that will come home with me. Today, that gem was this:

I know what you're thinking.  Why did she buy an old wooden ironing board?  When I laid eyes on it, I thought, "hmmm, possible sofa table?"

Here it is in place:

(I need to shorten the runner and condition the wood)

This ironing board replaced these...

(This pic is from Christmas, hence the Christmas trees on the table and in the background)

I had two end tables pushed together for a makeshift sofa table, but I was never happy with the height. Plus, if the sofa moved at all when people sat down, one of the tables would get pushed forward making it obvious that it wasn't one piece.  I'll be transferring the tables to the guest room, which is the next room I plan to tackle in our home.

I think I like the ironing board... I'm not quite sure though.  It may take a bit of getting used to.  It's definitely different.

If you're local and you happen to love this idea, Country Boy had 5 or 6 ironing boards left.

What do you guys like better, the ironing board or the white end tables?

P.S.  I thought I'd share this adorable picture with you.

Two mama birds built their nests in our wreaths.  The above picture is from our front door.  The eggs on the side door haven't hatched yet.  These nests and baby birds have delayed the hanging of my spring wreaths... but I guess it's worth it.  :)

Perfect Pantry

The last few weeks I've been attempting to bring a little bit of order to our pantry.  For way too many years it looked like this:

Nothing had a spot.  Cleaners, pet products and tools were piled high and we could never find what we needed when we needed it.  So I headed to The Dollar Store to pick up 15 of these:

I love these baskets for three reasons:  

1) They were cheap

2) The plastic makes for easy cleaning if anything spills or leaks

3) It's easy to see the contents of each basket because of the holes

Once I got everything organized into the baskets, I whipped up some labels.  A few months ago I was gifted these awesome chalkboard tags from Leen The Graphics Queen for being a Facebook follower. I knew they'd be perfect for this project.

I added her tags to scrapbook paper that I had at the house and attached them with white ribbon.  

 If I ever need to change what's in one of the baskets, it's easy!  All it takes is one wipe of a paper towel.

And Voila... my organized pantry.  

Now everything has a spot.  

I had two leftover chalkboard tags so I attached them to canisters that I had in the kitchen. 

I love the personalized touch these simple tags add to $8 Walmart jars!

If you want chalkboard tags for yourself, visit Leen The Graphics Queen.  She'll take care of you!

Happy organizing!