New Year, New Projects

I decided to join Brenda today for her Tues Tweak Party at Cozy Little House.

So its been 10 days since we entered 2013.  Instead of entering the new year with a gusto, I feel like I am dragging my feet and can't seem to get focused on any one thing.  So I decided to revisit a project that I started last year hoping it would give me the push I needed to move forward.

We bought our house new over 25 years ago.  We did not have much money to add any upgrades so the house has always been pretty basic.  Over the years I have used my own unique flair to make it more of a home but as with everyone my tastes of changed.   My kitchen came with stock cabinets and I picked them because they looked like something that would be in Bonanza's Ponderosa kitchen.  They were knotty pine with hardware that looked like spurs.  I loved them but back then my taste was very country.  Pinks, blues, chickens, roosters, hearts, and flowers.  YIKES did I love flowers.  Flower in wallpaper, on couches, on bedding, thinking back it was not pretty just kind overwhelming.

In time I had transitioned from country into more of a cottage feel to my home.  Leaving dried flower wreaths and pigs behind me.  So 10 years ago I painted my pine cabinets, off white and  pried every last stinken spur off of the cabinet doors.  Since I was over my flower stage I found wallpaper that was in some Victorian cottage magazine that was yellow and dotted with teacups and tea pots.  Not much of a jump from flowers but I loved, loved loved that wallpaper.  I still loved that wallpaper when I decided last year to take it down and say goodbye to it and hello to more of a modern feel.  I still love the cottage look and feel to a home but now I am trying to update it with a more modern touches I also did not have tons of money to do a total kitchen re due, that would probably have cost $25000 or more so I updated my way.

And so it began.

This was my old kitchen:

Because I wanted to keep a cottage feel I painted my cabinets bright white. I was fine with my hardware so to safe money I spray painted them black.  I was going to go with a laminate granite look on my counters since the cost of real granite was out of my frugal budget but I discovered a product, Giani Granite Paint and thought what do I have to lose http://www.gianigranite.com/.  If I hated it I will have to buy new counters.  They were so easy to do and I loved the outcome.

My new kitchen:

You can see how the counter just shine and look very similar to granite.

Because I had laminate on the back splash before, I had to go with something that would adhere and was easy to install as well as cost effective.  I found http://fasadeideas.com/applications/backsplash/backsplash-gallery at Home Depot that seemed to combine my cottage and modern design together.  I needed a new refrigerator and stove so I splurged and got stainless but because I was not ready to buy a new dishwasher or stove fan (I really wanted an over the stove microwave but I am not sure it will would fit) I just spray painted both with a stainless steel paint.  I did not love the product and do not remember the name.  It was messy and even though I covered everything to protect it, I had tons of cleanup.

Now it was time to pick a paint color.  I went back and forth with lots of different choices but my daughter had made me valances with tons of vibrate colors so I went with a bright yellow.  My first attempt was glow in the dark yellow so I had to go back to the drawing board and pick a less offensive yellow.  I also wanted to do something different on the lower portion of the wall so I found on line instructions on how to do inexpensive wainscoting http://frugalhomeideas.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-impact-small-budget.html.

The pictures behind the table I did myself by recycling frames from pictures I already had.  I first spray painted them black and created pictures using paper to replicate a modern twist on a quilt design.  I have gotten so many compliments on them I did others and have been selling them on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/114196420/framed-multi-colored-quilt-design

I recently purchased new black chairs and still want to refinish my table but all in all I love the end result.
The entire project not including my new chairs and appliances cost me under $600.00.  Not bad for a whole new look.  I am posting this with  Wendy today at http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/2013/01/frugal-friday_10.html for her Frugal Friday.