Friday, August 23, 2013

Our Kitchen Tour and TWO Giveaways!

Greetings, friends!

I'm so excited to be joining an incredible group of gals in sharing our kitchens!  And, even more excited that one, no, make that TWO of you, have a chance to win either a new Pfister faucet (worth up to $300) or a $250 Visa gift card (details below)!

Because I've shared our kitchen with those of you who have visited before, I thought I'd take a trip down decorating lane ...

You see, once upon a time, in the land of red, green and gold, lived a kitchen that looked like this.  Eventually, I began a love affair with a paint brush (and a lighter and brighter color scheme) ...


That love affair with paint eventually turned our kitchen into THIS!  I think one of the first changes you might notice is our island, which we first had face panels added to it.  I then painted it Annie Sloane's Old White, followed by her Chateaux Grey (then distressed) ... added a butcher block top and farmhouse legs.



It's now a favorite spot for me to attempt to style vignettes to suit the seasons ...



and to "welcome" you with Scrabble tiles to one of our favorite spots in our humble abode:


Another big change is that we said goodbye to our laminate countertops, maple cabinets and red accent wall ...


and a big, fat HELLO(!) to Golden Beach granite, cabinets which I painted Annie Sloane's "Pure White," walls painted Ben Moore's Manchester Tan and bead board backsplash!  Amazing what a can of paint (or 10) can do, isn't it?


I love how things placed on our counters now really "pop" against the white beadboard and how fabulous the granite is for hiding crumbs (oops):



BEFORE:



AFTER!  We also retired our wrought iron bar stools pictured above (which I eventually painted AS's Pure White) and replaced them with "bare wood" Napoleon rush seat bar stools, which I then painted AS Pure White and Chateaux Grey to tie in with the island and dry bar in our breakfast area.  We also had molding and shadow boxes added to the back of our breakfast bar:


See that lone maple cabinet in the left corner?  It didn't like being by itself, so, down it came ...


and up went 3 shelves which I made ... they will soon be splashed with pumpkins!



One thing that will NEVER change is my laziness ... yes, our chalkboard (that we  made and added to our pantry door) still says Happy "Holly" Day from last Christmas.  Shame!


Skip on over to our breakfast area now.  Sometimes, I truly can't believe it once looked like this.  I do miss the vibrant red, especially around the holidays...


HERE is what it looks like today!  It doesn't even look like the same space, does it?  That's thanks to a dry bar that we had installed, which, of course, I then painted AS' Pure White and Chateaux Grey.  We also replaced the chandelier with one that was once in our dining room.  New curtains and bamboo shades were eventually added, along with a farmhouse table, to help complete the French Country look that I was hoping to achieve:


Now, that summer is coming to a close, it's time to starting splashing a bit of Fall around!  

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and allowing me to share our kitchen/breakfast area!  Who knows what it will look like if you stop over again!


Before you go, you simply MUST visit the other tours that are taking place!  AND, don't forget to enter our giveaway (details below)!  


Thursday, August 22

Friday, August 23

And now for the giveaway!

Kitchen Tour Giveaway!

There will be two winners for this giveaway! Pfister generously donated a prize for this giveaway, so one winner will receive a free faucet worth up to $300, and a second winner will receive a $250 Visa gift card! To enter for your chance  to win, just follow the steps below!

Step 1: Follow the bloggers below on Pinterest:
Practically Functional
Step 2: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck, everyone ... and, thanks for stopping by!
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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Kitchen Tour Series Has Begun ...

Greetings, friends!  You're all in for a real treat as a bunch of bloggers (and myself) are sharing our kitchens as part of our Kitchen series.  PLUS, there's going to be not one, but two, giveaways ... one lucky person will receive a new Pfister faucet, worth up to $300, and a second person will win a $250 Visa gift card! 



So, go grab something refreshing and take a peek at the following blogs starting today!


Thursday, August 22


Friday, August 23


Thanks for stopping by,
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tic Tock ... it's a New Clock

Happy Tuesday!

When we first bought this secretary (you can see how I transformed it HERE) earlier this year, I added an iron piece I had on hand above it as a temporary filler.  For months, I couldn't decide between a piece of art OR a clock ... art ... clock; clock ... art. Po-tae-to ... po-tah-to.  I gave up.


Then, last week, as I ran into Big Lots to grab something totally unrelated, I spotted this pretty (and really inexpensive) clock.  Without debating with myself in aisle 3, I scooped it up thinking it.just.might.work. 


It looks a bit heavy and ornate, doesn't it?  Well, thankfully, it's not!  In fact, it's made of PLASTIC and light as a feather!  My clumsy self truly appreciated that as I tried to balance the "tiny" mounting hole onto the wall.


Once it was up, I then decided to add a bit of greenery on top of the secretary to give the clock a bit more presence:


BEFORE:



AFTER:



*Yup,* it.just.might.work!

Now, I'm off to get my kitchen ready as I'm excited to be part of another series, featuring kitchen tours!  I hope you'll join us ... there's going to be an amazing giveaway!



Thanks for stopping by,
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Thursday, August 8, 2013

It's the Little Things ...

Sometimes, I think that the name of my blog should be changed to "The Forgetful Blogger!"  There are so many little projects I do around our home that I intend to blog about as soon as I do them, alas, it's then weeks/months later, and I have yet to snap pictures ... oops! Hopefully, having been so inspired at the Haven Conference last week in Atlanta will make me a better blogger!  *fingers crossed*

For example ... in our breakfast area, I had this pretty buffalo checked cushion made for our bench a few months ago by my super talented neighbor, Christy.  Here we are ... months later, and I'm *just* now sharing it ... please tell me you can relate!


It's not a huge change (here is the BEFORE):


BUT, I think it adds a nice little pop to our breakfast area.  Sometimes, it's the little things, right?


The vignette on our table hasn't changed much ...


Except for an added little white pitcher, filled with spare utensils.  Again, the little things ...


Over on our dry bar, I added two decorative matching plates from Home Goods, which are identical to the plates I now have flanking the secretary in our great room.  I'm a repeat offender, what can I say?


I love how the green in the plate is "picked up" by the green faux grapes I have tucked inside one of my handy glass cloches:


Annnnd, I also added this cute little wrapped pitcher ready to be filled with a summer drink ... love the texure!


Little things can go a long way!


Now, I simply have to share something that's NOT so little!  I was truly flattered when Jennifer, from the beautiful and inspiring magazine "Artful Blogging," contacted me and asked if they could include my little old blog banner in the "Banners We Love" section!  I'm beyond flattered and sincerely appreciative!  THANK YOU, Artful Blogging!


Come party with me:

Coastal Charm/Nifty Thrifty Tuesday My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style/WUW


And, thank YOU for stopping by!

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