Favorite Projects
2011
Looking back, I am thankful for blogging in that I have been able to keep track of those things I have done over this past year.
It is hard to choose a favorite – one is most recent!
I have a favorite room makeover that includes two projects.
The first is painting the peninsula in our kitchen a Robin’s Egg Blue.
I used a combination of leftover paint to result in the color I have come to love.
The second project is the new kitchen light and the faux wood beam I painted that it is suspended from.
Looking back over the year, the things that brought us joy and smiles makes me look forward to the possibilities of the upcoming year!
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Kitchen Peninsula Transformation
I have been wanting to change the look of the kitchen island for some time. When we bought the house all of the cabinets were a medium brown -
BROWN, BROWN, BROWN!
I quickly changed all the cabinets to a creamy white. The island I painted a deep Mahogany to contrast and to complement the
slate tile countertops.
The color began to fade and to wear and I wanted something very different.
I visited Molly Susan Strong's blog and was inspired!
There was the look I wanted!
She is a talented artist and shop owner - with a very
Delightsome blog too!
She shared that she'd painted some furniture a 'Robins Egg Blue'.
I made note - shopped around, but couldn't find the color.
I did some more searching and found others had created their
own version of Robins Egg Blue.
Well, I searched our stash of left-over paint. I found a deep blue,
medium green and a yellow. I had a small can of creamy white to
use as a base. I added a little bit of this and that - stirred until
I thought I had the right blue-green combination.
It was a step of faith moment.
So, I then proceeded to remove all hardware, drawers and doors - sanded everything and primed the island surfaces.
I applied my paint creation in the evening. It looked a wee
bit greener than I'd thought it would. Then in the morning I
was very pleased to see the shade of blue-green it became after drying.
Molly suggested using Briwax. (she also describes another method with bees wax and lemon oil). If you're interested in trying this - do visit Molly's site and follow her instructions and my advice is to
take your time -
the wax was interesting to work with and
does work better when melted using Molly's method.
Oh, I can't tell you how very happy I am with the result.
I also painted the hardware with Krylon's Oil Rubbed Bronze
as well as the trim around the countertop.
This Tracy Porter rug with this jaunty rooster was
my first inspiration for my kitchen. I love how the
brilliant colors in the rooster are now reflected in the
new color of my kitchen island.
My husband just came home - gave his approval - he
said, 'it looks good - it brightens the room'. Yes it does
and brightens my spirits!
Love it when a project turns out the way you hope!
Thank you for your visit - I truly appreciate you!
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New Kitchen Light
When I share things in my kitchen, I avoid those things that are not lovely. The lighting in our kitchen was aweful. With the exception of the little chandelier that is over my desk, which I believe may be original to the house.
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| Before: new light put in, ceiling repainted and beam repaired. The ceiling fan was about eight inches off from center and fluorescent lights were flanking the beam. |
When we purchased the house, there was a ceiling fan centered on the beam and two fluorescent lights flanking the ceiling fan. One of the fluorescent lights did not work.
So there they were, for years these ugly lights – I just didn’t look at them.
I did dream of what I’d like. The peninsula with the sink is in the center with the stovetop against the wall. The lighting was never even. What I had in mind was a rectangular pot rack with lights and a rooster on top – in wrought iron. I thought that would just be perfect!
Then a few weeks back my husband and I were at Home Depot shopping for things he needed for his projects. There on a trolly was this light – on clearance. I looked at this light – liked the color and the light shades. Could this be the light for my kitchen? I pointed it out to my husband, he said it would work
– if I liked it.
The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.
So we bought it for an amazingly low price – brought it home.
Then the challenge came. I wanted the light mounted on the beam. Originally, our kitchen was divided – the part that now has the main cabinets and appliances was a Butler’s Pantry and the other side of current peninsula was the kitchen. It is interesting to get into the walls of an old house – true stories are told there!
Also, granddaughter’s of a previous owner told us of this arrangement.
The power to the former ceiling fan was not connected to the main light switch. So, once the old lights were removed my husband had to do some digging. He created a trench from where one of the fluorescent lights were to the place on the beam. Also to make things a little more challenging, I wanted the light centered to the sink and to the cabinets, not to the whole room.
When my husband did his digging, he discovered the beam was a solid piece of wood that was surrounded by drywall. He had to do some creative work to get the wiring to the correct outlets. But, he did it! The ceiling then needed to be patched and the whole ceiling needed to be repainted.
In addition one of my wishes was to faux paint the beam to look like wood. So, last week that is what I did.
I first painted the beam a yellowish gold color to mimic raw wood. I used bunched up burlap to run across the beam with a light brown to create graining. It works beautifully! I then painted on darker brown accents and created darker veining. Once that was completed and dried I applied a stain – Bombay Mahogany with Poly. I liked the result, but it wasn’t dark enough. So, the next day I applied Black Walnut over the beam. Now, it is what I had imagined!
I am beaming with joy!
I think this light is so much better than what I could have hoped for. If my kitchen were more open, a pot-hanger light might have worked, but with the closeness of the cabinets and the things I place on top the cabinets, an open light like this is appropriate and it fits with the other lights original to the house!
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I appreciate you visit and I hope you stop by
to see the other blogger’s favorites!
Wishing you a very Delightsome Day
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