kitchen of my dreams

All photos from cottageliving.com, done by Erica George Dines.

If I could copy the basic qualities of this kitchen in my own home, I would. It is EXACTLY what I wish I could make my kitchen look like. I have always loved Cottage Living magazine, but have recently felt like some of the content was sparse, and increasingly not budget friendly. The decor features, however, have always consistently spoken to me: classic and cozy with contemporary updates rooted in history.

This month, Cottage Living redeemed itself in my eyes, and featured the budget-friendly kitchen renovation of one of their own staffer's homes. Anne Turner Carroll turned her outdated and awkward kitchen into an efficient space that exudes cottage warmth and charm and exemplifies timeless character.

Most of the updates are things that I could conceivably do in my kitchen, and except for the all-new stainless appliances, do them on a relatively small budget. Not that I can actually make this investment anytime soon, but seeing the before and after of this renovation gave me hope. I also garnered some very concrete ideas about how to make my own awkward, and similarly laid out kitchen, function better.

Here are several of the highlights.

The existing cabinets were saved, just raised up to eliminate the wasted space up above, making the area underneath much more usable with a single, open shelf.



These photos demonstrate the wonderful mix of materials: honed black granite and walnut for the counter tops, wood floors, a classic white subway tile back splash,and two different painted finishes on the existing cabinets.




I love the light, open feel! And this configuration is so similar to my own, that it seems doable!



And here, the best part: a pass through that was enlarged from a sliver of an opening, in turn creating a major architectural feature and totally opening the kitchen up to the rest of the home. In my house, an opening like this would face the living room.


Well, that is my new inspiration... what is yours? Or do you already have your dream kitchen? I invite you to share your images and stories with me!

late fall color

Finally, some fall flair for my porch!

Sorry it has been such a long while. No excuses; just busy, tired, and struggling for motivation. Everyone can relate to that story to some degree, right? Well, aside from that remark, I hope that you find this post inspiring.

When my mom was out here a few weekends ago, we found some great deals on late plant sales at my local Bremerton City Nursery. Most plants were 30% off, and I chose a few that would last longer than just this season, once its time to put them in the ground.

Here are a few photos of the pots I put together for some fall color to last all season:

This pretty assortment greets you as you walk up the stairs from the driveway. A combo of ornamental kale, a rust orange hardy mum and a burst of brilliant red and green Japanese blood grass.


I used several types of pumpkins and an outdoor lantern to create a festive vignette next to this pot.

The juxtaposition of purples, pinks and whitish green feels fresh and fallish at once. I combined two sorts of ornamental kale with some pink heather.

The organic floppiness of Japanese Forest Grass fits the scale and shape of its pot perfectly!


I loved the natural curls and rustic, full look of this tall grass. Even the name sounds cozy: Leatherleaf Sedge. It was showy enough to be in a pot on its own.

I promise to write again soon! After all, autumn is my favorite season for decorating!

inspiring natural elements...

Beautiful fall branches are a nice, natural way to add fall flair indoors.
Better Homes and Gardens.

It really feels like fall out here in the pacific northwest. We had our first official fall storm today: blowing rain, high winds, downed branches and even power outages. Its days like these that I am inspired to stay inside, drink tea, read magazines and listen to classical music. Today, however, I was busily running errands- to my own annoyance.

I finally sat down at five and started diving into my fall decorating magazines. Just a quick browse through them, and I am telling you, I am so inspired. I want to nest more than any woman has wanted to nest before me. I want to freshen my decor for the season; bringing natural elements indoors, layering patterned fabrics and adding texture, texture, texture! Suddenly, I am second guessing every coat of paint I have applied to my mismatched furniture over the years. Why did I do it? Why didn't I just leave them in their naturally beautiful, woody state? Ahh, I must forever be a busy decorator, that is why. I can't leave well enough alone; it goes against my very nature.

Speaking of nature, my focus for seasonal decorating this fall is going to be on pumpkins, gourds, branches, and the like. I must begin foraging for these elements, and stock up before all of the best ones get picked! I'll let you know when I've squirrelled away my stash, and share some of my fall decor tricks.

For now, here are some of the best images I found in my favorite magazines and on their websites.

Interesting embellishment for pumpkins: upholstery nail heads.
Cottage Living.


A simple assembly of tiny pumpkins and flowers on a pretty platter.
Better Homes and Gardens.


I love the twinkling and understated beauty of this carving technique.
Sunset Magazine.


A dressy buffet accessorized with natural branches and loaded with festive food exemplifies the best that fall has to offer. Domino Magazine.


I hope that you are as inspired as I am to turn indoors and get really, really cozy!

a place to rest my head

It all started with an amazing find at the Kitsap Rotary Annual Garage Sale. This head board with faded fabric, but good bones, was only $5! Of course I snatched it up, seeing its potential.


I polled you all, and asked you what I should cover it with. Most of you thought I should do the solid red for drama and warmth. Well, I finally got around to making a decision! Although I did take your votes into consideration, I had to be implusive, but go with what as affordable, available, and practical. I didn't want to use something that would be too trendy, or too busy. I wanted to find a solution that would be classic, but add a strong design element to the bedroom.

I found the answer at TJMaxx. A solid light blue, twin-sized quilt with a simple, straight topstitched design. The texture would add a softness, and the color would perk up the room. Plus, it was just $20!

Candace helped me with the project, and we decided that keeping the existing fabric and padding on the headboard would be easiest and cheapest. In about 15 mintues we had stretched and stapled the quilt into place. At the corners where the fabric bunched up quite a bit, I used upholstery tacks, instead of the staple gun, to neatly secure the quilt to the headboard.



The coolest element though, was the nailhead trim. I condsidered not using it at all, but it was on sale at JoAnn Fabrics, and i just couldn't reisist! I am so glad I used it, it added just the right touch of refinement and really made the piece look finished. It was so easy to use too. The trim is on one long spool, with a hole in every fourth place to nail an acutal tack into the furniture. The result is seamless and professional looking.





The only thing I have yet to figure out, is how to keep the headboard rasied off the ground. For the moment, I have it resting on top of the boxspring, sandwiched between the wall and the mattress. While this looks fine, it is not a permanent solution. I want to make some legs for it in the near future. The total cost for the headboard project so far,(without the legs), is about $32. Good deal, right?

As an added bonus, my husband loves the softness of it, and we have actually spent time reading in bed. He even said that it looks really professional! The bedroom now feels more cozy and nest-like, just in time for chilly fall nights! Now, if we can only find a way to block the draft from our leaky windows! To be continued...

cupboard clean-up

Another quick change for the TV room came in addressing the small built-in wall cupboard.


The doors were impractical because I had to move the futon out of the way when I needed access to the cupboard's contents. This extra step caused clutter and disorganization to multiply in the small closet quickly.


It was hard to find anything quickly in this mess!


I decided to purchase a second matchstick bamboo blind and use it in place of two doors to hide the wall cupboard. When I removed the doors, I used the opportunity to restore some semblance of order. Now I simply raise the blind, and I can easily pull out what I need.




It is so much easier to get stuff in and out of the closet now!

cheap and quick window update

The white plastic blinds in our TV room have always been on my list of things to change. They looked cheap and detracted from the beautiful curtain panels. But the curtains were a source of disdain as well. I wasn't happy with the way the were draping off of the rod. So with under $20 I solved both issues.


I spent $13 on a matchstick style bamboo blind from World Market. The warm brown hue compliments the wall color and the bamboo adds loads of texture.


Although I sacrificed some privacy with the new blind,the curtains now hang from ring clips,($5 at Target), and so allow me to actually close the drapes. They also make the panels drape more gracefully.


The resulting look feels more cozy and layered. The new bamboo blind filters sunlight nicely and makes the entire space glow with warmth.

easy shelf makeover

For under six dollars and just about one hour of my time, I transformed two IKEA Lack shelves from boring black to warm and woodsy. In black, they weren't exactly jiving with the dark brown walls of my TV room. I thought about my options to remake them: wallpaper seemed to messy and possibly pricey, and I knew that spray paint might not stick and would eventually scratch off and look bad.

The black shelf before. The accessories weren't working right either.

The shelf after. The new look suits the room and the accessories make more of an impact.


I went to Home Depot looking for a solution, and found it right away: Contact paper. Normally applied as a shelf liner in cupboards or used on the inside of drawers, the paper is sticky enough to adhere to a surface, but is not a permanent commitment. The only downside is the lack of options. There are lots of ugly ones, and just a couple of decent basic colors. I chose a faux bois look, in light pine.

The process was simple. I just measured the shelves, then cut the paper using the handy grid on the back side. Leaving the shelves attached to the wall, I applied the contact paper, wrapping a single long piece around the entire shelf. It took a little fidgeting to get it to lay straight and smooth, but it was extremely easy. I cut separate strips for the front edge of each shelf.

A close up of the application of the contact paper.

The result looks pretty darn good. The warm and natural tones certainly play up the brown wall paint, and show off accessories better than the black did. A super inexpensive do-it-yourself decorating project, with instant gratification!

Shelf #2 before its makeover.


Now it fits with the room so much better!


Different accessories add a little more variety and warmth.