Sunday, January 30, 2011

Kitchen Makeover: Progress?

As my sister said when she visited:  "Ewwww...your kitchen threw up!"

And yes...because I blog, I'll show pictures.  LOL, I have no shame!

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Moving on...

I have all the cabinet doors and drawers cleaned and painted:

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I am glazing:

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And have some in the drying stage:

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The reason it's taking soooo long is because the drying time is loooo-oooong!

But to be honest, I really haven't been pushing it...I'm not in a hurry...just stating the obvious!

Later,

Debbie

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Kitchen makeover. Here I go...again!

A little over a year ago, I remodeled the house that we had lived in for 18 years.  Then...I sold it.  Bummer!

But, I bought a new house...okay, not so new.  I've lived here a year.  I've painted the bedroom, the living room and the hall.  I stained the deck this summer....remember the heat and  all the whining, the crying, the foot stomping?

And...to all of you who read my blog and have stuck with me...you're good friends!

And if you stick with me through this, well...bless your hearts, you've got stamina!

So...this is what's happening:

I hate my kitchen cabinets, but really don't have the money, nor do I want to spend that much (between $3000-$6000) to fix them.  Hubby doesn't want to do anything with them (big shock, huh?)  I looked into re-facing, re-finishing, and...gasp...new cabinets!  Not gonna happen!

The problem:                         

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There is too much damage and too many cabinets.  I didn't want to spend weeks stripping, sanding and priming.  I knew I couldn't just paint, because it would 'slip' off or give me the same effect that is on there now.  So what's a girl to do?

The solution: 

RUST-OLEUM Cabinet Transformations

I know, right?  I had never heard of it either!  Found it at my local hardware store when I was looking for other solutions!

What is  it?

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It's a kit...I paid about $80 and bought 3 to do my kitchen cabinets, drawers, and island.  I may have to buy one more...the island is pretty big!  There are two kits...one for dark cabinets and one for white.  There are also two options...glaze or no glaze...I chose no glaze and I chose the dark color kit.

What's in it?

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and a DVD.   If you plan to do this...watch it!  Seriously!

Quickie instructions:

Step 1:  Degloss and clean.

Step 2:  Apply bond coat.  (color)

Step 3:  Apply glaze for wood grain, etc.  Optional

Step 4:  Apply protective top coat.

Final product: 

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(If you click on the picture...you will see what I was dealing with!)

(*I will probably get cup pulls for the drawers.)

Why did I go dark? 

Even though it looks black  (YIKES!), it's really espresso...dark brown.  It looks good with the orange countertops...sorta Tuscan-looking!  I thought about white...and all the kitchen makeovers I've seen on the internet are white.  Well...you know me!  Dare to be different!  I'm still debating on whether to paint the island a different color...maybe white?  (I'm also considering wainscoting on my walls in my kitchen and dining room...?)  We'll discuss this later!

Do I like the product? 

Heck,  yeah!  No sanding, no stripping, no primer...my kind of project!  Cost wise?  Good deal!

**The only drawback?  I know of no one who has tried this.  We'll have to see how it holds up to usage.

So...even though you only have a small sample to look at...what do you think?  Have I made a mistake?  Should I stop now?  Should I have gone white? 

Gotta get back to the grindstone 'cause these cabinets aren't going to refinish themselves!

Later,

Debbie

Monday, January 24, 2011

Home again!

Went to Louisiana and I'm back! 

I flew there with my sister and BIL to see family.  Had a lot of fun, saw all the family, ate a lot of food!  Took a lot of pictures, but most didn't turn out!?!

But, here's one of Kim's  (SIL's) donkeys!

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And that reminds me...Happy Birthday to my "older" brother, Danny!

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My little brother, Dennis:

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My sister, Donna:

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And my Mother:

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One more picture...

When I got home, I finished the binding of the scrappy log cabin quilt that has been sitting here so long!

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Gotta go clean house so that I can start another one....

Later,

Debbie

Friday, January 14, 2011

Pig Pile!

 

It's really cold here!

Snuggle Bunnies:

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But...all you need is love!

 

Later,

Debbie

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

White Album

Everything is white here!  The snow is sticking around and the temps are dropping fast!  The next three days temps will be 15*, 13*, and 14*...not that it matters...when it's that cold,  one or two degrees doesn't  make a difference!

I was finally able to pick up my sister and BIL.  They were stuck in Dubai, then Atlanta, and finally Huntsville...40 miles from me and I couldn't get to them!  I tried last night...their flight was delayed...the road I needed to be on to get to them closed...I had to turn around and come home...so sad!  But...I got up this morning and went to Huntsville.  Some black ice and some traffic backed up and creeping along...but, that's all behind us...they're home and we're happy!

I'm getting snow blind and decided to look for a little color; hence, my blog title!

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That last one's not so white, but is colorful!

Later,

Debbie

Saturday, January 8, 2011

****Flakey****

 

We're suppose to get a few flakes around here tomorrow.  Probably 4-8 inches...so says the weatherman...maybe 10.  TEN!  What?  Nooooooo!  And it's probably not just snow, but snow/ice mix.  I don't have a generator!  If the power goes out...I'll have to cook on the grill...in the snow...and the ice!

My sister and brother-in-law were suppose to fly in from Iraq (where they are working) on Monday morning.  Right now, they won't be!  Delta has canceled all flights into Atlanta and Huntsville...so they're stuck in Dubai.  I'm sure she's not a happy camper!

Now for some quilting pictures...hope you don't mind!

I guess I'm going to try to stay warm sewing binding onto a quilt.  I finished a scrappy log cabin (except for the binding).  It has 72 different fabrics in it.  Here's a sneak peek:

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I've also started a bow tie quilt with the same fabrics, but have set it aside for a while...it was "getting on my nerves":

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And I guess I forgot to show the quilt and accessories I gave 'Bama Girl for Christmas.

Quilt:

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Pillowcase:

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Dresden pillow:

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And final pillow:

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Speaking of 'Bama Girl...she got her LSAT scores back and made a 162 (YAY!)...with that score and her GPA of 3.98...we're hoping for some good scholarship money to law school!  Keep your fingers crossed!

Guess I'll go take a shower and then spend some time with the Hubs!

Later,

Debbie

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Rezzolutions? Not really...

My 2011 resolutions?  Well, not resolutions, but life changes.  And I love a list!  Fortunately, this is not a big list...just big changes.

1. Use the word "no" this year.

I have a problem saying no to anything.  I always say yes and then I regret my decision.  And resent the people who ask.

Why does everyone expect "yes"?  Because I don't work, I have no children at home anymore, and my husband works out of town (which hopefully he'll stop doing this year...but believe me....I'm not holding my breath!).

This means I have all the time in the world, right?  NO!  See #2...

2.   Spend more time for me.

This goes hand in hand with #1 and the people I will be saying "no" to will not understand this.  

So...what does "spending more time for me" mean?  I'm not sure, yet...I've never done this.  I'm hoping it means spending more time on my health (yeah...yeah...I really mean losing weight, just didn't want to say it!), taking time to enjoy my husband, travel more, quilt for me if I want to!

In other words...be selfish with my time!

3.  Not let my brain fall out of my mouth!

This is a big one!

I have a bad habit of saying things without thinking about them first.  I can be really blunt, rude, and hurtful.  Especially to the people I love.  Some people would call it being honest.  It's not honesty...it's just me being mean.  I know it...and I will stop it!  (This also pertains to #1...it comes from being resentful, therefore being mean to the people I can't say no to.)

                                         That's the end of that.  AMEN!

"I've got sunshiiiiiiiiine on a clouuuuuudy daaaaaaaaay!"

It's a nasty, dark, rainy day here...not helping my mood!  But, I'm going to do better!  I think I'll go back to bed, then get up back up and eat breakfast and then...go to the sewing room and put the quilt I finished (for me!) on the quilting frame and get it quilted!

                                                                     

 

Later,

Debbie