Hopin' and Wishin'

My kitchen progress is coming along, slowly, but surely.  Finding all the right pieces takes a lot of patience, and of course budgeting for some of the more expensive changes has to be accomplished one improvement at a time.  This year, we painted the cupboards peacock blue, created a chalkboard refrigerator and added to our collection of colorful 1950s housewares, including our pastel ceramic Monterey dishes.  My goals for 2013 are: finding the perfect retro oven (it has to be one of the harder to find 30" models), replacing the light fixture above the dining table, and re-tiling the back splash.  Maybe by 2014, I can think about new counter tops?!?

Bold indicates items that I covet, the rest is already in place. (From left to right): Our Peacock Feather blue cabinets, chalkboard fridge, white subway tile for the back splash,  vintage Pyrex, yellow wooden "eat" sign, Airstream kitchen hand towel,  1950s Wedgewood stove,  Yellow Lustro Ware canisters, "Why, yellow Gorgeous!" kitchen hand towel, mint green shake mixer, "Make Lemonade" printable,  aqua Lustro Ware reamer, gold star burst clock, pastel ceramic dishes, Amy Butler fabric in Coreopsis, George Nelson Saucer light, & mint green rotary wall phone.

What's your perfect kitchen?

XOX

Master bedroom

I'm finally ready to reveal our master bedroom!  It's really my own unique style; part mid-century, part girly glam.  I was inspired by some of my current color obsessions; navy blue, aqua, and mint green.  I added some peach and gold accents in the artwork to help warm up the space.  I tried to add plenty of reflective surfaces, neutral white and gauzy sheer curtains to brighten up the room.  It was a bold choice to go so dark with the wall color, but I'm really happy with the space.  It manages to be soothing, without being boring. 

The wall color is Behr's Darkest Navy.  The antique iron bed frame was mine in high school.  I used a thrifted, embossed, chenille bedspread as a bed skirt.  I love the fringe!  The mid-century, metal, rolling, record cart was a gift from a friend.  I found the Crosley suitcase record player at an estate sale for cheap.  The white hanging light is a puzzle lamp from good ole Ikea.  The letters over the bed are actually 3-D cardboard letters that I sprayed gold.  The are super lightweight, so if they fall off the wall in the middle of the night, we won't be killed by LOVE. ;)

The nightstand was thrifted and then painted a pale minty blue.  The blue, Zenith alarm clock/ tube radio is from the 1950s.  It only gets AM stations, but it sounds crystal clear! The "You and me are meant to be" screen print was ordered on Etsy. 

The Thonet chair at my sewing nook, was purchased at the Denver Modernism Show, and then recovered in the same Amy Butler Honeycomb fabric as the Mod Podged desk.  My wool chevron rug came from ebay.  Our matching Drexel dresser set came from an Estate sale for $50 for the pair!! I'm still doing cartwheels over that bargain! I have some of my vintage hats and small purses hanging from hooks on either side of my dresser.  It's a nice way to keep everything organized, and also display some of my favorite accessories.  We have an aqua Princess phone and the coolest turquoise, spinning pen holder.  The aqua, 1950s, deer, TV lamp came from ebay, but the two tiered fiberglass lampshade came from a yard sale for .50!!  I framed a 1950s swimsuit ad, and some of my favorite vintage cameras are displayed throughout our room.

The mint "Happy Happy" screen print is from Etsy.  The mint green floor fan was originally a standard, black plastic fixture, which met with some Krylon Pistachio and Silver spray paint.  I think it gives it a nice retro feel, but I don't have to worry about severed fingers, like with the genuine antique fans.  Those vintage metal fans are a thing of beauty, but those wide slats in the screen terrify me!

More vintage cameras, including a Brownie with flash, and the Bolex, I used in my film school days.  The mini bullet planter was thrifted and my kitschy little owl bank came from the same estate as my dressers.  It's the wrong era, but I couldn't resist it's cuteness.  The "I freaking love you" screenprint came from here and the "Home sweet home" screenprint came from here.

Our bookshelf has geode bookends.  The "Kissing Booth" screenprint came from here.

What do you think?

Kitchen chair revamp

Today I replaced the fabric on my Danish Modern Craigslist chairs.  The chairs had a cream brocade fabric on them that was looking rather sad and grubby.  I switched it out for some Amy Butler fabric from the August Fields line.  It has a repeating pattern with mint, gray, and butter yellow.  Mint green is my current obsession thanks to my birthday rotary phone.

What do you think?

Slowly but surely

  When we bought our home, seven years ago, there were a lot of things I loved about our house.  Our kitchen cupboards were not one of them.  They were honey oak colored and I've always loathed them.  It's taken us a really long time to get up the courage to change them.  Of course the work involved with painting cabinets was a deterrent, but the phrase "resale value" kept rearing its ugly head.  I finally had an epiphany.  This is my kitchen.  The next owner can change the house to their taste.  The only person I need to please...is ME!  Okay, my husband should like it too. ;)  First, I bought a deep chocolate brown, an espresso color that I thought would look sophisticated.   We started to take the cabinet doors down and again, I asked myself, was this what I really wanted?  Why had I really chosen this color?  IT WAS SAFE.  Was it going to make  me truly happy? Not really.  I returned to the paint store and exchanged the paint...for Peacock Feather blue.  I'm totally smitten. Here is the before, accursed honey oak:

And now Peacock Feather...

I also primed and painted the refrigerator with chalkboard paint.  It's the perfect place to write phone messages, grocery lists, schedule reminders, and inspire each other.

I'd love to replace the back splash and figure out a way to camouflage the dishwasher.  I'd also love a new apron sink, and a George Nelson Saucer Light for over the kitchen table.  I'm not sure those last two are in the budget....ever, but a girl can dream! What do you think of my "ice cave"?

Honey, bee cool!

Remember the mid-century, blond, laminate desk in my sewing nook? I thought maybe if I lived with it for awhile, it would grow on me.  Although I love the shape, the finish didn't appeal. 

I saw some amazing faux pumpkins, that someone had painted with Looking Glass mirror paint on Pinterest, and it got me thinking.  The desk would look gorgeous all shiny and Hollywood Regency.  Looking Glass spray paint costs $12 for a can!   I'm not sure if there is unicorn sweat in the bottle, but that is insanely expensive for something that only covers 7 square feet.  I was confident that the desk would look so cool, that I finally made the purchase.  Well, guess what? It looked nothing like a mirror finish, and was even duller than the "metallic silver" spray paint that only costs $3.49.  Apparently "mirror" paint only works if you spray it on something like glass, and then flip it over.  I blame Pinterest  for wasting my $12!  I didn't really have a back up plan, and I'm quite frugal (I'm cheap as hell!)  How could I change the desk and not spend anymore money? Thankfully, I'm kind of a fabric hoarder.  I laid out my pillow cases with different fabrics until I found some colors that complimented each other.  Even the flower and honeycomb patterns seem logical.

I took three different leftover paints (Teal Zeal , Billowy Cloud , and Thoughtful Spot (all Behr) and mixed them together to create a minty blue that perfectly matched the Honeycomb fabric (Amy Butler).  I painted the body of the desk, and spray painted the drawer pulls silver.  Then I Mod Podged fabric onto the drawer fronts.  After letting it dry overnight, I took a sharp nail and poked holes (from the inside), where the drawer pulls go.  The fabric was really stiff, so the nail popped through with little effort.  

Here it is...

What do you think? Now, I just need to scavenge a comfortable chair.