finally!!! i'm going to show you the kitchen remodel!!!!!!!!!

the walls & wood work won't be painted til after christmas & i'm just dying to show you the pictures of the kitchen.  & you've been waiting for a long long time!!!!  today i put up the curtain rods, curtains, & things on the walls.  i wanted everything to look nice for christmas!! 

i'm so excited about this!!!!!!  it is such a big change!!!!  such a good change!!!!!!

it all started with this:

i was in the mood for a project so one friday evening i painted my bookshelf black.  which led to painting both bathroom vanities, a picture frame, a shelf, the bed, the desk, the dresser, the chair, and then the kitchen cabinets!!!!!!!

all with this:

 one gallon of paint - an "early christmas present" from kevin & sarah!!!!  all i bought for this WHOLE HOUSE makeover was a $9.96 can of polyurethane!!!  (& i've got about 7/8's of the can left for other projects!!! --i already had a partial can to begin with)

 i don't have any "before" pictures of the kitchen with all it's decor on this computer.  i remembered to take a picture after i had taken everything down - curtains, doors, etc.!  so here's what the kitchen looked like before the re-do:

 21 years of wear & tear!!!!!

 after being sanded:

 after the wallpaper was down:

 i lived with the walls looking like this for several weeks!!!!!


AND NOW!!!!!!:

 pantry door needs to be re-finished.  i have BIG plans for it!!!!!  but it's a surprise!!!!  woodwork still needs to be painted & the walls are newly plastered & need to be painted.

 the kickboard at the bottom of the counters needs to be painted still.  i will get around to that soon.  it bugs me - my eyes go directly there every time i walk in the room!!!!  i'm sure no one else ever looks there!!!  i painted the ones in the bathrooms & NEVER look at THEM!!!  hopefully once these are painted i won't look at them either!!!!

 my favorite cupboard - the chicken wire fronted mason jar glasses cupboard!!!!

i kept the cow border.  i love my cows!!!!!

 i accidentally hung the curtain rod just a little tiny bit too high.   i don't want to, am too lazy to move it,  am going to have to figure out a way to fix that without moving it & leaving holes in the wall!!!!   or not!!!!   maybe i'll just ignore it!!!!  or not!!!!

i had plans to paint the countertops with this special countertop refinisher paint.  i already bought it about a year ago before i had decided to paint the cabinets black.  the color i chose was "granite" which is a dark grey.  now i'm not so sure!!!!!   i'm worried that the dark grey won't look good with this black.  that's why i decided to take down the dark green wallpaper & paint the walls white.  i really need to refinish the countertops.  after 21 years, they're not in bad shape, but not as good as i'd like them either!!!  and i don't have the $$ to get new ones.  i'd really like to have beadboard backsplash, but the existing laminate is all one piece & curves at the wall.  there might be a way to do it.  i'm not sure - i'll have  to figure it out!!!

& now i'm starting to like how the cream countertops look with the black cabinets!!!

i love my  big "garden window"!!

 i've used lots of my mom's old linens on the tops of the cabinets & fridge.  i love the "country" look it gives the room!!

(that sign is so true!!!!!!!!!!)  (& i'm a pretty good cook!!!!  ha ha ha!!!!)

these are all "family heirlooms" -- grandma's old silverware, iron, grinder, coffee pot with utensils.  saved them from my parent's attic before the fire.

i love my knobs & drawer pulls so much more against the black now!!

& i distressed the edges of the cabinets & drawers........love it!!!!!!!  love it, love it!!!!!!!!

my favorite!!!!!!!

i'd love to find an old wooden screen door for the pantry!!!!!!!

i just LOVE this kitchen now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

(in a future post, i'll tell you a funny story about that mistletoe!!!!!!!)

hope you've enjoyed this makeover as much as i have!!!!!   now i've gotta find me a new project!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

read about the bed & dresser reveal here: http://sunflowerstamper28.blogspot.com/2011/09/bed-dresser-reveal.html

  

be blessed!!!!!   (oh my goodness!  i've had so much fun - it doesn't feel like 11:35pm!!!!!!)

linking to:  

not just a house wife best project contest

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savvy southern style - wow us wednesday #46 "favorites of 2011" 

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-us-wednesdays-46favorites-from-2011.html

savvy southern style - wow us wednesday's #44  http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-us-wednesdays-44.html

at the picket fence   <center><a href="http://www.atthepicketfence.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfgEcegzf6nOgG7-whYnPz3Ra0YgEqW8l9oaC7tOCyq5tKZgkSweqIBw3LlKByjxflqFlXJjjKmPF908hn0oDSYibbLzfKU1qKELqM0RuHyuk-aAPjoatvVM5TDqfumlsFT2NFFkCcA/s270/heatherchristmasbutton1.jpg?gl=US"/><br /> </a></center><br /> <br />