Re-Vamped Kitchen Island

As I previously mentioned, I really love adding a touch of vintage here and there. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think this kitchen is really swell:

This Old House

This Old House

Everyone needs a rolling ladder in their kitchen, right? 

I know I do!

 

I love the clean and classic lines of the white subway tile, the farmhouse sink, hidden storage, and use of freestanding furniture as additional storage/counter space. I also really dig the schoolhouse light fixtures.

The color of these cabinets served to inspire me to bring a touch of the 1940s farmhouse feel to my own kitchen {my mom tells me that her grandmother had a kitchen this color at her homestead in Oklahoma - yes, homestead. As in one square mile of prarie land.}

Here's the free and "blah" kitchen island/cart that I started with {sorry for a lack of better 'before' picture - I was just too anxious to get started!}. This little beauty was a hand-me-down from some family friends. It sat, lonely and sad, in my parents garage for years before it found a new home with me. 

At this point, it's already been cleaned, sanded, and the worn butcher block top removed - also the ugly plastic handles have been upgraded to some fancy schmancy ones courtesy of my Dad!

back side view

We gave the whole island a coat of shellac based primer. I wanted to be sure to cover up any stains. Then we started putting on the color. At this point I am thinking to myself that the color doesn't look quite right...

The finished cabinet was supposed to be "Nettle" as seen above. The magazine even gave the manufacturer, name, and number of that EXACT paint color! Could this be easier?

Wait a second....this color doesn't look quite right...

Finished Product!

As you can see, the color is still not quite what I had intended it to be. Turns out, the color depicted in the magazine was not true to the color in the can. We were able to take the paint back to the home improvement store and have the color darkened, but it's not the exact tone that I was going for. I'm happy with the result though. Mr. Maestro sanded the butcher block top and rubbed it with walnut oil - it sure does look pretty! We also changed out the casters on the bottom. They went from office furniture hum-drum to industrial chic {and they roll much better too!}.   It ties in well with my glass tile backsplash, brings a hint of vintage flavor to my kitchen, and most importantly, adds some much used storage space and an extra work surface!

Hooray for Free Stuff!

A Sad Day for Me, A Happy Day for My Dream-House

On my way home from work today, I got the hankering to drive by my dream house...

Last year, Mr. Maestro and I had our townhouse on the market. As you are all aware, the real-estate market hasn't exactly been stellar lately. We placed our house on the market because we are ready for a yard. We want to have a vegetable garden. We want more space to entertain. Don't get me wrong, we have loved living in our little townhouse - it has been perfect, but we're ready for something we can make a bit more personal. 

About this time last year (Valentine's weekend to be exact) we were driving through one of our favorite parts of Midtown Memphis and stumbled across this beauty:

 {Don't judge - you don't know her like I do!}

She needed me! She was built in 1912 and had only had TWO owners since she was "born." Yes, she needs a little TLC {ok, a lot - no central heat/air, knob and tube wiring, plaster repair, a KITCHEN}, but she was my dream.  

It has only been the last couple of years where I feel my style has truly developed. If you were to come to my house now, you still might not be able to pin-point it {I don't believe in getting rid of things simply because they are not my "style" - instead, I prefer to repurpose things and I can only repurpose so many things at one time!}. I think "Vintage Modern" is the closest I can come to defining it, but even then i'm not sure that's quite right. One thing I know for sure is that i LOVE old houses. I yearn to live in one. To give new life to one. Yes, I know they can be money pits. Yes, I know they make strange noises. Yes, I know they are not as energy efficient. I also know they have SO much character. There are stories that live in those walls! And, like they say, "they just don't make them like they used to."

{take a look at this incredible built in that resides in the butler's pantry - yes, the butler's pantry}

{Perhaps you would like a close-up? Look at that gorgeous beaded board!}

{Notice the detail on these bad boys - yes, working radiant heat}

 {No biggie, just a stunning green marble fireplace in one of the upstairs

 bedrooms [pay no attention to the floors]}

 {Hello, pedestal tub and vintage hex tile}

 {This small door leads to the fully lined cedar closet. 

My wool sweaters would have loved living there...}

 {Just some stained glass over the built-ins that flank the fireplace in the living room}

{again, these radiators are not messing around! They are also not really gold...}

{Family staircase from the living room + more stained glass}

{Beautiful front door and stained glass entry [not so beautiful mauve drapery]}

So why am I sad?

I'm sad because I drove by my dream house today and noticed that it had sold and renovations were underway. Renovations that I had planned. Renovations that I had researched. I was prepared. I subscribe to This Old House Magazine for crying out loud! 

Alas, it is a bittersweet day. "My" dream house has a new owner. It will no longer sit and wait for more stories to fill it's rooms. It won't deteriorate in loneliness any longer.

I'm happy she is getting the TLC she deserves. I hope she wasn't purchased by house flippers. I hope a lovely family purchased her because she was their dream home too. 

Everyone knows not to fall in love with a house until their current one has sold. EVERYONE knows this - but that doesn't make it easy! We're putting our house on the market again this spring and I vow not to fall in love until our house is sold...well, I'll try not to anyway. 

One day I hope to get that old money pit, inefficient, noisy house - and I know that I will love every minute of it if I do! 

Today I am sad.

Today I am happy.

Today I am probably going to order pizza for dinner due to my grief.

P.S. - I am opening up my blog for comments so that you can all console me in my grief :)  Actually, I am opening up my blog for comments, but it is at the request of others, so start commenting, y'all!

T-Shirt Transformation

OK, the title of this post is a little misleading. This is not ACTUALLY a T-Shirt transformation, it's more like a T-Shirt "fixin."

A few weeks ago a work colleague of mine presented me with one of her daughter's T-shirts. The shirt was special (she had gotten it on a trip to Auburn University) - which is why it needed to be fixed rather than be replaced. On the rear of the right sleeve was a large tear/hole. The mission {if I chose to accept}was to repair the hole in any way possible. My mission {that I chose to accept} was to repair the hole in a way that  would appear intentional. I didn't want anyone to know that this was  a repair job.

I started off planning to put a patch over the whole, but got stuck due to the location.  The tear is on the back side of the sleeve, so the patch would need to be quite large in order to be symmetrical.  I was NOT happy with this solution...so the shirt just sat and sat in my sewing room until the idea smacked me in the head this morning!

*DISCLAIMER: Please excuse my bad blogging etiquette. These pictures were taken at night using the camera in my phone. *

Here is the T-Shirt and hole {I have already patched the hole in this picture - to keep the tear from worsening.}

I cut the sleeves off an old orange T-shirt and made a band for each sleeve. I made sure the band was wide enough to cover the hole. I put a tiny hem in each side of the band {just so there were no raw edges} and then zig-zagged the band on -- to give the shirt a "jersey" look.

Here is the finished product {the bands are actually the orange color in the above photo - not whatever strange cantaloupe color is seen below}.

Here it is showing the Auburn logo on the front.

I'm ashamed to say how long it took me to come up with this simple solution for this little issue, but i'm glad to have the problem fixed so that I can return this T-shirt to it's rightful owner! I sure hope she's satisfied!

Weekend Update {In Pictures}

As this long weekend draws to a close {I was off for President's Day - for those of you who had to work, I'm sorry!}, I find myself thankful for many things.

Of those things, these three are at the top of my list:

•  I am thankful for parents who are willing to use their long weekend to come to my house and work their fingers to the bone THE WHOLE WEEKEND
• I am thankful for a husband who is supportive of my creative outlet - even when that means our home is disheveled for a few days while I create
•  I am thankful for friends who are understanding of my {crafty} addiction and do not let my "flaking out" on things get in the way of our friendship

And now, a visual recap of my weekend:

Although the plan was to wake up bright and early to get started with the slip covering process on Saturday morning, a different project took precedence...

"What is that thing?" you might ask....well, that "Thing" is a little gifty for a sweet little cousin's 1st birthday! This little ballerina is sporting tie-on toe shoes, a removable tu-tu and a fancy hair piece (she is also wearing false eyelashes). Her "hands" velcro closed so she is great at practicing her ballet as well as giving hugs. Happy Birthday, sweet J!

After we got our creative juices flowing with the ballerina project, we then began the task of creating the slip covers. It started a little something like this...

Me: "What do we do first?"

Mom: "I don't know, let's just stare at the fabric for inspiration."

Ok, that's not exactly how it went. First we removed the cushions from the red couches. I guess I should show my "before picture".  Again, I should say that there is NOTHING WRONG with my current couches and ottoman - I am just tired of the red {it's pretty design limiting when the urge to change things hits}. 

Ok, so like I was saying, the first thing we did was remove the cushions from the cushion covers and then we used these covers as a base for our pattern for new covers.

Measure, measure, measure...

Sew...

Sew...

Sew...

{Dear Elna Sewing Machine Company, as you can see, we are an Elna family. You should give us some sort of prize. Thanks!}

The couch has three box cushions, the chair-and-a-half has one. Box cushions are NOT EASY! In addition to being hard to get lined up just so...they also require a TON of piping {in order to have that professional "finished" look}. To make piping, you need bias tape and cording. We purchased the cording and then made the bias tape. 

Measuring for the bias tape {bias tape is cut on the 45' angle} while mom removes a "learning opportunity" from a box cushion. 

Sewing the cording in the bias tape to make piping.

By Saturday night, we had what seemed like miles of piping made and had finished two cushions.  

Sunday was spent finishing the cushions. Don't they look great on the red frame? Perhaps I should just stop here... thoughts?

Once all the cushions were made, we started to make the rest of the slip cover. We saved this part of the project for last. Warning...neither of us has done this before. I started by using craft paper to make a pattern for the arms.

We added more piping to the arm pieces of the slip cover and then draped the rest of the couch frame with fabric and began to pin our seam lines. 

.

My old couch cushions were connected to the back of the couch. In this picture, you can see where we pinned the cushion covers down to the frame.

Once all the seams were pinned, we carefully removed the cover from the frame and sewed it together. 

This is not the final product {there is still a bit of hemming to do}... but it looks nearly complete! 

What do you think? Doesn't look like a slipcover, right? The beauty of this is that we can still use the pull out sofa beds in both couches, AND remove the cover for washing.  

I am loving it so far! 

Mom went home tonight and the couch is not yet complete - It still needs to be sewn. Also, I still have the ottoman to do. It's amazing how much time a project like this takes, but if you have the time and determination, it can certainly be a money saver. I tallied up the cost and at the end of the project, re- doing both couches and ottoman will have cost me $140 {including all material and notions - and YES I got a bargain on my upholstery fabric. Thanks, Sirs Fabric}.  To get one couch reupholstered {slip covers are MORE time consuming} it can cost between $1000 and $1500. Wow! 

Now that I have this more neutral palette in my living room, there are other changes in the works. 

Stay tuned!

P.S. - Like my pincushion at the top of the post? Another mini-project completed this weekend!

So far...

Just a quick update on the weekend project process. Mom and I are currently knee deep in zippers, piping, and material. So far, we have FINISHED all the cushions for the couch, and only one left on the chair and a half. We've only made a "few" mistakes so far {we prefer to view them as learning opportunities...}.

So far I. LOVE. IT. It is turning out far better than I even imagined- well maybe not {I have a pretty idealistic imagination}.

Pictures coming soon!

My Next Weekend Project

When Mr. Maestro and I tied the knot and moved to Memphis over 5 1/2 years ago {CRAZY!} we had not a stitch of furniture to our names. Knowing that we would be living in an apartment where painting was not allowed, we decided to introduce color into our home via furniture -- so we chose a big red sofa and a big red chair-and-a-half {with ottoman}. They have been GREAT pieces of furniture - both the sofa and chair-and-a-half fold out into beds and the ottoman opens up for storage. I think they are super comfy to sit in {or nap on}anyway. Blame it on my changing taste, but I'm tired of the red!

For Christmas this year, I asked Mr. Maestro for the $$ to purchase some upholstry fabric to slip-cover all three pieces and I asked my mom for the gift of her time and talent in aiding me in this endeavor. 

Here's the catch - I want to be able to use the pull-out beds and storage ottoman while leaving the slip covers in place.  I have an idea as to how this can be accomplished, but I'll leave that explanation 'till a later date {after I  know it works!}.

This is the weekend!!
I have a long weekend coming up so Mom (and Dad) are coming into town to help out! Yay!

Besides the cherry red furniture, here's what else I have to get this project started:

• 32 yards of a lovely "greige" upholstry fabric for the slip covers
• 10 yards of white 2" sew-on velcro {wondering how I'm going to use this? Stay tuned!}
• Thread

Here's what else I need:

• More thread
• 20 yards of 5/8 inch cording {so that I can make piping for trim}
• Patience!  I know this will be a challenging experiment!
• Scotch Guard {so that I can make my slip covers stain and water repellent}

We have no pattern, so Mom and I will be drafting a pattern as we go.  I have full faith that this will be a successful experiment, so don't worry - I plan to document the whole thing {including the mistakes, which I'm sure will be many...}and share it with you, dear reader, after completion!

I. CAN'T. WAIT!

Before and after pics coming soon!

Kitchen Hints - circa 1965

Last night, a dear friend of mine lent me a cook book she thought I would find interesting.  The best I can tell, this cook book was published in the 1960s. One of my favorite sections is titled "Kitchen Hints" and it lists dozens of not-so-common-sense tips to help solve some common cooking dilemmas.  Some of my favorites are the tips to "solve" kitchen mishaps that I never considered a mishap! I thought I'd share a few of these helpful tips with you today.

• To make a "perfect" meringue, use room-temperature egg whites and always spread on a hot filling
• When cutting a meringue-topped pie, using a greased knife will keep the meringue from tearing
• Using 8 inch cake pans instead of 9 inch pans will help cakes "look as thick as those advertised in cake ads"
• Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking stuffed green peppers
• Add one grated raw potato with each pound of ground meat for "luscious, juicy hamburger"
• To keep lettuce and celery fresh longer, keep stored in a paper bag instead of plastic
• Onions kept in the refrigerator will not have an odor and there will be no tears when cutting {definitely trying this! "no tears" seems to be a pretty big promise...}
• Notch edges of bacon before cooking to prevent curling {really? I thought bacon was supposed to curl!}
• To keep the yolk in the center of hard cooked eggs, stir eggs while they are cooking 
• Flouring raisins and nuts before adding to batter keeps them from sinking to the bottom
• Boiled over food in the oven or on the stove will not smoke or make an odor if covered with salt
• Sprinkle lemon juice over sliced bananas to keep them from turning black {this also works to keep apples, pears, and peaches from turning brown when sliced}
• When cooking strong-smelling vegetables like cabbage, brussel sprouts, or greens, place a cup of vinegar on the stove near the vegetable and it will absorb the odor
• Frost cupcakes by dipping the top into soft frosting, twirling slightly, and then quickly turning right side up
• Adding bread crumbs to scrambled eggs will improve the flavor and "make larger helpings possible"
• Rub melted butter down the back of a fish to be cooked and the bone can more easily be removed after cooking

Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope that you will take this day to enjoy and appreciate ALL of your valued relationships - not just the romantic ones.

Decadent Valentine's Day Dessert

This year, Mr. Maestro and I decided to stay in for V-day (and celebrate a couple days early) and cook a special meal together. We had a delicious meal, but the best part was dessert. DISCLAIMER - this is not a dietitian approved recipe.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

6 Tbsp butter
3 squares semi-sweet chocolate (cut into pieces)
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tbsp all purpose flour
Pinch salt
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat the inside of 4 ramekins with butter and then sprinkle with sugar.

Microwave butter and chocolate pieces on high for 45 seconds. Stir with whisk until smooth. Add in sugar, and flour - continue to whisk until blended. Next, beat in eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Evenly spoon into the four prepared ramekins. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to bake.

Bake for 13 minutes or until the edges are firm and the middle is still slightly soft. Be careful not to over bake. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen edges with knife and then unmold onto individual serving plates. Dust with powdered sugar.

This is yummy by itself or served with strawberries or raspberries. Mmmmmmm....delish!

Basic Ingredient Substitutions

Sorry, I couldn't think of a catchy name for today's post. I'll keep working on it.

Anyway, on with the show...

How many times have you come home from work with an idea of something you want to make for dinner only to discover {while furiously shuffling through your fridge or pantry, destroying any semblance of organization that ever existed} that you don't have one of the necessary ingredients? This is SO frustrating! Shamefully, dear reader,  my response is often to say "Fine! I didn't want to make ___ anyway! Humph!" {who, exactly, I'm sticking it to, is yet to be determined} The last thing I want to do is get back in the car and go to the grocery store...ugg.

Ingredient substitutions to the rescue!!

I thought I would share some of my favorite ingredient substitutions with you today, if that's alright.

If the recipe calls for:	Use:
1 tsp baking powder	1/2 tsp, baking soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 Tbsp cornstarch	2 Tbsp flour
2 egg yolks	1 whole egg
1 cup milk	1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water  or 1/3 cup powdered milk {fill with water to make 1 cup}
1 cup buttermilk	1 Tbsp or lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup {I use this every time I make buttermilk pancakes - I never have buttermilk on hand} or 1 cup plain yogurt {yes, yogurt!}
1 cup sour cream	7/8 cup buttermilk, or yogurt plus 3 Tbsp butter {for baking} or  cup plain yogurt {for casseroles, dressings, and desserts}
1 cup vegetable oil	1 cup applesauce {great way to reduce the fat in a recipe!}
1 cup sugar	3/4 cup honey, pure maple syrup, or molasses. Also, reduce liquid {milk or water usually} in the recipe by 1/4 cup, add 1/4 tsp baking soda and reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees. This may not yield perfect results in light/airy cakes, but usually works just fine in breads, cookies, and moist cakes.
1 cup margarine, butter, or shortening	7/8 cup oil {olive or canola}
1 square {1 oz} unsweetened coco	3 Tbsp cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp butter

Happy Friday Everyone!
                            
                          

Putting the FUN in FUNctional: baby gift set {part 2}

So today's half of this little set is a bit easier than yesterday - perhaps I should have started with this part...

Today we'll make a burp cloth that is made from a cloth diaper and has a band of material taken from the bandana we used  yesterday. Here is what the finished product will look like:

First things first. Press your cloth diaper. Now, cut a strip of fabric that is about 4 inches wide and about 2 inches longer than your diaper.  With RIGHT sides together, pin the edge of the fabric that will serve as the TOP of the band about 1.5 inches up from the edge of the diaper.

Stitch the fabric together, making sure that none of the design of the fabric that you want to show is in the seam line.  I used about a 1/3 inch seam allowance here {I just lined up the outside edge of my bandana fabric with the edge of my pressor foot}.

Turn the seam over, and press flat.

Now, flip the diaper over and press the other edge of the bandana under 1/4 inch. 

Now fold the edges of the bandana over the edge of the cloth diaper.

Finally, fold the bottom end of the bandana up over the edge of the diaper and pin in place. You can see how the edges remain folded in. This is a little bit like wrapping a present. 

Pin across the remaining edge

Now topstitch along the edge of the bandana - 1/4 seam.  That's it! I personalized mine with an initial.

What do you think?