New Kitchen Island

Long story short…I have a brand new kitchen island and it was FREE!

Here is the skinny on how I scored it….
I know you are wondering why I needed one since we just moved into a new house.  The house did not come with an island but the builder staged it with one and he let us continue to borrow.  We really didn’t want to spend a lot of money and had found an acceptable one at Target for $250 but we were not 100% sold.  We really wanted a furniture look so I started the hunt on Craigslist for a furniture piece to redo and found the perfect piece for $50….it was an old dresser/sideboard that had character and we would only need to find a top for it and paint.  I called, and the lady had just sold it with in the hour!! Disappointed but back to the hunt.  
We knew the builder was wanting his back and we need to find something and soon.  I was talking to one of my customers that does kitchen remodels and also sales cabinets, asking  if he had any less expensive options. He said sure and it won’t cost you anything.  I was like, for FREE??? He confirmed and I still could not believe.  Even free I can be picky so I wanted to know what it looked like.  He had a picture and a drawer but otherwise I really didn’t know what the exact size was or what it looked like but told him I wanted it.  We picked it up a few days later sight unseen and I was so surprised.  I begged asked him quietly to let me pay him something, but he refused. 
We totally scored!!  This is a super high end cabinet line, furniture like piece with a granite, yes I said GRANITE top!!
I love it in our kitchen.  It is a little smaller that what we had in here, but it fits the kitchen much better.  
This is what it looked like when we picked it up…not bad at all!
  















This was actually a piece that connected to other cabinets so the end cap had to be fixed. Will helped me out with this and he said it was pretty easy to fix.  I knew I’d be painting so it didn’t matter.



I am so happy with it.  I probably would not have chosen this color granite but it works well in our kitchen and after painting the piece in Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint, color French Grey and finished with clear wax it really made it pop.   We also added a pull and I thought this one was really fitting because it had a similar pattern to the drawer.

Now I have a nice wide drawer for my silverware and knives.  I still cannot believe this island was free!  I usually don’t have such luck.  The only thing I bought was the $3.48 pull.  I already had the paint and wax and it didn’t take much to cover this because it was in such good condition. 
 

What do you think?
p.s. I also had awesome luck at Goodwill the same day I picked this up…stay tuned for those neat finds….or start following me on Instagram to see sneak peaks.  (name is aprilletchworth)


April


Linking to:
                          

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   Jennifer Rizzo

                                                                          

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Sizzle into Summer Party

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Pinterest Challenge-Summer Edition

Hi Everyone!  I am joining in on the fun with the Pinterest Challenge tomorrow July 10th.  Be sure to stop by and see Katie, Sherry, Kate, and Michelle’s blog to see all the other projects. 

This whole challenge really got me off my butt an into high gear this past weekend working on all kinds of things that I had been putting off!  Glad to have the energy to get going on some projects. 

I decided to take a neat little window frame that I had and use it as my artwork for my backsplash. 

I’ve had this little picture for a while now and I really liked the window frame idea, I just had no where to use it.  I am glad I held on to, it was perfect for this spot above the sink.  I needed something nice and neutral.  My Grandma picked this up at a yard sale for $2 and this is what it looked like before.

My Pinned inspiration came from this picture….

I don’t know where the original source is!!! It is not pulling one and I pinned it a long time ago.  This is the best link I could find…HERE.  But credit to whoever did this…I love it!

I totally love the idea of using this little frame this way in the future and I am thinking of a black and white photo of our chocolate lab, Abbie. I did not, however, want to use a picture of the dog in the kitchen and I really wanted something neutral since the house is on the market.  So I just took the picture out and left the glass.  It can be my imaginary window, that I really wish was there :)

I cleaned it up, sanded down the edges for the wood to pop out and boy was that NOT easy, factory finish on this bad boy.  I wanted to add a little color but not paint so I waxed the finish with Anne Sloan's Chalk Paint Wax but mixed Duck Egg Blue paint into the wax.  It was my first time adding color to the wax and it worked really nicely.

I am very pleased with the way this turned out.  It is in the perfect spot now. 

Hope you are all getting a chance to complete a few projects this Summer.  Don’t forget to check out all the websites above tomorrow July 10th for the Pinterest Challenge.

April

July 4th Fun!

Hope everyone has a a safe and wonderful 4th of July today celebrating America!  We had a little party last night and had lots of fun.  Fireworks, Food, and great Family & Friends.

I was so excited to entertain again I bought cheap tacky decorations to put up all over the house.

  

I made a corn dip and potato salad I have pinned on Pinterest….you’ll have to follow me to see :) They were both great.  And thanks to my Mom, Aunt, Mother in Law, and Sister in Law for the extra help with the food and Will for grilling hot dogs and hamburgers.  We ate well!

We had a wonderful Fireworks show thanks to the guys!

  

 

We only had one fire :( and we were very prepared for that.

Best Friends, my cousin Kayla (right) and here friend Brittany.  Loving the dyed t-shirts in red, white, & blue.

My cousin, Heather’s little girl, Emma.

Our friends, David & Maria’s son Parker

David, Wilder, Frankie, and Maria

Everyone have fun today and enjoy the day!

April 

Playing House

That is exactly what I feel like we are doing right now…playing house.  We have moved into our new home and it is what we hope to be very temporary.  The house is great but we are trying to sell this one and move on to the next all in effort to get our developed neighborhood built out.  Being a developer in the current economy has not been easy….especially a first time developer.  We are hopeful good things are to come and soon.  You can read about those adventures here and here.
I wanted to show you guys the progress.  It has been a whirlwind Spring but after our vacation we moved and we are now officially settled in.  I would do a lot more on the house if I knew we would be here long term but we are optimistic that it will sell soon.  Since my current decor is pretty basic I thought I’d show you photos and tell you what I would do if it were going to be mine long term.  I’ll add what I may do short term as well.  Please not in all cases I may hang a few pictures..it does still look a little blank. 
And please don’t judge these photos….not the best but this is the unofficial house tour :)

Living Room

If it were long term….
1) Fabric roman shades would look great. Maybe white with a color border in light blue.
2) Furniture-a white or light beige couch with two side chairs in a fun fabric.
Our short time frame….
Probably won’t change anything big in here unless we do purchase a new couch, which I’d love to do.

Kitchen & Breakfast Area

This ceiling is like WOW!
If it were long term…
1) A tile backsplash with a pretty design above the sink
2) A custom built island with lots of storage
3) Purchase a long runner for a rug
4) Add some cabinet organizers from the Container Store
Our short time frame….
1) Purchase a cheap island or furniture piece to re-do (the current island is borrowed from the builder).  I found an awesome one yesterday on Craigslist for $50 and when I called it had already sold :(

Breakfast Nook

If it were long term….
1) Roman shades to match the living room and nook
Our short time frame….
1) Nada :)

Dining Room

If it were long term…
1) Bamboo roman shades with long drapes
2) Purchase a buffet to refinish & create a bar area
3) Purchase a China Cabinet to refinish
4) Recover seat cushions to a more vibrant color
5) Replace the light fixture with something a bit more casual
6) A nice bright rug under the table
Our short time frame….
I may possibly paint the table at the window a white to match the chairs

Master Bedroom

If it were long term….
1) Curtains, Curtains, Curtains, most likely long  and the same color as the dark pillows
2) Purchase a bench for the foot of the bed with a fun fabric on top
Our short time frame….
I may still chunk out the money for curtains….trying to hold out
**Also, I just purchased the bedding and I love it.  The duvet is the vintage ticking stripe from Pottery Barn, this was a Christmas present and I am just now using.  Thanks Mama! The quilt and white shams came from JcPenny and the two darker pillows from TJ Maxx.  The little sailboats are from a Interiors Consignment shop  (more on that later).

Master Bath

 









If it were long term….
1) New towels and bath mats
2) Add fake built in shelves above the toilet (which you can’t see) for storage and decor.
Our short time frame….
Thinking about removing the towel rack and replacing it with hooks.  The rack is a bit high for me to reach and Will never hangs his towel right…can’t get over it :)
**The cat bowls and water fountain (yes I have diva’s) are not really where I would prefer but space is a bit limited.

Guest Bedroom

If it were long term….
1) Hang pictures
2) Do something fun in the little nook
Our short time frame….
Nada…well I may paint the chest

Guest Bedroom

If it were long term…
1) Change out the light fixture
2) Remove the towel bar and hang hooks on the opposite side and put a shelf up in the spot were the towel bar currently is
3) New shower curtain and bath mats
4) This is the cats litter room and if it were long term I would try and figure out a better solution, right now the litter boxes are in the tub
In our short time frame…
Add a toilet paper holder….oops, guess someone forgot that

Office/3rd Bedroom

Gotta love that cat :)
If it were long term…
1) New taller bookshelf or leaning bookshelves that are the same color as the desk.
2) A wall with map wallpaper and paint this room a different color
3) A storage/shelving system in the closet that can accommodate all office supplies & filing
In our short time frame..
Still debating hanging shelves

Loft/Bonus Room

If it were long term…
1) I would re-do this room completely! A sectional couch a must, a new TV stand, shelving for storage and decoration
In our short time frame…
We may move the treadmill out and re-arrange.
**this room would be a great playroom or office as well, but we would most likely use it as our main living area.

Well, what do you think?  Any other suggestions?
Hope you are all keeping cool in this insane heat!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
April