May Kitchen Update

We were on a roll, and then, spring happened.  Easter, good weather, a busy social calendar have all culminated in a halt to our progress.  I'm frustrated, because it has now been a year since we officially began this project, but I am still holding out hope that we can finish this project by the end of the summer. (Maybe a Labor Day celebration?)

What I have managed to do, is put hardware on the cabinets currently installed.

We selected handles that were similar in style to the hardware on the drawers of the island.  I like their modern simplicity.

I also marked where the open shelves will go:

(It's really difficult to tell from this photo, but the lines of my pencil are there!)

And I bought the materials to make said shelves.  I am still working up the courage to use the table saw to make my cuts.  Really, I need to just grow a pair and do it.

Meanwhile, we assembled and set out to install the pantry cabinet, and this is where we came to a halt, for the most part.  Originally, it was to go on the other side of the stove, but the thing is...it's just TOO BIG.  It's garish, and dominant; it fits, but just doesn't look right.  It doesn't work.

We tried putting it into another corner of the kitchen, and again, same problem:

It's an awesome cabinet, but just too huge!  It sticks out like a sore thumb.  I think it would work fine in another, much bigger kitchen.  But not ours.

So we have decided instead to invest in a lower cabinet next to the stove, and install more countertop.  This will be so much better; we'll still get storage, plus the extra bonus of more surface to work on.  We are also going to get an upper cabinet, and we might even just go ahead and install all upper cabinets for that side of the kitchen, and just have open shelving to the left of the sink. 

That's where we have been, stagnant, for several weeks now.  This coming week, however, I am determined to make more progress!!  

Let's Stencil

I've been gradually making updates to the craft room upstairs.

I painted this closet, along with the doors, white; the other night I added stencils to the inside of the closet to give it more character.  I love stenciling closets; it makes for such a nice surprise when you open the doors.  It takes a normally drab storage space and makes it pretty fab, if I do say so myself!

So I already started stenciling when I remembered to take a "before" picture, so this photo is sort-of before:

The closet used to be an almond color.  The doors also used to be a faux-wood.  Blech.  In addition to painting the closet and doors white, I added new hooks to the insides of the doors.  Then, stencil:

The stencil is a Chicago star!

I couldn't find anything like it on Etsy, so I decided to make it myself.  It was super easy.  I downloaded an image of the Chicago star from Google, then edited the image to the size I wanted, and printed it on paper.  I cut the star out, then used it as a template to trace onto a piece of plastic mylar that I bought off Amazon.  Finally, I used an exact-o knife to cut the star out of the mylar, and voila!  A stencil is born.  The only nerve-wracking part was cutting the star from the mylar, because I wanted to make sure my lines were straight.  As you can see from the result above, it turned out pretty darn good!

It's starting to get REAL!

Okay, I'm embarrassed, but I should be honest: it took me about 90 minutes to put this cabinet door on.

It was the first door to go on our cabinets, and as we know, Ikea provides only vague cartoons for instructions, so I was left to deciphering their drawings and searching for youtube videos or instructions on the internet to understand just how the heck the hinges are to be installed.  I was also watching House of Cards at the time, so there were periods when I stopped and stared at the ipad as some drama unfolded.  

Once I figured it out, however, the rest of the doors have been a piece of cake!  

We accomplished a lot in the last week.  Most of my time was spent staining, sealing and finishing the butcher block countertops.  Before and after staining:

I chose a stain that would nearly match the color of the wood on the island.  I used Miniwax Colonial Maple:

Nice, isn't it?  I only put one coat of stain on, because in my homework I learned the sealant and finisher would further alter the color of the wood.  I used Waterlox sealer and finisher; this was recommended to us by a fellow Ikea customer, and I am so glad we found out about it.  This stuff is worth every penny.  I followed a questionnaire on the Waterlox website to find out which products I should purchase, and then I ordered directly from the company. Waterlox is not really sold anywhere in the Chicagoland area--just a couple of spots that would have been a haul for us to get to, so it made sense to just order online.  

I ordered a quart of sealer and a quart of satin finisher, both of which are more than enough to cover the square footage required.  In fact, I have plenty left over to do more coats if needed in the future.  

In my research of this product, I learned that it is beneficial to use a c-clamp on the can of Waterlox sealer to keep the air out.  Oxygen coagulates the liquid, so after each use, tighten the c-clamp on the can to keep the air out.  This will ensure that you can of Waterlox lasts a very, very long time.  

Also, Waterlox recommends using lambswool for application, but I just used a cheap sponge brush; the sponge does not leave residue behind, and you want to try to avoid particles getting trapped on the surface if possible.  This will happen regardless, but the sponge helps and also you can dispose of the brush after each use.

I did two coats of sealer (allowing 24 hours or more in drying time between each coat, per instructions), and then one coat of the satin finish.  I did this to both the Ikea Butcher block countertops and the island top, and in the end they came very close to matching each other.  

 By the weekend, the countertops were ready, and my brother came and installed the pendant light over the (soon-to-be-installed) sink:

The next morning, Ryan and our super awesome friend Mike installed the sink, new faucet, and the new waste disposal!

Pardon the mess. :-)

Then, because I was now an expert in door hinges, I put the doors on the sink cabinet, and you guys, it's starting to look like a kitchen again!

Let's get a closer look at that faucet (I'm in love with it):

So this is the current state of our kitchen.  It's looking real good.  Everything is so nice, we are afraid to use it!

Next up:

• Install pantry and microwave cabinets
• Install cabinet hardware/handles
• Install microwave and new vent to outside
• Backsplash
• Open shelving
• Decorate/Finishing touches

The Big Kitchen Update

SO MANY PICTURES.

Where we last left off:

What followed:

So!  That's where we currently stand with our kitchen rehab.  Our apron sink from Ikea is flawed (we were disappointed to discover when we took it out of the box yesterday), so we have to exchange it.  We are making really good progress though, especially now that the countertops are in!  This week my homework is to sand, stain and seal the butcher block.  

We also got an island!

It's an old carpenter's workbench that I found in a fancy resale shop.  Normally their furniture is out of my budget, but I wandered in there one day on a whim with my mother, and she came across this piece, and it was SUPER affordable.  I couldn't believe it.  It's always when you're not looking for something that you find it!

We had a few bar stools that we got for $5 each at a rummage sale that fit perfectly along the island, so I set about reupholstering them:

Not bad, eh?

So colorful.

Hello Again

I've been gone from this blog for a while.  A few reasons why:

Our dog, Rocko, passed away on August 28th.  He got very sick, very quickly, and only option for treatment was one we felt very strongly would not amount to good quality of life for him.  It was a very difficult decision, but we have never doubted we did the wrong thing.  He lived a good life with us, and he left us peacefully at home.  We miss him.

Our car was broken into, and my bag stolen with a journal in it that I had been keeping for two years.  So, that sucked.

The holidays happened.

We were very surprised to find ourselves the adopted parents of a new dog, Spencer:

He came into our lives as a foster, and never left.  He is a sweet little buddy, and we are lucky to have him.

We got a little stalled on home projects, primarily the kitchen, but in the last few weeks we have accelerated and progress has been swift.  Full updates to follow!