Our Kitchen Renovation

Today I am finally sharing our new and improved kitchen.  First, you have to see the before pics to really understand where we are now.  I think I mentioned earlier that we fell in love with the location of our house.  The inside of the house left a lot to be desired.  You will see that the kitchen was just..... ugh!!  My husband just couldn't believe I truly wanted this house!!  I was willing to overlook a less than perfect house to be in a wonderful neighborhood, across the street from my father and around the corner from my sister.

Back to the kitchen.  It was a bright yellow with stark white cabinets, outdated fixtures, tile counter tops and dated black appliances.  The bar was the same height as the counter - too low for eating.  To put it bluntly, it was just not pretty!!  While we chose not to rip out all of the cabinets and start over, we did modify them to make them more interesting.  We added height to the area above the sink with an additional cabinet for increased storage.  We also removed the microwave and installed a vent hood.  There were six small drawers to the left of the stove.  It looked too cluttered to me, so we switched that out for a new cabinet that has three large drawers.  We had to modify this section anyway to fit our refrigerator. We also added a raised bar area to accommodate the bar stools we already had.

These are a couple of before pics: Needless to say, the light fixture and ceiling fan are long gone!

This view was looking from the dining area into the kitchen. I am so happy it no longer looks like this! 

I wish I had a picture of us tearing out the counter tops and back splash!  I never realized using a sledge hammer and a crow bar could be so fun!  It was a mess, but very satisfying!!

I am so happy with the way it turned out!  We painted the cabinets Dover White by Sherwin Williams. The walls are Ecru, also by SW. I would love to have switched out the upper cabinet doors to a much simpler style, but it just wasn't in the budget at this time. We changed all of the hardware to oil rubbed bronze for a warmer look.  The new drawer pulls add visual interest.  Previously, there were knobs on everything.  It looked too busy!! We added a new section of cabinets above the sink.  It is a perfect area for storing my cookbooks and serving pieces that are not used daily.   It is so much prettier than the open area in the "before" picture.

The counter tops are St. Cecilia granite.  My husband and I had a huge debate about the counter tops.  At first I wanted Cararra marble, but I honestly didn't think it was practical for us.  I really fell in love with Colonial Creme granite.  I saw it in a home in Delta magazine, and I thought it would be perfect.  However, Jon reminded me that over the last several years, when we looked at granite I always gravitated toward St. Cecilia....true!  The Colonial Cream is beautiful though - in a totally different way than St. Cecilia.  It is much lighter and "creamier". Jon felt, and I finally agreed with him, that the St. Cecilia would be warmer - especially when paired with the backsplash tile - than the Colonial Cream.  Plus, the Colonial Cream was much more expensive!!  In the end,  I am so happy with our choice! It think it is beautiful.  I love the thicker slab and the rounded corners!   

With the exception of the refrigerator, all of the appliances were replaced.  Although I really wanted double ovens, it just wasn't feasible, however, we did get a gas range and and a new hood.  I love them!   All appliances are Kitchen Aid (to match the refrigerator - yes, we are OCD like that!)  The lower cabinets to the left of the stove are new.   Wide, deep drawers are so much more functional than the six small drawers that were there previously.   

I love having the microwave tucked into what would have been a crowded little corner.  The microwave fits perfectly!  I am so glad we opted to have a true vented hood instead of the microwave over the gas range.  The area above the range hood was built to cover the exhaust.  Plus, it breaks up all the cabinets that were the exact same height.  The top of the cabinets provides a wonderful place for me to display some of my Longaberger basket collection. We also added additional molding under the existing crown molding.  The increased width adds much needed character to the room.

We opted for a porcelain tile with a crackled finish for the back splash. The tiles are by Walker Zanger - the Tuileries Collection - color Breton Beige. This was a hard choice too!  Our first purchase came in and it did not go well with the granite at all.  We ended up sending it back and going to different store and working with a designer who helped us pick out  something that went beautifully with the granite. I love the herringbone pattern we chose for the area behind the sink. It is such a pretty focal point.

We added bead board to the pack of the raised bar area.  It is the perfect place for a quick snack or for Seth to do his homework. 

This is the view looking from the bar area into the kitchen.  The two areas of glass front cabinets allow my collection of Ironstone to be displayed. Our everyday dishes are on the left of the sink.  They add a cheerful pop of color to the kitchen. We also added under-cabinet lighting throughout the kitchen to help "show off" the beautiful subway tile and the items being displayed on the counters.

A collection of Etta B pottery plates and bowls complement the color of the counter tops and back splash.  A vintage scale that my husband gave me for Christmas one year adds charm and is perfect for holding fruit.  

 Simple, clear canisters keep necessities close at hand. 

A small "Happy Everything" cookie jar is the perfect size for keeping utensils handy for cooking. 

So, there you have it!  Our "after" kitchen!!  We are very pleased with the results. It is functional, pretty, and practical. We put a lot of thought into where we could splurge and where we needed to rein in our "wants" - thus the absence of the Carrara marble,a farm sink, and double ovens.  I believe that by choosing classic materials with a timeless color scheme,we will be happy with our kitchen for years to come! 

Thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss! 

Lisa

Today I am participating in the following parties:  

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm 

Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings 

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House 

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style 

Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace 

Share Your Style Blog Party @ Dixie Delights 

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life 

The Scoop @ Stone Gable 

A Glimpse of Christmas!

I feel like I should begin this post with, "Rain, rain, go away!".  It seems like it has been raining for the last week!  It has literally rained all day today.  Hmmm.... this is not Christmas weather!  Where are the chilly temps and frosty mornings?  It has been so dreary that I have not been able to take pics of our home decorated for Christmas.  It is hard to get pretty photos when it is dark and gloomy!  However, I have been listening to Christmas music, wrapping presents, cooking and preparing for Christmas!  It is the first time in my life (yes, my entire life!) that I have been home for Christmas.  As a child we always traveled to see relatives.  As an adult, both before I was married, and after I married Jon and we had Seth, we traveled to my parents (and then to visit our extended family.  Christmas was spent on the road!  This  year, since we moved back to Mississippi (and we live across the street from my father (aka "Papa"), we will be HOME for the holidays.  Seth will see what Santa brings in our very own house.  We are so happy and excited for our first Christmas in our forever home!  This made decorating extra special!  

 Welcome to our home! I wish you could come inside for a cup of coffee so we could chat! 

A close up of the swags.  I love the touches of burlap and rustic elements.

   All of the windows have festive wreaths that match the swags on the front doors. (I am not sure the bows will last another year with all of the rain we have had lately.)

Our new foyer is small, but we found the perfect cabinet to fit the space.  My mother's poinsettia pictures - there is another one on the other side -  look wonderful in this spot. I filled the lamp with simple red and silver ornaments.

 This is an original painting by Ashley Anthony.  She is an amazing artist!  I hired her years ago as a first year teacher when I was a principal.  I knew then she was special.  I will post a link to her page.

  In our new home we do not have a fireplace.  But, our new cabinet that holds the tv is doing just fine!  I don't think Santa will have a problem.

 

I did our "natural" tree this year.  I felt like we needed a pop of color though so I chose traditional red and green for all of our wrapping paper. 

 Sweet little deer.

 Another piece by Ashley Anthony.  All proceeds from the ornaments supported mission work in Chile.  They were all named after children in Chile.  This is Esmeralda.  Precious!

 The display cabinet is ready for the holidays.  I was so worried when we began decorating for Christmas that we wouldn't have room for the nativity scene.  It has always gone on the large table in our foyer (that pieces now lives in my sister's home.)  Jon thought it would fit nicely on top of this piece.  It does indeed!

These snowmen have been in my office for years; however, since I am now retired, they are now at home again.  They are vintage and so sweet.  (They are vintage because we had them when I was a little girl - I think that qualifies! :-)

 I like to keep it really simple in the kitchen.  With all of the cooking going on, I don't like the kitchen to feel cluttered.  I am using a small "Happy Everything" cookie jar to hold my utensils. I found it on sale when we went to the mountains for Thanksgiving.  Love it!

 A lantern filled with ornaments and topped with a pretty bow are the perfect centerpiece.

The table is ready for Christmas dinner!

This small tree holds my collection of Radko ornaments.  The "tree skirt" is a runner that was quilted by my precious grandmother many years ago.  

 A happy Santa is this year's addition to my Radko collection. 

 

I love pulling out this stocking each year.  I bought it for myself at a flea market my first year of teaching.  It was vintage then!  

Thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss and seeing a bit of our home dressed for the holidays!

This week I am joining the following: 

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm  

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style 

Happy Thanksgiving from Buttercup Bliss!

 Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  Seth is out of school so we are ready for a fun-filled week.  We will not be home for Thanksgiving this year because we are going to the mountains.  Yippee!! We are so excited!!  I have not planned a Thanksgiving tablescape this year since we will be enjoying the holiday in a wonderful chalet; however, I thought I would share a few of my Thanksgiving tables from previous years.  

 

 We were in our "old, old" house this year.  We have moved twice since then, hence as Seth says, the "old, old" house. I loved this formal dining room.We no longer have a formal dining room, and while we didn't eat there very often, I loved having a special room in which to eat on holidays.

This was the year I discovered Plush Pumpkins.   I love them and have quite a collection now.

This was the year we moved to our smaller house.  We had only one dining area so we kept our large round table that had previously been in our breakfast room.  It is still perfect for our family. I loved this simple centerpiece. I prefer tablescapes that aren't too fussy. 

 My everyday Longaberger dishes in various colors work perfectly with the accent salad plate and charger that I found at Walmart.  The fall colored placemats and napkin rings were from Dillards.  I love the rich, warm colors.  

This was two years ago.   I used my Wedgefood Strawberry and Vine as the main dishes.  I added the Spode Woodland salad plate.  I love any occasion to pull out my silver.  I know it is silly, but my mom started my collection of Gorham Buttercup, so I love using it.  They remind me of her so much!

Finally, this was last year.  Very simple.  I have added to my collection of Spode Woodland plates.  I love the elk.  I also have a quail, and a hunting dog, in addition to the turkeys. I don't want an entire set, but the salad plates are just the perfect touch for Thanksgiving.

I hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am always so thankful for my blessings, but this year has been so wonderful for our family.  I am blessed to be back 'home".  God is so good!!! 

 Thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss,

Lisa

Our New Home Tour Begins ~ Welcome to our Home Office

 I am so excited to begin sharing our new home with you.  Welcome to my home office.  It is the first room that you see when you enter our really tiny, small foyer.  Since I now work from home, it was important to me that the office be a warm, cozy space.  I think is just that - I love working here each day!  The commute is non-existent and make up is optional.  Can you say perfect?  The former owner used this a small den for her teenage daughters.  It is the only room that I don't have a "before" picture of to share with you.  We painted it a warm "browny-green" by Sherwin-Williams.  I will share the exact name as soon as possible.

  

We looked and looked for the perfect desk.  I think this one fits the room just perfectly!  The rug from the breakfast room in our previous home looks right at home here!  While redoing the house, we had all of the concrete floors cleaned, buffed and resealed.  (That was not something we took on ourselves.  Since the expense of adding hardwood throughout the house was not in the budget, we wanted the concrete to be done by a professional.)

  

These bookshelves were used in the den in our old home.  In our new home we have one great room so these were put to use in my office.  I love displaying some of my favorite books.  Two baskets keep needed binders handy. 

 

We used the chair from our former sitting room.  It is so comfortable!  The sunny spot by the front window is a wonderful place to read.  My treasured dog painting looks so at home here.  I fell in love with him last winter when I saw him at Antiques at the Loop.  He was a Valentine surprise from my husband.  He makes me so happy!  My diplomas have always hung in my office at work. I was excited to hang them in my new office.

I really love him!  He is so beautiful!  

 

I loved being able to reuse items I have had for years.  The lamp and the large candlesticks (in one of the pictures above) were used in the foyer in our previous home.  The McCarty bunnies used to grace our mantle.  When we moved, we chose our home for its perfect location; however, the home is smaller.  We don't have a formal dining room or a large foyer.  Thankfully,  most of my cherished pieces have found new homes in our "forever" home. 

This is the view from my kitchen.  It is not a huge space, but everything fits perfectly!  The wooden shutters were a splurge for us.  The previous owner had  blinds in all of the windows.  It really bugged my husband and me that the arch wasn't covered in the blinds.  We had these wonderful shutters installed in all of the rooms on the front of the house.  I would love to have them in every window, but that is a long term goal.  

 

I have to admit, as much as I love this office, it is hard to work with these two cuties sitting by me all day! 

So there you have it, our home office. I look forward to sharing the rest of our home with you.  

Thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss!

Lisa

This week I am joining the following parties:

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm 

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House 

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style

A New Look and a New Fur Baby!

Such a happy day!

Tada!  My blog has a new look! I am so excited that it has been updated!  I am thrilled with the new look!!  Since I retired I really hope to be able to blog more.  And since we have completed the house renovations I will have a lot to share.  It seemed that my blog should be refreshed as well.  I had no idea where to turn.  I googled blog designs and found a few sites that I thought would be helpful.  I wasn't sure if I needed a total custom blog design. Although I liked the idea of something custom, I didn't feel like I could justify the expense of that since I am not a full time blogger.  I wanted a simple design that had some of the features of some of my favorite blogs.  Lucky for me, I found Blogaholic Designs.  They offer free templates, templates in a variety of price points, and custom designs.  Most of the options are "downloadable"; however, they do offer some pre-made templates that they will install for you.  You can also purchase "add-ons".  I decided to go with a pre-made template. I knew I would be frustrated trying to complete the process myself.  I had it installed and modified a bit so it is what I wanted.  I highly recommend Emily at Blogaholic Designs. She has been a delight to work with. We emailed back and forth quite a bit and my "goofy" questions never bothered her at all!!  I really love the finished product. You can visit their website here: Blogaholic Designs. 

And.... introducing Oliver - aka Ollie!  Our sweet male Cavalier, Bentley, passed away in May.  We were heartbroken.  Once we were in our new home, I wanted to get a new furry friend for Clarabel.  Jon wasn't sure about taking on a puppy since we had just had all of the floors refinished.  While looking (Seth says I stalk her FB page :-) at a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeder's website one day, I saw this precious boy who was looking for a forever home.  He is a retired show dog and stud.  I called her and we talked a couple of time and decided we were a fit for each other.  We traveled to Birmingham this past weekend to meet our new friend.  He is such a joy!!! We are completely smitten with him.   His personality is so precious.  He is a blenheim Cavalier, just like Bentley; however, their personalities are so different.  Bentley was an "old soul" even as a young dog. We always called him our little old man.  Ollie is six years old, but he is so playful and "puppyish".  Clarabel loves him too!!  Cavaliers are truly a wonderful breed. 

 

Sweet Ollie

Come back soon to see pictures from our new home!  

As always, thanks for visiting Buttercup Bliss. 

Lisa