Kitchen Makeover Part 1

Okay, so a LOT of things have been going on in my household as of late! Springtime is always a busy time of year, with new projects, spring cleaning and of course oodles of yard work! A few months ago I started on what I thought was going to be a quick little kitchen makeover project... I admit, with three little boys in tow, no project is ever "quick" nor easy. So I'm sure I was being overly optimistic when I began this "quick" project.
My kitchen is on the small side, but it does face East, and I have a lot of windows on that side of the house, so in the morning I get a lot of very nice natural light. But by mid day my small kitchen was so dark it was cave-like. Seriously! Cooking dinner, for me, is depressing enough without the environment being dark and gloomy to boot! I had originally wanted to do some major renovations, but seeing that we didn't have the budget for much, I had to find other means of making over my kitchen. Here is the before shot...

I know... nothing special, builder grade cabinets, hollow core wood veneer cabinet doors and drawers, laminate countertops... ugh!
I had some primer and white paint left over from my little bathroom makeover so I set to work on painting the cabinets. Boy, what a job that was!! Don't let anyone fool you, painting kitchen cabinets is A LOT OF WORK!!!! After about 4 weeks I think I finally got the majority of my cabinets painted and primed!

This was midway through the painting, even at this stage, it was amazing how much brighter and lighter the kitchen became!
Did I mention my cabinets were base grade builder cabinets??? And did I also mention that when they laid out the kitchen cabinets they put cabinets that were meant to run up against other cabinets or walls and used them as end cabinets?? So I had plain 1/8" wood finishing off my end cabinets. Unbelievable! Not only did it look odd, but one chair falling against it, pushed by one little boy, was enough to break a nice 2 inch section of the thin wood. It was harder to notice the break in the wood when the cabinets were dark, but once they were nice and bright and white, the break was very obvious!
I had a few pieces of bead board left over from my bathroom project and so I decided that I'd install beadboard on the sides of my cabinets. I'm SO GLAD I did! What a difference!

I think the cabinets actually look finished now. And the best part... it was cheap! $20 to install beadboard to the sides and back of 3 cabinets!
Stay tuned!! Tomorrow I'll share my Mother's Day present and the rest of the kitchen makeover!!
Blessedness!
Linda

A New Perspective

Four years ago today my husband received a life saving kidney transplant. It was his second transplant in 9 months. The first of which only lasted about 24 hours before his body rejected it and it had to be removed 5 days later. So much has happened in these past four years. A lot of ups and downs, and struggles as we adjusted to life post-transplant. Somedays I find it hard to believe that it's really been four years! God in His mercy and kindness has proven His sovereignty over and over again in and through our circumstance. There was a time that I considered my husband's kidney failure and kidney disease to be the worse thing that could ever happen to our young family. Today I see it as possibly the biggest blessing of our lives. God is good, and He has shown us undeserved mercy and grace. Whether we are blessed with another four years, or forty, each day is a gift, that grows sweeter with time. It was God in His sovereignty that has placed me upon this earth at this time, in this marriage to my Mr. A Garden of Roses, and I know that my life is a tool in the hand of the Redeemer for the glory of Christ and His gospel.
Blessings to you on this day which the Lord has made!
Linda

New Fabrics have arrived!!

And are they ever gorgeous!! I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday morning when UPS knocked on my door and delivered two GIANT boxes full of beautiful new Durham Fabrics... fresh from Japan!! The fabrics were not actually supposed to arrive for a few weeks yet, so you can imagine my joy when I opened the boxes.
I love Durham fabrics... they are softly colored, laden with roses and are simple GORGEOUS!! I could hardly wait to get them photographed so I could share with everyone! Needless to say, all else I had planned for Friday was put on hold and my fabric took center stage!
I'm slowly but surely getting them uploaded to my stores onetsy and ebay. I thought I'd post a few quick sneak peaks of the lovely new line!
Enjoy your weekend!!
Linda

New Fabrics On the Way!!

I thought I'd share a sneak peak of a few of the beautiful fabrics that are coming soon to my store!
Durham Anew is coming from Japan and should be available for purchase mid June 2010. The new line I think is simply gorgeous! Also coming is the new Mary Rose line called "Marianne", also being introduced this summer/fall is Mary Rose Premiere "Garden". These lovely prints are printed on jacquard fabric and are simply stunning! The french style toile from the Mary Rose Paris collection will also be back in production due to the overwhelming popularity of that print. So, for those that have been asking about that print, it will be here soon! :)
I also have a lot of new patterns that I will be listing in the next week or so. So many new things are coming in and I'm so excited about them all! Every time the Fed Ex or UPS comes to the door I'm tellin' ya... it feels like Christmas!! I feel very blessed to be able to do what I do. I've met some of the nicest ladies from all around the world! Sewers/quilters are just some of the NICEST people!!! :) Thank you to you all!!

Happy Monday

I just learned how to make these nifty collages, so I thought I'd share a few photos I took the other day as I wandered through my garden. We had very strong winds, heavy rain and even hail just a couple of days ago. My roses and iris were not too happy about the hail, and you can see the effects of the storm still on some of the blooms. Beautiful sun today however, so I shall enjoy my beautiful Monday! Hope you are enjoying yours as well!

Beautiful Boy...

The other morning we were busy getting ready to go out for the day. My two youngest sat by our vanity and watched as I fixed my hair. When I was finished, my little boys asked if they could fix their own hair. Of course, I said, "sure!" And I left them to gather shoes and socks and to begin preparing their breakfast. After about 10 minutes, my littlest who is 2 came running into the kitchen. In an excited little voice he yelled, "Mommy, I done!!" ~~~Wowzers! ~~~
He has beautiful hair with lots of natural curls and body. I'm still amazed how he managed to achieve this new "look" without any hair products... He certainly was pleased with himself. In between giggles, I heartily praised his efforts.
Little squirt! ;). May your day be blessed with sweet surprises!

New Durham Fabrics!!

I was so very happy to secure the last of the last of the Durham line of fabrics!! For those who may not have heard, the Durham fabric line is being completely retired, and in a few weeks a brand new Durham line will be announced. The president of Lecien assures me that it is a gorgeous new look, the prettiest ever... I am eager to see it!! But I do still love the softness, the romance of the old line, so I am a bit saddened to see it go. I am listing the last of the last of this line of fabrics in my stores on etsy and ebay. Blessing to you this day which the Lord has made!
-Linda