More Fluffing

I've been having fun fluffing around the house lately.

I made a few more changes to my kitchen hutch.  You can read about my "Southern" changes *here*.

This is what it looked like a week ago:

And now.

I kinda like it better this way....more stuff!

I switched out the tray on the bottom shelf and added these chargers instead.

And added some red dished from Walmart behind the little yardsale ones.

I like this look much better.

Would you agree that the kitchen is the heart of the home??

Little man agrees.

Have a fabulicious day!
xoxo,
Kim

Oooh La La!

I'm sharing a project I completed a couple of weeks ago.

I was inspired to paint this piece after seeing a post from Libby at Light of the Home.  She had a similar piece and we had the same idea - it looked too old fashioned for our tastes.  I loved the finished look of Libby's buffet so much that I got straight to work on my piece.  I say "piece" because I still don't know what the heck it is!

I trashed picked this a couple of years ago (you can read about that here),

and don't know what it was used for, and it now serves as a focal point in my Living Room.

Libby used A.S.C.P. in Louis Blue for her buffet.  I chose Paris Grey, since that's what I already had.
The walls in my LR are a pale yellow with blue accents throughout the room.

I added Old White on the drawer fronts and on some of the detail.

I'm certainly no expert, but I'm gonna share a couple tips here that some of you may find helpful.  These are just some things I learned through trial and error.

First, when distressing a piece using sandpaper, rather than randomly sanding all over, I only sand in corners, edges and over raised details.  In other words, I don't sand over the broad spaces, like the side or front panels.  I've found that it looks too forcefully distressed when I do this and I can better achieve a worn look by going over those spaces with stain.

And that leads to my second tip.  After experimenting with brown wax,  I've discovered that it's not nearly as forgiving as stain.  Brown wax dries way too quickly and is very hard to tone down, even by applying a clear wax.  I usually use Minwax Dark Walnut for all of my staining and it is so easy to work with.  After letting the paint dry completely, I apply the stain with a sponge brush and wipe off with a dry cloth.  If it looks too dark, the clear wax will tone it down quite a bit.

I've also learned that the longer I let the stain dry, the less will come off during the waxing process.  If you wax right away, you will remove most of the stain.  So it just depends on what look you are going for.  The great news is, everything is fixable!

I added crystal knobs from Hobby Lobby.

I love how it turned out.  There is so much detail on this beautiful piece.  I love how the stain works its way into the crevices.  So pretty!

I also scored this new rug for $40 on Craig's List.  The previous rug had too much yellow and a hint of orange in it.  This one coordinates perfectly with my new Frenchy painted piece.

It was still rolled up and in the plastic!  It looks spotty in the pic, but it's brand-spankin' new!!

I also replaced the pillows on the sofa.

Got them at Tuesday Morning for $12.

I'll be moving the coffee table from the family room in here in the next few days.

Here's a sneak peak at my latest project.

Hope you are having a fabulicious week!
xoxo,
Kim

Goin' Southern!

Hey Y'All!   Every once in a while I like to embarrass my kids by pulling up to the drive thru and ordering in a different accent.  My little one gets a kick out of it, the teenager, not so much.  I've done it enough that I've perfected my Southern accent - a la Paula Deen.  LOVE her!  I just love how she adds "Y'all" after every other word.

Another thing I love about Paula is her decorating style.  Most people probably refer to it as French Country, but I like to call it Southern, because that's where I've seen it most often in blogland.  My Southern girlfriends have a certain panache for decorating.  Lot's of "stuff" in every nook and cranny.  Good stuff, like roosters, tassels, rooster tassels, gorgeous patterned fabrics, fabrics with roosters, lamps, rooster lamps, well you get the picture (y'all).  In fact, I love Southern decorating so much, that I've tried to implement more of it into my own home.  So butter my butt and call me a biscuit, cause here we go!

My kitchen is where I've gone Southern the most (y'all).  I watch Paula's Home Cookin' all the time and I love how she's always switching out the vignettes around the kitchen.  So pretty!

Here's how my kitchen hutch looked before it went all Southern-like:

Not so bad, but I like it better now (y'all).

I added lots more goodies!

Lots a color!

This sweet little rooster was $2 at a yard sale and I added some stain to darken it a little bit (y'all).

The pretty floral dishes add a splash of color too.  They were from a yardsale I stumbled upon on my way to Walmart last week.  They were $1 for both!

The candle was also $1 at a church flea market.  All of the flatware I got at various yardsales.  They got too heavy for the drawer so I put them here.  The cute reed diffuser was from Walmart a few years ago.

I love this tray from Marshalls.  The sugar and creamer are from Home Interiors and I added a napkin from Bed, Bath and Beyond for an additional pop of color.  Glasses are from Sam's Club.

Another rooster!  This one I got at Ross for $12.99.  The tart warmer is a recent Walmart purchase and I can't tell you how many people comment on the scent this thing puts out.  Right now I've got Ginger Spice warming in there.  Yumm!

I love these ceramic jugs from Michaels.

Up on top is my fave frame from Kristen's Creations.  The colors go perfectly with the rest of the hutch.

Some lemons and limes add more color in this vase from Walmart.

Here's another look at the hutch:

I spy a rooster tassel (y'all)!

On my new favorite little table.

I just picked up this American Family scale for $21 at a thrift store in PA a few weeks ago.  I just love it!

It's more than I would normally spend, but I love how it blends in with the rest of the decor in this part of the kitchen.

This wicker bottle was $2 at a yard sale and I added some Dark Walnut stain to make it a little bit darker.
I've been going crazy with the stain lately.

Also added it to this wicker oil dispenser on the other side of the stove.

I found this rooster print at Tuesday Morning recently and had to have it!

It sits on top of my pantry door.

And what's a Southern kitchen without a little greenery?

These prints were on clearance from Kirklands several years ago and they sat on the Island of Misfit Decor until I sprung them a few weeks ago.

Aren't they sweet (y'all)?

I love the scrollies on the wooden frames.  They are on the wall between the kitchen and the foy-ay.

Well that's the end of the tour of my Southern kitchen here in New Jersey.  So how'd I do?  Did I add a little bit of Southern hospitality y'all?  Ya know, I do have family down in the South.  My mother's family has a gorgeous farm in Florida.

Well, have a great week and y'all come back now, ya here!

xoxo,
Kim