Friday, July 31, 2009

Everyone loves a before and after

Whether it be a dramatic body before and after photo or a little less exciting home improvement before and after, who doesn't love seeing changes? And hopefully changes for the better?? It's like getting to take both roads in your journey and not just one with befores and afters. Think about it. We could have kept this kitchen as is and be pretty darn content with it, or we could change it up and see how it can change our lives. And let me tell you, my life is SO MUCH better now. My house is so pleased to experience a little plastic surgery. I am so much happier I now walk with a bounce in my step. My kids are singing all day and never a sassy mouth doth spout.

BEFORE
(so brown and sad)


AFTER
(light, airy and bubbly)

(our painted and glazed island)
You could call us lazy painters but I just call us smart and not wasting time with unimportant roadblocks. Here's the thing- we removed the hardware but didn't remove the cabinets, didn't take out the drawers or the stuff in them ( just threw a newspaper page on them if we remembered), didn't sand (but primed with Valspar sander primer) and about 16 hours and three coats we finished. How great is that? I know some people think it's sacrilegious to paint over wood, but we didn't burn it or anything. It's still in our kitchen, just covered with a nice coat of paint to keep it toasty.

Di, Ani and Is
Moving on.... summer has flown by with its softball, swim lessons, 4th and 24th celebrations, parades, family reunion, and good times of that sort. It has been great to have my sister Diana and her family come down for their yearly visit from NJ. We braved the stinky and algae-ful Salem Pond water last week (how did I ever swim in that pond?!) and enjoyed a little paddle-boat ride. This is a beautiful place though. I am always in awe.


16 comments:

Daralyn said...

Your kitchen is stunning!. I am just not that gutsy. Nice clogs by the way...

stephanie said...

It looks really nice! Now I wish I would have done a before and after for my kitchen table. Even though I just purchased a new one. I didn't spend hours painting. Way to go!

Jen said...

I am truly inspired! I have been wanting new cabinets for quite awhile, but I am going to show this to Jeff and talk him into this route instead.
VERY NICE!!! You two are so talented - it turned out beautiful!

Melissa Rees said...

Geesh I thought you were gone for good! I was getting worried. Your kithchen is stunning! How brave of you to take that on. I'm pretty sure any projects I do don't turn out that good!

Maria said...

Wow, you're kitchen looks amazing before and after! What a fun project. So good to see a pic of Diana. Hope she's doing well.

Megz said...

I have never seen such a sad, brown kitchen before! Good work on the happy kitchen.
Salem pond has never looked more green. It needs a makeover too.

Karen said...

Love the new kitchen! I wish I was so ambitious! Great job!!!

TisforTonya said...

the kitchen looks awesome... the algae... not so much!

LC said...

Holy Guacamole!! I LOOOOVE it! It's so fresh, fun, and cheery.
Wow, you really get things done over there! Good job.

rut said...

I didn't believe. Now, I believe.

Liz said...

Are you KIDDING ME?????? I have been wanting to do that for ever and EVER because to be truly honest, I hate our kitchen cabinets... in fact, when we first did the walk through in our home, my first words were... "ugh, nice cabinets!" Anyway, I've never DARED paint the kitchen cabinets because I thought they would turn out terrible... but you have just proved me wrong! Maybe I could convince you {with some begging and pleading} to come and teach me how to do this! It could be another project to keep me busy while the kids are in school! Wow... Wow... Wow! You are an amazing woman, you know that right???

Jenny, Arturo, y Dalia said...

Wow! It looks beautiful. It makes me want to cook. :)
Congrats on your new stylish Kitchen.

Hayley said...

Oooo la, la! love it! I love what some elbow grease and a nice coat of paint can do. I also love how you kept some of the doors off your cabinets!

Kelly said...

It looks fabulous -- I love how clean the white looks against the wall color. And yes, the open shelves are very sassy too. Congratulations to you and Russell on a job well done! :o)

Jennifer said...

Bee-u-tiful!! I 2nd Liz do you offer classes? You guys have been working up a storm this summer!

Diana said...

Now I know I SHOULD have stopped by to see the paint job on the way to the airport. It looks so airy and refreshing. But what about in the winter? Then you might want brown and cozy again... And thanks for featuring me on your blog---next time tell me when you're taking a picture so I can close my mouth!