A Decision has Been Made!

Hey! Just a quick post to let you know that the backsplash has been purchased and we are going to install it tonight... Or at least start. I know, we are all over the place with renos... Weren't we just working on the bathroom? We were. And we still are slowly. But we're having Little P's baptism soon and I need the house whipped into shape.

excuse the poor quality courtesy of iphone.

So, what's it going to be? Check back soon and find out what we decided to do!

Wood Backsplash in the Kitchen?

I had an epiphany...

I was online reading some blog posts when I came across this picture.

the lettered cottage.

Lightbulb. Wood in the kitchen. Wood for a backsplash. Why not?

The large space above our stove has been sitting empty with pencil marked subway tile sizes... But the truth is I'm not sure a large wall of white is going to be that spectacular. I'm just afraid it will be way too much white.

look closely you can see the pencil.

And then it just dawned on me. Wood. Warmth. Natural. Edgy. And completely different than what people would expect.

I'm not ditching the white subway tile completely... Nope it can go over here above the mountain of dishes in the sink and behind the endless appliances that need to be put away. Oh and don't forget the bottles.

Now that's real life... Don't tell... but I usually have a sink like this!

A little wood, a little subway tile... The best of both worlds. Am I crazy? Here's what colour I was thinking for the wood...

this one. via skip to my lou.

or the colour on these cabinets. via repmagz.

I think I might. I think I might. What do you think... Go for it?

P.S. Sorry for the messy kitchen.

Almost Before & After | Our New Kitchen

This post is image heavy. Enjoy.

Okay, I'm giving in... here's a sneak peak, hence, the "almost" before and after because we aren't quite finished and, with reno A.D.D., I'm not sure we'll ever get there. Oh and it's kind of a happy family day present to you (or President's day)... So here goes.

After you get through the shady, dark, red-walled, before pictures... you will see the beauty. I promise not to talk to much, just let the pictures do it for you. And... just to get this question out of the way, I designed it, we (hubby and I) put together the cabinets and the hubby did the rest, because this is in fact an Ikea Kitchen! And those are definitely some granite countertops (our splurge on the project, okay the appliances were kinda a splurge too). Anyways, here goes.


Beauty:

Not so beauty:

Almost there:

Hold tight:

Oh there it is, beauty:

And, here's about as much decor as there gets:

And here are the lights I kinda created for way less (here's the blog post - diy pendant lights).

Oh and here's what is left to do. (Besides paint the ceiling and trim around the window.)

Add subway tile like so, only with lighter grout:

pinterest.

And create some awesome artwork to put on each side of the range hood, because my decor kind of sucks right now and I really really want some. So, someday I'll post some and show you how to make them and they will hang like so:

Phew! Picture overload or what? What do you think of the sneak peak? I promise sometime this year we will have backsplash and I will share the actual finished kitchen. Until then, that was it. Our Ikea Kitchen designed by moi and built by the hubster. :o)

It's time to link it up :)

The Gunny Sack | Sew Can Do | Sumo's Sweet Stuff | Craft-O-Maniac | Alderberry Hill | DIY Home Sweet Home | All Things Fee | The DIY Showoff | Skip to My Lou | Uncommon Designs | The Farmhouse Porch | Nap-Time Creations | Homemade Ginger | The Blackberry Vine | Lil Luna | A Diamond in the Stuff | The Winthrop Chronicles

DIY Pendant Lighting with Lampshades

When we were redoing, okay gutting our main floor, I had the perfect image for the lights I wanted over the island. There was just one problem - the $ price tag. The lights I wanted started at $160 each! If anyone knows me, they know I wouldn't spend that on a light no matter how much I loved it.

So, I got creative. (Please excuse all ceilings... I need to get them painted!)

diy pendant lighting with with lampshades by martha.anne

In fact, back in the summer I even took a picture with my phone of the exact fixture I bought so I could share my steal with you. Lets just say we did both lights for $60. Are you ready for it? Here goes.

So, here are the style I wanted:

Ballard Designs - $299

Placed like this:

Pinterest

In white with a silver post. (Can't find that picture?)

And here is what I have:

diy pendant lighting over kitchen island by martha.anne

Spaced like this:

diy pendant light with chrome / silver post and white lampshade by martha.anne

In white with a silver post :o)

diy pendant lighting for $30 by martha.anne

How did we do it? First, we bought two glass pendant light fixtures from Home Depot for $20 each, where the glass was removable.

Home Depot light fixture

Then we bought the JONSBO lamp shades from Ikea for $10 each.

JONSBO lampshade from Ikea

First I removed the glass from the light fixture, then before the hubby installed it, slid the Ikea lamp shade down the post so that it would rest on the fixture. And, voila. Install and complete. Why pay over $300 when you can have these beauties for only $60. And... if you cut the lamp shade wire for easy on and off, you could also change out the shade to match seasonal decor!

(This post has been linked up on Setting For Four - http://www.settingforfour.com/2013/01/its-party-time-1-13-2013-linky-party.html and Creations by Kara - http://www.creationsbykara.com/2013/01/look-what-i-made-link-party-1-9-2013.html)

The Cape Cod... Before and After!

Finally! The hubby has been bugging me for months. When are you going to put the cape cod before and afters up? Although I've already shared the kitchen & dining room and the laundry room, here is the whole thing! I was going to do all separate posts... but we all know how long that is taking. So here goes, bare with me and what may be my longest post yet!


The Foyer

The Second Bathroom

The Laundry Room

The Kitchen & Dining Room

The Living Room

The Family Room

Oops! I forgot to take after pictures of the family room. :o)


The Master Bedroom

The 2nd Bedroom

The 3rd Bedroom

The Main Bathroom

There. Finally, something that has been on every one of my blog to do lists since forever! What a huge relief and I am certainly glad I could finally share the before and after. Now, I need to keep working away at the lists - today I actually went to the post office to get pricing for my items. Yay! Happy hump day... we're getting closer to the end of another work week!