Kitchen Island Bead Board- How To

This is what our kitchen looked like in January of 2010.

Bland.  The island needed something…and that something was bead board!

How to add bead board to an island

How’d we do it?

(We did this prior to blogging.  I apologize for the lack of pictures!)

• We purchased beaded tongue and groove boards from Menards.
  • We had originally planned to buy a sheet of bead board but neither of us was crazy about the look of the sheet.  We preferred more of the classic tongue and groove look.
  • Nate cut the boards (using a miter saw) to match the height of island.
  • I primed and painted all of the boards before we hung them.
  • We started on one end and nailed each board on top and bottom (and we used extra nails everywhere there was a stud for extra stability). Once a board was fully nailed we joined the next board and repeated until the corner.
  • On the corners, we cut off the rounded edge of the groove..which left a little gap that we filled with a dowel rod and some caulk to simulate the bead. Easy disguise! (Looks like we need to re-caulk!)

• We used window casing on the bottom in place of traditional trim and a decorative trim piece to cover nail holes on top.

• I then filled in the nail holes and painted the edges.
• And wah-lah, a pretty island.

Neither of us remembers the cost but it was pretty inexpensive.

Made any inexpensive upgrades in your kitchen?

It Might Be the Fumes

It might be the spray paint fumes getting to me but I’m liking my latest furniture make-over!

Remember this chair? (If not, you can read about it here.)



Pretty, huh?  Love that dirty black vinyl.

This is what it looks like after some spray paint and fabric love…



This was my first time using spray paint to refinish furniture.  I’m usually a roller and paint brush girl.
It took me a little time (and some sanding of paint drips) to get the technique figured out.  After that, it was smooth sailing.  I prefer my roller/brush combo but I will now use spray paint for pieces that have lots of nooks and crannies (like this chair).

The chair now lives happily in the corner of our office…
waiting for my next lesson in bill paying…
or the scanning of 1 million wedding photos with my mom who just wanted "a few"....



Is it sad I paid more for fabric and spray paint than I did for the chair?

What’s your favorite painting technique…roller, brush, spray paint?  Or are you one of those weirdos that doesn’t think wood furniture should be painted?

Does painting furniture scare you?  If so, stay tuned on Thursday for a sort-of tutorial to help alleviate those fears!

Bringing the Curio Cabinet Back

What do you think when you hear “Curio Cabinet”? 

Old people, right?  Think again!!

Here’s the Curio Cabinet I purchased off of Craigslist for $5 a few weeks ago (my first Craigslist Purchase)….



And here is the same cabinet today….


Isn’t it lovely? 

The lighter blue is Olympic’s Harmony.  The darker blue on the inside is the Valspar’s Schoolboy Blue (left over from our mudroom).



It is currently living in a cute little curve next to the staircase.  I’m not sure if it will stay here or what will live in it but it makes me smile…



And because everyone loves a good before and after….

 

What do you think? Should it stay in the curve? What should I store in it?

Sunday Night Supper

We tried a new recipe tonight…. Carolina Pork BBQ Tortillas.

Pretty tasty!  I lived in North Carolina for a year during middle school (parents’ mid-life crisis?).  My family likes to go back for vacations and we always end up eating lots of BBQ while we are there.  I didn’t think it was quite the same…but pretty close!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lb pork roast
• 1/3 cup(s) cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8 small tortillas

DIRECTIONS

• 2 lb pork roast
• 1/3 cup(s) cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8 small tortillas
1. Place pork loin (we used pork loin rib end roast) in crock pot and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or until tender. Remove and shred meat in a large bowl.
2. Combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and cayenne in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce to medium low and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over the pork and stir.
3. Spoon pork in center of each tortilla and top with desired toppings.

***Nate added a little red pepper for some extra spice.***

This recipe was super easy and left us with a lot of leftovers….BONUS!!  The smell of vinegar in my house...not such a bonus...but still worth it!

Week-end To Do List….

Finish these….

 

Start on this….

And plan a bridal shower….and catch up on sleep…and my DVR……

Best get to it!!

What are your week-end plans?

House Tour- Basement Family Room

It’s Friday….which means it’s time to continue on the house tour…

Now we are on to the areas where we haven’t really touched.

Here is the Family Room….

This space has good potential.  It’s 1 big open room. We haven’t done a lot to it because we have spent our “budget” working on the main floor.  You know, the floor that most people see. 

Also our decorating plans for this space sort of depend on whether we have children or not.

Sans children, I can picture a nice kitchenette and pool table on the left side of the room and some large framed vintage posters on the right side…but I can also see a big old farmhouse style table for board games and arts and crafts on the left and Disney movie watching on the right.

At this point in our lives, both have their pros and cons.

Either way, we do plan to add some sort of entertainment center (possibly build it??) in this area...

We will also probably change out the Simpsons theme for something a little more grown-up…but who’s in a hurry to grow up???

What’s your vote for this space…..pool table or board games?

Decorating with the Dog- Tip #1

Ike is feeling a little left out on the ol’ blog. 

He thinks there is too much decorating talk and not enough dog talk.
He does make some important decorating decisions around the house.

In order to get a little more post time, he has decided to share with you some of his favorite decorating secrets.


Tip #1:  Tennis ball yellow makes a great accent color…especially on a properly smushed Ethan Allen couch cushion.

Addicted to TOMS

Look what I got for my birthday….decor for my feet...

Grey Stone-Washed Twill classics Find them here

Love, love, love, love!!

TOMS shoes are amazing.

I love that they are unique and adorable.  They are ridiculously comfortable.  They’re like wearing work appropriate slippers.  I’m on my feet for 8+ hours every day and TOMS are my favorite choice (even over the best pair of tennis shoes or Earth shoes) because they are so darned comfortable!

I also like the TOMS mission (I work for a mission oriented medical clinic). 
With every pair purchased, TOMS give a new pair to a child in need.  I’m up to two children now…

Grey Wool Fleck Cordones Find them here

Nate is worried I may be providing shoes for an entire third world country by the end of the year.

Do you own a pair of TOMS?  Had you heard of TOMS before this post?  Do you have any other favorite companies that help out others?

Thrifty Find

I've found some awesome things while thrifting...

but I may have found the "oh-my-gosh, that reallys exists??" winner this past week-end.



Who wouldn't want this lovely lamp in their home??? 

What's the weirdest/most disgusting thing you have found at an antique/thrift store?

Blondie

Look what I found while thrift store shopping with my family this past week-end….

I'm in L-O-V-E.

My dad kept insisting that the dresser is called a “Blondie”.  I thought that was funny.

Almost as funny as my parents squished in the backseat of my Jeep while trying to get the dresser home.

Good thing they love me....

My dad doesn’t think I should paint the dresser.  Seriously, Dad?

No piece of furniture is safe from my paint brush and mini-roller.

It’s going to live in our master bedroom.  I have visions of 3 different shades of grey in my head.

What color(s) would you paint the dresser? 

Would you keep the hardware or replace it with something new?  I'm torn.

**This dresser find gets me 1 step closer to completing goal #27 on my 30 Before 30 List. 

Read more about it

here

.)**