Boondocks Kitchen Reveal

In the new house the first room I tackled was the kitchen. It was functional, but not laid out the best. The room was SO large that it was pretty awkward trying to figure out how to fit everything in. Every appliance was lined up on the far wall which just isn't the best set up for function. I was really having a hard time figuring out how I could easily repurpose this kitchen without totally redoing the cabinets, floor, and appliances. It NEEDED to be more functional, we couldn't give up that amount of space for a giant hallway. 

The color I chose was Aquatic Mist by Valspar. I have always been a fan of this color family. Just ask any of my friends everything I own has some hint of turquoise/teal. This is a bit more green than I usually am drawn to but I wanted something that was a little different. It is BRIGHT and my mom makes fun of me because apparently it is the exact color that my great grandma used all the time. 

You might recognize the chair. Its the sister chair of my tape chair. I got two identical chairs and one was sacrificed in the name of art :) Soon this chair will be my new desk chair, I just need to find a desk. 

And yes this is a new pedestal table. It isn't the one that was used for art or the little blue table from our past house. We still have that one its just in the living room :) This is one my mom got me a few years ago from a consignment store in Columbia, but we never had a chance to use it. 

Annnnd to fix the strange set up I turned the fridge from facing the middle of the room to facing the cabinets and stove. Annnnd to cover up the nasty back of the fridge I moved the armoir to use as a our linen cabinet. By pushing these back to back it separated the room creating a kitchen and enough space for storage in the hall. 

I also got to make a message center! I just hot glued 4 pieces of cork to the fridge (it easily pops off whenever I decide to change it out), then painted a small square of chalk board paint above our mail/key rack. 

With the lack of cabinet space we needed something to hold our china and serving pieces. Soo of course I used the china cabinet that was used in 2 sculptures in the past :) It is my moms so I've got to find one of my own but absolutely LOVE this one. If I could get an identical one I totally would!

And adding the dear head was to make Reed happy. He has so many beautifully mounted animals that I don't have enough wall space. I actually really like the contrast between the warm hues of the deer and the blue-green of the walls. 

And finally the wall of everything! The cabinets are kinda cheap particle board with not so awesome handles. I have a few ideas on how to spruce them up but I wanted to get settled before I tackled refacing the cabinets :) Annnnd finally the light! 

This was one of the awesome finds from my new favorite thrift shop. I've got a post coming explaining how we did it. But basically all it is, is an old ladder hung from the ceiling wrapped in outdoor lights. Super easy and super cheap while adding so much character to the space :) 

Annnd thats the tour! I really like the kitchen, we have a few big projects that I need to tackle to get it how I really want it. Refacing the cabinets are one and the other is painting the floor. You can catch a glimpse of the floors in some of the pictures. They are stick on laminate tiles. Not super cute, pretty stained, and damaged. I'm thinking about fixing the ones peeling up and then painting the floor with a fun pattern to update it on a budget.

Now that the kitchen is livable and more functional I've been able to move on to other rooms! I' can hopefully share the other rooms with you soon!

Let me know what you think!!!

Clemson University Kitchen Table

I'm sure you know by now that I have an obsession with furniture, specifically kitchen furniture :)
A while back I got this beautiful pedestal table from Salvation Army in Clemson for $15!
I used it for about 3 or 4 sculptures and finally got around to using it for what I bought it for. I have been dying to paint a kitchen table for some one. 

I decided while I was still in Clemson I should honor my last few weeks with a Clemson themed table. 

I drew out a "map" of Clemsons campus using some of our biggest land marks. 

First I sanded the top down and then white washed it giving me a blank canvas to illustrate the top. 

I wanted to give the landmarks a twist by doing my own interpretation, I chose the Presidents House. 

Tillman Hall

Memorial Stadium

The Walker Course

 Cooper Library

The Esso Club

Lake Hartwell

Painting this table was so much fun! 

I wish it could live in my home forever but I've collected too many tables over time. Right now it is in a consignment store in Clemson but if you are interested let me know and we can work something out!! 

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Sorry I've been gone for a long time! I'm going to try and start posting again soon. We are starting to settle in to our new home wich means y'all are about to get a lot of new projects!! 

Tote Bag giveaway

Hey guys so I thought to get back on track I would do a giveaway! I haven't done one in ages but thought that maybe it would get you guys excited for my return to the blog world!! 

First, Tepe is ridiculous. It was beautiful outside today and all she wanted to do was be in side watching me paint. Most of the time she was sitting on my feet but I think she got hot and had to cool down for this picture :) 

Back to the task at hand :)

Here are some of the other things have recently added to the store so go check them out!! 

Link to the shop: https: Etsy Shop

I've added some illustrations to the shop, just little doodles that I enjoy and some of my favorite quotes :) These things are fun to bust out and so relaxing to make! 

And here are the tote bags that I'm trying out! In the giveaway you can win either one the winner gets to pick! These are tan canvas tote bags measuring 13.5 in x 13.5in x 3.5 in. They aren't the biggest but would be perfect to carry a few books with you or to take with you down to the beach or pool. And don't forget the end of the year is coming up so your gonna be needing teacher and grad gifts! If you like one of these or have an idea for a personalized one let me know, I'd be happy to work with you! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will be open until Wednesday of next week (Wednesday the 22nd) and the package should be sent out by Friday the 24th. 

This post was written on my phone, and the images are off of my phone. So I'm sorry if the quality isn't too hot. 

But good luck and don't forget to share! 

How we do "preppy"

So around our house we don't really do preppy. 

Its not that we don't like it, its just we are a little "different", my mom always described my style as classic with a twist. But a few weeks ago Reed and I went to the Carolina Cup. If you aren't from around here it is a horse race that has become an event that requires a certain southern dress code. The girls go traditional southern with bright colored sundresses (mostly Lilly Pulitzer) and large sun hats while the boys wear bow-ties, seersucker  and any other range of bright spring fashion. 

Of course Reed and I decided to be different and put our own swing on the Cup/Easter fashion. 

(This is a picture from the beginning of The Cup. Reed and I are on the right I'm in the crazy pants and Reed has on his homemade bow-tie). 

So, all that to say about a classically twisted style I thought I would share how we decided to dress Reed for the occasion. He doesn't own a bow-tie and we didn't want to go buy one because we didn't think he would ever wear it again. Obviously the only other solution was to make one :) 

First things first, I got some old bow-ties from my mom. And yes these are "not real" cause you don't actually tie them. But I took the bow off and used the strap to attach Reeds new bow. 

And here is the twist!

We didn't use fabric but decided to go with turkey feathers instead :)

So we laid them all out and found 6 that fit together relatively well and looked semi symmetrical. 

Then it was easy. We just hot glued three feathers together, one set for each side of the bow. 

And then hot glued them to the strap that was left over from the old bow ties. 

Then all that was left was to choose what to wrap around the center to make it look more finished. 

I was thinking that embroidery thread would be pretty to add a pop of color, or even twine to play with the rustic look. But we also saved the center from the old bow tie, which is what we ended up using. 

Here is my hansom man with his new completely custom bow tie! 

Its a little more old fashion than the others because of how straight it is but it totally fits him and he was so proud of himself. (PS. Reed made this one and I made the one below it)

This is the one I made wich was the same process just a little different in how I arranged the feathers. 

I also mixed feathers, Reed wasn't a fan he thought it should stay in the same bird family. But this one has turkey feathers that are fanned out a little more to make it a little wider and the light feathers in the center are duck feathers. I just thought the contrast was nice. 

Annnnnnnd finally I just wanted to share the family photo we took for Easter. 

First of all notice all the bow ties. It kills me, when did my family go preppy!! 

But I think we look fabulous and I'm glad that mom and I have stayed a little more "twisted" than the others :)

Burlap Craft!

I decided to try some burlap crafts that I've seen around recently.

This is a Burlee. 

(Basically a burlap door hanger.)

So here is how I made it!

I bought some burlap at Walmart for about $2 a yard.

I then made a little template of the shape I wanted the burlee to be

And cut out 2 matching pieces and hot glued them together. 

I then cut out ANOTHER template of a buck. 

I wanted to pull together the styles of Reed and I, so, I used the buck silhouette and used my blue as the back ground. 

After I painted the blue I stuffed it with some plastic bags. 

Annnnd to hang it I used the burlap ribbon and tied it in a sweet bow. 

Sooo I painted the details I was thinking. 

This is gonna hang on our door, as a welcome to our house.

I then glued the top together and the bow on and 

TA DA!! 

I don't have a great picture of it on the door yet. But hopefully we will get one tomorrow when the sun comes out :)

Hey and also don't forget about the Etsy shop. I've added a few new things recently!