Kitchen Update {Inspired by a Couple of Talented Ladies}

 I'm thrilled! And there are many reasons for my excitement! First and foremost, my kitchen is organized!! I now also have a room in my fairly ugly rental house that I actually like looking at! And, finally, I got to add some of my vintage and rustic stash to my own house! I can't wait to show you my kitchen!
Let me begin this post by saying I couldn't have done this without the inspiration of numerous bloggers, but mainly Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors! Her post about her kitchen cabinet makeover just got me so inspired! She finally gave me an idea that I could do in my own home without changing anything I'm not allowed to change! So I send out a HUGE thank you to her and her brilliant idea!

And here they are, my kitchen cabinets with a facelift...

In her post, Donna explained that she attached corrugated plastic sign material to her cupboards to create a brand new look. Lightbulb moment!! I have access to the very same material, at wholesale no less! So I ordered up a 4' x 8' sheet of it that very same day (and I do not jest, my friends. The VERY day!) I informed my boss that I needed it for my house and I would pay him back. He gave me a funny look (as my 2 bosses are prone to do regularly at my ideas). But I showed him the post and he agreed they looked pretty cool. So order it I did!

That night I measured my cupboards and at the shop, where I use a large cutting table and all sorts of sign making tools, I cut the boards to size. Excited, I took them home. And, because of upcoming shows and kids and the like, I waited. Not so patiently...

I worked on the boards here and there, doing a couple at a time. I added some of my $1.00 burlap coffee bags to a few of the pieces, wrapping it around the back and attaching with hot glue. The last batch I got had the most awesome stripes on them! I left some empty to use as a chalkboard. I've worked with this material for nearly 10 years now and never knew you could use it as a chalkboard until Donna's post! You really do learn something new everyday, especially from awesome bloggers! I added cork to another and hot glued a coke bottle cap to a push pin. I happen to be a coca-cola junkie and the red matches all of my strawberry decor! ;) And I cut a few stencils and made signs for two of the doors. I do like signs, after all!

I added some buttons. But that was quite by necessity. You see, I worked on these doors in between five-bazillion other things I was doing (crafting for shows, repurposing for my booth, making dinner for my kids and just plain-old normal life stuff) and I boo-booed. I had drilled holes in the door here before adding the burlap to the top. In my haste, I added the burlap to the wrong side of the plastic! Whoops! So I had to redrill the holes and cover up the extra ones. I added the buttons to hide my mistake. Then I added a few to another door, you know, just to match (and cover up my oopsie even further!).

In truth, the cupboards themselves have been done for a few weeks now. But, and this is a big but, my kitchen counters were a disaster! I have a bad habit of leaving mail and school papers on one end of the counter so it always looks like a whirlwind came through my kitchen! And the insides of my cupboards were no better. There wasn't room for anything more inside them, so things kept spilling out onto the countertops. Half-eaten bags of chips,  loaves of bread, Halloween candy. Oh the horror of it all! I may very well be the worst home decor blogger out there! I'm hoping you won't hold all of this against me... ;)

This past weekend, I finally worked up the nerve to devote some time to the straightening of my kitchen. After all, I was excited to share my cupboards with you but couldn't very well take pictures of a disaster for my blog, now could I? I ended up straightening out 5 cupboards, leaving me with only 2 more that really need work. I cleaned off my countertops. Totally. And, in doing so, I realized I had space on them to add a few fun things! So I did!

I'm always so envious of all the cool coffee stations I see around. Mine is not as cool as my favorite coffee station from Laurel at Chipping with Charm, but it will do. For now. I put an old crate next to my coffee pot to hold coffee, filters and a few of my teal mugs. It was also a great place to display this cool vintage tea box I picked up this summer. And, yep, that's a strawberry candle holder back there, too 

I put out this cool fluted tin to hold a few small snacks. My kids always think they need a snack! 

As for that cluttered mess of papers I told you about? Well, I figured that no matter how hard I try, it's always going to end up there. So I might as well make it functional and less of an eye-sore, right? I picked up this dish drainer at the local thrift store just for this purpose. I'd seen it done on Pinterest (here's the pin) and thought it was clever and pretty perfect for a kitchen counter. Now it finally has a home! I might paint it and I might not. I can't decide...

I mentioned Chipping with Charm's coffee station. But the truth is, I LOVE all of Laurel's stuff. I personally think she can do no wrong when it comes to junky, rusty repurposed awesomeness! Some time ago, I saw her spice rack and thought it was way-cool! Just so happens that I grabbed one of my very own at work shortly after. In the garbage pile! Oh those silly boys I work for... Always trying to throw away the good junk!

I had a lazy susan base that I took off of an old cd rack which I repurposed into an Ornament Display Stand . I attached that to the bottom of the spool and now I have a new spice rack! One that my recipe holder can perch on top of, too! 

I've had my strawberry canisters for about 15 years and I still love them. The strawberry wallpaper you can see on the edge of the photo came with the house. Coincidence... I think not! :)

This summer I added this crate shelf onto my wall for displaying some of my vintage kitchen wares.

The final touch (for now) to my newly refurbished kitchen is a matching crate near my patio door. A vintage pan hangs within it. It's no Kraut Cutter Memo Board like the Laurel's cool creation that inspired me (you HAVE to see it if you haven't already!), but it still looks good on my wall! :)

It's magnetic, so I will probably be adding an embellishment or two onto the pan. 

A rusty bin sitting on the ledge completes the look. And gives me a great catch-all for odds and ends that now won't end up on my counter. Bonus!

I think the only thing left I'd really like to do in this room is add some cafe curtains above my sink. I'll be sure to share that with you when I'm done. 

And there you have it. One no-longer-ugly room in the house I rent and cannot change. If it were up to me, the wallpaper would go, the cupboards would get painted or restained (darker). There is so much I would do to change this house if it were mine to change. But it isn't, so I can't. For now, though, thanks to the many bloggers out there who inspire me daily, I at least have one room I enjoy looking at. And the inspiration to make the rest of my house enjoyable too! 

Who and what is inspiring you these days?

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'Til next time!