A Kitchen Update

Betcha forgot all about the kitchen makeover we're working on, didn't you? Or maybe you thought I forgot all about it - though considering the awful view of open cupboards I get every time I walk into the kitchen, there is no way I could forget.

The original plan was to strip off the green factory stain and re-stain it a dark espresso brown. The kitchen walls are BM Ranchwood, and we plan to install a white backsplash - either tile or beadboard. However, stripping the stain has been a bear of a job. Just horrible. It's been 5 and a half months and we aren't even halfway along. Though to be honest we haven't been working that hard on it lately since we can only work in the garage, on the weekend, with the door closed because it's been so cold out.

So, a couple of weeks ago we talked it over and decided to go with white painted cabinets. I know, everyone's doing white cabinets right now. And that's one reason I was really opposed to it. But I think it's time to be realistic about what we can accomplish. The stripping/sanding is so uneven, and most of the doors are particle board so there is the constant fear of sanding too hard and losing the wood grain completely.

Also, since our kitchen has no window, staining the cupboards brown, along with a marbled brown countertop and terracotta coloured tile just says dark, dark, dark.

We have a lot of experience staining wood but not much experience with painting it. So I did my research, read lots of other blogs, and kept reminding myself that to do this properly it was going to take some time. Most of the online recommendations were for Benjamin Moore paint and primer, and since they are our faves anyway, that decision was easy. We bought BM Fresh Start latex primer and BM Advance paint in pearl finish.

Why pearl? Semi-gloss is just too shiny, and satin finish - my first choice - wasn't available. I like the slight sheen of pearl and there is enough of a contrast with the walls (matte) and trim (semi-gloss). We didn't have the paint tinted as I didn't want to have to worry about colour-matching it later. The out-of-the-can colour is a clean, crisp white anyway.

Saturday morning we started with the pantry in the dining room area. It's a small space that we could finish completely without interfering with the rest of the house (and use it as practice). We hung plastic sheeting to divide the dining room from the rest of the downstairs and sanded the sides and front edges of the cabinet. Green dust everywhere - even with a dust collection sleeve on the power sander. After wiping it down with TSP we were ready.

The instructions on the paint cans recommend 3 hours drying time between coats of primer, and 16 hours between coats of paint. 16 hours! But we don't want to have to do this twice, so we're not cutting corners.

one coat of primer done

This is where we are on Sunday night. We've applied two coats of primer and one coat of paint to the pantry cabinet and to the two doors on the table. And we've applied one coat of primer to the doors on the floor (started later).

Each coat doesn't take very long to apply so we should be able to work on it each night after work and have it finished for the weekend. We're still trying to locate 8mm Blum dowels to reinstall the hinges (without paying crazy shipping charges) but I hope we can install the doors in a week or so.

It's so nice to feel like we're moving along with this project now as it felt stalled for so long. And the room is looking brighter already so I think this was a good decision. I honestly can't wait to work on it some more. Maybe I should take the week off work? I am feeling kind of sick (cough, cough). ;-)

On Target

Big, big happenings here in Canada this week. After opening three pilot stores two weeks ago, Target had 17 more "soft openings" yesterday.  And one was in my neighbourhood.  (Please excuse the blurry photos - I was using my crappy non-iPhone.)

Those of you in the U.S. probably don't know what a big deal Target is for us here in Canada. It is THE store Canadians flock to when we go south. The name is spoken with reverence. For me it's not necessarily the lower prices, it's moreso the different selection than we have back home. Brands you've never seen before. Flavours you've never tried before. Fun colours and patterns. That's what I love.

So of course we had to check it out. I was surprised that the store wasn't a lot more crowded. When I was younger, Kmart opened a store in my hometown and the lineups were crazy. I remember we stood in the checkout line for over an hour (maybe two) until my mother said forget it and we left (leaving behind the jumbo bag of popcorn that we had already gotten into. Don't tell, okay?)

They're still building up their stock, so some of the racks were empty, but it was nice to have a new, clean store to wander around in. The prices weren't any different than you'd find at Walmart or Zellers (Target bought most of the old Zellers locations) but there were some new-to-me brands.

The housewares and furniture are always the best places to look. I saw this occasional chair that I would love to have - matches nothing in my house - and I considered this pouff that was in the outdoor section. The fabric is waterproof and the pattern is so much fun. They were both more than I was willing to pay today though so I kept moving.

I did buy this sweet little yarn-wrapped hippo. Seriously, have you ever? I love him so much. I might even name him.

And I bought a pillow. Just a standard one for the bedroom. Oh, and Tom decided he needed licorice. That was about it. I do hope they add the dollar bins at the front of the store, and I'm looking forward to seeing the store when it's fully stocked, but for now my curiosity is satisfied.

What do you love most about Target?

Spring {Has Sprung} Wreath

I put together a "wishful thinking" wreath this weekend.

Wishful thinking because the windchill is -9 today and they're forecasting freezing rain and snow tomorrow. But I'm going to pretend that spring is just around the corner. As long as that corner isn't 20 blocks away. However, I did see something like this on my way out the door this morning, so I have hope.

source

I used a pool noodle base for the wreath and covered it with mossy green fabric that has a slight velvety feel. Apparently it's quite attractive because I left it leaning against my desk while I went to do other things and Chloe sashayed into the kitchen with it in her mouth. She was so proud; I wish I'd had the camera handy. She didn't damage it at all, just carried it around like a prize.

I used my Silhouette to cut out the word "spring" which I stenciled onto a strip of green burlap using white poster paint.

I was aiming for a really simple wreath, but spring by itself was a little too simple, so I added "has sprung". I also added some white buds and little butterfly buttons.

Everything is attached with straight pins and double-sided tape for an easy change out later. (I'm still trying to take apart the Christmas wreath where everything was hot glued on.)

Those little butterflies cheer me up so much. What are you doing to hurry spring along? Or has it already arrived in your neck of the woods? Lucky, lucky.

~~~~~

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