My Simple Summer Kitchen

by RoxanneK, in category Kitchen, Seasonal

Remember two weeks ago when I shared my Family Room decorated for summer as part of the Room by Room Summer series? Well, I missed last week’s bedroom tours but I’m back in this week with my summer kitchen.

My rooms are more un-decorated in the summer than decorated, to tell the truth, but that’s what summer is all about. Fewer pressures, more living.

That little wicker napkin holder with the starfish is from The Christmas Tree Shop, I’ve had it a few years. It’s so cute and was only about $5. My DIY wreaths still hang on the cabinet doors.

The flowers on the counter and stove are cuttings from my yard. I was thinking I need to plant more varieties for more cut flower options next summer.

I added lavender to this metal planter in the Spring, and I’m finally starting to see my first lavender blooms beginning to open. I change decor often around here, so it’s unusual for small decor items to last very long. However, my DIY kitchen canisters make it every time.

Last week I talked about how we replaced the flooring downstairs really making the space look bigger. Here you can see it in my kitchen. I’m happy with the contrast between the dark floors and the white cabinets.

See something you like? You can shop the look below!

For more summer kitchen inspiration, visit my friends posts below!

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*This post may contain affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Jun182018Jun 17 2018

DIY Granite Countertops – Yes, Really!

by RoxanneK, in category cheap decorating ideas, DIY, Kitchen

I live in a development where all the houses have pretty much the same layout. They were all builder grade basic to start out, and that is one reason I’m always trying to personalize it and add some interest. One of my neighbors was itching to upgrade her kitchen and asked me to help her out with it. She had seen how I painted my niece’s kitchen counters and wanted to do something similar to hers. We talked about it and decided to go with the look of granite countertops as opposed the marble look I did at my niece’s. The granite is better suited to my neighbor’s kitchen and style.

Here is what her kitchen looked like before. She had just replaced the flooring and had someone scheduled to come over and paint the cabinets. My neighbor wasn’t ready at this point to spend the money on new counters, or new backsplash so we matched everything to the existing backsplash.

The Giani Granite countertop kit I used last time worked so well that I wanted to use that product again. We decided to go with the Sicilian Sand kit to compliment her existing color scheme. Here is her kitchen before:

As you can see, it’s very similar to what my own kitchen looked like before I remodeled it, it’s just flipped. Her’s is to the right and mine is to the left.

What You Will Need*:

Giani Countertop Kit (We used Sicilian Sand)

Painters Tape

Utility Knife

Small Artist Brush

Light Sanding Sponge

How to DIY Granite Countertops:

The first step is to clean the existing counters with a brillo pad. This does double duty. It cleans them as well as roughens them up a bit, no sanding required. Then rinse twice with water.

Next, I used painters tape all around the perimeter of where I’d be painting to protect the walls, cabinets, and appliances.

After that, you prime them with the black primer included in the kit. It also comes with the roller to apply it. I used a brush around the edges and where the counters meet the backsplash. Once it’s primed, let it dry for 8 hrs. My friend and I were saying we even liked how it looked at this point.

The kits come with 3 accent color paints and a sponge for sponging them on. Open all 3 cans, and pour a little of each into separate trays. Working in 2-foot sections, sponge color 1, then 2, then 3 without letting it dry in between, you want them to blend.

There is no right or wrong way to do this part. You can add as much or as little color as you like. One thing I did notice, was that as I was progressing along and the sponges became more and more saturated it was leaving more paint on the counters. I had to go back and touch up some of the areas where I started to make it match.

When that is dry, roll on your sealer (also included in the kit). Wait four hours before using a second coat and sand the first coat very lightly first if needed.

When everything has fully dried, score the painter’s tape with a utility knife before removing so you don’t pull any paint up with it. That did happen to me in one or two tiny spots. I used a small, flat artists brush to touch up those spots.

Also, keep in mind that real granite countertops are a natural stone so the pattern is never exact. This should help alleviate any fears you might have about trying this yourself.

Here is a full side by side before and after. Can you believe the difference here using only paint?

Using a kit to achieve granite countertops is such a great alternative if you can’t afford to update your existing counters right now. I highly recommend giving it a try. Especially if you have laminate counters, you really have nothing to lose! If you do try it, I also recommend reading the instructions on how to care for them. Even though the top coat is solid, you don’t want to use abrasive cleaners on them so that they last as long as possible.

*Thank you to Giani Granite for supplying the countertop painting kit. All opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.

Mar82018Mar 11 2018

Tall Kitchen Cabinets – How to Add Height

by RoxanneK, in category DIY, How-to, Kitchen

This post is a little overdue. We remodeled our kitchen almost two years ago, and I realized I never showed how we extended and customized our builder grade kitchen cabinets. I like the look of tall kitchen cabinets that extend to the ceiling and I figured out a way to do this on a budget.

The existing cabinets had a gap between the tops of the cabinets and the ceiling. I wanted to close that gap completely. I knew doing so would make the kitchen look and feel bigger and reduce the amount of visual clutter that accumulates up there. It would also give a more custom look and provide more storage space. For those of you who didn’t see the before photo of the space, here is what it looked like.

We had 18 inches of space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. The set of cabinets that were originally over my fridge (circled below) measured 12 inches in height. I figured 12″ cabinets would be perfect because we could fill in the remaining 6″ of space with molding. When we began the renovations, we removed that cabinet above the fridge and installed it above the cabinets.

Obviously, I needed more of these cabinets. To save money, I visited my local Habitat for Humanity where I found another set of 12-inch cabinets that were the perfect width for only $20. I added that one above the microwave.

kitchen before adding height to the cabinets

Next, I needed two irregular sized cabinets to fill out the ends. I recruited my contractor to build these for us, as you can see it the picture above. He also built a third one to add to the right of the microwave.

installing kitchen cabinets, kitchen cabinet height, upper kitchen cabinets

To finish off the construction of the tall kitchen cabinets, he filled in the rest with wood. We also had an awkward space over the fridge due to a soffit. We had to customize this space as well. I opted for wine racks to help maximize storage space here. Because my kitchen is small, I try to make displaying kitchen items pretty as well as functional by storing things in plain sight, like I did with my kitchen spice rack. The last thing we did was add a slim slide out pantry. That 8″ of space packs in a lot of storage!

adding height to kitchen cabinets, tall kitchen cabinets

Once I had all the pieces in place, I needed to make them cohesive. I painted the cabinets white and added cabinetry hardware. We took our makeover one step further and had glass inserts installed into all of the new upper doors. To completely finish the cabinets off and help achieve a custom look, my contractor installed crown molding. My husband and I added the shiplap wall a few months after the kitchen renovations were done.

white kitchens, tall kitchen cabinets, cheap kitchen cabinet ideas that look expensive

By saving some money on cabinetry, we were able to splurge on other things. Our kitchen is really a mix of high/low spending. We chose new quartz counters and stainless steel appliances, but made over the existing cabinets, as well as the table and chairs, and the chandelier over the table was a DIY project that we put together for under $25!

tall white kitchen cabinets, adding height to cabinets

The tall kitchen cabinets really does make the space look and feel bigger. You can see all the details of this kitchen makeover here.

Oct262017Oct 25 2017

The Hard Water Challenge

by RoxanneK, in category Kitchen

I learned something a few weeks ago that I want to share with you. It started with an invite from Morton Salt* to attend a media event they were hosting at the Vauxhall Home Depot here in NJ. They are on a mission to bring awareness to NJ residents about the effects of hard water in the home. I’ve never thought much about hard water, and to be honest I didn’t know that NJ has some of the hardest water in the country.

I also learned is that having hard water can cause damage to your pipes and appliances, it leaves spots on your dishes and shower doors, causes your laundry to feel rough, dry skin, and worst of all – dry hair.

The event was really fun! I arrived at the Home Depot with my friend Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane and we were immediately welcomed by the Morton Salt reps. Shortly after, The Cousins (John and Anthony) arrived and we had breakfast together prior to the event.

The Cousins were really fun, cool guys! They are both from NJ as well. They were asked if they ever fight, and they said they truly don’t. It was obvious that they have an amazing rapport. When asked about succeeding in business Anthony said “Never turn down an invitation, you never know where it will lead. I thought that was really good advice! After our Q & A with the cousins and the Morton reps, we had some photos taken together.

John, me, Deb & Anthony

Deb and I were starting to feel like a little like celebrities ourselves at this point, lol. After photos, it was time for the #HardWaterChallenge which was set up like a game show, similar to Family Feud. Deb and I played round 1 with The Cousins and had a blast! I must say Morton Salt did an outstanding job organizing this event.

They were giving away test strips at the event for attendees to take home and test the hardness of their water. Since I do not yet have a water softener myself, I decided to check mine when I got home.

My results were what I expected, I definitely have hard water. That explains my excessive amount of crazy hair days!

You can order a free water test strip here if you’d like to check your water. Water softeners are sold at Home Depot and once it’s installed, all you need to do is add 2 bags of Morton Water Softener Salt every 2 months to continue to fight the effects of hard water. It’s estimated that softening your water with Morton Water Softener Salt can save you up to $500 a year. It’s an investment that pays for itself. The fact that it will help extend the life of your appliances is reason enough to have one. After our kitchen renovation, I know I want mine to last as long as possible.

Thank you again to Morton Salt for hosting this amazing event!

*This post was sponsored by Morton Salt all opinions are 100% my own. You can read my full disclosure here.

Sep292017Oct 4 2017

Kitchen Storage Idea – Store Beautifully

by RoxanneK, in category Kitchen, Organizing, Small Spaces

Kitchen storage. It’s a constant struggle in small homes!

I know January is generally the time for decluttering and starting fresh, but I always feel like I want to do that more so in the fall. Before we are cooped up in the house for months and before the holiday rush and clutter come in.

If you visited my fall home tour here last week, you may remember that I mentioned how my kitchen is a contsant flutter of activity, someone is always in here preparing something. With a family of four, you need about the same amount of kitchen storage space whether you live in a 1200 sq ft home or a 2400 sq ft home, right? So in a smaller kitchen, you really have to get creative with storage solutions.

One thing we make a lot of in my house is smoothies. We all like different versions of smoothies so we always have an abundance of fruits and vegetables in the kitchen. Sometimes I feel my counters are a bit cluttered with all of the food, so when I saw these adorable hanging olive baskets it gave me an idea.

They are just the cutest, I love the pulley system! In my kitchen I do whatever I can to store items in plain sight to free up cabinet space and to keep counters looking uncluttered (see my spice rack for example). I decided to hang the olive baskets in a corner of the kitchen where they fit just perfectly.

Going vertical is a small space decorating trick that works every time, which is another reason why I loved these little baskets. I filled them with apples and pears for this weeks smoothies.

It’s such a simple idea, but it really looks so cute!

The pulley really works too.

The metal olive baskets are a perfect compliment to the shiplap wall.

These hanging baskets would also look really cute outside with flowers in them. I’d only use them in a protected area, like a covered porch or patio so that the baskets don’t rust.

If you’re looking for a really delicious smoothie recipe, check out my Pineapple Spinach Smoothie Recipe, it’s one my whole family agrees on!

Thanks to Wayfair for sponsoring this post, all opinions are 100% my own. You can read my full disclosure here.

Nov92015Sep 24 2017

Kitchen Wall Spice Rack – Small Changes Big Impact

by RoxanneK, in category Kitchen, Organizing

Sometimes just changing out one or two small things in your home can make a big impact. My husband calls these Easter eggs. Meaning, when he comes home and finds a new decor items (in this case a spice rack) nestled in somewhere. 🙂 Obviously we can’t do entire room makeovers everyday or even every month, so in between we need little wins.

Often times we just get so busy, we stop seeing certain things in our home, they become part of our every day landscape. One wall in my kitchen has been bothering me for some time, so I finally changed it up. It was a small change, but it did make a big difference. This wall holds my wooden spice racks*, which I’ve had for years and still really love. What I didn’t love is the candle holder above them and the switch plate cover above that.

Oops I forgot to put the cat food away before taking that pic! I found this beautiful wall art* from the Charlie and Ella shop on Etsy. Their entire inventory is sold out at the moment, but this shop is worth book marking. They reopen as they create more inventory. It was perfect to hang above the spice rack and cover up that switch plate cover.

Because I had to hang the sign high enough to cover that switch plate, it left a pretty big gap between the spice racks and the sign, so I moved each spice rack up for better spacing.

Then I needed to change out the glass spice jars. These spice racks were a gift from a friend, but you can find the same racks here (mine were originally the wood tone, and I painted them black) and they came with some glass spice jars and I added in some jars that I already had. I wanted to make them all matching, and better organized so I ordered a new set of glass spice jars.

Once the jars were all matching, I labeled them with these round chalkboard labels for better organization.

A very subtle change, but a very big difference! In other kitchen news, I came home from food shopping last weekend to find that my husband had ripped out my pantry. Which means construction has officially begun! Once I’m completely finished with the One Room Challenge project I’ve been working on, I will be spending more time planning and sharing the kitchen transformation. Be sure to stop back here Thursday for the final reveal of the One Room Challenge, I am SO happy with it!

~Update-see my kitchen makeover here~

*This post contains affiliate links, read my full disclosure here*