spf: handwriting, kitchen, random
kelly | 16 September 2005 - 9:20am
Our kitchen. Yes, Bridget is sitting on the counter. I swear everytime I bring out the camera to take pictures of the house for SPF, she situates herself so she's in the shot. Such an attention whore. And no, this is not the first time she has been on the counters. Because yes, she is allowed on them. Well, not allowed so much as not stopped. We can't control our cats - yet another reason we aren't sure about having children.
The window that looks like it is in the middle of an inside wall? It is. Sorta. We live in a remodeled 1950s farmhouse, and that kitchen wall used to be an exterior wall. An enclosed back porch was later added, which is what that window looks out onto now.
What I love about our kitchen: its size (you're seeing most of the room here, but not quite all of it: the stove and fridge are just to the right of the photo and the door that leads onto the back porch is just to the left), the layout, the storage space, the natural light.
 Canisters |
 Pasta and rice jars |
What I don't at all love about our kitchen: THE FLOWERY WALLPAPER. It's actually grapes, which does indeed sound cooler but still in fact looks...well, flowery. I am not a flowery person. I am not a wallpaper person. I am definitely not a flowery wallpaper person. When we decided to buy this house, I told Rob that the first thing to go would be the kitchen wallpaper. That was two years ago. It is still here. Because you see, it does a damn good job of incorporating the green of the kitchen (which I like) with all my blue stuff (canisters, plates, etc - which I also like). And because what I really want is a sunny yellow kitchen with white cabinets (basically, I want Cat's kitchen) which means we would need to do a major remodel and frankly we don't have the energy, skills, or money to do that. My next project, which is to stain the wooden stools, is much more my speed. I should at least tear down the wallpaper and paint the walls something pretty, though - suggestions?
Something random. This is my first Blingo prize, which came in the mail last week. I am posting it here for all you doubters who fear that perhaps Blingo is actually a hoax. It's not! You really do get free shit! It's for reals, y'all!
Come on now, be a joiner:
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Your kitchen is so pretty! Love the blue canisters. And Bridgie-Widgie is so lovely. I bet the kitties were glad to see you guys when you got home.
Yes. My kitchen is da bomb. Bow to my light and airy yellow kitchen with white cupboards and a kick-ass wood floor! BOW, I say!
(I HEART your canisters! Do they come in red?)
That is all.
I have to admit, I was really excited to see what your handwriting looked like as well. It's not girly and almost artistic (as in you are an artist), just as I thought. That's probably the best handwriting I've ever seen from a southpaw.
Wait a sec? Paint is a major remodel? I think you should definitely do a two-tone with the chair rail. White cabinets and molding- definitely. I'm not sure about the yellow, although I agree that a kitchen should be cheery. What color are your countertops? Are they green? Maybe a muted yellow/cream with a glaze would compliment the green better. And you should try to incorporate the blue in those canisters. Beautiful.
FYI - I saw a tip about scoring the wallpaper and sponging it with liquid fabric softener. Might be the cheaper route to go. Die evil wallpaper!
Blingo rocks John Stamos. John Stamos. Fabulous cute cut with highlights.
I was going to say the same thing about the chair rail as ieatcrayonz. You could do two paint colors. And if you wanted to leave your counter tops and blue stuff and cabinets, you could pick a blue and green that blend together but also pull in your other blues and green. Easier than changing cabinets and countertops.
And I think your handwriting is cute! Mine gets messier when I write more quickly, or if I don't have lines to contain it. :)
P.S. If you liked Cats In Sinks, you'll love Stuff On My Cat (link courtesy of Spoonleg, who posted the cutest of the cute pictures at her place yesterday). Today's kitten-in-a-baby-stroller picture made me think of your Cat's Pajamas post.
(This comment brought to you by my linking skillz. (Seriously, could I have put just one. more. link. in there? I am nothing, if not thorough.))
Removing wallpaper is no easy task but it will look so good when you're finished. You have such a cute kitchen to start with...LOVE it!
Something is stirring in me. I need to read more about people remodeling to get my ass in gear.
I love chair rails. I've seen (think in Better Homes and Gardens) someone do a kitchen with a high rail, with white painted paneling on the bottom and a periwinkle wall above. Paneling would cover up the wallpaper, anyway.
Hey, Kel! We put chair rails in the girls' room, you know, to seperate the green and pink?... and WHOA DOGGIE! Is it ever CUTE!!! I mean it! SO!!! CUTE!!!
So, yeah. Um, chair rails are cool. I concur. I like 'em a lot. Um, that is all.
Woohoo. Lets' hear it for Southpaws.
Left handed people are better.
I love the cat on the counter.
Blingo rocks! I've already seen 2 free movies, and have 3 more free movie passes sitting on my desk.
Blingo has something against me.
I use that bitch all the time and I never win.
John Stamos
Well, I was all set to make fun of your wallpaper, but then I read your post and you already did it. So, now I got nothin'. But, I am happy to hear it was not your choice :) And, um, cats walking on a surface where food is prepared, sorry, but GROSS. lol
You what??? You WANT white cabinets? Please, take mine. They are a b!^#( to keep clean. I will trade you my white cabinets for your lovely wood ones. You can see mine on my blog (though I do sort of see that a light, airy kitchen like you are striving for, and I admittedly enjoy, does sort of require WHITE. Poop...).
But. There is nothing on your counters. There is no mess. I can't breathe. I am too jealous. It is so. damn. tidy.
I have to go clean.
Beautiful kitchen. Beautiful cat. Gorgeous cannisters. Um, neat handwriting.
If I had that much cabinet space, my counters COULD look that tidy. I would put the toaster away, hide dirty cooking pots in a dishpan under the sink, hide my spices (my spices take up a good 10% or more of my available counter space)...sigh...when we move...
Love the canisters they are great.
Have a great friday
I played too!
I actually LIKE your handwriting.
Did the kitchen come with the cat, or was it an addition?
Missed you!
Um. That was me. See? I can't even remember how to post a proper comment...
There is something wonderfully satisfying about peeling off wallpaper. When you decide to do it just enjoy the whole experience.
When we moved into our house, my wife said "Oh, this crappy flowered wallpaper will be the first thing to go."
I said, "I agree. Here..." and to her utter horror I grabbed a corner of the wallpaper in its most visible place and tore a huge ugly strip off it.
"But ... but ... now we'll have to do that before anything else!" she spluttered.
"Um, yeah. But the last time you said "That wallpaper is the first thing to go," it didn't go. It stayed for FIVE YEARS. Not this time."
She was pissed. We hadn't even moved all the furniture or boxes in, and now she had to put all the kitchen stuff in the dining room so that she could strip wallpaper and then paint.
She still tells the story, and still makes out that she's pissed off about the incident. But she's telling the story in a gorgeous kitchen with NO GODDAMN country kitchen, hello, welcome to June Cleaver's house, cutesy wootsy girlie flowery frigging wallpaper.
A day or two after we moved in, she mentioned the wallpaper in the bathroom upstairs, saying "That's the next thing I want to change when I get some time."
I didn't rip up a corner. Four years later, it's still there.