Kitchen Update Gone Awry

I had hoped to share with you the reveal of our kitchen update BUT that just isn't happening. We ran into some hiccups, some minor and one major.  Because I don't have a photo of me with a very sad face, this one will have to do.  

Source

First to "The Plan" - we had planned to spend the first two days of the Memorial Day weekend working on our kitchen and then would relax and hang out on Monday as a reward for all our hard work.  The breakdown was to work like this:

Saturday: Layout and install the tile

Sunday:  Grout the tile
              Install the 3 new lights
              Install the new faucet

Monday:  Hang out
                Do a little yard work & plant a few flowers

Sounds like a doable plan right?  We thought so.  We purposefully didn't put too much on the list for any one day, which is our usual M.O.  This conservative approach seemed to work since we got off to a very good start. 

By about 6 pm Saturday night, we had a backsplash that looked like this. 

I was thrilled...beyond happy...over the moon and all around giddy at how things were shaping up. Such an improvement over the painted drywall that used to be there. 

Sunday morning, we work up energized to grout!  Again, we finished things up with out a hitch in a little over an hour.  We were even more thrilled than on Saturday night if that is possible.  Best part, it wasn't even noon so we were totally on schedule to get done by the end of the day.  It was SO exciting!  (We should have known things were running much too smoothly and dark clouds were gathering!)

At this point, things started to go wrong...horribly wrong. See the plug in the photo above? Take a close look. It is beige. Beige does not look good with white tile.  It totally bugged me to have spent all this time and effort to install the tile and have these beige blobs in the middle of the beautiful white tile. 

So we thought we would do a quick swap out of the beige plugs for white ones.  Yup, we got over confident and used the word "quick."  We jinxed ourselves when we added something to the list, something we hadn't planned on and this was exactly the thing that derailed our progress.  Grrr!

Somehow during the removal of the old plugs and the install of the new ones, we loosened a wire or connection or something and every time we tried to turn the breaker back on, it would trip. [insert another sad face here] It was at this point that our quick swap out went quickly out the window.  

So we now have a backsplash that looks like this.

Boo!

Everything we tried had the same result. Popped breaker. Blargh!!  Dirt kicking!! Saying every swear I know in my head several times in a row!!

The worst part?  All this testing and trying and more testing and trying took over two hours, a bunch of trips up and down the steps to the breaker box, and another trip to the hardware store. Blech! All this extra rig-a-ma-roll put us behind, way behind. 

So...while we have the backsplash installed we have

No new faucet install.  We still have this beauty gracing our sink.  (at least the backsplash looks good, right?)

One set of lights did get installed (a bright shining moment - no pun intended - after the whole plug debacle).

Of course since nothing is accomplished is without another issue cropping up - the ceiling needs touching up.

The over-the-sink light is back in the box and needs to get returned.  It hung down too low so right now this is what we have over our sink until I can figure something out.  Isn't it lovely?

I think we can all agree it is quite pitiful.

So tomorrow, instead of relaxing, we will be rewiring the "pigtails" for each wire in each of the outlets, which according to the Big Book of Electricity will most likely fix the problem.  (OK, it isn't really the Big Book of Electricity, it is a book all about wiring, but I think it is much more fun to call it the BBofE).  If the "pigtail" fix doesn't work, we need to call an electrician since the issue is most likely with our fusebox.  Please send good thoughts that isn't the case. 

Wish us luck tomorrow! 

Hopefully I will be able to update soon with the total reveal and the white, working, plugs! 

Plans to Make the Kitchen a Little Less Bland

We love our house. However, the kitchen is one area that we are not entirely keen on. It is big but the layout - it is a disaster.

When we moved in, it was bland bland bland and just not our style. White cabinets, white appliances, cream walls, cream counters, brass knobs and hinges.

This is one of the listing photos.

See what I mean?  It almost puts you to sleep.

Don't even get me started on the work "triangle." I put that in quotes because it is more like a work free form geometric shape.  That particular issue won't be addressed until we do a total gut job and that is still several years away. For now we are going to just make some cosmetic changes. 

Here's the plan: paint on the walls, the knobs and hinges, the countertop;  tile on the backsplash, install a new faucet and new lighting.

Mini Kitchen Makeover on polyvore.com

1. Paint:  Valspar Key Lime Pie
2. Tile:  COUNTERPARTS 3" x 6" White Ceramic Wall Tile
3. Grout:  light gray or silver.  Brand TBD.
4. Knobs and hinges: painted with Rustoleum hammered silver
5. Countertops: Giani Granite Bombay Black kit
6. Faucet:  IKEA Hjuvik (or something similar)
7. Over sink light:  Portfolio 10"W Steel 1-Light Pendant Light with Clear Shade
8. Ceiling Lights: Portfolio 4-Light Brushed Steel Fixed Track Light

If all goes well, I am pretty sure we can do our mini makeover for less than $500.  Not too shabby.

Watch for posts on our progress over the next few months as we tackle each item.

Sneek Peek - Night Table Redo

This little nightstand was a Craigslist find and cost $10 (I think).  We bought it with plans of putting it in our center bedroom.

A good cleaning and a coat of semi-gloss white paint will make her look like new.

Stay tuned for the reveal.

Sneek Peek - Coffee Table Revamp

We got the coffee table above at a local antique store.  LOVE the marble top, HATE the (dingy) yellow and gold base.  I know that gray and yellow are hot right now but not this yellow and not with the gold.

With the selection of our new wall colors, we have a better idea of how the direction of decor in the living room.  This means it is time to get rid of the yellow. 

Yay!!

All I can tell you about the revamp is that there is an elephant involved.  How's that for an obscure clue?

Big Weekend Plans!

What do you all have on deck for this weekend?  Any decor or renovation projects? 

At our house, in addition to the usual stuff like laundry and cleaning up the house, I will be staining and painting.

Staining this lovely piece with an espresso colored stain (snagged for free on Craigslist)

 

And painting this end table we will be using as a nightstand in our front bedroom.  Another Craigslist inexpensive find ($7). I primed it last night and now it is ready for paint. 

I may also have time to tackle a lamp from Freecycle and do a quick sewing project for the office.

Good luck in getting your projects done this weekend!

Project Sneek Peeks

I thought that you might want to see a preview of some of our upcoming DIY projects. 

We have the start of a bulletin board utilizing a rummage sale frame.

A Craigslist buffet getting a new look through color.

A garage sale reading lamp revamp.

Look for posts on these and a few other projects we have in our tool belts to come soon.