If you suggest it....I WILL buy it!

I ordered this ruffle duvet from Urban Outfitters and as most on-line shopping sites do once you've added something to your cart ....they show you a teaser of what you "might also like"....

.....the matching shams perhaps?

....the coordinating and oh-so-tempting laundry tote?

It's a marketing technique that's rarely lost on me....so into my cart they went as I secretly hoped for more "suggestions". But that was it, and really, that was enough!

Kitchen Reveal

I'm still tweaking but, as you all well know, that could go on for a very long time... so here it is...

One coat of primer, three coats of BM's White Dove in semi-gloss and we have "new" kitchen

I'm only showing one before picture because it actually pains me now to look at how ugly it was for so long. If you want to see more check out my prior post here

For me.... the pendant lights (made by Allen & Roth ) are the crowning glory. We had to install conversion kits to go from recessed to pendant lighting but the effort and expense was worth it.

We gave the counter a more finished look by painting and installing maple corbels we bought at Lowe's. Now we're on the hunt for new stools which is proving to be quite the challenge.

When I spotted this "Catch a Wave" sign at Home Goods I knew right then it was going to set the tone for a beachy theme for our kitchen

We kept the same cabinet handles and draw pulls but had to replace the overlay-type antique brass hinges with white ones and ended up having to special order them from Hardware World as none of the big box stores carried them in white

I'm not crazy about the curtain - I think I need something "gauzy" and with a little color

Again, the lights!! And... the insides of them are a white enamel which gives off a nice bright light. We also put them on a dimmer switch so we have lighting options.

Once the cabinets were painted I suddenly liked the color of my walls again (BM Georgian Green)

And this picture I bought at TJ Maxx had almost the exact green in it - the frame was black before I painted it white and distressed it a bit

To say that my kitchen now makes me smile would be an understatement. To say that it now entices me to cook would be an outright lie :)

What I didn't buy at Brimfield....

I took home in pictures....

Yeah.... I did have buyers regret over a few of the items but I'm almost over it :)

My Brimfield Buys....

I had been eyeballing this exact kitchen scale on Ebay for upwards of $40 so I was thrilled to come across one at Brimfield for $12.

And the white ruffles it's sitting on....... a square dancing skirt!

I knew I could use it to cover a table I have in my garden shed....

And oh YES...after some fresh laundering with OxiClean she's a perfect fit. I draped a scarf over the top to cover the opening of the skirt's waist.

This wash stand was my first purchase of the day. I'm using it as a bird bath/flower stand. I haven't as yet bought any flowers to adorn it but I inserted a serving bowl - placed a rock in the middle, filled it with water and within a few hours I had a couple of wrens make a visit.

When I spied this pediment, which is in two pieces, I was planning to use one of the pieces as a corbel under my kitchen counter - turns out it's too long.

That's okay though because I'm going to put it back together, paint it the color of our house and use it as a pediment over the front door.

My next post will be pictures of the things I didn't buy at Brimfield but liked enough to snap a picture or two.

My Small Kitchen...

suddenly felt HUGE the moment I started painting!

I'm not complaining though because I love them already, even with just a coat of primer

I also plan to change the wall color and I'm leaning towards Natural Elements #1515 by Benjamin Moore (not sure if I should have done that prior to the cabinets but it's too late now!)