Countertop Conundrum

Well folks, it's been a good three years since we painted our kitchen cabinets and purchased a new fridge {new stove is just around the corner and new floors are coming next year}. And, because the kitchen is looking better...I've now had my fill with my old green laminate countertops! Something's gotta give, and those babies have got to hit the road.

Before {It's ok to shriek...I did it too when I first laid eyes on our kitchen!}
Oh, and that's my mom on move-in day!

Current State {Better...but could still use some work}

The other day {okay month} when David and I went to the Botanical gardens we exited through a Corian demonstration in mid set-up. The samples were huge and they looked like marble...I kid you not! I felt kinda weird exiting through somewhere we probably shouldn't have been exiting through, so I failed to snap a picture. I know, major mistake, but I was more concerned with getting out of there!

But, when I got home I could not get the images out of my head! They were haunting me. You get it right? Anyhoo, with some handy-dandy googling, I finally came across the gorgeousness that I saw... stay with me, I know you're thinking I'm off my rocker about this Corian. The countertops that I viewed are part of Corian's new-ish "private collection"...fancy, right? They have inspirations from nature and are more veiny and swirly than your average Corian piece.

Now, finding a dealer that knew about this selection was a little bit tricky. It seems as if no one had the samples in the colors I wanted, and even worse, no one was familiar with the collection. I was starting to think it might not even exist. However, I ran across this site, that let me order 10x10 samples for my own viewing pleasure. Because, let me tell you, seeing these countertops in those piddly 4x4 samples just does NOT do them justice. Thank God I was able to see them at the Botanical Gardens, because otherwise, I would never have even given a second glance to the lilliputian samples in the stores.

So as it stands, I am torn between the sandalwood color and the witch hazel color. And, even more so, I don't even know what these bad boys are going to cost us! We did find a place in our little town that would order them and is setting up a bid for us as we speak. Of course, I didn't want to completely limit our options so I did shop the big box stores and a granite distributor, but nothing really compares to the Corian. There was one slab of granite that I liked, Mont Blanc, and we got our quote on it, but I'm still not 100% sold.

I know, you still think I'm on something, right? Hehe. : )

When we got our Corian samples in the mail I took some photos and did some photoshopping for a mock up of them.

Don't laugh, I'm learning my way through photoshop everyday. And, it's a tough journey!

What do you think? Like 'em, hate 'em, love 'em like I do? Do tell, blogger friends.

Craigslist Dresser Makeover

As promised that "after" picture post is coming to you with a couple of hours left to spare in the day! In case you forgot, here is what we were dealing with when we picked her up:

I love her shape, those lovely drop ring pulls, and those spindle legs! It was love at first sight even if she was a little roughed up. I immediately began running possible color choices through my head...a fun green, a modern gray, or a stunning black. But, as always, in the end the tried and true no-fail white was the winner! Knowing I might possibly want to use this in our future child's room someday, I just couldn't commit to something that wouldn't be timeless. So, all those fun color choices flew out the window and are saved for another day and another project!

Much like all of our furniture re-do projects, we went with our trusty Sherwin Williams oil based paint and primer.

Now, this stuff isn't the cheapest of the cheap, but it's beyond durable and is self leveling, which equals no brush strokes! It'd be nice if we could invest in a sprayer like Ms. Holly, but I haven't got past the prospect of that yet...you never know, though!

After a little bit of stripping and a little more sanding we got down to business.

The whole process took a couple of days. We had to do a little bit of waiting in between coats since we did one coat of primer and two coats of paint.

Some people will skip the sanding process and/or the priming process but we aren't those people. We've been taught if you want it to last, take the extra time. It's not for everybody but it's what we do when we are dealing with a pretty substantial piece like this dresser.

And, finally, here she sits in her current home in our entryway, which really isn't an entryway per se, but you get the picture ; ). I am in love with the piece and am impressed at how well she cleaned up!

My absolute favorite part is the pulls! Love them.

And, if you notice, the frame on top is new too. Annnnnd, it's another craigslist find! More to come on that big boy later!

xoxo

Stay Tuned...

I am super excited to share with you guys the little craigslist dresser makeover we did, but I haven't got around to taking pictures of it all set up! You'd think with us both being teachers we'd be on the ball better than this during our summer downtime! Please stick around because a post is coming within the day of the "after"! : )

Here's a little peek at her when we brought her home...{is it creepy the way I give furniture a gender? Hmmm...maybe leave that answer to yourself--haha!}

xoxo

St. Louis-ish Area Readers...Listen Up : )

Someone needs to snatch these babies up off of my favorite site ASAP. I would love to get them, paint 'em, and reupholster 'em...but our little ranch has run out of room. They are calling my name or at the very least someone I knows name : ).

You know you want them...

xoxo

New Additions

It's been a hot minute since we last discussed decor on this blog...let's get to it, shall we? : )

A couple weeks ago, the lovely Bryn of Bryn Alexandra posted about this rug at HSN.com It was immediate love at first price especially after laying eyes on that price tag. I had to have the rug, no questions asked! You're feeling it, too...right?

An 8x10 rug hardly ever comes along that cheap, so I snatched it right up...alongside a cute little green lacquer tray that was also calling my name.

The rug is sitting beautifully in our ever-changing living room that is about to undergo a mini-overhaul {I hope you're not surprised, knowing my indecisive brain!}. We're about to send our craigslist sofa and overstock chair cushions to be reupholstered, the wall "art" above the tv is on its last leg, a new flat screen is somewhere in our future and all new pillows are on their way in. Life with me never gets boring folks...at least in the decor aspect that is : ).

Stay tuned for some fun craigslist purchases I've made this week! You're sure to love them...at least, I think you'll love 'em!

xoxo

At The Wall

I'm so proud of my little brother, Dane. Although, he's not that little anymore! He's about to be a sophomore in college and is simultaneously following his dreams of having a band and being the front man of that band.

David and I have been fortunate enough to catch a couple of shows along with my Dad, and have loved them all.

My little brother's great {I know I'm biased} and so are his bandmates. They play "heavy as heck pop-punk" as quoted on their website. It's not necessarily my cup of tea per se, but how can I not enjoy watching them all perform their hearts out? It's fantastic to witness and my heart melts when my Dad raves about them and bops his head to the beat, quite easily being the oldest man in the whole venue! Love it.

The last show that we went to was quite a big deal for the guys because they had a chance to open for one of Dane's favorite bands, Set Your Goals.

We were so excited to see Dane's band's name on the actual ticket--woohoo!

We only stayed to watch Dane's band perform and a little bit of the second one because the music got a little too heavy for me and some people were having quite the time moshing right into our table--no fun.

I snapped about a hundred pics, but wasn't really impressed with any of them. I still have everything to learn about photography...especially shooting in dark areas where the people move-A LOT!

If you're curious about At The Wall, take a listen here. You might just like it!

xoxo

p.s. I realize the pics are ginormous in this post-oops! I have no idea how that happened but I will return to regular size {hopefully} with the next post.

Sweet, Sweet Sevilla

I loved visiting Sevilla during the Spain trip so so much. Sevilla was the perfect eclectic mix of modern mixed with old, and the people, the sites, and the atmosphere all together was beyond perfection!

We visited a bullring, got to see the city center, took a ferry ride down the Guadalquivir river, shopped!, saw a plaza that was used in Star Wars, made a stop in a cathedral that holds part of Christopher Columbus' remains, and finally also toured a royal palace! Sounds exhausting, but somehow I don't remember feeling rushed...it must be a true testament to how much I really did love this city!

Sit back and make yourself comfy and enjoy some pics from those two days!!! I definitely would loooooove to visit Sevilla again!

I told you I liked that city...that's just a very small snippet of my favs from that day. : )

xoxo