Before - After

 Are you ready for a big picture post and a story of a small frugal make-over? Well if not, you better click off and go away because once I set my mind to something (this story and this project) I'm not going to stop.

A while back my Hubby introduced me to an eye-catching blog. Some may say a black-hole of a blog, in a good way. Want an introduction? Too late here it is http://betterafter.blogspot.com/.
I spent so much time staring in wonder and sometimes horror, I was determined to fix something myself.

So I told Hubby that I NEEDED to up-grade our kitchen pantry.

We headed to town. I was looking for a very specific sized cabinet with doors.
The second day out, I found the perfect piece. Just the right size and it had 2 doors to hide most of the things that need hiding. How much? $32.50, That's a great price!
The only problem (fixable), these beautiful 60's legs and gorgeous knobs.

 Ok, before you look at my before space, you just need to know this was after a Costco visit. But you can clearly see there is a problem here and not all of it is in the pantry.

This is what happens when you marry a man whose last name is also a product. 

 This little cabinet was so full it didn't always close. Then there was a space next to it that keep gathering stuff. It was embarrassing! It's embarrassing to even show you now, but I'll get over it because it no longer looks that bad!

Too much?

And of course while I was at it, I had to re-paint the kitchen, much to Hubby chagrin.

 So remember that little cabinet? Here it is with an old shelf on top. My plan was to make my own hutch. Why not? I had the shelf and it was just gathering dust, literally.
Already looking better, don't you think?

Also while we were out shopping for that cabinet, I found another soup tureen. Some people (Hubby) think I have too many, specially of something I don't use. But I'm not going to let nay sayers deter me. Except that I may not have any more room for another.

But besides that, I found my new favorite paint at one of the antique stores.
Have you ever heard of Annie Sloan's chalk paint? I hadn't either till I got hooked on the website above.
I just have to say, this paint is amazing! First off, there is no smell. It's eco-friendly. But best of all, it produces a beautiful matte finish. You can paint over old vanish, wax or paint and it will adhere perfectly. It will also work on plastic, stone, bricks, concrete and metal. This is my new favorite furniture paint (not that I paint furniture often but if I do again, this will be what I use).
For my project, I used "Old White". I figured it would match with my Old house better.

This was the first shot I took of the "After". I'm only showing it because the better picture doesn't show all the new knobs.

My kitchen is a small kitchen. No crown molding, no granite counters and definitely no frills. This is a working kitchen of a humble abode. But I can now say, it looks better in this corner.

Everything fits so much better and it looks nicer too. Everything has a place and that makes my OCD happy. Though there may still be too much stuff!

So there you have it. Another long story. As you can see if you look at the top right of the last picture, I'm still painting. I make deals with myself, like, I'll paint to the window. Tomorrow I'll paint to the frig. So this may take a few days (weeks) to finish. Because I would also like to get some sewing done. I need a break from the ladder. My sewing foot is itchy!

Take care, Brandie