I'm sorry, but sometimes I get really down and out...just downright depressed, and this past Saturday was one of those days.
It all started when the Autumn issue of "The Cottage Journal" came in the mail. Oh my goodness...beautiful homes and rich fall colors, which, by the way, are my favorite colors!!!
Anyhow, I got all bent out of shape because my kitchen will never look like this...
and this...
So here I was, up at 4:00 am Saturday morning studying the pages of the new magazine...trying to figure a way to change our 1989 cabinets and bar and counter tops and floor to look like those in the picture. What would it take? A twenty thousand dollar loan?? Should I start taking down cabinet doors and plug in a sander? and did you know that you can actually paint an old linoleum floor. I found the "how to" on line. It's done with a can of something called "Rust Scat"! Should I head off to Lowes and buy a can? My head was spinning!
Well, by 10:00 am, after counting my pocket money; a twenty, a five, and 2 one dollar bills, and announcing to Poppy that I had to get out of the house, was en route to Wake Forest.
Wake Forest has two Goodwill stores. Two!! and a Dairy Queen!! and in the same shopping center as one of the Goodwill stores and the Dairy Queen, a huge "Habitat Restore".
About to walk out of the first Goodwill store empty handed, the swinging doors of the "employees only" section burst open and out walked a clerk pushing a buggy stacked with household goods. Friends, the gold curtains she slung at the table where I stood, landed in my arms. Mine! I yelled!
My mood was beginning to change as I loaded the full length curtains in the car and headed across the parking lot to the "Restore". This store was packed with nice used furniture and household items...but for a measly fifty cents I found the next big mood lifter...The perfect CD... Seriously, Pavarotti! Back in my working days in downtown Raleigh, I totally wore out a Pavarotti cassette tape. Pavarotti was performing in Raleigh not too long before his death, and I will never forgive myself for not going to see him. I cried when he died.
Okay, my car could have gone two miles on the gas I wasted sitting with the motor running in the parking listening to the tenors, and eating a Dairy Queen blizzard, the third and final big mood lifter.
I drove home a happy woman. Takes very little to make me happy. Here's my new stuff, and how things have been since...
The new gold curtains.
Poppy said, let's go to Lowes and get a nice new curtain rod. Okay!!
For weeks now, I have been tearing out and hauling off...
and my new look for the little kitchen window...no knick-knacks and no big white ruffled country curtains blocking the view. :)
Poppy said pick out the kitchen cabinet hardware...knobs and pulls, that you want and we will order them. So, we did...like those in picture. :) I suppose, besides the new hardware, a bucket of hot soapy water and a scrub brush will be the update to the cabinets.
new dark bronze hardware for the cabinets will look much better, don't you think?
and my prize for driving to Wake Forest...
Be still my heart! as my daughter Lynn says.
Oh my gosh, I have two new followers! Thank you. You'll probably hate you stopped by after reading such a post. Sure hope not. Thank you Sandra and Breahn.
Love,
Henny
It all started when the Autumn issue of "The Cottage Journal" came in the mail. Oh my goodness...beautiful homes and rich fall colors, which, by the way, are my favorite colors!!!
Anyhow, I got all bent out of shape because my kitchen will never look like this...
So here I was, up at 4:00 am Saturday morning studying the pages of the new magazine...trying to figure a way to change our 1989 cabinets and bar and counter tops and floor to look like those in the picture. What would it take? A twenty thousand dollar loan?? Should I start taking down cabinet doors and plug in a sander? and did you know that you can actually paint an old linoleum floor. I found the "how to" on line. It's done with a can of something called "Rust Scat"! Should I head off to Lowes and buy a can? My head was spinning!
Well, by 10:00 am, after counting my pocket money; a twenty, a five, and 2 one dollar bills, and announcing to Poppy that I had to get out of the house, was en route to Wake Forest.
Wake Forest has two Goodwill stores. Two!! and a Dairy Queen!! and in the same shopping center as one of the Goodwill stores and the Dairy Queen, a huge "Habitat Restore".
About to walk out of the first Goodwill store empty handed, the swinging doors of the "employees only" section burst open and out walked a clerk pushing a buggy stacked with household goods. Friends, the gold curtains she slung at the table where I stood, landed in my arms. Mine! I yelled!
My mood was beginning to change as I loaded the full length curtains in the car and headed across the parking lot to the "Restore". This store was packed with nice used furniture and household items...but for a measly fifty cents I found the next big mood lifter...The perfect CD... Seriously, Pavarotti! Back in my working days in downtown Raleigh, I totally wore out a Pavarotti cassette tape. Pavarotti was performing in Raleigh not too long before his death, and I will never forgive myself for not going to see him. I cried when he died.
Okay, my car could have gone two miles on the gas I wasted sitting with the motor running in the parking listening to the tenors, and eating a Dairy Queen blizzard, the third and final big mood lifter.
I drove home a happy woman. Takes very little to make me happy. Here's my new stuff, and how things have been since...
For weeks now, I have been tearing out and hauling off...
Poppy said pick out the kitchen cabinet hardware...knobs and pulls, that you want and we will order them. So, we did...like those in picture. :) I suppose, besides the new hardware, a bucket of hot soapy water and a scrub brush will be the update to the cabinets.
and my prize for driving to Wake Forest...
Be still my heart! as my daughter Lynn says.
Oh my gosh, I have two new followers! Thank you. You'll probably hate you stopped by after reading such a post. Sure hope not. Thank you Sandra and Breahn.
Love,
Henny
Isn't it amazing what a Restore, a thrift shop, a Lowes and a little bit of imagination and hard work can accomplish?!
ReplyDeleteHow do you use the Rust Scat on linoleum and what does it look like after? Is it something that you paint onto a rusted surface which will keep the rust from working through a new paint job? I hope so. Just today I was looking at the inside of the metal door that goes from the garage onto the patio. We have painted the outside of the door numerous times in the 30 something years we have been here but never the inside. There are little speckled rivulets of rust all up and down it. I thought to my self that I should paint that now while it's warm enough to do that outside kind of painting but then I thought "oh my, I'd have to sand the whole darn thing". Sanding is my worst nightmare and I hate, hate hate it so I discarded that little idea to the waste bin but now I may have to ferret around in there and dig it back out!
Gonna look great with the new hardware. I want my cupboards painted, but I'm too cheap to have it done.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that your mood was lifted. I'm a Pavarotti fan too, there is something about his singing that touches the soul. His voice was a true treasure. Love the curtains you found, the leaves embossed in them is beautiful. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your kitchen . . . small changes can make big differences :)
ReplyDeleteKeep Smiling and Don't be Blue :)
Connie
Your kitchen is already mighty pretty, so just a little change here and there might be a nice change. I do like dark bronze accents. Your Pavarotti was a good find, for sure, and should be just what the doctor ordered. Great post, Henny!
ReplyDeleteUsually a little change will lift a mood... and a complete redo is not necessary. But just to add my 2 cents in, you can get that 'stone look" with fake stone. My daughter used it in one of her bathrooms and it looks great. I also love that blue tile over the stove in the first picture. But your new curtains look great and the view from your kitchen window is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you went out and found just what you needed to lift your spirits! And ice cream is perfect treat to top the shopping off. I love the new drapes and you know you will be surprised at the change new hardware will make in your cabinets. Enjoy that CD!
ReplyDeleteOoh dear Henny, how you make me smile :)
ReplyDeleteWe are akin you and I, it certainly doesn't take much to make me happy, and those gold curtains would have made me dance for joy !
What gorgeous pattern and material....
Updating the hardware on your cabinets will make such a difference, and I love your choice of color.
Such a serene view from your kitchen window, I could stand there all day long :)
Hugs,
~Jo
Henny, I am reminded of a favorite line from a children's book, "The Big Orange Splot" : " My house is mine and I am it, and it looks like all my dreams!"
ReplyDeleteRemember how you have loved your little cottage, and still do, and don't be so envious of photos in magazines. Just continue to live your life your way, and occasionally go wild at thrift stores!
Nothing like a little shopping to lift one's mood. Your 'new' gold curtains look fabulous hanging there and as for the kitchen window, the little curtain is perfect for that sublime view. The new kitchen cabinets hardware will look perfect.
ReplyDeleteAh Henny those wonderful magazines certainly can make us drool. In seeing your kitchen though it looks so wonderful. I am sure the hardware will make a big difference. Wow those gold curtains and cd were certainly a score. Just goes to show what is one person's cast off becomes a treasure to another. Glad that blizzard did the trick too.
ReplyDeleteI love Linda Reeder's response to your post.
ReplyDeleteIt is all too easy to get down and discouraged by all the eye candy we see online. I am learning to be content with what I have been blessed with, doing some decluttering as well as shopping from my own little place and redecorating, and painting walls, etc. Tweaking.
Finding good deals at thrift stores, curbside, or wherever is always a treat. Your curtains look really nice and I look forward to seeing your kitchen cabinets with your new hardware.
Enjoy your home sweet home ~ FlowerLady
Simple pleasures . . .
ReplyDeleteSweet Henny Penny, I love your new curtains. :) New hardware will perk those cabinets up. Yes, I too look at fancy magazines of stunning homes and dream. But then I like old well worn things too. LOL Don't forget to show us when you are done . Oh I love Pavarotti too. Blessings, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteYour new curtains look great! Nothing that a Blizzard won't cure ;) I think your kitchen looks warm and homey. I'm not sure, are the curtains over your kitchen window new, or old? I like them either way! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI think you just entered a new field ...psychiatry!!! You know how to fix depression!!!
ReplyDeleteOh henny, I don't remember you being depressed before. I think you had just the right idea to head off to the stores where you found some great treasures! Then you bright your beautiful new curtains home and your hubby is so kind to suggest you buy a new curtains rod, and then even some new hardware for the cabinets. I think you've got a keeper in that guy! Enjoy the new fresh look everything will have, and your new gold curtains are beautiful! I love your house just the way it is, but if you need a change....go for it! Thanks for an always great blog!!! Love you Henny!
ReplyDeleteI get that way every time I get a Country Sampler magazine in my mailbox. I, too, head off to Goodwill or ReStore Rack and usually find something that will set my mood back to rights. LoL Simple stuff but it can make a world of difference to someone who is just tired of the sameness.
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace,
Pam
My husband just yesterday finished painting our kitchen cupboards. 25 doors, 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint on each side equals 150 coats of paint..it was a huge job!! But oh my, I am so thrilled! They were a blonde maple before, now they are white. I love them!! Your new drapes are really lovely, and you will love your new cabinet hardware! We washed ours, I was ashamed at how dirty it was, didn't even realize it!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness you've got a lot of energy! Maybe it's those blizzards! Just teasing, your gold drapes look great and I think the new hardware will too!
ReplyDeleteHi Henny: I love the view from your kitchen window.It is just dreamy.
ReplyDeleteI think a little change here and there makes things alright again. Those drapes will be a lovely focal point in the room.
Just for the record my dear, my dining room furniture will never be like yours nor will my kitchen be as nice as yours. It's all perspective. God blessed you with little treasures. Those are great curtains.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Laura
I'm actually in the middle of painting my kitchen, but it's not a real "makeover". Just going from blue to light beige.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure glad a little retail therapy helped you out of a blue mood.
ReplyDeleteYour gold curtains on the new rod look great as I'm sure your new kitchen hardware will too.
I tend to get envious of gardens in magazines. Mine will never look like those do because I can't make myself yank out all the volunteers that pop up in awkward spots.
Sometimes it just takes a little thing (or things) to get us happy! LOL Personally I love your kitchen much better than those pictures, truly. But we all have our own taste I know. I love your pretty kitchen window and the wonderful green view and I love your faucet and your shelves of things. I think the new curtains look great too!!--what room did they go in?
ReplyDeleteNessun Dorma...That's a classic..Best track on there..
ReplyDeleteAnd..one of the best he's ever done..and being Italian,
ooops! sorry Sicilian..l have a lot of his music, some
on LP's as they belong to mia Mama..! :).
And..Well done you..The story about your kitchen etc..
is brilliant..but no need to feel down about it..Hark
at me, with all the emotions l carry around with me!
"Onwards and Upwards" l say...! :).
And yes! I have a thing about curtains..the ones in
my front room go from wall to wall..and they look
brilliant when closed..! :).
But! Looking out any window should be scenic...!
Well..best get on..nearly 7:30 over here, time for
a second lemon tea..'Onwards and Upwards'...! :o).
I had to quit reading home décor blogs cause they affected me in such a negative way. And really...how can one put so much time and energy into trying to have the perfect home? The perfect home comes from the heart. That's why I enjoy your blog. You've got it right! Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteSimple pleasures...what a great uplift. The curtains were a delight.
ReplyDeleteLooks very pretty so far! I'm going to paint my kitchen. Took all the knobs off to paint my very old pine cabinets. Was going to just clean the knobs but might get new ones-I'll see how yours inspire me! Have a nice day Henny!
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lovely, characterful kitchen. Truly! Brilliant find on the curtains and the new hardware will be a nice little tweak but, really, I could be happy with a kitchen like yours.
ReplyDeleteNow, dear Lady, that is what I call God giving you the desires of your heart! It isn't the same as the picture, but it has lifted your mood and lightened your heart. HE is good...and I am quite excited for you! xx
ReplyDeleteI love your "scores." Your refreshed decor is very nice. Can't wait to see the cabinets refresh. Sandy.
ReplyDeleteI need for you to come and purge my house. I have got to do it I have way to much clutter. I want to get new cabinets knobs and pulls for my kitchen and bathroom.I like you I get depressed easy and want to make a lot of changes in my house. It is always about the money. Love you bunches!
ReplyDeleteNow you have another follower...me. I love your kitchen window and you are so right, shouldn't be covered up with too much curtain, what a view! Looking forward to reading your posts! Love from Michigan.
ReplyDeleteDear Henny: I think this was your best post ever. It sounded like I was reading a magazine article written by an experienced writer. Great writing! By the way, I love the uncovered window. Never was much for curtains myself - I want to see the view! The gold drapes brighten things up. Your kitchen is lovely in it's own way. I have learned that about my own home. I love reading blogs and looking at pinterest, but it does get you down sometimes, all the perfection. I have it settled in my heart and mind that my house will never look staged, but rather, lived in. And I rather like my style. Not sure what to call it, kind of "back to nature" I guess, lots of fern, birds, nests, leaves, etc. It may never be in style, but it is my style. And I never was one to follow trends. I'm a lot happier since figuring that out.
ReplyDeleteWell, now you have ANOTHER new follower. I have learned not to cry over those pics in the magazines. They seem to cater to those that have way more cash than I do. You got great curtains. Yes, the new hardware will certainly snaz up your cabinets. I know from experience that clearing out the cabinets and donating items you haven't used in years can be pretty darned uplifting too. Great Post.
ReplyDeleteCarol
You are a woman after my own heart, Henny! Those curtains are gorgeous and look perfect in your lovely home. Sometimes all we need is the smallest changes to make the whole place look new. Goodwill, local thrift stores and Re-Store are places that I visit frequently. Even though I am not a huge fan of opera, in and of itself, I had a special place in my heart for Pavarotti and was saddened when I heard of his illness and death. I am glad you found these ways of lifting your spirits!
ReplyDeleteSure glad you are happy once again. I think your home looks warm and cozy and so very nice.
ReplyDeleteHenny, this post has played on my heartstrings! You remind me of myself so much! Man, a blizzard near a Restore and Goodwill... Your kitchen is beautiful and while its not in the cottage magazine, it is just as beautiful. I love your kitchen and all the jars and stuff. I wish mine was organized, and it is only 8 feet by 8 feet. Have a wonderful week in your revitalized kitchen.. Terry
ReplyDeleteLooks like you did quite well, my kitchen will never be a showplace either, I thinks yours is cozy:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post this morning.....made me feel better just to read it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Phyllis
Those gold curtains are gorgeous, Henny!! And I love your kitchen, it's completely cozy and so welcoming!!!
ReplyDeleteHello, what a post! I'm addicted to Pinterest for the house decor photos and I know they get to me. I am honestly surprised you have this problem, too, though. I always compare myself to you, because while I dream of a beautiful future-home, you are living in yours and you work so hard to keep it beautiful. I love your kitchen tons more than the one in the photo but I love that you're purging and re-arranging and shopping at the second-hands!! So fun and the window above the sink is downright pretty : )
ReplyDeleteYour new gold curtains look so nice! And the new knobs will make it look like a new kitchen! Sometimes it is just a couple little things that can make us happy! Nancy
ReplyDeleteI'll apologize ahead of time for leaving a long comment. I'm so, so sorry you had a depressed day -- those are the WORST, and hard to overcome. The curtain is just lovely!! Very nice touch to that room.
ReplyDeleteAs for the kitchen, looking at the first magazine photo, it seems to me (as your hubby noted) you can obtain a lot of that look, not by expensive redos, but by a change of materials. That first photo has: leather, metal, wood, and stone. Natural materials. Notice how the photographer didn't include the refrigerator in his shot? That's b/c the frig is the huge, ugly, non-natural-looking object in the kitchen. It's a trick of the camera.
But you could include leather, and some ironwork, and you've already got lots of very pretty wood, and you could certainly put some stone-type tiling as a backsplash, or in some other location that would give you that stone feel without putting in a whole stone wall.
I bet you're also wanting open shelving (from the second photo), but you don't have to rip out your cabinets to get that. Take the doors off of two of your cabinets and remove the hinges, and give them a little sanding. A couple of open shelf spots give a lovely look. Or, if you have a place in your kitchen - maybe a narrow space next to the frig or something - put a stack of open shelves in there, just to satisfy the eye. I think your kitchen is really pretty, and I love what you did with the curtain -- nice, open, light. You'll get there, friend!
Your walls and ceiling are amazing!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I missed this post. But I have to tell you-your home is GORGEOUS-just like it is. I LOVE your cupboards. Your new thrift finds are great too-and boy do I share your love for Pavarotti. What an incredible voice. I used to listen to one of his CD's back when we were homeschooling. Our son took the CD with him when he got married! I call that good schooling!
ReplyDeleteOh, absolutely, it was good schooling. :) There can never be another Pavarotti. Thank you Debra.
DeleteYou remind me of what a friend at my old school said, "I don't like Pinterest because I don't have any money to buy anything." I was shocked. I don't plan on buying things that I see, I just like the inspiration. You liked the magazine kitchen because it looks like your kitchen! I love your cozy house so much. It's perfect.
ReplyDeleteI have those moments too! Like you, it’s usually simple and often fun things that snap me right out of it! You’re curtains look lovely and your hardware will as well! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteD~~~~
Henny Penny, I actually laughed at your misery! I have been there many times myself. That Cottage Journal is hard to put down and really makes you start craving things. I started to think maybe I shouldn't have signed up for that magazine, but then after seeing those beautiful golden curtains...I guess you would've missed out on them if you hadn't been so inspired, right? LOL. Anyway, I think you have done some very cute improvements and I'm jealous of those curtains. Since they flew right into your arms, I guess they were meant for you!
ReplyDelete