More of my Tuscan Kitchen . . . and a table made from scratch.

Paul and I are on a creative tangent with the latest project, "Operation Tuscan Kitchen".  We work well together and I must say I like seeing him with his tool belt on ;)  (tee, hee)  He enjoys listening to his IPOD while drilling and grinding.  My only beef with this is when I need to talk to him, he seems to be ignoring me until I realize he is not using his gift of "selective hearing", and instead is rocking out to Milli Vanilli Pantera. 

In the photos below, I will detail before and after photos and give a brief description of how we put it together.  This project has consumed only a couple weekends, and we plan to get back out to the great outdoors a few more times before the Utah cold weather sets in.

Here is the before picture of the ceiling.  Not bad, just needs a little "pazaaz".

PAZAAM!!  And here is the after :)  Definitely adds a tuscan filled theme and goes well AWESOME with the cabinets and table. 

Ooo-la-la!  This table is better than I could have envisioned.  This is all Paul's doing;  from the steel straps on top he did by hand, to the cedar planks transitioned to beautiful!!  I did get to stain and seal it, but credit definitely goes to him.  I LOVE IT!   We shopped multiple places to find something this unique and to go with the Tuscan theme, but no luck.  We found many tables no doubt, but the inexpensive ones (under $1000)  were blah, and those we really liked, were $2000 + (Ummm, no shanks). 
Table parts/supplies cost:  $ 200
Chairs from Pier One:  $400
TOTAL:  $600
For me:  PRICELE$$

 On the beams you can barely see the intricate steel pieces to add a bit of charm, so look closely and you will see.  These pictures do not do this justice!  I could sit at the table and enjoy my morning coffee, or play several rounds of Yahtzee with the kids. 

Tuscan Inspiration brought on by an up-and-coming trip to Rome . . .

Well it has been a while since my last post, and I will be completely honest;  I haven't been very good at updating my creations like I had hoped.  I really felt it necessary to post and honor the latest creation because I am SO HAPPY with the results. 

Let me begin by mentioning I have a Rome trip planned with my mother in early September this year, and I have been doing lots of research!  With a trip of a lifetime like this, I want to be sure I don't miss anything.   I have been inspired through reading and Internet searches, yet I can only imagine the beauty and genuine style in person!! 

Before

After

After

My kitchen was fine just as it was, but I wanted a little Tuscan mix to the style.  Nothing too over-the-top, just a hint of pazaaz.  It was then that I thought of a new backsplash to accent the appearance.  After many trips around town, looking through tiles and such, I thought I wanted something more unique, so Paul and I made our way to American Stone in SLC.  They have a product from a company called Harristone with a pre-fabricated stone that looks just like the real thing in texture and all, it is just a bit lighter and easier to work with.  We found an awesome color pattern and texture we went with and spent the weekend putting it together.  Stay tuned, I will be sure to take better pics when it is completed.  We are thinking of some timbers on the ceiling??? 

Da, da, da, dum . . . FINAL Nursery photos!! "Savannah Ballerina"

I am so excited to see the final results of my vision!  I will call this one, "Savannah Ballerina".  Most times I am very pleased at the final version, but this time I think I have outdone myself (tee, hee).  I have VERY happy customers (Terrie & Tyson are ecstatic, and Dylan even likes to look around too).  Terrie actually said she and Tyson go in there at various times just to admire the nursery :)  That makes me so HAPPY!  They say in life you should do things you enjoy and what makes you truly happy, and this does this for me.  I hope one day to do this full-time and for a living. 


There is ALOT of detail and fun creative things we came up with, so below I will post a picture and explain how I went about creating it.  Not to give my secrets away (tee, hee), just to give an idea of why I thought it would be a great addition based upon the ballerina theme chosen by Terrie.  All she had to tell me was ballerina, and I ran danced with it!

I actually made this from Christmas Tree ornaments :)  Even down to the "Dance with your heart a ballerina you will be".  The timing was perfect too!  Christmas time is a great time to find these ornate decorations.   Let's just say the little fluffy bears never had a chance with this one :)

This dresser began as a black-stained finish.  I completely painted it white, and added a "textured" finish using the colors in the room.  The knobs if you look close are little ballerinas (Terrie found these online).  The decor on top of the dresser we found together just out and about shopping. 

This is a window shot where daddy aka. Tyson shows his craftsmanship.  He added a large shelf which helped me add some extra touches to the room.  The light on the left actually has it's own switch to turn on if Savannah deems it necessary :)

This is probably my favorite (mom & dad's too) part of the room :)  Yes, Savannah will have her own little vanity with mirror, chandelier, and even a little light switch to turn it off and on.  If you look real close at the 1st Vanity pic, you can see a little switch below the window, to the right.  Every detail mattered with this set, from the chair with the tutu, to the mirror, and of course the chandelier.  The shelf is just perfect size for a little girl. 

The little light switch is seen well in this picture above.

The light is on :)

Details are shown here in the tutu skirt of the chair.

As you walk in you are greeted by a beautiful ballerina in an arabesque.

The crib wall with "Savannah".  If you look close, even each letter has details of flowers and light teal ribbons.  Now let's cross our fingers mom & dad keep the name :) 

This is an overall view of the nursery from the door as you walk in.  So cozy and quaint :)

Operation Kearney Nursery: Part I "Sneak Peek"

I am so excited for the Kearney Nursery to be complete :)  I made a new goal this year to better document my success in decorating.  If only I had started 10 years ago.  But hey, that's okay, I need to begin somewhere right :)  Take a look at these before pictures.  If the room seems smaller than average, don't worry, it is.  This room before our transformation belonged to Mrs. Terrie Kearney as her office.  The studious brainiac with a Masters Degree in Business and Cum Laude certifications covering the walls.  Her desk and chair took up most of the space and worked well for the space alotted. 

To give you an idea of the space I am working with, the room dimensions are approximately 12 X 10 feet.  Perfect little space for a perfect little girl (no pun intended).  She is a Kearney, so it is expected she will be quite tiny and petite like her mama and papa :)

I will hopefully have the final pictures of the nursery posted before the end of February.  Thus far it has been painted, and chair rail and window treatments have been added.  Terrie and I have been putting some of the final touches together such as crib, wall decor, rug, lamps, lighting, etc, etc.  And very soon, the final pictures will be here to view.  .  .

Beautiful mural, wrong space . . .

I ordered this beautiful mural and could hardly wait to get the package!  Not long after ordering, it arrived.  I happened to be home when the Fed Ex guy made the special delivery.  To my anticipation, I needed to wait just a bit longer as it was a Monday and I had a meeting to attend. 

That evening I made it home and could not stop thinking about the masterpiece I was about to unfold.  I even made a stop to Lowe's to purchase the perfect trim to surround the mural and make it appear like a framed masterpiece; which is basically a permanent fixture on my wall until it is later peeled off.  I was okay with that, as it would cost hundreds of dollars to purchase a 6 feet wide by 5 feet tall, framed picture and this was a least expensive alternative.  (Leave it to me to find things on a budget)

I opened the box carefully, paying close attention to the details of the wrapping just in case I needed to rewrap.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  STUNNING!  But unfortunately, not so much for the room it was intended.  I even thought of ways I could match the setting and room fixtures around the vivid colors of the mural, but it would have been out of my budget.  When buying online, this sometimes happens where the depicted picture in person can be a bit off.  I expected more ivory hues, whereas in person it was more yellow and bright.

It is called "The Hanging Garden".  I have since called the sender and asked to ship it back.  There is some good news to this!  Since they focus on 100% customer satisfaction, they asked what they could do to help and I jokingly said, "Change the colors to better resemble what I saw on your website, and it would be PERFECT!"  She said, "Absolutely, go ahead and send the mural back, and send me the color swatches you had in mind and we will put a few samples together and send them to you.  You may pick the sample that best fits!"  What!!!  I love it!!!  *For those who thought it couldn't be done, just ask, and you shall receive*

Here it is below . . .