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???