Kitchen Fun, Where I Share All My Secrets

We made two wonderful discoveries with the little kitchen update we've just completed.

First off, the magical Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  This is not paint that makes a chalkboard, this is a regular paint that is great for refinishing projects, like furniture or (yes!) trim that is varnished and would be a pain to sand down.  I learned all that I needed to know from this link here. 

It's a little spendy, but it was not hard for me to decide that my time is valuable and I did not need to spend it pulling off and sanding all the trim and doors in our house.  The chalk paint is the answer to all refinishing problems.  I've been watching Craiglist for a bunk bed for the kids and am not afraid to get an ugly one, knowing I can easily paint it with this paint.  It is good stuff.

Secondly, Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint.  David has been having the time of his life taking down our switch plates and spraying them with this stuff (we are easily entertained around here).  The cheap plastic white switch plates hold the paint well and look like we went and bought the expensive bronze ones.  We didn't, folks, because we are too cheap for that.  As I'm painting doors he's also spray painting the door knobs, because again, why would we pay good cash money for new door knobs when we can just use spray paint? 

I learned of both of these paints via Pinterest.  Pinterest is the greatest.

Our kitchen update was nothing fancy: although we probably need a new sink and new counter tops would be nice, we just wanted to spruce it up a little.  New paint, new trim, new curtains, new art.  Cheap and fun.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

This "In This House" sign was one of the first things I pinned after opening my Pinterest account two years ago.  If there was one thing spurring me on to paint the kitchen it was to have a place for this sign.  We modified it a bit with rules that were more personal to us, and I love having it in a place in our house where I can read it several times a day.  It's a good reminder for me to extend grace (because that's what we do in our house!) and accept my kids' mistakes (because we make mistakes here!) and to say 'I'm sorry' when I'm wrong (because we have to...the rules say!).  I love this sign. 

Same reason I have this written on my little kitchen white board right now:
















I need the reminder every day.

I love having a brighter kitchen, and I love how the lighter trim opens the rooms up a bit more since our eyes are no longer being stopped by that old oak stuff. 

Daphne was a great helper, although it took weeks to get the paint out her hair and those pants and the sweatshirt are permanently stained.  I'm not really sure how she got so much paint on herself. 

And that's a wrap on the kitchen.  Finally.