new photos from sunny's goodtime paint

two new stencil pattern ideas from sunny's goodtime paint that i think are pretty. 

love this over-sized damask-ey print:

and though this isn't my personal style, i think it's very pretty and elegant! the curtains are fun, and i love that striped painting above the crib. the dark chocolate paint...dramatic! and see sunny's whimsical birdie stencils used as a border in the room? pretty.

add this to the spraypaint list

yesterday while i was at world market, i perused the halloween 75% off section, and found these witch-shoe candle holders, which immediately reminded me of these jonathan adler shoe candleholders. i bought them for a dollar each, and brought them home and spraypainted them white (naturally). 

i added the gold candles for a little pizazz (plus the holidays season is coming up, friends), and i love 'em! they just add a little quirk to the room, and keep things from being to girly and fluffy, ya know?

anyway, i love everything about them, except for the fact that i think i have two right footed shoes. bah. oh well.

also, i think they kind of look like elf shoes now, which works for christmas...

my kitchen before/after

yesterday, i got those few accessories for my kitchen. yippee!

here is the before shot of my kitchen again:

and here is the new after:

i got these new pale turquoisey baskets at world market to keep kitchen things in that we don't use often...i got 5, but i think i'll need 6...argh! oh well, back to world market.

i put orange cheese puffs in one big glass container i already had, and lemons in the other, for some bright pops of color (i really love those big jarred containers, i don't know why). below them, is a pink "libra" goblet i found at a thrift store a while back that i thought was awesomeley awesome. i would really like to find all of the signs to coordinate, but i can't find them online. perhaps i shall collect them at thrift stores over time? anyway, inside the goblet are some vintage rainbow fondue sticks.

i have had these big vintage containers for a while now, but the tops were yellow. for some variety, i sprayed the tops of them orange. (can you tell i'm trying to incorporate a bit of this poppy color into my kitchen/home?) i'm really hoping the spraypaint fumes don't infiltrate my sugar and flour. hm. at least i don't use them often.

i brought this plastic yellow flower piece down from the bathroom (i have new plans for that area, and now that we actually own the house, i am going to attempt it soon), and hung it above the sink. i love the '60's feel of it, and the lights shining on it.

view from the family room:

view through the little window from the family room:

i still have to hang the handles, but you know, i just thought i'd share my progress :)

kitchen takeover

as i've mentioned before, i wasn't so into the chosen colors and finishes for our recently-upgraded kitchen job (before we moved in, everything was recently renovated). i know the stain of the cabinets and the stone backsplash may be some peoples' cup of tea, but it's just not mine. i prefer a more homespun or vintage look, and this kitchen just wasn't cuttin' it. thankfully, jordan felt the same way as me, and agreed to let me paint it! i had already planned to paint the cabinets white, but while trying to come up with something for the backsplash other than totally re-tiling (which i would like to learn how to do someday anyway), jordan said maybe we should just paint it white. i started thinking about the idea, and loved it! (now he thinks hes the design-ey one of the couple. hahhhh)

here is the before:

aaaand, after i painted everything yesterday:

yahoo! so crisp, modern and clean-looking. today, i am heading out to get some accessories. i want to get some cute storage baskets for the tops of the cabinets to keep things we don't use very often in (where there are assorted items like a cake stand, etc, in this picture), and maybe a new rug. i got a white one when we first moved in, and i may keep it, but i'm thinking something with texture or a pattern might be better for this space. who knows! mika throws up on the one we have now, so it's probably been washed a few too many times at this point...it's starting to get a little ragged (why he can't just expel his un-digested food onto the hardwoods, i don't know. he prefers the comforts of barfing on a rug, at all times)

aaand, i'm still trying to decide on whether or not i want to put handles on the doors. what do you guys think? i want feedback on this! i found these moderny handles, and am contemplating hanging them horizontally: (which i think i like best).......

or maybe vertically: can't decide!

also, my dad widened our doorframe, got us a new door and added a vent, and got mika his own little cat door! yay! (we have to keep the door closed because the washer and dryer are in there and it gets super-hot in the condo if we leave it open. buuuut his little majesty's litter box is in there, so he needs to be able to get in and out. hehehe)

anyway, i painted it and installed the doorknob yesterday and now it blends right in. thanks daddio :)

sidenote: mimi, if you are reading this, we are using our little 'housewarming' gift you gave us to get paint, handles, baskets, etc for the kitchen! thanks a million gazillion- love you.