A favorite post: Before & After: Kitchen at the cabin

Since we are heading down to our cabin today for a little quiet time after all of the events I thought I would share this favorite post with you...

Our cabin was built in 1977 and when we took possession of it we discovered that essentially nothing has been done to it, including cleaning. We wanted to start with a fresh slate to help with the smell and dirt, but we had to keep budget in mind. Since we are planing on introducing this cabin to a bulldozer in about 5 years we wanted it to have a WOW factor on a budget.

Here is a 'before' image. Lovely oak raised panel cabinets, carpet for the flooring, Gothic styles cabinet hardware, and don't forget the stained, burnt, and scratched laminate countertops.

And here are the 'afters'. I am very happy with the outcome and all of Rob's hard work. It did take a few trips back and forth from our home in the Great White North to the cabin in the muggy humid mid-west...but if you ask me, it was well worth it!

The tile backsplash is a simple white subway tile by Daltile, we ordered it from Lowes and paired it with a limestone looking laminate to keep it light and airy. Since the carpet was not staying we replaced it with a laminate flooring that I found on eBay, this is used throughout the home and I love the color since it is good at masking little feet marks.

All of the cabinet hardware was ordered off of eBay as well. If you are ready for a hunt you can find some great pieces with wonderful style!

We used a white American Standard top-mount sink with the Kohler Fairfax faucet in chrome that I featured HERE. 

We didn't go top of the line for the appliances but I did want to keep style and finish in mind. So we went with all stainless steel that will work well for our current needs. The one item that I wasn't going to be without in a kitchen was my Bosch dishwasher, we have had it in our past 3 homes and I love it, seriously love it.

To add a bit of color and life to the kitchen I have placed a few items around it that I have found. Including the dishes from Anthropologie that I talked about HERE and some photos that I cherish.

Total cost of this renovation was just over $4,000, most of that being spent on the appliances. I am sure we can find a purpose for the fridge & dishwasher in the next cabin. If not, off to the Habitat for Humanity Re-store. When doing a renovation please look into this service, it will make your heart all warm & fuzzy. 

Hope you have enjoyed this little tour, come over any time for a glass of vino or a cup of coffee! Mel :)

Another year, another summer, oh so fun

It is so hard to believe that another summer at our cabin has come and gone already. We could not have asked for a better time; a lot of joy, some sorrow, but all in all it was an amazing time and a lot of great memories were made. Here are just a few...

The boys out on the boat...and both smiling.

M loved hanging out on the dock, he was always on the hunt for fish in the water.

I love this pic I took of W, his sweet face and beautiful eyelashes.

Breakfast on the patio before our fishing attempts.

W & Rob on one of the many early morning fishing trips on the dock.

This pic of W & Papa is another fave, the sun setting and playing in the creek.

Some of the family after way too many bottles of wine. Notice the brother through the glass on the left...he had enough.

And this pic I took yesterday, I told W to go and soak up the view, and that is just what he did.

We are off to hop on a plane and head back home, time to get back to reality. Enjoy the rest of your lazy summer days and I will be back in a bit, once I get settled in and caught up.  Mel :)

Another cabin project...

Rob has been obsessed with getting the exterior of the cabin in order, his latest project was our fire pit area. Here is what we had before, a weed infested area with gravel tossed around....

After ordering up some beautiful local flagstone we (and I say we lightly) got to work on getting it all put together...

Since the weeds grow incredibly fast here, and we are only here for a limited time in the summer we decided to mortar all of the spaces to make it a maintenance free area...

In place of the traditional stone fire pit we decided to pick up THIS fire ring from Home Depot, makes it easy to move into the garage when we leave. Now that it is done we can enjoy a great glass of wine or a fun night of smores by the fire. And HERE is the link to the site we used to purchased our chairs from, you really can't beat the price!

I am off to get Rob a Motrin, it looks great but his back isn't feeling the love. Have a great day!! Mel :)

For more great before & afters check out the blog party @ Between Naps on the Porch & House of Hepworths

Wanna come to the cabin??

Right now I am completely obsessed with this sideboard from Cottage Living by Stanley...

She needs to be in the cabin...right now. I have a wall perfect for her, I just don't want to wait 5 weeks. By the time she would arrive we will be home and the summer at the cabin will be a distant memory. Maybe next summer, but isn't she lovely??

Have a wonderful day everyone!! Mel :)

Fridays Favorite

One of my favorite faucets to use that has great style and a fantastic price point is the Kohler Fairfax. We used them throughout the cabin when we did our renovation on the cheap a few years ago...they are still one of my favorite things that we used.

Image my own

The lines are simple and did I mention the price point?? The single leaver faucet in chrome for the bathrooms were only $92 & the kitchen faucet was $250. If you ask me a lot of bang for your buck.

Image via Faucets & More

Have a great weekend and enjoy the July heat!!! Mel :)

A little retail therapy...

A little retail therapy can make any rainy day better. Here are a few items I ordered up for the cabin while the rain came down...

I have been trying to decide on which rugs to order from Dash & Albert. I just adore the fun woven cotton rugs, between the colors, the patterns, and the price point...you really can't find anything better. Needless to say it was a difficult choice, but I decided to go for the 'Fisher Ticking' rug seen below for in front of the kitchen sink and the entry door. 

Such an easy way to add some color and vitality to an area.

Then from Anthropologie I have been eying some of the super fun dishes by Nathalie Lete for right above the stove to help add some color to the space. We have white cabinets, white sub-way backsplash, and a limestone color counter tops...so not a lot going on. While I was on the phone with them I decided to order the 3 below. I'll decide when they arrive which I will use if any, I might just find a different space for them all together.

OK, now off to hit up some antique stores, fingers crossed I can find some good things. Have a fantastic day! Mel :)

Stripes or Chevron, I picked...

So I decided on a Chevron pattern for the half wall in the stairwell, it was a bit more work than the stripes but so much fun and I just love it, especially the color, Pratt & Lambert French Blue.

Here is the terrible 'Before' pic from when we first took possession of the cabin. Unfortunately you can't see the nasty stained carpet that was on the stairwell, why is it we
never take great 'Before' images??

I found THIS link when searching for easy ways to get the template down for the pattern. After starting with the first row I then got out the level and started taping off each line, then simply cutting out the sections that were not needed.
Needless to say there was some trial and error till I got my grove.

 

Here is the 'After' pic. We still need to hang all of the art work that I have collected for the upper portion of the wall and finish accessorizing the area, but it is getting there. A bit of paint and some penitence has really helped transform the once blah area into a fun space...

   
All images my own

Now I am going to try and convince Rob to take down the light so I can paint the metal parts bright red...but I will not hold my breath on that one since it is less than a year old.

Hope your weekend was filled with laughter, enjoy your day!! Mel :)

To Stripe or Chevron, that is the question...

Stripes or chevron (aka zig zag)...which to choose for the small wall I have an itching to paint in our stairwell?? Here are some examples....

Stripes

Image via Lathered Cottage

Chevron

Image via Curbly

Now, I know both are trendy right now, especially the chevron pattern since it is everywhere in the decor world right now. But hey, it is for the cabin and after all it is just paint and not something I will have to live with for years to come. Give me your thoughts since I am saving this project for a rainy day and one is projected for Thursday. Thanks so much and hope that the sun is treating you well!! Mel :)

Long lost friends...

One of my favorite things to do on a rainy day is curl up on the sofa with some of my long lost friends, my old magazines. I have quiet the stock pile here at the cabin, so when the opportunity came the other day to snuggle up with them while the boys were napping I took advantage of it.

Here are a few of the magazines that I had a chance to rediscover.

   

House Beautiful & Southern Accents from August 2009

It isn't just images that look new and inspiring, it is also the internet sources and the articles that seem to have new life to them. You are looking at them with fresh eyes, seeing things that you might have surpassed the last time you were hanging out together.

   

Beautiful Kitchens & Architectural Digest from August 2009

Do you save your magazines for a later glance?? If not give it a shot, that lone image that you thought you found might have some fabulous acquaintances.

  

House Beautiful & Elle Decor from December 2009

Hope you week is going well, can't believe how fast time is going by right now...take a moment and enjoy it! Mel :)

Not quiet green yet, but getting there...

So we did manage to get the plants in the ground this weekend...it was a lot of fun, really, I swear. Not sure how some can find it relaxing, those that do I will admit that I am a tad bit jealous since I would love to have a gorgeous garden, but I know it is just not in my plans, at least for now.

Here is a before & after...

   

When selecting plants I told the wonderful people at Lowes that I needed things that 'I couldn't kill if I tried'. We are only here from the beginning of June till the beginning of August, so the plants will have to survive the August heat and humidity without any tender loving care. We were told to go with 'hearty perennials'.

I will admit that I am excited for the plants to make roots and start to expand, I have a feeling it will look great in a month or two but especially next summer. We still have a bit of work to do, one more larger plant in the corner, fabric, and mulch...but it is getting there.

Now off to get ready for all of our house guest that are arriving later today, have a fab day!! Mel :)

My black thumb wants to be green...

Sorry for being MIA but we just got an Internet connection here at the cabin. We have also been very busy opening the house up for the summer of fun.

For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to plant some new flowers & shrubs in the existing planters that surround the patio. Yeahh, see, I wasn't blessed with a green thumb like my sister, mine is black but I am giving it my best shot. I mean really, it can't look worse than it did originally...

After learning that I had to 'Put some meat into' with the shovel from Rob I got the hang of it, that is until I met my fate with the shrub on the end. After some chainsaw action from the man we gave up for the afternoon, it isn't all work and no play down here after all.

 

I hope my Monday's post will be the 'after' images and everything will be done, please note I did say hope, so keep your fingers crossed for me!!