Friday, June 8, 2012

The Final Step in my Kitchen: the Table



Our kitchen table:


When I bought it, I decided to stain the top
and paint the legs black.

but it seemed to show up every finger print, smear, and drip...
always looked dirty.

So I finally decide to paint it.



I used Annie Sloan's Pure White for the top.
 Oh, yes, white!  That will hide the dirt, right?




Being a lover of diamonds,
I used frog tape for the pattern.
(I like frog tape for making distinct lines on furniture:
it really works great at not letting the paint bleed.)



 I decided on a light green for the opposite diamonds.


 Ah, yes, things were progressing better than usual.

 But
I was stumped on the legs.

I couldn't decide between red, gray, green, provence blue,
or yellow.

Being the smart person that I am,
I asked my nine year old's opinion.

Surprisingly, she did not go with her typical choice of purple,
but chose yellow.

"It must be yellow."

She's so decisive where I am not.

"Really?" I wasn't sure.
Yellow would not have been my first choice.



I took the risk and used ASCP Arles yellow.
She was right.
It looked very bright and cheerful.



I decided to try some crackle paint.


 I painted it on the chalk paint and let it dry.


Then I painted some sunny yellow paint I had,
and watched as the crackle worked.

After it dried,



the brown wax used with clear
helped to make the legs look old.
 

For the top,
I sanded it lightly
and then put two coats of polyerthane on it.

The stained wood comes through a bit,
giving it a rough look.

 

I am hoping this brighter but dinged up style will hide the prints of daily life
a bit better than the dark wood did.

 


It feels really good to have the kitchen completed.



I will end with some pictures of the gradual transformation/organization of our kitchen.




For Christmas 2011 my husband said I could replace the base cupboards
(they were falling apart).
We also painted the top cupboards and my husband attached
some decorative molding.

To see that transformation
click >HERE<.



I love colorful pieces.
To see how I updated some of the pieces I had
to more colorful ones
click >HERE<.



 To the left of the door above
is a stand with the convection oven on it.
Above it is my utensil rack:


These are faux vintage utensils
and the painted effect has lasted pretty well.

To see how they were created
click >HERE<.




The kitchen curtains are made from
a vintage table cloth.



 To see how the curtains were made
click >HERE<.




 To see how I stained my "old-look" new counter top
click >HERE<.




To see how the "vintage look" watering can was made
click >HERE<.



To see how the spice jars were created
click >HERE<.



 To see how I made the bird picket sign behind my stove
click >HERE<.



 Printed, laminated signs made into magnets.




 To see the transformation of the red cereal cupboard
click >HERE<.

To see the wall display created above the cereal cupboard
click >HERE<.




Thank you for joining me on making my kitchen 
the place I hoped it would become.

(And thank you to my Farmer for tolerating the stages it has taken to get there.)





Tip Junkie handmade projects

16 comments:

  1. Your kitchen is so delightful!
    I love what you've done with your farmhouse table... looks like it was made with your kitchen in mind!

    The tour of your kitchen was grand--though it looks to be about the size of mine and an eat in kitchen at that. You seem to have way more organized work areas.
    I love all the bright colors.

    Pat

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pat. It is a small kitchen, compared to the ones they put in newer houses, but it works for me. :) I would like to trade in the island someday for a much bigger one that we could eat at and have no table. Someday. :)

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  2. Vintage indeed! Well done! I am in love with your table!! Yellow was a great choice and the distressed look is beautiful!

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  3. Super job!! I would have never thought yellow, but it is AWESOME. Your better keep your little helper around for redo projects!!! ;)

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  4. What a pretty room! I love the way the table turned out - clever little girl, your daughter!!

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  5. It is so refreshing to "go back in time" and your kitchen definitely takes me back to even before I was born. I absolutely love the whimsy of your kitchen.

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  6. I absolutely love your kitchen! Violet was so right with the yellow too. I love the crackle with the dark wax!!! It turned out beautiful as is all of your kitchen! Thank you for linking this up to my party!

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  7. Great post - I really love how adorable your kitchen is - you are so talented both in art and word :-)

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  8. Holy cannoli. This is beyond fabulous.

    You need your own TV show!

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  9. I love everything about your kitchen. I want countertops like yours! And your table turned out so pretty. Love it!

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  10. Just saw your picture on Tip Junkie, this table looks great. Those yellow legs are wonderful, I would never have thought yellow, but looking at it - it's perfect!

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  11. I love your kitchen! And the table is AMAZING!!!

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  12. Beautifully done! I love the diamond pattern ~ I am a fan of that myself. The colors look great with your kitchen. Great choice of color for the base on your daughters part. I love it with the dark wax.

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  13. That table is exquisite! I loooove your home inside and out.

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  14. Oh my I LOVE this kitchen. I'd rather look at something like this in an older home any day
    I like the colors you used as well. I have a small galley kitchen in an older bungalow and I used some red and green touches to bring color to it.

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