a kitchen without a rooster...is nothing to crow about...

A tuscan kitchen needs a rooster...it is a symbol of protectiveness and prosperity...soooo I have be on the look out for rooster figurines....none to be had that will fit my budget or above the cabinet space....then while in Joanne's yesterday, I spotted a Debbie Mum wind chime on the discount shelf....perfect...I took it apart and attached it to a u-shaped board I have had in the art room for years and then cut up clip art and borders I found on the Internet to further decorate the look.

the trash bin is also altered to go into my new kitchen. It used to be plain stained wood on the lid with a maroon color on the sides...too country for my new kitchen. So I spray painted it black...(no runs or drips...smile) and added a decorative wood element I painted to the top and of course a new knob that I inked to match the wine glass shelf.

the kitchen sink is due to finally be installed today...and the plumber is coming first thing in the AM to attach the pipes etc....yeah...I will have the ability to cook once again and do dishes...

Every thing but the kitchen sink....

The new granite counter tops were installed yesterday. It was fun and facinating watching how they did it and hearing them grunt as they carried the 3 slabs up the hill to come into the house via the patio. It took about 3 hours and a huge headache from smelling the epoxy for the job to be finished but wait...what is that hole under the window? That is where my new sink is supposed to be....but the one they unpacked had a flaw on the top surface and if there is going to be a scratch...I will be the one to put it on ...not the factory...LOL...well, they called all around to try to find another one in stock...(it is a run of the mill normal stainless sink...so the distributor is rush shipping one and it should be here by next Tuesday..for an installation on Wednesday....in the meantime...I have no drinking water or faucets in the kitchen...nor any water running to the ice maker.
( we did buy several gallons of water to keep in the fridge for a few days...but do you know how many times I have almost dumped liquid into that void space by mistake? the good part is I am getting to eat out a lot...the bad part is ...I get to eat out a lot...the back splash won't be tiled until the floors are installed...and that is 2-3 weeks away. But, I really love the counter tops...
I walk into my kitchen and just stare for minutes at a time and try to invision this project complete and all the dirt and dust cleaned up....LOL...sometimes I wonder if that will ever happen.

digital play

the theme was "Ocean Fantasy"....I made this in a few minutes with digital images and layers.... it was fun to play and go a bit wild with the layers.

Ties that bind project

I have a banner on the side that supports Ties that Bind...a project to raise money for ovarian cancer. My Mother died from breast/ovarian cancer in 1977...and my DH survived cancer in 2007....mostly due to research and advanced treatment methods. Donations and funding made the research possible. I was honored to be asked to participate in making a charm for a doll that will be auctioned for funds. I used two metal book plates/frames and stamped a Celtic Knot (ties) in ink. the center is mat board covered with gesso and teal ink with HOPE stamped and blackened. I used silver wire to make a bale and to add some decoration at the bottom. Diamond glaze was added over the center area to apprear like the word is under glass.
I hope this project raises tons of money so not only ovarian cancer but all cancer is soon preventable or curable.

I went shopping for decor

here are some of the brighter dishes I have added...all can be used. Michaels had a great sale on metal containers and I got that lovely urn thing for the above the cabinets for $5.05....and the fruit will look good on top of the new counters I think.

my new appliances ...smile

what a difference the stainless makes from the all white. Dallas and I installed the microwave ourselves as they wanted an extra $149. so I used that money we saved and bought some home decor.

I had my white, 2 year old appliances listed on Craigs list and sold them in less than two days!!! never used that service before but it was easy and I felt safe in that I could screen the buyers via e mail or telephone first.

we made our wine glass rack

this really looks cool in person...so come on over to visit and have some wine.

we cut a pine board, and added these stainless steel holders we ordered. then we attached leaf molding to the edges and I painted it all black. I inked the leaves with deep green, yellow and a bit of copper and they look awesome!!! Then we attached brackets and hung it over the wine cooler. guess we will have to learn about wine now...LOL

other new lights we installed

Update from the last month

perhaps an update is needed as I have been quiet for about a month. All good news so don't worry. My husband has continued good news from the docs...that is the most important thing to report!!! That allows me to concentrate on other ventures...mostly our latest project...the kitchen make over.
Yes, I know we have a 2 year old condo and every thing was new when we moved in but not our taste. We have decided to change out the white appliances for stainless steel and change out the light fixtures and get granite counter tops and wood floors.

the counter tops are due in less than two weeks and then the floors will be installed along with a new tiled back splash...it will probably be the middle of September before it is all complete.

In the mean time...we have changed out the lights, made a wine glass holder installed knobs on the current cabinets, ordered a new window treatment for the sliding glass door and I have been frequenting TJMAX and other places for decorative items to fit my plan for a Tuscan kitchen. The new appliances are in and work like a dream...I may even learn to like cooking...LOL