Laundry Room Reveal: Cleaning up a dirty little secret!

Hello world, it's time to "come clean" with one of my "dirty little secrets". I have a few others; at least this one is making it's debut. I have a great space in my laundry room; right off the kitchen and the entrance to the garage, but it's been a semi-mess since we've lived here. I hated the color (a blah dirty yellow) and since last November when I painted the kitchen walls and cabinets, well, it seemed worse than ever!

"Where is the before picture?",  you may be asking. I purposefully DIDN'T take one, because honestly, I didn't think I could get it "blogworthy". Think dirty yellow wall color, cat litter strewn floors, bulletin board (not cute), and mismatched attempt at wall decor...got a mental picture?

 This is a photo from last fall before I painted the kitchen, and it's the closest you would have seen of the mess. Below is another shot after the paint, but the doors on the right are hiding all the yuck.

I knew I wanted it brightened up since it has an east facing window which brings in a lot of the morning sun. And also since the wood floors extend into the laundry, it needed to be a continuation of the kitchen. Let's face it, the doors are always open since it's "kitty central" in there besides the laundry.

Ta Da!!

I'd thought about painting the doors and cabinets

 the same color as my kitchen cabinets,  but I've decided not to.

 I actually like the contrast out here with the wall color.

 The woodwork is white, so it all works for me.

LOVE my new washer and dryer.

 It has the same technology that the big front loaders have,

but at almost half the price.

I even added some vintage wall thingies to make it more fun to be out here.

All the decor in here was "shopped" from my garage stash,

of flea market and thrift finds.

Stuff that had been hanging around

just waiting for a spot.

I've had the piece of tin for several years,

No where to put it until now.

It DID get a good scrubbing and a coat of antique white paint,

And this was the fun part,

 coming up with a vintage feel for my "view" from the kitchen.

A small Eastlake shelf,

Nantucket basket with hydrangeas,

odds and ends sugars, creamers, and gravy boat,

and a favorite English Cottage print.

Then a couple of 40's bird prints

brought in the feel I was going for...

cozy cottage.

Last week I showed you my trunk find with bird decals

that I'm using for a kitty chow container.

And here are a couple of little cross stitch pieces I did in the early 90's.

They are reminders of God's faithful promises.

It's not a big room as you can see,

and not easy to get a good shot of the whole thing.

(I spared you the trash basket and kitty littler box)

I also found a great little brown floral Waverly valance

 and faux wood vinyl shades at Lowes.

They help finish it all off.

As you can see we "love" our new space.

So much easier to keep clean,

and now it's actually a place I can enjoy being in.

Miss Jenkins agrees!

I'm linking up with these great parties:

Hope to see you Thursday afternoon for

Have a great week!

love you all,

Debra

Out and About for White Wednesday

Last Saturday we made an unexpected trip to Bolivar, Missouri. I always love to head up that direction, which is on the way to Kansas City about 30 miles north of us. My favorite store to visit is "Pappy's" which is an amazing place, full of their trademark gorgeous antiques and one-of-a-kind creations using salvaged furniture and architectural pieces.

Last week when I made the statement

 about changing out my dining room for something white,

this is one of the places I would definitely head to.

I love Eastlake furniture and they do it like no one else!

I have a built in island in my kitchen,

but this one makes me want to tear mine out,

and start again.

Bookshelves, cabinets, beds, dressers, tables...

just love their pieces!

There is always so much inspiration here.

Believe me, if I thought I could master their paint technique,

I'd get my paint brush out and have a go at it.

OK, maybe I could just find room for one of these.

Hope you enjoyed the trip,

I found some great flower pots,

I'll share them soon!

Oh, and just a heads up

(bad pun after last post)

I have a 1 year anniversary coming up in a week,

and I have a super special Give Away planned!

Be sure and be on the lookout,

 I think it's something you'll really love!

I'm joining in for White Wednesday!

Say Hello to Kathleen and the rest of the gang

over at Faded Charm.

Thanks for all the well wishes,

I hate to be whiny, but this blog is about my life;

The good, the bad, and the stupid...

not just the pretty, chippy, white stuff.

love,

Debra

"Vintage Black Friday ", My Love Affair with Black Furniture

What a fabulous idea for a party! I'm so glad that Jill at  Gypsy Brocante is hosting the Vintage Black Friday party this Fall so we can share all our great black vintage finds. I have been finding and painting furniture black for several years. There's a touch of elegance that you can only find in black. Here are a few pieces that are in my Entry and Living Room that are old pieces that I have either found or painted black.

This French Goat Cart is one of my favorite decor pieces. I used it on my front porch for fall for several years, but brought it inside this spring. Here it has a few pumpkins hiding in the large basket with ivy.

This Eastlake dresser was purchased about seven years ago from my longtime friend Colleene who owned a fabulous antique store. It was my first piece of black furniture, and oh, what this got started!

My pretty little garden girl, who is very old and painted black so many years ago. Every time I look at her I wonder about her history.

This is another piece of Eastlake in my Living Room that holds a family clock. The black scales I found this summer at a flea market. I just love kitchen scales and have several spread around the house. It appears I must live on a boat the way it all looks to be slanting. The scale was tipped a little, but my floors really are level... guess it's just me thats a little off!

This Italianate desk is a project my husband and I worked on several years ago. When I found it the back "cubby" was gone which left scars and holes in the top. So we had a piece of MDF board cut to fit which made it usable. I had to pay a high price for it even though it needed work... but I think it turned out well, and I'm so glad I went ahead and didn't let the work keep me from buying it.

I'm so glad that this is a multi-week party because I have a lot of "black" to share. Hope you're having a great week. I'll be off Friday to a great outdoor Fall Craft Fair in Ozark, Missouri. I'll be sharing highlights soon. It's always so much fun, and my sister and I have been going for the last 20 years. It's the only day of the year that I let myself eat a giant corn dog,(or any corn dog) and generally pig out.

 Be sure to check back Saturday because I'll be doing

the post for the...

                    ta ta ta da........                  

100th Follower Giveaway!

Have a great weekend!

Debra