Kitchen Update - Aint No Party Like An Island Party

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Ladies and gentleman, you're invited to the island party!

Location: In My Kitchen

Date and Time: All Day, Everyday 

This kitchen update was (kind of) free, extremely convenient, and very, very functional. The "kind of" free part includes reusing an old piece of furniture we didn't think we would need again.

When we lived in Chicago, we purchased a kitchen island. We wanted to have a non-permanent piece (we were renting) that would give a focal point to our kitchen and provide a space for people to congregate around.

We ended up purchasing the "Threshold Kitchen Island" from Target. It was (and still is) an unbeatable price at $249 plus my wonderful mother's 10% Target discount for having a Target Red card.

On top of the price, we loved the hidden storage. While open-shelving kitchen islands are pretty, this one offers a way to store things out of sight, and the inside drawers even pull out, in case you are putting something heavy on it.

Additionally, the "bar" side of the island can be extended or folded down (it's up in the picture above, and down in the picture below), which gives you the option of having a two person breakfast bar in your kitchen.

When we moved out of our Chicago apartment, we had a little debate over whether or not to keep it. We weren't sure if it would fit with the rest of our mid century furniture, and we didn't envision needing it. But, I assured my husband that, even if it wasn't in a kitchen, it could be a temporary piece in a guest bedroom or office. If you put the bar flap down, it seems a bit like a short dresser.

Little did we know how handy it would turn out to be.

When we bought our new house, we realized it would fit perfectly. Between the simple white cabinets and the butcher block top, it was going to be a perfect or almost-perfect fit for the space, without us having to shell out any cash.

Once the island was set in the middle of the kitchen and our dishes and other appliances were put in place, we transformed this room into a functional work space that allows multiple chefs to be in the kitchen at once. It made a huge difference in the amount of counter space we have to work with.

Another thing I love about this island is that it allows my husband to be sitting/drinkingcoffee/eating at the counter while I am still moving around in the kitchen. This house has a separate kitchen and dining room, so we would have otherwise spent a lot of mornings with me making my breakfast in the kitchen while he is eating or drinking coffee in the dining room.

Instead, we can enjoy the morning coffee/breakfast ritual together, in the same room. Huzzah!

For the sake of comparison, here are some before-and-after shots of the stove and island transformation.

Quick Note: These "before" pictures also leave out the much more fitting stainless steel stove/oven we purchased. If you missed that, you can check it out here.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What do you think about the change?
• Do you like kitchens with islands, or do you prefer to keep the space open?
• What do you do with all of your kitchen appliances? Clearly mine are sitting out on the counter, because I use them a lot, but I'm trying to figure out a cleaner way to display them.

DIY Vintage Chic "Let It Snow" Christmas Decor

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Christmastime is here, and I'm in good spirits because I love my apartment. I'm a bit biased against the traditional Christmas colors, though. I have a strong preference for cooler tones that mimic the weather outside -- no, not "frightful," but the colors of sky and snow. Blues and silvers, glitter and shine, those are the colors and textures that make Christmastime special for me.

So when it came to decorating my apartment, I was determined to do it in a way that fit for me. Which meant it had to fit my color scheme and, of course, it had to be a DIY project. Here's one of the projects I came up with:

I've got to say, I'm quite happy with it. The bright globe lights feel like shining stars, and the phrase is one of my favorites. I considered something like "The first Noel," and almost chose to go with "Emmanuel" (might make a second one that says that, actually). But, alas, I decided to go with the extremely catchy line, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."



Supplies:

• Brown paper (I used paper cut from brown paper grocery bags)
• Light paper to cut out letters (I used light blue paper that is lined, to add some extra detail. I would also suggest using light colored graph paper)
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Twine

Directions:

First, cut out rectangles for each letter, as well as one to place in between each word so that the letters don't run together. "Let It Snow" has 9 letters and 2 spaces, so I cut out 11 pieces. Make sure the pieces are roughly the same size.

Next, trace letters onto your lighter paper. I chose to do all uppercase letters. If you want things to look perfect, you could choose a font on the computer and type the word out (making sure the letters are large enough to fit nicely on your background sheets, of course) to use as stencils. Personally, I enjoy the handmade flair, so I drew my letters freehand. I went with all capitals, and added hand drawn serifs.

Once you've drawn or traced your letters, cut them out and glue them onto the brown background. 

Use scissors or a hole punch to poke two holes on each of the pieces. Keep the holes on the top left and right, but be sure not to get too close to the edges (because the closer you get with the hole, the higher likelihood there is that you'll accidentally rip through to the edge as you assemble the project).

Finally, string the twine or string through your pieces. I came in from the top on one side, threaded it around the back, and popped back out on the other side. If you want more string to show, begin at the back, then thread it through to the front so that the string spans the center top of the paper, then back out to the back. Whichever method you choose, keep it consistent on each piece.

When you're finished, hang your wonderful creation!