Freshened Up Kitchen Wall

We moved into our new home three years ago and we’re finally getting into some REAL changes to make it our own.

When we first moved in, we did the standard off white with some accent walls.  I love to paint, so I thought it was time to really go bold with some color!

Our kitchen is a wee bit outdated.  These first two photos are of the kitchen once we got settled in.  Since these photos were taken. we have installed a new ceiling fan, but that was about it.  The lighting over the counter top and sink we installed while moving in, and we bought all new appliances (except the dishwasher).  The rest is what it is now – except for that awesome brick wall!

Texture is awesome, and I was in no way tearing down that brick.  It’s not brick paneling (while painting, I wished it was, but…).  It’s thin, decorative brick glued onto a painted-black wall.  Over the years the bricks became discolored by the baseboard heat, and just were old and in need of some TLC.

I purposely slated this project for the winter.  It gets cold here in January, and it was a great way to pass the time during a cold snap.

I selected Sherwin Williams Ovation paint in eggshell – color SUNDRIED TOMATO.  Oh my goodness, this color is the perfect color and wasn’t a disappointment once the wall was completed.

Here’s the “before” of the main wall.

One coat…

Two coats…

Yeah, it took three coats to get it right.

It took a solid three days and almost a full gallon of paint for just this wall.  As you can see below, I had a lot of nooks and crannies to paint.  I painted it all – the black “mortar” had to go and it makes the wall so nice and uniform.

Slow and steady!  I worked in sections while music or Netflix played in the background.  I binge-listened to M*A*S*H that week. 🙂

All done!  My clearance rack Lowe’s curtains pop, which is what I was going for!

There was no way I could cleanly paint from edge to edge.  So, lucky for me, this part of the kitchen is a dormer, so I have a cozy nook to paint!

This side was easy-peasy as it is just plastered drywall.  It still took three or four coats!

I love this little corner of the kitchen.  I can’t wait to get some cute bar stools to make it the little bar it’s meant to be.

Ta-da!  All finished!

More to come…entryway, family room, and basement!

Image Credit – All me!

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Sure, I can handle it…(right!)

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OK, November 3 was my last post.  Yikes!  Once the holiday season hits, it really takes over.

Things have been crazy, to say the least, lately.  I feel like what was once a well-oiled machine of routine has turned into an old, run-down jalopy in need of serious TLC…or the salvage yard.

Without going into too much detail, work just continues to take me down the yellow brick road of stress and uncertainty.  The days of people offering common courtesy of an RSVP is OUT THE WINDOW.  What ever happened to responding to requests you apparently made a commitment to?  One of many issues I have right now, but…

I haven’t sat through a church service since Christmas Eve – and I work for a church.  Figure that one out!

I digress as I feel my face flush with frustration and a little bit of anger.

Little makes me happy lately.  Thankfully, I have my wonderful husband, kids, and pets.  They’re the only thing keeping me sane and they have been most supportive of my feelings.

I just keep praying that someday soon I’ll be back to loving my job as much as I did before.

</RANT>

As for the Christmas season – it was pretty amazing.  I participated in my first choral cantata with the church choir.  Many, MANY hours went into practicing all the pieces – so much that my kids were singing along while I sang in the car and at home.  It’s still in their minds they now parody the tunes when they see fit.  It’s pretty hysterical!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were pretty great.  Two church services and a late night on the eve and a remarkably relaxing day of Christmas.  Lots of presents and smiles.  I also had my very first week off in a really long time.  It was nice to just step away from work and email and everything!

Most recently I’ve been tackling a painting project in our kitchen.  I LOVE to paint and redecorate the house.  I wish it wasn’t so expensive, but I make it work.  We have this pretty cool brickwork in our kitchen, but the look of it is pretty outdated.  It’s white, very textured and has a black masonry look.  All it is is a black wall with decorative brick glued to it.  While I love the texture and overall look of it, the white and black had to go!

It’s taking a long time to paint – and many coats! – but it’s looking super!  I chose the Sherwin Williams color Sundried Tomato.  It takes about 4 coats to get to the super deep (deeper than blood red) hue, but it’s worth it!  I have a hard time not standing and admiring the work already done because it just looks so great!  There’s just a lot of sloppy application of the paint due to all the nooks and crannies in the brick, which takes time.

And real quick before I close this post, my daughter and I have been trying to get a little craftier, so I hope to feel motivated enough to share some things we’re working on or things we find that we hope to get around to…I’m also embarking on a Prayer in Color group in church.  Stay tuned!

Image Credit: Healthable.org