A Rooster in My Kitchen

This week the weather has been pretty unpredictable and every time it's been nice out, I've been in the yard working in the garden and forgetting to take pictures of the front porch decorations.

It's rainy here this morning but the weather man promises some periods of sun before the next batch of rain hits.

I ran out to a local nursery this morning in search of a hanging basket for the porch but I came home with an addition to the kitchen.  Anyone who knows me knows that I have an affinity for birds...especially owls, cardinals and roosters.  Back a few years ago I let go of many of my roosters and moved on to owls, but while I was at the nursery this morning, I came across a rooster that I just had to have. He was a bit pricey, but I had a gift card from a friend that I had received last summer for my BIG birthday...I was itching to use it up!!

He's stenciled on some pallet wood that is gorgeous and rough.  I hung him in the kitchen near the entry to the family room.

I think the wood ties in nicely with the beams on the ceiling.

I woke Sloan up from napping when I was snapping my pictures.  The new window bench seems to be his favourite place to nap now.  I've had to put a small blanket there so that he doesn't leave too much hair there while he sleeps.

I promise to be back soon with shots of the front porch!!  That is if I can remember to get out there and take the photos!!

Styling Open Shelving

Earlier this week my son and I took off the cabinet doors and hardware in the kitchen.

We are beginning the kitchen renovation in the hopes that it will be completed before the Christmas holidays are upon us.  (cue the laugh track!)

Seeing as I now have to look at everything that is in my cabinets, I took some time yesterday afternoon to clear out things that haven't been used in awhile.  This then led to trying to style what was left in there to make it look "prettier". Using what you have is always a good no-cost way to decorate.

I am toying with the idea of removing these two cabinets and replacing them with two big chunky shelves instead.  To be honest with you though, I'm not sure I can do it.

This is the bare minimum that I could bring myself to pair down to, and quite frankly I still think there is too much here to be visually pretty.  I made sure to incorporate my blue Ball and Crown mason jars and a few other accessories.

But the most distracting thing for me is this orange Ethernet cable that you can see in the back here.
In order to get wi-fi in the rest of the house, the modem is in this cabinet.  Although I did my best to hide it, I'm not sure I want it on display all the time like it would be if we change this cabinet out to shelving.

For now, I am leaving it as is, and I'm searching for other possible methods or places to hide the modem without seeing.  I'd love it if you have any suggestions!!

Cheryl

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A Stroll Thru Life

Trying out Small Changes in the Kitchen

When we purchased this house last year, we knew that a kitchen makeover was not too far on the horizon.  Fast forward a year and we are just about ready to begin tackling it. Although the cabinets are solid wood, they are not in the best shape.  The dark walnut stain is showing wear and it really makes the kitchen very dark.  These pictures below were taken shortly after we moved in.

The hood cabinet over the stove is in pretty bad condition.  I am thinking of having it removed entirely and just using that space above the vent for display.  In order to get a feel of what it would be like to do so, I took the cabinet doors off this week.

And I added some decor I pulled from around my house.  I LOVE shopping the house and changing things up...don't you??!!

An antique platter on a plate stand, some of my gorgeous green glass pieces, an enamelware pot I found thrifting a few years ago, and last but not least that blue glass vase I picked up last week on clearance.

This change took literally five minutes to complete and I am loving how it brightens this dark corner of the kitchen.  Stay tuned for some BIG changes coming up for the kitchen...a whole new colour scheme that will be sure to lighten and brighten this room!

Have you made any small changes to your home lately?

Cheryl