Tea Towels

I've been thinking about ways to add some more color into the kitchen.  We have some accessories in orange and yellow and I decided that a fun tea towel would add something extra in to the kitchen.  Here are some options I found on Etsy:

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And speaking of the kitchen, it is 99% done.   I would like to wait to post until the new blog is (finally) up and running.  We've been working on some minor coding issues but they should be resolved ASAP.  Do you feel like I'm that guy who says he's going to call, but never does and is just totally leading you on?!  Because that is how I feel right now.   I don't want to make any more promises on the launch of the new blog or the kitchen reveal or I might have to break out into my favorite 3LW song..."I'm gettin real tired of your broken promises, promises".  A song which I sing to Adam all the time.  I sincerely hope it's up on Monday and I can show the kitchen Tuesday but I'm not getting my hopes up!

Subway Tile

The more I look at pictures of kitchens, the more I lean towards wanting to put in white subway tile as our backsplash.  It's so clean and classic!  I have to check out some of my options before I make a decision though. 

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Kitchen Stools

Well, the kitchen is in!  We're at about 85% finished.  All the major things are done (cabinets, sink faucet, appliances), but we still need to paint, pick out hardware, tile our backsplash and get stools.  I think a full reveal will be in order next week.

I've been looking at bar stools for our island.  We don't have a ton of space, so I'd like stools that are pretty slim so they can be tucked away.  Here are some options I found:

Simple Ikea chairs.  Great price and easily tucked into island area.

Love these knock-off Tolix chairs from Overstock, though reviews say it's painted metallic not the galvanized metal look it appears to have in the pictures.

These are knock off chairs too.  I happen to really like them, but the price is dissuading me.  I'd like to keep these budget friendly.

These last ones are from eBay.  Totally plays into the lucite trend, and because they are clear, will appear to not take up much space.  But the shipping is $20 more than the start price on these, and I just can't justify paying $100 in shipping!

And a quick look at part of the island!  I have drawers!!

Kitchen Sink/Faucet

I just ordered our new kitchen sink and faucet because guess what?  We should have a new kitchen this weekend!  I am over the moon excited for it to happen!  The holidays really had me wishing for more counterspace and storage and now I will have it!

This is the faucet we chose.  Simple and modern, which we like.

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 I think we have also decided to paint the kitchen white, if we have some spare time this week.  While I like the yellow, I'm excited for white to really modernize the space and make it feel clean and new.  After looking through some of my saved inspiration photos, I noticed that almost all of them had white walls.  We'll just use other accessories for the pops of yellow and orange.

I should have my New Year's resolutions post and giveaway up later today so don't forget to stop back by!

The Kitchen Remodel

While our kitchen may not be the ugliest kitchen (believe me, we lived in an apartment with the most hideous kitchen I've ever seen), but has to be one of the least functional kitchens out there.  We have dirty, old cabinets that were never intended for this house.  They must have gotten them from a showroom, or a different house or something.  I have one very small drawer in my whole kitchen.  We have our utensils in an upper cabinet because of it.  Two of the cabinet doors had to come off because they forgot to factor in the bump-out in the wall.  The doors wouldn't even open because they hit each other.  My pantry is a joke!  It's next to the fridge and extremely hard to get anything from there.  Needless to say, we can't wait to start working on our new kitchen!

Here are some before pictures:

If you're thinking there are a million things on the counter...you're right!

Yep, check out that awesome little drawer that is missing a drawer front.  Or how about checking out the corner cabinet that has a Lazy Susan that you can't get to because the doors open into the oven and side cabinet.

Just reach your hand next to the fridge to get to the back of the pantry...it's very convenient!

And here is what my Dad has come up with to make our kitchen ten billion times better!

This section stays mostly the same, except there is a nice corner upper cabinet that will actually function. 

Now here's where it gets exciting, for me anyways.  An island!  With drawers!!  We'll also have a little space for 2 stools.  Plus our fridge will be rotated and we will have an actual pantry cabinet that I can easily reach and organize!

Kitchen Countertops

We're getting so close to redoing our kitchen.  My Dad sent over the final drawings of how our kitchen will look!  Once I take some before pictures for reference, I'll share what he came up with.  Adam and I have been looking at countertops and we have been leaning towards black or gray.  We'll have white cabinets and will keep the yellow paint color for now.  Here are some kitchens with white cabinets and black/gray countertops.

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I'll post our Halloween pictures as soon as I can.  We forgot to take some of our own, but luckily Nicole snapped some of us!

Merchandise Mart

For about a month,  I've been trying to get to downtown Chicago to the Merchandise Mart.  It's a huge building with tons of showrooms, chock full of design goodness.  Tiles, bathtubs, kitchens, and on and on.  A few of us packed up and headed downtown last Friday.  Unfortunately, we got stuck in some major traffic and the Merchandise Mart closed an hour earlier than we had thought.

All was not lost though...All of the showrooms have glass windows and doors so you can peer in and check things out.  We are still planning on going back some day soon so we can really get to look at all there is to see.

I think what I liked the most was seeing the many different tile options.  I have never seen so many unique and interesting tiles in my life.  Here are some of the pictures I was able to get:

Aren't all of these fantastic?  I had no idea there was such a selection of modern and interesting designs.  I guess I've only seen the typical styles.

LOVE the color of the vanity!

Can't wait to go back and really admire the awesome designs!

Today is the last day to vote for my nursery.  Click here to vote! Thanks!

Rethink Design

I saw this kitchen on Full House and checked out the rest of Rethink Design's work.  Wow, do I love it!

Love the cabinet color, lights, numbered baskets and framed black and white prints.  Pretty much everything!

Check out this before/after.  Here is the bathroom before:

That light is fantastic!  Such a dramatic difference from what it looked like before.  Check out more here.

Sarah's Farmhouse Kitchen

Michelle's post reminded me of the farmhouse kitchen Sarah recently completed on HGTV's Sarah's House.  Adam and I kept rewinding so we could really take it in.  The subtle color combo and all the little details are just perfect.  I wish I could find a picture of the before because it was quite the transformation.

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To see more of her kitchen, click here.