Kitchen Ceiling Demolition

There is nothing that motivates me to clean the kitchen more than it being covered in blown insulation and mouse turds. Can you imagine a little of that sprinkled on your Sunday night dinner?

We have continued our kitchen project in the most disgusting of ways. Not a lot of words needed here, I'll let the pictures tell the story...

Forewarning...the next pictures are not pretty.

DIY Corn Swag

Sunday, I searched all over the web for instructions on how to make a corn swag. I couldn't find anything, so I winged it and here's how it went...

Kitchen Project {Part Two}

Now that we’d knocked out the wall, it was time to start working on the faux beams. Kelly was able to find a few boards of roughly milled red oak up at the farm. This wood had actually been logged from his great-grandmother’s property when his grandpa was just a boy, back when horses were used for logging.  

The planks were very rough, so we used a planer that allowed us to even out the thickness of the board while leaving it with a semi-smooth surface. Although the boards looked much better after being run through a couple of times, they still needed to be sanded.

We started by using a belt sander with 50 grit sandpaper, which helped to remove all of the black marks caused by the planer. We then switched to a finishing sander first with 80, then 220 grit to smooth down the whole board.  

We were left with these beautiful red-tinted oak boards, which prompted a debate on whether we should stain them dark or leave them in their original color. In the end, we decided to go dark. We used Minwax Oil-Based Ebony Stain, which soaks into the wood and turns it a rich, dark brown. The two wide pieces only needed two coats of stain, while the thinner piece will need a third coat.

Next step- hanging these puppies!  

Kitchen Project {Part One}

 

Our kitchen project has been in the works for, oh, let’s just say quite some time now. No complaints, I don’t mind living in a ‘house in progress’. They all are anyways, right? Houses in progress?

 

 

What you can’t see behind that looming dark wall is a room full of big, bright windows. How nice would the kitchen be if we could knock out the top half and let in some light?

The plan was to remove the upper wall and cabinets, then top the counter with an elevated bar. We first carefully removed the cabinets and stashed them upstairs for later use. Then came the fun part. Honey was very hesitant to give me the hammer, but after I took a couple quick swings there was no turning back.

 

 

The two outlets had to be moved to make the bar the correct height. One went to the far right, just above the countertop on the kitchen wall. The second moved lower and to the opposite side of the wall on the back side of the cabinets.

After a bit of finesse with a jigsaw, we were left with this!  

 

 

Look at all of that beautiful, bright, natural light! A fresh coat of paint never hurt either. The end goal is to frame in all of the open beams to get the effect of a chunky, naked barn beam. It will form a ‘T’ to the ground, with an elevated bar top above the counter.  

Are there any projects going on in your neck of the woods?

 

 

*Progress Update - Part Two, Part Three 

It's Summer, Remember?

I’m digging the cool temps this summer. Days spent working in the yard and riding without sweat dripping down your back. Nights with the windows open, the crisp breeze carrying the faint smell of faraway bonfires and fresh cut grass.  

 

Alas, it’s making me pine for pumpkin bread, hot cider and a walk down a crunchy, leaf-covered trail.

So in an effort to keep in mind that it is, in fact, summertime, here are some bright and sunny things from around the web.

 

DIY Painted rug via A Beautiful Mess

 

 

 

Welcoming Print

 

 

 

Rottweilers thinking they are bird dogs

 

 

 

Michigan Brewed Summer Ale

 

 

 

I hope everyone is enjoying the season in their own special way!

 

xx.