corner cupboard makeover

Here's just a little project I did recently. It only took me about twenty minutes, but I think the difference is great!

corner cupboard before 

I started with this white corner cupboard. Actually, when it was first given to me by my mom, it was navy blue. I promptly painted it white and put it in the girls' playroom. Fast-forward a year or two and it took on new life in my kitchen. However, it was pretty boring and I felt it needed more color...not to mention, I have a lot of white dishes that I'd like to display, but I felt that white dishes in a white cupboard would really be BOR-ing.

cupboard after

So, I whipped out some paint I had purchased for another project, and in about twenty minutes, had a whole new look! Just one coat did the trick. Now, the white dishes really stand out more, and I have more of my favorite color (turquoise) in the kitchen now!

my kitchen

Just because I promised (and not because I'm in love with it!)...here are a few pics of my kitchen. A lot of it is somewhat in shadow...this was taken on a sunny day and the light was just beginning to really stream through the window over the sink. But, you get the idea. There's a LOT of cabinetry in my kitchen, and I love the style of it...just not the finish on the cabinets.

This is my kitchen from the other angle. You can see my "gallery wall" at the far end...the ever-rotating display of my children's artwork. It's just clothespins stuck on cables, which are jerry-rigged to the wall. I could have done it a lot more professionally, but (long story) I ended up making it happen with cuphooks and ribbons to cover the ugliness where the cables were anchored to the wall. I have close-ups of this project, but of course, can't seem to find them at the moment! So you will have to let your imagination do some of the work. (And by the way...my cabinets are not really that bright ORANGE - just that darn afternoon sunlight combined with my poor photo editing!)

Ah - there's the culprit - the one window in my kitchen without blinds (or any window treatment at all!). Why, you ask? Eh, just haven't gotten around to it. Come on, people, I've only owned the house for seven years! It takes time to do things like purchase blinds, you know?

Hmmm, tough crowd. ANYWAY...

The kitchen of my dreams would have white cabinetry, except on the island...where it might be grey or black...carrera marble countertops...some open shelving....some glass doors on a few cabinets...and maybe white or marble subway tiles on the backsplash. The whole room would be bright and clean, but with a homey, vintage feel to it. Perhaps a chandelier or two. Maybe I'll do a post on inspiring kitchens of these days. I have to confess, after starting to write this post (several days ago!) I went off looking for inspiring kitchen photos...and got so lost in all the inspiration of blogland that I never came back! So for now...you'll just have to imagine my dream kitchen. And, of course, donations are always welcome. ;-)

"virtual nesting" at NestInk

If you follow me on Facebook at all, you know that I've been dealing with a house full of sickies this week. I mean really sick. I've never seen my girls sicker, in fact! Without going into too much detail, let's just say that I have had a LOT of messes to clean up this week. So glad that I took my nice, neat living room photos a few weeks ago. 'Cause it ain't pretty now, folks.

happy

What I did get a chance to do today is finally some updating and housekeeping at NestInk. Editing photos and creating listings on Etsy is very time-consuming, but it's obviously necessary if you want to...you know...sell stuff. And that I do. Want to sell stuff, I mean. Oh dear...nevermind...

retro roses

Anyway, I'm trying a different approach with my photos. I'm going for a much more zoomed-in look as the main pic, the hope being that it will attract attention and get people to click on the item for more information. Each item photo on Etsy really only shows up as a small avatar, and so it's important that the photo packs a big punch on a small scale.

three flowers

What do you think? I'm hoping this approach will help attract more business and more people to click-through each listing. 

contemporary cluster

They're not the highest-quality photos ever (because I'm cropping them waaayyy down) but I'm liking the overall new look that it gives my "storefront".

iris cluster

I've also added several sets of 10. I've received enough requests for varying quantities that I think I just need to start listing them. Up until now, I've just sold sets of 6 (unless otherwise requested). But now I'll also be offering sets of 10 or 20 as well.

elegant scrolls

Anyway, sorry about all the shop-talk. It's just what's on my mind today, and it's been refreshing to spend some time on something for me while my kids are continuing to recuperate. They are at that point now where they are weak enough to stay out of trouble, but well enough that they don't need constant nursing.

I'll bring Friday's Finds back again soon, don't you worry! Have a great weekend, friends.