BUDGET KITCHEN –
DECONSTRUCTED -ODDS AND ENDS
THE FINAL INSTALLATION of the Budget Kitchen Makeover deconstruction are the odds and ends…all those little and not so little finishing touches.
When it comes to the counters…I am not a fan of clutter, but there seem to be a fair amount of items that live on our countertops…whether I like ti or not. When Family Circle was here they fell in love with my pink coffee maker! Go figure…and I do like my pink bread box (from Marshalls or Tj Maxx) and my aqua collander (same) .
My rule of thumb when it comes to counter top accessories…they had better be cute! And more important – FUNCTIONAL. So if they are cute AND functional…all the better.
Maria Killam of Colour me Happy Blog says:” A white kitchen needs a few basic accessories: Herbs in pots. Wooden spoons and a matching pepper mill.” 
Personally, and this is just me..I like as much as possible to be put away in our kitchen. We have plenty of cabinets…and I just don’t like looking at things like …the knife block, the flour container and our ugly toaster. There seems to be enough incidental clutter that always manages to surface that any other extraneous stuff just gets on my nerves…
One of the BIGGEST past annoyances of my kitchen prior to the makeover was the TRASH CAN. It was constantly in my way. It drove me NUTS!!! I dreamed of a hidden trash can…and I decided I deserved it and so…
SURPRISE!!!!
Easy as pie to install. I had to cut the shelf to make room and installed wood under the shelf for support. My cuts were in no way straight, but no one will see it and now I am not tripping over my big ugly trash can!!!
When I had the cabinet doors made… 3 of the doors were made one inch too small. Charley Hunter – the carpenter was wonderful and the new correctly sized doors arrived in less that two weeks. This left me with 3 “extra” doors. SO – I used two of the doors to replace the doors in front of the radiator…
and the last door I used to replace the door which went where the trash can was going. I could have easily used the old door, but I thought it would be easier to have the handle going horizontally across the top. So, I removed the cabinet door and replaced it with one of the TOO SMALL doors, moved the handle to the top and VOILA!!!
CHANGED MY LIFE!!!
It’s the little things that make a Lesli Happy!!!
I want to know – what makes you happiest in your kitchen? A certain appliance? sentimental dishes? the paint color on the wall? your blender? What are the little or big things that make your life easier and happier in the kitchen??? I really want to know!
This sweet boy looks like a Clancy to me 🙂 By the way love your blog, your paintings and your home.
Baby calves are so cute and they actually smell so sweet on their teddy bear soft necks. This little guy looks like a Gideon to me.
The name Ollie came to me first, don’t know why. Love your kitchen and it’s so fun to see some of the ideas we incorporated in our kitchen (built 19 yrs. ago) in yours!
He looks like a Tim (or Timmy or if he really doesn’t answer, then you can call him TIMOTHY!) to me! I think this post is the first where you show how adaptable your island is – love that you can move it out of the way!
I think you should name this gorgeous calf painting
‘Where is my Mama?’
Nothing sweeter than a baby cow. He looks like a Fletcher. Your blog is a source of creative inspiration for me. Love how you decorate with color. My favorite part of the kitchen is a hutch where I keep pottery and pictures that remind me of family.
William.
My dad loved raising calves and that was his name.
He looks like an Elmer – so sweet and curious!
I really like all the names mentioned, but, I’m an Irish girl, so, I’m going with Phineas!
You should name this painting, “Are you my new mommy?” I think he looks like a Homer to me.
i’m thinking “charlie” when i see that precious face!
Otis!
I just dropped in by accident (are there really any true accidents in the world?) by following links here and there from blog to blog. I’ve been sitting here for over half an hour, reading all about your kitchen and home and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wanted to leave some hearty greetings behind, from one Virginia old house owner to another. Now I’m off to push the Follower button and add you to my blog roll. I like it here, and I intend to come back often.
Clarence, Oren, or Claude
After my Great Uncles….
“Millie”.
Beautiful kitchen. Thank you for sharing so many details with us.
He looks like a Stanley!
So sweet…..I think Romeo…..yes he’s going to be a Romeo someday. Love, love your art.
I would name him J.W. after my dad who nurtured and raised many cows on our farm. I love your pink breadbox! May I ask where you found that? It would definitely be my favorite too!
She looks like a “Buttercup” to me…
Oh no! I missed the fact that it’s a boy… bummer… well, maybe he’s a comfortable in his masculinity and can be called Buttercup.
He looks like Elliot to me.
Leroy! I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this painting!!