The Ultimate Hidden Storage

Here is what our kitchen was recently looking like. But there is one thing that was driving us nuts...no counter space!

For the time being, there is nothing we can do about the bottles and drying rack :( However, we can gain some major counter space by moving the microwave.

Luckily there is an electrical outlet in the under the banquette so my husband just drilled a hole in the side of the cabinet. And voila!

Instant counter space!

And it's not an inconvenience at all to just reach a little lower to use the microwave.

Ahhh...much better :)

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Between Naps on the Porch

A Wall of Tile

We've been in need of a tile backsplash ever since we moved into our home 1 year ago.

But instead of just a backsplash underneath the cabinets, we decided to tile the entire wall.
And since a big window occupies this wall it really wouldn't add up to that much tile but enough for a big impact.
Here is the kitchen before:
And here is the after with the entire wall tiled.

I think it really adds a subtle texture to the room.

Originally, we thought we'd go with a penny tile but fell in love with this larger honeycomb pattern on our first shopping trip.
It's an off-white glazed clay tile.
The brown border picks up the brown in our countertops and goes well with the darker cabinets.

Next up is adding the trim/molding to the cabinets and windows, cafe curtains, and a rug for the kitchen table.

Between Naps on the Porch

Thrifty Decor Chick

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

We had some ceiling damage by our back door due to a leaky roof. Once that was fixed we were left wondering how to fix the ceiling.

My husband didn't want to go through the work of skimming new plaster and repainting so I mentioned covering it with some kind of paneling.

My husband found this great bamboo paneling online and ordered 3 panels right away.

Here is the view of the back door entrance from the kitchen.

And here is our new, AWESOME ceiling!

I love the look of it with the white trim framing it.

The view coming up from the basement.

My plan now is to add some coat hooks and shoe storage on this left wall.

Here are some of my favorite mudrooms:

All images courtesy of Pinterest

Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Holiday Preparations

I found this picture on Pinterest and knew I wanted to make one to remember my son's 1st Christmas.

My first attempt was not successful so I gave it another try once he fell asleep :) Here's how it turned out.

That's my husband's thumbprint, my son's and mine.

I put it in a cheap-o frame from Ikea.

And now it sits on the sidetable near the Christmas tree. And I plan to bring it back every year as part of the holiday decor.

And this is our Christmas tree this year. My son conveniently learned to crawl just in time for Christmas so if you look closely there are no ornaments on the bottom half of the tree :)

I swap out the fillers in this vase with the corresponding season. For winter I added some evergreen branches with pinecones and a glittered, bronze colored poinsettia.

This is the table below our living room TV. I added some garland and my favorite pinecone lights I found at Target 3 years ago.

Tiki found a comfy spot on a bright pink and red throw.

This is the holiday dining room table and buffet. I LOVE those candle holders from Hobby Lobby. I'm mad for plaid!! And some appetizer plates that have various types of evergreen on them.

A matching tablecloth covers my kitchen table.

Got my cookie recipe book out and ready to fill the cookie jar with some goodies.

And lastly, here is our Christmas card this year. I am so proud of taking these pictures myself! I set up a faux studio in our living room, using a white curtain as a backdrop. I ordered my cards from Photo Affections for the third year now and am so impressed with them. I took these pictures on a Monday and uploaded and ordered them online shortly after. My cards arrived at my door that same Friday! Awesome!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Centsational Girl's Holiday Craft Link Party

Hi Sugarplum! Holiday Craft Link Party