Borderlicious

Huynh and I are always looking for little ways that we can update our little abode while saving our precious pennies for our upcoming nuptials. I love that this will always be our first house but that's not to say that I love everything about this house in the 'burbs. Case in point: the kitchen tile.

It's hard to tell from these pictures but the tile is actually not white; it's more of a light cream color bordered with a tile that has a continuous scroll with vines wrapped throughout. For some reason, this screams 80s to me though the house was built in the 2000s.

Last weekend, while Huynh was at a bachelor party, I got out a set of trusty tile removers (i.e. a flat head screwdriver and a mallet), cranked up the radio, and went to town. With tile shrapnel flying at you, you will want eye protection as well - learn from me.

And, after a couple of hours went from this:

To this:

It was messy, dusty, required a lot of clean up but I knew it was going to be well worth it. As you can tell, we decided to not take out the main back splash tile - part the enormity of the project (that tile wraps around the kitchen where the border is only on this section of the kitchen) and part the desire to have nothing to do with cutting tile. Once I got all of the tile off the wall, off the counter, and out of the kitchen, I cleaned up a bit and kept trucking ahead.

Fast forward a few hours (and days) our back splash started to resemble a back splash again (sorry, these pictures were taken at night). I had gone to a local tile shop who recommended putting up the tile with liquid nails to save money on having to buy a large container of adhesive and only needing such a small amount but that failed epically. By this point it was Tuesday, Huynh was home, and I was frustrated with the oven still being in the center of the kitchen. Huynh had made the trip to Home Depot to buy grout and came home with a life saver - the grout he bought was also an adhesive. We were able to make use of the grout and put up all the tile in one night and still had half of the grout/adhesive left. The next night, we grouted - and ran out of grout. Another day and another trip to Home Depot, we had finally finished!

It took some elbow grease to get the tile spotless and free from grout haze but considering it was our first tile job, I think it turned out great! The mosaic we chose has some browns, blues, and reds to pull in the slate floors, cabinets, and walls. It all compliments each other so well - and I actually enjoy cleaning it. From start to finish, it took us all week to complete but in real time: two hours to demo, two hours to tile (plus 24 hour dry time) and two hours to grout (plus another 24 hour dry time); total: 6 hours of hands on work for a much welcome update.

Salt Pig

{williams-sonoma}

Since we've been busy with the kitchen, I've been window shopping for some new accessories. While a salt pig may not be your cup of tea, the idea of having salt at my finger tips while cooking makes me go weak in the knees. Besides, it's red! You really can't go wrong.

Yesssss vera.

Heard of Joss and Main? Of course you have. Then you will also know that the other day they featured Vera Bradley rugs on sale. Vera rugs. On sale. Obviously, much to the chagrin of Huynh, I had to snag one! This 2'x3' slate blooms beauty found it's home in front of our kitchen sink. It's extremely thick and surprisingly comfortable underfoot - helps while we try to stick to our cleaning schedule. It's a-MAH-zing!

Clearly I've been watching way too many episodes of Happy Endings.

Breakfast

Do you catch yourself during TV shows focusing on the set and wondering/dying for the set decorator to come to your house and just make it look exactly the same? Just sayings that I would pay good money for the set decorator of Parenthood to come and makeover our little 'ole casa de Richmond. 

Good money.

{cbs}

On Big Bang Theory, I love Sheldon and Leonard's nerdy style of their apartment - so appropriately them - but more importantly, Sheldon and Leonard have dual cereal dispensers. Yes, I love their kitchen tile backsplash, and yes, I too want a frying pan hanger and a butcher block island, however, what did I focus on? The cereal dispenser. 

I like my cereal, what can I say. 

Recognizing the nerdiness that is laced through that statement, obviously Huynh and I needed our own set as well.

Clearly we are cool. One has Kashi GoLean Original; the other has Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Both, however, help us get out of bed, especially when mixed. And it gave me a good excuse to detour through that part of Target because really, isn't that what it's all about?

I love that show.

Fresh herbs

I love basil.

I started with a well-loved vase, my favorite Martha Stewart paint, and this splurge from Anthropologie from this weekend. 

{after one coat}

{herb kit}

{planted}

It took a couple of coats to fully cover the navy blue, and recognizing that this planter was probably too small for the amount of paper provided, I just went with it as I used organic planting soil we had on hand from our garden this past year. I followed the directions and now this sits in direct sunlight with damp soil on our window sill avoiding frost bite. 

I have high hopes but really, I just love the fork.

Ikat lust

{anthropologie}

I've been on the look out for a cute, ornate, rice (read: small, handheld) bowl to go with our Great White Dinnerware for a while now... and nothing was cutting it. It was either too girlie, too small, too big, or, well, too ugly.

But that all changed.

I went crazy at Anthropologie this past weekend (bought this, this, and this, ya know, to name a few things I grabbed while trying to avoid crazy Christmas crowds) but what I was really excited about were these grey ikat nut bowls.

Nut, rice, same diff?

I scoured the store for more and came up with 4 total. Not enough but close enough knowing that not only are they Huynh approved, but there is another Anthro even closer to our casa (in City Center where we grabbed 3 more) that I can check as well as they are also online.

Oh yea, and I have the coolest sister ever who picked up 5 of the bowls for us at the Woodlands Anthro bringing our total to 12. BAM.

I love a good deal.

Five things

Becky and Aaron's wedding was a success! It was absolutely beautiful, B looked gorgeous, and I didn't take a single picture... except for the glass of wine to flaunt to the boys that they drive slow. I need to get on Facebook and snatch some pics from friends - Pam was paparazzi - but we had fun! We are so happy for them!

I knowwwww... I promised a full reveal of our holiday decor. So how about a sneak peek? I got the hanger from Target years ago; the snowflake and "Merry Christmas" glitterati came from Paul Michael and is hanging on our pantry door. I got the snowflake this year and I am pretty sure that my sister and Jennifer thought I was crazy for hauling that all the way back but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it and so it was totally worth it!... you know, ignoring that a flake broke off and HP had to hot glue it back on for me.

Speaking of holiday decor, I have always wanted to start collecting Department 56 (adding to my ever growing list of collecting Hallmark ornaments, UT radko, Waterford nativity). I saw this in Dillard's and it about made it a done deal! My village would totally have to have a Chick fil A! My mom collects the Snow Village and I have always loved setting it up on top of the piano. I want that tradition to continue in my household so be looking for it soon!

We scored 2 tickets to the Watch the Throne tour this coming Monday. I am so excited! We have seen Jay-Z before (one of my favorite concerts) and my sister and I went to see Kanye before ("Is this what you came for??") but together? It's gonna be epic.

Lastly, we head to Denver on Friday for a quick getaway weekend! I love spending time with Huynh, especially in Denver, but really. 28deg? And snow? It's gonna be freezing. Definitely hot chocolate weather!

Sweet potato lover

{real simple}

We had a Thanksgiving potluck last night... yes, in the middle of work deadlines and flag football finals, Huynh and I squeezed in some quality MNF with friends and family. Huynh manned the deep fryer - hello, fried turkey - and while I worked until the party already started, before I left for work in the morning, I put together a quick and easy vegetarian* chili recipe with sweet potatoes.

Sidenote: I love sweet potatoes.

It was good, hearty, and we have plenty of leftovers to munch on 'til my heart's content.

It was a really easy recipe that also allowed me to bust out our new "ever so slightly impulse" purchase while out Christmas shopping this past weekend... both from Williams-Sonoma.

{williams-sonoma}

The Chef'n Garlic Zoom Chopper is amazing. It made ridiculous fast work of the four cloves of garlic the recipe called for - and better yet, really easy to clean. I honestly can't remember how I chopped the garlic before I had this contraption.

Seriously.

Probably con-ed Huynh into doing it for me.

Okay, let's be real. He even wrangled the garlic for this recipe.

{williams-sonoma}

We also picked up a new paring knife - in green - and while it could be that our knives need a good sharpening, I can't help but rave about how sharp this knife is! It made quick work of cutting the potato, onion, and bell pepper... plus it's green. I have made the edict that this knife will never find its way to the dishwasher for that very reason. Let's keep this baby sharp.

So two great gift ideas for cooking lovers. Heck, we even picked up an extra Garlic Zoom for a certain family member - and if you are reading this, you have a 1-out-of-25 chance that it is you!

Back to work...

*I added 1-lbs of hamburger meat and excluded the kidney beans. I can't help it. I like meat.

All I want for Christmas

My family keeps next to zero secrets about Christmas gifts; urks Huynh to no end. I, on the other hand, am a surprise-hater so I love this.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I already know what my parents are getting me for Christmas!!

{williams-sonoma}

Y'all. I am so pumped. It's red!

I was completely surprised when Mom called to tell me that's what she was getting me --- though since her new favorite place is Williams-Sonoma, it comes as no surprise that she was there shopping to begin with. I snuck a peek at it when we were home the other weekend and I cannot wait to get my hands on it and start cooking!

{williams-sonoma}

I've already started googling recipes for pasta which is first on my list. Along with oreo brownies, cake, and I will probably even start making sausage. I want it sitting on my counter ASAP. Christmas (err, Thanksgiving, when we celebrate Christmas with my family this year) cannot come soon enough!

What are you excited to get for Christmas this year?

Kitchen envy

{mrs southern belle}

I have been in love with this kitchen since I laid eyes on it. The open shelves, the dark cabinets, the light island. It all looks so perfectly effortless! I love the floor to ceiling cabinetry along with the added crown molding, the hardware - bought off of eBay - and the granite.

{mrs southern belle}

And don't get me started on the dark trim and that picture of the corks (P.S. totally stealing that idea!). Swoon.

Since I have been house shopping on the side, I am beginning to realize that, in our budget and in the location that we want:

a. Every house needs a new kitchen,
b. Every house needs a new master bathroom,
c. Most every house has wood paneling, and
d. Every house loves brass fixtures.

Needless to say, we have some work ahead of us when we finally do buy but the fun part is collecting all of these amazing ideas, thank you Pinterest. As for the apparent reference to our weekend festivities? We did nothing productive - which was probably productive in and of itself. That's one point for us. Score.

Tucked away

The wall of our pantry got a little uplift this past weekend.

I needed a place to hang aprons for a while. I debated right outside the pantry next to the fridge but... well, the nieces and nephews pictures are there now and they are way cuter. So Huynh came up with tucking them away in the pantry.

I picked up the "P" on sale at Hobby Lobby awhile back. It's actually a drawer pull that I hung using a dry wall fastener and then screwed it into place. Easy peasy.

This weekend I'm heading to a bachelorette party while Huynh stays here and (I am making a safe assumption) watches football. Have a good one!

Cookbooks

I have a lot of cookbooks.

Before the kitchen reorganization, I never really had a place to put all of these. I absolutely love this Kitchen Bull block from torolegno.

{photo from etsy}

But my wallet does not love the price tag. I scoured the web for some inspiration shots and the majority that turned up either said they didn’t keep cookbooks in the kitchen – me now – or they put them in cabinets! I couldn’t muster the waste of space in the cabinet so for now they reside on the bar cart.

I actually kind of like it. Put away while still on display and, most importantly, within reach. What about you? Are you a cookbook hoarder like me?

Pantry, tackled

Oh the pantry. You saw yesterday that I have big plans for the kitchen reorganization and, in trying to be organized myself, I realized that the pantry was the best place to start.

Starting from the top and working my way down, I pulled everything out. Before I set it down, I figured whether it was expired or not (you would have been surprised) and then organized it all out on the countertop.

Can you tell that we do most of the work at night? Hehe...

So, Huynh took out all of the shelves, then I vacuumed, cleaned, scrubbed and disinfected the entire closet… it needed it. Since the paint in the pantry was flat, I took this emptying opportunity to paint the walls the same color as the dining room.

Oooo purdy. And I’m not just talking about my favorite paint brush that I used to cut around all of those wall brackets in lieu of taking them out. Needless to say, painting took a tad bit longer than anticipated so we lived with our pantry spread out in our kitchen for 2 days before I was able to finish painting.

Huynh reinstalled all of the shelves and then I started methodically placing all of the goods back into it. At BB&B, we picked up a spice rack for the back of the door which hangs on the back of the door. Not ideal but we were hesitant to permanently attach it to the door until we figure out if we like it or not.

I was even able to pull down some of the things from the tops of the cabinets to store in the pantry now that there was more room. While I was at it, I also cleared out the spice and canned good cabinets, deciding that canned goods needed to be moved to the pantry along with about half of the things in the spice cabinet that weren’t really classified as spices, like flour, sugar, and pho mix. Much better now that it’s official that all of the food is in one spot.

• New countertop
• New back splash
• Reorganize
• New rug
• New faucet

Yes, I realize reorganizing has little to do with décor (does painting count?) and more to do with my sanity but the entire kitchen is done organizationally! From start to finish it took about a week. And, wouldn't you know it, I actually am enjoying cooking even more.

Kitchen redeux

Contrary to popular belief, or I guess I should say, contrary to the pans and boxes stored on top of the cabinets instead of inside the cabinets, we have a lot of storage in the kitchen… it’s just so horribly utilized.

Since we had a garage sale last weekend, I had already gone through a lot of the cups and dishes to pull out all of the college-esque ones that needed to be ditched. While junk drawers are a necessity, ours need to be organized and we really need to not have a junk cabinet. Huynh also has an affinity for sticking light bulbs in random places so those need to be wrangled.

What else… the pantry needs to be painted and reorganized, most of the cleaning supplies under the sink need to be moved to the laundry room where we have a cabinet just for them, and the Tupperware cabinet needs help. The cooking utensils drawer will barely close while we have a drawer on the other side of the stove pretty empty; the mixing bowls are stacked in a tower just waiting to fall into the floor when the next unsuspecting chef opens that cabinet. Phew.

 So this is what we came up with. My thought is to have baking on the left of the stove, cooking on the right. It looks like we have a lot of small appliances but I am hoping to get the majority of them into the bottom cabinet and then the overflow into the pantry. I also want all of the food in the pantry and none inside the cabinets – some will still sit on the countertop. And yes, we really do have that many K-cups that they deserve their own listing.

I would love to say that ideally this is exactly what we will do but I know that part of the problem is that you have to live with it for a little while to see if it makes sense. Either way, when I finish, I will get to cross a bullet of the list!

• New counter top
• New back splash
• Reorganize
• New rug
• New faucet

Wine Rack

Back at the beginning of May, Layla over at The Lettered Cottage posted fabulous pictures of an even more fabulous beach house in her latest e-zine. By about page 3, I was ready to move in and by page 9, I stopped in my tracks and realized that I had found the solution to our wine glass storage issue.

{picture from The Lettered Cottage}

Up until that point, we stored our wine glasses in the original boxes that not only took up a lot of valuable cabinet space but also caused more than a fair share to break while getting them in and out. Enter the repurposed window.

To be fair, our find was originally a mirror that we scored at an antique store. Huynh was able to take out the mirror, lightly sand, and paint. He drilled holes to thread the dowel rods through and added a bit of glue to make sure they were secure and then painted the rods a lighter shade of grey for contrast.

Then it sat. For months.

We were at a lost for how to hang this. You see in the inspiration picture that a wooden leg was used for support so at first we considered anchoring it to the column in the kitchen which was met with an "eh". Finally we decided on hanging it over the bar cart and anchoring it to the cabinet without actually damaging the cabinet. Right.

A couple of Home Depot trips later and easily 10 feet too much of chain purchased later, we realized that the window was actually pretty secure hanging straight down alone. And as for the wine glasses? They don't move even when you are getting another glass off.

Sure there is a tad but of sway, but I think it is perfect. Speaking of, I believe a glass is in store! It's the weekend after all, and in wrapping up this week at work, I think I deserve a nice cab. Have a good one.