Still Painting

As I write, the 12-hour top coat wait time has begun on the lower kitchen cabinets. (Hooray!) This means that tomorrow I'll be able to replace the fronts (and all the pots, pans, and utensils that are in boxes in my living room) and begin the final section - the upper cabinets. I'm anticipating and dreading this part because I'll have to stand on a step ladder to reach the top, but I'm almost done with the required painting. Don't get me wrong, I won't be finished painting since I have a dining table and china hutch to go, but if one of those doesn't get done before Jeff's welcome home party, it's not a big deal. I have to admit, living with the disarray is wearing on my nerves, but I'm happy to be able to see the end. I'm also happy with the results.

My dining room has become project central.

Half of my cabinets are empty, making it feel like moving day!

This is the finished product in the guest bath.
I still need to accessorize, but the basics are there.

I couldn't decide whether to paint it white or brown, but after an initial coat of white, I decided brown is the better choice. (Guess I should have listened when Mom said it would be.) I'm still looking for some vinyl wall stickers to apply to the doors, but white ones are hard to come by since the manufacturer seems to assume everyone has light colored walls. (ha!)

Here's the main attraction - kitchen island - in black and white. You can see the original cabinet color in the background (though that view will be very different come tomorrow morning). I'm contemplating a black vinyl design on each door and some pretty hardware (retro glass handles or maybe something in wrought iron).

Of course, as painting continues so do some smaller projects. The last couple of days I have cut out fabric for eight place mats in a simple pieced quilting design. The first set of four is made from a heart of hearts block with (of course) graduated hearts appliqued to the front. The second set of four is made from a windmill block that consists of strips of fabric turned in different directions. Cutting out the pieces was pretty simple once I made a set of card stock templates. (I realize this is elementary for all you quilters, but I'm new to the craft.) I'll be posting photos of those as I stitch them up (tomorrow?). For now, I'm calling it a night to enjoy some fireworks and a glass of wine (which reminds me of a wine bottle project I want to get started on as well).