StarLitStudio

spice organization

Inspired by this post; I sourced and purchased air-tight containers from specialtybottle.com.   

Here's the before a few weeks ago - they were kinda alphabetized - I had to keep the short containers in the front to be able to read the labels.

And here's what it looks like now.  All alphabetized, just like I like it.  I used an easy-to read font (ITC Bookman Light) versus script, which I initially printed out but found difficult to read quickly.

Anyone playing Draw Something?  I'm StarLitStudio - let's draw!  I had a bunch of new players show up a few weeks ago - found out my fourth-grader told all her friends my username...hilarious.  Happy Tuesday guys!

babies and heels

Fomat inspired by a Danni Reid card.  This was made for my neighbor who just found out she is expecting a boy!  October Afternoon Sidewalks papers, Flower Sack die-cuts, Chip 'n Stick and Wrap Pack.  Memory Box Kraft card base.  Sentiment is from Impress.

This past Saturday my dear husband and I went out for dinner.  While sitting at the bar in our local tavern another couple we have chatted with previously sat next to us for a bit while they waited for their table.  I know their first names but that's about it - the woman, who is about my age, noticed my shoes and asked me, "How does one walk in four-inch heels?"  She was serious.  How would you have responded?  

I explained I use my husband's forearm as a cane.   I didn't know what else to say.

Happy Monday!  It's gonna be a GREAT week!!

the kitchen project

We are the second owners of this house.  Let me preface this post by saying, and I am quoting myself, "I can only recommend stainless appliances if they come with a Valium prescription."  Stainless steel - no.  Brushed stainless or coordinating wood cabinetry panels - yes.

The stove wall was updated with appliances, backsplash, knobs and island.  The fridge wall was totally remodeled.

The original kitchen:

After:

main sink before:

after:

The fridge wall was totally remodeled.  See that fridge below?  The bane of my existence.  I'll detail later. Before:

after:

I love how the appliances disappear in to the cabinetry.

Before (below):

after:

New cabinetry (maple) will darken to match the other side - takes about three months. I replaced a door back in 2004 and within three months it blended perfectly and still looks great.

While planning this layout, I identified work zones/hot spots/congestion issues and their underlying reasons.  I successfully design new, functional work zones and incorporated these seamlessly with this remodel.  

We recycled the white microwave, range, dishwasher and garage side-by-side, fridge/freezer unit by telling friends we had these working appliances, then finding wonderful friends of friends that needed/wanted them.

I had everything professionally installed.  The only DIY I handled was the rip out of the old backsplash. I am old enough to know my limits, the value of my time and others, and where my talents are and aren't.

Cabinetry was built in Pennsylvania by a company with a green philosophy.  The cabinetry style and stain in the original kitchen that I love are still in production so fortunately the newly added cabinetry matches.  Appliances were made in Madison, Wisconsin (hi Lana!) and Illinois.

Phase one was the sink/range side of the kitchen.

• replaced gas stove with dual fuel - best of both worlds.  Manufacturer uses a cast iron frame - no stamped steel.
• removed and hid microwave (rarely used - I severely dislike the taste of any microwave cooking, including popcorn).  Had a ten-inch duct installed to accommodate the new hood.  New microwave is housed in the pantry on a dedicated circuit.  It sits, largely unused.  I melt butter in it when cooking.  That's about it.
• Replaced old dishwasher that used nine gallons of water per load with one that uses three, and is silent when operational.
• replaced cabinet hardware
• removed ceramic backsplash (I did this - fun and messy) and replaced with a lovely porcelain one
• installed undercabinet task lighting
• installed pot filler:

• new pendant light above sink (changing the light bulbs in the old style was a royal PITA)
• removed plantation shutters and replaced worn sill and window moulding
• new faucet at sink
• removed builder grade island; I designed a new one and had a custom one built and installed.

The new island:

• Local wood artisan Bob Deichler (Bob the Builder as my kids call him) built the custom island and functional cabinet above the hood, concealing the duct.  Paint was custom mixed so any touch ups can be done with a black Sharpie marker.
• Island features soft-close drawers (I had Bob re-do all the existing drawers in the kitchen with this amazing style rail), a recycling station - double 50 quart containers with soft-close rev-a-shelf (with composting we recycle twice the amount of regular trash - regular trash is in a pull out under the sink):

• drawers for 'working': baking/mixing on one side:

• Serving dishes on the other side:

• Lovely utensil drawer - clear dividers are from lifestylesystems.com.  Most drawers are lined with Sydney cardstock - October Afternoon Boarding Pass line.

Old utensil drawer is now the knife and serving utensil drawer:

• A pull-out shelf to house my 35-year-old workhorse - my KA mixer.  I purposely did not do a Rev-A-Shelf Appliance Lift for the simple fact that when one uses a mixer, where is the stray flour/sugar/etc going to go?  If using an appliance lift it's going on the floor.  Then one will traipse it through the entire kitchen and surrounding areas.  Or the kids will.  I'd rather lift the mixer from the pull out shelf onto a countertop and have a contained mess to deal with.

• counter top is Dupont Corian - Martha Stewart Sea Salt.  It pulls the maple of the cabinetry, the hardwood flooring and the black of the island together nicely.

Phase two involved the refrigerator/desk side of the kitchen.

• moved built-in desk and some upper cabinetry to the kids' playroom.  I have an office and my husband has an office - plus everyone uses laptops - a desk in the kitchen was a waste of space and a hot spot/dump zone that could be put to much better use.
• moved stainless French door fridge to garage - bye bye Mr. Fingerprint Magnet.  I hated you Mr. Stainless, and you are probably the main reason for this remodel.  So go wipe yourself in the garage now. ha.  No seriously - I was tempted to take a brillo pad to the damn thing - it drove me absolutely nuts with fingerprints, smudges and the like.  Non-brushed stainless is like dark hardwood floors (that need to be dusted daily) - they are lovely and ideal when the kids are all off to college and you have live-in cleaning staff. As I stated earlier, I can recommend stainless appliances only if they come with a Valium prescription.  I am pleased I no longer have to clean the entire stainless unit once (sometimes up to three times) a day and yes, the new dishwasher and range are brushed stainless and resist fingerprints.  Thank GOODNESS.

bye bye mr. stainless.  You will not be missed. Oh and the egg cartons are for my local farmer that raises chickens.  We go through maybe three to four dozen a week.

• new cabinetry wraps around the outside corner, complete with undercabinet task lighting and countertop to match existing Dupont Corian from other side of kitchen.  Granite is sooo not for me - it's a personal thing...chipping, sealing, cracking - I don't wish to deal with it.  I really like and need the ability to get Sharpie marker out of anything, and I can do that with Corian, then there's the whole concept of repairing scratches and dents on-site, plus the seamless sink thing...

• added 23.4 cubic foot, full fridge, with wood front.  The all-refrigerator uses the same amount of electricity as a 100-watt light bulb.  It's 36-inches wide and counter-depth (24-inches deep).  A built-in fridge that is flush with cabinetry means nothing gets 'lost' in the back.  High visibility of contents makes finding anything effortless.  The sheer volume of storage power means no more trips to the garage fridge for drinks during large gatherings.

• added two, under-counter freezer drawers.  These are fabulous.  No icemaker in these so the space is maximized.

• removed plastic tubing water line to old fridge/freezer ice maker, and added a new copper water line with hard shut-off for the dedicated ice maker - stores 26 pounds of ice!  Makes 65 pounds of gourmet cubed ice in 24 hours.  And it's quiet.
• installed second sink along with porcelain backsplash to coordinate with phase one materials and style.

• added outlets and moved phone jack to upper cabinet of non-sink wall, to conceal land line phone, answering machine, electric pencil sharpener and the i-phone/pod charge port.  This keeps the counters clutter-free.

Love how the refrigerator is flush with the cabinetry and does not jut out into the traffic path.

before:

after:

The French door fridge/freezer in the garage can handle any enormous party platters for large gatherings.

I designed the second sink next to the ice maker to use primarily as a coffee station in the mornings.  This new area for coffee aleviated a morning congestion area in the old layout.  The second sink, due to its proximity to the ice maker, is ideal for keeping white wine/champagne chilled, gaining easy access to open bottles, versus opening the fridge for said beverages - simply fill the sink with ice and you've got a decent-sized ice bucket with a built-in drain.  I opted for another seamless Corian sink for the effortless cleaning and streamlined appearance. 

Life is much smoother now.  This is a kitchen I want to live in.

laundry room

I wish I had a before photo for you - the room was pretty much shiny brass hooks for the coats/backpacks on the long wall, same washer/dryer, an incredibly large and ugly gray utility sink, a shaky, wooden shelf for shoes, and an ugly, black, metal shelf for laundry detergent/storage. 

This room is a (handy) side entrance to the house, a mud room, and a laundry room, all rolled into one.  I dabbled with the thought of expanding the room and bumping out the window side...then remembered how much we already pay in taxes and nixed the idea.  lol.

But the room even with its size, had potential.

Bob the Builder, our local handyman and wood artisan, built the cabinets, and I recycled the pull-down faucet from the kitchen.  

The mini cabinet hides the water valves; I had our plumber install an auto-shutoff and metal water lines. I've never had an issue, but we've all heard the horror stories about washing machine water lines.

Shoe rack is practical.  

Zippers from backpacks, jackets, etc, wore into the sheetrock - beadboard was a practical answer.

The old, shiny brass hooks were dated, and the distance from the screws/point of attachment exceeded the new fixtures - so I had Bob create these mitered wood boxes to disguise the holes and accomodate the new hooks.  Kinda sets them off.

Rev-A-Shelf soft-close hamper.  The hidden area to the left (one must pull out the hamper/trash cans to access) houses rarely-used sleeping bags.

Ryan's litter box sits on a pull-out shelf for easy cleaning. Pottery Barn lined baskets (one behind the other) house fall/winter/early spring hats.

Functional with wonderful storage.  This was done prior to the kitchen remodel.  Will have those photos next week - before and afters.  Wrapping it up this week.  Very, very thankful for that.

Working on a slew of sympathy cards to show you tomorrow - best wishes for a great week!

sweet sixteen and shut-off valves

Paper Smooches sentiment, Papertrey dies (rosette is Sizzix) and embossing folder-thinggie.  October Afternoon Sasparilla papers.

Another one - uses an Ingrid Danvers layout.  More Sasparilla papers.

Card interior was done in MS Word, and I lined a Papertrey envelope, cuz they have a die for that. Hint hint hint, Memory Box.  Finished card sizes are 4-1/4-inches x 5-1/2-inches.

A Martha Stewart 'today's tip' email gave me the push - I've been meaning to label all the shut-off valves in the basement and adapted the materials used in the Martha email to items I had on hand.  Printed out two labels per tag (one for each side) on a printer then mounted to a tag.

Used 3mm ball and chain and a connector and hung them in their respective spots.  Feels good to finally get this done.  Happy Friday!

three perfect mushrooms and cat grass

Red mushrooms with white polka-dots take me back to my 70's childhood.  Lockhart Stamp Company's Three Perfect Mushrooms were stamped and colored with Copic markers.  White dots were created with a Uniball Signo Broad pen in white.

October Afternoon Farmhouse paper used along with Memory Box Red Pepper.  EK Success border punch and PTI die used on white cardstock.  Finished card size is 4-3/4 inches square.

Interior sentiment is A Muse.

The cat grass post from last week - yes we have an adopted cat named Ryan - he came with the name...it makes me think of Dr. Jack Ryan from the Tom Clancy books so I kept the name.

For Easter I started a new batch of cat grass the Sunday prior, and once ready I placed it on the kitchen table and situated a few glass eggs in it - used it as a temporary display for our big Easter family gathering.  It usually sits on the floor so Ryan can reach it - 

The cat grass is a mix of rye, wheat, barley and flax; I purchase it and all my organic seeds for sprouting here.  If there is interest in how I do this (speedily and efficiently) let me know.  Happy Monday!

piestra die wedding cards

Today's projects were inspired by JulieHRR's card here.

Want 2 Scrap bling and nestaboard; Papertrey sentiment.  Spellbinders tag die, airbrushed with Copic markers.  Memory Box Thistle cardstock.  WRMK corner chomper.

Close up - love the random bling along the openings of the Memory Box Piestra Tile Die.  Memory Box Parchment card base.

Interior sentiment - created in MS Word and printed on a laser printer using Memory Box Robin's Egg cardstock and envelope; die cut with Spellbinders labels one.

Another Spellbinders Tag die, airbrushed, using Want 2 Scrap nestaboard & bling.  Felt flower is a MFT die.  Mini tag die, felt and sentiment are Papertrey Ink.

This is what (previously) short, neatly trimmed cat grass looks like when you get home after being away a week.  ha!

special cards and spring break

It was Disney World for our clan during spring break - a nice change being a bit warmer in Florida than here in New Jersey.  Lovely weather all week.  Here's a comparison photo of the kiddos from last year:

April, 2011

April, 2012

Some birthday cards based on Angeline Yong Jeet Leen's card, page 115 of Paper Craft's 356 Cards issue.  A lovely layout:

October Afternoon Farmhouse papers used, Spellbinders die, Papertrey Ink sentiment.  Bling embellishment manufacturer is unknown.  May Arts velvet ribbon with satin edges.

Card interior.  Sentiment was created in MS word and printed on white cardstock using a laser printer; die cut with Spellbinders labels one.

Here's another one - Papertrey sentiment on card front...

...and the inserts (corrugated cardstock, bubble wrap) depicting what I incorporate to mail a card that showcases a heavy-duty embellishment. Happy Hump Day!  

anniversary card & kitchen phase two

Memory Box Wild Blooms die with October Afternoon Sasparilla 8x8 papers inserted underneath. Paper Smooches Good Gab set (sentiment).   Memory Box Parsley card base.

Love this effect.

Lined envelope - used a PTI die for this with a PTI white envelope.  Would have used a matching Parsley Memory Box envelope...wish they had a die...

Another one but coloring with Copics under die cut layer.  PTI sentiment.

Phase two underway (phase two is the fridge wall).  Photo before any remodel.  

After phase one (see temporary black microwave on desk) but before phase two.  A microwave (I don't use one {kids do though} and dislike the way food tastes when heated up in one...and no I don't eat microwave popcorn either - homemade all the way baybee) is going in the pantry closet on the far right. 

Phase two underway.  Desk and cabinetry removed.  

Photo above depicts wiring for the task lighting, phone lines and outlets in upper cabinetry (I am hiding the land line phone and electric pencil sharpener in an upper cabinet), outlets and light switch along backsplash, plumbing for dedicated ice maker, second sink. Fun times.  Will update phase one and phase two - final kitchen remodel - in three weeks or so.  

I opted to do away with the plastic tubing for the future dedicated ice maker and had the plumber install a copper line with a hard shut-off.  

Home stretch.

colored twine storage

Hello friends - if you've been reading this blog for a while you know I love being organized.  

My colored twine spools were stored like this - in a lovely, vintage wooden box.  This box fit thirteen full Divine Twine spools quite neatly; however, as I used yardage and the diameter of the spools shrunk, it looked like this:

The spools would topple over when I pulled one out.  Royal PITA (Pain In The Arse).  Then I saw this on Pinterest:

(Please click image for source.)  

I adore this look, but wanted all the spools together, like the vintage box.  I loved the concept of a knob top as well.

The ability to hold the spool to measure yardage when needed was a requirement for me, but I realized the time involved in unscrewing each knob over and over and over would be a negative for me.

...so I developed this!:

Sturdy, beveled wood (poplar) base, snug-fitting wooden dowels, idea-ology knobs, and best of all:

...spools are held in place...magnetically!  Magnets are the rare-earth kind - incredibly strong.  

It's all about speed in access - it's the miniskirt of colored twine storage!  

Kitchen remodel update - will create a post around the kitchen island I designed and had built (Mr. Bob the Builder - neighbor and wood artisan.  He made this twine unit also.) in a later post.  We're looking at a mid-April 100% completion date.  Very excited...