Kitchen Progress and A New Necklace Design

Hello dear friends!  My apologies for disappearing for a time but those of you who have been visiting here for a while know I am apt to do such things.  It's that artist's temperament in me, I suppose.  The good news is that although we had some sad things happen in our lives these past few months we also have much to celebrate in our messy, complicated, beautiful life and I am grateful for every minute of it.  God is good...life is good.

After reading through my last post (almost 2 months ago...yikes!) I realized I left you with a terribly unkempt view of my kitchen, so I'll begin with an update.

We pushed hard to get to a livable stage before setting our little project aside for the holidays.  There are many details waiting to be seen to, but here's where we are today:

I am so, so happy with our progress so far.  The space feels fresh and spacious yet cozy and inviting...just perfect for our little house in the woods.  The island was rescued from being storage in an old barn, so refinishing that is now also on my to do list.

In case you need a reminder, here's how my kitchen looked a few months ago!  You gotta love paint.

My favorite detail so far (other than the island) is the feet we added to the cabinets.  We tried lots of different shapes and styles to see what we liked.  I thought I wanted something simple and streamlined, but when I sketched these out on a whim those curvy lines put a big smile on my face.  They are very furniture-like and complement the crown molding we installed on the wall cabinets.

The best thing about these cabinet feet is that they remind me of the furniture in the enchanted castle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  So now I have a kitchen that makes me feel like I live in a fairy tale.  How fun is that?

I didn't get to the backsplash before Christmas, so if I hope to get enough momentum going to make that happen soon.  The kitchen would then be just about complete except that I've decided to add some cabinetry to a blank wall, so there's a bit more redo chaos in our future.  (So glad the huz is a good-natured fellow.)

Here's the wall in question.  Built-in bookcases will work quite nicely here, don't you think?

To get a sense of how the space will feel with the changes, yesterday I moved a bookcase and our outdoor bistro set in to see how I liked it.

Not at all what I envision the end result to be, but I'm really enjoying hanging out here this morning.   I'm thinking some club chairs and a low table would give it a nice coffee house vibe.  We'll see.

I've been busy in the studio as well.  It was a good Christmas season for my jewelry business and the new year found me happily putting together some new pieces for the Mercy Ships International online store.

They have a special offering put together for Valentine's Day that includes the newly released necklace, matching earrings and a box of chocolates.  How fabulous is that?

I can't say enough about what a blessing my dealings with the creative team at Mercy Ships have been to me this year.  Let me tell you, this organization is the real deal.  They not only change lives, they save them.  Mercy Ships volunteers offer hope and healing to people who are otherwise forgotten.  Some time when you have a few quiet moments, read their story.  I promise you'll be encouraged and inspired.

In a world where negativity seems unchecked it's so important to remind ourselves that there is good in the world.  There are still people who care deeply and are willing to give of themselves to help others.  There are countless unsung and unselfish acts going on around us every day.  May we all have eyes to see the good and hands to do our part!

I hope you are well and happy and that your year is off to a good start.  I'm so glad to be back in the swing of things here.

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