Creating a Kitchen

Here are a few kitchen remodel process photos that I found… Throwing it back this sunny Thursday afternoon!

Every good handyman needs a few sassy women backing him up!

Power lifter. 

Look at these cute little boxes just waiting to be part of the bigger story of our life!

Thinking inside the box.

Lots of fun to look back at this process...so different now!

We got our entire appliance package (fridge, range, and dishwasher) for about $600. The fridge and dishwasher were salvaged/scratch & dent, and the range was on deep discount). We are SO thankful for these amazing pieces of our kitchen! Love them.

Our sink was another salvage piece...it's a 10" deep Blanco stainless steel beauty. For THIRTY dollars!! I had my heart set on a farmhouse sink, but when I saw this one, I knew I could make the sacrifice :)

My sweetie making us a home. 

And I know you have already seen this photo…but it's for comparison. Before and after! I need to take a wide-angle and compare them.

We have since added more open shelving above the dishwasher. And curtains. And food. 

Feel free to ask any questions you like about the remodel… I probably won't get around to doing a step-by-step through the process anymore than I already have. What a crazy journey it's been! 

The RV Remodel Begins

You might think it would get tedious remodeling SO many RVs. But it never does. We love it! Each one is different from the last, unique in it's own way. We have learned so much since that very first rig in 2007!

This particular RV is a 40 foot, 1994 Safari Ivory. There are a lot of things we look for when we purchase an RV...and this one had a lot of the things on our "list". 

• Lower miles for the year (only 44K)
• Huge windows
• Space to add bunks
• Decent-sized fridge
• Big engine (8.3 Diesel Cummins / 300 HP)
• Good storage in the underbody
• Fairly neutral decor
• Super comfy couches (these are so soft and amazing!)
• An automatic wind-sensor awning (trust me, this is awesome)
• A sweet airbrushed tiger on the back. Try not to be jealous.

And lastly...my absolute favorite thing in motorhomes as opposed to any other type of RV...THE HUGE DASH! I love sitting on the dash (thanks for the dash portrait Bella!). After we park somewhere, I love putting plants and books and dogs and food and all kinds of goodies up there. I have so many happy memories from our past travels of sitting up on the front dash, gazing out to whatever amazingness we were parked in front of at the time. Ocean? Yes. Redwoods? Yes. Dolphins? Yes. Walmart parking lot? Yes. All good things. Not to mention how incredible the open road looks through those giant windows!

This rig has an abundance of cupboards. Oh so many. And a double door fridge/freezer. Always a bonus. The cabinets are real wood as well...which we have come to find out was typical for Safaris. Same with the real wood floors. 

As soon as we saw this, we knew we could bunk it out. Not all large RVs are conducive to bunking...and if you have teenagers, it's certainly harder to find space for wider bunks. But Bella and Lucy will fit in here just fine!

Matt got busy right away on that project and I pick up the custom cut foam for the beds today. Yay! The girls adore their little private hideaways...we'll add curtains on each one as well. They will each have a drawer for clothes below and shoes will be in a basket in the middle. Little Emma sleeps with us in the king bed, although she will try desperately to claim a bunk for her own.

We removed the old model all-in-one Splendid washer and dryer. We will take it to Resource in Boulder for someone else to love. Bunk space was definitely more important than laundry...especially because we won't be living in the RV full time.

It's a mid-entry...which I love for many reasons. Mostly because I don't have to move all the stuff by my seat in the front for people to walk in and out. The table is small, but pulls out to add a leaf. We'll take out these chairs and add four small chairs or stools. And yes, that's an ice maker by the door. For my margarita dance par-tays. You know it. 

Matt takes his RVs very seriously...reading all the manuals, checking every system thoroughly and fixing all of the little "things" that come up with an older RV. We'll be upgrading and fixing the following:

• New hot water heater (tankless baby!)
• New windshield washing tank/mechanism
• Awning strap repair
• Replacing locks on underbody doors (many missing)
• New TV in front
• King bed frame and mattress
• Flooring 
• Curtains
• Flat tow for minivan
• General Janssification

That's about it! We probably won't get everything done before we head out for the Midwest, but hopefully before the West coast tour!

Yesterday I found a bunch of curtains at the thrift store and today I'm looking through our paint stash to see what calls to me. Love having a new project. We needed a little break from the house remodel madness!

Lots of Little Lovelies

We spent the weekend at home...doing some of my favorite things: cleaning, organizing, and adding bits of color and whimsy! Curtains were hung. Storage was added. I snagged a nearly new sheepskin rug on Craigslist. Totally obsessed with it. Unfortunately, so are the dogs. I have to put it up every night. A small sacrifice to enjoy the amazing squishiness. 

We trimmed out several windows with our salvaged barnwood. I love the mixture of bright white + bright colors...and a bit of rustic. Oh, and free is good.

We don't know exactly when we'll be putting in our tile backsplash, so instead of waiting, we hung all of our shelving/pots so that the kitchen is more functional in the meantime. 

The other set of open shelving was hung...which means now my jarred dry goods are on display. Food art!

More curtains...these were originally a huge soft tablecloth that I found for $2.00. I knew immediately that I would cut it in half and clip it up for curtains! No hemming or anything fancy. Just cut and clip! While I was taking this photo...a hummingbird who was wearing the exact colors of my curtains flew up to the window for a bit and stared at me. And then flew away. It took my breath away...pure magic. 

Oh what's that? You thought my wall was orange? Well it's not. LOL! For those of you counting, this is the fourth color that has been on this wall. Yellow, Green, Orange...and now WHITE! After the floors were finished, the color was just..."off". Matt and I were both on the same page this time...knowing that we had to change it. I ADORE the white. This week you will find me dreaming up a gallery wall for that space. Art, trinkets, and more! Eeeeeep! Oh, and I'll be on the hunt for the perfect light fixture. I think I may already have it in my shed...just needs a bit of paint.

Speaking of paint...there will be lots of spraying. Our dining table chairs are getting a facelift. 

...and then this. Oh my. I don't remember the last time I FINISHED an entire book. Front to back.  It's that good. For those of you who email and ask if I'm ever going to write a book about decorating...my answer can now be "NOPE! Just read The Nesting Place"! It's inspiring, accessible, quirky, funny...I want to buy a copy for everyone! You know that feeling when you get to the end of a book and you're sad because you want it to go on forever? Well, I feel like now it can....because she has a blog too! I'm pretty sure I'm way late to the party on discovering Myquillyn. But if she lived in Boulder, we would be BFF's. 

So there it is! Weekend goodness. We did take time to swing in the hammock (under newly hung happy flags!), meet neighbors, walk in the sunshine, and check out a new gathering in Boulder. Oh, and I almost forgot about the bear who came to visit!

And now it's Monday morning...oatmeal has been eaten. Coffee savored. Doors and windows are open with a cool breeze blowing through. Sunshine galore. It's completely quiet outside except for the birdies singing their hearts out.  

It's going to be a great week! Oooop, well, my kids are trying to poke each others eyes out. Gotta run! Still off to a great start! :)

*Not a sponsored post, but Amazon affiliate link on the book. When you use that link to buy anything on Amazon...I get a tiny little bit of the purchase at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!