Gizmo Tech Support: plate rack

OMG!!!

June is visiting for her annual invasion.

When she comes down here, we always manage to go to at least one

antique/junk store.

I THOUGHT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO BUY FOR MY HOUSE!!!!!

(Well, that's sort of a lie, but I really didn't expect to find anything that

I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT!)

CHECK OUT THIS TEA SET!!!

(I realize I'm screaming, but that's how excited I am.)

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT!!!!!

Here's another shot, just of the teapot......

It's pre 1940's Noritake china, from Japan. Pre world war II.

I don't know why I am so wild for 1930's and 1940's stuff.

BUT I AM.

Here it is in it's new home in my kitchen.....

It's very happy there, it told me so.

The price tag had a red line slashed through the dollar amount.

So I goes up to the sales ladies, and I says, says I....

What does this line mean....

(all ready to go to battle to get the best price I can.)

(I mean, it's an antique/junk store. You gots to haggle....)

So I almost fell over when they told me that it meant 1/2 off!!!

Took the wind right out of my haggling sails.

Can't do much better than 50% off.

So I had to run out to my car and get my pocketbook, to get my check book.

I don't bring them into antique stores because

I am klutzy and may knock something over with my shoulder bag.
I am klutzy and may knock something over with my shoulder bag.
I am klutzy and may knock something over with my shoulder bag.
If I don't bring it into the store, I feel I am less apt to buy something.
(HA!)

Now onto the rest of the small stuff in my kitchen.

Last year, I realized I needed a clock in my garage, it's my workshop

down here in Florida.

I do my upholstering, painting, etc. in one bay of my two car garage.

So, I needed a clock out there, so I could check the time to see if the reason I was so hungry was because it was

FEEDING TIME!!!

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I put a lot of thought and time into finding a clock I really loved for my workshop.

I'm running out of places for new accessories, folks, so anything I can justify to cram into my house, gets a lot of time and attention.

This involved trolling the internet.

I MEAN, I'M NOT GOING TO ACTUALLY GET OFF MY TOKHES!

I like to shop from my armchair.

Sooooooooo.......

I found this clock!!!!!

I'm sorry, I don't remember where I got it from.

Boy am I glad I spent so much time looking for it, I never knew it would end up in the center of my kitchen.

I had one problem with it.....

It was really noisy.

It ticked REALLY loud.

So I think, and I think, and I think......

how can I solve this problem.

what makes this so much louder than other battery operated clocks????

Then I realized!!!!

IT WAS ECHOING!!!

There was so much extra room around the clock works, that if formed an echo chamber.

Sooooooooooo..........

I stuffed paper towels all inside the back, and it muffled it,and now it's

PERFECT!!!!

I had a lot of fun designing the plate rack over my sink.....

Notice the very special green majolica plate collection.

They are very very rare!!!

(They are plastic.)

(They are from Home Goods)

(They were cheap)

I am ONE CLASSY BABE!!!

The parrot head in the middle, is what's left over of a little mustard jar I had.

(I broke it)

(I am a klutz)

(I am a klutz).

Here's a closer shot of my magnetic knife rack.

The cabinet maker painted it white.

I didn't ask him to.

It would never have occurred to me.

I really like it, and am willing to take total credit for it.

I just assumed it would be black.

THIS IS MUCH BETTER!!!

You can see some of my bird/parrot salt and pepper collection.

Here's some more.....

And some more.....

Once again, I am spending much more time than I thought I would telling you about my STUFF.

So I am going to end here, as it is dinner time, and you guys know not to get between me and my food.

Later, Gator...

Linking to:

Today I am refreshed, renewed, revived,

but mainly, I am

RELIEVED!!!!!

Thanks to Sarah for fixing my feedburner issue!!!!!!

Now.....

Back to my Florida kitchen...................

This is where I am now!!!!!!!

This is what it looked like when I first viewed the house with the real estate agent (those bar stools belong to the previous owners. OY!)

As I told you, when showing off my living room.....

I extended the wall, and closed up the pass-through over the sink....

This is the same view now......

......................but the wall cuts off the view of the kitchen.

THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW I GOT FROM
THERE TO HERE!!!!!
First to be changed, as I mentioned numerous times: Close the hole, and extend the wall!!!!!
(and wall paper anything that wasn't moving!)

The next thing I tackled was changing the doors and drawers.
The original cabinets had partial overlay doors.
Those are doors that overlap the frame of the cabinet, but still show part of the frame.
I don't like that look. I don't like that look.
I don't like that look!!!!!

give me either a full overlay
(where the doors cover the whole front of the cabinet.)
Or
an inset flush door
(where the doors are set inside the frame of the cabinet.)

Sooooooooooooooo..........
Keeping the idea of being fiscally prudent (HA!)
I just changed the cabinet doors and drawers to a full overlay.
I drew the doors I wanted, and had the cabinet maker make em!!!
I found some 1940's looking hardware at Restoration Hardware.

I love me a funky pull!!!!!

Here's a full overlay door and drawer.....

Soooooooooooo..........
Then I added a header and crown detail to the top of the cabinets.
DON'T JUST ADD A CROWN!!!!!
NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!
Add a board, a half round, and THEN the crown molding.
LIKE THIS!!!!!

It just looks a lot gooder!!!!!
Rather than just having a crown molding stuck on top.
It's relatively easy to add. (HA!)
No really, it is.
The half round molding covers the crack between the two inch board and the top of the cabinet.

To deal with the empty space where the pass-through hole had been
(over the sink)
I designed a plate rack......

I am SOOOO CLEVER TO ADD THE MAGNETIC STRIP
FOR A KNIFE RACK!!!!

Then I had the countertop changed to a dark stained mahogany to match the dark furniture in the dining area.
I feel it gives it more of a West Indies vibe.
(The dark wood furniture, not the countertop!)