kitchen

Christmas Around the House

December 12, 2012

Last week, I showed you my entry and the mantel, all decorated for Christmas. Today I’d like to show you a few vignette’s around my house…

…the family room…

I bought that santa in Amish Country before we left the east coast. I love pulling it out every Christmas.

And oh dear…is that a lantern? {I mentioned last week that I may have a bit of a lantern obsession.} I love the red color…It adds some color sitting in front of my lit branch arrangement.

…kitchen…

What’s that? Another lantern?? It’s filled with small pine cones and faux red berries. I also have my ‘joy to the world’ chalkboard and advent tree displayed in our kitchen.

…bedroom….

We have the red bedding year round, but it’s even more season appropriate this time of year!

The Ikea wreaths are hanging from red Costco ribbon.

…dining room…

I love those little trees {also purchased at Ikea}. Pinecones and faux holly brighten up the base of the trees.

And old books tied with striped ribbon {ribbon is from Michales}.

…powder room…

And I can’t help but leave you with one last lantern picture…

Thank you for taking a quick tour around my house!

jen

linking up to:

southern hospitality, savvy southern style, a thoughtful place, at home in the northwest

By Jen 4 Comments Filed Under: Christmas, dining, Dining Room, holidays, Home Decor, house, kitchen

This weekend, we noticed that our refrigerator was having an issue staying closed. After closer examination, we determined it was probably time to replace our 15 year old fridge. We searched at a few local stores and decided on a new GE Profile.

When old appliances break, it’s bitter sweet. Spending money on a new one isn’t fun, but getting something new and shiny is a thrill. Something that has more bells and whistles. Something that actually has drawers that slide open easily. Something that has a water filter.

So yesterday, we said good-bye to this old thing….

And we got to say hello to this handsome appliance…

It looks so pretty in the kitchen!

And thank goodness the fridge got here when it did. The delivery man went to check out the old fridge before loading it into their truck and the door fell off in his hand! Talk about perfect timing!!

I’m loving the new look it gives the kitchen! Though it only makes me want to replace the white double oven next to the fridge! All in good time….

jen

By Jen 3 Comments Filed Under: kitchen

Under the Cabinet Outlet Strips

September 13, 2012

A few years ago, my brother and his family did a huge kitchen remodel. When I was up at their house this weekend, my brother commented on how much he loves their under cabinet outlets. Instead of doing standard outlets {in the backsplash area} they built outlet ‘strips’ underneath their cabinets.

There wasn’t any cutting into the pretty glass tiles to make room for outlets. The backsplash is beautiful and seamless.

Cell phones can be charged. Coffee makers plugged in. And there are still plenty of outlets {which are virtually out of sight!} for any electrical needs that may arise.

I’ll be adding ‘under cabinet outlets’ to my wish list for our kitchen remodel! Will you?

jen

linking up to:

shabby nest, at the picket fence, chic on a shoestring decorating, tatertots and jello, six sisters stuff, serenity now, funky junk interiors, nifty thrifty things, home stories a to z. my uncommon slice of suburbia, todays creative blog, savvy southern style, primp, aka design, the 36th avenue, the shabby creek cottage, serenity now, shabby nest, at the picket fence, chic on a shoestring

By Jen 8 Comments Filed Under: kitchen

Crate and Barrel Aspen Dinnerware

May 15, 2012

We did it. After 15 years, we finally bought new dishes! I went to Crate and Barrel and came home with their white Aspen dinnerware. It’s nothing fancy. No intricate patterns. No fine detailing. It’s plain and it’s simple. And it doesn’t have any chips or dings….yet!

The aspen dinnerware is porcelain, which is the most durable. Since these are our everyday dishes, they needed to be sturdy to be handled by two busy little kiddos.

Here are some helpful hints when shopping for new dinnerware…

All you have to remember is E.S.P. (as in extrasensory perception). But when talking about dinnerware, ESP stands for:

E – Earthenware: This is fired at the lowest temperature. Therefore it is not as durable and chips the easiest.

S – Stoneware: Fired at a bit higher temperature, stoneware is a bit more durable than earthenware.

P – Porcelain: This is fired at the highest temperature, therefore it is the strongest and less likely to chip.

I do love color so switching to white dinnerware will be an adjustment for me. My sister-in-law just purchased new dinnerware as well (coincidentally, from Crate and Barrel)! And she reminded me that food looks much prettier when served on a white plate. And I love that the white doesn’t compete with the place mats and napkins either! So I think I’ll adjust to my new white dinnerware quicker than I thought!