According to my 5 year old, this kitchen make-over was EPIC

Just to recap:

I decided to redo my kitchen. I had the "No surface gets left behind" philosophy.

The Cabinets: Structurally okay. The previous owner (who thought he'd update and flip) slapped some stain on. No sanding or other prep work. Okay from a distance, hideous up close. Painted them a very close to white cream.

The Countertops: Concrete. The "Flipper" did them himself and did a HORRIBLE job. Theisland is bowed, they are cracked and awful. I filled in cracks with Magic Putty and it worked fabulously. I sanded, primed, primed, stained, stained, stained, stained, stained and applied a wet finish top coat. I love the look. But the countertops are still crappy concrete. Eventually they must be replaced but these will give us more time.

The Hardware: The cabinets had handles. They were fine for me. The hinges, because they were double overlay or something like that, needed to be special ordered. The hinges alone would have cost more to order then my entire kitchen make-over cost me. So I spray painted them with the oil rubber bronze. They have peeled a little where they open, but it isn't terribly noticeable. They'll be fine for now.

The Backsplash: This is EASILY my absolute favorite detail in the kitchen. It was also EASILY the most tedious part. I hand painted each and every little tile. It required patience (I am impatient) and a lot of time. But it was so worth it. It is definitely the part of the kitchen that makes it very unique and fabulous to me.

The Table: I restained the table. The chairs and table were bought separately and never matched. Turned out to be a horrible project. A nightmare. But I did not want to paint it, I wanted to have some natural wood left in the kitchen. The chairs were already black with a wood seat. I just painted the seat part. I love it. I should have taken the vinyl off for the pictures, but I was lazy. Forgive me? I always said I would never do vinyl on my table. Until my 5 kids destroyed it so easily. So vinyl it is.

A new light fixture, a few new decorations, a curtain. And Voila. It is love.

Let me also recap: This took a LONG time. I did one section and then put my life back together for a few weeks. Then repeated. During the time I was doing this we took several vacations, My husband had a bike crash that required 2 surgeries, months apart, and normal life. I knew it would take a long time. I planned about 9 months, pre-bike crash. I wasn't in a hurry because I didn't want to completely disrupt my family. It took about 10 months. There were several weeks (sometimes even 3 months at a time) that the kitchen went untouch. Specifically during the broken clavicle and post-op times. So technically it didn't take too long, but still.

I spent about $350 total. That included a few new tools. Seriously BARGAIN make-over.

Oh, wait. You wanted pictures???

Fine.

But, for the record, I have told you before I am NO photographer. I wish I was, but alas, not a gift of mine...

BEFORE:

Not horrible in a picture... from a good distance...

The Countertop before we bought:

AFTER:

Bad Photo, taken right after I finished this section, but I forgot to get one from this angle..

Even the old calendar holder thingy got a makeover... cutest bread holder, tray thing-a-ma-jig I've ever had.

This is a bad photo, but it is what you see when you walk from the entry/living room into my Family room/kitchen area. Do you see that? Do you see how bright and cheery and welcoming it looks? I love it it really is so bright and open. The kitchen looks bigger and more comfortable. Which is my goal in my home, I like cute and pretty and all that, but what I love is comfortable and inviting. Somewhere you can just gather with people you love and enjoy each other.

If you want any detailed posts on how I did certain things, let me know, I'll be happy to accommodate.

Linking Up: