Friday, July 9, 2010

A Cheap Solution When You Don't Get What You Want

I hate to be shallow. Honestly, I really do. But I am in a shallow mood today so I decided to do something about it. For 6 years, I lived with granite counters. When we bought this house, the kitchen had white tiles circa 1996. It still does. BOO!

And if you have been reading along, you know that we are in the midst of one remodeling project after another. The floors are finally done. Baseboards are this weekend. The yard and the bathrooms are still looming. Boo again!

Needless to say, this girl ain't gettin' granite anytime soon. Triple Boo!

Thank goodness for this cool mama:
http://number17cherrytreelane.blogspot.com

I found inspiration from one of her blogs. It was about super cool shutters in her kitchen, but I noticed her vintage tiles on her backsplash in the photos.

So I did something I don't usually do because I'm weird that way; I emailed her and asked where she got them. She responded quickly and made my day. It was contact paper from Target. BRAVO!!!

I chose to space it out, but really you can create any design you'd like. It looks lime green in the pics but it more subdued in person, I promise. I mixed up the patterns to keep it funky and eclectic. I am in love. First it was with a volcano cake, and now it is with contact paper. Is that strange?

Anyway, check it out...

When we moved in (I know, SCARY):



After:



After adding my fake vintage "tiles":





Up Close:





Materials:



Best of all...PRICE:



It sure beats the cost of stone counters and will make do for now. I'm a happy girl.

8 comments:

Kellee the Caffeinated said...

I love it!!! I have that same old white tile and i HATTTTE it!!!!

love this idea!!! thanks for sharing!

Kellee

Janna said...

I just bought that same patter to line my daughter's drawers. Hmm, I have lots left over that I could do fun stuff with.

Janna said...

uhm, I meant PATTERN above :)

Stephanie said...

Katie, Super cool!!! I love it and your before/after pictures are amazing!!! You have some serious talent! Couple of questions:
did you custom order (obviously) your bamboo blinds? did you replace your cabinets or just paint them? where is the oool hardware from? You replaced all the appliances? You guys have been busy and it looks great!!

Katie @ minivan diva said...

Hey Stephanie,
I emailed you but I forgot to answer about the cabinets. We went cheap and painted them. I would like to have everything torn down though and start new! The hardware is from Home Depot and yes, we replaced the appliances. Whew!
Have a great weekend!!!

Unknown said...

Maybe I'll send you a picture of my kitchen and you can offer some advice....great job!!

Katie @ minivan diva said...

Michelle,
Thanks! Go for it, I'd love to!! I love doing house projects! However, I have to admit I usually just "steal" my ideas from others. : ) I don't have the creative gene.
Katie

Heather @ Life Made Lovely said...

i think your kitchen looks great! i love the painted cabinets. :)