Let the Dust(y Trail) Fly!

The boyfriend and I are in a mad scramble. We are trying to get the den/kitchen done for this weekend. And if tasks were grains of sand - we would be swimming in the Sahara. This weekend was a good start but we have so much more to do. AHHH!!

We began by sanding the rough spots off the walls in our kitchen and beginning the painting process. Cutting in (or going around the doors, baseboards, or crown molding for all you non-paint-a-holics) was definitely the worst part. There were eight doorways in these two rooms!

I have a ton of photos to share - so it might be easier to walk through everything with a little pic help.

This is where we left off...backsplash was adhered to the wall with our friend thinset but the cracks need scraping. On the wall with the fridge, our 'boxes' still need a coat of primer too. The 'boxes' is what we call the piece of drywall located above the cabinets....it has the trim and crown molding attached to it. We call them 'boxes' because when we hung the cabinets, I asked the boyfriend to build a box to put above the cabinets so I wouldn't have to dust up there. Anything to get outta the chore of dusting!

The painting has officially begun. The paint color I chose was named Dusty Trail - it's Olympic brand. I usually prefer Benjamin Moore but there is a reason we went with the Olympic. The paint color in our living room is fab - everyone loves it. And the dining room got a quick coat of it below the chair rail. Above the dining room chair rail is the color called Dusty Trail. It was on the same paint chip as the living room color, just one shade lighter.

Jeremy tested out hanging the hood. I think it looks darn shmancy! But it's not permanent (yet) because we still must scrape the cracks for thinset spillage and then grout. But just seeing it there makes me smell bacon...

The hallway from the kitchen to the dining room has a little wall space and the door to the bathroom. The bookshelf I found with my mom at the Mexican Goodwill. It is actually named "Thrift Store" but all the signs are in Spanish and everyone who works there is Latino. So the moniker stuck. It was a way to differentiate between all the thrift shops we go to...ANYhoo! The bookshelf was only 10 bones. I had to get an inner shelf. And I painted it black. And I think it looks just spiffy with my white dishes and a mirror on top!

Note that the previous wall color in this little hall and continuing into the den was more yellow. It was called Churchill Wheat. I love it but it has golden undertones and we were going with grayish-greeny undertones (which you can see near the bathroom door).

Now you can see the hallway to the dining room. Also, look at the paint difference. The sheen is different too. I am glad to say that we are going with the more matte look.

The far left door is the pantry. It is disgustingly small. When I buy the three cans of beans for chili and some diced tomatoes...it takes up the entire space. It is my arch nemesis in this house.

The middle door is the hall to the foyer.

The last door is the stairs to the basement.

The hole is the opening to the living room.

Our tree got stashed in the corner. Jeremy had a good idea to put it in front of the window so we could see it from the street. So when it comes time, it will be moved. We also need to decorate it...it only got plugged in :( How come Christmas sneaks up on us every year?!?!

Another before. Another wall of Churchill Wheat. Oh and the door on the far right is to the deck.

And the fabulous (although cluttered) AFTER. The painting of the walls is complete. I think the color really showcases the warmth of the cabinets. And yes, my counters are messy. I don't know how you gals do it. Or who can put every single thing in place prior to taking a photo...but I am not a freak for having clutter. Don't be judging me in your heart. I am a clutterbug. I am not proud! I can't ever seem to find the time to clean up a room just for a picture. I will, however, make Jeremy move furniture back to where it was (even if he already started a project) just so that I can get an accurate "before" photo :)

Around the fridge is now screaming 'Dusty Trail' too. Ok - and maybe I should take the stuff off the front of our fridge...I see what you guys mean about that just looking dumb.

And the living room in our new color. I love it. At first I was unsure - but it totally won me over in the morning light.

So there you have it. A painted kitchen and den...so here is the list of things still stressing me out on our To Do List:

• tile on opposite side of kitchen behind microwave
• scrape any remaining thinset (or icing as Jeremy calls it) from the cracks.
• clean the entire backsplash
• grout
• seal grout
• install breaker so hood can get some juice
• install hood
• reattach any molding
• paint window and trim
• replace light above sink
• sand kitchen wall
• paint kitchen