My Kitchen Island Treasure Find

If you had stopped by to visit me on Friday afternoon, you would have not found me here.

Oh, Tex was here. He is such a good son. He offered to watch the littles for a few hours, so I could go do something I have been wanting to do all week...visit the Antique Mall. Why have I been wanting to go there so badly? Well, Hubby gave me a $50 Visa Vanilla gift card for a belated Valentine's Day gift (he was gone over the holiday), and it was burning a hole in my wallet. Especially since my mom had spotted something on SALE that I have been wanting for quite a while...something interesting, old, and of a good size to act as a "center island" for my small country kitchen...an old Singer sewing machine base with a cutting board on top.

Well, Mom was good to me, too, and when I told her I was able to make it to her neck of the woods (forty-five minutes away), she headed on over to the Antique Mall with my dad to make sure the item I wanted was still available (to save me a trip if it was gone), and sure enough, it was. So I got Ladybug dressed in her cutest "going to the Antique Mall" clothes, and we headed out for some girly time.

I was doubly-blessed because my friend, Lady L. just happened to be in the area that day, and she was able to meet me there for some fun walking around and chatting. She actually had a mission of finding a red and white sugar bowl WITH a lid for her hubby's morning coffee sugar (she's slowly redecorating to a 50s kitsch-y kitchen), so we were able to while away some time looking for one (sadly, with no success). It's always more fun when you have a mission, though.

In any case, I purchased my new "center island" with my gift card (the kind folks there held it for me, since they know me so well *grin*), and we even managed to fit it in the car and got it home and in the house with no problem.

Here is my treasure find. I absolutely love it. It is an old iron Singer sewing machine base, and the treadle system still works! The top is wood (painted black), with a hinged wood cutting board on top. It is not as long as the hall table I was using as a "center island" before, so it is easier to work around. It is just the right width that I can set four plates on it as I prepare lunch for the kids, or tea for the ladies.

Here it is facing the dining room...........and here it is facing the sliding door.

If you look closely, you can see how I added two narrow shelves for spices and such over the stove. Eventually, I plan to invest in white baskets for the items around the microwave area. Eventually, I will clean up the mish-mosh of baskets I have above the cabinets and make it only the white glass I collect.

You can see it still works for the hand-mill on loan from Lady L. Isn't it pretty?

I used the mill to grind wheat to make multi-grain muffins yesterday. You can also see how I ripped out a funky old nick-nack shelf system (with curlicues and railing), and added a second narrow shelf over the sink for my spices. All it needs is a coat of paint to look great! But, oooops, if you look right by the dishwasher you can see the one cabinet door that got lost, so it never got painted. By the time I found it, the paint was put away, and well...yeah, I REALLY need to get that paint back out.

Just a few shots of the rest of my kitchen.

The fridge and counter need decluttering, I think.

If you look on the wall at the left top in the left picture above, you will see the shelf I bought for just $10 a few weeks ago that now holds some of my bigger pans. The narrow shelves to the right (that need some white paint) were bought by my mom at a yard sale last year for just a few dollars each. We added hooks and they have made great pot and pot lid holders.

Time for Tea! See, it's just the right size...

Check out my post on Saturday Tea Time to get the recipe for those delicious muffins.

There are a lot of little projects left to do in my old country kitchen, but we've come a long way. When I started, we had an avacado green cast-iron sink and marbled avacado green (very old) laminate counter tops. The walls had old, cheap paneling on them. The sink cabinet was so rotted, it had to be torn out, so we used the cabinet from the opposite wall in its place (couldn't afford a new one). The doors and hardware on the upper and lower cabinets were very dated (70's), so we either took off the doors for the "open look" or we took off the trim and hardware, and then repainted the doors and cabinets. We are taking "baby steps" to get the look I want with the budget we have.

Storage has been an issue, so I have cut down a lot of the dishes I used to have. I still have more than I need and plan to declutter once more this summer. We've been here long enough now that I know what I actually use and can feel secure getting rid of the rest. I find I like having all of my dishes be white or clear, so I got rid of anything that did not fit that theme. It sure makes it easier when it comes time to set the table for a nice dinner. Everything goes together, even if it doesn't exactly match! 

We've been creative in finding solutions for the pots and pans since they won't fit in the cabinets (due to the sink needing space and the need for somewhere to story baby bottles, kids' cups and plates, Tupperware, etc.). Hanging them on the wall is an interesting solution to the problem. Once I get all of the pot shelves painted, it will look like I "meant to do that!"

Hubby put up the shelves on the wall near the fridge as a solution for cookbooks and glass food storage containers. It saved us money (cheaper than buying cabinets) and when it is tidy (which it is not right now), I really like the look. I am slowly buying "real" glass storage jars (one each time I go to Walmart) for everything from tea bags and snack bars to flour and sprouting seeds, though saving the larger glass jars from items like applesauce and using them has been a good short-term solution. Another one of my projects this summer is going to be to whittle down my cookbooks to those I REALLY use. Maybe I can give away some of the others here...hmmm.

I definitely need to get out a can of white paint for painting all of the trim and new shelving, and touch ups to the walls and cabinets would be a good idea, too. Anyone have a Saturday free and want to come over? I will make us some scones and a pot of Earl Grey for when we are done...? ;-)

I just love re-purposing old things to give them new life. Not only are they less expensive than new, but they are more original and more interesting, too. At least, in my opinion they are, and I enjoy the fun of the "treasure hunt" as well. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will leave a comment and post a link to your own kitchen (or other room) makeovers using "found" items like this sewing machine base for interesting purposes.

Blessings for a wonderful week,

Heather

Day-old bread, please? Anything? We can tell that you are cooking in there...

Join me over at The Christian Home Blog Carnival.

You will find lots more wonderful ideas to make your

Christian home a happier, healthier, homier place.