Friday, January 13, 2012

A Beautiful Disaster...

A beautiful disaster. That's currently how I describe the current state of our kitchen; a bit disastrous looking, but knowing that in the end it will {hopefully} be beautiful and so worth it in the end... :) I've spent the majority of the week trying to fully recover from being ill, while attempting to finish up some lingering projects.


With that being said, I did welcome some stunning gifts & inspiration that arrived recently. That certainly made my heart sing! You may {or may not} recall that I won a fabulous giveaway from Melinda over at Alabaster Rose Designs right around Christmastime. To say that I was excited to be receiving one of her jewelry creations would be an understatement, as she is just one of the most talented individuals I know!


So I just had to share a few images of the gorgeous bracelet that Melinda made {did I mention that her creations were published in Jewelery Affaire Magazine?!?!}. Here I showcased this little gem on one of my German dessert plates decorated with Blue Floral Garlands {I have quite an obsession for vintage dessert plates, by the way}.


She was even kind enough to engrave my initial on it! Isn't it just lovely?!?! :)


Thank you Melinda for making my otherwise stressful week, a more brighter one! :)


In other inspirational news, I was pleasantly surprised to be getting this cute little package in the mail as well.


It's the latest {Winter 2012} issue of The Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine that I ordered from Tracey over at French Larkspur!


Isn't the packaging so lovely & personal? This has to be one of my favorite JDL issues! Oh the French vintage industrial inspiration that this issue inspires, is just my "cup of tea!" :) If you don't already have your copy, go and order one before it sells out!


Now before I leave this post today, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of the chaos that is {currently, but temporarily} our dining room & kitchen! :)


So our dining room has become a storage depo of sorts, on top of also being the place where I work on my paint projects. Our garage is completely unfinished and currently doesn't have any lighting {or electrical outlets} in it, so it's just easier to work indoors until we get our garage functioning properly. Plus it's too cold & windy to work out there sometimes!


In case you're just joining me here for the first time, thought I'd mention again that my "before" pics will always be in black & white, so that my "after" pics will be shown in full color! :)


See, I told you I was making progress on painting our kitchen cabinets white! ;) Oh it sure has been a learning process - but also a truly interesting {albeit tedious} one nonetheless! :)


...and this is the current state of our breakfast bar counter tops and of the drawers that had to be displaced. We've had to eat out this week because it was too hard to cook anything in that chaos, so I can't wait until this is over so that I can have at least part of my kitchen back! :)


Well my dear friends, that is my update on what has been going on so far. Before I bid everyone a lovely weekend, I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read my little ole blog. It's been a pleasure having to share little snippets of my journey with wonderful blogger friends & visitors such as yourself. :) Thank you also for the new faces that I see on here! It's an honor to have you stay awhile and check out my cozy little corner here in blog land. :) Until next time, have a most fantastic weekend!!!


XOXO's,
Jessie



Sharing with: Smiling Sally

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just keep thinking of the end result and the current 'beautiful disaster' will suddenly seem like a small price to pay! I am looking forward to seeing your 'after' pics.
Your bracelet is so pretty, what a lovely giveaway.

Paulette said...

It is a challenge to remodel anything but a kitchen is especially hard, but the result will be fantastic. Looking forward to the finished kitchen pictures.

Anonymous said...

Congratulation to the lovely bracelet. I think your kitchen will be great. I hope you show some pictures.

Hugs
Elna

It's me said...

I cant wait till it is finished ......happy weekend darling...love Ria...xxx..

Jacqui said...

I love the bracelet, divine! Good luck with the decorating, it will be finished before you know it!

Samantha Nagtegaal said...

Hi, I'm one of those people who's just discovered your blog, and I think its really sweet that you explain little things to new readers so they know whats going on :-) We recently redid our kitchen, and had a similar setup in our dining room, but with a makeshift kitchen rather than doors waiting to be painted. Its a hard process but so worth it. Lots of photos on my blog if you're interested.
X Sam

Anonymous said...

Hi my dear friend,
You are just so sweet to show off your new bracelet and your photos make it look so lovely!! I love how you displayed it on your vintage German plate!!
I really have to order me a copy of JDL magazine. I've never seen one in person, can you believe it?
I can't wait to see your kitchen when it's finished, I'm sure your ready for it to be done. Things are crazy when your working on home projects!
Hope your doing better and have a wonderful weekend Jessie!
Sincerely,
Melinda

Fresh Vanilla For C said...

HI Jessie~~ LOVE the bracelet. Melinda is so talented and how lucky were you to be the winner:))I cant wait to see the kitchen. I know it has been a long project, but it will be so worth it when it is done. I need to get that magazine. I think I will pop over to French Larkspur to see if there are anymore.
Have a great weekend~
Cheryl

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love the bracelet! Can't wait to see the finished kitchen, it's gonna be gorgeous! Xoxoxo

jessica said...

Looks exciting!!! I can't wait to see your kitchen finished!! {I'm sure you can't either!!!}

Anonymous said...

Hello my lovely...the bracelet is simply...STUNNING! As for the kitchen/dining room reno...breathe! This to shall pass! Get well and take care of yourself this weekend, k. Much love Lisa

Revi said...

Cabinetry painting seems to take forever! It is so great to have it all done, though. Looking forward to your results photos!
-Revi

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Thanks everyone for your comments, I truly appreciate it. I've been visiting all of your lovely your blogs, but I'm having problems leaving comments on blog posts...the comment box often freezes on me! :( Does this happen to anyone else?!?! Hopefully blogger fixes that issue soon! Have a great weekend!!!


XOXO's,
Jessie

Grace said...

Happy Pink Saturday!! Your kitchen will look gorgeous when it is done. Just keep thinking of how you will decorate it and smile. Thank you for sharing that beautiful treasures. Luv them. Grace

à la parisienne said...

Hang in there with your renovations! Eight years ago my husband and I renovated our entire home while living in it, and I almost went insane with the constant mess! But in the end, it was definitely worth it!

Mandy

okcamp said...

Jessie,
You are making real progress in your kitchen. You will love it when it's done!

I love Melinda's bracelet, it's so pretty. My, you are so lucky winning giveaways. :-) I hope you're also buying Lotto tickets.

I too just received my issue of JDL from Tracey. Her packaging is awesome.

Take care of yourself. It doesn't sound as though you've fully recovered from being ill over the holidays.
Diane

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

Love Melinda's creations ~ the bracelet is so beautiful!

Can't wait to see the kitchen all finished!!

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Hang in there with the renovations. It really will be worth what your going through now.
I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.
I hope you are feeling better now. That flu/cold really hangs on so take care of yourself.
Your gifts are beautiful. She certainly is very talented.
XO

Faded Plains said...

It's a big job.I've painted 2 kitchens white...and while it's a lot of work...it's so worth it in the end. Can't wait to see your colorful afters.

Iaia said...

At the end everything will look faboulous!!
I looooooveeeeee the bracelet!
Ciao Alessandra

SmilingSally said...

Looking for blue . . .

Chubskulit Rose said...

Big project!

Please come and see my Blue, have a great week!

Shanon at Vintage Sparkle Chic said...

I can't wait to see your finished kitchen! You will be so happy when it is done. I hate going through the stages of getting to the "done" part, but so worth it when it is!

~Shanon

Chrissy...The Apothecary Shop said...

Hi there....o.k wow where to begin,your kitchen will be worth it..we did the same thing this time last year and i adore my new kitchen...and my husband for doing all the work!!! Now,I have to say I so agree with you about this issue of Jdl..got mine from Tracey yesterday and LOVE it...it is one of the best!!!! I will stop now...promise!! Chrissy

Pamela Bates said...

GORGEOUS bracelet....how nice to have it come in the mail after winning. i won a lovely flora doora over at high street cottage around Christmas but I still have to find the right spot! Can't wait though. NO worries on the kitchen. It will be worth it. Trust me. We're still not done and where we're at is STILL worth it.

Red Rose Alley said...

That bracelet is beautiful Jessie. I really like the "Heaven" on it, and the color is just right. I know sometimes you feel a bit down about your parents aging, and I wanted to let you know that I did a Faith post, and I think you will like it and it might make you feel better about things. Come by and see it when you get a chance. Oh I just noticed your comment down there. Yes, I am having problems leaving comments on some blogs lately too. Isn't it frustrating? Happy Wednesday, sweet friend.
~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

Melissah said...

Love that necklace - you're very lucky to win that! Good luck with the last finishing touches on the kitchen it looks like you don't have too far to go!
x
Melissah from Country Style chic

decor8 said...

Beautiful jewelery! I've been there with kitchen cabs....I look forward to seeing the end result in color!

Town and Country Gals said...

Jessi,
how lucky are you to have won that adorable bracelet! Ugh! Remodleing is no fun but it's so worth it in the end! Can't wait to see the finished room, I know it's going to be gorgeous!
Rebecca

Unknown said...

Jessie thank you so much for the lovely mention! I really do appreciate it! Your blog is just wonderful!!!

Have a great week ~

:) T

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