A Few Vintage Finds for My Kitchen Update

I just found this fun sounding blog link party and so I decided to do a kitchen update post so I can join in.

Nancy over at A Joyful Cottage has a month long link party called Every Room in The House Party. This month the room is your choice.

I have been putting off re-painting my kitchen (it was done 15 years ago....still looks pretty good!!) so I thought a few new vintage items would lift mine and it's spirits!  Little by little I have found things I just had to have for my cobalt blue and white theme.

I just had to get on board with the whole chalkboard in the kitchen thing but I don't have a lot of wall space in there! I bought an ornate gold frame at Goodwill, some stick-on chalkboard paper and made my own to fit on top of my cupboard. I painted it two tones of sage green glaze and gave it a brown wash. It compliments the grape leaf wallpaper on the top half of the walls. I use it for my weekly menu so that my son and husband don't have to ask me "what's for dinner?"! The footprint picture is an enlargement of my sons feet when he was born a preemie at 1 pound 10 ounces.

Last summer I started collecting vintage, rusty kitchen items like the colander, grater and strainer. I hung them above the window and besides all my trinkets and collectibles on the small shelves, I decided it needed more. The metal chicken basket has been mine since the 80's and the cobalt blue enamelware teapot is a new find that hangs on the soffit until it sells in my Etsy shop!

This small little space of wall between the stove and my "office" door is the magic spot of the kitchen. Anything I hang on the lower nail that is for sale in my shop, seems to sell from there. I include a picture of the item hanging there in the listing so maybe it just looks so good that someone has to have it! The white colander with cobalt trim is a new find that I am keeping. I paid too much for it from a hard bargaining elderly lady that knew it's history and worth. She won and I had to have it!

I got this red Cosco stool at Goodwill, fully intending to sell it. I put it in this corner till I could find a box big enough for it. The next time my 3 year old granddaughter Chloe came over to visit she climbed right up on it and it became her chair. It works perfect pushed up to the island so she can eat her lunch. I found the toile cushion at a garage sale. The only other red item in the kitchen is on the other side of the room and it is my Kitchen Aid Cinnamon Stand Mixer. I felt they balanced each other out!

I have a thing for stars (my front hall is full of them) so when I saw this rusty washed out blue metal star on our vacation, I had to have it. It's not vintage, just made to look that way.

I have had a really nice white wood and glass curio cupboard on this tiny wall between two doors (yeah, there are 5 doors in my little kitchen and small strips of wall in between each!) for a long time and it was filled with my keepsakes and trinkets. When I saw this old kitchen cupboard drawer at a sale recently I bought it to sell and started to list it. It already had a hanger on the back (the brilliant idea to hang it was not mine!) so I had to try and see how it looked here. As you can see it fits perfectly in the small space, as my cobalt blue collectibles do in the openings.

This rug is my newest find. A sweet lady at a yard sale crochets these rugs out of a really soft, cushy fabric. It was the right color and the right price so I had to have it for in front of my stove. With some thick padding underneath it fits perfect and feels good too!

At the same yard sale I spotted this scale on the table as I was checking out. She gave me a great price for it, worried that it was too high. I grabbed it and debated whether or not to keep it for myself. The turquoise enamelware pan is listed in my shop but sits on my kitchen island for now. I put the scale in there and then put the aqua colander I had to have from Goodwill (not vintage!) on top with some veggies in it. I love the whimsical look of it stacked together and there it will stay till something sells! I did list the scale in my shop.....reluctantly!

Those are my updates and I am happy with them enough to like my "new" kitchen for a while! Still want to paint again but luckily I used oil-based paint the first time and it has stood up to 15 years of wear!

Here is the full kitchen from two views!

Those are granddaughter pictures on the door!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great parties:

Every Room in the House Party
A Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
Make It Pretty Monday
Masterpiece Monday
Treasure Box Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
The Scoop
Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party
Adorned from Above
A Return to Lovliness
Vintage Inspiration Party
Thursday Favorite Things
Share Your Cup Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursday