Vintage Kitchen to Farmhouse Kitchen

In my post about the kitchen canisters makeover I mentioned that the whole point of the makeover was because I'm attempting to shift the decor from a mainly vintage feel to more of a farmhouse style.  

One area that definitely had a very vintage look was this shelf above our table.  Though I've enjoyed it immensely for quite awhile now, it had to be changed up to suit the farmhouse look a little better.

Before

I know you ladies will understand how in the world I spent an entire morning primping this shelf and the top of the refrigerator (which comes later in this post).  I worked it and reworked it and moved and changed and scooted things for hours trying to get it just right.   

And finally I did.

After

I've mentioned before that I don't like my decor to be purely for looks.  It either has to have some bit of functionality to it, have some personal meaning, or both.  So, I'm going to give you a bit of background on some of these pieces.

The Ale 8 bottle was given to us by a good friend of my husband's.  We went to visit him in Kentucky several years ago and he introduced us to the stuff - SO good! (but the nearest place from us that sells it is a 1/2 hour away so we only get it very occasionally).  When he found out how much I love old soda bottles he gave me this one.  It's even more special to us because he passed away a few years later at the very young age of 26.

The "So Grape" bottle came from my childhood home.  It had a crawl space in the basement that my mom very rarely ever let us explore, but one time when she was feeling generous I found that bottle in there.  I think that may be where my love of soda bottles started.  I think I was probably about 10 years old maybe.

The C&C (Cantrell & Cochrane) Cola can was an Ebay purchase, special to us because of our last name.

The metal stopper in the Ale 8 bottle has a bunch of tiny little holes all over it.  I'm told it was used for ironing back in the day.  They'd fill a bottle with water, put the stopper in, and then they were able to sprinkle water over their clothes while ironing.

I can't remember for sure where I got the enamelware bowl, but I'm pretty sure my mom gave me the old egg beater in my stocking at Christmas one year.  She knows me well.  : )

The flour sack towel I found at Walmart the other day.  It came in a set of 5.  They're kinda wimpy to be used as actual towels, but they're great for decorating.

At one point in pulling this shelf together I thought I had it all done and I walked away.  But a few minutes later I came back and decided it just wasn't cuttin' it.  I sat there and stared and stared trying to figure out what it needed. 

Then my toddler started to get into the CD cabinet and I told him to get out and close the door.  When he banged it shut I heard the clang of the little metal Chick Feed sign that had been randomly hanging on the door of it and I knew it was exactly what this vignette needed.

So I pulled everything down and started over and within a matter of minutes it was perfect.

You might recognize that canister as part of the set I did the makeover on, I didn't need it for functional use necessarily and it looked perfect up there.  I just bought the metal measuring cup this past weekend at a yard sale for .50.  I've had that sign and the milk jug for quite awhile, can't remember their origins.  And the Coke bottle came from the ranch we used to live on.  Hubby found it out in a pasture and brought it home to me.

Part of my morning was also dedicated to coming up with a new arrangement for the top of the fridge.  Since I moved the flowers over to the new cozy corner, and repurposed the crate into a canister holder, there wasn't much left up there.  But that's ok because it needed a little more farmhouse vibe anyways.

Before

And after.

I put some old cassette tapes in cases under the tray to give it a boost of height.  The rolling pin does a good job of hiding them from sight.

The rusty crusty rooster I got at a yard sale for $1 found a new home up there.

As well as the lemonade tray I made, with a (faux) old looking jar I got years ago, and an old rolling pin.

And the great old scale I found at a yard sale for $10 is perched happily on an antique cheese box my grandpa gave me.  More of the Walmart towels are folded on top.

So, now for a quick recap.

Before - very Vintage

After - Farmhouse Vintage

The "Eat Here & Get Gas" sign was purchased years ago and we've always put it in our kitchen everywhere we've lived.  That's just our kind of humor, 'cause that's how we roll.  : )

Before - Vintage inspired

After - Farmhouse Vintage

I'm loving all these changes and I don't have much more to do to make the transformation complete.  I'll try to get the whole kitchen cleaned one day and take a few shots of the whole thing so you can see it in more context than just bits and pieces.

P.S.  Some friends and I are planning a trip to the Springfield (OH) Antiques and Vintage Extravaganza.  I am SO excited!!  Cannot wait!  Anyone else planning to be there?

P.S.S.  Stay tuned for my first giveaway coming soon!

                                                               

                                                    

Linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesday - Savvy Southern Style
Saturday Nite Special #133 - Funky Junk Interiors