Thursday, May 10, 2012

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!
                                                               

                                                    


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16 comments:

  1. I love your changes, especially the rooster on the fridge and only $1.00! I'll have to look for those towels at Walmart!

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  2. Thanks for the tip about the Walmart towels...I need to get over there..
    AND I need to find a box for the light bulb....
    AND we are having a Mother's Day tea at our church on Saturday and I have to set up 9 DIFFERENT tables...yikes!!
    Monday looks like a good day to get that box in the mail, but don't hold your breath :^)
    J

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  3. fabulous!
    i love old bottles too. i liked all your special meanings behind each of your collectibles.

    Diane

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  4. I love the vintage scale, the milk bottle and the hand beaters. I used to have my grandmothers and actually used them for smaller jobs.
    Love your kitchen and just became a linky follower.

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  5. Love it - you have some fun pieces! The old bottles are great (I found a few buried under around my house when I did my reno)!

    Fun to mix the old with a few fab Wal-Mart finds too!

    I lived in OH for 4 years and the Extravaganza is awesome - have fun (wish I could join you)!

    Happy to be a new follower.
    Kelly

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  6. I've been browsing your blog and I'm happy to be a new follower by email!

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  7. Steph, the changes look great but I also loved the befores!!! That is not necessarily an enamel bowl...but an enamel wash pan!!!! Our Grandma Bowlin used one for washing her dishes and taking a bath.. The stopper in the bottle is def. a clothes sprinkler..used them many a time!!
    Love you,
    Aunt Susan

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  8. I LOVE your style. In fact, I could move right in to your house! :) I'm your newest follower. Thank you for your comment on my graphic organizer. It inspired me to visit your blog again and realize that I want to come here often.

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  9. Stephanie, your kitchen displays above your fridge, shelf and canisters are fabulous! I adore so many vintage and antiques so even though 100% "farmhouse" isn't my style, I just LOVE what you did with your kitchen. It really looks amazing. I'm realizing myself that arranging objects isn't such an easy thing. Getting it "just right" can sometimes take forever . . . so I can relate especially with your shelf (well, all 3 spots in your kitchen). You seemed to hit the nail on the head--they are so nicely put together. Great items and such a refreshing decor style over the same boring things in the stores these days (and in so many homes!). I so enjoyed catching up on your blog and seeing the progress with your transformations. I had to follow just to see what else you'll do! It's also fun to see all your junkin' finds. I also love hunting for treasures and it's fun to see I'm not the only one who only buys things SUPER CHEAP! With the exception of something really near and dear (like the old school clock for you--it didn't do anything for me, but I could relate); I've spent way more than I normally would for something that I REALLY REALLY wanted for ever so long and was hard to find. So although my style is probably somewhat different, I love so many of your items and I still love what you did with everything! Your style is developing into something amazing. Reading everything all in one night gave me an interesting perspective and I hope to begin to find & develop my own style like you are. Don't be discouraged at how long things take--I don't think you could pull it together so nicely if you did a room in one day! Plus, you sometimes can't "make it happen" until you find the perfect piece of "junk", you know? and sometimes you still have to find the time and inspiration to transform it into something amazing (like your canisters--love them!). I laughed at your Master Bedroom, as we have moved 8 times in 18 yrs. of marriage and between that, 7 kids, and DH in school/training for 15 years . . . well, I've never had a "pretty" bedroom, or a nursery or even kid's rooms for that matter. If you saw pictures of my bedrooms over the years with all the transitions, you wouldn't feel so awful about yours! lol Now we live in a glorified garage til we can eventually build a home on the same property. It will be interesting to see how things develop over time . . . I look forward to further inspiration from you--you are doing great! Sorry for the long comment--just had to tell you what I thought after reading the entire blog. it was such a fun read! Thanks for brightening my week!

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  10. My grandmothers (both sides) and my Mom all had bottles with little hole punched in the caps just like the one you show on your shelf. I remember watching them iron (in the basement of their homes, except my Mom ironed in the living room so she could iron and watch TV shows while doing so) and taking the bottle and sprinkling over the clothes. I lover both your before and after looks so much I am trying to copy them with my own 'vintage / farmhouse' items. So enjoy your blog. You like many of the items I love too. Oh, in a recent (Sept 2014) post the dining set with 2 leaves is almost identical to the old maple dining set my parents had in their first home in 1958 and thru my girlhood. Mom changed her decor in the late 1970s early ,80s with an Italian Pecan look but all thru the 50s, 60s and most of the 70s she had maple and another dark wood type pieces in "colonial" look that was popular back in the day...
    GADawn57

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  12. This is a really cool post. I love this kitchen. It is completely the style that would fit me.ge profile oven control panel reset

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  13. This is a really cool post. I love this kitchen. It is completely the style that would fit me.how does dra work

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  14. Just ran across this post on Pinterest. The Ale 8 bottle caught my eye - I'm from Winchester the only place they are made and bottled. Just had to say 'hi'!

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