Jumat, 23 Agustus 2013

Our Kitchen Tour and TWO Giveaways!

Greetings, friends!

I'm so excited to be joining an incredible group of gals in sharing our kitchens!  And, even more excited that one, no, make that TWO of you, have a chance to win either a new Pfister faucet (worth up to $300) or a $250 Visa gift card (details below)!

Because I've shared our kitchen with those of you who have visited before, I thought I'd take a trip down decorating lane ...

You see, once upon a time, in the land of red, green and gold, lived a kitchen that looked like this.  Eventually, I began a love affair with a paint brush (and a lighter and brighter color scheme) ...


That love affair with paint eventually turned our kitchen into THIS!  I think one of the first changes you might notice is our island, which we first had face panels added to it.  I then painted it Annie Sloane's Old White, followed by her Chateaux Grey (then distressed) ... added a butcher block top and farmhouse legs.



It's now a favorite spot for me to attempt to style vignettes to suit the seasons ...



and to "welcome" you with Scrabble tiles to one of our favorite spots in our humble abode:


Another big change is that we said goodbye to our laminate countertops, maple cabinets and red accent wall ...


and a big, fat HELLO(!) to Golden Beach granite, cabinets which I painted Annie Sloane's "Pure White," walls painted Ben Moore's Manchester Tan and bead board backsplash!  Amazing what a can of paint (or 10) can do, isn't it?


I love how things placed on our counters now really "pop" against the white beadboard and how fabulous the granite is for hiding crumbs (oops):



BEFORE:



AFTER!  We also retired our wrought iron bar stools pictured above (which I eventually painted AS's Pure White) and replaced them with "bare wood" Napoleon rush seat bar stools, which I then painted AS Pure White and Chateaux Grey to tie in with the island and dry bar in our breakfast area.  We also had molding and shadow boxes added to the back of our breakfast bar:


See that lone maple cabinet in the left corner?  It didn't like being by itself, so, down it came ...


and up went 3 shelves which I made ... they will soon be splashed with pumpkins!



One thing that will NEVER change is my laziness ... yes, our chalkboard (that we  made and added to our pantry door) still says Happy "Holly" Day from last Christmas.  Shame!


Skip on over to our breakfast area now.  Sometimes, I truly can't believe it once looked like this.  I do miss the vibrant red, especially around the holidays...


HERE is what it looks like today!  It doesn't even look like the same space, does it?  That's thanks to a dry bar that we had installed, which, of course, I then painted AS' Pure White and Chateaux Grey.  We also replaced the chandelier with one that was once in our dining room.  New curtains and bamboo shades were eventually added, along with a farmhouse table, to help complete the French Country look that I was hoping to achieve:


Now, that summer is coming to a close, it's time to starting splashing a bit of Fall around!  

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and allowing me to share our kitchen/breakfast area!  Who knows what it will look like if you stop over again!


Before you go, you simply MUST visit the other tours that are taking place!  AND, don't forget to enter our giveaway (details below)!  


Thursday, August 22

Friday, August 23

And now for the giveaway!

Kitchen Tour Giveaway!

There will be two winners for this giveaway! Pfister generously donated a prize for this giveaway, so one winner will receive a free faucet worth up to $300, and a second winner will receive a $250 Visa gift card! To enter for your chance  to win, just follow the steps below!

Step 1: Follow the bloggers below on Pinterest:
Practically Functional
Step 2: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck, everyone ... and, thanks for stopping by!
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Kamis, 22 Agustus 2013

Kitchen Tour Series Has Begun ...

Greetings, friends!  You're all in for a real treat as a bunch of bloggers (and myself) are sharing our kitchens as part of our Kitchen series.  PLUS, there's going to be not one, but two, giveaways ... one lucky person will receive a new Pfister faucet, worth up to $300, and a second person will win a $250 Visa gift card! 



So, go grab something refreshing and take a peek at the following blogs starting today!


Thursday, August 22


Friday, August 23


Thanks for stopping by,
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Kamis, 15 Agustus 2013

Uptown Art Fair. Calhoun Square, Minneapolis.

Having sorely missed my favourite fairs like Chitra Santhe, Dastkar & Kala Madhyam back in Bangalore, India, I placed all  hopes of quenching my creative thirst on the Uptown Art Fair, an annual art event held in the Calhoun Square in the Uptown area in Minneapolis.


Apart from showcasing amazing art the fair is a celebration of hip and unconventional Uptown community. A blend of urban energy with the serenity of the city of lakes.

First we decided to see the Youth Art Fair, they definitely are tomorrow's stars!

Some lovely work by the youth was on display.

Creativity galore.

Look at these earthy pottery made by a young high school student Nate Saunders. He has a FB page where you can check out his latest creations!
Saunders Pottery



The art fair started way back in 1964 as a way to increase awareness of the arts at the same time raise money for Uptown projects.

I was just happy to see so much colour, creativity and art and take in the beauty of a bright sunny day.

Art by Chris Vance, an Iowa-based artist.

I love handcrafted books and I just had to stop by the booth of artist from Texas, Mychal S. Mitchell of Iona Handcrafted Books.
Keep your journals super safe with a lock!



As I flipped through the Uptown Visitors brochure I read that "An average of 375,000 people attend the Uptown Art Fair making it second only to the famous Minnesota State Fair."!
Paintings by Stephen Baldauf
Loved the colour palette in these acrylic paintings

Dolan Geiman's work was simply stunning. Later while researching I learnt that he's a nationally recognised mixed media artist, he works with salvaged wood, found object and recycled materials.

His work is an amalgamation of traditional folk art and contemporary, urban style.

Map of Minnesota:-)

It was pure bliss walking past some lovely work...

...and stopping to stare at the blue blue mid-western sky.

Black and White work by Erik Saulitis, a photographer specialising in Dance Prints.

Amazing work by artist William Kwamena-Poh

Quirky Silverware Art by The New Homestead . They repurpose antique silverware and create something interesting!

There was an abundance of beautiful ceramic booths and needless to say they had my full attention:-)

Michigan-based potter Brian Beam's lovely work.

Loads of delightful creations in various booths...


I had a tête-à-tête about various clays with Jackie Matelski of Jackie Matelski Ceramics


DeVries Pottery display.

Salt Shakers on display by Duluth potters Cheryl and Bob Husby...

What a day it was!
I came out feeling like Santiago from The Alchemist  "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true"

My wish was granted.

{ Do click on the names of the artists, they are all linked to their websites}

(Images are copyrighted)