Kitchen remodeling

When we bought our home, we bought it as a project.  We knew the bones were good, but there were cosmetic issues that needed to be taken care of.  Today, I'm going to share our kitchen remodel journey with you.  It took a while to get to where we are, and my favorite touch is, of course, our countertops.  Here is a before photo

We ended up painting the walls (see the nice sapphire blue wall to the right?), sanding down and painting the cabinets, adding cabinet hardware, and changing out the countertops, sink, and faucet.   The last thing to do is get a new stove and microwave, so that will be a little ways away. 

We love the way it turned out.  And since I am a geologist, let's spend some time talking about the countertops.  They're what the home improvement world calls "granite".  Now, to be specific on what that means: the home improvement world calls ANYTHING that is made of natural stone a "granite".  In geology world, granite is a specific rock composed of specific minerals.  This is a granite - it has K-feldspar (the pink), quartz, and plagioclase feldspar. 

But enough of that.  My countertop is what a geologist would call an Anorthosite, and most were emplaced between 540-2500 million years ago.  The dark colored minerals are distinct, and that "glitteryness" to the countertop comes from a mineral called Labradorite.  That glitter is what I love the most. 

The renovation cost us way under what the majority of kitchen renovations do.  Shop online for sinks and faucets to save money, if your cabinets are in good condition, dont trash them - repaint or restain them, and get several quotes on countertop materials. 

DIY Christmas Wreath

I know it isn't anywhere near Christmas, but it's my favorite holiday.  This past season, I got some pinspiration and made a snowflake wreath for the front door.  My wedding was during Christmastime (my wedding cake is below), and so I wanted to have some personal touches from the wedding, since it was snowflake themed.  Turns out, the snowflake thing was appropriate, as my wedding day was on the first blizzard of the season for the east coast, and many of the guests had a difficult time showing up at all, or the ones who made it, getting home afterwards!

I was so inspired by this wreath I wanted to make my own version, using some of my wedding leftovers.  I started by painting the popsicle sticks white, and then adding glitter on certain circles.

After that, I added a personal touch by using some of the ribbon from my wedding to hang the wreath, and then put it on our door.

 I absolutely love it, and my husband says, "I've never seen a wreath that looks like that before".  I think that just means it is unique.

Welcome

Hello blogging world.  I had been thinking about making a blog for a long time, but I couldn't think of anything to put on here.  So, I've decided to include some of my husband and I's favorite things: geology, the outdoors, and gardening.  As well as some of my favorites: art, crafts, cooking, and DIY home projects.