Kitchen Spruce Up Continues

 We had some round wire baskets that hung in tiers from a hook in the area over the sink. We kept oranges, apples, and onions in them. After they fell, yet again, we decided we needed a better solution. While we were in Duckwall/Alco's we found these  baskets on 30% off. They were lined with fabric so we took the fabric out of them and hung them from hooks that are heavier duty than cup hooks from the side of our
cabinet. (See the trash compactor in the background? I love that thing. Next to it is a little storage solution Terry made for me years ago. They are slide out baskets that hold bread and potatoes.)

At first, we were upset that they tilted, but when they are loaded, the fruit will be easier to get to. (See the phone book holder and pen holder in the background. They are painted red now. I bought the fabric from the valance at a garage sale and sewed them up years ago. Last year I found red trim to put on them.)

 I like the way the red looks on the pen holders and phone book holder. See the red flyswatter? lol I want to put black blackboard paint on the door. 21 years ago I painted the glass with a paint that is supposed to mimic stained glass.

This little scroll saw work lettering was unfinished for years. I thought, why not paint the face of it red?  Why not?

This is the calendar wall. See the family birthday plaque. I made it last year after seeing it on Pinterest. The square picture was from a calendar and the frame was 90% off at Hobby Lobby. I painted it yesterday when I painted the other stuff. The muffin tin was purchased to make rose cupcakes for one of my book launches. I like the enamel ware dipper and I made the cross stitch picture of the little bonnet girls with chickens about 20 years ago. I painted the kitchen black about 12 or so years ago. I used flat and gloss black. To me, that wall makes me think of a tuxedo pant leg.

 This is Mikey's tricycle. Someone left it behind from a rent house my dad owned. I decided it made good art after I saw stuff like that in a restaurant. The lunch boxes are my boys' and mine. I repainted the lid of the cream can that had the cows on it for a red accent.

 The old colander hanging on the wall is the one I use every time. It was in a garage sale that one of my elderly friends had. I purchased the old white and red enamel pot from another garage sale. I hung the red cutting board to give that area of the kitchen a pop of red.

The salt and pepper shakers were from a catalog. (Bryan Lane Home) the cow and glass measuring cup were my mom's. My sister gave me the chickens on the shelf and my daughter-in-law, Cari gave me the shelf with the spoons holding it up. I found the sifters at a garage sale and the star dinner bell was purchased 21 years ago when we moved to the country. The muffin tin was my mom's and the little basket is for bananas. It was a gold basket with lotions and things that I got as a gift. I spray painted it black to match the other hanging baskets on the other side of the sink.

 The salt and pepper shakers were my mom's and the cute red cookie tin is one of my Christmas gifts this year from my daughter-in-law, Aimee. The toaster was one that Terry got by saving stamps from the grocery store. See that old range hood? It came with the house. It was peeling when we moved in and I spray painted it black. Now it needs painted again. Terry said something about this being the year I get a new range hood. Yay me!

The is the corner on the other side of the range. I love my permanent cookware frying pan. The Kitchen Aide mixer was plain white but I saw a pin on Pinterest where they added decals to decorate it. I found just the right ones at Hobby Lobby. I have been replacing spatulas and other things with black and red ones. The holder is actually a little trash can. We needed something bigger to hold everything. See the backsplash? That was an idea on HGTV many years ago. It is galvanized roof flashing. It cleans up nicely and will hold anything with a magnet. I think I will get some of those magnet spice holders for Terry's grill cooking and keep them behind the stove on the backsplash. The little wooden thingy with the porcelain things decorated with chickens was a spice rack my mom had for years and years. We have ceramic tiles sitting next to the stove top to put hot pans on.
 Also, there is a story about that part of the countertop. We had just installed the countertop when our boys were teens. One day while I was cooking, I noticed that the new countertop was blistered. I said, "I can't believe it! I have already ruined my countertop!"
My youngest son said, "Sorry."
Years later he told me the real story. He and his brothers were melting lead in a coffee can on the stove top. They had taken apart bullets to do this. The can got really hot and a lot of other stuff so they put it on the counter and blistered the new counter top. 
After that confession, I had cold chills. Visions of gunpowder and lead.... I asked that there be no more Christmas confessions from my grown children.
Update on this story from Mikey:
Mikey Littau "Well....the full story is that we were harvesting led from the 22 shells to melt down and pour into a carved out arrow head shape in a piece of wood. We needed more metal so my friends and I saw the brass of the 22s still lying there and wondered if that would melt too (they didn't have the bullet still attached, but they did still have the gun powder). So a few seconds after we put that on the stove, the blanks started shooting off out of the pan. My friend dove down the stairs and I ducked and pulled the pan off the stove and set it on the counter and dove down the stairs....nobody was shot in this story....luckily."

 

These are the picture frames, phone book holder, and pen holders I painted red for accents.

 

This is the island I purchased at a garage sale 21 years ago to go in this house. Terry put new laminate on all the counter tops after I made a big mistake. I was making manger scenes to sell at craft shows. It was very cold outside, so I brought the plywood into the kitchen and began cutting the figures out. When I got to the sheep, I noticed that cutting was very difficult. When I finished,  realized that I had cut through the counter top when I cut out the sheep's rear. The scalloped piece was holding on by only 1/3 inch. I was scared about what Terry would say so I decided to be funny and put a bunch of bandaides on the cut. Terry called and I told him I nicked the top of the island. He freaked out! I really was scared.

 

He came into the house and saw what I had done. He laughed when he saw the bandaides. (Thank the Lord.) Then, we bought laminate for the whole kitchen. (after a few months) I promised that I would never cut anything like that out on the island again.

 

This is the frame I painted red. It was just plain wood color when I started. I did this cross stitch around 25 yrs ago. The plaque on the top is a picture of a horse. It says, "Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse."

This is another view of the 'sheep's rear' island. lol. I need to do 2 or 3 more coats of paint, but I became really tired. I will get back to it tomorrow...I hope.

After I finish the stuff I have started, I will post more pictures.