My Thrifty Wall

I thought I would start with the most fun part of the kitchen for me. It was definitely NOT painting the cabinets. Especially the insides where the backs are beadboard and took three coats...

It's definitely this part of the kitchen!



The picture on the left - the one of the silverware - is something I've seen on several blogs in the last couple of months. I thought it would be so easy and cute to do. I thought I had struck gold when I found a whole shoebox of old silverware at a yard sale last month - for FIFTY CENTS! She even threw in the bottle of Tarn-X to go with it :) Then I found the frame at another yard sale for $1. It just needed a quick spray paint job, some hot glue, and scrapbook paper, and I had myself the first piece of "artwork" for the kitchen!

What I love most about this wall is that nothing (except for the trim - I don't remember how much that was) cost me over $18. I got the table and chairs the first summer after we moved at a flea market that happens here three times a year. I don't even remember what color it was when I got it, but I stripped the paint off of it, stained the top, and painted the legs and chairs to match. I think the chairs were $5 each. And I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of this little set. It's been in the kitchen, on the sunporch, on the front porch, in the living room for small group meals, and finally back in the kitchen.

The lamp is one I've had for years and years. It used to be gold with a champagne colored lampshade. I spent $1.50 on the new finial and the rick rack. I had the toile fabric from the kitchen curtains in our last house. A quick spray paint job, some hot glue and a whole new lamp! For $1.50 :)

My very favorite thing in the new kitchen is the monogram. My good friend Jackie made the vinyl initial and "Fransen" for us for Christmas. I kept it in the closet until I could figure out the perfect place for it. I didn't want to put it on the wall somewhere and then realize I had found a place that I would like it better. I looked for frames, old windows, anything that was big enough to hold the monogram. Then one day I was poking around in the basement and came across that frame. It was just the right size, so I grabbed my black spray paint of course! I had the scrapbook paper, so I just pieced it together inside the frame and finally mounted the monogram. I love it! And it literally cost me less than $1 for this beautiful piece!

So, how about you? What are some of your favorite and thrifty things in your kitchen?