it's all in the details

I'm finally back to the blog!  Last week was full of work meetings and a hard drive crash.  Now, I'm learning to navigate my brand new computer ~ feeling a little lost, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.

Anway...
I want to share one more post on Carson's kitchen.  I had such a great time adding the little details, I've just got to share.

Carson actually has his dad to thank for the grown up details in his new kitchen.  Jeff firmly said "NO MORE crazy kid's stuff in the house".  So, I had to promise that this little kitchen would be aesthetically pleasing.  I must admit, these details were really for the grown-ups more than the little guy.  He doesn't seem too impressed by the tile backsplash, but we are!

I've already shown you the updated paint job and the new handles.  Carson's kitchen also has a refinished countertop, beadboard cupboards and a tile backsplash (all to match the "real" kitchen).

I refinished the countertop by sanding down the Ikea plywood, then waxing it with Briwax tudor brown to make it look like our butcher block.

I added the knobs on the sides for hanging this and that.  These were leftover from our real kitchen remodel so they are exactly like our cabinet knobs.  Right now he's got a chalkboard (I made this using a plaque from Michael's and some chalkboard paint) and his apron.

We've got beadboard cupboards in our kitchen, so now Carson does too.  I used this wallpaper.  I had already purchased it with a plan to update the downstairs bathroom.  That hasn't happened yet, but hopefully it will one of these days.  At least my wallpaper purchase came in handy for my mini kitchen remodel.  I simply cut a small square of the paper and followed the instructions (wet, wait 5 minutes, stick).  I let it dry for 24 hours, then painted it with the same paint (Dunn Edwards Whisper White) that I used on the rest of his (and our) kitchen.

His backsplash was made using leftover tile from our backsplash.   I just LOVE these subway tiles.  I chose them for our kitchen because they're a classic subway tile with a little twist, a beveled edge.  They're also very affordable!

I just used liquid nails to stick the tiles to a really thin piece of wood I found in the garage and cut to size.  Once the tiles were stuck nice and tight I used sanded caulk to fill in the grout lines (also left over from our kitchen remodel).
I used teeny tiny screws to attach the board and backsplash to the back of the kitchen.

Here's another pic of the final product!  For more on the grown-up kitchen click here or here!