FURNITURE FRIDAY...........AN OLD HOOSIER

This will be a quick sneak peak because I'm still working on this piece.   I purchased this from a man on Craigslist and it belonged to his deceased father.  I've always wanted a Hoosier cabinet and I finally found one at a STEAL! (seriously I had to contain myself when he gave me the price)

This is it in its original state, a grey enamel paint covered the whole thing....it ugly.

This is Hoosier now after a nice clean coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Olde White.

I'm considering painted the inset of the top doors to match the Talavera tile I have from Mexico.  The color scheme of our back deck is red,turquoise,blue,green,gold

-MJ

CLUTTER FREE CUCINA

Well the holidays are over and all through blogland little elves are packing away the decorations while we sit and blog at our computers!   HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Did you fall off your chair?  Well you know the reality as well as I do, but by now most of us have moved on to the next project/season/holiday.  Any excuse to redecorate right?

Well  my kitchen is fairly small but alot bigger than my old galley kitchen in my tiny 1913 farmhouse (still miss it).  This kitchen has nice cabinets and all matching stainless appliances.  Im not in love withe countertops so I cover them up with vignettes and other small appliances.  Everything was here as is when I moved in 1 year ago, I just painted the walls a putty color to tone it down and bring it closer to backsplash and floor.

But the clutter must go.....I need to free this house and my cucina of this clutter.    So here is what I have done and what we look like at this point.   Of course there will still be some tweaks.

The red with go after Valentine's Day but Im keeping the hutch with my Nonno's pictures and its presentation.  I'll go more neutral in the glass containers (love using brown rice and oatmeal so they will blend perfectly)

This is the first viewing of the kitchen .....Ready....Set....Via!

This is the cooking wall...cabinets are nice...backsplash is nice. I keep my oils out on the counter and both my knife sets on either side of the oven.  On the left usually is the dish rack..but Ive eliminated it (thats another post entirely).

The is the left angle that is next to the sliding door to the deck. (this also becomes the drop off for all things to be recycled (ugh clutter).  Im also missing an HG apothecary jar because Im using them somewhere else.

The is the wall with the pass through window to the dining room.  I think the cabinet is way too high but thats just me.  Dont mind the vday clutter on top. lol 

This is the odd wall....it holds the fridge, hutch and hallway to upstairs (kids floor) This is the way it looks a desk in the hallway so my 4 yr old can color whenever she wants and on the fridge is her work.  She spelled and wrote the word MILK all my herself!

Back sliding doors to deck.....in the process of steaming gold curtains!

UPDATE:

For those of you that read here regularly, you know I usually change things around by the time I post...but I like to keep the original pics so you can see the changes and if you like or don't like them.  So here is a minor adjustment.

I switched out the large Marshall's plate for my Home Goods bird cloche and used a vintage saucer to complete the triangle (I have a 3 obsession still from merchandising days). lol

I switched out the red/white plates for the cream/green and used top level for dessert plates.

RUSSO'S FANCY PASTRY

That was the name of a pasticceria in Brooklyn, New York in the early 1900's.   My great-grandfather Nicola Russo was the proprietor of that establishment.

It's always made me very proud to know that someone in my family came to this country from Italy and found a way to be successful and find the American Dream they all strived to live.  I've had this photo for years hanging on my family wall in our hallway, but Ive decided if I have an Italian style kitchen then who better to showcase in my Cucina then my Nonno Nicola and Nonna Vincenza.

This is Nonna Vincenza in front of the shop.  

I love the window display...kind of special that I would then later become a window designer/visual merchandiser.

I haven't been able to find out anymore information on the shop other than this photo...my grandmother Anna (the daughter passed away in 1996).  I was close to her but I never took the time when I was younger to ask about the history behind it.

This is Nonno Nicola (love his thick mustache) and his family.  My Nonna Vincenza is seated beneath him.  I do not know who the other adults are.  The 2 young girls are my Nonna Anna's sister Rose and Mary.  

Now in 2011 I find myself looking more towards baking and my oldest daughter aspires to be a pastry chef and I really hope that she follows through on that.  It would be a continuation of our family history.

This leads me to my next project (one of many this year). Brining Nonno into the kitchen in my own way.

The hutch is stripped of all the Christmas ceramics and needs some touching up.

  My vision is to re-create the window of my Nonno's shop in my hutch using the vintage items I already have mixed with some modern day finds.

My items all displayed for selection...some tins, glass, silver and a vintage scale and some other baking items. 

The beginning structure work

Change the placement of Nonna Vincenza and put her on top in a vintage frame

My Home Goods apothecary jars filled with red candies in honor of the family name Russo and also for Valentine's Day.  Also little DIY apothecary filled with cookie cutters.

This is the final arrangement (i think...lol)  

Top shelf - glass jar with cookie cutters, vintage scale, tin recipe box

Middle shelf - dessert plates from Ebay and a real candycane

below are babyjars with milk chocolate morsels and vintage baking tins

My favorite cook books Cucina Amore, Small plates by Williams Sonoma

Here is Nonno Nicola and the family

Dessert cup with old MS cookie press discs

Glass vase with metal cookie cutter and an old whisk

Part of my vintage collection of baking items...these cups are from Sweden

FOOTNOTE:

Only  2 items were broken in this process....1 crystal candlestick and 1 dessert cup.  Thankfully no one was injured in the crashes and have not yet gotten glass in their feet!

Ciao a tutti!  

Linking up to the following fabulous parties:

  

just in case you forgot or dont' feel that this fits the party criteria...this is what the hutch look like originally

If this isnt a metamorphasis I dont know what is folks.  This is my Showcase piece in my kitchen and I treasure it.

It does have a tabletop and I have tablescaped it! LOL

HOLIDAY DECOR......KITCHEN

The kitchen is the heart of the home.....and I stand by that notion as well.   I love my new kitchen although I still think I need more space. lol.

This year since I have my black beauty hutch in there now, it will be  hosting my Christmas teapot collection along with a few other items.

I didnt really decorate other areas of the kitchen because theyre in use constantly throughout the day with a family of 7 and friends visiting in and out.

Hope you enjoy......

This is how the hutch was finished off yesterday (Wed)

One of my teapots, my santa pitcher and a mini treat jar.

My eucalyptus tree holding my newest love....ornaments w/stockings on them.

This was a gift from my friend Chacha...she has a 2 ft one and I loved it so much.  

Burlap stocking adorn the drawer knobs, and a door hanger from my Etsy shoppe.

A folkstyle santa birdfeeder and a snowman tray from an estate sale.

My nutcracker mini tea set from Bombay Company (1994)

Kitchen side of my pass through area...thats the back of the manger.  I have my baker nutcracker in the kitchen this year.

So after doing some linky party visits today I was inspired by http://backporchmusings.typepad.com/blog/2010/12/a-christmas-cupboard.html and decided to spruce up my hutch.   Hers is done so much better but Im happy with my changes.

I edited out the birdfeeder and moved it on top and added a vintage lantern

I also moved the candlesticks up by the fireplace and added some greens snipped from the huge tree in the living room. 

This is the final Christmas Kitchen hutch.....for now! lol

DO YOU HUTCH?????

So excited I came across this party today over at Jennifer Rizzo!   She is having a HOOK UP YOUR HUTCH PARTY today September 22nd.  Go on over and join the party, and let's she what you've got.

 
Click on the button below to go over and visit Jennifer today and link up to the party!






For those of you who visit me often you know besides everything Italian/Spanish or roosters.  Hutches are my next best friend.   They say diamonds are a girls best friend, but I'll take a nice antique hutch over a diamond any day.  Just the type of girl I am, guess that's why Big Daddy has such a hard time shopping for me.   As some of you know from recent posts, he's improved a great deal.   2 antique pieces for Mother's Day and 1 set of dishes just because (love that man. lol)

So let's get it started in here.....

This is my black beauty.....she started out rough but with  good cleaning and sanding.  I think now she is rustic and beautiful and the roosters love her too.

THE HUTCH....PART 2

Well, the hutch is now complete!   I finally finished the top part and theyre back together again. lol  It took alot longer than I expected but things have been busy around here.

This is what it started out looking like, Craigslist find for $25.00

This is what my rustic treasure looks like now (excuse the blurry photo..I was using my daughter's iphone because my camera broke while on vacation.

My roosters are happy they've all found their way back to the kitchen. 

The middle shelf will be my seasonal display area.  I kept it simple because it's already jam packed with my goodies.  The 3 compartments are supposed to have drawers but I decided to use it as open shelving for cook books and tapas plates.

Another little seasonal area, except the rooster will always stay.  I will just add to it depending on the season.

Im linking up to my favorite following parties:

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life

Debbie @ Debbiedoos

Stephanie Lynn @ Under the Table Dreaming

                                                     http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/
                                                     Artie @ Color Outside the Lines