Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Susan from Must Love Junk, and myself (Kris) Junk Chic Cottage wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Susan's and my blog. 

February 18th

Kathleen Faded Charm

It gives me such special pleasure to introduce you to a really sweet blogger this week Kathleen from Faded Charm.  Kathleen is one of the first blogs I followed when I started in blog land.  I love her style and I get so much inspirations from her love of all things vintage and chippy.  So enjoy learning more about Kathleen and be sure to visit her beautiful blog.

I would like to invite you to stroll down the pathway that leads to my  porch where I will greet you at the front door.

Welcome to my home that was built in a simple farmhouse style 10 years ago where I live with my husband and three children.

Come on in and have a seat so I can tell you a little about myself.  My name is Kathleen and some of you might know me from my blog Faded Charm where I share my passion for decorating and gardening.  It will be 19 years in February that my husband, Stan and I were married.  We moved to our 7 acre property a few months later into a mobile home that was already here.  We dreamed of building one day and started saving our pennies.  I spent countless hours looking through magazines(this was before Pinterest) getting ideas and whenever the weather was nice enough you could find me outside creating and planting our gardens.

Fast forward eight years and we were finally able to build our dream home. Back then the kitchen was my favorite room.  I love to cook and bake and it seemed so big and I loved that everything was new. 

The dining room was a bonus since we had never had one before and my favorite thing about this room is the table that my husband built for me.

Another great thing about this house was the master bedroom and bathroom. They are both quite large and as life got hectic at times with three children, I knew I could always escape here to have some alone time to read a book

or soak in the tub.

I have been lucky to be a stay at home Mom ever since my youngest was born and wouldn't trade it for anything.  I've enjoyed being an active part in my kids' lives and watching them grow.  I spent a lot of time volunteering at their schools when they were younger.  This also gave me time to start my passion for buying, fixing and repurposing old stuff which I sell at different Shows throughout the year and in my Etsy store. 

I've been blogging for almost five years now which has been a great experience where I've been able to get to know many wonderful people both through the internet with email and some, I've been lucky enough to meet in person.  Mostly I love sharing my home, style and inspiration with all of you.

You can sometimes find us all relaxing on our patio during the warmer months and these are the moments that I truly cherish especially since the kids are growing so quickly.

My oldest two are both in High School.  Eric is a Senior this year and will be 18 in a few months and Nichole is 16 and a Sophomore.  I love this photo of them together taken before the left to meet up with their dates for the Homecoming dance.

Brenna, my youngest is 13 and in 8th grade shown here on a lovely day at the beach.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your time here getting to know a little bit more about me.  I'd like to thank Kris for having me here today.


Thank you Kathleen for sharing your personal life and family and gorgeous home with all of us.  Now that you have enjoyed learning more about Kathleen please hop over to Susan's blog and learn about her featured blogger Linda from Itsy Bits and Pieces.

Have a great Week End
Kris
:)

Finally The Kitchen Reveal!!! Yeah!!!!

Here is my kitchen Redo.  My 2014 blog resolution is to not spend any money on Redo's in my home and to repurpose things I already have into the new decor.   I did just that in the new kitchen makeover.

 I am really excited that this whole project.  It was done with the only money spent on one can of paint and some new cabinet knobs I got at Hobby Lobby with a Christmas gift card.

I was able to remake a lot of what I had either into new pieces, which I love to repurpose or brought back things I had already into kitchen decor.

I have to give a big THANK YOU to my hubby that can take my creative crazy visions and make them realities!!! Without him I could not have all these changes.  So thanks honey for you and your tools!!! XXXOOOO.

I will start with the long wall pass through of my kitchen.  I rehung the shelves I already had back up on the left side for all my white ironstone.  The old vintage cabinet made out of old windows and pieces of doors and that old dresser my hubby made into a little china cabinet for me in the middle.  

The old shelf I had once in my guest room made out of old doors pieces is now hanging here and an old picture frame.  A piece of the old ladder from the living room is now repurposed for a drying rack for flowers.  I will so love that in the summer months.  I moved one of my old chicken wire dress forms to put my french apron on and my old french picnic basket sits under the shelf for storage.

This repurpose cabinet now can hold all my napkins, table clothes etc.  in the drawers and old vintage bottles on the top of the cabinet.  So two pieces of furniture from different parts of the house made into one cabinet.

Rehung the same shelves and brought out an old chippy stool I had in one of the bedrooms.  Looked french farmhouse for under the counter.

I am so going to love this old ladder piece for a drying rack in the summer for flowers.

Just added the feel of fresh farmhouse flowers in ironstone vases with some faux flowers.

Old french cutting boards and measuring cups.

Love these little old mason jars with vintage french silver ware I got from tattered tiques last year.  It is these little touches that make me smile.

My old french picnic basket I use for storage.

My Fav Dress Form from my office.   She is made from old chicken wire and the stand and hanger are vintage from the Old Hilton Hotel from Downtown Chicago.  One of my favorite treasures I have.  I love that I have this old piece to hang my farmhouse apron.

I covered my counter chairs with the fabric that I made the sink skirt out of.

That old vintage pantry door with the chalk board my girls gave me for Christmas.  It fit perfectly on the pantry.  Love that door.  It is right next to my refrigerator and easy to make a grocery list.

These are the new knobs I got at Hobby Lobby with a gift card that was a Christmas gift.  They are actually two pieces I put together.  A french clock knob and the metal piece behind it.  I am still debating on wheither to paint the metal dark part white.  What do you think?  I think it gives some contrast to the white cabinets so I was not sure.

This is my skirt that I sewed for the farmhouse sink.  Those old chippy posts I use to have above the sink on each side of the window put I thought they looked better down on each side of the skirted sink.

Added a little bling above the sink with a smaller chandy I had over my desk in my office.  I have been switching and playing switch around the lights of late.  I am thankful my husband is great and electrical stuff like this.

Just switched up the decor on my shelves that were already up in this part of the kitchen.  You can see the chandy my hubby gave me as an early Valentines present.

Love to use the old frames I had and repurpose them in this
kitchen decor.  I framed out the chandeliers and also my
kitchen clock.

Kitchen a week ago

New Kitchen Now.

Old kitchen a week ago.

New Kitchen. It feels more open to me now.

Here is a picture of the kitchen with the chandeliers lit at night.  This picture does not do this justice it is so pretty with the chandeliers at night in this kitchen.

There you have it my first re purpose and re love room change up for 2014 and only money spent was on a can of paint.  Wooooo Hoooo this was fun.

Next make over will be on the living room.  Nothing big just going to try a new technique on the TV Amorie that my husband made for me and making a few new repurpose things for that room.  I am bringing in a little more cream to the grey and white so that will be the next change up with no money spent!!!!

Have a great rest of the week  Be sure to come by on Saturday I will be featuring Kathleen from Faded Charm on Spotlight and I know you will just love getting to know her on a more personal level.
Kris
:)

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Almost There!!!!!!

One more Sneak Peak and I think I will be almost done with the kitchen Redo!!!!! I hope so anyway.

Life keeps interrupting my progress in there!!!!!  Hopefully this week I will finish it all and have the reveal.  I am really loving the way it is coming out and so far no money spent except for 1 can of paint and a early surprise gift from the hubby for valentines day!!!!!  

I was playing ring around the chandeliers in my kitchen redo.  I moved one chandelier from the living room into the kitchen and then the other one to the far right is an early valentines gift from my husband.  No diamonds needed on Valentines day for this girl just give me pretty white chandy with crystals and bling and I am a happy girl!!!!!

I took old picture frames I had from the guest bedroom and used them to frame out the ceiling where I hung the chandeliers to give some character to the space.

This space above the cabinets is where my husband did some magic with old pieces of scrap he had.  He took some old crown pieces and an old closet door and framed out the spaces above the pantry door and above my refrigerator. It was the same crown we used when we originally did the kitchen redo a few years ago so the crown matched perfectly.

I think it filled the space in nicely.    

Well that is a sneak at the new lights and you can see the paint color.  It looks white on white but really it takes on different colors through out the day.  In the morning when the light comes in the room it is white and by afternoon it looks more cream/ivory and then at night a hint of gray.

Not sure what to call my new design.  Kind of a little nordic, a little cottage and little white french farmhouse.  I am excited to start decorating and putting things back into the kitchen.
Hope you are having a great week end.
Kris
:)