December 2014
Allan’s first staycation project, which I thought some of you might enjoy seeing, began in December when I bought a toaster oven and then realized we had no good place to put it. We searched local anitque stores to no avail for the perfect piece of kitchen furniture before we realized we had one right at home in the winter-messy plant storage area outside.

December 4: It’s in Allan’s shop with a new top made from fence top trimmings we saved from a friend’s burn pile.
January 2015
The bigger project took place in January when we were not as distracted by holiday events. I had had a sudden brainstorm about the silly little buffet shelf or whatchamacallit that wrapped around the counter behind the stove. It might have been a nice place to have breakfast with a view of the garden, but in the darkest part of the house with no view at all it had just become a clutter depository.
I moved my shoe and boot clutter into my own closet and repurposed the white shelf, painted green, as a table by my living room chair. It has sentimental value to me, as it was made by my old friend Montana Mary‘s mother.
Allan supported the shelf with various things while he got ready to tear it out.

pieces clamped together in the shed to add a veneer to the sides. The shorter cupboards also had to be made taller.
I had enough blue tile left over from my Seattle house to do the top of the new cupboards and the top of the microwave table. I’d had that box of tile down here since 1992, and I knew it would come in handy some day.
The end cupboards would not get to have doors as they ended up being the space for the shoe driers and cat food box.
We had a tile (second from left) of Astoria from a Sunday Market artist, and Allan went to the Don Nisbett Art Gallery for four more art tiles, including a triptych of the Port of Ilwaco.
With the counter done and everything put away in new drawers and behind cupboard doors, it all looks so nice and tidy, and I intend to keep it that way.
Wednesday, 14 January, 2015
With the project done, Allan rewarded himself with a sail on Black Lake. Those of you who made it this far can join the reward via his photos.
Most of rest of Allan’s non recreational staycation time would be spent doing paperwork for taxes, not the sort of project that leads to the satisfaction of seeing nice new cupboards in the kitchen. It already feels like staycation is going to end too soon. (By my age, my mother had already been retired for five years. We are not there yet.)
I love your new counter! What a fab upgrade. 🙂
LikeLike
Love cabinets and tiles.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for what you shared. Bill and I Just bought a home here in Alabama that is very old. Has hard wood floors, and is beautiful to me. You give me idea and things to do with our new area. So glad you could include tiles that meant so much to you. Love it. Thanks for the update.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool, thanks, and congrats on your new home. I would love wood floors. Was going to do that… Get rid of the rug… But recently it occurred to me that now when I accidentally drop a camera, the rug makes a nice soft landing spot. 🙂
LikeLike