Blog - The Lilypad Cottage

March 31, 2020 By Kelly 20 Comments

Navy Island White Kitchen

I read a tweet the other day something to the effect of “It’s crazy how fast I got to the rearrange all the furniture in my house stage of quarantine.” And I feel seen! Except I weirdly started with the “paint everything in your whole house” stage of self-isolation first. I’ve also hit the obsessively cleaning stage, organizing stage and rearranging pillows stage to name a few. I’ll keep you posted on what other stages I happen upon next…but here we go with my new navy island in our white kitchen!

I painted my island! Well, really I painted my pantry door first and it all went downhill from there. Or up depending on how you look at it. I have many times talked about falling prey to the “if you give a mouse a cookie decorating situation” and once again an innocent paint touch up turned into a big ole project.

Also, that right light is crooked in every shot and it is making me crazy. It’s fine. Just fine. FINE! ;)

There was a big gouge in our pantry door, so I got a bee in my bonnet to paint it, but I thought if I was going to paint it why not switch things up more? So, I painted it black. Which I loved! Then I got on a painting kick and started touching up all the baseboards in our house. Which led to the island. It was kind of destroyed thanks to my kids smashing their barstools against it all the time. About half of it needed to be painted. And AGAIN, if I was going to paint it, why not switch up the color?

My back up paint color for the wet bar cabinets in the basement that I painted that mushroom color (see that post here) was this deep navy blue. It’s Blue Note by Benjamin Moore. I thought why not use that here! I still loved the old color, but I love to switch things up even more. And… I have just a little bit of time on my hands being stuck home, so why not?

I love it! It feels like it should have been this color all along. It’s such a fun change and I love the contrast of the deeper color in here. It plays really nicely with our navy chairs in our living room. I didn’t take any full room shots since it was hard enough just to get this area clean with all of us elbowing for office/school space, but I will at some point.

The navy bar stools really pop against it.

I again used the same paint and painting tips I talked about in this post here. It’s the same paint that the painter painted them with the first time around, so I know it’s good stuff.

Oh, sneak peek of my new breakfast nook chairs over there too. I will be sharing that next week. That’s a whole other saga, and I’m currently waiting on a new table over there too! The Mr. bought it for me for my birthday (which was yesterday), but it’s trapped inside the mall at Crate and Barrel for the foreseeable future. That just gives me one more thing to look forward to when life returns to normal again.

Oh and after all that, I actually re-painted the pantry door white because the black looked bad with the navy. Well, actually I painted it gray and then white, but the point is it’s white now and I like it! I hope you all are staying safe and well and possibly tackling some fun projects in your house or painting everything in sight light a crazy person. Tell me I’m not alone?! :)

SOURCES: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD links.

White cabinets – Extra White by Sherwin Williams

Island – Blue Note by Benjamin Moore

Flooring – find it here

Range – 36 in Monogram by GE

Utensil rack – Ikea

Countertop – white quartz by Vicostone the color is Misterio

Tile – Lowe’s

Grout – not sure a mid-tone gray that the tile installer had

Runner – find it here

Step stool – find it here

Hardware – find it here

Tray – find it here

Lights – find them here (I spray painted mine black)

White vase – not available anymore but this one is similar

Stools – find it here

Pantry wallpaper – find it here

Navy Island White Kitchen

March 26, 2020 By Kelly 8 Comments

Good Books I’m Reading

As promised I’ve been reading away over here any spare minute I get, to try to get a new book list out to you all. I know we are all looking for something to help pass the time right now, and books are a great way to escape. Unfortunately, my spare minutes have been few and far between with homeschooling the kids and feeding them approximately 463 snacks a day. Plus keeping them from throwing stuff at the Mr. when he is on a video conference call. In their defense, he started it by making bunny ears on the kid’s zoom class calls for school. We have a mature bunch over here! Luckily my mom is here to help! Well not here, here, as she is in lockdown down in Florida, but we share the same taste in books. She actually volunteers at the library several days a week in her neighborhood so she is always up on the latest books. We are constantly swapping book recommendations and books. Although do not dog-ear a page on one of her books – she will come for you… ;) a firm believer in bookmarks that one! So she has graciously offered her review on the last 3 books she has loved that are currently on my list.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD links.

So via my mom’s email –

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathon Lethem

This is a quintessential detective novel that I could not put down. The central character is an orphan with Tourette’s Syndrome. He is taken under the wing of a mobster, and the story follows his quest to solve the mystery when the mobster is murdered. I loved the characters of this book and it was well written.

Sidenote from Kelly – this is currently on my nightstand and next on my list!

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

I’m currently in the middle of reading this one and I really like it. Set in the neighborhood of Oak Knoll, North Carolina. The story revolves around the blossoming romance between two interracial teenagers and the effect the relationship has on the two families.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

This is on the NYT bestseller list and caught my eye because I loved Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Sidenote from Kelly: Yes! I loved that one too!). This story is set over the course of 50 years and told from the perspective of the main character Danny. It is a tale of the relationship between a brother and a sister. If you are looking for an action-packed novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat this is probably not your book. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, the subjects of love and forgiveness. I missed reading about the characters long after finishing the book.

Thanks, mom – I appreciate the input! Now for my book reviews – I’ve read two, I’m 1/2 way through another, and the 3rd is next up to bat on my kindle.

The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

This was recommended to me by one of you and I’m really enjoying it. I’m about halfway through right now. This story follows a wealthy family, The Miltons through three generations headed up by matriarch Kitty Milton. It revolves around their family vacation home on an island off the coast of Maine. It covers difficult political and racial issues through the years and how the characters navigated the 30’s, 50’s and present day. The story jumps back and forth between time periods and narrators which can be confusing at times (mainly when your children are fighting next to you on the couch). It has a bit of a slow start but I’m really invested in the characters’ lives now.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

If you are looking for a thriller you can’t put down – this is it, but also if you are self-quarantining solo maybe skip this one as it is creepy!! I love a good spooky story though and have read her other novels In A Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 (both good!). This follows Rowan a young woman who accepts a live-in nanny position for 4 kids in Scotland. She is immediately left on her own with the kids, and a spooky old house set in the country that seems to have a mind of its own. I did not see the twists and turns coming at all in this book! I was a bit disappointed in the way it ended but this was a page-turner for me. Definitely check out her other books as well if this is a genre you enjoy.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Laura Gottlieb

This is another book I could not put down and is definitely on my list of favorites that I have read this year! It’s a memoir written by a psychotherapist following her life as a therapist and also as a patient in therapy herself. I found this book so fascinating seeing both sides of the coin. Also as someone who has been to see a therapist myself, it was so interesting to hear the other side of things. Her writing style is funny and the storytelling is engaging. There is also a lot of helpful insight along the way. Out of all the books in this post, if you only read one, this is at the top for me.

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams

I haven’t started this one yet but it sounds really interesting! This book takes place in the Bahamas, in the ’40s (with everyone canceling their spring break plans I figured a beach setting would be nice to read about!) and follows a young reporter who befriends the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. With all the hubbub in the news about the Royals lately, I thought this would be an interesting read so I’ll keep you posted!

I hope these half-read reviews from my mom and I are helpful! I had planned on cruising through a big stack of books over spring break on the beach and reporting back, so sorry for the short list. I have had SO many requests for good books that I wanted to get this out to you while we are stuck at home. I promise my next review will be more thorough – happy reading!

PS You can read my other book reviews in this post here. And my kids’ fave books here.

March 25, 2020 By Kelly 10 Comments

5 Tips to Get Your kids to Read

Hi strangers, how are you doing? Hanging in? I didn’t mean to go radio silent on you all, but this has obviously been a weird time. I’m not sure what it’s like by you, but we are on week 2 of schooling from home/working from home (for the Mr. too). Michigan is I think 4th or 5th in the country for the most cases of the virus, so our state is on complete lockdown.

We are all adjusting to the new norm of working around each other (as I’m sure some of you are doing as well). With 2 kids’ online schooling, I can’t seem to get a turn with my computer, so I will try to pop in over here when I can. That said, I have been working on a few fun projects. Being trapped in the house with a basement full of random paint has somehow yielded a little kitchen mini-makeover! I will share it next week once I get it all put back together.

I have been on Instagram just sharing fun tidbits throughout the day (like how cardboard boxes are still the best entertainment out there!) trying to maybe be a fun distraction from the news. As I try to keep things light and fun here, I will probably continue to do that and hopefully be a bright spot in your day. Just know that I am praying every day for all of you struggling job-wise, health-wise, and maybe sanity wise with your kids? ;) I’ve had so many messages on Instagram encouraging me to keep on with some normalcy so that’s what I’m going to shoot for….in between hiding in my pantry with my wine glass…

Charlie is very concerned about the state of the basement…

I actually started writing this kid’s book post weeks ago, and I never had the chance to finish it before all heck broke loose. So maybe the reading tips aren’t the most helpful at the moment because we are all just in survival mode. Also taking kids to the library isn’t really an option right now, but you can always file them away for later. I figured now may be a time where your kids are looking for some good books, so I’m adding a list of my kid’s faves at the bottom. They each have a kindle for reading, as well as the Libby app where they can check out books from our library electronically. They also have been loving audible books too, so that’s a great option for being cooped up at home right now too.

I shared this shot of my kiddos reading on the beach over Christmas break and I received SO many messages asking for tips for getting your kids to love reading. Both of my kids are thankfully major book worms. We have finally reached that holy grail of parenting where my kids are both happy to sit on the beach with a snack and a book and actually relax for a bit. Now trust me we still got our fair share of whining and I’m bored coupled with lots of wave jumping and tossing the football on the beach too. I also don’t claim to know that anything I really did was some magic formula for getting kids to read. I think some kids just genuinely enjoy it more than others. However here are my tips for getting your kids to read or the things we did at least.

5 TIPS TO GET YOUR KIDS TO READ

The Mr. and I are both huge readers. We constantly each have a stack of books on our nightstand. We definitely read way more than we watch tv. So they see us reading all of the time. We actually have family reading time on Sunday after church where we all hang out in the living room with a snack and read our books for some quiet time.
My mom took me to the library once a week when I was little, and her mom did the same with her. So naturally, I started when my daughter was a baby hitting up storytime once a week at the library as well. Having something your kids are genuinely interested in reading is key for my kids. I take them about every other week now and let them pick out whatever interests them. They both always have a stack of books next to their beds.
I’m pretty strict with electronic time (post on this coming soon too because I have had some requests for that also) so sometimes they are bored and they have no other option but read. Whenever I hear “I’m bored!” I suggest a book. They definitely grumble sometimes but once they get going in a good book, they rarely want to put it down.
We have always read to them as part of their bedtime routine since they were little. Now they both can’t fall asleep without reading to themselves a bit. I always have them in their rooms by 8 on weeknights, but they are allowed to read for as long as they would like every night.
Try listening to audiobooks to get them interested. We have always listened to audiobooks with them on long car rides (which is often since we live 30 minutes from everything – school, church, the grocery store, etc). I think that has increased their level of interest in books in general. I have also employed the “oh we listened to the first book of the series on audible, I picked up book two at the library for you!”

I think that’s really it? Not sure any of that contributed or not, but it’s worth a shot if it’s a struggle in your home. Ok now for my kids’ fave book lists.

My son is 8, but he reads at a higher grade level (he shares books with my sixth-grader a lot), so I would say his faves here would be good for 8-12 just depending on their reading level.

Diary of the Whimpy Kids – not a shocker here, but both my kids loved this series.

Harry Potter, of course, will always be the best.

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan – he loved this series!

Magnus Chase by Rick Riodan – he seems to be just working through all of Rick Riordan’s books.

The Charlie Bones Series by Jenny Nimmo

Story Thieves Series by James Riley

Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Sutherland

The Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths

The entire Roald Dahl collection (I bought him the box set for his 8th birthday last year)

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring Series by J.R.R. Tolkien

Ok and here are a few of my 12-year-old daughter’s faves. Most of the above are ones she has loved too, but here are a few recent ones as well.

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

Because of Mr. Terrupt series by Rob Buyea

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

The Alchemyst Series by Michael Scott

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Any books by Gordon Korman

Any books by Carl Hiaasen

I hope your kids discover a love of reading as my kiddos have. Let me know if you have any other good book recommendations for this age group. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home :)

March 12, 2020 By Kelly 27 Comments

Neutral Lake House Family Room

There always seems to be that one room in a house that you can’t get just right. Especially when building a house. Sometimes visualizing how a room will look and function and then actually living there for a few years will make you realize you got it all wrong the first go-round. In our last house, I think I redesigned and rearranged our playroom no less than a dozen times and got it right just before we sold it, ha! Our neutral lake house family room was that room in this house.

It started with carpet that I thought was going to be grayer that ended up more teal, and it all went downhill from there. After three years of living here, it finally feels complete and like it should have been all along.

I swear Charlie is alive in the photo below – that dog lives to nap in the sunshine.

The first step in fixing this room was swapping out the offending carpet. It wasn’t a big space, so it was a relatively cheap fix for a couple of hundred dollars. Did I love replacing three-year-old carpet? No, but it was something that was making the room impossible to decorate around.

Next up, we moved our old sectional down here and added in a comfy oversized chair from Sixpenny. We then swapped out the ottoman, which I thought would be soft and comfy for kids, but really was just a magnet for spills. We went with a more snack friendly round coffee table that works perfectly for movie night popcorn.

I found this gorgeous rug and brought it down here for warmth and coziness. Not to mention the pattern helps hide spills and messes.

The craft/game table got a new life with comfortable leather chairs. I had wood ones over here that no one ever wanted to sit on, but now we can actually feel our rear ends after a long puzzle session. ;)

This poor plant is not doing the best, but I’m trying my best to revive him.

Painting the cabinets may have been the biggest change of all (see that post here). Everything just flows so well now and I love the lightness and warmth of the new color. Your eye really focused on the jarring blue of the cabinets and now it’s able to bounce around the room.

The last finishing touches were finding a few new throw pillows and some plant friends! I found these gorgeous new pillows at Tonic Living. I have been on the hunt for the perfect terra cotta/blush pillow to bring out the colors in the rug and everything was so coral looking, but this one was just right.

I think the only thing that really stayed the same down here is the wall color and built-in bookshelves.

Oh and I guess the recessed tv is still here too.

Ahh! It feels so good to finally have this space feel like us. Game nights and movie nights are so much cozier down here now, and I actually look forward to hanging out in this space rather than dreaming up ways I could make it work for us.

Oh, and if you want to see the before pictures, check them out here.

SOURCES: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD links.

Couch – Local store that went out of business

Chair – Sixpenny the color is inkcap

Rug – find it here

Table – find it here

Wall color – Agreeable Gray by Sherwin William

Cabinet color – Langdon Dove by California Paint

Table – garage sale find

Chairs – find them here

Hardware – local store and I don’t have brand info on them

Planter – find it here

Sofa table find it here

Bookcase – custom built

Wood floors – BuildDirect Engineered white oak by Vanier

Striped Throw pillows – Tonic Living

Linen Throw pillows – HomeGoods

Blue throw pillows – Find them here

Tan striped pillow – find it here

Baskets – HomeGoods

Stool – find it here

Oar – Pottery Barn from 10 years ago

Wood Beads – find them here

White stripe basket – find it here

March 6, 2020 By Kelly 32 Comments

Friday Feels – Books, Trees, Beauty Products

Welcome to another Friday Feels where I share what I’m feeling this week. This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD links.

Time for another old school random Friday feels with a bunch of non-related items that I love that you may love too! Let’s dive right in –

I picked up this body wash from Target last week and it smells ahhhh-mazing! Like a lemon drop, it’s so refreshing in the early morning and it’s sulfate and paraben-free.

We are heading to Mexico for spring break with the Mr.’s family, and I have started picking up a few vacation items here and there. I snagged these cute white sneakers and have been wearing them ever since. They are perfect with jeans or so cute with a casual dress and jean jacket. Plus they are under $30 and you can wipe them clean.

Usually about this time, I’m trying to force spring around my house (although shout out to Michigan for temps in the upper 40’s and sunshine all week, hallelujah!), so I picked up this new friend at the greenhouse last week. I have about a zillion little house plants in my house, but I figured it was time to go big or go home! This is an Alii Ficus and so far he seems pretty happy in our basement.

I found this giant cement planter from Target for it – the price is so good compared to everywhere else I looked. It’s on my to-do list today to grab potting soil and actually plant him in there.

My daughter turned 12 on Monday (sob! No, really, I did actually start crying at dinner when we were talking about her birth story, she was mortified), and I took her to the mall for some new spring clothes. I bought this super cute shirt which she claims is hers, but I’m claiming shared custody. How are we at the sharing clothes stage already? Although if her feet would catch up to mine, my wallet would thank me. Anyway, I linked it on Instagram yesterday and a bunch of you grabbed it. It’s SO soft and under $20. So cute with jeans and sneaks!

I have been using this eyelash serum for about 6 weeks and haven’t been noticing much, but all of a sudden my eyelashes are basically chia pets! They sprouted overnight! It’s pricier, but it lasts forever and is way cheaper than lash extensions.

I’ve been pairing it with this mascara that I got as a sample from Sephora. I love this formula – it’s not clumpy, crunchy, or spider leg looking you know what I mean? It really makes my lashes look thicker but still soft. The mascara paired with the serum is definitely a winning combo!

I love all of the fellow bookworm messages I’ve been receiving after sharing my book list last month (you can read it here). I’ll be working through another stack of books on spring break, but I just finished up The Huntress (thanks to a rec from a reader) and I loved it. If you liked the Nightingale you will really enjoy this book too. It takes place after WWII and follows a team of Nazi hunters as they try to bring a Nazi murderess “The Huntress” to justice.

I did a big haul this week from Trader Joes and one of my new faves are these swiss cheese and cauliflower egg frittatas! They are the perfect lunch and take two minutes to microwave on a busy day. I add a little side salad for some more veggies.

I think that’s all I got this week! I ordered new pillows for the basement, so I will finally be doing a full tour of that completed space next week. OH, and they are almost done with the new wood floors at my parent’s house – they look AMAZING! I can’t wait to share that too – stay tuned!

Happy Weekend!

March 4, 2020 By Kelly 23 Comments

Navy and Gray Nautical Boy Bathroom

I finally finished up all the little details in my son’s navy and gray nautical boy bathroom, so today is the big reveal! This bathroom looks nothing like I thought it would now that it’s done, but I love it.

Sometimes projects just go like that once you get started (case in point my newly painted wet bar cabinets from last week that ended up a putty color after an impromptu decision at the paint store).

I had envisioned wallpaper and gray paneling (you can check out all the top wallpaper contenders in this post here) and nixed the wallpaper once I got started on the tongue and groove planks.

Then you all unanimously voted for gray paint on the vertical planking, but I had one cute little 8 year old boy begging for navy walls. If you saw his big blue eyes, you would have given in too :)

I’m so glad I did because this space is SO him! He told me it feels just like the captain’s room on a boat. I mean, I feel like Captain Jack Sparrow could totally have penny tile on the Black Pearl right?!

The dark paint color is so fun and not dark at all thanks to the big window and light floor tile. I will say that the large window sure makes for a tricky photo shoot though. Shooting the almost black walls vs the crazy bright sun reflecting off the snow made for a frustrating contrast situation. Not too mention that it’s a tight space to try to get a whole room shot. It’s so much better in person, but most things are.

Let’s back up and check out the blah before again.

And after!

Such a fun change! Once I decided to go dark on the walls – Polo Blue by Benjamin Moore – I decided to go light on the vanity – Light French Gray by Sherwin Williams. I basically flip flopped the whole room, but it feels so fresh. If you missed my post last week, I detailed all my cabinet painting tips and I used the exact same method for these cabinets, check it out here.

One thing I think I would do different is using MDF for the planks vs pine. However, my son and the Mr. love the way the pine looks. The knots and wood grain really add to that cottage feeling, but it was a pain to work with. Most of the boards were warped or busted on the edges. I bought this tongue and groove pine at Lowes in packages of six and I would say four out of every six boards were useable. It was a bit frustrating. If you attempt this project, I would definitely opt for an MDF product that would be a bit more consistent. The Mr. thinks I’m nuts because he loves the pine, but he also didn’t have to deal with putting it up ;)

I attached it with wood adhesive and my brad nailer. I marked the studs in several spots being sure to hit a few, but because this is tongue and groove they interlocked as well. I finished the top with a piece of trim after painting to keep my lines nice and neat. I also added a piece of 1/4 round to the bottom trim to finish it off nicely.

My son picked out this art (after I curated a choice of 8 pieces for him to choose from) from Society 6. I love letting him have a say in his space and he was so excited when he got home from school to see his choices hanging up on the wall. I really let both my kids put their stamp on their spaces and while a lot of the time they aren’t necessarily my fave or what I would choose, I love that they have a sense of ownership over their space. Someday I can decorate it any old boring way I want when they up and leave me. Although my son says he will live here until he is 34, which I’m super ok with. I’m feeling all the feels this week as my daughter just turned 12 and time seems to be going way too fast!

Ok off my sobby mom tangent and back to the room. We kept his same shower curtain that he is obsessed with and added new striped towels. I also hung up this large peg rack behind his door in the hopes that this summer a good 6 out of 10 wet bathings suits per week find their way there. A mom can dream!

I put a hook with easier access to the shower over on this wall with this cute fishing bear print above.

Oh and I swapped out the lights! The ones I had here before were a bit too large and also required those Edison bulbs, which didn’t provide the best lighting. These new black and chrome ones bring in the black hardware and countertops. I still would love to swap the counters out someday soon, but I think they work so much better with the space now.

All in all, this was a fun project and I think my DIY itch is scratched for a while…although I have been toying with the idea of painting the kitchen island now too….

SOURCES:– This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD words.

Wall color – Polo Blue – Benjamin Moore

Vanity color – Light French Gray Sherwin Williams

Penny tile – Lowes

Stool – Ballard Designs

Towels – Garnet Hill

Whale Art – Society 6

Wave art – Society 6

Bear art – Society 6

Hanging Art frame – Target

Lights – Shades of Light

Shower curtain – Urban Outfitters

Birch wood wall rack – amazon

Foaming Soap Dispenser – amazon

Toothbrush holder – amazon

February 26, 2020 By Kelly 59 Comments

Putty Colored Cabinets and Cabinet Painting Tips

Guys, I did a thing!

I finally painted the wet bar cabinets in the basement!

And they aren’t blue!

Remember, I talked about this project waaaay back in the fall in this post here. Ok, and really I have been talking about painting them since we moved in three years ago. They were just never the right tone of blue. My big plan was to hunt down the exact right shade of blue. I had approximately one million blueish/blackish/grayish paint chips floating around my house, but I never fell in love with one.

Here’s the before again –

and after!

Last week, I got a bee in my bonnet and decided it was time to change this space. I went to the paint store with my army of blue paint chips and chose…this putty color – Langdon Dove by California Paints. I know! I surprised myself too! Putty/mushroom colored cabinets have started to pop up here and there on instagram and pinterest. They feel both fresh and modern, yet classic at the same time. I love the warmth they add, plus the contrast with the black counters is so nice. California Paints is a brand my local paint store carries, but they color matched it for me in Benjamin Moore Advance. I’ll include a shot of the top of the paint can at the bottom of the post.

That’s part of the reason the blue cabinets weren’t working down here, our couch is a warmer cream, the new rug is full of warm tones, and the leather chairs – all warm! Time to make the cabinets part of the warm and cozy vibe.

I love it! I’m so happy with the change, this space finally feels like home and we have been spending so much time down here. The warmer paint works so well with the tile and counters, and the black hardware really stands out now.

I added some warm wood, copper, and black accents to finish the space. I have always wanted to hang a piece of art in this blank space above the sink, and I finally found the perfect print from BFF Print Shop.

I’m still on the hunt for a few throw pillows to finish off this space, and then I’ll share the whole room together. I’ve had several requests to share my cabinet painting tips (and I have saved some info on my instagram highlights under painting tips), so I’ll share a few.

Cabinet Painting Tips –

Go to your local paint store and talk to the experts! I’ve even brought a drawer front in to show them what I would be painting to make sure I have the right supplies.
Clean your surface really, really well. I use Challenger it’s a heavy duty cleaner. I dilute it and wear rubber gloves to give everything a really good cleaning. Having a clean surface is really important for the the paint to bond.
These cabinets were already painted and smooth, so they didn’t need to be sanded. Depending on your cabinets you may want to use a de-glosser or for wood cabinets fill in some of the grain and sand for a smoother finish. For wood cabinets you will want to prime first as well. Again ask the experts!
I either spray cabinets with a paint sprayer or use a small roller and brush. Spraying is always going to give you the smoothest finish, but I didn’t feel like messing with setting that all up with this small of a space. Also, it’s way too cold to spray out in the garage right now, so I did the roll and brush method. I take a brush to the details or edges and then roll the rest to smooth it out.
Use quality paint! Do not skimp and get cheap paint when you are doing your cabinets. I used Bejamain Moore Advance for these cabinets. It’s what my painter originally used on them, so I know its good. It is kind of a hybrid paint that is water based, but acts more like an oil based paint so it dries really smooth. You need to be sure to wait at least 16 hours between coats (I waited overnight) because it has a slower drying time which helps it level out and get really smooth.
Let everything cure. We didn’t use these cabinets for several days to really let them harden up.
If you make a mistake, don’t freak out – sand it down and put a fresh coat on. I had several drips I didn’t see until I hung the cabinets back up. I just took a sanding block to them and touched it up with a fresh coat of paint.

There you have it all my cabinet painting tips and tricks! Stay tuned for the full reveal of this room, and you can check out more of our basement here, here and here.

SOURCES – This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. Just click on the BOLD words.

Wall color – Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams

Cabinet Color – Langdon Dove by California Paints

Tile – Lowes

Counters – this is a laminate that is supposed to look like soapstone, I don’t love it in person and I’m hoping to swap it out soon. I don’t have the exact brand info on it.

Vase – find it here

Wood tray – find it here

Soap dispenser – find it here

Basket – HomeGoods

Copper mugs – find it here

Black bowl – find it here

Glasses – find it here

Hardware – I bought this at a local store and I don’t have any brand info on it – sorry!

Frame – find it here

Art – BFF Print Shop

Tea towel – find it here

Here is a photo of the paint formula.

February 21, 2020 By Kelly 18 Comments

Where to eat and stay in Detroit

Sick kids and snow days have been the theme of the week, so I’m running behind a bit over here on the blog. I thought it would be fun to share a bit of our 16th wedding anniversary trip today. Not to mention when I shared on Instagram, I had lots of requests to put all this info in a blog post for easy reference. So here we go!

I tagged along on a recent business trip with Dan to Detroit and we had the best time! It happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary, so we decided to stay an extra night and make a fun weekend of it. We really ate (and drank) our way through the city. They have done such an amazing job of reviving this city. We didn’t get to see half of what we wanted to in the 2 days we were there. We actually booked ourselves for dinner at 6 PM and 9 PM at two different restaurants Saturday because we couldn’t decided between the two. If you are in the Michigan area definitely consider it for a fun weekend getaway! The Mr. had conference calls the whole way there, so I got to read my book – a win win for everyone :)

We stayed at The Detroit Foundation Hotel which is a converted fire station and it was really unique and cool inside! We had wanted to stay at the Shinola hotel, but it was completely booked so check out that option too. This was our room and it had so many fun and unique touches.

I loved that the front doors of the hotel were the old firehouse doors.

They had beautiful vintage rugs scattered throughout the hotel, and I could have rolled them all up and taken them home with me.

They also had a lot of really cool artwork displayed throughout various parts of the hotel. This is one of the sitting areas by the elevators.

One of the biggest perks of staying here is the restaurant/bar in the lobby which is probably one of the coolest restaurants I’ve seen. I could move right in! It’s called The Apparatus Room and it houses all the old fire poles. The windows, tile work, and furniture in this place are perfection. Not to mention their food is amazing! We had drinks and appetizers here Saturday night and hit up their Jazz Brunch before heading home on Sunday. The lighting at the bar is so fun.

I grabbed this shot early Saturday morning on my run down to grab a coffee when it was empty so you could see all the eclectic details! The architecture was so beautiful everywhere you looked.

Friday night we started at The Monarch Club which has very cool views (we need to come back in the summer to try out the rooftop deck) and an oldschool vibe that was so fun.

The atmosphere here was such a throwback to a different era. They nailed the details and the drinks were delicious.

It poured most of the weekend which made exploring a bit more difficult, but I snapped this shot while we ran a few block to dinner.

We headed to Prime and Proper for dinner with some of Dan’s clients. The food here was fantastic! This is a pretty classic steakhouse, but gorgeous inside as well. The gooey butter cake dessert was possibly the best thing I ate all weekend.

Saturday night (when we double booked ourselves as I previously mentioned), we took an uber over to Shewolf for out of this world homemade pasta. Ok, and now I remember the gelato there too, so I may need to declare it a tie between the gooey butter cake and the pistachio gelato. I’m still dreaming about it!

Their cocktails were also delicious and beautiful. I ordered the Sophia Loren, which was the inspiration behind the cocktail I shared last week (get the recipe here!). I was too busy stuffing my face to take a photo of my cacio e pepe pasta, but trust me it was amazing too.

We had to get back to our kids Sunday, but I feel like we didn’t even scratch the surface of all the great dining, fun shopping, and events Detroit has to offer. We definitely have plans to go back and take the kids to a game and explore more!

A lot of you sent me great suggestions of places to go in Detroit that we didn’t have time for, so we are looking forward to checking out the following on the next trip too!

The Evening Bar – cocktails

Bad Luck Bar – cocktails

The Dime Store – great brunch or lunch

San Morello – brunch or dinner

Detroit Shipping Factory

February 14, 2020 By Kelly 14 Comments

Grapefruit Rose Elderflower Martini

Happy Valentines Day! I was hoping to share a bit of our fun anniversary trip to Detroit a few weeks back, but my computer is not cooperating with me. I can’t seem to get the photos to upload. I’ll figure it out, but in the meantime I thought I would share a cocktail recipe inspired by one of my favorite cocktails I sampled that weekend. This Grapefruit Rose Elderflower Martini is so good!

The cocktail I had was a delicious vodka and elderflower liquor concoction topped with champagne. Three of my favorite things in one drink I had to try it! It was soo good. I wanted to recreate it when I got home, but the only vodka I had in the house was this Kettle One Botanical vodka.

My mom introduced me to it when we were visiting in Florida. The grapefruit and rose flavor is so refreshing! It makes an awesome Salty Dog, or it’s great with just club soda and a lime. I thought the flavors might work well with the elderflower and champagne and I was so right! Yum, the Mr. kept stealing this one out of my hand even though he proclaimed it a “girly drink.” It does have a touch of sweetness to it, which makes it perfect for a fun girls night or a cute cocktail for valentines day. It would make a great signature drink for a bridal shower too!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Save Print

Grapefruit Rose Elderflower Martini

Recipe type: cocktail

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

3 ounces of Ketel One Grapefruit and Rose vodka
1 ounce of elderflower liquer
champagne to taste
optional grapefruit garnish

Instructions

Put ice, vodka, and elderflower liquer in a cocktail shaker and shake until cold. Pour into a martini glass and top with champagne. Add a slice of grapefruit for garnish.

Happy Weekend!! You can check out my other favorite cocktail recipes here and here.

February 12, 2020 By Kelly 17 Comments

Parent’s Kitchen Update

Thanks for all the fun feedback on my parent’s kitchen last week (if you missed that post read it here)! The painter has been there the last few days and I couldn’t wait to share a quick update with you all. I hope you don’t mind these shorter iPhone shot updates of projects lately. I promise pretty completed room photos are coming! I just thought you might like to see the mess along the way.

My mom ended up choosing the Revere Pewter color and I’m so glad she did. Obviously, everything is still covered and a mess, but you can already tell how bright and fresh it’s going to be. Also, excuse the funny lighting in these photos. All of the blinds were down when I quick snapped these and I was trying to stay out of the painter’s way.

Here’s the yellow toned/antique glazed before again –

and the progress shot!

It will never cease to amaze me how a coat of paint can entirely change a space. Her kitchen instantly feels updated!

She is also having the walls painted Natural Choice by Sherwin Williams (you can see a peek of it above). Their living room in Florida is painted the same color and it’s so pretty. You can check it out here (the before and afters on that one are fun too!) Several of the walls were affected with the water damage so this was a good time to update that too.

We’ve picked out some simple matte black hardware to go with the updated paint color as well. We are also throwing around the idea of adding a backsplash in a few spots too.

We are still a few weeks out on the new floors going in, but I am itching to get in there and style her glass cabinets and the rest of her kitchen as well.

Also, I realize I’ve left you all hanging on my son’s bathroom! I’m just waiting on the wall art that I ordered to arrive and I will share (hopefully) next week? Cross your fingers my UPS guy doesn’t let me down, because I’m so excited to see what you all think. I’ve never had every single comment on a post be in agreement like I did on that one. 100 percent of you thought I should paint the walls light…and I then 100 percent painted them a deep Navy – haha! With any luck, once you see it all pulled together, you won’t still think I’m nuts ;) – stay tuned!

Navy Island White Kitchen

Good Books I’m Reading

5 Tips to Get Your kids to Read

Neutral Lake House Family Room

Friday Feels – Books, Trees, Beauty Products

Navy and Gray Nautical Boy Bathroom

Putty Colored Cabinets and Cabinet Painting Tips

Where to eat and stay in Detroit

Grapefruit Rose Elderflower Martini

Parent’s Kitchen Update

Have The Lily Pad Cottage delivered right to your inbox

C'mon you know you want to...