Mommy & Me

Mom and I refinished their cabinets during Spring Break. It took us way longer than I think either of us expected, but it was really fun to do with her and it makes the kitchen look so good! Her new countertops that she had wanted forever, plus the backsplash she put in, just POPs against the distressed cabinets.

(BEFORE)

My mom is very DIY; my earliest memories of childhood are of her, paint-flecked, redecorating a room, adding her touches to whatever house we were living in. Because of her special hobby, I always had the greatest rooms growing up. In California, I had a room where the wallpaper border was differently dressed rag dolls with red, blonde, and brown hair. I would always talk to them during my nap time when I was *supposed* to be sleeping.

(Sanding, peeling off icky contact paper)

In our first house in Oregon, I had a wallpaper border that had a Mickey and Minnie Mouse "Cruisin' California" theme, and that was endless fun for the imagination. To go along with these themed rooms, she also made pillows, comforter covers, and whatever else would make my room look the part. As I grew older, my tastes migrated towards more "sophisticated" things (anyone else fall victim to the sunflower trend?), but my mom would almost always be on board for a room makeover.

(primed, outside and in, which we found out later we didn't need to do! Oh well.)

Not only does my mom like to decorate and renovate her house, she likes to do it for others too. One of the running family jokes is that whenever my mom goes down to California to visit my Aunt Janice, my Uncle Mike always groans and says something to the effect of, "What wall are you going to knock down now?", because that IS what they do. Cabinet in the way? It's gone. Grab the crowbar. It's pretty hilarious.

(finished! They look so good! The finishing touches not pictured were bronze-y half-moon drawer pulls)

Even when I moved home from England at the age of 21, she fixed up my room to be a beautiful place, with paint, pictures, pillows, with little touches that made me feel like she was truly glad I was home. It was really special.


So this project was really fun just because it's kind of a "family thing" to recreate our houses and living spaces to make us feel at home. And it was great Mommy & Me quality time!