kitchen

Yep, getting settled in! And I’ve had a lot of people asking me, “What does your place look like?” or saying, “Send me some pics of your place!!”, so I thought I would do it in installments. I would love to show you all at once, but I’m not that good at cleaning. A little tidbit about me that you may not have known…I am very good at propping and photo styling. So if you see a beautiful picture on my blog, chances are there is something sitting right next to it that I cropped or moved out of the way to get the shot. For me, it’s all about making something look good, even if it’s not great. Oh, well, my secret is out…Anyway, here’s a little peek into my kitchen. I have had the cherry theme for 4 years and I was thinking I needed a change, but I have sooooo much stuff to decorate with and it’s still super cute and fun, so I am keeping it for a while longer. I would say my style is cute and kitschy and colorful. It’s unfortunate that I can’t paint, but I don’t think I would want to do that anyway…ugh, I had an unfortunate experience painting back a room on the day I was supposed to move out. I had to be out by 8 and I was there till 4 in the morning painstakingly painting my bedroom back eggshell! Yikes. Never again until I move into my own place I say!

If you hadn’t already noticed, I have a hard time just sticking to the story (yes, I’m one of those that says they have to go on the phone, but ends up talking 30 minutes more).

So onto the good stuff!

My impromptu charger for my counter made from a cake stand!

A detail of a flour sack towel my mom digitally embroidered for me.

Here’s one corner of my kitchen.

And a detail of my favorite Anne Taintor postcard along with a mini cherry plate filled with faux cherries I purchased from an artist at the Woodland Art Fair in Lexington a few years back.

And here’s my pretty cookbooks. Too bad I rarely use them.

Here’s a closeup of some embroidered prints my mom made me. She painted the frames to match just for my cherry-themed kitchen.

And here’s a look into my fridge décor. I love Elvis, but many of these were actually gifted to me. I don’t make a point of collecting them or anything, but I still like them.

And here’s some of my favorite kitchen things….

Colorful tin bowls. I love colored metal! I’m just not sure I would want to drink from the colored tin cups!

Plastic baskets and ketchup and mustard squeezers.

My new & colorful hobnail reproduction glasses from Pier 1. A Christmas gift from a friend.

And my Andy Warhol Campbell soup dinnerware and glassware that I just love.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour. I plan on sharing some more photos of my place in the next couple of weeks.

Until next time Swellions!!!

Alexa

I decided to make some sweet tea tonight and I pulled out my tried and true orange/red Tupperware pitcher. Somewhere through the years, this pitcher was passed down to me, probably switched out for a nicer, newer version. This pitcher is probably as old as me and has always been used for sweet tea and kool-aid. I vaguely recall a couple of tupperware parties as a child and I still love opening up my grandmother’s cabinet to reveal tupperware lids in graduated sizes hanging from a special tupperware lid holder (they matched her colorful assortment of nested plastic Tupperware). Nothing really much beats this. The only thing I can possibly think that would come close would be this. I can’t ever see myself giving this pitcher away.

I started to look in my kitchen for other items I remember from childhood that were passed down. Most of those items are long gone, but I do have a few. One of my favorite kitchen sets is my silverware. My mom gave me her old set and told me that she was given it as a wedding present in the late 60’s. I love how classic and modern it still looks and I still get compliments and questions on where I got it. I also have a lot of it. She must have gotten like 20 sets, so I guess I will never run out!

This was a piece of a pot and pan set from the 80’s that I still have 3 pieces of. I can’t really say that I love it or find it pretty. It’s more campy to me now, but it is something I remember making hot dogs and chili in a log (I can thank my dad for making me that one and yes it was that bad!) back in the day.

These blue sundae glasses belonged to my biological mom who passed away when I was little. Several people have told me how much she loved them and I’m glad that it is something I still have. I have yet to use them for anything, though, and I feel like I really should at some point. They would be so sweet to use for a summer sundae bar. And if I had one of those, you better believe I would bring out the works…whip cream, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, all kinds of sauces. Just like the way I used to love to make them at Ponderosa! If that is the case, then I better add in gummy bears for good measure.

The only other kitchen dinnerware that I wish I had a few pieces of (I’m pretty sure my mom would give me some if I asked) were these Corelle avocado green lined floral plates…

Actually, I ripped this image from Apartment Therapy and they had a great post on them that you should check out! Check it out here. I’m pretty confident if you are a 70’s or 80’s child like me you dined on these at one point or another.

Until next time Swellions. Have a happy, happy hump day!

The Swell Designer

Random musings of a crazy, crafty, pop culture-obsessed girl!

The Swell Life Kitchen

The Nostalgic Kitchen