paneled ceiling

I would LOVE to do this...

to our ceiling in the kitchen and dining area.

Mark and I were one week from signing papers on the house. Things were going smoothly...we had all our moving arrangements planned. Part of the contract on the house was that the previous owner has to put a new roof on the house. Which was great for us! Being that our house is 40 years old and in Florida (were everything is built right on the cement slab) any re-piping is done so in the attic. Well....while re-roofing, a pipe was hit. Leaving our already old and ugly kitchen looking like this:We were within a week from closing! We were so upset...and almost walked away from the house. But that little nail allowed us to completely start over. Something that we wouldn't have been able to do for a few years. The kitchen was a hideous sight...but I had a vision...

There are still so many little things I'd love to do to the kitchen. The thing that bothers me the most about our kitchen is the ceiling. It is far from perfect. The texture isn't consistent. I can still see where the big gaping hole was. So...I've been thinking...

I love how the white paneled ceilings look. They really give a space the cottage flavor and comfort. I would just be tickled PINK if I could cover up our bumpy ceiling. The kitchen and dining room is one large, LONG room. The groves of the paneling would make the width of the room seem more balanced with the length. I'd also like to install more recessed lighting....cutting more holes into the ceiling before the re-do.

Here are few more pics for inspiration...

Don't you just love the idea? I do!

St. Simons Island

Yesterday we drove to St. Simon's Island, GA for the day. We started driving north intending to go to Savannah, but decided to turn off early. (an hour early...Savannah is 2 hours from our house) St. Simon's Island was such pleasant little surprise! It has such a quaint little village with shops and restaurants. Beautiful homes and gardens! I told Mark that I wanted to move there! I guess I'll have to settle for an overnight trip.

my 'timeout' corner

the kitchen corner: before....


the kitchen corner: a work in progress!

The more progress I make on it, the more I like it! First we had a bench built into the corner. It was a very lonely little bench for a while, but I'm starting to pull things together. The light fixture was found at Lowe's. I fell in love with it at first sight. I ♥ shabby chic! I found the *awesome* fabric at Joann's. It has all my favorite colors! ;) black, brown & beige! Next I'm going to attempt to make pillows. This has been a slow project...but thought I'd share my progress so far!

What should I do with the big bare walls???
an arrangement of plates?
an old distressed window?
shelving for plates & bowls?