I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Early Summer Kitchen, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

 
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
 
Today, I will be sharing how my Kitchen has been decorated since I took down the Easter decorations, returning it to "normal" so to speak....

Meaning there are no Holiday decorations in the Kitchen and won't be until it is decorated for Fall/Halloween in September.....
 
 
And now for a few Personal Notes...
 

I haven't really done too much this week as I was bit under the weather form an IBS attack which always occurs when  I eat a lot of food that I am not used to eating......

Thanks to July 4th weekend......

And the humidity and heat have been through the roof, keeping me pretty much stuck in the house.....

The one good thing is that I started my 9th, (yes you are reading that right) Sue Grafton Book since May......


I have this one and one other one which will make it 12 books that I have read in her Series from A to Y.....

Unfortunately, she passed away before she could finish Z.......

And I am not even falling asleep while reading.....

I guess after 2 years of not working, I finally mastered that!!!!



I was going to split this post up into 2 posts but I decided not to because I don't really change up this decor that much from year to year and I do not want to bore you.....

So grab a cup of something good to drink and take a comfy seat because this is going to be a long one.....

Before I start, I thought I would share a few before and after pictures of the transformation that this Kitchen has gone through over the last 43 years.....

1978


Now


1978


Late 1980's after I painted the cabinets "almond"


Now after the second time I painted them white....



1978

 
 
 Late 1980's
 

 
 Now
 

 1975
 
 
 
 Late 1980's
 
 
 
 Now
 

And this is where we will start.....

If you have visited my Blog before, you know I call this the focal wall in my Kitchen......


It serves no purpose, other than to be decorated!!


The color theme for my Kitchen is red and yellow and the style..........


Well, it used to be called Country Victorian with a bit of French Country as I have a lot of hens and roosters and a lot of Vintage or vintage looking items thrown in......

I decorate with things I love and with things that mean something to me, even in the Kitchen.......

The vintage styled phone, which actually would work if I had that phone jack behind it hooked up, was my neighbor Elly's.....


The red shelves were made by my Dad for me from scrap lumber he had in his stash .....


And the grinder, though not my parent's which was too large to hook on the shelf, reminds me of helping my Dad make kielbasi as a child and also helping my Mom make nut roll for the Holidays.....


The Tree in this corner that I decorate for the Holidays from September until after Easter has been replaced with this vintage yellow milk can filled with yellow and red roses and a lighted LED branch.......


Just a simple message on the chalk board for the Summer......


The milk bottles, which I painted, are from a local Dairy that is still functioning and has a store where milk, ice cream and many other things are sold.....



I think this hutch was one of the first furniture transformations that I did......


I bought the top part at our church Flea Market for $5 and 2 weeks later found the desk at a yard sale for $10.....


I married them together, painted and replaced drawer knobs and ended up with the Kitchen hutch I always wanted......



The pictures on the wall are Home Interiors pictures......

Many of the items that I used to decorate inside the hutch were bought at yard sales, flea markets, estate sales and gifted to me















I like to decorate the desk area for different Holidays and Seasons....


For the Summer, even though I do not care for them, I am reminded of Strawberries......



The tea and toast sets and tea pot were bought at The Christmas Tree Shop a long time ago.....


The red and white checked place mat is part of my theme for the Summer in the Kitchen because red and white checked linens remind me of Summer Picnic's......
 
 
 The vintage mashers were my neighbor Elly's.....
 
 
 After watching the series on the History Channel, "Foods that Built America", I found it interesting that Campbell's originally did not sell soup until much later after the company was formed......
 
 

I had this reproduction of one of their early product tins.....


 Faux goodies are perfect for a Summer Teascape......
 
 
 
 
 
A vintage white hobnail milk glass hurricane lamp that I placed in a vintage yellow Fiestaware bowl with a candle ring......
 


The vintage Strawberry Tray was 25 cents at a yard sale.....


Underneath the desk area.....





Vintage Mason Jars and a metal picnic basket.....


On the other side of the hutch....

 
 
 
 A vintage apron hanging on the side of the hutch......
 
 
 
 On another shelf that my Dad made for me.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Planters Peanuts was founded right here in Wilkes Barre, Pa.!!!!
 
 
 
 The vintage sifter was my Mother's.....
 
 
 
Out Great Nieces gifted these to Joe one Christmas!!

 
 
 
I bought this at a gift shop.....
 


Above the door to go out into the Den, where our back door used to be......
 
 
 
 
 Vintage Rooster and Hen, vasoline glass goblets and I also got out my old Reproduction Coca Cola Tray for the Summer.....

 
 
 
On the side of the cabinets and stove.....
 

I collected copper molds many years ago and now they are back "In Style"......


Who knew??????

About 38 years ago I had my Dad cut out the centers of the cabinets above the stove and refrigerator and I spray painted the frosted plastic panels that you use for lighting in drop ceilings with a copper spray paint, attaching them to the back of the doors with hooks used to hold mirrors on closet doors.....

I changed this Home Interiors picture which originally looked like this.....

To this by cutting up a place mat from Dollar Tree to make it look like this.....

On the side of the stove......

In the Spring, I finally hung this grater up after seeing it on Pinterest only 2-3 years prior!!!!!!

I love the you can change how it looks for different Holidays and Seasons....

A Hen rug beater and my collection of rolling pins , both new and vintage......

This Planters Peanuts container was what my Mother stored her grinder in......

I estimate that it is at least close to 70 years old because my sister had said she remembered it as a child.....

I hung this cute vintage dish towel that I bought at a church rummage sale on a magnetic curtain rod on the side of the stove......

I sewed a rod pocket on top to hang it like a curtain......

Don't you just love the " Upstairs Downstairs" house scenes?????

Vintage pot holders.......


Plaid dish towels. in red, green and yellow......


On the counter between the stove and the sink......


It seems that sign is wrong because now I do more cooking than I ever did with our son, Joey , eating here every day......

Cute red dish towels with flowers on them hung from the handles of the cabinets and "Chicken" rugs that I bought at J.C. Penney's when we remodeled our Kitchen about 10 years ago......

Since there is no window to the outside for light in our Kitchen I had this large light fixture installed and use the new modern Flourescent LED light bulbs in it.......

The light bulbs are called "Daylight" and believe me, it is nice and bright in the Kitchen when I turn this light on......



This was where our window used to be but I had my Dad remove it when he turned our back porch into another room, the Den......

 
 I still treat it as a window......

 
 

 
 
 
 The sign above the sink, originally looked like this......


I bought this sign when Red Lobster remodeled and had a sale in their parking lot.....

I bought one and so did my neighbor Elly, for $5 a piece.....

I re-did Elly's by painting it white, using black paint in the center and then gluing an enamel sign on the center....
 
 
 
Hanging underneath is the chandy that I bought at Ross for Less several years back that I spray painted red and glued a set of white demitasse cups with matching saucers to......
 
 
 I spray painted the fretwork brackets red and attached them to the corners.....
 

I made the red and white checked valance from a tablecloth that cost $3 and the chickens hanging in front of it are ornaments bought at Walmart after Christmas on Clearance......

 
 I hung a vintage mini measuring cup set and red chandy beads from it along with a bird house in the shape of a bird from the center.......
 
 
 
 On what used to be the window ledge is a set of glass shutters that I found in my neighbor Elly's attic......


I made the plaques hanging on the sides of the cabinets repurposing Valentine frames and using chicken pot holders from Dollar Tree.....
 
 

 
 
 
 Vintage egg beaters, mason jars, a vintage slat and pepper shaker set in the form of pots and a sunflower crackle glass candle holder that Joe bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond!!!
 
 
 I bought the milk bottles at Michael's and painted them white and sanded them down a bit......

 
 The red and yellow doilies also came from Michael's in the Dollar Bins......

 



In the corner.......

 
 You can see that I have a very small amount of counter space in this tiny Kitchen.......

 
 

 
 
I also changed another Home Interiors picture from this...
 
 
 
 To look like this....



 
 
 
A wire tea cup on top of a cookie jar......
 


 
 
 
The Beverage Center.....

 
 
 
 
I bought this Bottle Cap Coffee sign last year using a gift card from my son, Joey.....
 
 
 
 I always add a sprinkle of salt to the coffee grounds before brewing which is something my Dad taught me.....
 

 
 The place mat was bought at Dollar Tree.....
 
 
As I mentioned before, we have been watching and thoroughly enjoying the History Channel's Series "The Food That Built America"
 
 
 
 It is a great series that shines a spotlight on the brilliant entrepreneurs who took chances and changed how the world packages, markets and eats food up until this day.....

So paying homage to Campbell's, I decided to not only hang my Campbell's coffee mugs here but also 2 of my soup mugs......
 


 I don't have many packs of cocoa and tea bags stored here now as it is too hot for me to drink hot drinks in the Summer.....


The thing hanging from the hook on the side of the fridge is a flash light!!!

 
 
 
 The top of the refrigerator, which by the way, has caused me no further problems.....
 
 
 

 
 
 
"Fresh Eggs' on top of a vintage green mixing bowl......
 
 
The houses were bought at Michael's at 80% Clearance one year......
 
 
 
A vintage yellow enamelware tea pot has a red and yellow floral arrangement inside of it......

 
 The tea pot lamp came from The Christmas Tree Shop......

 
 

The counter bar that I designed for extra storage and had built by a friend of ours....




 
On this side of the counter bar......


A bit of a laundry theme.....


This vintage wash board was my neighbor Elly's.......


A mason jar filled with hand made clothes pins, a vintage Clorox bottle and iron.....



The shelf above the counter bar, filled with vintage and vintage style Kitchen items.....

 
 
 
 
 
 



 Hanging above the counter bar is the original Galley sign bought from Red Lobster......


 I hung a floral and a seed bag garland above it.....
 
 
 
As you saw in the pictures from 1975, this was a pass through open to the Dining Room ....

 
I wanted to block that so I made it look like a window by adding a large piece of stained glass and curtains on the Dining Room side and a white valance and shutters on this side.....


A red mercury glass candle stick with a vintage yellow fiesta ware tea cup and saucer on top,,,,


This lamp was also my neighbor Elly's....

 
A red and white plaid runner on the counter bar.....

 
 In a vintage green depression glass bowl, Snack Bars.....
 


 
 
 

Underneath the counter bar.....


Since I have little counter space, I wanted somewhere to place the microwave and not take up too much room.....

 
It fits perfect here along with storage for cutting boards and trays......

 
I made the cafe curtain out of the same tablecloth as the valances.....
 
 
 
 Behind the cafe curtain is more storage for my mixer, food chopper, recipe books and some baking pans......
 
 The shelves on the other side hold my George Foreman Grill, which I use all the time, my Hot Dog Griller and a wire basket of Take Out menu's ( yes, we still use them) and the books that came with these small appliances.... 

 
And instead of Joe storing his soda on the floor, 2 years ago, I converted this wooden crate into something he could put the soda in and pull out easily since it is on rollers.....



I decoupaged flowers cut out of the border on the seat of the stool that I bought at a yard sale for $2.00 which was already red!!!

On this side of the counter bar.......


The green peg board was also Elly's and so was the vintage chalk board.......

 
 
 
I thought this would be perfect for Summer so I drug it out of storage as several years ago, I had quite a few vintage looking Coca Cola items in the Kitchen......



A vintage apron and a ceramic mold that hung in my parent's Kitchen.....



And one more valance that I made....


And that finishes the Tour of my Kitchen decorated for Early Summer......

I thought you would like to see how it originally looked when we bought our house in 1978 compared to now.....

I finally love my Kitchen the way it looks now.....

In a week or so, I will be changing a few things in it for Late Summer......

Which I will share in a future post.....

So I hope you will stop by to visit again soon!!

Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!

Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......


I am linking up to these parties:
 
 
Posted by at

22 comments:

  1. Miss MerryJuly 11, 2021 at 9:15 AM

    Love the pictures of your original kitchen!!! We bought our house in January 1979. Both of our mothers had the Harvest Gold appliances and I wanted something more modern. We went with the Avocado, LOL. I was quite disappointed after price shopping to find that refrigerator, stove and washer dryer combo were all different shades of Avocado from different manufacturers. I vowed to return to white. Sometime in the late 80's or early 90's, the stove went out and I had to buy what was on the floor of our local appliance store that could be delivered immediately. I can't remember the proper name, but it was a cream color - not white which haunted me again. When we remodeled 12 years ago, I ended up going with black appliances LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NinaJuly 11, 2021 at 4:46 PM

    Girl…your kitchen has always looked neat, orderly, cozy, and CLEAN! How did you manage to keep that way while you were a working mum??? You know that you are my muse for whatever I do at our house, right? ESPECIALLY as our house was built in the late 1970s, as was yours…

    Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing your home with us…and for providing inspiration!

    xoxo,
    Nina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 12, 2021 at 7:30 AM

      Nina,
      I laughed when I saw the "clean"!! I know you saw my FB post about people who ask me how do I clean my house with all the "stuff'' in it! LOL!! It always amazes me when someone asks me that because i really just want to ask them were they not taught any manners when growing up!! LOL! Thanks so much for stopping by again and for your kind words which always mean so much to me!! Have a good week, my friend!!
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
    2. NinaJuly 12, 2021 at 2:21 PM

      Yes I saw the comment on FB…and like you I wondered about peoples’ manners…

      However your home has ALWAYS looked clean to me…no matter which picture you showed us (here and FB). Actually your home reminds me of a seaside B&B…

      Just speaking’ the truth.

      xoxo,
      Nina

      Delete
    3. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 16, 2021 at 8:13 PM

      Nina,
      Thanks so much for your sweet comment about my home being clean and that you think my home reminds you of a Seaside B&B..That touched my heart...I hope you have a great weekend!!
      Hugs,
      Debbie

      Delete
  3. DebbyJuly 11, 2021 at 6:23 PM

    Wow you have a lot of stuff I would love to have. I especially liked the canister set. I also like the teal green bowl with the vintage baking/cooking utensils. And no greasy dust on them either! Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Niky | The House on SilveradoJuly 11, 2021 at 6:44 PM

    I never get tired of a tour of your home and seeing all your "pretties". Thanks for sharing!
    Niky @ The House on Silverado

    ReplyDelete
  5. Heirloom treasuresJuly 11, 2021 at 7:08 PM

    wow Deb what an awesome collection. I’ve just got back into red,such a warm colour
    thank you for your kind words on my blog,we so miss our little fur baby. We do have grand fury ones though which helps with the loss. We too won’t be getting any more as it’s too heart wrenching to lose them.
    Have a nice day,we are so cold here at the moment.
    Xx Jeanette ann

    ReplyDelete
  6. Denise/My Home of All SeasonsJuly 11, 2021 at 7:10 PM

    Love your kitchen Deb! No matter what season you're decorated for it always looks so warm and cozy. The kind of place you can sit for hours, drink coffee with a friend, and solve the problems of the world. It was fun to see the changes you've made over the years. Your creativity always amazes me. I have so many of the old Home Interior pictures too but I've never thought to update them. As always, a visit to your house gives me so many ideas! Thanks for the inspiration. Have a wonderful week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Melisa- pinkernpunkinquilting July 11, 2021 at 10:24 PM

    Debbie it was a treat and a delight to visit your kitchen today. I felt like I was in my dream kitchen with all the vintage treasures and advertising pieces. You are an amazing talent. Every time I visit , I learn something new or come away with an idea to use in my home and today I have many ideas that I want to incorporate in my kitchen. I do have a question. In your vintage milk jugs, what do you put in them to make it look like they are filled with milk? I love how you have them displayed . Thank you so much dear for inviting us into your home and sharing. Big hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MinnieJuly 12, 2021 at 1:39 AM

    I’m in love with the vintage dish towel. The upstairs downstairs scene reminded me of a Christmas card from my childhood. I loved the card so much I glued it to the refrigerator. Oh boy, my dad was not so jolly that day.
    Just looking around your home full of pretties makes me happy.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Blessings to you
    Minnie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 12, 2021 at 7:37 AM

      Minnie,
      Glued it to the fridge???LOL!! My mother would have killed me!! LOL!! I loved that dish towel from the moment I saw it..Never saw anything like it and still haven't...Thanks so much for your sweet words and for always stopping by!! Have a great week!!
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
  9. AnonymousJuly 12, 2021 at 2:02 AM

    How great to see how the kitchen has evolved over the years! I love the yellow milk can with the flowers and lights along with the shelves your dad made. Also, how lovely to use all those wonderful vintage items, so cozy and fun and bright! Well, I love it all actually, you’ve made a most delightful kitchen area that is so inviting and cheery. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a happy new week! xo, V

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 12, 2021 at 7:17 AM

      V.,
      I remember how thrilled I was when I bought that milk can at a yard sale for $5!!
      My Kitchen is my happy place and it is not because of cooking but after all these years, I am happy with the way it looks..I hated those dark cabinets...
      Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and comment!!Hope you have a great week!!
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
  10. Michele MorinJuly 12, 2021 at 6:48 AM

    Wow, you have been flying through your reading! Hope you get feeling better soon!

    ReplyDelete
  11. mamasmercantileJuly 12, 2021 at 9:14 AM

    A true feast for the eyes and so good to see the original kitchen. Like you I think of strawberries for the Summer, so it was a joy to see so many in your kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  12. ConniecrafterJuly 12, 2021 at 10:24 AM

    Wow it sure has changed over the years, you have had many fun years of shopping for goodies to feel every space you have :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Linda BakerJuly 12, 2021 at 1:53 PM

    Visiting with you in the kitchen is always such fun! There's so much to see and admire that my eyes would be going in 2 directions...;)
    Blessings, Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 16, 2021 at 8:15 PM

      Linda,
      Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment!
      I hope you have a great weekend!!
      Hugs,
      Debbie

      Delete
  14. BetsyJuly 12, 2021 at 10:54 PM

    I love the trays and those vintage cannisters. Those stoves were heavy duty then and the window to the oven was small but never got dirty in between the glass like the ones now it seems. I like that the painted white cabinets. A friend of mine collects old metal tin advertisements like for baking soda, coke etc.. and has them all over her wall. I love seeing them. Red and yellow is a nice cheery color for a kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My thrift store addictionJuly 18, 2021 at 4:00 PM

    Thanks for sharing your cute kitchen at Vintage Charm!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Donna @ Modern on MonticelloJuly 22, 2021 at 11:40 AM

    My kitchen is plain and boring next to yours. So glad you enjoy decorating all the spaces in your home and share them with us. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete

I always love to read your comments and opinions!!
I will try to respond to your comment as quickly as I can either on your Blog, through an email address or here on the posts where you commented if I cannot find any other way to contact you!!
If you are a vendor and insist upon leaving a comment with a link back to a website, it will be deleted immediately as I check my comment several times a day!!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...