Boxes ................. progress on the Summer Kitchen.

Progress continues on the Summer Kitchen. 

When we first started this project, a dear customer said to us ......... Why don't you just go buy a garage kit?  Before the words left her mouth, she said ... Oh, I know.  You don't do simple.

And we don't.

Obviously, Honey and I were a good match.  We are quirky and odd and willingly to take a plunge and do something completely out of the box.  In fact ... I'm not too sure if either of us has really seen the box

But being outside the box ... as they say... has its drawbacks.

You think.  And you think.  And you think some more.  And instead of a straight roof, you build a roof like this swoooopy thing. (Swoooopy is a word.  Remember the song ... Hang on Swoooopy.  Swoooopy hang on.  Oh ... not so much???)

Can you see the dip in the roof line?  You don't get that in a Garage-in-a-box package.  So it takes time. And lots of calculating.  And lots of restless nights.  And a lot of thinking.

And then, there is my part.  The interior.  That's about finding the right stuff.  OK -- I can always find the right stuff.  Its just not always at the right price point.  Which has to be low.  Cuz I wanted a swoooopy roof.

An old box, a wobbly chair and a funnel.  Soon to be a cute little chair, a display case and a light fixture.

You see a rusty box with a very worn sink................

I see a pale green sink base with a charming worn sink.

I want to see the colors of the land around us.  Blue walls, yellow floors, cream trim and green accents.  All in a tiny Victorian-like shop with a swoooopy roof.

I envision the Summer Kitchen as a trip into grandma's attic.  Maybe some rust... maybe some fresh paint.  A little lace edging and some oil cloth.  A vintage rug and a painted chair.  Some chipped china and a wrinkled thread-bare tablecloth.

So I search .... and I search.  I search for printed tablecloths and vintage dishes.  I go through stacks of linens, looking for hankies.  I scrape paint .... and I polish brass.  I'll  turn a window screen into a drying rack and a bassinet into a flower display. I'll sew cushions this winter and edge shelves with yards of vintage crocheted lace..... all of it un-matched.  I'll go to the thrift stores, searching for the perfect baskets and wooden boxes.  And I'll dig through the antique shops and flea markets to find a hat rack.

We will be stocking the Summer Kitchen later this season. But I know it won't be close to being done until next spring. 

Cuz when you live outside the box .... it takes a while to make ideas come to life.