I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few months about the state of this little blog of mine. I don’t even know how many of you are still coming regularly as daily readers or if most of you are popping in from another site and then leaving. It seems that blogging is evolving and either way, whatever way you are here…I want to thank you for your continued support.
I feel like I have pulled away a bit personally on here and in large part it has been due to some personal struggles which I have been dealing with over the last year. This last year has been a doozy and I am ready to put it behind me.
But, as far as the blog goes, I have decided that I need to interject myself back into my site more and involve you more with some of the behind the scenes and our family life. I realize that blogs show the prettiest pictures with scenes that have been carefully staged.
I feel like there may be some of you interested in HOW I come up with creating a design to go in my home or how I go about working on a design or a creation. Are there any of you who may be interested in this? I realize this puts me in a more vulnerable position as you see things in real time.
So…with that said, I would like to share how we built a kitchen hutch for displaying dishes. We recently remodeled our kitchen last year and I just shared how we added wood planks to our ceiling. The reason I have not shared anymore is because the kitchen is still not completely finished. Five kids, work schedules and family life has a way of making it hard to find time to get everything finished…but we are getting really close. I thought I would share more of the step-by-step process.
I tend to always get these ideas in my head of how I want something to look. I first started visualizing a dish hutch in my kitchen when I spotted this picture. I LOVED the idea of having white dishes displayed in a white hutch. I am obsessed with white lately!
(image source: Hooked on Houses)
So I drew up a plan to build a hutch knowing I couldn’t fork over the dough to purchase the one I really wanted…like this one from Restoration Hardware. I also have a fairly small area in my kitchen where it would go and we needed it to fit some specific dimensions so that we could fit it next to our table in the dining area we have. We also are able to fit it to our specific needs and tastes.
Since we could no longer find this particular image on the RH website anymore, we could not get the specific dimensions which we could use to plan our own. So my math whiz of a husband, Mr. Idea Room, took measures (literally) into his own hands. Don’t ask me how he figured it out, but he came up with a proportional design.
Then with a basic drawing and some measurements, we head to our local hardware store and spend some time looking at what is available and picking out the type of wood and molding pieces we will need to give us a look as close to what we are picturing in our heads.
Sometimes this involves a lot of discussion that we must carry out while sitting in the molding aisle. Yep! Pretty classy right?! Because sometimes we think we both have the SAME idea in our head only to find out we don’t. The employees know us well and often help us in our planning sessions. Ha ha!
Sometimes they will even cut our plywood in nice straight lines for us so we have perfect cuts to make sides and shelves for our hutch. Thanks Nathan! This was part of our Friday date night.
Then first thing Saturday morning we get started. Lots of cutting wood, gluing and measuring and measuring again.
And here you can see where we usually work on our projects…right in the garage where my car is supposed to go. We actually have TWO separate projects happening right now. One project is our kitchen table that is almost done (which is a miracle in and of itself considering we started it last November)!!! The other is the beginnings of the kitchen hutch.
We built the bulk of it in about 7 hours on Saturday. This included the time it takes for the glue to dry and set before being able to move on the next portions.
Since we do have 5 kids, we usually are working while trying to keep the kids entertained and out of trouble. So we have encouraged them to work right along side us. We have a big box of scrap wood that the kids are allowed to use for their own projects.
They have built boats, stools, “creative thingys” and so forth. This particular day the two girls decided to build a doll house for their La La Loopsy Dolls. We cut all the wood for them if they want the wood to be a certain size but they do all the hammering of nails, wood glue, screws and painting themselves.
But, the kids are not always this entertained with building. Sometimes they build a big huge fort in the house or play outside in the sprinklers…and I always have a big mess to “help” them clean up afterwards.
Then this past Wednesday, we had a state holiday. My husband had the day off from work so we decided to spend the first half of the day finishing up the hutch and more of the kitchen table. We had to just some finish work and then the sanding and painting. I think this picture my daughter took of me painting is pretty hilarious. I had no idea he was back there relaxing while I was slaving away :)…figures (hehe)!
I can’t wait to share the final picture. Oh…and we might have accidently banged the top on the door when we were carrying this beast into the kitchen…so a minor repair must be made before she is ready to show…oopsie!
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Andy says
I don’t actually drop by as such I subscribe via your RSS feed, but I LOVE reading your blog, keep it going because it’s really great.
Amy says
Thanks so much Andy! So glad to hear that. I don’t have plans to quit as of yet. I really appreciate your support.
I love this post! Seeing each step of the way and how you actually begin the process is great! I come to your blog daily as a subscriber. I hope to see more posts like this!
Thanks so much Donna! I am hoping to involve you guys more with the behind the scenes. I appreciate your daily visits! That means a lot to hear!
I popped over from FB. Love the hutch. Magnificent job!! And I particularly love the doll house the girls made. I think they did a fantastic job! I loved my Barbies and dollhouse when I was their age. My Dad made a beautiful one we still have. :)
Thanks for stopping on over Michele! My girls have really enjoyed it at well. They have now added some “wallpaper” by drawing flowers on the wall! I love that your Dad made you a dollhouse. I always wished I had a nice one to play with!
Love the behind the scenes look!
Thanks Elisa! Hoping I am able to do more from here on out!
I subscribe by email and stop by most days when I see a new post. I wish I was this handy. Tools and power saws are not my thing. I keep thinking I should take a class to learn a few things.
I know here locally you can take classes at the local high school and use their tools and wood shop. I do really enjoy working with wood and luckily have a very handy husband! Thanks so much for following along!
I follow with bloglovin’ – wow – what a huge project , both a table and hutch – kudos to you for taking on this along with life and five kids!! I think you should win an award just for having the stamina to do all that!
I can’t wait to see it in the room!
ha! Sometimes “I” tend to bite off a bit more than I can chew…which is why the table and kitchen have taken so long to finish up. Thanks so much for the fun comment! Me either! Can’t wait to fill it with dishes!
All I can say is WOW….I want one! Gorgeous piece….I love that it is not too deep…Love the design. I agree that blogging is changing a bit too….I am in my third year. I don’t remember the last time readers went “crazy” over a project…I am hoping folks continue to read…:) Great job Amy!
Thanks so much Tracie! You are the sweetest. We had to go pretty thin due to space issues. The whole blogging world has totally changed. You know I always enjoy when I stop by your site! xo
I love your blog. I’ve been very busy myself with 4 kid and going to back to school so I haven’t been able to read it much lately. But when I am able to take time to sit and read I really enjoy your blog. I loved this post and love the behind the scenes aspect. The picture of you painting and the girls’ doll house ate just too cute.
I totally can relate to that! Thanks for stopping in when you can. Congrats to you for going back to school. I can’t even imagine how difficult that would be and to keep up with the work and all the family too!
Hey there! I think it’s a great idea to share your behind the scenes project parts. I, for one, totally don’t believe that bloggers home are always kept neat and tidy and sometimes it’s just nice to see someone keepin it real! =]
So true! I think I enjoy blogging so I can actually go back and see that is how my house looked at one point…for about 30 minutes or until the kids got home :). Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Keep it up! I check in every morning on feedly. Your hutch is inspiring! I haven’t been able to find the perfect piece at the right price. This might be a project for us!
Oh! That would be fun if you made one! I will be sharing the plans as soon as I can get to it. It should be an involved post though! ;)
I would LIVE to see the plans & how you actually put it altogether, especially how you built the drawers. I want to build something custom & similar to the bottom half, but the drawers scare me! :)
Love! Not live. ;) Maybe it was a Freudian slip since I’m dying to see the instructions. :D
Thank you Jill! Well…here is the secret! The drawers are just drawer fronts…not real doors. We didn’t want to bother with the hassle of building drawers as we had enough storage in our kitchen anyways. So they are just faux fronts! Drawers scare me too! LOL
I love behind the scenes posts and seeing real life. Your hutch is going to be beautiful!
Thanks Robyn!
I have not stopped by as much as I did before, but I recently added you onto my Bloglovin MUST READ folder so I don’t miss reading you anymore. I just recently started blogging a little less than a year ago, but I wanted you to know that you were one of the first bloggers I came across years ago, and one of my inspirations to start my own blog. BTW, we did a Farmhouse Table back in April, they are very time consuming!! Love the little doll houses the girls made. So awesome!
Aw! Thanks Jen! I appreciate that. Hopefully I can keep it interesting :)! I am so happy to hear that! I would love to see a pic of your Farmhouse Table. They are time consuming and the sanding was a bit much :) Heading over to your site to check it out!
It looks awesome – hope you post your plans
I plan too! It will be a long post…ha! So it might take me a bit to get it written!
Having you show your creative process is so inspiring! I’m looking forward to installing built ins on either side of my fireplace, (much like the white built in shelf pic that was your inspiration photo, just split in half in my family room). You give me hope that we might actually be able to do it someday!
And, I just have to say, I don’t know all that you’ve been through this past year. But I feel like I can sympathize in a way. I’ve dealt with post-partum depression and am now working on getting off the extra weight I’ve been carrying since I started having kids, (I have 4 littles). Both issues have forced me to make some major changes in my life. It is so hard! But it has definitely been worth it on the other side.
So, thank you for keeping your blog real. It is the REAL blogs that inspire me. The staged pics and always perfect blogs usually make me feel that I’m held up to some impossible standard. I really appreciate the reality of creating amidst the chaos of daily life. I hope the next year is your best one yet! (And, my girls would be SO inspired by the darling LaLaLoopsy house! What a fun little project!)
I love built-ins especially on either side of the fireplace! Sounds like a great project! You CAN do it. I would LOVE to do something similar in my living room…LOL! We shall see!
So sorry to hear of your struggles. Post-partum and losing weight can be so difficult…especially when your time is consumed with taking care of the little ones. Wishing you all the best in your efforts there. I never want to pretend like everything at my house is perfect. It’s not. We ALL deal and have heartbreaks, messes and disappointments…and it is nice to know we are not alone. Hopefully by my sharing it more, we can all relate and inspire one another. Thanks so much for sharing your comment today!
Saw this post on pinterest, I love it! About how much in materials did this cost to make?
It cost us about $350 to make. The cost could be a bit more or a bit less depending on which paint you use, the hardware for the 12 drawer fronts, etc. But…considering that the price for the ones we modeled it after were anywhere from $1000 to $4000…it is a pretty good deal…and a little elbow grease!
For sure! Its beautiful :)
You are my DIY hero Amy! One of my goals is to conquer my fear of power tools. This hutch is amaaaaaaazing. Just like you. :) xo
You are the sweetest. I am just very lucky to have a husband who enjoys working on projects with me. And…he is pretty handy at helping me figure out how to go about getting my idea into reality! You could totally do it! xoxo
I just found your blog and I am loving it. I have spent quite a bit of time looking around and found a few ideas for Christmas presents. I may not be here daily, but I will be here weekly!
Thanks Sharon! So happy you were able to find some ideas you were interested in! I am happy to have you stop by any time you feel you would like too. Hope you continue to find inspiration here. And thanks so much for taking the time to comment. It is always so appreciated!
Amazing! And I loooove the dollhouse! I should be a nicer mom and encourage my children to build with scraps. They would love that.
They really do enjoy it. I must admit the very first few times they started working with the tools I was a way over bearing and paranoid momma! I just knew they would smash a finger or poke an eye out on themselves or a sibling. But they have really done well and have a good respect for the tools. We have had a couple of little smashed fingers or pinches but they are learning some great skills. At least my girls won’t be afraid to get their hands dirty!
Really like your blog & seeing how things develop. Keep on going.
Thank you so much Galatina!! xo
If my husband ever gets our bed finished maybe I could convince him to help me make a hutch like this. However as we are currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor, the bed comes first! We have three kids and he has to work on the bed in my folk’s barn. We simply do not have any room here at the house to do it here. I totally understand about living in a house in transition. We did that for almost nine years. Good luck with everything
Yes! A bed is definitely a bigger priority! That must make it so much more difficult to find time to work on when you have to make the extra effort to go over to your parent’s barn. And yes…house transition can be very trying and frustrating! Good Luck with the bed! Hoping he can get to it quickly. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing that. I love hearing from my readers and learning a bit more about who you guys are!
I have been subscribing to your RSS feeds for a couple of years now. Your blog is beautiful and your projects inspiring. I hope your year gets better, you are able to finish your current projects, and you know how to find the balance you are looking for! Take care.
Thanks Alissa! I really appreciate that! It has been a bad year. But we all have them and it is part of life. Balance is always what I am striving for! haha! Bless you for your kind words and hope all is well with you and yours!
Hi Amy! I wanted to let you know that a few years ago I was searching for ideas for my daughter’s birthday party and stumbled upon your blog. The Idea Room was the first blog I had ever seen~didn’t know blogs existed until then! I love your blog and have gathered many ideas from you. In fact, I made your rainbow cake for her birthday! Just wanted to offer some encouragement. You are appreciated!!
Thanks so much Jennifer! I am so happy to hear that. It is nice to know that there are actually people who are using the ideas I share in their own homes with their own families. That is truly my inspiration for sharing. So thank you for taking the time to let me know. I hope you continue to follow along and find inspiration here.
I want you to know that I love your blog. This summer ha been crazy so I don’t always get to comment, but I always read your blog and am inspired! I love knowing the how everything comes together, I’m in awe over your kids creativeness, but I shouldn’t be since their mother is so creative! I can’t wait to see the finished hutch!
I started following using Google reader and now I’m using Feedly.
I have no skills or artistic ability so it’s fun to watch what you do. Thanks for sharing
I LOVE real time post! It makes me realize bloggers are human! lol
I follow you through Bloglovin so when you update I pop back in! Dont get overwhelmed by the blogs that post daily and move at the speed of light…I personally like slower moving blogs myself because it is more like my life! A project can take forever in my house too so I hope you stick around and update as you have time. I know I will be here :)
Thanks so much Rebecca for your support! I will be sticking around as long as possible :)
I love the process pictures. LOVE that dollhouse the girls made…love your hubs sitting on the floor at lowe’s and eating the popsicle;)
haha! In my hubs defense…he was working really hard all day!
Your Hutch is fabulous! and I love this behind the scene post! What kind of wood is that? oh btw I follow your blog with feedly.
The wood is a mixture depending on what area of the hutch. We used some plywood, pine and some pine boards for the front panels of the hutch. I will be sharing the specifics in the upcoming tutorial.
I am so jealous when I see you accomplishing such wonderful things!
Love the blog. I hope you can keep at it!
Don’t be jealous! It is a lot of hard work but is so rewarding in the end. Thanks so much! Hoping to keep it going as long as possible!
Love love love your hutch! I hope we can build our own someday. Also would love to know how your biult your table. We just bought a second hand pedestal table that I am very excited to paint (I want it to look a bit like the one in your inspiration photo). We tried to fix up a composite wood hutch (yikes) so that one will probably only last us three years at the most.
Can’t wait to see more of your creations and lovely home.
I will for sure share how we built it…but it is going to take a while before I can get to that tutorial LOL! Your table sounds nice. I love pedestal tables…we just have too many people ;). Thanks so much Christine!
Amy, I have been reading your blog for years! I must say I like the posts that are “real” life…….not so stagey. Blogs that are too “perfect” have no appeal to me. There are many blogs that I no longer follow, because frankly they are too fake. I am a real person, with real struggles. I like to see how others overcome and become better! Thanks for all the inspiration over the years! Keep it up! Love the behind scene photos.
I just LOVE your hutch. I’m hoping one of these days we might be able to do a built-in hutch in our dining room. Right now we’ve just got our table in there, which I want to sell & build my own “farmhouse” table…so many ideas, so little money, LOL!
I love your site! I don’t mind if bloggers don’t share their personal lives, but those posts are often my favorites because then I feel like I “know” them! Your blog is great. I love that hutch and can’t wait to see it all finished and in place. :)
Thanks Laura! I agree! I personally love to read about my favorite bloggers personal lives too. I guess I need to remember to keep that in mind about myself as well especially when I think my life is fairly boring and uninteresting :)
Love the hutch- I am a new reader. will be popping over as I see new feeds from email. Love the pic daughter took of you painting and dad eating!
Thanks so much Rita! Happy to have you with us!
Really love your site! Have you uploaded plans for the hutch and I am just not able to find on your site. Thank You.
Thank you Jennifer! I actually have not shared that yet. haha! It is going to be a lengthy tutorial and I have been trying to get the “energy” up to get it written. I am really hoping to have it up within the month!
I have loved this hutch for so long and have been waiting for the tutorial. I hope it’s coming soon?!
Oh man!! You have been waiting so patiently!! It’s a doosy! Hoping to get it together and share it for you soon! So sorry about that!!
That is really stunning. I think it could be really great with a repurposed old TV cabinette too. You could cut down the profile to fit your space.
Thank you! You are right! I think that is a great idea!!
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! :) I really want to build a hutch like this (but with cabinet bottoms, not drawers) to be a joint bookshelf and board game storage for our living room. This makes it actually look do-able! Is it too prying to ask about how much supplies cost you to build this?