I'm completely amazed at the transformation! You've done such a nice job and for so little $. You've completely nailed the look of your inspiration pic. Great job!

I am thoroughly impressed with what you've done, and on such a tiny budget. You should be so very proud of yourself!

The only suggestion I have is to maybe tie in the backsplash color wise with the other burgundy of the island, door and those wonderful plates? I'm thinking a different red from what you've already done might clash -- but then I'm no expert. I'm just sitting here jaw dropped at your creativity.

I've been divorced and in the 13 years before I remarried I amazed myself at what I could do because I had to. It gave me the strength to get through the not so good times that everyone feels at the end of a relationship. Based on what I see, you are well on your way to recovery! You have done such a great job and the change is amazing. Good luck to you!

Wow. You have accomplished something amazing! I cannot wait to see the new backsplash, painted or otherwise. That will be the cherry on the cake!

What an amazing transformation! I am in awe that you did all that under $1000! Major kudos to you! I am looking forward to seeing your photos after you finish your back splash! Really wonderful work!

OOPS! I wanted to add that I thought that incorporating the accent tiles you used on your island into your backsplash would be stunning--well, if the paint thing doesn't work out for you.

Have fun!

Great job! Beautiful result. I especially love the transformation of the island.

wow - just wow!you did awesome! love that island top - gorgeous! won't find one of those in your neighbor's kitchen either.

can't wait to see it when backsplash is done - hope it is soon!
well... go ahead and rest a bit tho! lol!

Wow! Great job! I'm impressed! I really like the smoke color in the cabinets- very creative!

ohliza,

Your ingenuity and creative talent blow me away. I am
simply astounded that during a difficult time in your life
with pain you were able to express yourself artistically
and design a striking place. What a wonderful way to turn
negative times into a magnificent kitchen. Add to this
you had no money. A budget of $40 dollars!
How many women would give up in your shoes, crawl away and
cried? But you prevailed. With an uphill struggle, time
and what I can only imagine was determination you
produced a stunning kitchen that is all you. If that
photo is of your daughter you have given her a impressive
gift. A realization that she can do it alone that she
need not rely on another. That when times are tough she
too can be strong like mom ( or even if you are auntie).

Thanks for showing how great women can be through
your gorgeous kitchen!
~boxerpups

Truly amazing!! You are so artistic and creative. Your talent shines through. You have to be so proud of yourself and your new kitchen. You have a lot of spunk to bounce back and come up with such a nice kitchen on so little $$$. Thank you so much for sharing your step by step procedure. I found it facinating going through your photos. I look forward to seeing your backsplash when you get to it. Could I suggest that for starters you just paint the blue parts red, then see how it looks before painting the whole thing. If and when you need to replace the backsplash tiles, I agree with Shelayne that the same accent that you used in the island countertops would look stunning as an accent in the backsplash.
Congrats on a job well done.

AWESOME! I'm actually proud of you! I raised my boys alone (well... from the time they were 3 and 7) and bought/moved into a couple of homes along the way. I learned to repair and replace things I never knew I could do. Dug up and repaired sprinkler systems, electrial outlets, tile work. Now I admit that the jobs may have been jerry-rigged but they worked. Each time I felt empowered. When my sprinkler systems was recently leaking my DH (now) dug it up and said, "what is going on here? It looks like a kid built this with a bunch of Lincoln Logs and duck tape". There were elbows, angles, and connectors everywhere (and yes, there was duck tape)... but it did work for awhile. You did a FABULOUS job. I LOVE the color you painted your cabs. I'm confident the backsplash will look great no matter what you choose to do.

WOW. That's all I can say is WOW. You've actually inspired me in that I probably dont NEED to spend as much money as I am on my kitchen remodel.
And, yes, everything that boxerpups said, I totally agree. I dont know if I could be as strong as you are. If that was your daughter in the one picture, she has a wonderful role model in a mom.

What an inspiration! There are many beautiful kitchens on this board. The more I read, the more I start feeling like I need tens of thousands to achieve the look I want. Thanks for keeping it real. Great job.

Ohliza;

What a fabulous transformation -- such creativity and perseverance! I love what you've done - the cabinets look new with the treatment you gave them -- The transformation of the island . . . the countertop . . . unbelievable!

I agree w/Bellcrest about the backsplash: you might want to consider just doing the blue tiles red:

A few months ago on HGTV, one of the designers (the guy who does the "rate my space" transformations) used red tiles as a backsplash -- he used them up the walls, so really overdid it -- but let me see if I can find that link later on. May give you an idea of how an all red splash would look.

KUDOS. Truly one of the best transformations I've seen . . .

Single moms rock and so do you! I was a single mom of a three year old and an old house. I remember the first time I tried to paint, what a disaster! I got better but nothing like you have done. I LOVE your choice on the island, it says look at me world I am a survivor! What a great role model you are to your daughter. Beautiful transformation.

Well I think you should stand up and pat yourself on the back -what a fantastic job you've done! There's such amazing satisfaction that comes from doing work yourself on a limited budget. Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!!

My heart swells up with pride for you. It shows stregnth which many women and mothers can relate to because of different challenges we face in life. Like the others said, it is a great role model to your children.
Your kitchen remodel is such a symbol of your stregnth and personality! I kept thinking how the kitchen was bland and is now full of personality and life! Remarkable how you transformed that white kitchen to a space very much like your inspiration photo. Congratulations!

You are an amazingly resilient and talented woman with a great eye for design and color to boot. What a fantastic job you did on a non-existent budget. The transformation is amazing. What a great role model you are for your children. I went through a divorce when my girls were 6 and 18 months old. I didn't remarry until they were in their late teens. I can relate to so much of what you say and what you are going through. You've accomplished so much and are an inspiration to others! Be proud of yourself.

I love what you did to your kitchen! What a great way to give a kitchen that already had good bones a face lift. I loved looking through all the pictures and reading your descriptions of what was going on. I actually kept looking at the number I was on to see if I was getting close to the end (I didn't want it to end!).

What is that plastic that sticks to everything that you used to paint the knobs on the vent/hood? I haven't seen that before, and I could use that when I have to paint in my kitchen.

Also, I noticed that under the display cabinet, you have tiles that are red and black on the backsplash. That looks pretty good with the colors you have chosen - did you paint them? Or is that something you could mimic? I'm just thinking that - especially if you are not replacing the floors for a while (they actually look good in the pictures, and I think they are a nice balance to the other colors in your scheme), that the lighter color backsplash would be a good balance to all the other colors. And maybe if you're feeling really creative, you could paint a design on them (sort of like your inspriation piece?) with tile paint.

Lynne

Ohliza;

Your kitchen is much more sophisticated than this one on the "Rate My Space" show -- but here is where Angelo used an all red backsplash (and went overboard on the walls) in a kitchen. May give you an idea of if you want to do all/mainly red.
You rock!

Here is a link that might be useful: red backsplash (and more)

Fabulous job! I echo all the sentiments of the previous posters. You have shown great strength and created a terrific transformation!

Wow, thanks so much everyone for the helpful comments, the suggestions, the kudos and the personal support, I really appreciate it!

"The only suggestion I have is to maybe tie in the backsplash color wise with the other burgundy of the island, door and those wonderful plates?"

That is the plan, same color.

As for painting just the blue tiles first, I'll give it a try but on my computer keeping the pattern still looked really busy against the pattern in the counter tiles. But it's easy enough to start with the blue and then add more if I want, so I will.

"I noticed that under the display cabinet, you have tiles that are red and black on the backsplash. That looks pretty good with the colors you have chosen - did you paint them"

You have a sharp eye :) Those were a trial run of both the red and the smoke color to see how they might look. Not primed or anything, just put up to see.

"red backsplash (and more)"

Wow, that IS a lot of red!

I suppose the nice thing about painting tile is that if I don't like it, I can repaint it...which is a very good thing because any change there is pretty dramatic.

Yes, that is my daughter, she is now 11, and I have a 15 year old son too. My daughter helped paint the walls and my son helped me when I needed two bodies to do something.

It was indeed a therapeutic thing for me...my DH wasn't much into changing things and would not have been supportive of this kitchen redo. Having no one saying "don't do it" or "you can't do it" emboldened me to start the project and not worry about when I might finish.

Just to say fabulous! Clearly you can do it, and did! Can't wait to see more.

PS: The plastic that i used to paint the hardware that I couldn't get off the cabinets with is "Glad Press n Seal" wrap. It sticks to everything. I used it to cover paint trays and cans between coats too.

What a great job you did, it looks beautiful! Isn't it amazing at what we can accomplish once we set our minds to it? I have no doubt your family is really proud of you and their new kitchen!!

I'm very impressed (and a bit jealous!!)

Nice work, can't wait to see what the backsplash is going to look like!!!

Thanks Liza, I will get some of that press and seal for my project.

BTW, I was in a Stonewall Kitchen store today and I saw some dishes and thought, "that would look pretty in Liza's kitchen." But then I thought - no, you wouldn't have spent that much on 1 dish (maybe 4 or 6!). It reminded me that I am also impressed with your restraint and patience!! Through my remodel, I find myself shopping for new things every day that I think I need - dish towels ('cause the old ones won't match), decorative items, a lamp, etc. Mind you - I said shopping and not buying, but I have done plenty of buying. But there is really something about waiting to find just the right thing at the right PRICE - it's so satisfying.

As for patience, you certainly have shown that in working on this project for months (I noticed your daughter's valentine - so you started in February?). I'm a working mom to 3 kids, so I know how difficult it is to find time in the evening and weekends to work on projects - I am impressed.

Lynne

Thanks so much, again. Your support is wonderful :)

I started the cabinets right after Christmas 2007. I painted the walls maybe a month before that. The pic of my daughter is one I grabbed that showed the kitchen because I didn't take any deliberate "before" pictures - I only started documenting when I was trying to choose a wash for the cabinets, then I started taking pictures all along the way.

I think I'll be getting the backsplash painting supplies tonight...