What I Did About That Kitchen Mirror
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So here’s what I came up with for the problem of that kitchen mirror over the sink. I hate it.
My signature solution is to hide things. And so that’s what I really ended up doing.
I took a bunch of photos, only to realize I hadn’t had the media card in the camera. So that problem had to be rectified.
If there had been a gun next to my chair, I might have shot myself in the foot just to make that ankle, thus the hip, stop aching.
So once I figured out that I had no images to download, I had to go back into the kitchen and start over again.
Adjustments Will Be Necessary:
There will have to be some adjustments because I didn’t get the hook high enough with the adhesion tape, and you can see it beneath the valance.
I tried so hard to get the adhesive hooks in the right place, which I’ll admit was not an easy task. When you’re on the second or third step of the step ladder leaning over the sink, you’re not seeing things as you’d see them from floor level.
That will have to be a job for another day. I’m worn out from this project.
To get the adhesion hook to be affixed well, you must wait at least 12 hours after adhering it to a surface before hanging something from it.
The adhesive hooks need to be higher up on the mirror, so I’ll need to deal with that.
I told you I’d have this project to show you today, but it will have to wait.
Doing Things the Easy Way:
The curtain rod above the sink is just sitting on a nail. Because nothing, and I mean nothing, would go in front of or behind that damned boob light. It goes all the way to the edge of the wall on either side.
I may come up with something else later. But this is the best I could think of for now. At least I still have light from the darned thing, and the light looks pretty glowing through the red-and-white checked valance.
The Metal Sign That I Designed Around:
I found the metal sign I used to cover the mirror at the antique mall. You know me and the idea of gardening. Anything with the word gardening or garden on it draws me like a moth to a flame.
As soon as I saw it, I knew it would work. It has every single color I would have asked for on the sign. Red, yellow, green, and black.
Do you recognize the shelf below the sign? It was in my bathroom in the other apartment. I took it down and brought it here. And now it’s in my kitchen.
I asked management if I could put a hole in whatever that is just below the sink, laminate or Formica, and they said yes. They sent the “Can-Do” man over to install it on the wall for me.
I now have a place to put my little Trader Joe’s plants I recently picked up while shopping there.
Isn’t Trader Joe’s the best?
Here are the curtains I already had, cut to size, and hemmed with that adhesive you iron on. And now they are gracing my kitchen window looking out to the sidewalk, landscaping, tall trees, and the apartment in front of me.
All The Curtains Have Now Been Hung:
Now I have curtains hanging on every single window. Yea! And the red-and-white checked curtains look so pretty next to the green coffee bar I set up.
I settled on using the green sideboard as the base for my coffee bar. Then I added a lamp, coffee maker, and the coffee mug tree with white mugs.
So for now, covering that hideous mirror is the last project in my little kitchen.
It took me a month to get the kitchen looking the way I wanted it to look, to cover the mirror. But really, is anything ever “finished” when it comes to decorating your home?
Probably not, because ideas keep swirling in your head.
As you already know, I took the upper cabinet doors off next to the stove so I could showcase my signature red-and-white dishes. I stored the cabinet doors in the hall closet.
Marley & the Refrigerator:
I laugh when I think of my granddaughter Marley looking at the refrigerator so strangely. Like it was prehistoric. I guess to her it was.
She was in my kitchen one day, and the freezer on top and the refrigerator on the bottom confused her. She’s accustomed to side-by-side refrigerators or the fancy ones with French doors. Like her mother has.
She wasn’t sure which door to open and looked so puzzled!
And so I’m wrapping up working on this room, my kitchen, by adding the sign I found at an antique mall. I so wanted to minimize the look of the strange mirror.
My solution was to hide the mirror with the sign and the valance. Then I had the red shelf attached to the wall beneath it to further distract the eye from the mirror. You can still see a bit of the mirror, but this is a much better look in my kitchen.
Why would you want a mirror over the sink in a kitchen? Maybe to look like a window?
I asked for your suggestions about the mirror, and I appreciate every one of them.
The Office Is Next On My List Of To-Do Projects:
I have some ideas about how to decorate the second bedroom, which I’m using as my office and sewing/craft room.
Below is the photo you asked for of the hall to the front door.
Ivy & Her Curtain Ties:
Yes, that’s Ivy’s red and white curtain tie, one of several she carries around every single day.
At night when I go to the bedroom to read, I try to get her to go in there with me.
The answer to my calling to her is that she makes the most mournful sound. At first, I thought she was sad for some reason, and I went to look for her.
When I found her, I saw that she had that darn curtain tie in her mouth.
So at night when I hear that really strange, almost hollow sound, I know it is just Ivy with her beloved curtain ties. Making a weird sound that only makes sense to her.
Recently, I read that when your cat brings you something, she is following her instincts to bring you a gift. Prey, I suppose. So you should praise them for doing it. And so that’s what I’ll do.
Hi Brenda! Oh, I love how you’ve disguised the mirror and the light looks like sunshine coming through! I knew you would figure out a way. I really like the look of your new apartment.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
It wasn’t even a question that you’d come up with a solution for the kitchen mirror – and it looks great! I’d never guess what it originally looked like. Ivy carrying around the curtain tie is just the cutest! It’s like she wanted to be a part of the decorating!
So clever and lovely!! You really have a gift!!
I love what you did with the kitchen mirror. It’s actually quite a neat focal point now. You have great ideas and I love seeing what you do next. Your apartment is very inviting and I’m so glad you were able to move.
Dear Brenda, love the solution to the mirror over the sink and the curtains on the kitchen window…..perfect! In the front hallway how about a mirror or two to reflect light making it brighter.
What a wonderful idea. I love it!!! You should consider a career in decorating
Wow, Brenda, what a wonderful solution!!! The kitchen looks totally ‘you’ now, so cozy and bright and cheerful! I can read in your words how much you love your new home, and wow, you’ve done so much in just one month! It took me months to hang pictures in my new home – I had paid someone (for the first time in my life) to professionally paint the whole house so I didn’t want to hammer in any nails until I was 100% sure on placement. And I guess it worked because I haven’t moved any of my pictures in 7 years, ha ha!
I have to admit I have been so curious to see what you came up with for the mirror. I love it! Can’t see the boob light and best of all, it looks bright and welcoming. You have done wonderful things with the kitchen. The whole place is lovely. And in such a short period of time. Enjoy Brenda!
Hello Brenda,
Thanks for posting the photo of your front door entrance. Outstanding job in your kitchen!!! I can’t even see the boob light! Lol! wonderful job on everything you’ve done thus far.
Proud of you!
I love it awesome it’s amazing how it changes the kitchen looks like it all was made for the area love all you have done in the new apartment 💞💞
The valance and the metal garden sign are perfect cover ups! You did great.
Love your red and white checked curtains.
Funny that Ivy makes the weird sounds with the curtain ties…Clementine does that with small felt balls. She carries them around in her mouth making weird guttural sounds or else she makes the sounds as she’s pawing the ball around the house. Sometimes the guttural sounds are so low and strange that we laugh our heads off because it’s unlike any sound we’ve ever heard. Like some kind of other animal.
Brenda, I absolutely Love your solution to cover the Mirror above you kitchen sink!!! I have so enjoyed watching as you decorate each room of your wonderful new apartment! It is perfect and has given me so many ideas for my own small home…
When my cats make that noise, I know that they have caught a lizard, squirrel, bird,one time a small rat and another a Black Racer Snake, which I was able to save!!! All outside in the backyard of course….
Brenda, I love the red and white valance over the sink; also the red shelf with the little plants and the sign covering the mirror. You did a great job of camoflage (sp?) on the area. Whew, glad that’s resolved! Hope you can take it easy for a bit and approach your other projects in a leisurely way.
Brenda, this looks fabulous! What a great idea! Hope you are feeling a little better.
Ya done good ~ very good ~ above that sink! I knew you would ~
Just love it!
Well, now you have really topped yourself. I just adore that sign and the curtains! It’s so bright and pretty and cheerful. Might I add inspirational, too? I wonder if your hip pain is because your shoe has less lift than the boot so you are walking uneven? I hate pain and am finally almost healed after spraining an ankle a week ago. Those 1st few days were awful. I mentioned growing blue butterfly pea. Not offering this link for purchase but so you can see the beauty of the double flower variety I grew last summer. I think you would love it.
https://www.etsy.com/fr/listing/616604867/seeds-rare-double-flower-clitoria
Brenda your apartment is truly beautiful and cozy! I love your solution to the mirror. You’ve inspired me lately with your CD selections. I’m enjoying my home right now with a fire and a relaxation CD playing. So happy to see you so happy!
Brilliant! And Beautiful too!
I love your cosy kitchen, it’s the perfect apartment for you.
I’m so happy for you ❤️
Brenda, I LOVE IT!!! I wonder if it would be possible to put a gro-lite bulb in that fixture so you could grow your herbs. Just a thought. I live in a manufactured home park and my kitchen window looks directly into my neighbors kitchen window. That home was empty for a long time. I was surprised when I first encountered her looking at me. I put a curtain up right away and funny thing is, it is red and white check. I was thinking I needed to order a table cloth to match and low and behold I found just that in my linen closet this morning. Whenever I see pictures of your apartment progress I think, “Oh Brenda, it looks beautiful and so cozy”. Thanks for the picture progress. Have a blessed Sunday. Sandy
Your apartment pictures make me smile. : )
Yes! Everything is so pretty Brenda. 😊 You’ve accomplished a lot in a month!
That #2 bedroom will be great as an office. Always nice to have extra room for lots of things.
One day your ❤ family member might spend the night! You’ll be prepared!!
Wondering of Ivy thinks of the curtain ties as her babies?
You never know. Catties 🐈 🐈⬛ 😺 have such unique personalities!!
Pictures of them are real nice.
No doubt, both are happy and content in their new spaces!
Perfect!
What a wonderful, colorful solution. Of course, you will be fine tuning it. That’s you. By the way, I noticed how you have an arrangement on top of the refrigerator. It’s good that you are using that space that way. I have the same situation that the refrigerator is so high that I need to use a ladder to access that cupboard set so far back. I did the same thing, putting an arrangement in front of the cabinets. I do have some dishes in the back cabinets, using it as long term storage. Useless space, really.
Love it! I never would of thought of putting a curtain over the light,so smart. It covers it but still have the light to see to wash dishes. Love the garden sign, perfect colors.
Very Cute…you have such great ideas!! I would want that mirror over the sink covered some way too. And I LOVE your fridge…our stainless steel one has looked awful from day one…NEVER found any solution to get it looking nice!!
Brenda I love love all you’ve done so far—the garden sign and curtain look great–thank you for sharing –haydee
Clever and charming solution to the mirror/light problem! Everything you’ve done looks great!
Impressive ! Awesome !
Awesome solution for the mirror and the light! Looks great!
Wow! The mirror and light cover up looks great! You couldn’t have found anything nicer ! Everything about it is perfect!
Brenda, The over the sink mirror looks so good now that you’ve decorated it! Your home is so warm and inviting.
Perfect solution! Love all the red too.
Great job I love it! Many moons ago in my very first apartment I had a red and white kitchen with gingham red/white curtains, so this brought me back to that time. Still love these colors today.
Fantastic Brenda could not be better.
Love the mirror treatment; so colorful. Red and White is my favorite color combos. I recently replaced flowered valances with red and white checks like yours. I love the new clean look of the windows now. I have been following all of the changes since you moved to the new place. I love it all. The apartment complex sounds like a caring, good place for retired people. I am so happy with my little house here. I now have a cleaning lady every other Tuesday. She is quick and efficient. She hung my new valances and will change things for me if needed. She saves my back and legs from sweeping and mopping. Can’t wait to see the other rooms decorating
I love the red shelf! I love the new sign! Good job! ❤️❤️❤️
I LOVE IT! Would real basil, parsley, or chive plants get enough light in that spot so you could just clip off what you need as you cook?
Everything flows so nicely from room to room. I join in others in being amazed at how quickly everything came together! And who wouldn’t be a homebody in that environment? Why step out into such an unstable, competitive world when you can nestle into this warm nest of a home and shut the craziness all out!
I wondered about that myself. Because I’d love to grow herbs there. But I don’t think there’s enough light, even in the window not far from it when I had the little Trader Joe plants on the windowsill. Herbs need quite a bit of actual sun.
Loved the comment “warm nest of a home”. I am going to use that phrase. I have 7 little ceramic pots on my East facing window that I have to move every sunny day to get more sun. You might need to give the pots over the sink a little more sun every day or so.
YES!!!!! That is a home run for sure. You actually took something ugly and made it into something better than it would have been had the mirror and boob light not even been there to begin with. Beautiful!!!!
It looks awesome!
I think the sound you hear coming from Ivy is the sound of a cat hunting. I’ve had cats all my adult life, 72 years and a few of my cats would also make that strange noise when hunting in the house. One of my cats loved to go into the laundry hamper and find a sock and walk around the house making that strange noise. Another cat of mine would go into the bathroom and come out with a washcloth. Cats, strange but beautiful animals! BTW your kitchen looks great! Thanks so much for taking all of along on your journey!
Well I guess Ivy is waiting until after dark and going hunting. And carrying around a red and white curtain tie while she does it.
Your solution could not be any better! Bravo!
Great job . It looks so cute.😍😍
Super job,Brenda! It looks perfect! We all knew you would figure it out and, wow, you sure did. Rest today, enjoy your lovely apartment and sweet kitties.
Mary
Wow Brenda, that’s perfect for you! What an amazing find at the antique store! I’m so glad you found the perfect solution. I know how much it was driving you crazy. It really looks great! I’m so happy for you!
Super Cute. Love your sweet kitchen.
Beautiful as always, can’t wait to see your office♥️
Great solution in the kitchen. Looks really nice.
Oh how lovely it is. I actually like the mirror peaking out just a little. And the curtains over the kitchen window are perfect! You have just done so much in such a short time it looks like you’ve lived there forever. I too was hoping you’d say the sign came from Amazon or some place. Its perfect for you! Last night I caught my little Norah beating up on her brother Joey, our three-legged wonder. She is a stinker.
Brenda, I don’t comment often but I just have to say what a wonderful job you have done on your new apartment and how much pleasure it has brought to me and many others to watch the transformation: delightful, and well done! The mirror solution is lovely! I’m so happy for you in your new place. Becky
Brava, Brenda!
You’ve done a smashing job and everything looks cozy & wonderful!
I love love love your apartment! Your fix above the sink is perfect. I’ve followed a long time, so happy you have found a great complex, out of that horrible place. I think the Grocery sign in your bedroom would look great over the counter on stove side. Just my thoughts. Good thing you remembered to pack the curtain ties!!!
You have done so well carrying on with your injury. I just had my knee replaced so I understand. Just have to keep going.
Kathleen H.
My comment yesterday fits so well with what you have done…I said awww… right out loud..it is perfect…adorable…and so you💞
Holy Cow, Brenda! I knew you would do something “awesome” but I can’t tell you how much I Love this. It really is just perfect. Love, love, love, it !!!!!!!!!
Your entire Kitchen is put together that I would have to call it your Happy Place. You never cease to amaze us. Hugs from Wisconsin, Thanks for sharing all your photos with us.
Looks great, even before you make any adhesive adjustments. The colors are perfect and the light filtering through the current is a nice, soft touch. I’m with you with stainless steel. The brand new condo my husband and I lived in came with stainless appliances. After he died and I moved, I purchased white. Surprisingly, sometimes it’s harder to get white than stainless. Thanks for sharing all the completed rooms to date yesterday, and the mirror solution today. Everything looks pretty and fresh, warm and cozy. Great job. And no, nothing is ever done. I too get ideas and change things around. It keeps things fresh and new, and it’s just fun.
Absolutely adorable…I knew you would come up with a precious idea. Your decorating ideas are right up my alley…sorta cottage style. I’m so glad that you showed us the end result. On another subject, I am so happy that your daughters and grandchildren are back in your life (I realize that they have been for a while), our son is estranged from us…we are not sure why. About every six months, I send an email asking for forgiveness for whatever wrong we have done him, but unfortunately, he rarely responds. His oldest son, 17, has been back in our life for a year now and that is wonderful…in fact, he is coming over this afternoon for lunch and to work on a project with his Grandaddy. Thank you for listening…you are a lovely person with a good heart.
Your finished project ties in the kitchen so well Brenda! I knew that between Terri and u that a idea would pop in your heads! U can hardly see the mirror now and it is so u! 👍🏻
Amazing!
Love it! It’s all very attractive. I have a kitty that makes that cry sometimes during the night, and when I have checked, it’s like you say, she seems to almost be guarding one of her toys. Happy Sunday!
Great solution to the mirror problem!
The area above the kitchen sink looks amazing! Have yourself a nice rest today in your cozy apartment. Glad you are settled in and happy!
I love it, Brenda! Wow, wow and wow!!! That sign definitely screams “Brenda” and all the additions are perfect.
In one month you have worked so hard and look at how beautiful it all looks. Thank goodness for your wonderful friend, Teri and your daughters who all helped when they could.
Take a little respite and enjoy your day.
That is beautiful, and I was going to ask you where you got the sign until I read further down that you got it at the antique mall. That’s amazing. Well done.
A quick Google images search and I found the sign on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/CTW-Home-Collection-Garden-Metal/dp/B07K5N4M88