Decorating/ Decisions/ Dust/ Do's and Don'ts...

I absolutely love to decorate, but the decisions I have to make drive me insane.

We are talking kitchen. Sure I can call someone in and tell them to gut my 23 year old kitchen and pay them $25,000 to do it, but what fun is that?

It would be too perfect and I wouldn't have the opportunity to be creative or drive myself mad; like should I choose mirror as a back splash, yes,mirror, or tin tiles, gorgeous.... what ever happened to good ole Formica? Yes, I know it is still around but don't think a Formica man is going to run over and replace my Formica for a couple of hundred dollars. No now, it is a process, an architectural drawing, a layout; I want white, but he said, "There are so many whites." "Just bring me a shiny white and let it shine,I will worry about the rest." While you are doing my drawing put in a new sink and faucets. How I wish I had gone to a tech hi school and gotten some building skills.

I was going to treat myself to a new stove till I heard the prices. Never mind the price of the stove with self cleaning; but then there is delivery, installation, a new microwave, and then the charge to attach it to the stove and take away my perfectly good stove.

So I made myself a lot happier and richer by buying a new stove top, nice and white, new stove knobs, and now will put some mirror over the side to hide the old stuff; Funny enough, it actually works great; it self cleans and the microwave is already attached, and so is the stove.

Oh, the cabinets.. Have you heard the price for new doors for the EXISTING cabinets? How bout $11,000 plus.... paid out over a year, no interest. No not me, I will take one main front cabinet, make a hole and add glass. The rest will get new handles. P. S. Meant to say, I live in a NYC apt with a small kitchen.

The floor. Do I tear up the old tiles and put new? or can I just put the new tiles on top of the old? These are the questions .
You see, all of this could have been taken care of easily if I just went with a designer, but then I would never be writing about this or having the fun of creating and practicing the art of saving money all in the same time or occupying my mind with decisions and samples or driving myself mad.

I will get a new panel for my dishwasher and new handles for my refrig.

I will paint the back wall Black, yes shiny black, or should it be orange and add mirror touches... Why not see myself as I cook; others have to look.

When I am through I will post a before and after; which reminds me better get the camera out right now.
Thanx for listening. You must have gone through the same.
Carol Sue