DIY: Tiling the Kitchen Backsplash

Welcome to Quince Cottage! Or, welcome back, if you've visited before.
Today we're going to talk about tile. More specifically, how to add some visual interest without breaking the bank or taking on a monumental project.
In a later post, we'll show you how we handled the rest of our backsplash with thin-brick, but for now we're focusing on the short wall behind the sink.
We didn't want to carry the brick through here, because architecturally it wouldn't have made much sense. But a plain old sheetrock wall is so ho hum, not to mention it can get stained from all the sink activities AND it's not exactly waterproof.
We considered subway tile, but we've BTDT and wanted something more interesting. Pinterest has been peppered with cool tiles lately and after some browsing, we headed out to Traditions In Tile at Brier Creek in Raleigh. This is a specialty tile store so their selection was far more extensive than the big box home improvement places. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly and we'd highly recommend them!
Our kitchen color palette is soft creamy white, gray, and bronze, with stainless steel appliances. It made sense to choose a tile that was warm white and gray.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

The tiles came in either matte or gloss finish. We went with the matte because it looked softer and older.
If your tiles are patterned and mixed, like ours, lay out the design you want before you start setting them.
Happily, these tiles come mixed in a box and one box was more than enough to cover the area. Obviously before you purchase anything you need to do the math, length x width, plus at least 10% over that for breakage. A 12" x 12" tile came fairly close to filling our space, but there was a sizable gap both top and bottom. You'll see how we addressed that later on.

First you'll want to remove outlet covers. Because the tile adds thickness to the wall, you'll also need to bump your outlets forward using plastic spacers. These can be found at any big box home improvement store.

After you're done with the outlets, draw a level pencil line along the wall, so you'll have a guide for laying the tile. Why yes, those are bats on our dining room wall - we actually did this project back in October...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Butter the back of the first tile with mastic adhesive. This is the adhesive we used.

Available at Lowe's © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Then you'll butter the back of your first tile with the adhesive.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Be sure to have a couple of damp rags available to take care of any blobs that fall off your notched trowel. Good idea to cover your counters with newspaper too.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Use the notched edge of your trowel to make grooves in the adhesive as seen above, and then stick the tile on the wall. Be sure it's lined up correctly and then press firmly for a few seconds. Repeat with each tile, using spacers between tiles and below them to keep them in place.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Cutting the tile to fit around outlets is best done with a wet saw. Measure twice, cut once! You can see that we used narrow stock trim pieces to fill much of the gap between granite ledge and the top of the tile, leaving only a reasonable amount to be filled with grout. We painted them our trim color first.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

After the tile has set, (wait at least 24 hours) apply grout, wipe off the excess and any remaining "haze" with a dampened sponge and allow the grout to dry thoroughly (at least 24 hours is a good rule of thumb).
The final step is applying a bead of caulk between the counter and the bottom edge of the tiles. This fills the gap and keeps any water from getting between your wall and your counter.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Here's what it looks like all finished!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As always we like to share a cute Irish JRT photo with you before you leave. Here's Buster in his preferred sleep position...

Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Don't forget to follow us on IG here and play along with our hashtag, #MagpieMonday where collectors share their favorite obsessions and we choose a favorite to feature in our gallery.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Welcome back to Quince Cottage! Did you come because of that delicious aroma you smelled? We thought so...
Banana Bread is the go-to when those bananas you bought a few days ago have been malingering in the fruit bowl a little too long. This recipe will use up two of those dark, mushy dudes and make anyone within sampling distance pretty darn happy.
Just look at that slightly crunchy exterior and all the melty chocolate goodness inside. Yummo!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Ingredients:
1/4 C butter
2/3 C white granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla (real, not imitation)
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
2 bananas, mashed
2 C flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 C milk chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave (you want it melted, not boiling hot).
4. Stir the sugar and then the vanilla into the melted butter.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, keep stirring so the cold eggs don't make the butter get lumpy.
6. Stir in bananas, then yogurt.
7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 3-4 batches, stirring to moisten after each addition.
8. Pour batter into pan.
9. Cook 55-65 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
10. Let cool 10-15 minutes and then remove from pan.

Tempting though it will be to dive right in, you should wait a half hour or so before slicing. Otherwise you are less likely to get nice, neat slices, and more likely to get a pile of crumbs (which will be delicious, but not as pretty).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

And of course, a Jack Russell pic. It wouldn't be a Quince Cottage post without one. This is Buster. I have no idea why he looks so sad - he leads a very pampered life.

Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

DIY Ugly Duckling Swan

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
Are you on Instagram and/or Pinterest? Well, we are - find us here on Instagram and Pinterest.
Do you ever get inspired and want to recreate something you've seen? We do!
Case in point, was our choice for last week's #MagpieMonday. If you don't know what #MagpieMonday is all about - it's a showcase for collectors to share their decor treasures on IG. We never ever use the "h" word (hoarder), and we always have a lot of fun. Each co-host chooses a favorite collection to feature in their gallery and in the following week's meme. We fell in love with the lovely carved bird collection you see in this photo below.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Anyway, to make a long story short, Rhiann was out thrifting last week and came across this not-so-lovely bird. It might be wood, it's more likely plastic or some sort of resin. It was one of a pair, but she bought only the one for $10. (Sorry, lonely ugly bird still at the thrift shop).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Next she bought some basic WalMart craft paints in white and black, and then searched the interwebs for photos of swans to study the facial markings. Then she got to work. It took three coats of the white, but only one of the black to get the effect she wanted.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Here's the swan on the dining room buffet.
So, what do you think? What should we name him/her? Tell us your thoughts in comments.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

And a little closer up...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

So, that wraps up our quick and easy DIY.
On to another topic. Do you love old houses as much as we do? Here in North Carolina we often see old homes that look abandoned (sometimes they are, other times there's actually someone living there). We weren't sure which was the case with this lovely old place in Snow Hill.
If it truly is abandoned, would you want to go inside?

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As always, we'll leave you with a photo of one of our cute Irish Jack Russell Terriers. This is Daisy. Thank you for visiting! We hope you'll come back soon.

Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

DIY--Memory Box

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
Today we have another shadowbox DIY to share.
When his dad died a little while ago, Ron wanted to find a way to remember him that went beyond a simple framed photo. Along with Ray's golf clubs, which might or might not ever see service, Ron inherited a small collection of personal items: a tie, some photos, a couple of rollerskating medals, etc.
To keep these special mementos safe but visible, Ron created a shadowbox. The box itself he got at Michael's. Ron's dad worked at a shoe factory in Manchester, New Hampshire when he was very young, so we found a wooden shoe form at a local antique store. It's a tiny, child-sized one, just right for this purpose. A small piece of leather behind the mold reinforces the shoe-making idea and highlights the shape of the mold.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As you can see above, Ray was an early fan of the selfie! He also enjoyed skiing in New Hampshire's spectacular White Mountains. Some of Ron's funniest stories involve family ski trips.
Ray's wristwatch is in the photo below. Despite the watch, Ray was chronically late (this might be a genetic thing, although Ron's never actually left either of our children standing lonely on a street corner waiting to be picked up). While punctuality wasn't a strong suit, Ron credits his dad with instilling an appreciation of Nature, and that's why there's a bird feather.
As you may already have noted, Ron used a variety of objects in this shadowbox, some two-dimensional and some three-dimensional. Some are black/white, others have color. There's a mix of "hard" materials (metals and wood) and softer ones (fabric and the feather). All these contrasts, along with a variety of shapes, help to give the composition visual interest.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Ray met his future wife, Irene, when he was very young. In fact he was only sixteen when they got married! (She was a little bit older). They enjoyed rollerskating together and if the medals indicate anything, apparently they were pretty good at it!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Ron included one of Ray's ties, and a photo of him wearing that very same tie.

© Rhiann Wynn-NOlet

Unfulfilled by his job making shoes, Ray started his own business building houses. He became well known in the area for his fine reproduction Colonials. Ron spent a few summers helping out and learning about house design and construction. With that in mind, Ron papered the back of the shadowbox with woodgrain paper and included both a compass (which had been Ray's) and a rusty old nail (near the feather).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

I apologize for the distracting reflections in the glass, try as I might I couldn't find an angle where those were not an issue. SO frustrating! But I digress...
If you're assembling a shadowbox, play around with the placement of objects before fixing any of them into permanent position. The photos in this box are straight up and down, but if you'll notice, some of the other items (tie, feather, nail) are placed at angles. Again, this is a matter of personal taste, but the idea was to make the composition less static and more dynamic - moving the viewer's gaze around. Use whatever adhesive makes sense given the materials you're using (hot glue, regular glue, etc.).
We'll close up this DIY with a picture of Ray, looking very French-Canadian (he was born in Quebec). It's nice to have these tangible reminders of a loved one and their life story, both for Ron and for our children, who knew Pepere only as an elderly man.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Tell us what you think, have you made a shadowbox before? What was its purpose? Strictly decorative or something more?
Oh, wait...we can't say farewell without a cute Irish Jack Russell pic! This was taken a week or so ago on a walk by the Neuse River. As you can see Buster (aka Pork Chop) is keenly focused on the treat in my hand. Daisy is scanning the woods beyond, ever hopeful of finding a squirrel. Preferably a fat, elderly one, with a limp and poor eyesight.

Buster & Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

And one more thing! Don't forget to join us here on Instagram for our #MagpieMonday fun. If you collect decorative items of any kind, you're going to love it!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Transitioning the Mantel to Early Spring!

Hello there, welcome to Quince Cottage!
We love every season here in North Carolina and we try to savor each for its unique natural beauty. We do this not only through daily doggy walks, but in our decor as well.
Having said that, we're getting a teensy bit tired of the dull browns and grays of late winter. So when we received a beautiful gift from a dear friend, that was all the excuse we needed to tweak our mantel display with a sneak peek of spring.
If you didn't visit us during the winter, here is our holiday mantel.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

And here is our post-holiday-but-still-winter mantel.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

And now, here's a view of the right side of our mantel.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

See those rose plates? They were in storage until Rhiann got them out for an IG post about collections for the MagpieMonday hashtag she cohosts.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Aren't they pretty?
Here's the left side of the mantel. That gorgeous pink hobnail covered compote is the gift we received from our friend Juls. She's an extremely creative and obviously generous person, with fabulous taste. Here's a link to her Instagram , she is definitely one to follow.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

You might have spied our recent shadowbox project up above as well. Click here for the DIY if you're curious. And now for the whole shebang... We'd originally planned to take the crystal garland down along with the other winter decor, but it's just so pretty we're leaving it up for now.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Are you decorating for spring yet? What are your favorite spring themes?
We mentioned #MagpieMonday earlier. Follow us on IG here for more about that.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Now it wouldn't be right to leave you with no doggy pictures, so here here you go! Buster in front, Daisy being camera-shy.

Buster & Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

DIY Coffee Filter Wreath

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
If you're on Pinterest, no doubt you've seen a coffee filter wreath, and maybe even made one yourself. But if you haven't, and are feeling crafty on a small scale, here's a quick how-to.
You will need: a wreath form, 2 packages of paper coffee filters (8-12 cup size), a hot glue gun, a good sized artist's paint brush or a Sharpie. You can also use a piece of twine if you want to create a way to hang the wreath easily after completing it. This wreath is easy to make and quite inexpensive (about $10).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

My advice is to leave the straw wreath wrapped in plastic, less mess and better adhesion. You could use a foam wreath form if you prefer. I used a length of twine and tied it around the straw form in two places so that I'd have an easy method for hanging this sucker just about anywhere.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Load and heat your glue gun. Put your capped Sharpie or the non-working end of the paint brush in the center of the filter and pull the sides up around it like a closed umbrella. Dab glue on the filter where you've created a small area for contact with the wreath form. Using the marker or paintbrush allows you to poke the filter into place without getting hot glue burns (well, okay, I did burn myself twice, but it had nothing to do with using the helper paint brush).

Start with the inner part of the wreath (around the central hole). Work in ever-expanding concentric rings from that first inner circle. In retrospect I think I packed the filters a little too densely. You can easily leave an inch between filter contact points and your wreath will turn out great. I fully intended to take a photo "during", but my glue gun had other ideas and was churning out molten glue so fast I never got to take a break.

Once you're finished, you can trim off any filter edges that protrude past where they should. Here is the finished product adorning the rusty windmill head on the planked wall in our dining room. I think it makes a nice, fresh-looking warm weather wreath, but it's also quite suitable for a white winter holiday scheme. By the way, if you're interested in the planked wall DIY, click here.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We hope you've enjoyed this quick and easy project. Buster and Daisy aren't all that interested in artsy-craftsy pastimes...

Naptime for Daisy and Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Remember Mondays are #MagpieMonday on Instagram, where you get to show off your collections of decor items. Follow us here to learn more.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style mixes old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Recipe - Low Carb Yummy Crustless Quiche

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
If you're watching your carbs, or if you just aren't a big fan of pie crust, then this quiche is for you! Quiches are ideal for using up little bits of this and that which might otherwise go to waste (small hunks of cheese, half an onion, cooked vegetables, etc.) They're perfect for brunch, lunch or light dinners. And LEFTOVERS, served hot or cold.

RECIPE:

Ingredients
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt
Black pepper
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), pat dry, chop small
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C chopped scallions
5 eggs
3/4 C milk
1/4 C grated Parmesan
4-6 oz. shredded Swiss cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it), divided 1/3, 2/3

Directions
1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray or rub with oil. Over medium-high heat, saute mushrooms. Cook until no water remains on bottom of pan (5-7 minutes). Add spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted
2. Spray 9" pie pan with cooking spray. Spread spinach mixture in pan. Place  1/3 Swiss cheese, and feta on top.
3. In medium bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add milk and Parmesan. Whisk to combine. Pour over mushrooms and feta. Sprinkle remaining Swiss cheese on top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until golden brown on top and center is set. Let cool slightly before slicing.
Serves 6
Variations: substitute liquid egg whites for some or all of the eggs, use different cheeses, add bacon, ham, sausage, use kale instead of spinach, add caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, black olives, etc.

Crustless Quiche © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Served Quiche © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

A piece of quiche "might" have made its way into a dog's bowl once. They gave it a good review. Hope you like it too!

Daisy & Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Also, don't forget to join us on Instagram! If you love collecting things (walking sticks, milk glass, vintage cameras or anything else you use as decor), then our cohosts and I want to see what you've got every Monday! See our #Magpie Monday posts for details.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage style is where rustic and sparkly rub shoulders. 

Think gilded mirror against a plank wall, and you'll know what we mean. 

We prefer our opulence a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

DIY Restyling the Mantel Post-Holiday

Hello, and welcome to Quince Cottage!
First of all, we'd like to wish you a 2016 full of love, peace, and inspiration!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As we see it, there are two ways to view the post-holiday winter season. 
1. Now that all the excitement is over, winter is dull and colorless (depending on where you live of course).
2. Now that all the excitement is over, winter is a peaceful time for reflection and simplification.
Let's go with 2, shall we?
Now, as you may already know, Rhiann's favorite part of the home to style is the mantel, so it makes sense that's where she headed first, once the holidays were over.
If you weren't around for Christmas, here's what the mantel looked like then.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Now, with the goals of simplifying and honoring the bare, frosty, beauty of winter, she started with one of our Chinese porcelain vases, which is icy blue, gray, and white. An IG potter friend let us know this is a crystalline glaze and actual crystals form during an extra slow cooling cycle or a long hold time.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Rhiann filled the vase with branches, some of which already had little faux ice crystals stuck to them. The others were the branches we painted to look like birch and stuck in our Christmas tree. The real branches have glass icicles wired to them.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

She strung a garland of crystal prisms across the mantel. Finally she worked on the right side, using her favorite empty Victorian frame and a small watercolor we bought long ago in New England. It's a snow scene at sunset and reminds us of the years we lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. We miss the beauty of snow, but not the shoveling, or the bad driving! Finally she tucked in a sprig of faux juniper and added a real jumbo pine cone. We bought a bunch of these pine cones in an antique store and they had a good time laughing at us for buying things they picked up in their yards. They were only fifty cents a piece and unfortunately we don't have sturdy, supersized pine cones anywhere near us, so...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

That shot above gives you a nice clear look at the great job Ron did creating an old, distressed finish on our brand new mantel. If you're curious, click here for the DIY.
Now here's a photo of the whole thing.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We'll be sharing other areas of the house that have transitioned from holiday to winter season in an upcoming post. Tell us what part of your home you like restyling seasonally in Comments. We'd love to hear from you!
And of course, it wouldn't be a Quince Cottage post without a cute doggy pic. This was how Daisy and Buster spent most of New Year's Eve. Party animals...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We'll leave you with a beautiful North Carolina sunset to start the year off right. The beauty of Nature is just one of the many things we hope you'll enjoy in 2016.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style mixes old and new, rustic and opulent.

Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 

and as though it wasn't born yesterday!