Tile Place Cards for Holiday Meal

Last tile post for the day. (Year? Lifetime?) Because we had a number of considerations to balance--young kids sitting near parents, keeping the "big kids" together, a guest who's health mandated little movement--we needed designated seating for Thanksgiving. It seemed easier, and smarter, than leaving it to chance and having to play musical chairs with 16 17 guests after the fact.

We pulled out the turkey hand-print ones from last year, but while we had the same amount of guests, some players had changed. Crossing out names seemed a little low brow, so we searched for something that would look nice and be done quickly. I came up with this:

We just took a sheet of tile leftover from the new backsplash, pulling the tiles off the mosiac and writing names in dry erase marker. The teens enjoyed re-naming each other's place cards; most of that is not fit for print. Then, after dinner, we wiped the names off and stored the tiles in case we need to do any repairs down the line.

You could instead pick up a sheet of tiles just for this purpose, maybe even mix and matching from ReStore to save $$ and support a good cause. I liked that we can use them again and that they serve a utilitarian purpose as well.

Ara-basking in New Backsplash

We took the backsplash plunge! While I can infinitely explore the "what ifs" of most design decisions, my husband balances this tendency. After another dizzying visit to Floor & Decor (aisle upon aisle of options; it's overwhelming and amazing all at once!), where I searched for the "perfect" choice, he reminded me that there was more than one perfect choice. That many different tiles would look great in our kitchen, and it was a matter of making a decision and moving on. That we wouldn't be "wrong." Sage words. That led to:

It's the "Arabesque Lantern White Porcelain Mosaic" from Floor & Decor. Just $3.97 a sheet! Used their silver grout, which is just a little lighter than the cabinets. Easier to clean than white, and I like the contrast. The tiles themselves complement the farm sink, and have a simple elegance to them. 

While there are probably a million other tile combos that would have worked, I now have something that I love and the bonus of knowing we saved a ton (our other tile considerations were $10-$30 per sheet). I now find myself working from the breakfast bar to admire the end result, basking in the backsplash. 

The Backsplash Not Traveled (or, building a tile consensus)

About this time last year, our kitchen still somewhat of a construction zone, my husband and I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner. For 25 people.

We went into overdrive, putting drawers in the new pantry cabinet, putting kitchen items back in their rightful places after weeks of living in shelves in the dining and rec rooms. At some point, we switched into "as long as it looks good" mode. For instance, the trim on the top of the cabinets was not attached. Nor did we bother to do the part of it you couldn't see from the breakfast bar. Same goes for toe kick, bit of baseboard here and there, under cabinet lighting...while everyone oohed and aahed on the big holiday reveal, there was a lot of smoke and mirrors.

Which was fine. We knew we'd get to it "one day." Flash foward about 365 "one days" later and we realized it was time to admit we needed to call in our favorite handyman to finish the job for us. Plus, it turns out some of the money we saved on building cabinets unfortunately was needed for back surgery on my husband this spring. His days of heavy lifting are in the past. We may have overdone the DIY.

Ok, so our guy is scheduled. And his prices are so reasonable we can afford to have him do the backsplash while he's at it. Awesome, right? Except now I'm back to what feel like MAJOR KITCHEN DECISIONS. We worked so hard--like, husband slipped a disc hard--to get the kitchen to where it is today, I want to pick just the right tile. Within budget. That will not turn off sellers a few years down the road. I'm kind of in love with Twilight in Fiji from Floor & Decor:

All shimmery glass and the glass stick tile you see EVERYWHERE these days. But, at $17.99/sheet, it's a little spendy for me. And, hubs doesn't love it. (Or, he's smart enough to pretend to not like the most expensive choice.) I'm also digging on marble, it makes me think of old NYC apartments:

But, again, no consensus there. At $10.99/sheet, it's the middle ground, price-wise.

 Looks like we may compromise on the white porcelain Arabesque Lantern:

Pros: CHEAP, $3.79/sheet. White is elegant and classic; it also looks fresh against the Lidingo gray and will match our farmhouse sink. I love the Morrocan-flavored shape; it's exotic, but the finish and color mean it should still have mass appeal.
Cons: I'd secretly always pictured marble or some pop of color. I worry it will be too plain. Glass is very on trend, and I don't want to hurt resale or just wish I had something "fancier."

I guess I do like it, and think with light gray grout, it may be beautiful. And when I see similiar examples online, I love them:

Decor Pad | Utah Valley Parade of Homes

Guess I'm just fixated on the glass- or marble-road not traveled. I know, first world problems. If we go with the cheapest option, I'll donate some of the savings to things that actually matter. Sigh.