Sunday Pre-Lunch Project...The Kitchen Island Redo

Got up this morning and decided to redo the kitchen island that I made out an old dresser that was stuck in the back of my closet.  We'll be painting the cabinets black in a few weeks so I thought it would look better if the island was also black.  I did the top in an ebony wood stain which I believe turned out beautifully.  Also added a towel holder to the back along with a chair for a quick eating area instead of having to drag everything into the dining room everytime you want a sandwich or a bowl of cereal.

Next weekend I'll be heading back to the Habitat Restore to pick up a piece of plywood to cut, paint, and attach to the bottom of the island for extra shelving space.  When that is complete, I'll be putting wheels on the bottom as well.

Saturday Afternoon

It's been a beautiful day.  Feels more like early spring then the middle of winter. Today was spent doing little projects here and there and tidying up the crafting supplies that were laying all over the house.  Now that I have a crafting area, they now have a home so I have no excuse for not picking them up. I like being in any room of the house and not seeing cans of paint, power tools, or pieces of cut wood sitting in the corners.

I stopped by the Habitat for Humanity Restore first thing this morning and found this awesome little window that was selling for 2.50...at that price, It was most definately coming home with me.  I hung it in the opening between the kitchen and the living/entry way.  I think I'm going to do a small bulb garden underneath it so the flowers grow upwards towards the window.

When I painted the bathroom cabinets, I had it in my mind that I wanted to do some type of design on the inside so I left it unpainted.  Found this paper that coordinated well and a couple of tiny baskets at the Dollar Tree for storage. I did a decoupdge on the inside of the doors and hung the baskets.  I might just do the whole inside, sides and bottom of the cabinet as well...but not today.

I also built a frame for the bathroom mirror this afternoon.  It was fairly easy for a first timer on that type of project.

While I was at the Restore I found an old and very ugly lamp shade for 1.00...so I bought it.  I took the old and very ugly plastic like fabric off of it and recovered the metal frame with burlap.  This is go on the lamp in the bedroom.

I spent 4.50 today and got several projects crossed off of my list...Today was a good day!!!!
:-)

Refinished Kitchen Counter Tops

Another project I finished today...the kitchen counter tops.  I refinished them with a rustoleum hammered steel paint.  Keep in mind that you can't just start painting your counter tops like you would a wall. First you have to clean clean clean them with TPS to get ALL of the grim and grease off of them.  Here is a pic of the materials I used for the whole project, not including the clear sealant that I put on last.  I did three coats of that.  It was a water-based gloss sealer and protectant.  I used the same thing on my bathroom counters about four or five months ago and let me tell you...that stuff is awesome.  My counter tops are as durable as a laminate.

You can see the original ugly green counters in this photo......

The cool thing about using a hammered paint is that when you have to use a brush instead of a roller for those tight areas like around the faucet, the brush strokes do not show.  When the paint dries, it all dries the same, with a hammered metal look.  AWESOME...Here is a close up.  It looks bumpy but it's not because of all the sealant. It's actually very slick and smooth....

Now for the finished product.  We'll be painting the cabinets black in a few weeks with a clear coat sealant on that as well for easy cleaning.

I have to also show off my rolling pin.  It's my first one.  I tried to make an apple pie a few months ago and totally messed it up just because I didn't have a rolling pin to roll out the crust.  My sweet husband still eat it and complimented me on how wonderful it was (I knew he was lying but I love him for not hurting my feelings).  I found this one at a yard sale for 2.00...there again...AWESOME.

Angle Irons Turn Into Hanging Pot Rack

The second project I completed today is the hanging pot rack in the kitchen.  I'm in the process of refinishing the kitchen counter tops so while I wait for that to do it's thing, I went ahead and made my pot rack.  Originally, I was going to use plumbing pipe to make my rack but I happened to go into the closet and noticed we had three long pieces of angle iron that had no use what-so-ever.  So me being the type that likes to repurpose stuff...I cut them down with the jig saw, screwed them into the studs, and hung my pots on it.  I actually love it.  It has an industrial yet farmhouse look to it...modern but country.

My goal is to get stainless steel pots and pans to hang up there.

:-)

Living For the Weekend

I've been dealing with an abscessed tooth for the past few weeks.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay friendly and smile while that's going on????  uuuggg (sorry, I just had to vent for a minute there)......anyway, now that I'm working regular, I look forward to the weekends again.  I'll be painting the bedroom and working on a few minor projects such as some lamps and wall art and such.  Painting the bathroom will be next weekends projects and then after that will be building the mantle headboard, frame for the mirror, making drop cloth curtains, and getting the loft area set up.  Painting the bedroom alone is a huge project which is why it gets a whole weekend all to itself.  The ceiling are about 14' high and the room is about 15' x 20' not including the nook that the bed is in or the bathroom.

I will probably get started on this project tonight so off to put on a pot of coffee I go......I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be careful when you're Christmas shopping.  So many crazy drivers on the road this time of year.  Oh, and, if you can swing it....remember to smile when you shop.  I was looking around at people while I was in the stores today and noticed that NOBODY was smiling.  Everybody either looked tired, stressed, or anxious.  Smiling is contagious so please give some to as many people as you can this season.

:-) :-) :-)