Craft Room Creation

For the first time ever - I own a house and I can do anything I want - I can paint, I can install shelves - I can even install a pegboard!  The pic below shows my basement, which was my blank canvas for my craft room.  

Here's where I'm at right now - it took a lot of work to get to this point!  And I have a feeling this space will evolve a bit more before I feel like it's "done".  But for now - I'm loving it!  I'll take you through the steps of how I got to this point.

First, I got the two end cabinets from Habitat for Humanity ReStore - which was great - they're really well priced and my purchase helps their organization.  And they're really nice quality cabinets - they have soft close drawers and the one that's closed has pullout shelves.

Then I obsessively searched for a "countertop" that would be the exact right length between those two walls.  After considering all options, I found a "prefinished shelf" at Menards (I think this is what I ended up with).  Once I got it home and placed on top of my two cabinets, I realized it was long/heavy enough that it needed a center support.  The cabinet in this pic, topped with books was a temporary solution.

Then I started installing shelves.  Then I uninstalled them after realizing I needed wall anchors to support the weight and then I reinstalled them.

Then I installed the two pegboards.  When you buy a pegboard, you also need a "pegboard mounting kit" because when you think about it - the pegboard can't be right up against the wall, you need some space, so the peg hooks will fit in.  

Steel/Plastic Pegboard Mounting & Spacer Kit for DuraBoard or 1/8 In. and 1/4 In. Pegboard, 15 Sets

I bought a thread rack like this:

And it was SO FUN to put it on my pegboard and put my thread up there.

Everything I added to the pegboard was really fun - I definitely recommend getting one!  Also I paid $6.99 for each one and it has a huge visual impact.

I searched online for a any type of cabinet that had the same height as my two end cabinets and found only a few and they were all at least $200.00, so I went back to ReStore a few more times and found one for the center.  It's not exact, but pretty close.

Then I bought (expensive) "one step" chalk paint, because that sounded easier than sanding, priming and painting.  I hadn't used chalk paint before but I understood the concept.

The first coat on the first cabinet...I was not happy.  Terrible brush strokes and terrible coverage.

But I kept going.

After two coats and a round of touch-ups I'm finally ok with the paint coverage and it was nice not to worry about sanding or priming.  At this point I was able to hook up my computer and sewing machine and start unpacking boxes.  I wanted a bunch of unique storage containers on the shelves, so I got something from Menards (wire basket holding yarn), Homegoods (gray wicker basket holding ribbon), Target (gray plastic basket holding punches), Michaels (wooden pen organizer below pegboard AND I already had the black photo boxes) and Joanns (cute tool box holding spraypaint).  I also got the little wire baskets holding paint on the pegboard from Hobby Lobby and I love them so much - they're on sale this week and they're only $2.50.  #ItsTheLittleThings

Like I said - I'm VERY happy to be at this point and I think it's still a work in progress.

I think it'd be fun to store something in an oversized mason jar.

And I'm trying to figure out lighting.

          

          

What do you think?

The Iron Giant Costume

A couple months back, my adorable nephew Henry

woke up one morning wishing he could dress as his favorite character - The Iron Giant

which apparently is a film from 1999 that is available on Netflix

Since it's a movie from the 90s - there aren't a lot of costume options out there, so I decided to construct one from scratch!

I looked at a pic online, drew out a sketch and went shopping for supplies.

I cut up and sewed a metallic table runner onto a black T-shirt.

Then I freehand drew the shape of the shoulder piece, and cut out strips of cardboard where I needed dimension.  I used hot glue to add all the strips.

Then I spray painted the shoulder piece with a hammered metallic spray paint. 

I cut this piece out of the metallic fabric and added rivets.

I added a bunch of rivets and screws to give it a realistic robot look.

I sewed arm and leg pieces, stuffed like pillows. with Velcro straps.

I decided to attempt a helmet.

I used a balloon and a piece of poster board as the base for paper mâché.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out

And it was ADORABLE to see Henry giving me his best Iron Giant stare!

The mask wasn't that comfortable/wearable, but pretty cute on Henry.

♥♥♥

This was a really fun project for me.  Problem-solving is one of my favorite things and I loved starting from a picture - with no instructions or blog posts and figuring out how I could replicate it.  With Halloween coming up - you might have an opportunity to do the same thing! 

Repainting Kitchen Cabinets

In 2015, my house was flipped.  At that time, they painted the cabinets and added modern handles.  (They did a lot more, but today we're focusing on the cabinets!)  These pics are from the listing after it was flipped.  

When I bought the house in 2017, the cabinets had started to yellow.  Against the white stove, dishwasher, and subway tile back splash, it was very noticeable.  These pics try to capture the comparison of the cabinets with the paint sample and then with just one coat of primer.

The yellowed look bothered me enough that I decided to take it on as a project before I moved in.  So in the midst of packing at my old house and moving into my new house, I was also painting cabinets.  

Like all the other bloggers I read - I'm going to warn you - it's a LOT of work.  It's not a weekend project.  There are so many steps and it's really time-consuming.  The only other painting project I had to compare it to was when I repainted my dresser, and I thought that was a LOT of work, but obviously this was even bigger in scope.  But I also think it was totally worth it.

I hope this list helps you - I never found a really good comprehensive list and ended up going to the store about 5 different times.

For this project you'll need:

Cordless screwdriver

Painters tape (this can also be used to make the labels)

Marker

Drop cloths, roll of brown builder’s paper

Gloves

Krud Kutter

Sponge(s)

Bucket

Medium grit sandpaper

Fine grit sandpaper

Microfiber cloth(s)

foil

Zinsser stain blocking primer

Benjamin Moore Advance paint

Paint can opener

Stirring stick

Paint tray

Paint roller

Paint roller cover  - I used the “foam roller for cabinets” type

Foam brushes

Paint pyramids – 10 in a package and you need 4 per cabinet door (optional, recommended)

Spray paint for hinges

Clear topcoat spray paint for hinges

Extras:  paint clothes, stool, phone to listen to podcast, lots of diet Coke, paper towels

Step 1 - Prepare labels (3 duplicates of each) and a map of your cabinets.  I had a hard time with this because since you're cleaning and painting both sides of the cabinet doors, at some point they lose the labels.  I think if I were super organized I could have labeled their place on the drop cloth to solve that problem.  You need 3 of each label because you need to label the cabinet base that the door came off of, the cabinet door and the Ziploc bag full of hinges and handles.  

Step 2 - Take off all cabinet doors and pull out all drawers.  

Step 3 - remove the hardware from each and put it into Ziploc bags with the corresponding label.  I did all of this with a manual screwdriver and that was crazy - one of the bloggers should have told me - STOP - go buy an electric screwdriver.  I got mine at Menard's for under $10.  It's worth it.

Step 4 - Clean/degrease/degloss (all one step, not three separate) all the places you'll paint - the cabinet doors and the bases still in the kitchen.  I read about and used Krud Kutter and thought it was good.  I made sure to wear gloves when using this product.  Remember - if it took you six days to get to step 4, that's totally normal.  This is a long process.

Step 5 - Sand everything with a medium grit sandpaper.  Not down to bare wood, but to get it roughed up, to help the paint stick better.  

Step 6 - Wipe everything down with a microfiber cloth.  You need a clean, smooth surface to start painting.

Step 7 - Tape the walls around where you'll be painting the base cabinets.  Cover counters, appliances, floors, whatever is at risk for getting paint on it.  I recommend listening to your favorite podcast during this time.  I listened to The Bobby Bones Show on iHeartRadio.

Step 8 - Prime everything.  Don't get discouraged - this step may take several days.  You have to prime the base cabinets on the walls and then one side of the doors and then probably wait to flip the doors and prime the other side.  (At this point you may be thinking - maybe outside or my garage would be the best place for all this mess.  It's not.  I carried all these cabinets out to my garage and primed one side...and they never dried.  You need it cool and low humidity.  Since it was a rainy, hot August in Kansas, I brought them in and cranked down the AC.)  To me - this is really important - buy primer that is stain blocking.  I think that's what happened in the two years since my house was flipped, whatever was underneath the white paint started to bleed through.

I read about and found these paint pyramids and they were great, except to keep costs down I only bought two packs and it would have been nice (and would have kept the project moving faster) if I had enough to put all the cabinets doors on.

[💡TIP] When you're done for the day, you can cover your paint tray with foil and you can dip your roller and brushes in paint (to keep them moist) and then wrap them in foil.  I have also read that if you store the foil wrapped brushes in the fridge, they'll last even longer.

Step 7 - Paint everything.  At this point you really start to feel good, you can see progress and the end in sight!  After quite a bit of research, I decided to use Benjamin Moore advance.  It's expensive, but here are the reasons it's good:  

• self leveling ability…the open time is longer – so it helps eliminate any brush marks or that ‘painted-at-home’ look.
• easy clean up
• it’s an alkyd meaning it has the hardening ability of an oil based paint but it is waterborne
• low VOC

Step 8 - After at least 16 hours, paint a second coat on everything.  IF there are any noticeable drips, use a fine grit sandpaper to remove them and then wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Drying times are 4-6 hours to touch, 16 hours to re-coat, 3-5 days before use, and up to 30 days to optimum hardness and sheen.

[💡TIP] Are you wondering what the soap is doing on the counter with my tools? 😂  The drawers are wood and prone to sticking (rather than easily gliding open) so I rubbed soap on the drawer slide and it really helped!  Also I am crazy about this soap!  #ilovehoneysuckle

 

Step 9 - Regarding the hinges - I really wanted to replace mine and wanted them to be all on the interior, but after researching it a ton, I determined I couldn't mentally handle one more thing.  So I decided to spray paint the hinges white and then spray a top coat on them.

Step 10 - Remove painters tape, reattach handles and hinges and then rehang cabinet doors.  One of the benefits of using Benjamin Moore Advance is that it dries like an oil paint (hard and wipeable) and eliminates the need for a topcoat/poly.

Now that the painting work is done - I LOVE my kitchen - it makes me so happy to see it every day.  That is worth everything.