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Painted Dishwasher
This project has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier to finally be able to scream it to the world, I PAINTED MY DISHWASHER!
It may sound a little risky, but it was totally worth it. The ugly almond color had to go. It was the only appliance we had that was an off-white color and it stuck out like a sore thumb in our primarily black and white kitchen.
To begin this process, I covered the surrounding area with garbage bags and plastic table cloths and secured them with painters tape. I also thoroughly applied tape to the button control panel to help keep them readable after the new paint job.
Next, I sprayed the dishwasher with a few coats of Rustoleum Black Appliance Epoxy. It was very important to follow all the instructions on the can to insure even coverage.
Finally, I removed all of the layers of plastic and tape to reveal my beautiful, new-looking dishwasher.
We are very pleased with how this turned out, but there is one tiny thing I am not entirely crazy about. The control panel is still that almond color. Eww. But, I am so much happier with having a black dishwasher with a small off-white stripe vs. an all almond appliance. What do you think?
This project was not the first of its kind in our kitchen. Over a year ago, I also transformed our range hood from almond to black. You can read all about that experience here.
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A Simple Desk Redo with Big Meaning
I have been working hard on transforming my oldest son’s room from nursery to a “big boy” room. I am so excited to share this desk redo with you and the meaningful story that goes along with it.
We grew up in a small town in Ohio. During the days when our parents were working and my big sister (Erin) was at school, I spent my time at an in home daycare. Lucky for me, it was also our grandparents’ house.
I have so many fond memories from this period of my life. One of my favorites is the time when my cousin Amy and I discovered where our grandfather kept his secret stash of chewing tobacco. The hiding spot was in the bottom, back of a drawer in his desk. In the exchange for our silence in not telling our grandmother, he gave my cousin and I our very own special drawer in that same desk to keep our drawings and art work in. Our Grandpa was definitely not someone who was afraid of conflict, but he always said “Grandma is the boss and don’t want to make Boss Nanny mad.” So we kept our silence and our drawer.
It has now been 25 years since then and our grandpa has passed away. The desk remains in pretty good shape and I am now the proud owner.
When I first inherited the desk, I opened each of the drawers and was hit with a very familiar smell. Tobacco. Ah, Grandpa. As I opened our special drawer, I saw crayon marks all along the walls of the it. The memories just kept coming back to me.
As much as I loved this desk as it was, it did need a little work. When trying to decided what to do with it, I thought about my grandpa and how back in 2010 he was in the nursing home, not doing too well. I was pregnant with my first son and he kept saying he wanted to see that baby before he died. He did end up getting his wish and I hope our grandfather would be pleased that my oldest son will be getting this desk in his room.
To spruce this baby up, I first sanded down the entire exterior.
Next, it was time for the stain. Using a natural brush I applied a coat of Minwax Special Walnut to the desk and drawer fronts. I made sure to wipe off any excess stain that did not soak into the wood with a rag.
Then, I used a synthetic brush and swept on three coats of Minwax Polycrylic. I love this stuff because it is water based and does not leave the surface looking yellow.
Finally, I added some new hardware, stood back, and admired my work.
I just love how it turned out and my little guy is pretty excited too. His one and only request was that we display a few pictures of our family on top of it. Do most four year old boys request pictures of their parents to have in their bedroom? I think it is so sweet. I found these fun art frames at Tiny Prints and they work perfectly for our needs.
It’s so wonderful to have this meaningful piece of furniture in my home. And someday, when my son gets older I will have the pleasure of explaining to him why his desk smells so weird. Haha.
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20 DIY Holiday Gift Ideas
For all you creators out there, here are twenty DIY holiday gift ideas to get your wheels turning for the upcoming holiday season.
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Corn Husk Wreath & Thanksgiving Blog Hop
Today we are sharing a DIY Corn Husk Wreath and a Thanksgiving Blog Hop. Eleven bloggers have come together to help you prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Every day when I drive my boys to and from preschool, I pass a little fall farm stand. After driving past it 4 times a day, 5 days a week, it started to call my name. “Emily. Emily. You know you want to stop.” I finally decided to listen to the crazy voices in my head and see what treasures they were selling. To add a touch of fall festivity to our front porch, I carefully shoved three bundles of corn stalks into my car. We do not have a huge car, so I had to feed these puppies in from the back hatch and push them between the boys car seats without injuring anyone. Luckily, we all made it home safely.
When we got home, my wonderful husband helped me attach the stalks to our brick pillars. After a day or two of displaying them, I started to wonder what else I could do with corn stalks. That’s the moment when the brilliant idea of making a corn husk wreath came to me.
Supplies
– Corn stalks with corn still attached
– Pipe insulation tube wrapping (I used this as my wreath form.)
– Burlap
– Hot glue gun and glue sticks
– Large container for soaking corn husk
– Bleach
– Packing TapeFirst, I removed the plastic seal and taped the ends and center of the pipe insulation together to create a wreath form.
I covered the entire tubing with burlap to conceal it. The burlap also prevented me from completely melting the form with the hot glue.
Next, it was time to collect my corn husks from the stalks. I shucked the corn. (Never thought I’d say that in a blog post.)
Because these bundles had been getting a little old, I soaked the husks in a bleach/water solution to kill any mold that started to grow.
I placed all of the wet husks flat onto a towel to begin to dry. Something I learned along the way was to not let them dry completely. They seemed to mold to the shape of the wreath form better when damp. If they were too wet the hot glue wouldn’t stick to them.
Then, I glue the husks to the burlap in layers. I used A LOT of glue sticks, but it was well worth it.
Finally, I completed the wreath by trimming the ends of a few unruly pieces.
I am so pleased with how this project turned out and it only took me about 30 minutes. It will make the perfect harvest decor for Thanksgiving.
____________________________________________________________________ Hop on over for more Thanksgiving inspiration from our bloggy friends!
Home Made by Carmona / Elizabeth Joan Designs / Hawthorne and Main /
Dwelling in Happiness / For My Love Of / Bumble Bree Blog / Not a Trophy Wife /
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