Time to use some color!

Time to paint the inside of the cabinets and LOOSE MY MIND putting in the contact paper

First I picked out my color scheme based on my favorite plates that I hang on every kitchen wall no matter where I move to.  The grey I found on Pinterest (If you are not on Pinterest, you need to be!)

Next, I tried to match the colors in the plates.  I found this one and bought a gallon.

I painted a shelf and almost had a melt down.  TOO DARK! 

Ok, so I went back to the paint store and bought another gallon of the much lighter shade of the same color

Now, I started painting.  Two to three coats did it for me.  Latex enamel.

Then, after I spent several nights doing that, I laid out the contact paper.  Yes I cursed at it, ripped some off and put more down.  HELPFUL HINT:  Wait a week or a month to lay the contact paper.  If the paint has not cured then the paper will not stick.  TRUST ME!

Then I started painting the outside of the cabinets and drawers.

I went for the retro paper.  Black white and grey are a good fit. Ignore the air bubbles in the paper, pretend it is not there.  I am just so very happy it is straight at this point and that it is sticking down!

WOW!  It happened!  The cabinet guy delivered my new cabinets!  I started painting them about 5 minutes after he left!

Houston, we have a problem..... the pantry door is not straight. (my husband is still working on that).  With a good humor and a positive calm attitude, despite my growling about the cabinet maker,  my husband put on all the hardware every night for a week ( He's slow but steady).  I found them online.  Very vintage.  They came in antique bronze which did not match very well, so I went to the hardware store a bought a spray can of brushed chrome silver and spray painted every single knob, handle and screw top.  IT SO WORKS!  HELPFUL HIT:  When spray painting screws. stick them in any Styrofoam sheet so they stand upright.

Tune in for more tomorrow

Refacing The Cabinet Doors

Refacing sounds hard, but I have done another kitchen in the last house similar to this and it is EASY!  

No miter cuts. 

 It does not demand an engineering degree. 

 So, You go buy one of these at the hardware Store.  Plastic Miter board (You will be using the center straight groove!).  Buy the trim molding you want.  I like the plain Lattice strips that is about 1 3/4" across and 1/8" thick.

And buy one of those thin hand saws.  

My hubby screwed the cutting guide  onto a board and clamped it to that useless counter island so I had room to saw the long pieces of lattice trim (that I bought at LOWES). 
      Next unscrew all the hinges off the doors and put them in a box or big plastic zip lock and put them in a place that you will not loose them.  Sounds like a no brainier, but trust me, when you start unscrewing everything all over the kitchen it will be easy to loose pieces and not find them for days or weeks when you start putting everything back. 

Trust Me, I Know.  

Ok, so I totally lost the photos of the cabinet doors.  Welcome to my life!  If I find them I will add them in later.  So it is the same thing that I did with the bedroom doors, except I put the trim along the edge of the cabinet door.

   Step 1:  If you have enamel paint doors and you are going to be using the new latex 
                enamel paint on your doors, then you need to put a coat of liquid sandpaper 
                a primer on the front, back and the four sides!  do not forget to do this!  
   Step 2:  Measure the front top of door and cut lattice to length
   Step 3:  Use an electric staple gun (way easy and better than hammer and tiny nails),
                use the Brads as shown and start stapling the ends and in between.  Don't go
                staple gun crazy here, just make sure the lattice piece
                are firm against the door.

   Step 4: repeat bottom of door
   Step 5: Do the same thing to the left and right sides.

Now, when this is all done, It is time to sink the brads with just a tap of a hammer and a nail set tool.  


Once all brads are sunk in, then it is time for wood putty.  I love to use the Durham's brand because you just add water to as much as you need.  No more wasted dried up wood putty in a jar.  HELPFUL HINT:  Go buy the latex gloves and wear them when you paint and wood putty everything....you will thank me later....

Now you need to fill in the holes, fill in any gaps between the wood trim you cut and the door and fill in any gaps where the wood trim meets each other.

Now let the wood putty dry up for a day or two then come back and sand everything smooth. HELPFUL HINT:  Do this outside.  If you do it inside you will be dusting piece of furniture, lamp, floor, shelf and decorative do-dad in your house for a week....trust me I know.

My favorite tool is this mouse sander.  It is easy to hold and move into corners.  I sanded everything, even the sides and made sure the front lattice joints were smoothed together and looked like the same level... sometimes your strips won't be cut the same depth and you joined two that are a bit different.  Don't sweat it, just sand down the high piece and the corners will look even and it will be fine.

Now, prime the raw wood and wood putty spots with a wood primer and let them sit for at least 24 hours.  If it is humid, then wait a few days.  (finally I found a picture)

Now you are ready to paint.  Take your time.  You don't have to do this all in one day you know.  You can buy a sprayer and spray on your paint or you can use a paintbrush like me and do it the old fashioned way.  Just put on 2-3 coats on all the surfaces.  I am not showing you a picture because it would ruin the TA-DA ending.

Place your doors in a safe traffic free zone and let the paint harden.  Do not stack the doors together because they will stick together!!!! Just lean them against a wall with just an edge hitting the wall.  Make sure you also put a piece of newspaper between your wall and the doors.  TRUST ME.

Tomorrow will be inside the cabinets.....

Kitchen Remodel....Let's tear out that floor!

How to Tear out Mexican tile that was laid with Cement Floor Leveling Mix (Not tile adhesive mind you, but Thin Set) .

The first thing I did was start busting out the tile.  I used a small sledge hammer and pick....that helped relieve some of my pent up anger towards the tile, but it was exhausting.  I got horrible blisters and I Could not hold a cup to drink.  Not good.

I filled up the broken pieces into used shipping boxes so I could place one a week into the dumpster in the alley.  Yes, here in Midland we have community dumpsters and not garbage cans.  Great really.  You can unload a lot of garbage in one day.

I got this much done in a week and the light went off in my head.....there has to be a better way!  So I went and rented one of these!

Add caption

Oh My Gosh!!!! ELECTRIC HAMMER.  The most fun, easy to use and efficient way to tear up tile!!!!  I have fallen in love. (NOTE:  Buy a face guard helmet thingy, you will need it with all the flying tile).  All I had to do was squeeze the button, lean on it and it would start hammering away.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  Within an hour I had so much done.

Then I packed up the salvage pieces

Then next day I moved out the fridge and dishwasher and did the last part.  Returned the hammer on Monday and smiled for 2 weeks!

BAM !  Floor done.......next step is to reface the cabinet door

MY Kitchen Rehab.....The before pictures

So here it goes.....Step by step....inch by inch.....I am renovating the kitchen.
Here is what I began with

The Mexican tile floor was horrible and everything got caught in the grout that seemed to dip down around every single tile. I had to clean the floors on my hands and knees with a scrub brush.  The wall had been opened up for a bar area.  Sounds like a good idea but it was just wasted space.  The cabinet doors are original to the 1960 build.  Originally they were a bright yellow, then the owners before me had them sprayed white.

The counters were Corian.  The giant florescent light in the center of the ceiling was our only lighting.  NO ONE looks good in that kind of lighting!  The appliances were white except the Dishwasher which was our first purchase towards the remodel 4 months after we moved in. (Bought it at LOWES) The counters were cluttered because there was NOT a pantry in the kitchen.  All in all it was just U-G-L-Y!

Tune back in tomorrow and watch the renno begin!

Paper art

I am having so much fun trying something new....paper gifts from vintage paper
these will be listed on my etsy stores.....
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Askmedecor?ref=si_shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Askmestudio?ref=si_shop

Christmas

This the Season to Deck the Halls.

I fell in love with this hutch the moment my eyes fell on it.  I always wanted one to display all my treasures.  This Christmas it is sharing all the treasures I have found for the past 10 years.

Everyone is getting into the Christmas Spirit

This is the only German Hand-blown Ornament from my Childhood.  52 Years and still treasured memories are clear

These Glass Balls were hand painted by my Dear Beautiful friend Elizabeth.  You may know her original designs from her Company Sarah LeClere

And most of all, I wish you a Very Merry Christmas full of Hope and love...For God so Loved the World that he sent his son, Jesus

Backyard Wedding thanks to Pinterest

The final touches all in place

I made the tissue paper poms to the patio ceiling and strung tiny white lights.

I found the pumpkins at the Hardware store and put them in the raised planter

I got the sign at Big Lots and all the flowers and vases at the dollar store

I made the Bunting thanks to Pinterest! 

The bride and her bridesmaids all wore their boots!

The Bride and me

Sometimes it is good to do something different.  It keeps the creative juices going!  All these are available on my etsy store, askmestudio at etsy.com.....unless someone beat you to it, lol