I'll admit it: I don't really like carving pumpkins. I always have grand plans, but by the time you head to the patch, select just the right one, gorge on popcorn balls, look for the carving tools, spread the newspaper, and begin the epic cleanout process...I'm kinda over it.
Organization is not my strong suit. Of course, I enjoy being organized, but somehow I never quite get there. So, I thought a new calendar might help to keep my schedule in order. I wanted to make one that I could reuse each month to keep track of my projects and appointments, so I decided to make a perpetual chalkboard version. And then? I stumbled upon the miracle of clear chalkboard paint... and the rest is, well, my own DIY perpetual...
Sure, all-white kitchens are neutral and easy, but they also tend to lack personality. Why not infuse your space with a bit of extra color to add some character? Here are 27 gorgeous kitchens that aren't all white to get your creative juices flowing.
Currently I'm living in a place with a kitchen that must hold some sort of record for tininess. There are four drawers, a couple of cabinets, and exactly one countertop. Said countertop is about 2.5 square feet, and that's literally my entire cooking workspace. Suffice it to say, I need to be wise about kitchen organization if I want to keep from going crazy. Knowing there's absolutely no room to store things horizontally, I recently went vertical with this magnetic paper towel holder.
I am pretty good about remembering to bring my reusable shopping bags with me when I pick up groceries. I walk in the store with my canvas bags, and I leave with my groceries and only those bags (and usually a pint of Ben & Jerry's - don't judge me). No matter how hard I try, plastic shopping bags still seem to magically appear under my kitchen sink. While tiny bags are handy to have around (fellow pet owners may agree with me here), keeping them from looking like a literal wad of trash is tricky. I'm here to share with you a folding technique to beat all others. It's by far the fastest, and definitely the easiest, way to fold a plastic shopping bag.
Renting your home has some perks (no mortgage, no maintenance costs, no headaches), but there are downsides: apartment decorating can be a challenge, and limited storage space makes it hard to stay organized.
Many apartments are too small or don't offer much storage. Maybe the landlord won't let you paint or put nail holes in the wall. And rental properties are usually...
There are a couple rules-of-thumb when it comes to successfully keeping your home clean. One of those rules is that you should always keep your cleaning supplies in one place, and you should always put them back when you're done using them. A cleaning caddy meets both those criteria, and - bonus - makes carrying household cleaners from room to room super easy! I've been wanting to incorporate a carrier into my cleaning routine for a while now, and rather than purchase a cheap-looking plastic one that will surely break over time, I opted to make one instead.
Are you ready for a crazy-quick sewing project? I'm calling this the "half hour half apron" because it's one of the fastest sewing projects I think I've ever completed. Honestly, if I busted out a few more of these half aprons, I believe I could get my time down to 15 minutes. No sweat. My point is, this half apron is a breeze to make. This is a perfect project for beginner sewers. Plus, who doesn't need an adorable handmade apron in their kitchen?
This is our most complete guide on how to paint kitchen cabinets. A DIY cabinetry painting job can be time-consuming, but if done right, the results are excellent. We show you two examples of DIY kitchen cabinet makeovers, one light and one dark. Read on to find out how to do it!
Yesterday we had an interesting discussion about whether or not painting kitchen cabinets was a simple, one-weekend project. On Twitter, this commonly-repeated idea was referred to as "commercial break cabinets" and "design on a crashing dime". I'm here to burst a few bubbles and tell you that painting kitchen cabinets is absolutely NOT a one-weekend project. But you know what? It's still easy! And doing it the right way first will save you time and money later. That's a promise. So, if you've got a few weekends set aside for the lowest-cost, biggest-impact change you can make to your kitchen (and I haven't scared you away yet), read on!
We painted our kitchen cabinets as part of our recent kitchen makeover (which you can see more of here). Going in, I, like many earnest DIYers of the past, had high hopes of turning our cabinets into sparkly white wonders within a single weekend. Turns out, it takes a lot longer than that. In fact, it took us 5 weekends. You could probably cut out at least one of those if you used an orbital sander and probably another on top of that if you are using a paint sprayer. But we're hardcore and sanded and painted everything by hand. Yippee! But enough about that, you're here to learn how to paint kitchen cabinets in your own home, and that's just what I'm going to show you! Ready?
Materials! My favorite. Before you get started, you're going to need to do a little shopping and gather up the following items:
Other items you will need: rosin paper OR plastic sheeting to protect your counters, painters pyramids OR 2x4s with nails hammered through (to set your cabinet doors on while drying), and a shop vacuum. And that's it. Let's start painting!
Remove cabinet doors and drawer fronts, plus any hardware that might be attached. (If you're protecting your countertops, now's the time to cover them with your rosin paper/plastic sheeting.)
Take your degreaser/TSP and thoroughly clean all areas of your cabinet doors/drawer fronts as well as the cabinet boxes. If you have sensitive skin (or don't want chemicals all over your hands) wear gloves!
If your cabinets have dings or you're replacing your hardware with something different, fill in all the holes/divots with wood putty. (We didn't have this issue.) Next, sand your cabinets and cabinet boxes with 100 grit sandpaper, going with the grain. Really get in there and rough up that surface.
Vacuum up as much sawdust as you can.
Using your tack cloth, wipe off any remaining sawdust. You want your surface to be as clean and dust-free as possible. Taking the time to adequately prep is KEY.
Prime time! Apply your primer, starting with the inner panel. Go against the grain first, then with it. This will help to fill in the grain and create a smoother surface. Allow the primer to dry thoroughly; consider priming your cabinet boxes while you wait.
Once your primer is dry, it's time to sand again! Using a fine or extra-fine grit sandpaper (around 220 or so), sand away any brush strokes or uneven primer. Create as smooth a surface as you possibly can. Like I said, taking the time to adequately prep your surface is KEY.
Vacuum off all the sawdust.
Wipe everything down with your tack cloth, making sure to get any remaining sawdust.
It's finally time to paint! Using your angled brush, start on the back panels of your cabinets like you did with the primer. This time, go with the grain only. Apply a relatively thin coat, don't slop it on there. Let this coat dry to-the-touch before flipping it over and painting the other side. Allow this coat to dry thoroughly, on a level surface. Meanwhile, go paint your cabinet boxes, following the same technique.
Once dry, make a quick pass with your tack cloth to get any dust, then repeat Step 10 to apply a second coat. (A third coat will probably not be necessary, but if it is, you know what to do now!)
After your cabinets have completely dried and cured (which takes a day or two), you can reattach them and install the hardware.
And now? Now you celebrate, because you just spent 4-5 weekends creating the prettiest, most properly-prepped painted kitchen cabinets on the planet! Go wild, you earned it.
Here are some beauty shots of our finished project:
By Lidy Dipert
We'd had enough of our dated kitchen, so we decided to give it a full-on facelift, while staying on a budget. Follow along with our whole series: Lidy's Kitchen Makeover.
So, you’re tired of your outdated kitchen and you have a small budget? No problem! We can totally relate to those familiar feelings. Our kitchen truly is the heart of our home, so we wanted to find a way to make it the our favorite room in the house without spending a lot of money.
Anyone can do this quick-fix on the cheap and in a short amount of time. Let’s start with the biggest and most obvious problem: the contractor-grade oak cabinets. It was cool in the 90s (or was it?!), but it’s time to move on. We wanted a kitchen with a modern look, something sleek and simple. The easiest and most inexpensive solution is to paint your existing cabinets and add new hardware. We went with a bold, dramatic palette, which is a great backdrop for any design style.
For more kitchen remodel ideas, check out the kitchen makeovers section.
Start with giving your cabinets a good clean using warm soapy water to get rid of any dirt or grease. You want to start with a nice clean surface, so scrub hard! Remove all the cabinet doors, drawers and any contents in your cupboards, as they will be covered in dust in no time. Avoid making more work for yourself.
Begin sanding the surface of your cupboards, doors and drawers. You can use an electric sander to really rough up the surface and to speed this process up.
If your doors and drawers have little details, use a sanding block to get into the hard to reach places.
Wipe all surfaces clean with tack cloth to get rid of any dust.
Place painters tape around the cupboards to avoid getting black paint on the walls. Paint your first coat on the cupboards and allow to dry.
Meanwhile, begin your first coat of paint on your doors and drawers. Use a brush to get into all the grooves and a roller for the flat surfaces. Allow to dry completely in between coats. Tip: Place doors on blocks to keep off the floor or floor tiles in case dirt sticks to paint while drying.
When the paint has dried, begin your second coat. For the doors, flip over and repeat process on the other side.
Once everything looks fully covered, you can begin piecing back your kitchen, one door and drawer at a time! Place new hardware on your door and drawer fronts. We went with black hardware on black cabinets and drawers for a clean and modern finish. The cabinets alone will make your whole kitchen feel fresh and updated. But there’s more, so stay tuned!
Apartment-living, like anything in life, comes with its own set of pros and cons. Con: the walls are so thin you can hear your next door neighbors breathing. Pro: when the 20-year-old fridge in your kitchen inevitably breaks, you're not the one who has to replace it! I've been living in rentals for about eight years now, and while one day I'd like to buy a little fixer-upper of my own, for now I'm figuring out how to enjoy the temporary spaces I inhabit. Here are a few tricks I've learned that can help you put your own mark on your apartment. Bonus - everything is reversible, so you don't have to worry about a disgruntled landlord!
Dirty grout is a common problem. But with so many cleaning tips floating around on the internet, it's hard to know what to believe. So I decided to take the guess work out of it by testing a few methods and reporting back to you. Read on to see what I discovered...
The widespread appeal of nautical and coastal decor makes a lot of sense when you consider the primal and ancient connection humans have to the sea. Being attracted to the water is hardwired into our very cells. Scientific studies have proven what we already know anecdotally: spending time near, on, or in lakes and oceans make us happier and healthier. It's no wonder that so many of us respond to the colors, clean lines, and natural elements of coastal, beach, and nautical decor. It makes us feel good to be reminded of the sea.
If your initial reaction to the term "coastal decor" is negative, it's probably from witnessing too many cutesy and heavy-handed thematic rooms. We are not advocating buying and displaying any and all items that have a sailboat or seahorse on them. Good decorating never grows out of an overly simplistic theme, and, "Put an anchor on it" is not a valid design philosophy!
Science has shown that our sense of smell is strongly tied to memory and emotion, so creating a beautifully scented home is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. Today we're sharing ten ways to give your house that Christmas aroma, using things like simmering stovetop mixtures, candles and even scented pinecones. Read on to check them out!
Themed gift baskets make amazing, affordable, and memorable gifts. The key is to pick the items carefully and to pay attention to the presentation. Here is a complete list of our very favorite gift basket ideas for everyone on your list, plus money-saving tips and tricks on assembling DIY gift baskets!