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Other Artistic Projects

Most artists eventually branch out into other kinds of projects. Please enjoy my dabbling in home decor, etc.

Kitchen Decor Updates

before shot

Since a real kitchen update costs way more than I can afford at the moment, I decided small affordable, victories would have to do. Earlier, I'd added a couple of critical electrical circuits, an electric garbage disposal and a new ceiling light fixture.

A logical next? A fresh coat of paint to eliminate the horrid beige. Fall 2010, I started by buying lots of primer and ooops paint and removing all 40+ drawers pulls, but then I paused.

I really wanted to gut the space, or at least get the cabinets refaced. Then I stalled with indecision. This December (2011) my sister revitalized the painting option.

 

 

before shot - prepping surfaces

I discovered there were four layers of paint as I scrubbed and scraped to prep all the drawer surfaces. One hidden layer struck me as being quite odd for a kitchen color - black. It was under the beige and yellow layers. Ooooh, if only paint could talk...

My energizer bunny sister painted the drawers with primer and then created a beautiful and very fitting color from my collection of 'ooops paint'. I call it Fresh Butter.
My sister and niece helped me get the drawers updated. After 18 months, I finally have a pleasant area to look at in my kitchen.

after shot - Dec 2011

click to see video - fresh coat of paint for kitchen drawers; the color of fresh butter - my favorite food.

   The upper cabinets and walls still need to be prepped and painted. Oh sis, dear!

Vintage Hammer Door Handle/Pull
 

  June 2011 - I needed to replace my screen door. Of all the options at the big box hardware stores, the standard wooden framed ones appealed to me the most.

However, unlike the metal and plastic doors, wood ones need a little work before they're ready. The wood isn't painted and they don't come with their own hardware. So I stained the door and I decided to make my own door handles.

A simple beginner project, it seemed. Any homeowner will tell you, no home DIY project is ever as simple as it seems. Wondering what's that on that screen door where a handle should be?
 
   

  Yup, it's a hammer. I found the strange rust covered vintage hammer at a garage sale and thought its wooden handle would be a fitting pull for a door.

But I didn't want to disassemble the hammer. I really liked it just the way it was; its unusual head, its aged look. The fun part was figuring out how to repurpose the hammer while respecting it.

In brief, to hold the hammer, I wrapped the handle with brass strips and attached metal pipes and hardware to the strips. Then I used that hardware to attach to the door. That way I didn't damage the actual hammer handle with big drilled holes.
     
   

  For the inside half of the door pull, I made a simple arched strip from textured brass to which I added some small decorations.
 
 

  Side view to show both the outside and inside pull handles. The door may be plain, but it's got a little 'sumtin sumtin' extra. :)

 

 


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Last update to this page: 26 June 2011. Send comments, questions or suggestions to Desiree McCrorey.