Making an Ugly Refrigerator Work for Me

So, this is about how I created a big problem for myself.

 It starts with us moving into our house without a refrigerator. It ends with having a refrigerator I can finally live with 3 years later and only $9.00. Here it goes.


When we first moved into our house we just needed to get a refrigerator in here immediately. We moved from an apartment and the previous owners took their fridge, so we had to find a solution better than the cooler sitting in the kitchen with all of our food in a heap inside. Yeah. Also we didn't have money to buy a fancy new one. We were overwhelmed, tired and just needed somebody who could bring us a fridge on Labor Day, of all days. So we found a cheap (I thought temporary... ha) used refrigerator that the guy could deliver straight to our house. It was a big black side by side fridge. Not my favorite, but whatever. It was temporary until we could save and get one we actually thought about and bought with some purpose........ Ha.


So fast forward 2 years and I was sick of the big black hole in my kitchen. I busted out some primer and latex paint (dumb. Don't do this.) and I just willy nilly started painting the fridge. I didn't even bother pulling it away from the wall. I just wanted to see if it would work. This is a sign of a lunatic. If you find yourself doing this, ask some questions. Mostly ask yourself what you think you're doing and if you can live with a peeling, half painted fridge for a year. Probably not, right?

...... What in the world. I lived with it like this for a long time. I mean. Too long. I can't believe I let anybody see it like this, but over the time it looked like this, I don't even know how many people saw it. Like, everyone. And now all of you guys. Haha oh my. Yeah, don't be like me. 

My main problem was I didn't know how to fix it. I could strip it, but I didn't want to do that in the house with those chemicals. I mean, I was pregnant last year people. Okay, also I was pregnant and had other things to worry about. The big issue was the handles. Everything else seemed to take paint okay, but I tried to paint the handles which was the worst. idea. ever. The paint all chipped and rubbed off and looked atrocious. As you can see in pictures I voluntarily put out there. My word.

Finally I solved the problem and took care of it.

I got out the primer, primed everything twice, then used the same paint I have been using on the cabinets; Sherwin Williams Pro Classic paint. It's enamel based, so it dries much harder than a latex. It still wouldn't solve the problem of the handles, so I decided to wrap them with rope to cover the portions we would handle the most, where the paint tends to rub off.

I found some pretty rope at Michael's. I bought 2 for $9.00. Which, you know, is about $991 less than a new fridge. So Phil is happy. :) 

(Sorry for some of these pictures; I used my phone because well... It was right there and I was being lazy.)

I just used a hot glue gun to secure it as I wrapped it around. 

I started the glue and rope in the back so you wouldn't see where it begins.

After gluing it to the back and securing it, I started gluing on the front because it was easier and there was less danger of burning myself. You don't see the glue at all, so it works fine.

I used my glue gun on high heat, which I almost never do after a glue blob to the leg incident, but I wanted to be sure this would be super securely bonded to the handle. The only problem is I had to hold the rope down a little longer while the glue cooled each time I did a row. I also made sure I was pulling the rope really tight each time, so the rows would be close together and you wouldn't see the chipping handles in the gaps or anything.

I also made sure to finish it off in the back too, so you wouldn't see the end of the rope in the front. I left the tape on the ends of the rope too. You could remove them, but I figured they would be helpful in preventing fraying.

The other problem I ran into was that pulling the rope through rubbed some paint off in places:

So I just patched those really quickly, and it was done! Easy! And it only took 3 years to get this done..... :)

Don't worry. Those cabinets will get done... some time... :)

SO much better, right?! 

Before and After:

 

I mean. I don't even know what to say about that before anymore haha. I am a mess. But at least we have a lovely-looking fridge where a hideous monster used to be! I really like the white, and the added texture of the rope is super cute in here! Success!

Hope you have a Happy Monday! We are getting over a stomach bug, but as soon as everything is back to normal, those cabinets are going to get owned. :) 

*I am not affiliated with Michael's in any way. Or Sherwin Williams. This post was sponsored by Phil and his refusal to buy me a new fridge while this one still keeps things cold. ;) 

Quick Tip Thursday

Quick Tip Thursday isn't a thing; I just thought it sounded cool. I don't know that I have enough tips to keep that going for very long lol. However, there is an annoying problem I have had with my mattress since we bought it and I finally have a solution.

I am talking about this:

I mean. No. I like my mattress, but I do not want to look at it nor do I want to sleep directly on it. We have a pillow top mattress, and at first it was difficult to find sheets that fit. Now they make them a little wider for that issue, but because of that extra several inches, our sheet is always popping off. I mean, I used to fix it every day. Then if I got up during the night I would fix it again. Then I gave up. Then one of us would end up with the fitted sheet bunching up under our pillow, so I decided something needed to be done about this.

Then my sister told me about these handy little guys:

Adjustable Bed Sheet Suspenders

I mean, maybe I have been living under a rock for an age, but I had NO IDEA anything this marvelous existed. I mean, I am finicky about my sheets, so the irritation of my sheet popping off would keep me awake with frustration and annoyance. No. Mama needs her sleep, people. These things are amazing.

They have little teeth that grip the sheet to keep them secure:

And the link above comes with 4, so you can attach them to each corner of the bed.

I just pull the mattress out a bit and clip each side of the suspender to the sheet, making sure it's very tightly pulled.

I pulled it out from under the mattress so you can see about how far apart the clips need to be.

Then I adjust it to the tightest setting.

Then pull the sheet down really tight over the bed!

Ahhhh, that is what I love to see! That baby isn't moving anywhere!

So. Much. Better.

Really. I mean, this?:

Or this?:

I think the answer is clear here. Is anybody else weird about their sheets like me? Plus I mean, it's a rare day the bed gets made, so the fitted sheet cannot be all wrinkly and sloppy. No. We have been using these for about 7 months now and honestly, as long as they are clipped on well (make sure to get those teeth all the way on the sheet!) we have zero problems with our sheets popping off. Yes! Success! I wish I had known about these 8 years ago when we bought this mattress! It's the little things, people ;)

Have a great Thursday!!

*I have no affiliation with Amazon or the company that makes this product. I just provided a link for the convenience. I just really love these!!!

Spray Paint for the Ugly Range Hood

So as we do the kitchen, there are so many things to address. Listen, I don't want to finish the kitchen and put weeks (months, really) into it and still be unsatisfied when we are finished. That being said, sometimes I have to get a little more creative because of limitations. One of those limitations is the range hood.

We have a typical cream colored range hood like most builder grade homes:

It's not really pretty, so I really wanted to do something to it to make it a little more desirable. My dream would be one like this:

Joanna Gaines

I mean. Right? I love the copper, the scalloping, and basically everything else around it. But that's not the point right now. The problem is that I have a small kitchen as it is, so I can't afford to lose the cabinet space above the range. Also, I am not made of money. I am a stay at home mommy of two kids, so this type of hood is out of reach for me right now. But hey, that's what my imaginary dream house is for, right? Should I ever get the chance to build it, this baby will be making an appearance.

So for now I needed something to update the functioning hood I have now, so Rustoleum to the rescue.

Buy it here

I really love the color of this paint. It's coppery without being too orange or red. 

(I have no affiliation with Rustoleum or Amazon, just like this product).

So to start off, I sprayed the hood twice with Krud Kutter (again, no affiliation) and made sure all grease was gone. This paint has a primer built in, so I didn't bother priming or sanding since it says it will adhere to metal. Then I covered anything I didn't want to get paint on, and taped off the under side because I didn't want to paint that part.

I also opened all windows, actually turned the hood fan on to minimize the paint fumes, and I had Phil take the kids out of the house for a little while so there was no paint fume exposure for those guys. I probably should have put a sheet on the floor too because the paint does let off a kind of dust... that may or may not have been tracked throughout the kitchen and onto the rug..... Oops. I also had to wipe down and wash most things that were left on the counter across the kitchen. Spray paint is way messier than I realized when it's sprayed inside your house. Yikes.

So.

I sprayed a few light, even coats, leaving a little time between each coat. I also made sure to spray the switches in their on positions, waited an hour, then turned them off to spray them again so they would be fully covered and no white would show in the on or off positions. I hope that makes sense.

Here is the finished product:

'

I think it's really helping the farmhouse vibe in here. Of course, the cabinets will be painted white (and are well on their way) so I think the hood will look even better when that is all done.

 I finished this up over a month ago, and I still love it every time I walk in and all it cost was the can of spray paint... And a couple hours of clean up from underestimating how messy spray paint is in the house. Seriously. Cover. Everything.

Have a great day, friends!

The Decorating Process

So, okay. I get asked by a lot of people for help decorating (which I love doing) but I don't think it's that difficult once you break it down. I honestly think the hardest part is getting started. From there, it's basically as tricky as copying. Yep. I am a big fat copier. So is every other decorator out there. There is nothing new under the sun, so let's just get that out of the way now.

There is no need to feel bad about not being original. Most people cannot just come up with inspiration out of the recesses of their brains. You know the expression that the best writers are great readers? Same idea. We get inspired by others, who were inspired by others. I used to feel like I wasn't good at what I love because I wasn't coming up with my own ideas. Silliness. There is no room for feeling inferior here. Decorating should be fun!

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let's break down this process.


I am going to use my kitchen as an example since that's what I am currently working on.


First, gather inspiration. You can browse Pinterest, magazines, books, blogs, or even Google images. I use all of those mediums for inspiration, but my favorite is still Pinterest. So for my kitchen, I just typed "kitchen" into a Pinterest search. Any image that made me stop to look at it, I would Pin it to a kitchen board.

Once I pinned several images, I began to see a pattern; I really love white kitchens the most. Every image I pinned had white cabinets. So I searched white kitchens. With each step, I would discover more of my taste and narrow even further to discover exactly what I want in our house. Through this process, I discovered I really loved the farmhouse style, so I searched that:

That search brought up some of my favorite kitchens ever. Like, as in, I clutched my hands to my heart and sighed and I am pretty sure I turned into that emoji with the heart eyes. You know, the images I couldn't get out of my mind and just kept thinking, "If I had THAT kitchen...... *sigh*". I think you guys know what I'm talking about.

Farmhouse 5540

Jennifer Rizzo

All 3 above are Skies of Parchment

All of these kitchens are pretty similar. I picked out the common elements I *loved* and I am incorporating them into my own kitchen.

-White cabinets

-Beadboard backsplash

-Warm wood tones

-Open/glass cabinet doors

-Farmhouse style sink (more on this in a second)

-Bridge faucet

-Dark hardware

-Chandelier style light

After putting my wishlist together, I had to figure out what I could afford to do and what would be practical in my kitchen. I really really wanted a farmhouse style sink, but it wasn't practical for my budget or for the laminate counter tops I currently have. The counters are in good shape and honestly, they aren't my dream counters, but they far from bug me, so they stay. SO, the dream sink and butcher block (wood) counter tops are out, BUT I can make up for it! Instead, we found a HUGE beautiful white cast iron sink and I got my beautiful dream chrome bridge faucet and I LOVE it. Like, a lot. So I am totally cool with the compromise.

I instagrammed this last week as I was priming the cabinets. 

***All the heart eyes***

:)

The biggest change is still an ongoing process. That is the painting of the cabinets. I researched the best paint, process, and products for painting the cabinets, but the biggest obstacle was choosing a color. There are so. many. whites. So many. Like, a crazy amount. Once again, Pinterest to the rescue. I will share that process another day though if you like because picking the right color for any room or project... that is a WHOLE other story. 

So the process of decorating is really just a process of discovering taste, looking at beautiful images, setting a focus, then copy it with a few adjustments here and there. It's really not that scary or complicated to tackle a room makeover once you have a vision and some inspiration! I hope that maybe knowing a little more about my process will help you guys if you have been feeling stuck or frozen on a certain area of your home. Getting started is the trickiest part! Happy decorating, guys! :)