DIY Project: Kitchen Island

My finished kitchen island fits right in to my kitchen.

I used these free Ana White 'Easy Kitchen Island' plans for this project, with a few small adjustments. This is the second time I've used plans from Ana White's site, and just like last time, they were brilliant! They just makes a project like this so easy! I just emailed the plans to myself, they included both a shopping list and a cut list, and headed to my local home improvement store for the necessary supplies.

Supplies, waiting to get cut.

I had most of the wood cut in the store, according to the cut list. I did end up getting a Kreg jig, something that is recommended in the instructions but that I initially though I'd skip. In the end, I'm really glad I got one, as it helped make the assembly really easy, and it will be very useful for future projects. Thanks to the Kreg, the whole piece came together start to finish in half a day, the constructed kitchen island is very stable, and all screws are completely hidden out of view.

Shelf assembly. 

I did make a few, small alteration from the original plans; I used 2x4s for the shelf support beams, for sturdier shelves, which I know will have to carry a lot of weight; I added a few inches of length overall in the bench top; I used wider boards for the bench top than the 2x6 recommended in the plans. Besides those alterations, I made it exactly after the specifications.

For the finish, I sanded the entire island, stained the top and the shelves a dark brown, and painted the base and the legs with a couple of coats of white. I topped it off with some polythyrene for shine and durability, as I wanted to be able to wipe it down.

Kitchen island, completed, waiting to dry.

It's not perfect, and noone will mistake it for a store-bought piece, but I'm actually really pleased with this project. It has vastly improved my kitchen! Previously, we had this tiny, much-too-llow, old and dingy butchers block in the center of our kitchen (that came with our rental house), and the only storage for pots and pans was the very limited space under the stove.

Shelves, shelves, and more shelves!

Now I have this massive work surface, at a great hight, plus two large shelves for storage of pots and pans! Finally, I have enough space for both cooking and storage, and the daily tetris-game of stacking pots under the stove, that used to take place each time I needed to cook, is over once and for all. I only wish I would have completed it sooner.

Cooking a massive holiday dinner was a breeze this year,
 all thanks to my new kitchen island! 

This project has taken me all year to complete, for no real good reason. I started it way back in January, and it's been put on the back burner many-a-times throughout the year, in favor of other project. I'm so happy to finally have it completed (I hate having unfinished work laying around), and I'm stoked to use it during the holiday cooking season!

Actual work only took about 3 days; one day get and cut supplies; one day for the build and sanding; and one for the paint job, with a couple of hours of actual work each day, and about $120 in supplies. Not bad for a brand new kitchen island! In addition, skill wise, this project was easy. I was able to do it, on my own with no problems, and I have absolutely zero experience doing something like this.

Kitchen island in use during the making of this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks, Ana, for the awesome project plans!

Cost:

$122.11 in materials
~ 6 hours of work + drying time

 The kitchen island added a perfect work space to my otherwise pretty crappy kitchen.

DIY Project: Watercolor Quote

This is a really easy project, that is fairly quick work, although time needs to be allocated for the materials to dry several times between start to finish, so keep that in mind. If you're in a hurry, carefully use a hairdryer to expedite the drying process.

What You'll Need:
masking fluid
watercolors
water coloring paint brushes
1 thin, cheap paint brush (for the masking fluid)
water color paper
1 frame
pencil

What To Do:
1. Decide on a quote.
2. Using your frame, determine the size of your watercolor, and size your paper accordingly to fit your frame, and/or frame mat.
3. Using your pencil, very lightly trace your quote on your paper. This will be your guide next.
4. Using your guide, and your cheap paint brush, paint your quote on your paper using the masking fluid. Let dry. It will be shiny, yellowish, almost completely translucent, and dry to the touch when it's ready.

Masking fluid, just applied, it looks white and opaque.

When the masking fluid is completely dry, it turns yellow and translucent.

5. When your masking fluid completely dry, start painting over your quote using your water colors. Think of this in layers. Begin with a background, let it dry, and then build depth by adding consecutive layers of watercolors, drying in between each layer, until you've reached your desired result. Paint carefully, or slather it on, drip it, spray it, splatter it, let it mix, blend, or turn it sideways and let the colors run. Finally, paint over your masking fluid with a darker wash, shading your quote.

6. Dry watercolor completely.
7. When paint is fully dry, carefully remove the masking fluid, revealing the crisp white paper underneath.

8. Done! Add your quote to your frame, and it is ready to hang.

A matching set.

I made a couple more paintings this weekend, to match the first one.

Image source: my Instagram

I took photos to share this morning, but it's all foggy here, so the pictures are not as vibrant as they could have been in better lighting. I figured dark pictures are better than no pictures at all.

Here is Orchid #2, which I wasn't that fond of while making it, as I made a few stupid mistakes, but after the colors dried completely it grew on me after all.

Orchid #3 is my favorite of the three paintings.

This water color project has been such a pleasant surprise for me. I'm so happy that I gave painting a try again after all these years, I'm really enjoying it.

My frist painting in more than 15 years.

Yesterday, as Hubby & I were driving to run some errands, the inspiration to paint suddenly dropped into my head, much to my surprise, since I haven't painted in more than 15 years.
"I want to paint a painting", I said. "With water colors."
"Let's go pick some supplies up", was my dear husband's answer.
"What about the errands?"
"They can wait."

 Image source: my Instagram

So, we switched our course and went and picked up supplies, and then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the backyard, me painting, and him reading and watching me paint. It was absolutely lovely. So relaxing and refreshing. Here is the finished piece, my first in 15 something years:

I framed it this morning, thinking I would hang it, this Very First Painting, in my office, but Hubby really wants it in his. 

The impulse to paint struck me with such surprises, but I am glad to say that I truly enjoyed it. It was relaxing, and satisfying, although I remember nothing of the "how to's" involved. Half a life ago, I was just starting to learn. Now, I'm starting over.

I am so lucky to have a partner in this thing called Life who truly appreciates and supports my creative mind, regardless of medium. He is a keeper.