Kids Kitchen Tower

Most of you know I have a love for all things DIY - even doing some woodworking here and there.  It's just so much fun to make something out of nothing.  The addition of the power tools just pushes it to the next level for me.

I guess the 'nut doesn't fall too far from the tree'.  Since my father retired a few years ago, he has been able to get a shop area set up in their basement.  And, now that he has the time, he has been making a few things for my family and my siblings' families.

One of the projects he did for all of us was a tower for the kids to help in the kitchen.

 My kids love being able to have turns in the kitchen helping me cook.

 Or just being able to play in it pretending it is a spaceship or just a quiet place to go and look at books.

 It adjust to fit all my kids from the 8 yr old all the way down to the almost 2 yr old.  Giving each of them just the right amount of boost.

It's been a great addition and it's even better that my dad took the time and care to make it for us.  He even adjusted my older sister's to be a little wider to accommodate her two sets of twins.

If you would like one, Ana White has plans for a very similar one called 'The Little Helper Tower'.

Kids' Closet: Part 1

This is just about 1/3 of the way done.  When will it be complete?  I have no idea.  So, instead of waiting to show you the finished project, I thought I would go ahead and get this part up.  I can always post as more parts of it are completed.  Plus, I'm pretty stinkin' excited about it and wanted to share!

As you have seen from other posts, my husband is quite handy.  If you haven't seen any projects he has done around our place, click on 'hubby projects' on the right side under 'Labels', and you can see just a few.  Let's face it, though.  There are only so many hours in a day and Kevin spends roughly 12 hours of the day away from home.  He can't do every project my crazy brain dreams up.  *sigh*

I needed a fix for this closet.

We took the doors off several months ago to keep them from getting broken and to save little fingers from  getting smashed.

The clothes where up way too high for a 4 yr old and 2 yr old to use.  Plus, the clothes (summer and winter) were packed in and hard for me deal with.  There needed to be a lower rod and some shelving/drawers of some sort.

My first attempt was a flop.  My faceframe split on me and I had trouble getting the joints right.  So I took a break.

The kids HAVE to be able to help out around here and that includes being able to put clean clothes away.  So I got the bug again a couple of weeks ago.  Round 2 went much smoother.

I took over a small part of the basement and got to work.  I had the MDF cut from Round 1 and decided to confiscate a couple of 1x2 pine boards from another project.  Once it was all put together, I painted it white.

It then fit like a dream in the closet!  Now both kids can put clothes away and get dressed all by themselves.  A huge help for me and a huge boost in confidence for them.  Win - Win!

I secured the shelf to the wall using drywall anchors and screws.  The lower rods are left over from a Closetmaid purchase made last year.  It's lacking a top, but I'm still trying to decide what I want - painted white or stained wood.

Close Up

Honestly?  I had SO much fun with this!  I'm ready to get Kevin's shop set up in the basement and start busting out some woodworking projects.  (Have you seen www.ana-white.com?)  The table saw is truly intimidating.  I'm sure I would get over it with practice, though.  Also, I'm thrilled I purchased a Kreg Jig over a year ago.  (Just wish I had gotten around to using it sooner.)  It made putting this together quick and easy with no noticeable nail or screw holes to fill.

I'll let you know when I've decide on a top and if I'm going to make drawers or just get baskets for storage.

DIY Curtain Hardware

For my beautiful living room curtains, I had a VERY clear picture in my mind of the type of hardware I was going to use when putting them up.  You know how it is when you have that 'ideal' in your mind and nothing else will work.  I had such a hard time finding the pull backs in general and then the ones I found just did not go with the decor of our home.  Frustration to the max!  I did finally find a website that would ship me 13 lovely pull backs for just over $100.  Yeah - not happening! (grrrrr......)

So, of course, I started thinking, 'I can make the hardware!'  Really, how hard could it be?!  I'm pleased to say that it wasn't hard at all.  You just have to have a few things.

1. wooden dowel rod
2. whatever decorative end you want
3. paint
4. double ended screws
5. wall anchors
6. drill and drill bits
7. saw (I used a miter saw, but a hand saw will work, too)
8. adhesive (I used E-6000 and hot glue)

Measure how far you want your hardware to stick out from the wall, and cut your dowel down to that length.  (If you have enough dowel, go ahead and cut one or two extras incase you need them.)  Mine were cut to 2"each, and I was able to get 13 (+1 extra) out of one dowel length, plus some left over.

Next, drill into one end of your newly cut dowels.  Measure and mark your drill bit to the length of the screws that go in the end.  It would probably be safer to have them clamped in something to hold them while you drill.  (Safety first, ya know!)

Now you can break out the paint.  I chose to use an acrylic and a paintbrush.  If it had been warmer out, I would have just gone with a spray.  Two coats for sure; but,  I did several coats to get a little gold petina just right on them .  The last coat I used was a clear acrylic spray to give it just enough shine to match the wrought iron in our home.

Here they are drying in the sunshine.

Next comes the assembly!  First, screw one end into the drilled hole of the dowel.  Drill holes in your walls.  (Make sure you have measured and marked all this out before hand or else you will have to add drywall repair items to your list of needs!)  If your holes don't hit studs, you will need those anchors to hold the screws in the wall.  After I had all my little pegs in the wall, I put the curtains up.  (very impatient!)  To put the decorative ends on, I just used some adhesive (hot glue worked well).  

And, VOILA!  Pretty custom hardware for a custom valence!  And the grand total?  Minimal time and about $25.  Gotta love the time spent crafting and the money saved.