Convert Your Refrigerator Cabinet to a Wine Rack!

My husband and I are trying to sell our condo, and in an effort to get a quick sell, we decided to spend a weekend de-cluttering. When we got to the kitchen, I noticed the unsightly, clutter-covered top of the refrigerator like I had never noticed before. I remembered back to a pin that I found on Pinterest.com of a wine rack above the refrigerator. This seemed like the perfect solution, so my husband and I got to work.

DIYer FYI: To create this wine rack, you are going to need a table saw. If you don't have a handy husband, recruit a neighbor! If you feel uneasy asking a neighbor, the guys at Loews or Home Depot can cut wood for you as long as you give them measurements.

First, clear off anything from on top of the refrigerator and remove the cabinet doors. Then, you are going to want to prep your surface by cleaning off any grease or dust.

Then, begin painting the inside of the cabinet with acrylic paint. You want to try your best to match the paint color. I am using "Bittersweet Chocolate." The good thing is that this cabinet is high enough that you wont be able to notice if the color isn't matched perfectly.






Let the paint dry completely, and then do two more coats. If you don't let the paint completely dry, when you brush on more paint the brush will actually just remove the layer you just painted on.











The following measurements are based on a standard 36" by 12" cabinet. If your refrigerator cabinet is not 36" wide, you will have to adjust these measurements. 

For the shelves, you are going to have to purchase a pine board that is 12" wide, 48" long and 3/4" thick. 

Then, you are going to need the table saw to cut one-inch off the width of the board, so that it is 11" wide. 

Then cut a piece that is 10" long (because inside the cabinet is 10" high). This 10" x 11" piece will go in between the two cabinets so that the bottles will not roll from one side of the cabinet to the other. Screw this board in place by screwing from the bottom of the cabinet, into this piece. You will now have two boxes inside the cabinet. (P.S.- If your cabinet is already split into two boxes, skip this step!)

Now, you are going to need the table saw again. This next step was totally trial and error for my husband and me because we had a hard time figuring out the angles, but here is what we finally did.

We cut two board, each 17.5" long. Then, we marked one board R (right box) and the other L (left box). Set your saw at 63 degrees and cut each board in ONE CORNER at 63 degrees holding the wood horizontally. (See picture to the LEFT) Then, on the other side cut a 27 degree angle holding the wood vertically. (See picture BELOW)

The outside trim of the cabinet covers up the corners of the wood, so if those angles really confuse you, just cut your plank of wood a little bit shorter than 17.5" and hope that the trim covers it up. Then, you'll be able to just slide the left and right boards into place. They wont slide down because we have secured that wood piece in the middle of the cabinet. 

Ta-da, that's it! And now that it's all done, I'm kind of upset that 

I didn't think of this sooner so that I could enjoy it more before I move!

Coat Hanger Turned Scarf Hanger!

In my opinion, the best crafts are the ones that cost you close to nothing. This Scarf Hanger is a quick and easy craft you can do with simple household items.  This week's inspiration comes from Pinterest.com. Let's get started!

To Begin, you'll need a plastic hanger (wire won't hold), a pack of shower curtain rings, and a glue gun. (with lots of glue sticks!) I spray painted my hanger brown, which is optional. If you would like to do this, the kind I purchased is Rust-Oleum American Accents, Espresso color. The can only costs $1.99 and you can use it on many more projects to come!

FYI- Before you start. Do this whole project on top of a layer of wax paper...

Just saying, I learned the hard way  :)

First, you need to arrange the shower rings how you would like them on your coat hanger.

You'll notice the difference between the ring placement of my hanger and the Inspiration hanger. You actually don't want to hang all your scarfs across the bottom bar of the hanger because then the hanger will eventually start to sag from the weight, and possibly crack.

You should definitely place two rings inside the hanger as far left and right as possible, like in the picture. My husband is an Engineer and briefed me on the best way to displace the weight of the scarves!

Once you have set up the rings how you like, start gluing. You want to glue the rings not only to the hanger, but also to any other touching rings as well. To do this, you will need to put the hot glue on the top of the rings and on any sides touching.

Once you're done gluing, your hanger will look like this.

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Next, you want to place another layer of glue on top of any glue that has oozed out when you pushed the ring to the hanger.

Make sure this layer of glue touches both the plastic hanger and the rings. This will create a nice solid seal.

Do this on all ring and hanger connections on one side. Then wait a few minutes for the glue to dry, flip the hanger over, and do the same thing on all connections on that side.

P.S.- Don't be afraid to use "too much" glue. The more, the better!

Then, you're ready for the fun part! You'll need a garbage bag or plastic bag to spray on, so that you keep the grass spray-free. To ensure that your bag won't blow away, take 4 nails or screws and push them through the bag into the grass.

Then, shake the can real good and begin to spray about 10-16" from the hanger. Apply a thin coat by moving side to side. Turn the angle of the can for a few strokes and by the edges of the hanger to ensure you are covering all surfaces. Wait for it to dry, then apply 1-2 more coats. Give that side about 10 minutes to totally dry, and then flip the hanger over and repeat.

My husband sprayed this for me outside and it was about 40 degrees, which took the paint a little longer to dry. Just make sure the paint is completely dry and not tacky to the touch before you start hanging up your scarves.

And there you have it! Super easy, practical, and cute!

Crochet Facial Scrubber

I live in New York, and with the cold, winter wind blowing through, I have been experiencing my fair share of dry skin! I was browsing online for some facial exfoliator scrubbers, when I came along these gems:

which inspired me to make these:

These crochet facial scrubbers are really easy to make, and nice on the wallet too! Here is a video that will take you step-by-step through making these scrubbers. If you would just like the written out pattern, I have that listed below the video. Enjoy!

chain 4

slip-stitch back into the first chain

12 double crochet around the circle

slip-stitch back into the first double crochet to end your first circle

chain 3

1 double crochet back in the SAME STITCH when you began the chain 3

2 double crochet in the 11 remaining stitches around the circle, for a total of 24 double crochet

slip-stitch back into the chain 3 to end your second circle

chain 3

1 double crochet back in the SAME STITCH when you began the chain 3

2 double crochet in the 23 remaining stitches around the circle, for a total of 48 double crochet

slip-stitch back into the chain 3 to end your third circle

slip-knot onto the back of the scrubber

tie off in a knot and snip end with a scissor

Spice Up Your Spice Rack!

So, we all have one of these turning spice rack laying around. This is a great craft to do on a whim. You don't need many materials, and you really can't mess this up!

My inspiration this week came, originally, from a post on Pinterest about how to distress and antique pretty much anything! The post traced back to a great website (www.prettyhandygirl.com) that shows many projects and tons of ways to distress and antique furniture. I've had a wood spice rack on my kitchen counter for 3 years now and I never once thought of painting it! Super easy and what a change!

What you need...

 You'll need any color acrylic paint and a darker color to antique. I'm using a blue and a chocolate brown. You'll also need sand paper and a brush. The harder the bristles, the better.

First, take your sand paper and sand down all the surfaces. This will allow the paint to absorb better, and will take off any surface stains. Then, paint one coat, making sure to cover all surfaces.

Let the paint dry, then take your sand paper and sand off some of the paint. You want to do this randomly and all over every surface. Sand a little more in some spots to completely remove the paint. There is really no method to this, just go nuts!

 Next, take your brush and apply some of the darker color around the edges. You can use your finger to smear the color, or another dry paint brush.

Do the same on the top of the spice rack, and around all the sides and edges.

You can stop there to get this look, or you can add the antique labels.

To make the labels....

You'll need Mod Podge, the labels (printable below), scissors and a sponge brush. Cut the labels out and apply some Mod Podge to the CLEAN cap. Stick the label on and apply another coat of Mod Podge.

And there you go! If you don't have a turning spice rack, this would look really nice on those 

spice racks that hang on the wall as well. So, get going!

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