Not only do I struggle with time for self care, but when it comes to diy-ing, making reels and blogs these days to show progress is so time consuming. The technology evades me. I spent a half hour or more making a reel on how I updated Arya’s food bowls for the One Room Challenge with pretty baskets. Then I realized I made it on my personal account...ugh First mistake.
After saving it to upload to my Aurora Instagram, it then didn’t save all the words and I had to redo it again.
Sometimes I feel like what’s the point? But I take a deep breath, do something else that calms me down and then come back to it because I know there are people who appreciate my words and efforts. People like you :)
For week two, I struggled. I had some time last week late at night when Vienna was sleeping and Brian was home to take care of her, I gave the kitchen cabinets a fresh upgrade for the One Room Challenge. As a renter, it’s difficult to update a space like the kitchen because you can’t do much to the cabinets unless the landlord allows. However, I found something super easy to do and budget friendly.
After I scoured Pinterest for ideas on how to refresh the honey oak cabinets, I found a product that would bring out the wood grain and look like new stain altogether. That got me thinking, what if I used my old antique furniture wax instead? You know, the one I used on so many of my furniture pieces for myself and for clients.
I used Country chic paint's brown antique furniture wax. The same little tub of wax that makes a huge difference on a piece of furniture from looking like new to old world new. That wax was just what I needed for the cabinets. Not only did it get rid of the orange color, it brought out the dark grain of the wood by just rubbing the wax into the wood with an old cloth. And it cost me nothing.
To update the hardware, I also did not spend money. Since having Vienna, I’m trying my hardest to make each dollar stretch for every project I do. This time, my mother had given me leftover black matte handles she had purchased for her kitchen upgrade that I worked on for her. Since I did not have enough for all of the drawers and cabinets, I used krylon spray paint to update the old knobs and used those instead.
Now, here is the part where I struggled. I did not have the right drill bit to add the second
hole for the handles, so I used a screw. The screw was not penetrating deep enough and was getting too hot to pull in and out, not to mention that whoever put the handles on the first time, did not use a template so it made things more difficult.
After giving up several times, Brian would not let me quit the project. I would walk away, cry, wash my face and come back to try again. My tired arms pushed through and I was strong enough to ask for help. Sometimes we need some and it's ok to ask. In the end, the new hardware and the wax totally transformed what they once were and gave them a fresh new facelift.
Updating your home (even if your name is just on a lease) is important to tell the story of the people who live there. My story, is that I’m one tired Mama of a 7 month old and did this project before bed to help me mentally feel better about this kitchen I don’t like…but I won’t NOT like it for long because there’s so many little things I’m planning on doing to make it feel more like me without bothering a landlord. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Sometimes we need a little help from our friends.
Comentários