Kitchen Archives - Everyday Edits

How to Add Vertical Mason Jars to a Wall

November 26, 2019

I finally jumped into mason jars and plumbing parts. That’s what happens when you have a Hallmark movie marathon and need a project during the commercials. Until this mason jar project I had never ventured into the plumbing section at Home Depot. And I am so excited to share how to make vertical mason jars for a wall!

It was an empowering experience.

Vertical Mason Jars Supply List

The best part of these vertical mason jars was the supply list. It required just a few parts from the plumbing aisle. And, they were easily identifiable and in clearly marked bins. The only thing you need to decide before you get to the plumbing aisle is what size mason jars you want to use for your vertical mason jars for the wall. That’s it!

Mason jars
scrap lumber (pine)
plumbing clamps
and a drill

The scrap lumber is literally the anchor of this project. I had the mason jars and the scrap piece of lumber (the vertical part) on hand.

I used a scrap piece of wood that fit the intended wall in my kitchen. Followed, by this stain.

I eyeballed the spacing between the mason jars and attached the clamps to the scrap lumber with small screws.

The only power tool needed was a drill to tighten the clamps to the mason jars. I bet a screwdriver would work too!

This was such a fun, easy project.

The trickiest part was I added the empty mason jars and tightened the clamp BEFORE I added the gravel,.

I suggest adding the soil or filler before securing the jars to the board. Trust me!

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Here’s the supply list needed to add vertical mason jars to a wall.

The ideas are limitless and I might add something to my home office.

I added greenery for Christmas and it’s a fun pop of color along a wall that looks down on the dog bowls!

And, I love the contrast between the blue curtains in the background.

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Thank you for stopping by today!

5 Ideas Before a Kitchen Renovation

September 18, 2019

I was ready to divorce my husband about the new stove in our kitchen renovation. Is that normal? We saw our “life coach” a few days later and he said, “You know, the argument was not about the stove.” He was correct because this week it was about the sink. It may have something to do with our youngest child leaving for college. Truth? It has been a relatively smooth process. I attribute much of this to my patient husband and to these 5 ideas before a kitchen renovation.

5 Ideas Before a Kitchen Renovation

We joked about the decisions around a stove and a sink, but it has been a smooth process. And, I attribute it to the fact we completed these 5 ideas before our kitchen renovation.

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1. PAINT THE ISLAND

Islands are the epicenter of the kitchen. They can be the best thing and the most aggravating. Kitchen Islands can be the focal point for conversation or the biggest obstacle to the sink when you just spilled a half-open jar of salsa in the fridge.

We joked about the decisions around a stove and a sink, but it has been a smooth process. And, I attribute it to the fact that we created a mini kitchen makeover as a test-run for our kitchen makeover.

2. ADD OPEN SHELVING

Where do you stand on open shelving? My thoughts on open shelving is; be careful what you wish for. Open shelving can trick you into thinking you want your plates on a shelf. Until you decide you don’t want everyone to see your plates on a shelf. But where ever you sit (hang) on this #firstworld debate, shelves like these cost under $50.00 and are a great alternative to committing to a cabinet demo and electrical obstacles.

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3. PAINT CABINETS

Painted cabinets are an option if you have the skills, space and patience to form an assembly line of cabinet door fronts. It may work to commit halfway and paint only the bottom cabinets or the kitchen island. Elliott thought I was taking photos of him.

4. CLEAR OUT SELECT CABINETS

Our architect suggested we clear out select cabinets before we commit to a kitchen remodel. Her rationale? We may not need all the cabinet space we think we need. Or, if we decide to reconfigure the kitchen layout we should have a trial run of where we want storage.

Does that make sense?

It was great advice for us. It forced us to evaluate the need for 14 medium size glass storage containers with 8 lids. And, it made us rethink if we really need to store our glass beverage dispenser in the kitchen when we only use it 2-3 times a year.

When my pseudo contractor (husband) dragged his feet on removing this wall (because we would lose a few upper-level cabinets) I moved the conversation forward. How? I removed all the dishes and the microwave in the upper cabinets to make my point.

The half wall between the kitchen and dining room came down that weekend.

5. TEST OUT TILE WITH PEEL & STICK Tile

I thought my husband was going to lose his mind when he saw the faux white brick stones on the kitchen backsplash. Surprise! The truth is he was more afraid that this was a permanent solution for our kitchen backsplash. #suburbanmomprobs

I purchased faux white brick stones similar to these. I knew what I wanted for my kitchen counters, but I did not know what color or style I wanted for a backsplash. So I purchased a roll of faux brick peel and stick wallpaper. It gave me time to stick it and forget about it as I puttered around the kitchen.

I did not realize how these 5 ideas before the kitchen renovation would come into play when we actually made the financial commitment to update our 20 year old kitchen cabinets and counters.

How to Build Plywood Counters When Mom Wants Quartz

September 9, 2019

My explanation for why I would break a 3-pound bag of Sonic ice over the granite square tiled counter’s edge would have made Lucy Ricardo proud. With plans to gut the kitchen, I was just using a bag of ice to move the plan forward. Lucy Ricardo would have done the same thing if she had her heart set on Quartz counters. And, that is the short version of the backstory and why I can share how to build plywood counters.

When everyone knows mom really, really wants quartz counters.

My backup explanation was to tell my husband my blog needed new countertops. It was impossible to photograph anything with mud color granite squares as a backdrop. #hashtagbloggerprobs

I closed my argument with it wasn’t like we were going to have these twenty-year-old square tiles much longer.

That was almost three years ago.

The compromise to the chipped edges and corners was to build temporary plywood kitchen counters.

My husband suggested we build plywood counters, stained to blend with our existing granite counters.

We wanted the space between the kitchen and dining room to have a finished look after we took out this wall between the kitchen and dining room.

Knocking out the wall forced us to create a temporary kitchen counter that transitioned from the dining room into the kitchen. The decision gave us time to shore up finances before we gutted the entire kitchen.

Here are the details on how to build plywood counters when mom wants quartz counters.

How to Make Plywood Counters

The supply list for plywood counters is short:

Sheets of plywood to create the rectangular frame base (counter)
Use construction glue add 3/4 FINISHED BIRCH plywood to the top of the frame.
Finish the edges with 1×2″ SELECT BIRCH trim.
Prep the stain with this step.
Stain (we used a black stain) and finish with multiple coats of a high gloss sealer.

Until this kitchen counter project, I did not think it was possible to create a beautiful, solid surface plywood counter. With the finished Birch plywood stacked on top of the basic plywood, it keeps the countertop costs low.

This plywood counter is so much prettier than we imagined. What started as a temporary fix, has evolved to 2+ years. Plywood counters are a great compromise or fix when you want to gut the kitchen, but other financial commitments (college tuition) push the kitchen renovation further down the list. For now, new cabinets, counters and appliances are in a holding pattern which is the quirky life when you are married to an entrepreneur. It is also the reason my husband agrees we need a better, temporary solution since I chipped out the corners of the kitchen island.

Thanks for stopping by today. Please email me any questions on this project!

Simple Idea to Update the Kitchen Island

August 19, 2019

My kitchen is on the waitlist for a renovation. Every month she moves up the list patiently waiting to get her measurements taken, her drawers evaluated and her cooktop lifted and replaced. But, until the kitchen moves to the top of the waitlist, I found a simple kitchen island update in an hour.

My family expected me to add under cabinet lighting with Christmas lights.

But I played it safe with a quart of paint and a roller. Seriously, I did not even haul out a roll of painter’s tape!

Simple Kitchen Island Update

In the time it took to watch the BH90210 reboot, minus the commercials, the kitchen island was updated.

Because it was an island I did not need to climb a ladder. Because it had natural stop and start points, I did not take the time to tape the space. I used the trim work to guide my brush.

The kitchen island paint color went from dependable Revere Pewter to Kendall Charcoal in minutes.

All of a sudden, my baseboards popped against the new paint color. Even my dulled floors look a little less scuffed.

A coat of Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal transformed the space. Just like Pinterest promised. I love this color because it works seamlessly with colors like Revere Pewter and Hale Navy. I posted sneak peeks of my Hale Navy dining room on Instagram.

A big part of the kitchen renovation includes the removal and replacement of a larger kitchen island. So my decision to paint the island was a low risk, low effort to just give her a little tweak.

If you blinked you might have missed the subtle update. The boys in my house missed it… for weeks.

What do you think? Do you have ideas for inexpensive updates?

5 Simple Ideas to Keep the Kitchen Sink Pretty

July 29, 2019

This is my busy season and the Denver real estate market is crazy! At my house, the first room to show distress is the kitchen. And, the sink is the workhorse in the kitchen. And, with my college-age son home for the summer, and his newfound love of cooking, my kitchen sink looks like a food truck after a night serving 150 burgers … with all the fixings. So in an attempt to take control of my kitchen, here are 5 simple ideas to keep the kitchen sink pretty. 5 Simple Ideas to Keep the Kitchen Sink Pretty

These ideas work well in my kitchen because they are … simple. I pulled a few key elements and switch it out for a new mood or season.

1. Add a plant next to the sink I love real plants next to the sink because it’s near a water source. The plant’s chance of survival increases dramatically if in close proximity to the sink. I prefer small, easy to maintain (real) plants, but it is your sink, your rules. Adding a plant next to the sink is an unexpected pop of color. And, yes I am growing (real)grass in one of these jars. #wink #its a joke 5-simple-ideas-to-keep-kitchen-sink-pretty-everyday-edits

2. Contain the Cleaning Products & Hand Soap

Taking a cue from Pinterest, I propped the cleaning products on a cake plate from the Target dollar section. I usually have a hodgepodge of brands. But, I loved how pretty the sink looked with matching cleaning products.

Dish soaps and cleaning products made my HomeGoods favorite finds list.

3. Handtowels

If there is one thing a sink needs it is towels. I found these cute Turkish towels at one of my favorite online stores here. The towel hooks are from a Pottery Barn outlet years ago. The towel hooks are actually on my island, located behind my sink so they are hidden from most of the kitchen’s angles.

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Of course, this little guy found the hand towels. He is so stinkin’ cute I just took his photo.

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4. Add a Candle

I love candles. But, I love a candle by the sink because it keeps the surrounding area (garbage disposal) smelling seasonally fresh.

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5. Store the cleaning products in cute bottles and jars.

I buy a few cleaning products in bulk like baking soda and vinegar. Both products are stain and odor-fighting agents for puppy accidents. But I don’t like to drag them out from under the sink because they tend to stay on the counter. So I repurposed empty cleaning bottles and keep them near the sink-where they hide in plain sight.

The sink and the surrounding area stays clean because all the essentials are on display and within reach. Not excuses. What tricks do you have to keep the kitchen sink clean?

How to Build Farmhouse Kitchen Shelves

April 5, 2019

The farmhouse shelves in our kitchen were one of my favorite projects. The shelves opened up the space and added a bit of a trend to my aging, dated kitchen. The farmhouse kitchen shelves were an inexpensive solution to replace the dated cabinets and not lose valuable storage. If you are looking for an entry-level DIY project these shelves are a perfect starting point.

Well, when we knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room we lost a row of upper cabinets. The open shelves was a great way to keep the space open and add storage space for the essentials.

It was a simple project with 2 x 12 select pine from Home Depot. We went with select pine because it has a smoother finish. I cut the pine boards to size using a table saw (with an assist from my assistant (husband) to hold the end of the board).

I used my favorite pre-stain wood conditioner to prep the wood shelves.

This was my go-to stain for most of my DIY projects. I have a few other favs, but this is a reliable stain and gives me a rich, Colorado rustic finish.

I went with a heavy bracket and found Wade’s shop on Etsy. These were super easy to install to the wall and the weight of the brackets matched the weight of the pine shelves.

The hardest part of these farmhouse shelves was capturing a photo at the right time of day (still waiting) and staging the shelves. Seriously, I was so excited to stage the shelves and it has been many late nights with episodes of Friends in the background while trying to find the right accessories.

This was an easy Saturday afternoon project. I loved this project so much I added the same shelves to our aging basement kitchenette/bar. So the farmhouse shelf photos are from both spaces.

I am taking staging suggestions for staging the shelves in the comments.

Vertical Mason Jars Supply List

Vertical Mason Jars to a Wall

5 Ideas Before a Kitchen Renovation

1. PAINT THE ISLAND

2. ADD OPEN SHELVING

3. PAINT CABINETS

4. CLEAR OUT SELECT CABINETS

5. TEST OUT TILE WITH PEEL & STICK Tile

How to Make Plywood Counters

Simple Kitchen Island Update

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