Frugal Kitchen Spruce Ups
Frugal Kitchen Spruce Ups
By Kathleen Wilson, Fri Dec 9th
Frugal Kitchen Spruce Ups By Kathleen Wilson Most of us spend a good deal of time in our kitchens these days,and it’s not just for cooking. More homes are being built withthe kitchen as the hub of the home, and even if you’re on atight budget, that shouldn’t stop you from making it a pleasantand personal place to be! If your cabinets are in need of a total overhaul, considerpainting them. Nothing changes the look of a kitchen faster!Visit the library for info on faux finishing, or go towww.paintedhouse.com or www.fauxlikeapro.com, and turn a simplepaint job into a one of a kind kitchen.
If you don’t want the hard work that goes into total repainting,consider removing a cupboard door to make a display cabinet.Paint the entire interior of the cabinet a light or brightaccent color, and put your prettiest on display. Or have someonegood with power tools cut out the center panels of the doors,then shirr fabric over the inside to hide the contents of thecupboard…secure with a staple gun or Velcro tape. Pick up inexpensive plate hangers from the hardware store andhang the saucers from your good china around the backsplash, oras a border. Don’t have any china? Visit garage sales and thriftstores this weekend to pick up a bunch of sweet little platesfor a song. (No, they don’t have to match, or be fancy!) Hang tea towels on the diagonal over your curtain rod for afresh summer valance, and save some extra to stitch up intopotholders and placemats. Make a floor cloth to perk up your tired floors from a piece ofremnant vinyl flooring you get at a home improvement center forjust a few dollars. Turn the piece over to the backside, andgive it a coat or two of good primer, then a coat of anybasecoat color. Then use masking tape, stencils, stamps, spongesor freehand painting to impart a design that fits your room. Besure to seal it with a couple of coats of water basedpolyurethane, and it will wipe clean for years! This is a greatway to customize your kitchen for little money…lets face it,rugs are expensive, impossible to keep clean in a kitchen, andare usually the same old boring thing. This is also a great wayto cover an aging or damaged floor, as you can make thefloorcloth to whatever size you need. Save empty bottles and fill with
colored water to set on thewindowsills, or line up the bottles and fill with one flowereach from your garden. Grow plants from seed on your windowsills! Even grass seed hasbecome very vogue. (Don’t tell anyone, because I usually shyaway from “vogue”, but I really like the grass thing!J) Above all, invoke your family into the place where you spend themost time. I’ve heard some designers say you should keep yourrefrigerator clear to prevent clutter, NO MAGNETS! But honestly,what would my kitchen be without my kids drawings stuck all overthe door? It wouldn’t be the place I want to spend most of mytime. I even have a couple of framed photos of my kids, right onthe kitchen counter! So make your kitchen YOUR home, and havefun doing it! Copyright 2002 K. Wilson
About the author:Kathleen Wilson is the editor of a free ezine and website calledThe Budget Decorator. When she’s not decorating or gardeningshe’s caring for her 5 kids, 3 stepkids, and wonderful husband.You can get more info and free projects at her websitehttp://www.thebudgetdecorator.com |
