Now Available on Etsy

Some of the kitchen cabinet knobs leftover from my kitchen are now available on Etsy. I may even make more, they are fun to make. (But not right now, haven't been in the studio now for nearly four months and counting.)

Kitchen Update

I followed the tracking information on the hinges but there had been no updates after they left the warehouse. So imagine my surprise when I hear the Post-Lady drive up Saturday afternoon and so I peeked out the front door and there she was walking my direction with a box in her arms. Yay! The hinges finally came! I was SO glad to see them.

Turns out that it wasn’t quite as simple as putting screws back in the existing holes. These little buggas are a little more temperamental than all that, so it took a long time to get the doors back up – but Holy Smokes! There are doors on my kitchen cabinets again! YAY! I can’t believe what a difference it makes in the room! And the white cabinets really brighten up the room! I took some photos but it was dark and the lighting isn’t that great so I’ll wait for a bit of sunshine and then let you all in on the details that are finished so far.

I have six sections of cabinets, two of which I think are complete. When I paint the toe kicks, two other sections will be finished. The fifth section needs a final top coat of paint but I’ll do that with the cabinet doors in place. And tables and red rosin paper are back out and the doors are off the final section waiting for the process to begin all over again.

We had guests here last evening and it was nice to have the kitchen looking more put together (aside from the cans of paint and boxes of kitchen hardware) even if it was fleeting. Taking down the tables and the saw horses sure made the place seem much bigger for a while and I got to enjoy the new floor for a while. But it’s really time to wind up this project, I’m very impatient to have it complete. So, tomorrow I’ll start again if I can. Photos coming when I get a little good light, though it’s been raining so much that I soon expect to see animals coming up Gypsy Hill two by two.

I just couldn't finish the post with no photos at all, so here is a sneak peak:

THOSE are the polymer clay cabinet knobs in place.  And I lurve them!  I really do!

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Today was a busy one in Studio B, one project all day long.   (ONE! project - this is not how my brain works, it was uncomfortable but I survived.)  My Mom came to visit and we worked on kitchen cabinets for...ever! We worked on two (of the six) sections of the kitchen today.  I love my house, but whoever designed this kitchen was loco!

Here’s the process: First off, sand the surface of the wood cabinets. After the first three sections, I learned to do that part outside as much as possible. (Brrr!)  Secondly, wipe with TSP cleaner. Third, paint with serious oil based primer. And finally… paint topcoat. And in some cases… another top coat. My part time job is “Drip Catcher.” We worked on 12 doors and 11 drawers and the cabinets they came from. Plus the range hood has been removed. (The new one is in a box in the living room.)  I’ve got two extra tables and two saw horses with boards on them in my kitchen with cabinet doors laying out to dry. Tight squeeze! I think the drawers are ready for the hardware and they will be complete. Maybe I should wait to say that until I’ve seen them in daylight, but I *think* they look ok for now.

Here's the "Before" photo of this section... though it's not a real before photo because that's my new floor. I suppose it's more of a process photo. I love how much morning sun my kitchen gets!  And I love my new floor!

My Maternal Unit painted while lard but Canine Unit kept an eye on us.

Temporary painting headquarters!  (WET paint!)

Drawers getting their new color.

There is only one thing left to say at this point.  "Will this project EVER be complete?!?"  Ok, ok, I'll have some faith.  (It will end, right?  Someday??)  Please?

O, and my hinges have been shipped!  Yes!  They are in Florida tonight.  I'm still REALLY hoping they are here by Saturday so I can get my doors up before my guests arrive Saturday evening.  But if not it will be ok, the kitchen looks kinda cool with all the upper cabinets wide open.  I expected to hate it, but there's something about it that I really like.  Everything is so "right there!"  It's kind of handy!  Maybe I'll just put the doors back on the base cabinets and leave the tops open?  Tee he, after all the work I put into those cabinet knobs... the doors WILL go back up.  (Eventually!) 

I think I need a reminder.  Why am I doing this again?  Hmmm...

 Hmmm... that's helping.  More please?

 

 I'm beginning to remember...

 

 Ah yes, THAT'S it.

I remember now.

Happy Creating,

-Carmen Rose

The HINGES are FINALLY here

I met the Post Lady on the sidewalk in front of the house, I'd been listening for the mail truck.  I was Soooo excited that the hinges had finally come... I danced with the box into my kitchen, grabbed a knife and opened the box to survey my new kitchen finery...  (which would make it possible to actually install all the doors that are LEANING against something in my kitchen right now!)

And I took a look at these... and quickly realized that they are the WRONG HINGES! O Bother! The are flush mount, I need inset hinges. These have a little bend, and the screw plate comes father in on the door. Blast!  Blast!  Blast!

I ordered these bad boys on December 27th, they didn't get here until today. Now... I'm wondering how long it will take to get the hinges that I wanted, and that I thought I was getting.

Now let me clarify.  This IS the product that I ordered. When I realized my mistake, I emailed the company and asked that they trade out what I had ordered for the other style. They emailed back and said that would be fine. I thought we had it all worked out. Only problem... they shipped the order instead of the update. Sad really, what a waste of time. I'd really like to get my cabinets put back together so things are usable again. I have a great kitchen, that I'd like to USE!

And I'm really really hoping that this second order doesn't take 18 DAYS to ship, that is TOO LONG unless they are actually making them from scratch. So at this point I'm not terribly impressed. Their website says they don't take returns without authorization... so it will be interesting to see if customer service can redeem themselves on this. I'll keep ya posted.

Thankfully, in the same box were some wonderful cabinet knobs, they are PERFECT for my lower cabinets and drawers and I LURVE them! Thing is, now that I've made polymer clay covered knobs for the upper cabinets, that changes the number of these cool "oil rubbed bronze" ones that I need... so I'm ordering more of those as well.  Can't wait to see it all come together!  Sometime.  Hopefully this year. 

I've picked out my range.  I have chosen well... it's a thing of beauty.  One catch.  I want to cook with gas, our range is electric.  It's going to cost me a variety of limbs to get gas to the house, and I haven't seen the contract yet so I don't even know if the price I was quoted gets the fuel to the house, or into the house to the range (and future gas log fireplace upstairs.)  Hmm... decisions, decisions.  I do SO love cooking with gas...  and I have my shiny new range all picked out...  And then the old harvest gold one can go to the basement to be used in the studio and as a backup.

Mies Van der Rohe said "God is in the details."  Perhaps.  All I know is that I love it when a plan comes together.  And having the doors installed where they go will be WONDERFUL!  I can't complain, there are so many that have it so much worse than me. 

A little unhinged, but counting my blessings,

-Carmen Rose

Waiting...

Yeah, the pooches and I are just hanging out waiting on those hinges to come.

I ordered them Last Year!

The doors (for this section at least) are just leaning,

Waiting to be reattached.

With hinges.

Just... 

waiting...

Ever so (im)patiently...

I walked through my kitchen earlier today and looked at all those leaning cabinet doors and burst into a loud rendition of "Lean on me... when you're not strong..." The girls threw in a little howl, twas lovely.  

I may be a little unhinged.

(but maybe my hinges will come tomorrow?)

Love and chuckles,

-Carmen Rose

Polymer Clay Learning Curve

Oh yeah, nothing like learning the hard way. I made these for the bi-fold doors on the pantries in my kitchen - three doors need three knobs.

Apply heat to set the polymers. Heat is what takes it from being mailable to being just like PVC pipe at the hardware store - same stuff. Check out those three bad boys in the middle of the firey furnace. They looked good at the beginning!  (Yeah, we all look good at the beginning)

However... the plastic of the door knobs just didn't stand the heat so well.

And they turned out looking like rather sad mushrooms. No worries, I'll find another use for my three homeless flowers, but just in case you give this a whirl... don't put plastic knobs in your polymer oven!

Lesson learned.

Carry on.

-Carmen Rose