DIY: Old Stove, New Finish, $10!

Do you have an old stove top that looks like one of these??

 

  

I must say, there is NOTHIN' in the kitchen that feels better than a CLEAN STOVE!! (Aside from the obvious homemade Snickerdoodle) But for $10 and elbow grease, that up there ^^ can look easily like this:

Simply lift the top of the stove off. It shouldn't be attached, 

as to get to the pilot lights easily. 

NOTE OF SAFETY: Do No Use Spray Paint INSIDE the house or ANYWHERE near stove, Gas OR Electric! I'm taking no chances!

Get all "removable" dirt and food off of it - if you have access, a hose and scouring pad works great. Even a putty knife can really help with that piece of rigatoni from 1964.... If there is a lot of uneven surface, sand it down with a fine "metal" sandpaper. 
Found at any hardware store, $2 - $4. 

Then I simply spray painted it. I found a High Heat (photo below) BBQ Paint from Rustoleum - withstands 1200 degrees F ~ That's Hot! At the moment, it only comes in white & black, and flat finish - so you will not get that high gloss look. I thought that might bug me, but it hasn't - not one bit. In fact, when it was completely dry, I rubbed it down with a very small bit of olive oil - really worked into the surface - gave it a very nice subtle sheen. 

 

     

$6, Lowes 

So, lay everything flat while spraying, so you do not get paint dripping down the surfaces. Include your drip pans and burner grates - the whole stovetop can look like new! Allow to dry at least a whole day, depending what climate you're in. Being in LA, I have an advantage, but I still let them dry about 12 hours. If you're not in a dry climate, spray paint them outside and carefully bring

 them into a garage or basement to dry over night.

UPDATE: 2 months later, it still looks great :) 

 As Always, Thanks for reading!  xo ruby

Change hangers, change a lot!

Before. Not horrible, but not great.

Before. Really hard to maneuver
and find what he wanted~

After. Nice. Details . . .

After. All thin, velvet hangers from Amazon:

50 for $30  

After. And no slip pant hangers from Amazon:

 12 for $11

                                                   

One more tip for a WOOD dowel rod ~
wipe it down with olive oil on a paper towel,
the hangers will glide like buuh-dah. Or oil.  

Landscaping for Manscaping!

Are mornings tougher than they should be? Or maybe you don't even know that they could be easier? To me, if there is any time of the day I wish were easier, um, yeah, it's morning!!! It's not hard to fix a few things that will make getting up and out a lot easier,  but also so much NICER with clean ears, trimmed nose-hair and flossed teeth! Because suddenly you can find all those tools :) The possibilities are endless . . .

Before. Morning brain.

Before.  Right lobe.

Before. Left lobe.

  

After. Wait! Wha~?
I have all these things?

After. In the event of an emergency,
look in here!

Safety First!

Towels folded in thirds,
so I could fit all the Dodger
Fan towels in too!

And finally, a nice arrangement above the toilet
to easily access your most used things.

So Many Shoes, So little Space....

I have been exposed....by myself! 

No shoe deserves to live like this.

For a long time I have lived small, but unfortunately my affection for shoes has not ~

The shit-show preperation, pre shelves.  

Shelves were measured, cut, and fitted in.

Shoes were placed gently and kindly.

Yes, there are so many I have to do them single file,
with the mate just behind them. 

I do need a stool to choose, but it's SO worth it.
It's like going shopping every time, 
because I've forgotten how many great shoes I have!

POOF, Instant Kitchen!

One year to Remodel. One Year in a rental house. One year with her displaced, old-as-the-hills, sweetest pooch. One week to move back in. 

<--------------

The kitchen, after an attempted unpacking. We'll call it . . .

Pre "Ruby" ;-)

Now, I think the easiest way to go about this is to just go drawer-by-drawer, cabinet-by-cabinent. Pictures say a thousand words. But in case they don't tell you this: Yes, I unpacked and organized it. All.  

 

 

The Pantry:

                                                                                                       

Utility Drawers:

Bathroom Drawers:

The Den, In Progress:

   

The Den was finished wonderfully by the client and she has her dream home back, and in much better shape. 

Some photos omitted, there's only so many utensil drawers one can take. I don't have much to say except I LOVED doing this! It's like working a giant puzzle, on my own terms, with a 16 GB ipod attached to my scull ~ and I win every time! 

xo ruby