Thursday, September 1, 2011

Time to finish the ($10 Hutch) story

Ok.  Back about a zillion years (well, several months, anyway) ago I left off in the middle of a story about my very distracted attempt to install a new hutch in my kitchen.  I had a very heavy new/old hutch in the middle of my kitchen floor, a pretty vanity sans mirror in the corner, and 3 hungry kids coming home from (summer) school.  No problem!  Except that I could barely wiggle through the kitchen, what with the salon chair busy mingling with the hutch, and the dinner table covered in tools, cleaning supplies and (mostly) various junk.  Aha! A “picnic lunch”! Points for being a cool mom, and I could use all disposable plates, cups and utensils (Green people, please don’t hate!  I am usually MUCH more environmentally friendly!).  Desperate times, and ravenous children, call for desperate measures.  
Big Jon was done eating first, as usual.  He loves to help, and in this case I really needed someone.  I very, very carefully laid the hutch on its front- thank goodness for the secure latch on the doors - and put a thick piece of fleece under the top molding. Jon was a treasure, bracing the top of the cabinet on the floor with his feet so I could lift the bottom and pull it over to the vanity and position it (almost) where it was centered.  Once the bottom was in place, I was able to let Jon move, and did what I am sure was a very attractive power squat (lift with your legs, darling...) and put my treasure in an upright and locked position.  Oooh, flashbacks to being a Flight Attendant!

Once the hard labor was done, it was time for the fun stuff.  This cabinet has been a long time coming - I’ve wanted/needed someplace to contain our stemware and party glasses, as well as the wine that D has started collecting. Hey, that sounds like we have parties and have a snooty wine habit, doesn’t it?  In reality, not so much.  Still, it’ll be pretty!  And it will free up my cabinet space, so I can have actual food in the house again.


Well, I had been hoping to find just this thing, so I had been picking up random stemware hangers and wine bottle holders from the Thrift, Goodwill and garage sales.  I figured one or two of them would fit my needs eventually  :)  These two metal glass hangers were found on different excursions and from different places, but each were a buck, and they happen to be the best fit for the space.

Unfortunately, the chrome was not the look I wanted, but I just happened to have some leftover Oil-rubbed Bronze on hand...



This is my super-fancy new paint “booth”.  After a project last month left red paint on our red brick path (Horrors!), I was in fear for my marriage if I accidentally painted any part of our yard, sidewalk, grass, etc.


After painting the glass racks, I was ready to attach them.  Except.  Well. The shelves were evenly spaced in the hutch which is great - for someone else.  I needed a shorter bottom shelf (for wine bottles) and a taller space just above that (for booze and/or taller wine bottles).  Thankfully, this old dame’s first and third shelves are fully adjustable!  



I’d never seen the pre-drilled feature in nicer wood pieces - it’s just something I associate with slap-together-MDF stuff.  I was so glad to be wrong!


I'm so pleased with the result!  Of course, the wine rack on the bottom shelf is supposed to be temporary, as I have big plans to put a custom-built rack (or at least paint it a less obnoxious color!).  I think (hope?) that that is a whole 'nother story, though, since this post is going on forever.  ;)


Nighty night, all!



xoxo,


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