Thursday, March 05, 2015

You Had Me "Hooked" At Kitchen



To wine or not to wine? Why yes, I shall wine and write.


Space is at a premium in this house.  No closets.  No real room to store coats or boots or anything.  I though, maybe I'll just ignore that glaring omission in the house.  I can't do it.  So, I carved out some space in the kitchen to meet the needs of the family.  A spot to sit and put your shoes on, dump your purse or even hang a coat.  Its right off the front door and its on a "tiled" floor.  Easy to clean.  My dream come true.


The Inspiration:

  • A spot for everything!

Supplies

  • Balsa
  • Paint
  • A "crimp" bead (jewelry finding)
  • "No More Nails" Adhesive or any strong glue that bonds to metal
  • Craft saw and knife 
  • Fabric (for the bench)
  • Yellow and grey paint





I had a moment when I needed to make hooks.  It was consuming.  I looked at a few tutorials and ugh, wire bending (with fine wire I didn't have) and tiny holes (my pin drill arrived only yesterday from the UK).  So I passed on these rather pretty options and went with my own, a crimp bead. Up close it isn't anything special.  But from afar it looks pretty good and you can actually hook something on them.  I wanted to make a purse, but I said, NO, STOP MAKING KITCHEN ACCESSORIES! It's become addictive.  Must. Stop.

Step 1


Using 2 needle nose pliers, bend the sides of the crimp bead out to make a wider base.  Then bend the part with the hole up, to make the "hook" surface.

Step 2


Apply No More Nails adhesive to the back of the crimp bead.  Why is this stuff good to use? Well, it bonds really well to metal and wood and it dries solid and white.  This allowed me to paint the adhesives surface after without having to use a wood filler or caulking. And, if you get some creeping out the edges, you can wipe it or scrape it off when wet (its a sandy texture), unlike regular glue that is messy.

Step 3


Paint it.  Boom.  Finished.  Glue to the wall!


The bench was a small piece of balsa scrap that I used batten and fabric to cover.  I found this fabric in the cast off ends bin at Fabricland.  I love it there.  The cast off bin is right beside the wall of buttons.  Miss Kitty is reminded not to touch the buttons (which she does) and stares at them as I dig for interesting fabrics for the dollhouse.  The often older staff think she is adorable with her little toque and are impressed with her "thank yous" to their compliments.  I would have never thought that a fabric store would captivate a toddler, but she actually gets upset when we leave.  I'm just glad she hasn't spotted any of the Minnie Mouse themed fabrics.  I would be doomed.

5 comments :

  1. That's clever and oh so much nicer than those awful miniature brass hooks you can buy ready made. I love the bright colours your using too. Very modern =0)

    ReplyDelete
  2. They're great, an imaginative solution.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well Kat, you have me hooked too! Love the color and the craftiness for your lack of storage, and your solution. Well done my dear! :))

    elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A neat freak has to do what a neat freak has to do! Lol.

      Delete