The Railing Is Done And Paint In My Hair

Once upon a time, Bill pointed out to Katie at a family party that she was missing a spot with the old Clairol Nice and Easy. 
Oh no, she wasn't!

It was oil based paint but she silently vowed that it would never happen again. 

If I had missed a spot with color number 4, what was I supposed to do about it at a party? 

I can just see me sneaking into the bathroom to do a color touch up. 

 The paint was chipped out of my hair as soon as we got home.

Short of wearing a shower cap when painting, I broke my vow when I was painting the upstairs balcony railing. 
It was a beast.

This job was two years overdue.

 There was no way to reach the side of the railing that faces the plantation shutters.  

I'm terrified of heights so getting on a ladder or scaffolding wasn't going to happen.

 Over, under, around and through, what on earth am I going to do? 

 The only way to paint it successfully was to get a mirror through the railing and shine it on the spots I was missing. 

It was a light bulb moment, let me tell you.
My daddy would have been proud of me.

So would Bill Nye, I think.
 Science is a good thing.
I had the mirror in one hand and the brush in the other. 

Even though I wore gloves there was paint on my arms and in my hair. 
   It only took a half of a bottle of nail polish remover to get all of the paint off of the mirror and off of me. 

It was so worth it, though. 

 

I love it.

It amazes me that the Craftsman style railing now looks Farmhouse since it is white. 

That granny hair is very popular. 
Maybe I would have been able to pull off that look.

I'm thrilled with the finished product. 

It looks so clean and crisp. 

The ceiling is next! 

Stay tuned. 

Science makes a good showing in that project too. 

Katie

Friends In Low Places

I was so frustrated with our lower cabinets.

There was a flaw in the roll out shelf system and a few years after we bought the house, the supports started to break. 

One by one they broke and one by one I wired them back together.

It was not a perfect solution by any means but I didn't know what else to do.
The wheels have recently begun to stick so there is drag and squeaking every time I try to get something out. 

One of the most frustrating areas was the cabinet with the pots and pans. 

No matter how I tried to stack them, nest them, with lids, without lids, it was always a jumble.
It was dark in there.
I could never see what was in the back corner. 

This cabinet was not my friend. 

The other family members who help with dishwasher unloading were also frustrated with our situation.

I picked up a little shelf like thing while I was out one day and utilized it in my platter cabinet. 

I loved it so much that I thought the same type of thing could work for the pots and pans.
I realized there was freedom in getting rid of the pull out shelves. 

I bravely took them out, unscrewed the supports and put them in the trash pile. 

We are never, ever going back to that system.

I had no intention of getting out today so I started looking around the house for a solution to this cabinet's organization. 

I saw a shoe rack that I used for lunch boxes and drinks in the pantry. 

Perfect. 

It is white like the outside of the cabinets so it will brighten up the inside and it will provide two levels of storage.

The pots fit perfectly on the shelves.

 I am thrilled.

So is my son. 

He said, "It's about time."

Almost all of the same things are back in the cabinet as in the before picture. 
The only thing I got rid of were stray storage container lids.
 Amazing!

 I love how organized it all is.

It's so much brighter in there.

I'm so glad this cabinet and I are finally friends. 

Next up? The mixing bowls and bakeware…

Katie   

Linking with,
City Farmhouse   
A Bowl Full of Lemons