Tag: Kitchen

Kitchen – Day 2

OK – we are still working on the lights, countertop light this time. You know, the one’s that are mounted under the upper cabinets! I have 5 of those.

First day with lights was a bit fiddly because I didn’t have a lot of space to work with. This job, plenty of space, but more work.

When we installed the kitchen originally, we used some cover panels underneath the cabinets, to make everything look nice. It also gave us the opportunity to hide the wires for the under cabinet lighting.

This time around I decided to recess the new lights into the cover plates. I figured it would be a much nicer look, than putting them on the outside, like the old one was. Since these lights have their own wiring system, we needed to get a little creative for how to hide the wires. and we decided to make an individual “groove” in the panels for each wire. Off course I completely forgot to take a photo during this process? Even though you can see what I’m talking about, on the first photo, on the second photo collage.

Pulling down the cover plates with the old lights, was easy enough, just unscrew, cut the wires and the panels was off.

Removing the old lights, easy peasy! Installing new ones? Not quite so much, but I guess that’s always what happens. It’s easy to tear down, not so easy to “build up”.

Fortunately I have pretty good tools, and as we know good tools are half the work. That all worked really well, until we tried to drill the holes for the lamps. Turned out my 56mm cutting tool, just didn’t want to corporate 😦

So what is a girl to do? Well the only solution was to buy a new one, and since we had to pack up to leave the house any-ways, this was a perfect time to do lunch 🙂

Back home again, I have to admit, it almost took longer to get the tools out, than to drill the 5 holes for the lamps.

Lamps installed (using screws, not clips 😉 ), wires installed in their “groves” (with a little help of tape to keep the wires in place), and we were ready for first panel/plate to go back up. This one only had one light so easy. Second plate, with two lights, just as easy, now the final and last plate, turned out to be the one to give us trouble! Mostly, due to the fact that the wires from the second plate, continued in “groves/channels” in the third plate… Crap! Fiddly stuff again 😦

We attacked the third plate, got the wires in place, pulled nicely at them to straighten as we “feed” the third plate closer and closer to the second. Screwed it all in place…. and is was crocked at the back, a wire had caught! Down again and start over! Second time around we had it down to a fine art, and within 20 minutes it was done.

Connected all the wires to the transformer, turned it on. Woohoo, it works!

Lights done!

Now if the rest would just be this easy (even though it took us all day) 😉

 

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Kitchen – Day 1

We decided to tackle the lighting first! But we are doing it in two steps  – no reason to rush into this right 😉

First up was the 4 lights, that are inside the glass door cabinets.

It turned out to be a fiddly process. As you can see from the picture below, there wasn’t much room to work with. I tried to remove the very thin sliver between my cabinets and ceiling, but my dad (when installing this) have obviously just about “velcroed” it together with acrylic, and I almost broke it trying to remove 😦

So I promptly had to give up on that! Which left me we only the small holes the old lamps was in, and the not even 2 fingers high sliver of an opening on top, to navigate all the wires/cables/transformers. As you can see from the picture, I ended up using a lot of rope (I figured this would be the only way I could pull the new wires).

Removing the old stuff was a pain. I have to admit my dad had done a good job installing everything, when we put the kitchen together originally, but removing the stuff!!! Seriously finger twisting work 😉

Installing the new stuff on the other hand, went like a breeze  – probably had something to do with all that rope already in place 😉

It looks really good, but I’ve come to realise one small mistake. Installing the lights, you could either fasten them with small screws or a clip, I used the clip (it was easy), but have realised that if I ever need to change them out later, I will have to “break” the rim of the lights, to push them through the cabinet, as the spring loaded clip won’t let me remove them the right way. In hindsight, I should have tried to use the screws or a small dollop of acrylic to fasten them. That would have made any potential future removal easier.

Hopefully I won’t ever have any issues with these, and since they are of a type where it is possible to change the led lights without changing out the whole lamp, there is hope I will never have to change the lamps again! I just figured I’d give you a heads up, if you are ever installing upper cabinet lighting, and have less to no space to work with (like me), my recommendation is to not use the clips, if they won’t let you remove the lamp the same way it goes in.

Any-ways! At least I realised this before my next 5 lights 😉

During and Done
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Kitchen work – DIY

It’s seem like I’m working on a “thousand” small projects these days. I’ll tell you all about them, but right now I want to let you in on one of the “bigger” ones.

I have a reasonable new house (2006) and there is no reason why this should have happened at all, but a few months ago (July I think) my kitchen sink, an under-mount stainless steel sink, suddenly came loose from the kitchen counter!!! Not a fun moment, believe me!

Well that didn’t make sense to me that an expensive under-mounted sink suddenly should come loose after only a few years. So I went down to the kitchen store and complained. It seems like the people I ordered my kitchen countertop from, thought the same.

There is no way to fix the under-mounted sink in it’s place, they told me this has to be done at the factory. So they decided to give me a new countertop and sink, even though it was outside of warranty. Which I have to say, was nice of them! Now, installation on the other hand, not included…

Fast forward to late September and I picked up my new kitchen counter. Which is currently laying on my living room floor 🙂

It’s time to tackle the kitchen project, so over the next few days a friend of mine have dedicated some time to help me out.

While working on the kitchen any ways, I figured this is a good time as ever, to fix some issues I’ve had with one of my under cabinet spotlights, that never really would work. So I’ve decided to go ahead and swap all my cabinet lights, over to new LED lights. Just to really give us some work 😉

As you know, my kitchen ain’t big, so swapping things out, pretty much means tearing the kitchen “apart”. Groan!!

I figured I might as well let you in on the chaos in my house, so I’ll be posting as we move along.

Wish us luck, will ya!  🙂

Kitchen before “hell” broke loose, and new kitchen counter on the floor.
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Another crazy purge! And a very happy neighbour.

Last week, I must have inadvertently eaten a pep pill or something, cause I roamed around the house tearing stuff out of my cabinets, drawers and “loft” space. And ended up with a pile of things to get rid off.

I have a neighbour who just moved in, and since she pretty much came over with nothing but a few suitcases and boxes, from the US, I was hoping there would be a few things she could take off my hands!

A couple of days ago, she popped by to have a look, and I couldn’t believe it, but she took most of my stuff! She looked really happy with the stuff, and even came back to get me, to show me how the things fit in her house 🙂

When I counted up all the stuff that went out-the-door, I couldn’t believe the numbers!

Have a look…

  • 5 notebooks – for her kids to draw in
  • 2 “baskets”
  • 1 furry pillowcase
  • 1 furry blanket
  • 1 wool carpet
  • 1 file organizer
  • 1 Ikea storage box
  • 40 hangers – counted as 1
  • 4 packs of hanging “lamps” – now hanging in her kids play corner 🙂
  • 1 empty tea box
  • 1 roll of stretchable wire
  • 1 wineglass box
  • 3 presentation portfolios
  • 2 packs of table decorations
  • 1 sauté pan
  • 2 purple pillowcases
  • 2 large candles
  • 1 glass container for candles or flowers
  • 1 picture from Virgin Islands
  • 6 cloth place mats
  • 6 plastic place mats
  • 4 Texas cloth napkins – counted a 1
  • 1 plastic table runner
  • 1 red cloth pot holder
  • 2 green glasses
  • 1 bag of decorative rocks
  • 1 glass soap dispenser – given to a friend
  • 1 bamboo plate
  • 2 more large candles
  • 4 bags of decorative stones
  • 6 white wine glasses
  • 6 red wine glasses
  • 2 camping chairs
  • 4 flowerpots
  • 2 glass plant watering things
  • 1 outdoor recliner
  • 2 big floor flowerpots

That’s 81 items – and with the exceptions of a few items, my neighbour took them all! 🙂

How’s that for a purge 😉

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June tally

We are all in agreement that the month of June have been a bismal month for decluttering. But even though I haven’t written about them, there are a few things that have gone out-the-door anyhow!

So let’s see what this month have amounted to on the declutter scale:

JUNE TALLY of things “out-the-door” =  22 items

  • 2 hanging baskets – given to my step-mum for her new cabin, including the
  • 2 linings for the hanging baskets and the
  • 2 hooks for the hanging baskets
  • 1 big bag of shredded papers – I normally do a yearly shred after I’m done with the taxes (late shred this year)
  • A bunch of kitchen drawers utensils no longer (or ever) in use – counted as 1
  • 1 red empty leather notebook – also for my step-mum
  • 1 toilet bag after dad
  • Some outdated medication – counted as 1
  • 1 indoor water fountain feature set
  • 9 books – I’m still chugging away at my read a book program
  • and another book that I read and gave to mum while I was in London in May – that I forgot to tell you about, but I’m counting it anyway 😉

Hey, this wasn’t quite as bad after all… for a non declutter month… 🙂

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April tally!

Month four! Sorry it’s a bit late, I almost forgot about it for a second, but here it is 😉

Let’s see, what I have I been able to shed this month?

APRIL TALLY of things “out-the-door” =  58 items and about 4500 emails

  • PC nicknack’s – I forgot to count out the items when I did this job, but what I can see from the picture I got rid off:
    • 2 mouse
    • 1 laptop hard-drive
    • 1 wireless adapter
    • 7 converters (Europe to US and the other way around) (count as 1)
    • 1 Bluetooth headset
    • 1 Apple charger station
    • 1 FM radio sender
    • Bunch of USB, firewire cables (count as 1)
    • Bunch of other stuff I have no idea what was (count as 1)
  • 2 bundles of sticks
  • 18 books
  • 1 bottle of port 😉
  • 1 compact camera with chargers, extra batteries ++
  • 1 handbag
  • 8 clear plastic boxes
  • 1 old broken cooking thermometer
  • 15 vases and other flower related stuff
  • 1 screwdriver set
  • Around 4500 emails at my work mailbox (still working on the 5000 I promised)

So what else have I’ve been up to? Not much, except for enjoying the heck out of spring 😉 And I’ve done a major patio overhaul.

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Cooked to perfection!

I don’t know what happened to my old trusty thermometer!

All I know, is that it’s showing the wrong temperatures, and it’s made for some interesting cooking lately 😉

So I had to get a new one, and having the choice, I chose to go digital.

I have to admit. It makes for a much easier read of the temperature, no longer having to stick my head into the oven for the readout!

And much safer to 😉

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Out with the old – in with the new!

Ice cream with silver specks? Nope, no more, absolutely not!! I’m done, my dear old ice cream scoop, I’m done picking silver paint out of my ice cream.

You have worked really hard over the years, spooned tons of ice cream, to me and my friends, and I really appreciate it, but it’s time to let you go.

I’m sure you don’t mind, me swapping your worn body out, for a new green shiny ice cream scooper thingy 😉

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It can happen!

I’m the proud owner of a spotless kitchen 🙂

Now if it would just stay that way. Unfortunately it normally last about 10 minutes, and then it looks like a bomb went off 😉

Having a smallish place, I’ve found that it doesn’t take much before the house suddenly starts to look messy. You know what I’m talking about! A glass here, a pot there, a few magazines thrown around, a bowl, a cup, a piece of clothing, some shoes and WHAM, what the heck happened to my spotless place?

The key to keeping it “kinda” under control, is to have space to put things away, preferable behind “closed doors” 😉

And no, I’m not talking about the, throw everything into a room, close the door, and hope (seriously hope), nobody ever opens it, because they will surely loose their life, by all the things falling on top of them, kinda “closed door” 😉

I’m talking about the being able to open a drawer, cabinet, closet and nicely put things away, kinda “closed door”!

I wish I had a few more of those spaces available, and that is why I’m decluttering. To give myself some free space to tuck things away, for the everyday clean look, that I love.

And to show you, that I – for at least a minute – succeeded with the clean look. I’ve attached a couple of pictures of my kitchen (which, by the way, I am really proud of – you see – my dad and I installed the kitchen ourselves, when the house was built 🙂 ).

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No more waxing…

Actually I never got started 😉

When I moved into my house I bought a bottle of floor treatment, for future maintenance.

Last week when I went through my china cabinet to get rid of manuals, catalogues and so on. I also came across the manual for how to treat my wooden floor. Looking through it, I decided to have a look at the bottle I got, since I’m thinking about maybe giving my floor a “spruce” sometime this year.

Turns out the guy at the store have given me the wrong thing. In my kitchen cabinet a maintenance WAX, an not a OIL refresher is gleaming back at me 😦 So what can I do? Well the bottle of wax is 6 years old, so it’s not like I can go back and complain! 

So guess what? Out the house it goes 😉

At least now I know what to get, when I finally get around to needing a floor refresh 😉

Wax bottle