DIY: KitchenAid Mixer Makeover

The KitchenAid mixer.
I have been wanting one of my own for quite some time. It's like the swiss army knife of the kitchen appliance world.

Since they have come out in so many colors and styles - I have been eyeballing the fabulous paints and finishes with glee, picturing myself and my KitchenAid.

Earlier this year, I had the fortune of having a friend gift me her old KitchenAid mixer - I was excited!
But there were a few things that needed to be tweaked on this mixer to make me love it like I had imagined in my warm, fuzzy daydreams of me and my KitchenAid happily whiling hours away in the kitchen together.It wasn't the mixer I wanted, but I wasn't going to disregard a perfectly good, working KitchenAid just because it was in need of a new paint job and some cleaning! That's just a waste of money!

I forgot to take a "Before" picture in all the excitement of finally getting a chance to get to work on my KitchenAid's makeover.
So a brief description will have to do - It was the classic, traditional white KitchenAid. Being a used KitchenAid, it had flour and stuff caked on it and a splotchy area on the base where the white paint had been stained.

Needless to say - it, at the very least, needed a good scrub down. But I have always said that I wanted a KitchenAid that was not white.

Hence - The KitchenAid Makeover!

Picture the used white mixer I described...
Here's what it looks like now!!

It's now a fully cleaned, two-tone hammered-finish metallic gray and black gloss like-new mixer. 

My KitchenAid. 

And here's how I gave my mixer its makeover:

Step 1: Unplug the mixer.

Step 2: Remove back panel, attachment connector cover, bowl stand base-plate, and mix speed/logo plate. 

Step 3: Clean the entire mixer and I mean, entire. When I lifted the base-plate for the bowl - it was scary. It took me over half an hour to clean under there. It was some crazy sticky stuff - I used a lot of Dawn on that. 

Here are some pics. The screws are pretty easy to find and loosen - I had no troubles. 

I also removed the black plastic screws to clean the flour and gunk that had gotten under there. Be warned there is a spring under those screws and it will spring out if you're not careful. In case that happens to you and you need to reassemble the screw assembly, this is what it looks like properly assembled: 

Step 4: Sand the painted surfaces of your mixer. You want to sand enough to disrupt the glossy finish. This will help the new coats of paint adhere to the surface. Don't forget the cover for the back panel!

Step 5: Use painter's tape to cover any portions you don't want painted like the control knobs, the silver accent above the mixing arm, the mixing arm itself, etc. Also cover the exposed wiring on the back of the mixer. I cut the zipper part off of a sandwich baggie and used the tape to secure it. I also covered the screws on the sides of the top portion of the mixer as well as on the base of it. I wanted to maintain that from-factory look by keeping the silver screws on the bottom unpainted. I covered each with tape and the cut the excess tape off with a knife. 

Step 6: Whether you are painting yours two-tone like I did or if you are painting it all one color, be sure to cover up the portion of the mixer that is not being painted while you paint the opposite part. For example: If you paint the top first, cover the base while you paint it. And vice versa. If you don't do this, when you go to paint the portion you didn't paint the first time, the part that is already painted will be dusted with another coat of paint - disrupting that smooth, glossy factory-like finish. 

Step 7: Paint the first portion of the mixer! 

A note about paints to use: There are appliance epoxy spray paints that are specially formulated to look just like the factory finish. I used this on the bottom portion of my mixer. For the top of mine, I wanted something more unique. Those appliance epoxy paints only come in common appliance colors (white, black, almond, etc.). The unique colors like red, orange, green, gray - those aren't available. However, any oil-based spray paint will do the job. Isn't that fabulous?? In case you didn't know - the majority of spray paints are oil-based. If they are not oil-based they will be marked as such. This opens up literally hundreds of colors and textures! I chose the Rust-oleum hammered finish gray paint for my top half:

Step 8: When finished, peel the tape off of the covered items and remove the covering for the base - to prevent the tape from being sealed onto the mixer once the paint dries. 

Step 9: Allow to dry completely. 

Step 9.5: Paint the back panel cover and allow to dry completely. 

Step 10: Once the top half (or whatever part you painted already) has dried, cover it. Also, wrap up the cord and cover it in a plastic bag. Tape up cord where it sticks out of the bag and meets the mixer so that none of the cord is uncovered. Tape the bagged cord so that it hangs up off of the base and the floor, taped to the covering of the top portion of the mixer. This will prevent the cord from disturbing the paint on the base by touching it. 

Step 11: Paint the remaining portion. 

As you might have noticed, I decided to change where the gray and the black paint met on my mixer. When I started I forgot that I wanted the color to change at the mix speed label so that above it was gray-silver and below it was black. I remembered this and taped off the mixer appropriately and painted over some of the gray-silver from my first painting session. No harm, no foul. ;)

Step 12: Once the paint has begun to dry a little, remove the tape and the bag from the mixer, carefully. Be sure to prop the cord up so that it does not touch the painted surfaces while it is drying. 

Step 13: Allow to dry completely.

Step 14: Reattach all pieces that were removed in the beginning. 

Step 15: Enjoy! 

Now, I'm sure some of you will want to find a way to recolor the cord to match (I know I wanted to do it). But you can't just spray paint that too, unfortunately. Because the cord is flexible and because of its material, spray paint won't stay adhered to it. You'll need to purchase a sort of dye to recolor the cord material - I've read about vinyl dyes doing the trick in other applications - but it seemed like a lot of work for me, just to repaint the cord. I'm fine with it being white. But in case, it really bothers you, there are options! I just did a quick google search about it, I'm sure you could dig something up with more detail. :) 

Now my KitchenAid and I can truly say that we belong together. :) 

Here's hoping that I've inspired you in some way or helped you make something you have into something you love. :) 

Happy DIY-ing!

Stay excellent!

- Jenny -

DIY: Hand-painted Highball Glass

I've done a lot of hand-painted glass for gifts the past few years. The first project was very simple - just the WSU Cougar logo on a wine glass with the word "Mom" on it for my mom (obviously).
I've since gotten a little more ambitious. My most recent project, a highball glass, was my most elaborate yet.

I really enjoy doing hand-painted glassware as a gift - I think it's a thoughtful one that can be customized to any individual and any occasion! There are literally hundreds of ways to implement this gift idea; it's fabulous. Not only is it thoughtful, it's a gift that won't break the bank, but still is a quality gift with meaning and love in it. What's to hate?!

So here's the scoop on DIY hand-painted glassware, specifically this hand-painted highball glass gifted for a 21st birthday.

Step 1: Find a piece of glassware that you'd like to paint.
The great thing about this is that you can find quality, plain glassware all over the place for very reasonable prices (like, seriously affordable). For example: I have painted three beer steins for friends (I'll show them at the end of this post). I got the glassware at Walmart and all three were quality pieces (heavy weight glass, no chips, stars, or cracks) and all were highly affordable. As for the wine glass and for this highball glass - I found them at my local Bed Bath and Beyond in the clearance section. This is a great place to look for single glassware items. BBB doesn't sell single pieces often, because glassware is mostly sold in sets - but when a set has a piece break, they sell the remaining pieces as singles. It's much less expensive to buy as singles and the pieces are very nice. Both the wine glass and the highball glass were lonely pieces from a broken set and were sold for less than $3 each.

Step 2: Buy some paint!
I use a brand of glass paint called Air Dry PermEnamel by Delta. It has worked fabulously for me so far and what I love about this paint system is that it is all air dry and the resulting painted glassware is dishwasher safe and oven/microwave safe up to 350 degrees F. Isn't that awesome?! There are three steps to their system: 1) the surface conditioner 2) the PermEnamel paint and 3) the glaze. I bought my paints at my local Michaels for about $6 each for the paints and a little less for the conditioner and glaze (I don't quite remember the prices exactly...). It's a bit spendy at first, but I have had my paints and glaze for almost 3 years now and I still use them! The only thing I need to buy more of is the conditioner - I had a little spill... :P So I think it's well worth the investment! I've done five gifts with my paints already. (Not pictured: my black paint.)

Step 3: Prep the glassware.
Remove all price stickers and other stickers that may be on the glass. Wash the glassware (I use Dawn dish soap) and dry it completely. Sounds easy enough - but sometimes those stickers can be little monsters...
For example:

As you can see in the picture on the left, I tried to peel the sticker off of this highball glass and it didn't work out so well. But as the photo also suggests - I used sticky out by Elmer's to help me with my problem. You may have seen me use this product to get gum out of my living room carpet. It's a great product. I just dribbled some of it on the sticker until the sticker was soaked (it took less than a teaspoon) and used a kitchen scrubby and it came off with no sweat and no residue! Perfect.

Step 4: Condition the glass. 
Next, use the Air Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner to prep the area that you will be painting. To conserve my conditioner, I just apply it to the areas I plan to paint. I use an ordinary paintbrush. Let dry completely (only takes a few minutes).

Step 5: Paint it!
Now, the fun part - paint! I have free-handed some designs and also utilized stencils. I print my own stencils and use them as references. It is important to note that glass is often a curved surface so stencils don't work perfectly. My advice: paint with them as best you can to get the shape reference. Then remove the stencil and perfect the image free-hand. Also utilize other painting tricks like using tape for straight lines and using toothpicks for fine lines and lettering. Also, with this paint, you can scratch it away and remove it for mess-ups and detailed edges.
Have at it and have fun! Here are images from my painting of the highball glass.

Allow the paint to dry for at least two hours before moving on to the next step (or whatever is recommended by the manufacturer of the brand of paint you are using).

Step 6: Glaze it!
Next, you want to glaze the painted designs. I chose a glossy glaze because I wanted my images to have a  sheen similar to clean glass. After your paint has dried, apply the glaze to the designs. I only glaze my designs. I'm sure you could glaze the entire piece (provided you conditioned all of the glass) but, I like to avoid the occurrence of brush strokes as much as possible, so I only glaze designs.

Step 7: Allow to dry completely. 
For the Air-Dry PermEnamel system, the glaze must set and dry for 10 full days before it is dishwasher-safe and microwave and oven safe up to 350 degrees F. I will caution, however, that though this paint system claims to be dishwasher safe, all painted glassware and ceramic, whether store-bought or hand-painted will maintain their finishes longer if they are hand washed. Almost all of my gifts were gifted before the 10 days were up. I simply notified the receivers of the time span - no biggie! ;)

Step 8: Admire your work! 
It's so fun. Like I said before, this highball glass was the most elaborate. I included a recipe for a mixed drink that could be served in the glass, the "Shark Bite" and a design that is meant to be seen through the glass bottom. Behold!

I hope that I've given you a new idea for a DIY gift. I think it's a fabulous way to celebrate a lot of occasions and, like I said before, it is a seriously versatile idea.

Below are photos of some of my other hand-painted glassware gifts!
Have a great day!
Stay excellent.
- Jenny -

Up on My Soapbox about Friendship

As a blog based in friendship, it is only natural that we talk about friendship every now and then. :)

I'm sure all of us know that friendship is great. It's beautiful, fun, engaging, and it's something that each of us needs in life. Where would we be without our friends?

If there is anything that I have learned through my life about friendship and relationships, it's that they all take time and energy and so much more from both sides. As they say, "Friendship is a two-way street." I have seen and continue to experience absolute true friendship. Anna is truly a best friend and I thank her for it constantly. I have a small handful of truly awe-inspiring and beautiful friends - they know who they are. But I've also learned that there are times when friends disagree, there are friendships that end, and there are friends that simply move on. C'est la vie.

However, it is our jobs as friends to put in the time and be there. This we all know. That's the easy part of friendship - hanging out and, well, being friends. The hard part comes along when time runs short, when friends move away, when life changes. These are the catalysts for the troubles of friendship.

And here comes the part of the job description of a friend that so many of us forget: 

Be understanding. 

So here I am, up on my soapbox - hoping that maybe a little reminding will help us all. The whole world needs to remember that we are all fighting different battles and that friends give us each strength.

If you want to the short version of the tome below, here it is: 

So for every human being out there: 

Please try to understand that we, as individuals, cannot be the centers of one another's universe, but we can be bright stars in one another's gorgeous night skies. Take pleasure in being a blessing counted with the stars and revel in every second you spend with your friends. Stop lamenting about time you don't get, quit complaining, and start rejoicing in the time you have; because believe me, there'll come a day when you too will have to say, "Sorry, not tonight," or "I'm sorry, I can't - rain-check?"

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The long version:

Sometimes, actually often times, when life decides to get busy, it does so in almost every aspect: from work, family, friends, and everyday life to new arrivals, emergencies, excitement, and change - it all tends to happen in clusters and all at once. These bouts can last for hours, days, weeks, and even months, leaving little "free" time and these moments happen to everyone.

As relatives, friends, loved ones, peers, and so much more to the people around us, it is each of our duties to understand that sometimes people are busy and sometimes this busy-ness lasts for longer than anyone wants. It is our job as friends to support our friends and loved ones and understand that they have other things going on, good or bad. Be there and lend strength - that is what true friends do. 

In my opinion, a grown adult that feels personally persecuted because the people in their lives have intervals when they have less time than usual for him/her is one or more of the following: 

• insecure about the relationships they hold
• lacking compassion and empathy for the struggles we all face from time to time
• lacking the amount of responsibilities/obligations that can cause moments and times like those
• and/or, simply, selfish.

There are a lot of things a functioning, active, and responsible adult has to do, such as (but not limited to):

• pursuing life goals
• sustaining an intimate relationship
• preserving friendships
• protecting family integrity
• fulfilling familial duties
• fulfilling fiscal and civil responsibilities
• attending to mundane, everyday tasks
• making time for oneself. 

As a working, young but active and responsible woman, I wholeheartedly believe that each and every one of those things is essential to a healthy and fulfilling life. But sometimes, some days, some weeks, it can be a lot to handle all at once. You can't tell me you haven't felt that way before.
During those times, something's got to give. 

So here's the new challenge - What is it that gives?

I hope that we can all agree, that there are some things that are simply not negotiable (and for some things, nor should they be or would we want them to be). This list of things is different for everyone, as priorities are different for different people. For me, personally, the list is: family, work, certain daily tasks (like taking a shower, eating, sleeping, tidying, and caring for my pets), and miscellaneous obligations of adult life (doctor's appointments, car maintenance, home maintenance, helping the household make ends meet, etc.). 

So eliminating these non-negotiable items, we're left with: the pursuit of personal life goals, sustaining an intimate relationship, preserving friendships, and personal time. 

From my personal perspective, the first thing that always gives in every situation is personal time (for better or for worse). Any of my closest friends can attest to this. 

So next, it's: pursuit of personal life goals. 

At this point in my life, this is a priority. I am a new college graduate entering my career field. Pursuing my career goals is something that will not give, not now, anyway. I will put in the time to apply to jobs, update and adjust my resume, write cover letters, attend interviews, study for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (so I can pursue becoming a professional engineer), and anything else that might help. Later on in my life, as I mature into the career field and settle down to start a family, this will become less of a priority but right now, it takes up a lot of my limited "free" time (I work 44 hours one week and 36 hours the next as my work schedule and it does limit my time, contrary to some belief). 

That leaves: Intimate relationship versus friendships - the age-old dual. 

How long have men whined about missing bro-time because their man has got a new girl? 

How long have women complained about missing their gal-pal because of the new beau in her life? 

I'd first like to remind all of us that anyone who finds themselves in a meaningful relationship does, out of the nature of time itself, have less free time to spare for some things that it may have been used for in the past. It's a balancing act. 

It is important to remember that couples need time to themselves to grow and sustain a lasting relationship.

I personally am happy for my friends and kind of like it when they take time for themselves - even if it means fewer visits with them. I will gladly sacrifice some of my friend-time to see my friends find love.
But I realize that this is not how everyone feels - I believe there is an innate fear that once our friends find love, they're never gonna look back. But that's not how it is, a true friend will rejoice with you and share their happiness with you. They will look back - they'll remember that you were there when they needed you and they'll know you'll still be there to celebrate in their love.

But for many, there is still room to complain. I mean, some people truly don't look back, some relationships aren't completely balanced - in fact, I'm sure many aren't; and this is where that fear comes from.
Ideally, there should come a point (after some adjusting and transition time) where a balance is found in which everyone is satisfied and happy. This state should be balanced more often than not and only come off-kilter when changes happen (which, unfortunately can seem fairly often).

I strive for this balance. Having been in a relationship (I've been in 3 relationships total) for almost the entire time since I was 15 (I am now 22) and having each of those three last at least one year and six months with my current one at 3+ years (indicating that none were "flings"), I can confidently say that I am good at balancing my relationships and my friendships. 

But, alas, there are a few who disagree.

Now, I take this kind of thing seriously and to heart. It pains me to think that any of my friends may feel that I am deliberately not making time for them, especially when I try and the effort is not recognized.
It truly pains me.

However, I do take solace in the fact that the majority of my friends do not feel this way, only a few.
So, I mustn't be the terrible friend those few claim.

And truly, I believe that I make the same amount of time for all of my friends - with the small exception of best friends. But the issue lies in the fact that some friends need more time than others, I can't divvy up my friend-time evenly and make everyone happy...

Having said that, I believe that I am making a strong effort to balance my life and, though I will try my best to improve these relations, I understand that it might turn out to simply not be enough.

In the end, I stand by this statement:

A true friend is understanding. 

This is the whole reason a person becomes friends with another in the first place: because they understand each other (at least to some degree). If a friend cannot or refuses to understand, even with your best efforts, then perhaps they are not as close or as good a friend as they could be.

In my life there are a lot of forces that don't understand, that show little ability to picture life in my shoes... I depend on my friends to be the understanding ones. And I try my damnedest to understand each of them and to see life from their perspective - I am their friend after all, it's my job. My closest friends are my closest friends because they understand and not only that, they love me no matter what. 

I mean who doesn't love those friends that they can go forever without seeing or talking to and when you meet up again, finally, nothing has changed? Who doesn't love that? That, to me, is a great friend. 

THAT is true friendship. And I offer it to each and every one of my friends, each of them get it from me. I am always saying, "Oh no, next week works too!" or "Just let me know when you're free." But, as they say, "Friendship is a two-way street," sometimes I need some understanding too. We all need understanding from our friends. That's what friends are for. 

So for every human being out there: 

Please try to understand that we, as individuals, cannot be the centers of one another's universe, but we can be bright stars in one another's gorgeous night skies. Take pleasure in being a blessing counted with the stars and revel in every second you spend with your friends. Stop lamenting about time you don't get, quit complaining, and start rejoicing in the time you have; because believe me, there'll come a day when you'll need some understanding too.

- Jenny -