3 Easy DIY Kitchen Projects

About 2 weeks ago, I posted about making an easy DIY awning window treatment. I'm now doing an updated post to show I did paint the soffit and I made a new awning window treatment (this time it's a little jazzed up) and the faux metal letters I made. 

First things first... I painted the soffit a nice taupe color. I have this color in my house already and I really like it so I wanted to put it in the kitchen to break up the boring floor to ceiling cream.  And I say boring because when we moved in, the cabinets were already cream, there is no backsplash except for in front of the stove and that's a dingy white tile so it looks cream, and the walls are cream. This is the "before."

When we moved in, there were baby blue (gag!) countertops so we changed those out for the black/gray/taupe flecked. Which is another reason why I wanted to go with taupe for the soffit. At least that was a little color to break up all the cream. But I really like the taupe!

Then I decided I wanted to make a new awning since the first one went so easy. This time I made it with a little more "quality", as I used heavier home decor fabric, used the serger on all my edges and added a nice little trim on the bottom hem. The fabric I chose is one of my favorites from Jo-Ann's, last summer I recovered a chair in my craft room with the same pattern but in a different color scheme. Isn't it a pretty pattern?

Luckily it came in this cream, black & taupe combo too.

 And I found the perfect trim for the bottom hem in the upholstery trim section at Jo-Ann's.

Again, super easy to make - you can refer to my previous post only this time I serged all my edges,

 

and added the trim to the bottom hem! But even doing those 2 steps still left it an easy project. I just ironed a 1/2" hem, pinned the trim to my hem and used my zipper foot to sew. Then I cut the edge of the trim and used my hot glue gun to glue a few drops so the ends wouldn't fray.

All done!

My next project was the faux metal CAFE letters. I had found the post for the faux metal EAT letters at like a saturday and thought they were super cool. Again, a really easy project to do. I picked up the cardboard 3-D letters at Hobby Lobby for $2.48 each. They didn't happen to be on sale today, but still not a pricy project (considering Anthropologie wants $18 per letter and even already made metal letters at Hobby Lobby are $24.99 each.) All you need are your letters, some bronze spray paint, some silver spray paint and some sandpaper. I had the silver spray paint and sandpaper on hand and I just bought a small Short Cuts of the bronze. 

The cardboard/paper mache letters look like this:

I laid down a piece of plastic drop cloth on the garage floor that I had previously purchased from the Dollar Store. I then painted the first coat with the bronze paint.

After I let it dry, I painted with the silver paint.

After that dried, then I roughed up the edges and some of the surface with the sandpaper. I have no idea what grit or whatever it was, I just saw a scrap piece sitting on the shelf in the garage. Just rub off & rough up to your own liking.

Use 3M Command Strips to hang & enjoy!

Yesterday is when I painted the soffit and made the new awning. My husband has not even noticed yet. Today is when I did the CAFE letters and they kind of catch your attention so now we will see if he notices the painted soffit & new awning when he comes home from work tonight.

Items left on my kitchen list are a new overhead light fixture, new backsplash, paint my cupboards and change out the nasty gold hardware on them (now that I have the silver letters above & can see the gold hinges, they really bother me!) But, I have a feeling it will be a while before you see pictures of any of that!

Meanwhile, I will just enjoy my small little changes that I can quickly do myself.  :)

I do have some left over fabric so I think I will recover the seat of a kitchen stool with it and see if I can make a liner for my kitchen Longaberger tissue basket using one I have already as a template. Wish me luck!

Check out where I Link Party and share my posts!