The Beau Curated

A LIFESTYLE BLOG

Kitchen Aid Mixer Makeover

I purchased my Kitchen Aid mixer over 10 years ago, at the time I thought a red appliance was so cool, but my style has drastically changed over the years and the red Kitchen Aid mixer had to go.

I debated selling the mixer and buying a new one (in a more neutral colour), but decided on painting it instead. Follow along for my step by step guide to transform your own Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Step 1: Give your kitchen aid mixer a thorough clean. If you use your Kitchen Aid mixer regularly there might be a lot of food residue accumulated in the nooks and crannies of your mixer. Use hot water and dish soap to clean thoroughly.

Step 2: Disassemble your mixer, by taking off any items that are screwed in place: the metal cap at the front, the metal piece going around (with the writing Kitchen Aid), the bowl holder, etc. Take a picture of all the items you are taking off and where they should be. Keep the pieces with the screws in a safe spot to make reassembly as easy as possible.

Step 3 : Using painter’s tape, tape off all the pieces that you do not want to spray paint and can’t manually take off. ex: the handle to bring the mixer up and down, the on / off button, etc…

Step 4: Lightly sand the mixer. I decided to use an electric sander with paper grit of 120, but you could sand the mixer by hand using the same grit size paper.

Step 5: Use a damp cloth to clean the mixer. Make sure you are wiping away any sanding residue.

Step 6 :

For best results and to avoid chips and peeling you have to use the right type of spray paint. I used Rust-Oleum Appliance Enamel (Almond colour). If you are located in Canada our colour options in hardware stores are very limited, however Amazon has more options. It was more expensive, but I decided it was worth it.

In a well ventilated area start spray painting your mixer. Remember to only put light coats of paints, you want to avoid getting drip marks.

Step 7: Wait a full day in between coats of paint. I did 3 coats of paint on my Kitchen Aid Mixer, but depending on the colour you choose it might take less coats of paint.

Step 8: Wait another full day for the paint to fully cure before taking off the painters tape and re-assembling the mixer.

Olive Tree

If you follow all of the popular designer’s you will notice olive tree’s in a lot of their designs. They are a great item to add to any room and they bring lots of interest and texture.

I decided to try my hand at making my very own olive tree and it turned out even better than expected.

Here’s how I made my own olive tree for under 60$.

I started by finding a small sized tree on our property and used a jigsaw to cut it down. I left the tree out to dry for a week or so, then pulled off all of the dry leaves and cut down some of the branches until I was satisfied with the shape of the tree.

I went online to shop for olive tree branches – I ended up buying stems from 3 different sources. I knew they wouldn’t be the same colour and texture but decided that it would make the tree look even more realistic. (I’ve linked all the sources below).

1. AMAZON | 2. WALMART | 3.AMAZON

List of supplies that you will need:

-Cutting pliers
-Floral tape or painter’s tape
-Dry foam (for floral arrangements)
-Drill
-Small drill bit
-Brown craft paint
-small paint brush
-newspaper
-Fake moss

I started by securing the foot of my tree in dry foam. I secured the dry foam in the basket using newspaper. Make sure to add lots of newspaper to keep the tree from falling.

I started building my tree by using the larger stems. I secured them to the branches using green painter’s tape.

I then deconstructed some of my olive branches to have smaller pieces to add to the tree trunk. I added stems in the trunk by using a small drill bit to make holes (if your drill bit is too big and your stems are not holding up, add glue from a glue gun to the stem part. Hold in place for a couple of minutes until the glue is dry)

To cover up my green painter’s tape I used brown craft paint.

All in this project cost me 60$, it wasn’t the cheapest DIY, but it was definitely cheaper than buying one. Plus it was a really fun project and I am really proud of how it turned out!

Sofa – Ikea Finnala | Rug: Loloi Layla Antique Moss | Pillows : Anna and Rose co. | Vintage Prints : North Prints

Textile Art

I love that feeling of accomplishment I get after completing a DIY project. I feel proud of what I have created and I like knowing that I worked hard to create something beautiful. But let’s face it, no one has time to complete a big DIY project every weekend.

This textile art project is the perfect Sunday afternoon DIY. You will create a beautiful piece of art and you will be able to complete this project from start to finish within a couple of hours.

Here’s what you need :

-Fabric (you can buy new or if you have fabric pieces lying around your house you can use that)
-Picture frame
-Scissors
-Glue Gun
-White poster board (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Use the picture frame backing as a template, then cut the white poster board (I decided to add the poster board because I wanted a white trim around my fabric)
  • Cut the fabric to desired size.
  • Using your glue gun – glue the piece of fabric to the cardboard
  • Position the cardboard in your frame and close it up

A quick and easy DIY!

DIY Cane Headboard

For the past year we see cane furniture and accessories everywhere, from cane dressers to cane shelving this material has really made a comeback and I think it is here to stay.

I wanted to incorporate some cane in my decor and after looking at multiple cane furniture pieces online, I came to the conclusion that for the price I was better off making cane furniture on my own.

I wasn’t sure just yet on what I wanted to build and since I am not an experienced carpenter I knew I had to stay with something simple. Our spare bedroom was on my list of rooms that I wanted to update, it was a room we neglected and there was no headboard on the bed so I decided that this would be the perfect piece to create.

You can choose the exact size of webbing that you want to buy from Levair’s Woodworking.

First I had to find cane material! I started my search on Amazon and Etsy, but it was very expensive for very little cane material. One night I was scrolling on instagram and ended up on a post from @frankieandgrae , her husband built a cabinet using cane on the doors and she tagged Levair’s Woodworking. This Canadian company is selling different types of cane webbing and with very low shipping cost, I knew I had found my cane supplier.

I chose a frame that was easy to build and that wouldn’t require a lot of expertise. The headboard was for a double bed so I decided that my dimension would be 55″ in length x 28″ in height.

I bought 2 x 3 pine wood pieces and cut them to size! I did a bit of research on the best way to conceal my screws and decided to create pocket holes. At the time I didn’t own a kreg jig so I looked at youtube videos on how to make these types of wholes without having the tool. I was able to do it, but I would highly recommend purchasing a Kreg jig – it’s inexpensive and really worth the price.

After building the headboard frame, I secured the cane to the frame using a stapler. I made sure the cane was centred and as tight as possible.

Then to secure the headboard to the wall I used heavy duty saw tooth hanger, I made sure to line up the saw tooth hangers with the studs on my wall so I was able to put a screw right in the stud and securely hang the headboard onto the wall.

Follow @the.beau.curated