Friday, June 29, 2012

call me crazy, but i slip covered my dishwasher.

 yeppers.
slip covered my dishwasher
in an old
feed sack.
 five years ago, mr. dan and i painted our 1975 kitchen cupboards.
at the time, i thought it was cool to paint all the top cupboards linen white and all the bottom cupboards in this dark charcoal color.
see below.

 in this "before" (actually, "during") pic you can see i have painted the bottom cupboards on the left and on the right is the old dreary color, that just zapped the room of light and energy.  you can also see that i was playing around with window treatments.  the crocheted tablecloth has been removed from the window and all the painting is finished now.  so, my freshly lightened kitchen had this black dishwasher, that stuck out like a sore thumb.  i thought about covering it with wallpaper or contact paper or tile or peel and stick flooring and even thought of painting it....none of these ideas seemed right....this is not the kind of dishwasher with the removable front....so thinking outside the box, i went through my stash of fabrics and settled on this old feed sack which was the perfect color and even has subtle stripes that mimic the cabinet molding.
 i simply cut the feed sack to size... hemmed all around and fastened it to the sides of the dishwasher with velcro (bought at michaels with a 1/2 off coupon).
easily removable for washing or changing out to something different in the future.
done.
i likey.
i likey alot.
 here are some purdy pictures of my newly brightened kitchen.
the light merrily bounces around the room now...




it is amazing how the lighter bottom cupboards have made such a huge change and make me happy.  
me thinks the dishwasher is happier too.
erin

p.s.  last night my neighbor's house, two doors up, caught on fire.
we watched huge flames firing towards the sky shooting from the back of their house.
it felt like it took forever for the firemen to get the water running.
my street was filled with emergency vehicles, neighbors, smoke, flashing lights, crime scene tape, exhausted firemen re-cooping on the ground...
no one was hurt.
the damage will be accessed this morning, i spose...
the burning images of colorado springs on fire, where my brother-in-law lived, and we vacationed, is disturbing, to say the least.
so many fires out there.
some fourth of july fire works displays have been canceled here, due to our dry conditions.
another 107 degree day here in tennessee.
still no rain in sight.
it feels like the whole world is on fire.
tell me it's
not.

22 comments:

Cindy said...

Ha! That's AWESOME! I have the same black hole dishwasher, what a great idea! I love the photo of the bowls in your kitchen, in fact everything about your kitchen is bright and inviting!

Cindy

Erin~Just*Grand said...

Love this idea! I'm a kitchen designer and I think this is a very interesting and creative concept! Well done!

Anonymous said...

genius...they say is tied up in the simple, obvious ideas and solutions! I love your idea of the slip cloth...which you can change up with your mood! and a bright kitchen is the only way to go in my books! well done. so happy to have popped by to see it.

as for the heat...it's hot here too....but no fires. thank goodness.


ciao bella
creative carmelina

Leena Milligan Lanteigne said...

Love the change that the brighter paint has made in your kitchen! Covering the dishwasher was a brilliant idae and using something that can be washed or easily changed out, genius! I am so sorry to hear of your neighbor's home. I hope that it wasn't a total loss and am glad that nobody was hurt! Prayers to them. Hugs, Leena

Glenda/MidSouth said...

Great idea - I would never have thought to cover it like that. Those hydrangeas are beautiful!!
So glad no one was injured - so scarey. We are at 103 with HI of 107 now.
Enjoy your weekend and stay cool.

Olive said...

You are clearly brilliant. Love the whole kitchen. Fire is scary and to have ones house lost to it is devastating. It is 104 here and getting hotter.

It's me said...

So scarey all that fire on your site off the world...my thoughts are with all the people their......i am glad you are allright......beautiful post !!...love what you have done !!....happy weekend....xxx..

Sonny G said...

My first visit here and I am so glad I found your blog. I love your style and could be happy in it.

I'll be going back and looking thru your posts for inspiration.

your newest follower
Sonny

Beverly said...

Just found your blog from another link, the title peaked my interest - you made a fabric cover for the dishwasher! I LOVE that you did that. Your kitchen make-over is just perfect. Love the white and blue.

oldgreymare said...

Erin,

At first I was laughing out loud..only you would think of this and I believe it's adorable and brilliant- then you got to the fires and I was just watching a story about all those firefighters in CO who do NOT have health insurance! They are considered "seasonal" employees and therefore are not eligible.
sigh

I have friends visiting family in Denver right now and friends who live in CS. It's just awful, as is the news of your neighbors.
The world is not on fire... yet .....but we are in trouble. Real trouble.. and my sleepless nights increase and increase....and my sadness grows..but a dishwasher diaper helps :D
xx
z

KarenB said...

As "they" say, "Necessity is the Mother of Invention". Well, not sure it was a necessity, but what a smart idea! You'll probably find some copiers out there. So sorry to hear about your neighbors. We had a fire when I was in Junior High. Actually I lived in an apartment complex. The fire burned everything to the ground, up to our fire wall. We had bad smoke and water damage. It's all very devastating.

KarenB said...

BTW, where are your beautiful aqua cafe curtains?

Sea Witch said...

this is the best post ever. I love that you made a slip cover for our dishwasher. It makes me smile you clever wench.

Marilyn said...

Your newly repainted kitchen is gorgeous! I'm a white person and my kitchen is white too. It just makes me happy. Sounds like white makes you happy too.

miabellavintage said...

Ding ding ding, your post title got my attention immediately. Ha what an awesome plan!

Razmataz said...

Now that....is the most clever idea I have seen in a VERY long time...

Antique ART Garden said...

I think with your painting skills and imagination, you should/could paint your dishwasher with lavender lilacs or hydrangeas or whatever would match most things in your kitchen.as usual, gorgeous photography, take care, Gina

Carole said...

Not crazy at all. Very ingenious of you. Makes me want to see my counters:( ah to have to a clean kitchen again.

Hugs
C

myflower said...

Ciao Erin,
I love anything in your blog!

You are THE BEST!!!!!

Love

Maurizia

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

Ingenious! And, I adore your blue and white kitchen...
:)

Donna said...

erin,
What a clever idea and I "likey" it too and makes it so "purdy"! ;)
Your kitchen is gorgeous!
Hope the neighbors are all okay after the fire. I can't even imagine what the people of Colorado are going through. We have had no rain here. So many areas here had rain yesterday but not us :( Maybe sometime this week.
Love,
Donna

Debbie Nolan said...

Erin I love your kitchen and your creative thinking out of the box with your black dishwasher - super idea - I once knew someone who covered her refrigerator in a lovely fabric to go with her kitchen. Thanks so much for sharing. Sorry about your neighbor - my prayers are with those in Colorado Springs.