4th Of July Mini Projects

I  really love to tackle big projects and then mark them off my list, but I also find tackling a bunch of mini projects to be just as satisfying.  Our holiday was a bit fragmented with the 4th falling on a Tuesday this year and me working that Monday.  I decided knocking a bunch of smaller tasks off my "To Do" list might be the best thing for a week like this.

We started with a family project by making stars, which I've already shared with you.  We enjoyed that so much we picked up some more paint at Home Depot and plan to make a few more.

The youngest helped me mount the countertop extension in the motorhome.  We managed to get that puppy installed in about 20 minutes and it works like a charm.  I'm so happy with this and I love the Modge Podge vintage labels.  I am so glad I decided to do this rather than just leave it plain.

I added a new handle to the inside of the gate to make it easier to close.

And as I mentioned in a previous post I installed a handrail for our front porch which has been really nice for our company that came to visit.

When the previous owner had the new refrigerator installed it was just a bit longer than the original one.  This meant the cabinet door would no longer fit properly.  I found it in the storage bin underneath one of the dinette seats.  It had fallen apart so I planned to glue it back together and cut it down to fit.  A friend of mine is a cabinet builder and offered to do it for me.  He returned it to me a couple of weeks ago so I was excited to get it hung up.

The original hinges and hardware were missing, but I found hinges at Home Depot and amazingly enough I had a matching handle in my garage because for some crazy reason I had been compelled to buy a package of them while out thrift shopping.  With no idea what I would use them for it is so not like me to do something like that, but boy oh boy am I glad I did.

I hit is with some Restor-A-Finish first and got it all prettied up and one it was dry I put on the hinges and the new handle.  The oldest was on hand to help me hold the door in place while I marked the screw holes, predrilled them and got her hung up.  Then I added a new catch so it won't swing open while I'm driving down the road.

I haven't quite decided yet how I want to finish the inside of the cabinet.  Not sure whether to add a shelf or leave it open and use it for "canister" storage.  It is the perfect width for the half gallon size Mason jars so I could keep my flour, sugar, rice and some beans or pasta in there.  The back of the cabinet is the access panel to the fridge so whatever I decide to do needs to be removable.  I'm kind of leaning toward the canisters.

And I have a neat idea for keeping those glass jars safe for travel.  I can hardly wait to get going on that project and share it with all of you.

Lastly, I was able to fit in one other project which was to button up door to the old generator bay on the motorhome since I've turned it into my new area to store the sewer and water lines.  It is the perfect spot as it has an upper shelf for the water hose and the lower area holds the sewer line and connectors.  Plus neither one touches the other.

Notice the two wads of duct tape on the right side?

The only problem was the vent needed to be covered up so the compartment won't fill up with dirt when I drive down the road.  Since the door is curved I made a template out of cardboard I pulled out of our recycle bin.  I then traced it onto a piece of leftover luan I had in the garage and cut it out with my jigsaw.

After some sanding and a couple of coats of ivory spray paint (the same can I used to repaint the door to the hot water heater and the water inlet cover) I put it in place, drilled two pilot holes and then screwed in a couple of short screws with large heads on them.  I found those in my can of miscellaneous screws.  That can has been invaluable with all of these projects lately.

While waiting for the paint to dry I removed the duct tape from the previous owner and replaced the missing gasket along the inside of the door.  I used some I had leftover from our previous RV so I didn't have to order any new stuff.

I even painted the heads of the screws.  I'm anal that way. 😉

It was pretty much a week of finishing up unfinished projects, which I find very satisfying, and dodging the heat.  Summer has definitely arrived here!  Phew!

Sneak peak of another project in the works
Hmmmm, wonder who's getting new wheels?

The only additional expense I had on these projects was for couple sets of hinges.  One set for the cabinet door and another for the countertop extension.  And a handle for the gate.  Everything else I needed I already had on hand.  Yaay!