Today has been a very productive day.  A while back we purchased an old set of iron and plexiglass corner shelves to use in the kitchen.  They were $2 and would fit perfectly where we wanted to put them.  Problem was, they were beat up a bit and needed some TLC.  So in keeping with the WWII "Make Do and Mend" mentality, I decided to bring them back to life.

First, I washed them down really well, then I took them apart.  Then I spray painted the scratched up decorative tips a gold color that I thought would have been pretty close to the original.  After they had dried for 24 hours, I put painters tape over the brass colored tips.  Then I sprayed the rest of the shelves black.  After they had dried to touch, I sprayed them with a couple of coats of shiny clear coat.  Again I let them dry 24 hours.  Today I brought them in to the kitchen and this is the result!

Now I'm not saying I'll end up in "Better Homes and Gardens" or anything, but I am pleased with them.  I am planning on redoing my wallpaper there, too.  Still work to be done, but an improvement.

I also wanted to share with you all the cleaning "concoction" that I have used for years and I thought I'd share.  It works so much better, in my opinion, than a lot of the commercial cleaners I have used before.  It came from Grandma, and it was something that she used from before she got married in 1926.  If you use it to mop the floor, you'll probably have to rinse because of the baking soda if you have the kind of floor that you can see streaks.  I also suggest using a large bucket or halving the recipe because it DOES foam up substantially.  You can clean walls, floors, and use it on appliances.  And best yet, it comes from what's already in your cupboard.

2 gallons very warm/hot water
1 cup of baking soda
1Tablespoon soap (I use castile or dish soap, whatever is available)
1 Cup white vinegar
A few drops lavender or rosemary essential oil (That's optional)

Mix the first three ingredients together in the bucket, using your hand if the water isn't too hot and rinsing off the measuring spoon really well.  (You don't want to waste your soap, right?)  After you feel the baking soda, water, and soap are mixed well and the baking soda just isn't sitting on the bottom, add the vinegar.  And here is where it starts getting fun.  With the addition of the vinegar, the mixture starts to foam away!  (That's why you need a big bucket or a half batch...otherwise you'll be cleaning up wasted suds and cleaning mixture!)  Then add the essential oil if you want.  This was my addition, not Grandma's.  LOL!

I used it today to wash my floors since I was going to put in my new shelves.  I also used it to clean all my baseboards in the kitchen.  (Tomorrow, the hallway and bathroom!)  They really needed washing with the three larger dogs and the humans that live here, and I had been dreading it a bit because I was afraid I'd have to do a great deal of heavy scrubbing.  I had forgotten how well this works.  Now my kitchen baseboards gleam, and the only thing I see isn't dirt but the need to repaint!  LOL!

What projects is everyone else working on?