Sooooo it’s confession time. Remember our chalkboard fridge? He was one of our very first DIY projects for our site. {See all the FAQs here}
He kind of… well… died. And came back to life. And died again. Times ten. We affectionately named him Lazarus. Until one day, old Lazarus went to fridge heaven for good. We were actually in the middle of our BHG photo shoot when he started the great final defrost journey to fridge heaven. I was throwing towels on the floor in between arranging flowers and photo shoots, and I was in total denial.
RIP, Lazarus. RIP.
Because a. We didn’t want to pay for another fridge right away {we’re stubborn}. And b. if we were going to pay for another fridge, it would be what we really wanted.
So in the meantime, everything was moved to our tiny back up fridge in the garage and that’s what we used. And this fridge just sat. For a long time. Shhh no judging. I should have used it for shoe storage, or something. We had a hard time parting with him because he was such a fun part of our kitchen.
Begin the inner {and outer} dialogs of The Mills Hizzy:
Me: “We’re going to need a new fridge.”
Jamin: “But I don’t want to spend the money.”
Me: “And I don’t want stainless.”
Us: “And I don’t want to buy another one just to paint it.” We were ready for something a little different.
Because you see… we’d been eyeing a Big Chill for about four years now. So I held out. Oh so stubbornly, for two years, while Lazarus sat… still loved, yet not working.
We held out.
Yes, sometimes these decisions of ours don’t make sense to normal people.
But they made sense to our bank account.
And when Lazarus was finally hauled to his final resting place {No worries! He was recycled and lives on in our hearts forever} we celebrated with our new dream fridge after the appropriate time for mourning was over. {And breathed a collective sigh of relief when he was delivered and no one died in the delivery process, as our home sits on a nice little hill.}
Meet Woodrow. Per Jamin. He will not budge on the name, and it’s growing on me.
Some of you may be surprised that we didn’t go all turquoise or something, given our track record. Us too. We were leaning more toward classic. It reminds me of my grandmother’s old fridge, even though I never thought we’d own a white fridge. We will own this one forever. And ever. And when he dies, we will bring in the experts and shock him back to life. Because I’m a committed gal, y’all. Sometimes you wait for what you love, and it’s always worth it.
So we thought a grand fridge deserved a grand celebration, and decided to make some simple medallion magnets to doll him up. This little tutorial is so easy, it’s almost embarrassing. It’s perfect for kids, too. So without further ado:
Here’s what you’ll need:
• Paints and paintbrushes of choice (We used basic acrylics) • Modpodge {for a glossy finish} • Rosettes or Medallions {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, + we mixed in a few wooden ones from the local craft store} • glue • craft magnets
We simply painted them to their desired colors {and changed them up a little after this photo-sometimes I start to play and forget to take photos}. Try using a darker color for the undertone, and then a lighter dry brush on top, so that you can see the darker tones in the grooves.
When those were dry, we topped them with a coat of glossy Modpodge for that fun shine.
Finally, we added these magnets to the back of each one with a little glue. {At first we added the hard ceramic ones, and then decided soft flexible would cover more area, and be easier on our fridge with kids and their magnet loving fun}
Tada! It’s so easy, it’s ridiculous. And it added a shot of super fun color to our kitchen. The kids are painting little wood shapes we grabbed to add to the plethora of fun.
This is the first of a few little facelifts we hope to add to the kitchen, so stay tuned – we can’t wait to share!
The kids love them for showcasing their work!
As always, let us know if you try them. Have an inspired day!
Love the new fridge.
I LOVE This! I moved into a 1400 square ft. house 4 years ago after a horrible divorce ( 33 year marriage and not my choice). I only had 2 weeks to rid myself of 33 years of things and down size quickly and without much thought. Of course I wish I had some of the things I purged now but I am just starting over with a different perspective. There was no fridge and I quickly went to pick out the now popular stainless fridge with the bottom drawer. I have no complaints but my mom had an old one like this in her carport that I SO wish I had taken in at the time. It was white with aqua interior and worked like a dream. I also wish I had your fridge now as well but I guess I will have to wait until mine goes to fridge heaven. Love your choice and the adorable way you had the kids dress him up to come to the kitchen party! I absolutely LOVE your blog everyday!! You guys so rock!
The magnets are great…but the best part of this post is definitely the story of how you got a new fridge. You used the one in your garage for TWO YEARS? That’s a lot more patience than I have! But it definitely paid off, because your new one is so pretty. ^_^
YES! We had grocery store feet every time we stepped outside and I dropped countless things on the floor, but we waited. ;} Thanks, sweet lady!
oh my! Love love love love this retro style! Thank you for the post, link and for clueing me in to this. Going in my dream kitchen file.
In love with your new fridge. It looks perfect in your kitchen. Will definitely be making some of those magnets. Thanks for the inspiration!