My theory of equality falls a little short though in regards to the bathroom. Girlish items seem to forever be spontaneously congregating around the sink, so much so that sometimes it's difficult to locate the faucet! And guys seem to always be complaining about this misappropriation of territory, like the bathroom is supposed to be neutral ground and not an area for guerilla warfare in the form of perfume death traps and mascara floor mines! So I've decided to figure out a way to be able to share the bathroom (even though we'll both know it's really mine!) and even [gasp!] the vanity mirror shelves. I know, I know, it'll be a sacrifice but if it means my future guy isn't harassed by my chapstick or curling iron...I'm willing to make it. I think if I can keep my stuff off the sink and in it's own area and he does the same, then the sink will truly be neutral ground for say, the mouth supplies: toothbrushes, mouthwash, floss, etc. It can't be that tough to corral all my junk right?
Well, "a place for everything and everything in its place," that's how the old motto goes anyways. So, I took a look around my bedroom and the bathroom and realized-my stuff is everywhere! And there's a lot of it! My cat runs off with my hair ties, I keep misplacing my hair brushes, my make-up was in a bead box, fingernail polishes and perfumes were in an old make-up box, and my hair accessories were in a portable toolbox. And not to mention the lengthy list of chemically enhanced substances spotted around the sink. In short, it was hard to figure out where everything was in the morning. So I thought long and hard about it and I think I've come up with a solution!
My brilliant plan involves my girly stuff being contained in a single location. (YAY!) It will be able to move effortlessly on wheels, provided the floor is sturdy and freely accessible. (Convenient) I might be able to keep my scrubs or fancy unmentionables in it so they'll be safe from my cat and his never-ending quest to mark everything with inch long white hairs. (Clever) It will have smaller containers for my make-up, hair accessories, and sparkly baubles with the ability to be locked. (Perfect if I ever have kids) And the upper most part will house a mirror so I won't have to hog the bathrooom sink! (Efficient!) In short, I planned on mutating a toolbox. (GENIUS!) And not just any toolbox: a 5 drawer upright, rolling, Craftsman Evolv toolbox. I'll wait for the men to expel their gasp and dismay at my blasphemy.
Yes, that's right. I took a metal toolbox sworn to be rust-free, undentable, holds up to 25lbs per drawer, locking for security, one year warranty, with frictionless rollers for wheels and drawers-and I turned it into a modern vanity. And it's awesome! You'll have to scroll to the bottom of this post to see the result.
First step: Obtain toolbox. Weirdly our Ace Hardware does not have large toolboxes. Neither did Wal-mart. I had to buy my lovely toolbox from K-mart. And it is called a Craftsman Evolv Basic 5-Drawer Tool Center which I purchased for $80.
Second step: Free said purchase from the box. This was easier said than done because somehow I failed to realize the upper part was lodged in the lowest drawer compartment. I actually went to K-mart to complain about missing a box. I was very sheepish when I found out I had failed to fully inventory all my working parts. To make up for it I purchased the supplies for step three there.
Third Step: Color, 'cuz let's face it I am NOT going to store my pretties in a gunmetal gray toolbox. Mh-hm, No way! So I had to buy paints. I briefly considered sponges and the usual acrylics and then looked at the size of the project...and decided to go for spray paints. It's quicker and far easier right? Uh, well, as it turns out I have deduced at least 5 ways NOT to spray paint a metal tool box. Now my Uncle T used to tint and detail cars out east when I was a kid and I frequently watched him. In fact it was a few years before I realized he did not in fact use green or blue deodorant-(he occasionally got misted paint on the hairs of his arm and armpits). But somehow, I forgot the finer points of his painting even though I remember him telling me secrets to a good detail job. I therefore, got the pleasure of learning all over again why you remember advise your elders give you.
Hint 1) FOLLOW DIRECTIONS! When it states hold can 10-12" away from surface, they mean it! I ended up with what looks like water marks from the paint collecting and slowly dripping down the sides.
Hint 2) Following Hint 1, DON'T use your fingers or newspapers to smooth out the smudges and drips, you only end up with bigger smudges and painted-sticky fingers. You've seen the cartoon where the guy gets himself stuck to flypaper and can't get rid of it? Yeah, I can relate now.
Hint 3) TAPE EVERYTHING! I thought I'd be okay with a good 2" border around everything. I was wrong. I ended up with slivers of paint down the middle of my borders because I missed sections which my spray cans unfortunately found with abundant energy.
Hint 4) STAND UP WIND ALWAYS! I figured to the side and somewhat hunched away from the object would suffice. I was wrong. Again. I ended up getting glitter spray all over my jeans and arms. Somehow it missed my shirt. And the jeans now sparkle even after being washed. Almost looks intentional.
Hint 5) MAKE SURE THE PAINT IS DRY!!!! I thought it was dry, but it was similiar to the first time I painted my fingernails and did three coats at the same time. The upper coat was dry but underneath it was just waiting for the first sharp object to come and peel it all off. Yeah, that happened in a couple spots.
The paint job turned out alright. I wanted it fun and cheerful. I had bought red paint and what was supposed to be a somewhat muted buttercup yellow, along with some glitter. The design was going to be stars shooting across the sides...but I couldn't find any stencils in this town so I improvised. I ended up with bright canary yellow diamonds alternating with glittery gold diamonds (okay, they're more like parallelograms) trimmed with candy apple stripes (magically the exact width of a strip of painter's tape!) and the border I left gray for further detailing. I say that because I did not want to try to spray paint in the corners of the darned contraption. I also painted each drawer a different but matching color. I was pretty happy with the result. Having glittered sections of my toolbox/vanity set, I moved onto the next step.
Fourth Step: bedazzling. Yep, you heard right folks, I bought plastic sparkles and adhered them to the sides of my toolbox! Whoo! Now, I can safely admit I remembered well the lesson I learned long ago when I helped my mom fix a pair of earrings-and we ended up glued to each other, the earring and the kitchen sink. I think my dad's knife was involved to get us unstuck. Anyways, I remembered this involved badly placed fingers and instant-instant glue; that stuff stuck faster than a fly on bug paper. This time, I bought the higher quality of instant glue which you had to keep on for a minute or two to set. I even planned on using tweezers so I wouldn't get stuck to anything. [Sigh] When I punctured the top of the glue container the atmospheric pressure sent it surging out and I barely managed to get most of it on the back of the slimy plastic sparkle. I mean really, the backs of those things are more slippery than a sheet of ice! And unfortunately the first sparkle did a spectacular backflip out of the tweezers and landed on my jeans. Which I instinctively tried to pry off, and managed to get stuck...to my fingers. After a few panicked seconds I got the darn thing ripped off the pads of my fingers and only lost a few layers of skin in the process! I decided not to use that one after all since I had practically made it into a personal Holcrux (See Harry Potter) and didn't want it on my lovely vanity. So I discarded it and got another; holding the sparkle between two roughed up fingers I hesitantly slimed it onto the sides of my toolbox and held it there until it didn't slide anymore. Each glittery gold diamond got one, except for the top of the bottom half of the vanity and the lower compartment door. I didn't want assembly problems when I put the two halves together. And I wanted to get the door open and closed without mishaps. Having bedazzled my box to a shimmery awesomeness I let it dry and prepared for the next night. [Why Brain, what are we going to do tomorrow night?- Try to glitter some more!]
Fifth Step: Glitter Glue! That's right, nothing says girly like glitter adorning the corners and edges of a toolbox in pretty red spirals! Hee Hee Hee. Yes, I giggled as I glittered. Right up to the point that I leaned up against a side already decorated and got red spirals all up and down my shirt. Ewww! I was pretty proud of myself acting so fast to stop the glitter from gluing itself to my nice shirt and as I rubbed at the stain, I had to marvel at the quickness with which the glitter disappeared from the fabric...And then I realized I had rubbed the glitter through my shirt and into the skin of my chest! So for a day (until I had managed to get it off in the shower) I had red glitter in a streak from collarbone to bellybutton. In addition to the gold glitter which had ended up adorning my neck and arms from my escapade with the cursed can of spray paint! It should be noted the glitter craft glue went on like jelly and then dried out to a hardened crust which faintly sparkled, but most vexing was the time it took to dry: over 8 hrs! I ended up gluing a few sides and then leaving it elevated for the night. [The last thing I needed was for Nova my cat to get on it and then I'd wake up to a red glittered and angry cat!] This step took me two and half days.
The next step involves cutting a craft mirror to fit inside the top lid. Fortunately the top of the toolbox is a little above shoulder height so when I flip open the lid to look in the mirror I won't have to stoop to see my face. The best part of the vanity set is that you don't have to hog the sink while hogging the mirror. I haven't gotten to this step yet, but in the meantime I have started moving all my girly things into the drawers. All of my hairbrushes and normal everyday wear accessories fit into two of the largest drawers and my makeup is mostly stationed in the upper quadrants. I raided all the stores around Laramie to find bead organizers, toolbox shelf liners, and assorted desk compartment organizers to fit within each individual drawers. Everything now has a place and everything is in one location! Huzzah! Behold my creation: I call it the "Craftchick!"
Before: Ugh!
After: View the Awesomeness!
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