Thursday, February 26, 2015

Mystery Project Teaser

Today my mom came over & we had a great time working on our special project. Mom deserves the credit for discovering this one, and we've been planning on making it for quite some time. We spontaneously decided to tackle it today because we both had free time. She got our supplies last night at JoAnns and I provided the pallet wood {leftover from the bookcase I made a few weeks back}. Our first day of work at it was totally successful. We're so excited about this one that I couldn't resist posting a little teaser. You'll have to keep your eyes peeled to see the finished product, mystery revealed! Here are some photos of what we worked on... Can you guess? 

Contest // CLICK HERE to reach our Facebook page and comment with your guess. Winner will be chosen at random Friday March 6th and be awarded a {free prize} made by yours truly!!!




Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Faux Mudroom How-To


Today was a really productive day! Using the beadboard we had leftover from refacing the sides of our kitchen cabinets, we created a "mudroom" across from our garage entry door. The space isn't big enough for a full on mudroom {i.e. no bench for extra storage} but I came up with this idea and we achieved a similar look. We'll still use the space the same way, but now it flows into the kitchen & matches really nicely. Here's how it came to be:


First we removed the old coat rack, cut the bead board to fit the space and nailed it into place. 
This took a little extra work - Andrew used a Dremel with a sanding bit to get the fit just right.


Next we devised a three piece shelf, cut our wood to size, and nailed it into place. 
{We used pine from Lowe's} I wanted the shelf to be deep enough to withstand light-weight decorations.


Last, I primed/caulked/painted and reinstalled the hooks from the old rack. Ta-da! You can see the little transformation in the photos above. Notice the flooring {or lack thereof} in the righthand photo…We are so close to installing our new Pergo & can't wait to see how that unifies all of the rooms it flows throughout. Stay tuned!
Keep creating, DIYers!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Daydreaming

The kitchen renovation is coming along slowly but surely. Since I last posted, we've hung a new light and continued to remove big amounts of the linoleum. We are really anxious to get that part of the project out of the way!

It's been very cold & very snowy around these parts, and I pulled a muscle in my back trying {without success} to start our snow blower. So today I'm taking it easy & researching DIY ideas. Here are a few that I really want to try:

Stripes in the Half Bath

When we first moved in, we painted our half bathroom with some leftover coral paint that Andrew's parents gave us. Lately I have had the itch to tackle this sort of thing in there:

A softer gray and white done by Suburbs Mama.

Really bold and bright by hannahlowman.com

Young House Love has a good tutorial, which I will probably end up following.



Concrete Sink Makeover

I've been wondering what to do in our half bath. It's going to get new flooring since it's connected to the kitchen, and I found these - never would have come up with this on my own!

Great tutorial by Little Green Notebook.

 Seriously contemplating this now! Here is another step-by-step. 

Plank Wall

I want to do a plank accent wall in our guest bedroom behind the bed. Just one wall, floor to ceiling. And I would likely use pine, then seal & paint the wall white. Here are some ideas I like:

A cool bedroom featured on Apartment Therapy.

This room by Owen's Olivia is for a child, but has similar colors & a very similar bed to ours.

And the excellent how-to by Home Stories A to Z.

Well, that's it for now. I hope everyone is having a good Monday & staying warm this winter! As for me... it's time to turn on my heating pad, put it on my sore shoulder and take a nap!

Keep creating, DIYers!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Valentine's Day-cor


After a long and courageous hunt, we {finally} found a round mirror for our mantle! It's the Stabekk mirror by IKEA and we purchased it in Charlotte, NC. The mirror is only $99 and the perfect size for our space - 29 1/2 inches. Andrew hung it up last night & I'm in love.

Last week when I realized Valentine's Day is this month, I got out a few decorations. I don't really know why it didn't cross my mind until the second week of the month, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I am not good at calendars.

For lesser holidays, decor is limited to our mantle. This year it has some photos of Andrew & me, a sparkly pink garland, assorted candles, and a hand-lettered print of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

Oh, and a cardboard heart that I made after sifting through our recycling. It's true.
Speaking of NC… Shout out to my sister, Maris, who showed us a wonderful time this past weekend in Charlotte. We had a tremendous time. It's 30 degrees warmer there! No ice or snow!!! Grand weather, food and fellowship. The trip was good for my soul. To read more about our trip, check out her blog: flour & oil

Pallet Bookshelf

Good morning! Today I want to share with you a {FREE} project that I tackled last week - Adding pallet wood to the back of an old bookcase. It turned out just as I envisioned and gave new life to two old things. Check it out!




First I disassembled my pallet. I wore gloves to avoid splinters and used a crowbar, hammer & my hands to pull it apart. Time consuming but worth it!




Next I used the hammer to pull out the old rusty nails. Should you decide to do this too, the nurse in me wants to make sure you have an up-to-date tetanus shot.




Be careful not to break your slats of wood. I had two that splintered apart, but plenty left over for my bookshelf. Work mindfully. Slow and steady wins the race.




Last, I used our miter saw to cut the slats the same width as the bookshelf. Then I lined them up and nailed them into place. All finished and looking good!


This was an excellent project. I'm not totally sure what we'll end up doing with the bookshelf, so for now it's un an empty spare room upstairs. Feel free to replicate my efforts! 

<<< To see a more comprehensive shot of the finished product, click this photo to the left to enlarge.

Thanks for reading the blog today &  have a splendid Wednesday!