Breakfast Nook

I really like the farmhouse style/JoAnna Gaines type kitchens. You know what I mean? Think wooden floors, white subway tile, farmhouse tables and lots of beadboard. But making a breakfast nook of our own was one thing that kept getting placed on the back burner. Probably because we're amateurs who have real day jobs and do not have ton of money to just toss around! But at a slow steady pace, Andrew & I have been working on transforming our house, and in a lot of ways we are getting closer to the "look" we like want… 

• The kitchen cabinets were painted white. Check. 
• We added breadboard to them. Check. 
• The dining room got board & batten. Check. 
• The fireplace got a facelift. Check. 
• Flooring is done. Check. 

It seemed that all we had remaining was to figure out how to make our nook bench. 

Well folks, we finally made it & here's how it all went down.

There are several ways to get the bench. Build it from scratch, turn an Ikea bookshelf on its side, use old church pews, etc. I decided we would make ours out of kitchen cabinets. {What can I say, I wanted the extra storage!} So I bought two builder-grade oak cabinets from Lowe's. For a long time, they just sat in our basement and we doubted if this was a project we would ever accomplish.  Then earlier this month, Andrew had a night where he was REALLY inspired, and he just started going to town on it. Turns out this one wasn't the headache we feared it would be. We had everything built in 2 nights, I took 3 days to paint it, and then all we had to do was order cushions & charrs for the other side of the farmhouse table.

We removed the baseboards and measured where we wanted the bench to be on the wall. Then we added a frame to the back {between the wall & cabinets} so the bench wouldn't be so narrow. Next Andrew devised a way to attach the bench to the wall using L-brackets cleverly hidden under the baseboards. He's a gem! The last part of construction was securing a large piece of plywood to the top with the air nailer & putting the beadboard on the sides to match the kitchen cabinetry. Things were looking good!

Then I painted. I used my old stand-by Valspar Bonding Primer. Things were now looking super good! The end was in sight! After everything dried, I caulked the cracks and we accessorized.

A sidenote about our "accessories"… The cushion is from Pottery Barn. Andrew found it online and we were jazzed because it had the same dimensions of our bench. Weirdly, the thing came and it was 2.5 inches narrower (is that a word?) than advertised. So PB sent me another just to be sure mine wasn't a defect… replacement cushion was wrong too. We decided to just keep it & added the board & batten to the back of our bench to compensate the missing inches. We're both in love with this detail now, so evidently it was all a blessing in disguise. Next fun challenge - the chairs are from Restoration Hardware, and we had to send several back because they kept arriving broken. So who even knows if they will be durable enough to stand the test of time. For now they look cute and hey, they were on sale. So whatta ya gonna do! 

So with the bench built, board and batten add-on, cushion/pillows, table/chairs in place…we are ready to use this bad boy! Icing on the cake will be to find a cool silver lantern to hang instead of the current light. We're in no rush. Thanks so much for checking in to see what's new with us. I've been a bad blogger. I would say you should check back soon for more frequent posts, but who are we kidding!

Keep creating out there, people!

Farmhouse Table

Here are a few photos of my latest project: 

refinishing an antique farmhouse table in 5 steps

(1) Here is the table as I bought it… a little rough & dry on top

(2) Using 220 grit paper, I lightly sanded the top surface + edges with the hand sander

(3) After wiping the dust off, I used an old cotton t-shirt to apply stain

(4) Here is a "during" photo - stain on the right, no stain on the left

(5) After the stain dried, I finished the project by applying 1 coat of polyurethane

Nook Look Book

Hey neighbors, welcome to Old Elm! This week I have a string of days off, so I am working on refinishing the top of a great farmhouse table. Andrew & I went to a few antique places recently, and we found this gem of a steal at the last place we stopped {Victory!} It's going to fit in really well with my plan for the kitchen...

As you know, we've been slowly but surely working on renovating our kitchen. Most of the big stuff is out of the way. And until we scrounge up enough courage to fork over the cash for new countertops…I've been dreaming of a breakfast nook. Here are a few of my favorite pins on the subject:

I love the idea of a cozy little laid-back spot where we'll enjoy weekend breakfasts with our kids someday. I've been devising a way for us to insert one into our kitchen. The area near the sliding glass door to our deck is the spot I have to work with. Previously, we had a little round table + chairs there that Andrew's grandma loaned us when we got the house. After considerable researching {Pinterest has a TON of ideas} we decided to build our nook from 2 kitchen cabinets I picked up at Lowe's for $99/each. It will be a straight bench that will match the rest of our kitchen & have the added bonus of storage! I plan on putting some of my larger weird items there…like the griddle, my cake/pie/casserole carriers. Because those things are so great and handy while you're using them...but when you aren't? #storageproblems

So back to the table… Here is what it looks like sitting in my garage:

Today I lightly sanded the top to remove some imperfections {not all, they give it good character!} then added some light stain.

I used the color "light walnut" by Varathane. It was hanging out in our basement, leftover from another project. Woo! I did 1 coat.

When the stain dries I plan on finishing up with a few coats of satin polyurethane to keep it durable and protect the finish.

I look forward to posting a finished photo of our very own breakfast nook someday!

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!!!

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!

The Hanging of the Corbels

The antique corbels have been hung. We used some dabs of wood glue and the air nailer to secure them in place. There was a small period of time where the nailer was malfunctioning and I was standing on a chair holding the corbel in place while the blood slowly drained out of my arm…but that temporary discomfort soon passed. Andrew quickly scanned the manual, corrected course, and we were able to step back & admire the finished product.
{Take a look}

You'll notice the light hanging in the left of those pictures. We do not like it. We want to replace it with a traditional black lantern. It can't be too large or hang down too low or it will bonk people on the head. We've yet to find a suitable option. The hunt continues.

Keep creating, DIYers!

Brown Bag Wreath

$0 Project Alert! This one's free & fun. Just ask for paper bags next time you're at the grocery store. You will have to pay for the groceries…

Wreaths are a pretty way to decorate your home, indoors or out. I never really paid that much attention to wreaths until I had my own house, and then I developed an appreciation. I saw one like this on a friend's Instagram and figured it would be pretty simple to make. Easy, quick decoration for that {limbo} period in between Halloween & Christmas. Especially if you're like me and don't have much Thanksgiving decor. After I put away all of our ghosts & jack-o-lanters, I'm always at a loss. It's too soon for Christmas stuff! To fill the void, I settled on a few of these wreaths and a set of neutral pumpkins for the mantle. This should tide us over until I bust out all of the red & green at the end of the month.

First I cut the cardboard into circles. I traced bowls from the kitchen to make sure the circles were exact. Then I drew 1 leaf on the paper bag and cut it out. I used this leaf as a template to trace the rest. After cutting all of the leaves out, I made a crease in the center of each by lightly folding. Then I began gluing the leaves to the cardboard circle. I started at the top and went clock-wise until I reached the end. To hang, I tied a length of ivory ribbon to each.

I bet making one big wreath for the front door would be really sharp looking, too. Obviously I would need bigger pieces of cardboard for that! {Something to keep in mind for the future} For now, I'm satisfied. And I don't want to go overboard by putting homemade wreaths all over the place in the house - I'll get a reputation!

Thanks for following along.
Keep creating, DIYers!

Antiquing

Andrew and I have developed a soft-spot for antique stores. It's so enjoyable to stumble upon a hole-in-the-wall shop and sift through the salvage, looking for treasures. We try to keep our eyes peeled for antique spots while traveling. Luckily, there are also some real gems right in our hometown. Marshall's Antique Warehouse is one of our favorites. We went this weekend and scored a pair of corbels & a substantial chunk of walnut molding.

We also checked out a storage locker full of doors, but need to do some measuring at home before purchasing any of those.

My vision for the corbels is to hang one in each of the wide entrances on either side of the foyer that lead to the dining room & office. The molding needs to be tweaked slightly... nothing tool-man Andrew can't handle. A few cuts and then the finished product can hang above our bed as a faux mantle of sorts. We're very excited about these new {old?!} additions to our home and look forward to adding to our collection.

Here are some of the other antiques/salvage pieces we've picked up over the years:

The bedside table in our guest room

Midcentury typist desk in the corner of our office that Andrew uses for fly tying

Old window I haven't decided where to hang - it's heavy!

Vintage travel trunk suitcase (in the foyer under an old library table)

Fly fishing creel - office decor

Wooden locker in our master bedroom

PS: The owner of Marshall's told us that the corbels and molding were salvaged from the Aultman-Harter mansion. Located in downtown Canton, this Victorian estate was home to Cornelius and Katherine Aultman, founders of the hospital where I work.

See what I mean? Treasures!

Jelly Jar Citronella Candles

I have been saving Smucker's Orchard's Finest jelly jars {and a few other "cute" jars} for a while to make homemade candles. This month I finally got around to it.

I touched on this project a little in my post about Craft Night, but I wanted to write something more detailed & entirely devoted to the candles. {Detailed... sort of ironic, because making these was anything but!}

You need just a few things to accomplish this:

• melting wax
• citronella essential oil
• wicks
• jars/containers

I bought soy wax shavings from Pat Catan's craft store for $20. The good news to me was the wax is microwaveable. I was dreading buying/using a double boiler. I'm sure it gets the job done just fine. But for whatever reason I had a mental block against it. I hot glued the wicks into my jars. {Regular and wood for fun!} Then microwaved my wax in a liquid measure. I added the drops of citronella oil after the wax came out of the microwave. I thought maybe the wax would try to harden right away, but it stayed liquid-y for a while. In fact, after pouring it into my jars, it took a full 24 hours to totally harden. Voila! Done! I made 6 candles and had plenty of wax chips leftover.

So there you go. A fast, fun project - cheaper than store-bought and in my opinion a lot cuter. I chose to leave my wax it's natural color, but it would also be fun to experiment with different colors.

Thanks for checking in at Operation: Old Elm!
Keep creating!

Craft Night!

This past Friday I had one of my oldest friends {since birth!} Nicole over for a girl's craft night. We ordered pizza & went to work on several projects - everything turned out pretty great if we do say so ourselves! We worked on some projects together & some separately, and had an overall great time catching up on life and staying up late like the old days! We made a skirt for the utility sink in my bathroom, homemade citronella candles, mod podge magnets, and painted bottles (not pictured). It was super fun & we look forward to doing it again soon!

Traveling Garden

Today I made a tiny traveling garden.

I've been really anxious to plant, but we're waiting until the end of the month to do anything major {such as plant our veggie garden}. In the meantime, I thought this would be fun to try. I saved empty toilet paper rolls for my project & bought seed packets at Home Depot - sweet basil, cilantro, lavender & canterbury bells. The last two are mostly to be pretty/add some color.

I cut each roll in half, then bent the flaps in to make a cup. It may take a week {or two or three} for them to start... that is if they even start at all…I've never done this before so it could lead to failure. Worth a shot though! To keep track of which seeds are in what cup, I labeled them. Next I added the soil and seeds. At this point in time, I decided I needed to put all of the cups in the same container so they could travel around as a unit. I checked our recycling and picked an empty egg carton to do the job. To finish up, I watered the cups & set them in the sun. Hopefully they will sprout, eventually!

Thanks for reading! Time will tell if this is a success or failure...