Replacing the wire shelving in my closet was on my list of updates to make to the house. It’s a small closet and I wanted to add some warmth. This is a “before” photo. The wire shelves were removed; walls patched with drywall compound; and, painted. I found a door from a cabinet at an estate sale. I love the design and the wood tone. We used 3/4 plywood to build a cabinet. The cabinet was sanded, primed and painted (SW March Wind) The shelves were 1/2 inch plywood, capped with a 1 x 2 stained, pine board. The door...
DIY Projects
Spiderman and Frozen inspired gumball machines!
I am a big fan of Tracey’s Fancy and there have been a few of her projects that made me say “I want to make that!” These gumball machines are one of those projects. And, I thought they would make a great Easter gift for some young ones! We have all seen these red gumball machines. They are easy enough to purchase from Amazon, but, in my case, I found two on Facebook Marketplace and saved a bit of money. I disassembled the gumball machine (taking pictures along the way), scuff sanded and primed it with primer I had on...
Framing Puzzles and Games
Puzzles are so fun to work on this time of the year! (Winter!) Cavallini Papers makes fun vintage themed puzzles and these are some of our favorites. I framed the vintage ”Travel” and ”National Parks” puzzles. The colors look great the other game boards I framed. (Below) Building the Frame Building the frame is relatively simple, requires a few tools (miter and table saws) and an extra set of hands are useful! Using a table saw, I cut a 1/4 plywood or backer board to fit the size of the puzzle and allowing for the width of the trim. I...
Fun Child’s Gifts | T-Shirt, Jet Pack & Puzzle
Looking for some gift ideas for children? I stumbled upon these cute t-shirts and wanted to pair a little toy to go along with them! These are the t-shirts I purchased from Rivet Apparel Co. Link for the ”Kindness” and the ”Rainbow” t-shirts! Jet Pack This little jet pack was really simple and affordable to make. I followed the instructions on Natalie Shaw’s Doodlecraft.blog. These are the simple steps. Note: Modifications can be made on materials used. Puzzle I got this cute little, rainbow puzzle from Amazon. I thought was a great toy to go with the t-shirt. Can’t wait...
Repurposed Display Cabinet into Closet System
I seem to be on a roll with closet organization this year. This last project is my second one! TV/display cabinets and bookshelves are a great starting point from which to build closet storage. These pieces frequently have a wood face frame which is more solid than particle board components in closet systems. Habitat for Humanity is a great source for these type of furniture pieces, affordable and supports a great cause. The piece I used for this project was $35. This is where the closet started. (This was before demo at a foreclosed property.) The closet is square and...
Feature Wall | Color, Shape & Sheen Add Dimension
Paint color and sheen absolutely added to the interest of this small niche. I “gifted” this feature wall as a housewarming present to my nephew who just moved into a new house. This is the before picture of the space. (There used to be a fish tank there.) My nephew selected this photo for design inspiration. (Design credit to Gwendolyn Akers) To be honest, the design is more complex than I have tackled. And, I needed to consider an efficient way to paint with the two sheen. Hand painting would be very labor intensive. I drew a sketch to get...
Green is on Trend in 2022
Each year, there are many articles on 2022 color trends and I love pouring over these. Porch Day Dreamer has a great post on 2022 color trends, including cabinet color trends, which is an extension of the overall color trends. “Green” is on trend for 2022 and I’m loving it! I love color and tend to introduce it in a measured way. Think decor such as pillows, curtains, throws, artwork, etc. I have been a bit more brave with my investment properties by incorporating color in bathroom and kitchen cabinets. This has been so fun! In my most recent renovation...
Closet Shelving | The Joy of Organization
I definitely had a closet that reminded me of Monica Geller’s (Friends) secret hall closet. My closet was in a guest bedroom and was home to tons of crafty things, luggage and an over abundance of gift wrapping supplies. Every time I opened the closet to grab something (almost daily), it made me crabby. All of this stuff was in a small bedroom closet. The bedroom closet is small and the aim was to optimize the space. It seemed doable?? The standard wire rack was removed and the holes patched. The plan was to use melamine boards (pegged and non-pegged)...
Christmas Tree Canvas
Handmade gifts are so fun to give and make! I saw this simple Christmas card (below) and thought it would be lovely painted on a canvas. My daughter has lots of navy in her decor so this would be perfect gift for her. One of the advantages of DIY, is that it can be customized to whatever size to you need. I purchased a yard of navy fabric from Hobby Lobby and washed and ironed it. I decided on the size of the canvas and tree. I used whited paint I had on hand and painted basic brush strokes to...
Popcorn Ceilings | Not hard, just messy
If you haven’t had to tackle removing popcorn ceilings, you’re lucky. It isn’t difficult. It’s just messy! In my recent reno, the property had popcorn on all the ceilings. The crew that I had subbed this out to, backed out on me and I needed to do this myself to stay on schedule. I didn’t take lots of pictures along the way, but I can share what I learned. This picture shows the popcorn in one of the bedrooms. It was the same throughout the house. (And, check out the paint color.) Since this was essentially a construction zone, I...
Kitchen Reno Florida Villa
Taking down a couple walls in this kitchen had such a huge impact to the entire living space. Here is where it started. This is a 2 bedroom 2 bath villa in Florida. Originally intended to be a flip — but, I’m holding onto it for awhile. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was demoed. And the wall between the kitchen and the hallway was taken down as well. Peninsula A wall was added for the peninsula. Some detail, using scrap wood added some interest to the island. With the walls removed, there was a lot of room...
Garden decor
I just love garden decor, a good dupe and repurposing items into a new life. I was gifted some metal wall decor and found inspiration on the Grandin Road site to give it new life. These Grandin Road wall panels are $199 each and really quite pretty. I thought these would be beautiful outdoor decor outside my kitchen. Since the aim was to create garden decor, I spray painted the metal decor and hardware with Rustoleum to help with the outdoor wear. I used cedar pickets as an affordable way to frame out the metal decor. I applied outdoor sealer...