Category: DIY Projects

Home decor, DIY, Do it Yourself, Renovation, Bedroom Designs


Sep
2013

DIY Potting Bench Project

categories: DIY Projects, Home Decor, Yard & Garden

DIY Potting Bench ProjectMy Very Own Potting Bench… I would have never thought... planting, potting, seeding, starting, and even a little cooking

This wonderfully fun project was a gift from my cutie-pie husband.  I just told him I would really like a potting bench in the garage and he went to work.

I wish I had some “work-along-the-way” pictures, but I don’t.  I’ll break down the components for you though.

Let’s start with the back of the bench.  The “barnwood” is 1 X 6 cedar fencing stained with a gray stain.  Ken dog-earred it with his trusty miter saw and we applied the stain.  So easy, and I was shocked at how much it looks like authentic barnwood.  He screwed it to the walls and it goes all the way to the floor.  That way it forms the back of the bench.

The two countertops are (1) a remnant piece of laminate from a cabinet shop and (2) a remnant piece of granite from a slap yard.  I didn’t care if they were the same, in fact I preferred they were a little different.

The sink is, well…a utility sink from Lowes.  Not much else to say about that.  Unless of course that I am grateful we had the builder stub out a hot and cold water line to the garage.  WOW!  Is it ever nice to wash dirty hands in the garage with warm water.

As you can see, the cupboard doors are made from corrugated tin.  Such a cute look for this project I think.  He still has to put on a rubber protector on the edge of the door.  It’s sharp!

The shelf above the bench is one he made a long time ago and stuck up there and the other organizers and hooks are from the all-time best organizers store ever…IKEA.

Backing up a bit, first we painted the wall an apple green.  I love it.  It’s always bright and cheery and reminds me of summer.

I have loved this, my very own, work space.  I’ll let you in on a secret.  Whenever I cook bacon I cook it on the griddle on my potting bench. That way my house doesn’t smell like bacon for 3 days.  Also, sometimes when I cook a slow-cooker meal I get really tired of the smell of the food after 12 hours!  I take my crockpot out on the bench and we have the most delicious smelling garage on the block!


Sep
2013

DIY Vintage Coke Machine

categories: DIY Projects, Home Decor


DIY Vintage Coke Machine - NewNostalgia Brought Back to Life

…..our vintage Coke machine

I’ve been excited to share this one with you.

Many years ago we were given this old Coke machine.  It was in our backyard for years and years and we just used it as an ice chest.  The past 10 years, since we moved to a new home, we have just kind of hung onto it. It collected dirt, leaves, old shingles and whatever else my sweet hubby decided to dump on it.  I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it.  I’m sooo glad.

This chest style coke machine is circa 1953.  When we got it the sliding mechanism was still inside but we removed it in order to use it as an ice chest.  That turned out to be okay because in renovating it we decided it was not worth the money to completely restore it to working condition because you can’t buy bottled coke anymore, at least not for a price that would be practical to refill; especially for all the Coke lovers in our family.

Well, as we were (are…..still) finishing our basement I decided I really wanted to incorporate this vintage contraption into our décor.  When I mentioned this to a friend she told me her other friend had taken a metal door that she wanted repainted to an auto body shop and they painted it for her.  We thought it was worth a try.  The guy at Tip Top Auto Body was great.  He painted this just the way we wanted.

The next thing to do was find the decals.  I found a fun website http://www.fun-tronicsllc.com/ that has all the vintage Coke parts, decals, memorabilia, and other vintage machines you can think of.  We were able to order the original looking “fishtail” Coke decal and a couple other parts we needed.

Although, not the cheapest reno we have ever done, it turned out just exactly the way we wanted.  And we use it to store our vintage 1970’s vinyls!  You know, Doobie Brothers, Elton John, Bread, The Guess Who……….we have had so much fun! Sooo glad we didn’t get rid of those either!  I guess there are SOME perks to my pack-ratting darlin’!

This has been one of our favorite projects.

P.S.  The cute little “made-to-look-vintage” record player sitting on top was a gift to my sweetheart for his birthday last year.

BEFORE:

DIY Vintage Coke Machine


Sep
2013

Tips to De-clutter Your Kitchen

categories: DIY Projects, Home Decor

luxury and very clean empty european kitchenThe KITCHEN………. Is it dé-cor or de-clutter?

What are you comfortable leaving out on your kitchen counter?  Decorations, functional kitchen items, etc.  Me?  I like a nice, clean, clear counter space.  Do I have it?  Generally, no.  Newspapers and the mail, phones and chargers, books and bags usually find their place where I would much prefer nothing.  I could point a finger but I promised him I would never do that in an article.  I do place a decorative item on the counter it is usually flowers or a holiday decoration.  Kitchen appliances are not my favorite countertop décor, BUT, I also don’t want to drag my toaster out every morning either. I guess I choose to have these unsightly domestic devices (toaster, food processor, stand mixer) be handy and within easy reach than to have them tucked neatly into another cupboard and not handy at all.  There’s no way I’m going to haul my kitchen stand mixer from one place to another when I want to use it.  It’s HEAVY!

But here are a few tips to tidying things up a bit:

Sort, toss, organize, put away……..these are the hallmarks of any de-cluttering operation.

Sort ~ this is at the heart of any successful de-cluttering campaign.  DECISIONS, DECISIONS!

  • Is this item trash? THROW IT!
  • Does it belong somewhere else?  Put in a “put away” box
  • Should I donate this? DONATION PILE (I hate the word “pile”, that’s where the need to de-clutter started) so let’s say donation box
  • Seasonal item?  Put it in an appropriate “seasonal” bin

Evaluate the newly vacated cupboards and pantry, dust and wipe all those crumbs and unidentified food particles.  Add some new shelf-lining (I love shelf lining, especially the non-skid kind with the holes.  Particles fall right through and make for easy shelf cleaning).  Also, a good time to wipe clean any jars with sticky fingerprints.

Only a couple things left to do.  Put away all the things in the “put away” box and drive to the donation center in your area and drop off your “donation” box before you change your mind.

Well, to each our own.  I have decided over my several years (I refuse to say “many”) that my kitchen is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy.


Sep
2013

Beds in Small Places

categories: DIY Projects, Home Decor

Beds In Small Places - small pinNo room at the Inn?

…..Probably more than you think.

We don’t always need extra beds, but it sure is nice to have them when you need them.  I don’t mind at all sleeping on an air mattress when we visit someone, but I’m not that comfortable having someone do that at my house.

Did you know that a twin bed is only 38 inches wide? And do you know that a person only needs 24 inches of walking space between pieces of furniture?  So, if you have 76 inches for the bed space plus 24 inches of walking space you could put two twin beds in a space no wider than 8.5 feet!  And if you happen to have a long narrow space you could put them end to end.  Twins are 75 inches long.  Add a little for a common headboard and you’ve got a very cute room configuration in a very small space.  Think about placing the twin beds together with barely enough room in the middle to make the beds leaving the walking space around the outside.  So cute, and a little different.

Trundle beds are another great bedroom space saver.  I LOVE trundles.  My kids had one for years.  In fact we had a bunk bed and another trundle in a small bedroom.  It seemed to be plenty of room for the 3 (usually ended up being 4) of them.  Even the ones assigned to the bunk bed usually ended up sleeping on the trundle.  They looked like a litter of kittens every morning.  I love those memories.

For the adult guests, don’t worry about having extra queens or kings for heaven’s sakes.  Not necessary.  My husband and I sleep very comfortably and cozy on twin size beds (1 per person of course J) when we’re visiting friends or relatives. In fact, at my house, the most comfortable and coveted bed in the house is a twin size bed in our out-of-the-house-now son’s bedroom, pictured below.  It’s truly the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on.   The full size beds are very nice for one adult.  Perfect for two little kids.  And to me, the comfort of the bed is a lot more important than the size.  I like to spend a little extra and equip my guest beds with wonderful linens and pillows.

And, of course, there are always the wonderful Murphy beds, but we’ve discussed those before.  And don’t forget the fold out sofa-bed.  Be sure to try the mattress before you buy though.  Some are good, others are pretty bad.  If you go the sofa-bed route consider a nice tri-fold dressing screen your guests can use for even a little privacy.  I know your thoughtfulness will be much appreciated.

I also think small spaces are some of the most fun to decorate, don’t you?  Your buck can go a long way in a small room.

Here is my son’s bedroom~

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And some other really great beds in small places…

beds in small places beds end to end beds trundle