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Monday, September 12, 2016

Installing a cat door

You don't have to remove your door in order to install a cat door.
I love to get things done and sometimes that requires a few short cuts. So one day I decided to give this project a try without removing the door first.



I used my handy black and decker tool to cut out the hole for the cat door.





Once the hole was cut out, I sanded the edges down using a medium grit sand paper.



This video shows how easy it was.....









I hope this will inspire you to tackle projects you may not have considered.



Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Custom Hamper Project

September is here where did the summer go!

This post is to show off my new hamper my sister-in-law Deanna taught me how to build.



                     





This is how we did it.....

We started out with 2 cabinet doors we found at the Flea Market in Canton, TX. These 2 doors were attached together using metal flat brackets and wood glue.


Then we attached a 1x1 block wood strip to the bottom of the doors in order to attach the bottom that will hold the hamper. This design creates a tilt-out door when it is complete.


Using wood glue we attached the 1 x 4's to the doors then screwed the 1 x 1 board to the door and the 1 x 4's


 We attached 3 more strips of the 1 x 1 to the bottom of the 1 x 4's.

For added support, we added 2 more 1x4's to the sides of the bottom along with 1 x 1 wood blocks.







To create the base for the hamper, we used MDF boards for the sides, then a peg board for the back to allow for air to flow.



Attaching all 3 sides on the bottom with the same 1 x 1 block. We added a 1 x 2 to the bottom front for a finished edge as well as to the top to create a surface for the top to attach to.




The picture below shows how the hamper basket fits in the cabinet with the front door unattached to the bottom. 



But this picture shows how it really works. The door tilts out and the hamper basket tilts with it.


To make the top we glued together 2 boards wide enough to have at least a 2" overhang in the front and 1" overhang in the back.
We attached more 1 x 1's for the top to be secured to the inside of the base cabinet.








The final touch, I added an antique spoon for a handle.























Wednesday, July 27, 2016

My Laundry Room Makeover




I am so pleased to finally reveal my Laundry Room Project....
My Resources are listed at the bottom of this post.


I started off by tearing out all of the shelves using a hammer and crow bar so I can get a clean slate.

 My design process varies. 
I can start with a paint color, a swatch of fabric, an inspiration room or a decor item. In this case I had a picture from pinterest from 
www.cityfarmhouse.com 

which originally came from
http://thefancyshack.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-laundry-room-makeover.html


I love everything about this room. I seriously tried to duplicate this but my ceiling was much higher and it didn't look right when I hung my curtain all the way to the top. So I studied the photo to get an idea of how to duplicate the feel of the room.
I knew I wanted a curtain, shelves and space in the center for decorative items. So I started there.




My process continued in this order.....
1. I Painted the walls
2. I bought and hung white shelving and metal brackets 
3. I shopped for fabric which I found a shower curtain that I cut and hemmed to fit the space. I installed the curtains using a tension rod that was thin enough to hide along the edge of the white shelf.


4. Then I started decorating. The walls looked really bare once the shelves where hung up so I decided to add an architectural element to the space by using old ceiling tins. I spray painted them silver but that didn't look right so I repainted them off white and distressed them a little.... 


5. I hung up an old window that was given to me by my cousin who also gave me the barn door that I built my porch hutch out of. The window size was perfect for the right wall but it looked really plain when I hung it up so I decided to add a cotton field picture to the back of it. The print was a little too narrow for the window so I cut it down to fit in each square then taped them in using duct tape.


6. I attached a metal hook to the bottom of the window for hanging wet clothes on. I spray painted it yellow to make it stand out. Then I added the metal letters on top of the window that I also spray painted yellow.


7. I already had the metal bucket with the flowers and the attached graphic on it in my entry so I just moved it to the top shelf. 


8. I continued looking around for things in my attic and my garage that I had collected from yard sales and estate sales over the years that I could use as decorations for the top shelf.


9. I found the washboard, wood cutting board, cross, metal bird and the "color outside the lines" sign. I just started setting things on the shelf until it looked right. I could see that I didn't have anything yellow on the shelf so I painted the wood cutting board, glued the metal cross to the center and attached an old metal face plate to the top. I used a coupon to purchase the "Laundry" sign and I made the hydrangea arrangement. I used a mason jar dispenser to store my fabric softener in.




The clock on the right side I found for $3.00 at a garage sale!!






I have to say I really enjoy how it turned out. This space makes me smile every time I see it.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my Laundry Room Project.
Stay tuned for another room reveal coming soon....

My Resources

Paint Color: Valspar - Carolina Inn Club Aqua
White shelves and metal brackets: Lowes
Curtains: World Market 
Antique Tiles: Old Home Supply in downtown Fort Worth
www.oldhomesupply.net
Cotton field photo:
 http://www.canstockphoto.com/landmannalaugar-12291023.html 
Metal hook: Lowes 
WASH letters: Hobby Lobby 
Metal bucket graphic: www.thegraphicsfairy.com
LAUNDRY sign: World Market
Hydrangea arrangement: flowers and container from Michael's
Mason Jar dispenser: Walmart
Rug: Burke's Outlet 

Monday, May 2, 2016

Front Porch Project



Custom Built Entry Hutch





This is one of my favorite projects!
My cousin gave me an old horse barn door a while back and I held on to it until I knew what to do with it. Then one day I came across 2 pillars at an estate sale and the idea came to me to somehow build a hutch with the door and the pillars. 

So I first attached the door in between the pillars using L brackets. Next I built the top by doing what made sense to me. I attached a 2 x 4 to the back at the height I wanted the top to be. Then I laid the whole piece down with the front facing up. I made a rectangle attaching 2 x 4's to the sides and the front using wood screws. After I got the top rectangle made I repeated this process on the bottom. Then I attached more 2 x 4's as legs to support the top. 

Before moving to the next step I lifted the whole piece up. To create the bottom shelf I added more 2 x 4's on top of the rectangle. To create the table top I added 2 larger pieces of 1 x 2's. I finished it off by adding wood trim and paint. 

I am not a carpenter but I sure think I am! I really had no idea how I was going to put this all together but somehow with the help of L brackets and screws it all came together and it is quite sturdy. 
You don't have to know how to do something in order to do it, just go for it and when you get stuck watch a YouTube video or ask for a little help. That's my motto!

After I got it painted I liked it for the fall because it matched my fall wreath but this spring I didn't like how the colors looked with the brick, so Deanna (my sister-in-law) showed me a new product of gel stain by General Finishes.


I'm not much of a gel stain fan, but after using it to re-stain my coffee table I decided to try it over painted wood. I figured if it didn't work I would just replace the wood on the top. 

To my amazement it really turned out looking like stained wood. I just wiped a large amount on with a rag, dragging the rag from right to left until I got the desired look.

 

This metal door mounted on the top of the hutch is from an old oven Russ found at a garage sale for $3!!!!!

I managed to attach it using hooks, I screwed 3 into the wood, then placed the door within the hooks and added the 4th hook by using E6000 glue. It's not going anywhere, I'm not sure what I would do if I needed to remove it...





 I found this adorable metal table at a garage sale, thank you Dena! The white bucket came from an estate sale the same weekend we worked on this project. I added other items I've collected over the years including an antique porcelain insulator from New York, thank you Lisa, and a black pump thank you Mom! 

 Since watching Joanna Gaines on the Fixer Upper paint just about every brick house they redo, I'm just about ready to do the same to my house. 

I am not one of those people who think " O you should never do that "... if it isn't the right shape, color, or style I am willing to redo it any way necessary to make it look just right.

I never liked our brick color but I picked an accent color that gave enough contrast and interest to this space. My front door is a mixture of colors. I used a turquoise base color then white washed it and added touches of gold paint to the edges.

I decided to paint the inside of the barn door the same base color as the front door and keep the metal table the same color it was when I bought it. I love how it all goes together.

These are a couple of homes I'm looking at for inspiration... 


This one is from the Fixer Upper Labeled--The Chicken House



This next one is from Beneath my heart.net


I love the light main color with a pop of color as an accent. 

Thank you for stopping by to view my front porch project. I hope you find something here to inspire you with yours....