From Nickel to Oil Rubbed Bronze

A few years ago, my husband and I updated our downstairs bathroom. It had the classic 80's laminated vanity and a toilet and sink in a color called raspberry purée (I kid you not). I wish I had a picture to show you, but this was way before my blogging days, the color would have amazed you. I heard they discontinued it, I wonder why? Heh Heh. Since we only needed to update the toilet and vanity, we did this project ourselves. OMG what a difference it made!

We picked out a new faucet, changed the paint color of the walls and I made a decorative ladder.... See the tutorial here. Since then I have been updating the decor bit by bit.

When we updated the vanity faucet we went from nickel hardware to oil rubbed bronze hardware. The last piece to make the change was the toilet paper holder. It was nickel, but I loved the style. I hunted around but could not find a similar one in oil rubbed bronze. Then strolling through Home Depot (becoming my second home) I checked out the spray paint section, figuring maybe I could paint the toilet paper holder. I came upon Rust-oleum. They have this Metallic line of spray paint, a paint and primer all-in-one. So the oil rubbed bronze was coming home with me. 

First you need to finely sand the surface, then wash in soapy water and let dry. 

I fasted it to a piece of cardboard to make it easy to paint. 

After apply 2 light coats, it looked fantastic. I let it dry for 24 hours and then fastened it back to the wall. I love it, the paint covered great and it was so easy.

 Yeah! Our bathroom finally looks completed!

          

Placemat Transformation...

I love to decorate for the different holidays. It adds a little festiveness to our home. One of the easiest ways to bring some holiday spirit into a room is by adding a decorative pillow. But they can be very expensive. Then I found these great DIY tutorials on turning a placemat into a pillow. How awesome is this. I can get my decorative holiday pillow at a fraction of the cost. Best part is you can get them after the holiday on clearance and save them for next year. 

Here is how I did mine. 

What you will need:

• Placemat (that has two layers of fabric sewn together)
• Seam ripper
• Stuffing
• Needle and thread or fabric glue 

Directions: 

Start with your placemat.

Take your seam ripper and rip the seam out of the bottom of the placemat just large enough to fit your hand through. 

Then start stuffing and stuff again!!! Make sure to push the stuffing into the corners to fill them out… put in enough to make it puffy, but not too much that the seams are stretched.

Once you are done stuffing sew up the opening (or you can use fabric glue). I chose to hand sew it closed. Ta-da you are done!!! (See easy as pie!)

Now, I think I'll make a few more and come September I will be all tricked out for the fall!

What touches do you add to your home for the holiday?

       Happy Hump Day!

Hi All! I am obsessed with Pinterest! It is a plethora of good ideas, delicious recipes, and creative crafts. I just love researching projects and clever ideas to update my home. 

Have you ever looked around a room or the front of your house and said to yourself "this could use a little umph". We'll here are a few of my favorite pins of simple home updates with great impact. 

From Carpet to Wood Stairs 

source

Quick & Easy DIY Garage Door Upgrade 

source

Updating Your Vent Cover with Spray Paint

source

DIY Decorative Wood ladder 

source

Air Return Grille

source

 

DIY Faux Wood Garage Door

source

Here's to finding a little inspiration!

Patriotic Mason Jars

With 4th of July nearly upon us, I had a few mason jars hanging around. And decided to create a patriotic centerpiece for myself and a caddy for my Mom.

I started with some one pint mason jars.

 I took 6 mason jars and painted 4 white and 2 blue. 

Remember I am doing 2 sets, for 1 set you will need 3 mason jars, painting 2 white and 1 blue.

 On the white mason jars I taped off stripes

and painted them red.

 On the blue jar I used a star stamp to create white stars.

Once dried I spray painted them with 2 coats of satin enamel. 

You can add flowers for a centerpiece.

OR

 

Combined the jars with a DIY wooden toolbox (see how I made it here) to create a caddy.

This is the version I sent to Mom. She loved it!

 

Once done with the caddy you can add flowers for a decorative display.

 Have a red, white and blue day!

   

My First Build.... a Toolbox

Hi Everyone!

After seeing some great inspiration on Pinterest, I decided that for my first "build" project I would try building my own wooden toolbox. 

I started with a plank of wood from a pallet I found for free. 

My Hubby helped me cut down the board into 1 - 12" and 2 - 18" pieces. I used wood putty on the pallet wood pieces to fill in nail holes. I then sanded down all the sides until smooth. 

I had ordered, off Amazon, a bundle of 12" straight cut paint stirrers, using 4 for this project. 

I stained all pieces with Minwax Wood Finish in Dark Walnut 2716.

 

Then we assembled. 

 First attaching the sides to the base using wood screws.

 Then we attached the wood stirrers to the sides using a brad nailer.

I used a tree branch for the handle. I striped the bark and sanded till smooth.

And there you have your very own toolbox.

Sharing with the following:
Refresh Restyle – Inspiration Monday
Coastal Charm – Show and Share
Creatively Living – Monday Funday
DIY showoff – That DIY
Cozy Little House – Tweak it Tuesday
MsMoozys Open House – Tuesday with a Twist
We Call it Junkin – History and Home
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
Someday Crafts – Whatever Goes Wednesday
Lamberts Lately – Create it Thursday
The Cottage Market – Junkin Joe

Friday's Fancy

What a great day!

I am featured today on The Cottage Market - Junkin Joe for my Vertical Herb Garden.

Check out all the great DIY Projects…upcycled creations…Pottery Barn Knockoffs…refurbished and painted furniture projects…vintage finds…flea market treasures…home decor DIY projects…scrap-booking creations and everything in between!

Junkin Joe

 Thank you Andrea for featuring me. I hope you will check out her great blog.

Have a great weekend