DIY
Potting Shed, Part 2
Someone is ready for spring planting! Spoiler alert: It’s not me! Before the end of 2014, I posted about my stepmom’s new potting shed. By new, I mean they just built it, but most of the materials are salvaged or repurposed for the space. So, totally new, right? Ha! Isn’t it charming? Let’s go inside! The beam work you see on the outside of the building is carried through to the inside. I’m not the only one drooling over those beams, right? That sliding door sections off an area that will be used for storage. Fun fact! This wood door used to be the front door to our house before the home…
Potting Shed, Part 1
We spent Thanksgiving in Oregon visiting family and friends. It was so much fun to visit and catch up. Except for that part where we all got sick – that I can do without next time. One of the perks of the trip (besides not having to cook for 10 days straight) was seeing the projects that my dad and stepmom had been working on over the summer. Holy cowbells! They’ve been busy little bees. The most impressive project was the potting shed. Isn’t she charming? Don’t you just want to sit there on that blue chair and watch someone else plant flowers and pull weeds? Oh, wait. That’s might just…
Distressed Scrap Wood Arrow: ScrapMaster Project #3
Many months ago after we finished building the guest bed and my daughter’s bed, my husband cut up all of the leftover wood scraps into 1 inch x 1 inch x random length segments. I’m not sure what possessed him to dot hat, but it’s been fun to dream up uses for all of that wood. Now, if only I had the time to execute on those ideas. Right? One of the things we made was a wood crate to dress up my plastic milk crates. The other item we made was an arrow-shaped growth chart. The third item is kind of a twofer. I actually started it before the…
Step Stool (from High School Shop Class) Makeover
Did anyone take shop class in high school? I didn’t. I also did not take Home Economics. Coincidence? Eventually I did learn to cook (necessity for the win), but I still haven’t mastered power tools. My hubby took shop class, so thankfully someone around here is handy with the tools! So, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Somewhere around 1989, my hubby made this stool in shop class. Anyway, the poor thing was looking a little worse for wear (I’m master of the understatement), but man, that thing is sturdy. I give him an A+. I decided it was time to give this stool a little makeover. I bribed the…
A Crate For My Crate – Because Why Not? ScrapMaster Project #2
I hate to burst your bubble, but the “pretty” part of A Pretty Happy Home always has room for improvement. Scandalous, I know! Case in point. Please get your Pinterest pinning fingers ready. This oh so lovely baby wipes box has been doing a stand-up job of corralling my paper plates and plastic serving ware (doesn’t that make my sporks sound so sophisticated?) since 2010. It replaced a box I’d been using for this purpose since 2007. Classy, I know. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you finish pinning. 😉 So when I spied two milk crates left in our garage when we moved in, I knew they could serve a useful…
Arrow Growth Chart – ScrapMaster Project #1
Some of the best things in life happen by accident. Would you agree? Unless you are potty-training a toddler. Then, too many bad things happen by accident… all over the floor. Thankfully, those days are mainly behind me (no pun intended). Back to the point. I’ve decided to succumb to the trend of arrow-shaped art. Better late than never, right? I will love arrow art long after it is past its trendy expiration date too. Be forewarned. So, I was working on a cool piece of arrow art for the kitchen and as I’m staining away (using my easy clean-up method), it suddenly dawns on me. Wouldn’t this be the COOLEST…
How to Make Staining EASIER
It’s pretty clear I’m not a professional home improvement person, right? Glad we could clear the air with that disclaimer. Now, there are two things that bug me about staining (or really any DIY project): cleaning up and wasting money. Unless we are talking about a huge project, like a deck, I’m not going to waste time cleaning brushes after I’ve stained a teeny-tiny project. I also don’t like to spend money on the foam brushes. Even if they are less than a dollar, it still adds up. Plus, they don’t hold up that well. Yo! I’m a DIY rebel. Kidding, I’m not. I’m just uh, what’s a nice word…
Pottery Barn Trundle Bed Knock Off
When we moved from Oregon to Georgia, we knew we’d need to get a new bed for our 7-year-old daughter. Her bed in Oregon was built-in, so we were only able to take the mattress with us when we moved. I knew we didn’t want to go the bunkbed route, but liked the idea of a trundle. So, I searched high and low on Craigslist and in stores for a trundle bed that met our quality and price requirements and came up empty. That’s when I had one of my more brilliant ideas – to make her a bed! Thankfully, my sweet husband agreed – in other words, went along…
DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Farmhouse Bed
Editor’s Note: I wrote a one year later post about how we like this bed and what we’d do different. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a little lumber and elbow grease. I know I’m not the only one who pours over the Pottery Barn catalog looking for inspiration. I think I own a handful of actual Pottery Barn creations – a throw, a hook thingie (technical term there) and I’m sure there must be something else. However, I can’t seem to pull the trigger on any of the big stuff though – the sofas, the tables, the beds. That’s where I owe a debt of gratitude to Ana White for…
