DIY

  • DIY

    Turning a Tub/Shower into a Closet Without Damage

    Yes, you read that right. We turned a tub/shower combo into a closet of sorts without damaging the shower surround. Why, why, why? Don’t you people like to take showers? That might be what you are wondering. Fair question. For the record, 50% of us like to take showers. The other 50% of us seem to be content having dirty feet and faces, but their parents make them take daily showers/baths anyway. Here’s the real reason we’ve made this journey down the creative, DIY rabbit hole. Our new house is an older home with terrible storage, as is normal for older homes. We don’t have a coat closet. What we…

  • DIY

    Pottery Barn Inspired Farmhouse Bed – Update One Year Later

    Last year we made a Pottery Barn Knock-Off Farmhouse Bed. It still makes my heart go pitter-patter. Now that we’ve moved (more on that when I can find my camera cord), I thought it would be a good time to update you on the “state of the bed” and what we’ve learned. It’s actually a couple of months shy of being a full year since we made this bed. I mentioned at the time of my original post that this bed is made of all wood and is heavy. I cannot emphasize the word HEAVY enough here. If you EVER plan on moving again, please take this into account before…

  • decorating,  DIY

    Lego Table

    I have kids. Therefore, I have tiny plastic bricks laying around the house causing parental foot injuries. It may also be the source of all the bad words my children know. “Oh, fu-dgesicle!” “Shiiii-take mushrooms!” It’s no wonder I have a picky eater. Meme Credit: Meme Center A couple of months ago I came downstairs in the dark. I knew my son had left his precious Lego creations on the floor. Heaven forbid that half firehouse-half motorcycle creation gets broken when put back in the storage bin! Anyway, my first step went so well and I continued to navigate through the area with ease. I had a momentary surge of pride that…

  • DIY,  Makeover

    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…

  • DIY,  gardening and landscape

    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…

  • decorating,  DIY

    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…

  • Crafts,  DIY

    Modified Charging Station and a Fall Mini-Banner

    We have a weird little desk area in our kitchen. Anyone else have one of these command centers? It’s been handy to have as a place to store keys and to charge our electronic devices. It’s also been, along with the whole kitchen, a great way to learn to “work with what you have” in terms of decorating and organization. The cork board you see on the wall is from TJ Maxx. I found it in the clearance aisle for $19 and change. It was originally $39.99. I still think it was a bit of a rip-off considering that whatever was in the cork board area was completely missing. There…

  • DIY,  Makeover

    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…

  • decorating,  DIY

    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…

  • decorating,  DIY

    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…