Laundry Room Counter

Its finally done!  My laundry room counter.  This is a project that I have wanted to do since we moved in over 4 years ago.  I knew I wanted some sort of counter over the washer and dryer, but didn't want to pay for it...so I made it myself for about $40 in lumber.

Here's the before.  I had the hubs cut a sheet of MDF to use temporarily, but temporarily turned out to be a long time.  Let me just say that this room is tiny!  So tiny that the door from the living room into it and the door to the garage out of it almost touch when they are both open.  Its really hard to get a picture of the room.

I've been looking at wood table/counter legs to use but they were too expensive.  Luckily I happen to come across these beauties at the antique store where I sell my painted furniture.  They were a titch dirty, but for $5 a piece...Yes.  Please!

Tried them on for size to see where I needed to cut and started building.  

But....since I was getting a new counter, I needed a new color on the wall first.  This is an oops color that I slapped on and LOVED!

Here is the structure underneath.  Screwed into the studs in the back and the legs in front.  (I would love to give you more specifics of exactly how to build it, but I just kind of wung-it.)  I added a couple more cross supports than are showing...just in case.  I knew I wanted the farmhouse table look, so cut and  dry fitted the planks, then painted the boards and built the top in the garage. 

I ended up securing the two strips at the end to make the top removable and not have to worry about scraping the walls if/when I needed to remove the top.  If I made it permanent, something would go wrong with the washer and we'd need to rip it apart.  So...getting a little creative I made the top able to completely lift out.  (Oh and last night....our washer started leaking. :)

The top is one piece, supported with boards perpendicular underneath and put together by pre-driling and screwing from the underside (does that make sense?).  

The best part.....its all level! :)

Here's the after again! 

 Check out the chalkboard labels (which I now sell here.)

This is also the room that I made this pendant light and shade for...

Now on to the other side....its bad.  

Really.  Really.  Bad.  But I have plans.....and I guess it'll make for a great before and after! :)

(I'm sure my mother is grimacing that I dared even post these pictures! ;)

Touch up painting

I had a really fun day today.  I spent the baby's nap going around our house touching up all the paint.  The house is 4-5 years old, as is the paint in the bucket we had leftover from the builder.  I was really sweating the color match, but it was fine.  I did notice that all the painting was done on the bottom 3 feet of the walls.  Hmmm....do little children reside here?

Its a really boring builder brown.  Whole wheat is the color, from Sherwin Williams.  Its a nice color but its everywhere other than bedrooms (which I have painted)....and its FLAT paint.  Flat.  On the walls!  Why would anyone put flat paint on anything other than a ceiling?  I have 4 small children.  You can't wash walls with flat paint.  Flat paint + small children = lots more painting.  Ugh!  I didn't even try to paint the playroom.  That's a whole room job and I'm going to do it another color.....I just haven't decided what.

It wouldn't have taken as long as it did, except I haven't done it in awhile.  I usually go around every 3-4 months.  Apparently its been a lot longer that that, because I had a lot to do.  Oh well....I can finally check this off my to do list.

Now I just need to decide what color to paint the playroom.  I would love to do the light blues and greys, but in addition to painting everything flat beige, ALL the trim and doors is done in the same blah beige, so grays, whites, and pale blues do not play nice with blah beige.  I am not up for repainting many feet of trim and doors right now....

*Sigh*

Brown maybe....

Cake pan turned recipe holder {quick tutorial}

A friend found this old weathered cake pan at a flea market for change.  She knew I could do something with it.  The first thing I did was see if it was magnetic....and it was!

I cut some brown vinyl on my silhouette and applied it to the the inside.  Popped a couple of marble magnets into it and voila!  Instant recipe holder.

Stamped Garden Marker Spoons {tutorial}

Taking the metal jewelry stamping in a different twist, I stamped some spoons.  I am NOT a gardener.  I love the look of plants, but just cannot keep them alive (maybe its because I forget to water them???  Just a thought...)

Anyway...I've seen these garden marker spoons around and have found some old spoons for pennies at garage and estate sales. So...here ya go.

Supplies:

Old spoons

Metal stamping set

Dish towel

Rubber mallet

Hammer
Permanent marker

How to:

I first took the spoons out onto the driveway, set them (one by one) on a dish towel, and pounded them out with a rubber mallet.  My kids rode circles around me in the driveway and the neighbors were wondering what the heck I was doing (especially since it was in the high 90's and late afternoon.)  Put the spoon bowl side up and start pounding away.  

Tip:I found that they all flattened differently.  Some got a little curvy in the middle, so I took a regular hammer and gently pounded (can you do that?) the roundness flat.  Next time I'm going to try the hubs vice and see if I can get them totally flat.

Once you have them relatively flat, go inside and nurse the blister on your hand then proceed onto the next step.

Figure out what you want to write (stamp) on the spoons.  Like I said before, I am no gardener so I had to google common herbs.  Silly, I know, but I did.  I wrote my words down the spoon because I was worried about spacing the letters across.  The shorter herbs would have worked fine across.

I marked where my letters were going to go with a dot of the permanent marker before I stamped.  Then stamped the letter, colored over the letters again with the marker and polished it off.

A perfect gift idea for someone who grows their own herbs, mother's day gift, thank you gift or for yourself.  (Maybe I should have stamped "please water me?")  The best part...if you already have a stamping set, these are dirt cheap. (Hee hee :)  You could give them with a live herb, or pot and seeds.

Next I'm going to try to flatten them and bend the handles to make hooks.  Saw that somewhere? and LOVED it!

Saving a picture

My dear son is in *love* with Thomas the Train.  (What little boy isn't, right???)

Well, he got this...

...with one of his early Birthday gifts (thanks, cuz!!!)

He's been carrying it around the house "reading" it again and again and again.  Hmm...much like I do the Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs catalogs.  Its starting to look a little battle weary and since I see how much he adores it, I thought I'd preserve it a little.

Out comes my handy, dandy laminator.

See, I'm a sucker for a sale.  And when this baby went on sale on Amazon for $15 (normally $80), I bought it.  Actually, I bought two...then resold one on Amazon for $30.  (Hey, a girls gotta cover her crafting costs, right???)

So, I ironed the paper with a pressing cloth to straighten it out a bit, cut it down a smidge, put it in a laminating sheet (which came with the laminator), and sent it through.

Voila!  A Thomas keepsake!

Thomas Picture + Laminating Machine = One Happy Boy

My little secret....

...well I guess its not really going to be a secret anymore!?!?

I love to start projects.  

But...

I'm not so great a finishing them.

There.  I said it.  I'm admitting I have a problem.

Here's a great example.

and

 

I walked around the house yesterday and found these.  They are all the paintbrushes I have that are wrapped and waiting for me to finish a project.  I can actually tell you what each of these are for.  

1. The frame that I am mod podging.

2. The headboard that I am staining.

3. The footboard that I have to finish glazing.

4. Three brushes used to prime some furniture.  They need to be cleaned.

5. Our dresser turned changing table turned (still turning) entertainment center.

6. Um...well...I guess this is another priming brush?  (I found it in our garage fridge.)

This is just an example of the paintbrush projects, not the home improvement, decorating, and sewing projects that are part way done!

My husband had about reached the end of his rope with my "projects."  Looking around, I can't blame him.  So...I'm going to start finishing things...which means more things to post.  Its win-win-win.  I get things done, you get to read, but most importantly the hubs is happy.

Jute wrapped vase {quick tutorial}

This is a project I organized for our local MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group.  For the lat 2 years I was  the Creative Activities Coordinator (a.k.a. Crafts), this year I'm in charge of the whole group.  I was kind of sad to step down from doing crafts, but I've actually been able to be MY crafts done instead of always planning them for other people.  For this group, my budget was $2 per mom, so I had to be  creative and frugal! Here's one that we did...a jute wrapped vase. 

You start with these supplies:

Vase (from the dollar store)

Jute

Glue gun and sticks

How to:

(sorry no pics)

Start on the back side of the vase, add a small line of glue (1/2"), put in the end of the jute and hold it for a few seconds to make sure its secure...without burning your fingertips.  Then you wrap it around the vase, add some glue (in a line up the back side of the vase), wrap the jute a couple of times, then add glue and  wrap, add glue and wrap, over and over and over.  

You don't have to add the glue every "lap" around, just every few.  I kept pushing my jute down so it was nice and tight.  When you get to the stopping point, make sure you end at the back, add another 1/2"of glue in a line and secure the end, then snip it off.

 Here's some options of what you can do.

Add a candle, some flowers, bare branches...

Now while that glue gun is still smokin' hot, grab that ugly lamp base you've been meaning to donate and wrap that, too!

Glass Etched Monogrammed Hurricanes

I have always wanted to try glass etching but have been intimidated by its chemical-ness.  I'm a huge fan of personalization and love monograms.  Christmas season is right around the corners, so I wanted to try this to see if it will make great gifts.

  Let's just say every one's getting glass this year for Christmas!  This one hurricane cost me $2.50 (aside from the etching cream, which I can use over and over and over.)

Supply list:

Glass (hurricane from $1 store, but you can use votives, beer mugs, plates, etc.)

Candlestick ($1.50 from a yard sale)

Contact paper

Etching cream (using 40% coupon from Hobby Lobby)

Paint or foam brush

E-6000 or epoxy (for attaching candlestick to hurricane, optional)

 I cut the contact paper in my Silhouette, but you can print and cut with an exacto knife. 

Clean your glass with window cleaner.

Place contact paper on glass, making sure to press ALL the edges so the etching cream doesn't bleed.

(I saved the inside of the letter just in case I find something to put it on, which I know I will.  The contact paper looks a lot like the finished product, so you could actually just use that! :)

 Paint on etching cream.  Directions say to wear gloves, but I was to lazy really careful.

 Watch the timer as it (very slowly) counts down the required 5 mins.  Follow directions on your etching cream as they may vary.

 Rinse your project under warm water and peel the contact paper off.  

Be utterly amazed that you've been afraid of this for years since it was so easy and you LOVE the results!

Attach your candlestick base with the E-6ooo and set aside for 24 hours to bond, or leave as is.

Count the minutes until the baby gets up from her nap so you can put the kids in the car and head back to the $1 store to get more glass.  In the meantime, dig through your kitchen looking for something else to etch.