Custom Baby Gate

This post was first published Jan, 2014. 

I have since revised it and added a cut list and graphic to help aid in building the gate! 

I hope you find it helpful! 

Thanks!

aka... "let's try to keep Little Man from plummeting down the stairs"

DIY Ottoman for Under $100

For a complete tutorial go

HERE: DIY Ottoman Cut List and Instructions

If you saw my House Goals 2014 post, you may have noticed a certain item on the list.

We have been on the hunt for an ottoman for our large sectional.

DIY Platform Bed & Salvaged Door Headboard {part three}

See the final room tour 

HERE!

{part one} - before & After

{part two} - how to hang doors

{part three}- how to build a platform bed

Remember last week I said I had a surprise for you....

well, here it is...

My husband Justin is here to share how he built our platform bed!

(I think you are gonna love him and his humor!)

DIY Platform Bed & Salvaged Door Headboard {part one}

See the final room tour 

HERE!

{part one} - before & After

{part two} - how to hang doors

{part three}- how to build a platform bed

What a mouthful of a title!

Sorry you guys, but sometimes you just can't sum up awesomeness in two or three words. Let alone one blog post! So this is gonna be a three part series so that I can cover all the details without overwhelming you.

This was our room before...

DIY Wood Mounted Photos {tutorial}

I first shared this project at The Benson Street a couple weeks ago!

Today I am sharing a fun project with you...it's actually what I made for my husband's new office (only they turned out so cute, they may have to go in our home when we find one)! Its super quick and so EASY!

I love big photos and this is an inexpensive way to get big impact for not very much money. I did these 3 photos and two others for grandpas for less than $20!

Here's what you will need:

Tape Measure Growth Chart

We finally got new pictures of his tape measure one year after I originally posted,...he's getting so big and its fun seeing how much he's grown! So enjoy this post from the archives!

Playhouse Makeover Reveal!

Its time! I can finally show off the playhouse makeover! If you remember this is what it looked like before...Playhouse Makeover BEFORE. Super cute on the outside, but just plain messy and cluttered on the inside! 

Practically FREE Office Desk {part 1}

I said I would share my office makeover with you and guess what!? Today is the day!!

A long while back I scored some amazing hardwood floors that had just been torn out of a old Victorian in town. My husband and I decided we could totally build an office desk with it. This was kind of a shoot from the hip project...no, we had never built a desk...nor did we even really know where to start.

This is the room before...with this lovely lovely border...

good riddance!

First Craft Show

What a whirlwind of a week!

Not only was it my first craft show, but we welcomed our new baby into the world (...more on that here/link to come...)!

Because I was recovering from his birth I didn't actually get to attend my craft show..I am very sad about this, but VERY thankful my sister had already planned on being here and was able to man the booth for the both of us.  From what I hear the show went really well, we all sold some of what we made and are totally excited for the next show coming up in Dec!

I thought I would give you a peek at what I featured at the show! Also stay tuned for the launching of mine and my sister's Etsy shop in the next couple days!

Deer Sign, Blessing Card/Photo Holder & Its a Wonderful Life Sign

Joy to the World

Baby its Cold Outside

Silent Night Card/Photo holder

Wood Growth Charts

All the signs were made from reclaimed wood that we salvaged from an old Victorian house in Sandpoint and from out at the farm( can you believe some of this was in a burn pile??? Oh no they didn't!) 

I must give mad props to my hubs for finishing the signs- clear coats and hanging hardware- all in time for the show! Love him!!!

Beautiful {sign} + Free Printable!

I wanted to give you all a sneak peek at my daughters {almost} finished room...it is actually all done except for curtains...which is done, right? I don't know when those will get done since we are CRAZY busy right now and because I am to impatient to wait for them to get done, I will be posting a full room tour later this week. But as a teaser I thought I would share a little project that you can easily do yourself- I'm including a PDF template so you can print it at home...or you can paint it like I did!

Here it is!!

"you are all together beautiful my love, there is no flaw in you"

                                                   {Song of Solomon 4:7}

Farm Eggs

I painted up this little sign yesterday.

Its for out at the farm and I love it!

Lets just say that before I got my hands on this sign it wasn't exactly, well...it wasn't really very attractive. My bro-in-law had quickly painted it since I was busy at the hospital and I always teased him that it looked like he had written it in his own blood! Pretty terrible!

When I went to the farm a couple days ago the sign was laying on the ground. I figured it was as good a time as any to grab it and give it a makeover.

Because we need it back up pretty quick I totally forgot to get any of the before pictures..sad day!

This will be used with the future farm sign...currently in the planning phase! Stay tuned! Its going to be my biggest yet!!

Yard Sale Tales {week 8}

My oh, my! This post is over a week past due...I don't think I got the car totally unloaded until Friday! Hows that for being worn out by two long drives to Western Washington in two weeks! Add in the heat and pregnancy fatigue..and you guessed it, I was one worn out mama! But no worries! I you will be caught up by the end of the week, BEFORE our next yard sale outing! Promise!

We got a good amount of stuff...and its not all of it! I think we still have a couple chairs at my moms house that didn't fit! Oops...for the future only buy what fits in the car!!

As you can see we got a varied mix of stuff. We were yard-saling in Kalama and Longview, Wa...I love when we can hit up a new area. Seems that the pickings are always more fun.

 I love the old chair...it was one of three that I got for $1 EACH!  The piano bench I got for $2- its going to be Ellery's desk in the new office. It needs a new top and a paint job, but is the perfect size!

I'm starting to collect things for the babies room...these frames will fit nicely...I love the finish on them, but don't know if it will work with the color scheme I'm considering, but for a couple dollars I can afford to paint them if I choose. We also found these cute suede riding boots for Miss Elle! Can't wait for fall weather for her to wear them!! Eek! Adorable!!

This little grouping is mostly my husbands fault! He found all these turquoise items for a $1 each! We actually don't really own anything in this color, we mostly have yellow and green kitchen tools..even so, these are a nice bright addition to the kitchen. Plus since he loves the color, we'll make it work! He also found the beer mugs..FOR FREE! He really wanted some frosty mugs for beer. I have been saying no ( because the idea gives me goose bumps!), but you can't argue free...shoot!

I also found this belt buckle for a couple bucks...now I just need a belt and a waistline!

We picked up several fun hardback books and a vintage copy of Better Homes New Cook Book- this one happens to be just like my moms! The Little Fellow is super cute and super horrible all at the same time...one of the characters is a black stable boy named Whitey...yea... he doesn't exactly use 'proper' English if you know what I mean? Definitely a little piece of history from the 40's. The Elsie Dinsmore was a pretty popular book series in the early 1900's. This one was given to the recipient on Christmas day 1914...how neat is that!

Lastly I picked up this sign...you might guess my plan for it by now? Yup, planning on sanding it down and painting it to match my house!

Not pictured are several dining chairs, some brackets for closet shelves and a super nice REI Child Carrier Back Pack that we scored for $35! It is brand new! Probably will test it out this week when the hubby takes us up to scout for elk!

Thats it for today!

Childs Rocking Chair and Stool {before & after}

This crazy heat has wiped me out the last few days, but I did manage to complete a project on my to-do list!

I started out with this ....

....a not so cute stool from a yard sale & and a cute,

but in the wrong color, rocking chair.

Since this chair and stool will be going in Ellery's room, I decided to try and paint them using a recipe for 'Chalk Paint' I found on Pinterest...

1 cup flat latex paint

2 tbsp of unsanded grout

+ water

I'm not sure if the recipe I found had the right proportions of ingredients...my first batch was uber gritty and not very pretty in any sense of the word. I went ahead and painted everything out with it anyways- figuring it would sand smoother...at least I hoped...I was pretty scared at this point!



The second coat of paint I mixed differently. I first mixed the grout and water together to dissolve it and then added my paint. I think that is the way to go, but I still had problems with the paint becoming very very thick. I think I was using too much grout...or maybe that is just how it is suppose to be?? Heck if I know, but at least this coat went on smoother, I just had to keep adding water to keep it a paintable consistency.

After the second coat I sanded down both pieces and distressed them to my liking. Even if I had messed up the paint it still sanded amazing and left a very soft surface. I think it was definitely worth the effort and I am happy I didn't have to prime in the beginning.

The third step is using a Finishing Wax as a sealer. It also provides a nice matte shine to the furniture. I used a Wax for light wood. It was a super easy to rub on, but I accidentally let mine dry for a couple hours( instead of the 20mins recommended), so it was a pain to buff out...oops! The buffing is what gives it a sheen...pretty, but in this case hard to achieve in all those nooks and crannies. Plus since it had dried too long it had a kind of yellowish tint in some places. I think if I had a weighted buffing tool or an electric buffer these would have come out easily...instead I was using my good ol' arm strength. Lol..hey, it ended up being a good arm exercise!

And look at the results...

I also recovered the cushion on the stool using fabric left over from Ellery's birthday party- a very pale pink.

and finished the inside with some felt and lace trim...got to have it all complete!



I am toying with the idea of embroidering or painting her name on the cushion..yes? no?

Hubby votes for leaving it simple...

What do you think?





 I can't wait to show you what it look like when her room gets done...which I hope is soon!!!

I think it turned out just wonderful!

{before & after}



Thank You {before & after}

Most often when we make the trip to Western Washington its because Justin has to work. I usually  get to see my sisters and parents, but we rarely get to see anyone else. This last weekend was an exception to that norm...we drove to our hometown of Enumclaw to stay with friends and have our family pictures taken!

We spent the weekend just hanging out, hitting up the local yard sales { more on that to come!} and eating with our friends! It was so relaxing!

The real reason for the trip was for a family photo session. Last fall, when we were practically living at the hospital with our daughter Averie, we were nominated and won a family portrait session with Cari Berry Photography.( Check out her website to see all her beautiful photos!!) At the time I was in the mind frame that when Averie got better we would have our photos done. Just a few weeks later Averie passed away. It was heartbreaking to know I would never have professional photos of all my kids together- already not a possibility since Lane passed away six years before Ellery was born. I decided that we still needed to have the photos taken despite how hard it would be not having Averie with us. The photographer, Cari, made the whole process so easy! She suggested finding a way to incorporate my son and daughter into some of the pictures and she also understood how important it was to embrace what our family looks like now. I don't think I can truly write anything that captures the gratitude I have for what Cari did for us on Saturday. I feel incredibly blessed to have met her! I cannot WAIT to see the results of our session in a few weeks!

As a little thank-you for all she did- although I doubt it truly is going to be enough- I painted up a little sign for her.

Do you remember this sign from last weekends post, Yard Sale Tales {week 6}??? It was perfect makeover material!

After sanding it down I painted it with a distressed finish and hand painted on the {thank you}.

 I wasn't able to get any after pics before leaving for the weekend, but thankfully Cari posted some on her facebook!

I think it turned out adorable!

Yard Sale Tales {week 4}

Another great day of yard sales all around town. I think sometimes that we have our little dates going to yard sales so that we can avoid all the projects that need done at home. Lol..oh, well! I love the time with my husband and little E, getting to explore and having lunch before we call it a day. This last Saturday we were hitting up yard sales on our way north to Bonners Ferry. Our real mission was to pick up pig feed, but who can resist all those signs!

As you can see we didn't have a huge haul, but we got some adorable things! The old printers tray  was a steal at $5! The lady selling them had over thirty of these because her dad once owned a printing shop. She was so nice and even took me inside to see all the metal printer letters( not yet for sale...sad face...!) These trays can sell anywhere from $20- $75 dollars in a antique shop, so I would say we did really good. After we paid for the tray she told us to grab any book "for the baby"...I sifted through the random books and as I did I came across this adorable little reader, French Reader for Beginners. Its from the 1920's and is just absolutely the sweetest little book. My favorite thing about it are the little notes written by the owner of the book. It is a little piece of history and who knows, maybe I'll attempt to teach E some french! Oh la la!

I have to apologize for the last items...the cute white mirrors weren't so white when I bought them. In fact they were a very gaudy gold. I got them home and slapped a coat of paint on them without even getting a before shot! Sorry that you can't see how ugly they were! I saw their potential and loved that they were only $1 for the three! Nice! They don't look half bad now do they!

That's all for this week!

Oh wait! I have this cute little outtake of Miss E "helping" me set this photo shoot.

You may notice the tiny rocks that she added to the printer tray...and she kept rearranging the mirrors.

How anything gets done...I have no idea!

Yard Sale Tales {week 3}

This last weekend was Lost In The 50's here in Sandpoint...basically tons of classic cars and girls in poodle skirts. It also meant that lots of locals had YARD SALES! My husband and I made a date of it by dropping the little one off with grandma and spending the entire rest of the day driving from sale to sale! The best part was we hardly spent anything!

The best deal of the day: vintage porch swing for $4!! I think I just fulfilled one of my biggest dreams! I have always wanted a porch swing like this! Its a little worn, but sturdy. My husband and I both really liked the color too. It has been painted at least two time, first red and then turquoise blue. We decided to stop by Home Depot to see if we could have a can of paint matched to the turquoise and while there we spotted a gallon of exterior oops paint for just $7. It wasn't the same blue, but it was pretty and I couldn't beat the price. I had decided to give up the hunt for the turquoise match, but then the paint lady decided she could try to get close to our sample color by adding a little green to the blue paint. And guess what! It worked! It was almost a dead match for the original paint! I am so excited!! We have already started the refinishing process so stay tuned!!!

Next up was this cute little vintage mirror and a copy of Huckleberry Finn that we got together for $2.50. The table top mirror is missing one little leg and the original stand, but I plan on hanging it anyways. Its very heavy and possibly silver plated...I will have to have my mom look at this one for me to figure it out. The book will join many others that are waiting for some book shelves.

I was eyeballing these crates at one of the sales and the lady told me just to take them home....for FREE! They are potato crates and I will probably use them for just that in the pantry. I also thought I could use them outside for my herb garden...we will see!

These weren't all the purchases this weekend...we also picked up a couple sprinklers, a seed spreader and a lawn mower all for about $25.

Can't beat that!

I hope you enjoyed this weeks installment!

Yard Sale Tales {week 2}

I only hit up ONE yard sale this weekend! I know...I'm a little shocked too! Guess its cause I was just having too much fun seeing my sisters and mom! I scored a couple unique items and decided to combine them with a couple things from a yard sale a couple weeks prior. I think it made a nice little grouping!

I love all the mustard yellow that I have gotten lately! The Coca-Cola box is way cool and matches my kitchen...plus its a box <3 LOVE!

The metal chair is a little sad...the seats paint is flaking off and the metal has rusted, but I just love the filigree cut outs on the back. With a price of $1 I couldn't believe someone else hadn't snagged it already! I haven't decided where  it will go yet...maybe repainted for somewhere in the house OR I might hit it with some sealant to prevent further rusting and use it in my garden somehow. I ended up getting the chair and this kitchen organizer together for just $10!!

Isn't it cool!! I had never seen one before...each section holds, aluminum foil, waxed paper and paper towels! It can be hung on the wall too! ( after picking this up, the very next yard sale had another one...lol)

One find not pictured ( because I was using it ) is a tripod for my camera!! It was a total bargain at just $10!