Cara

DIY Lap Desk for Bed

July 16, 2021 by Cara Leave a Comment

Hey there! After finishing my beautiful four-poster bed last week, and not wanting to leave my bed with all the rain we are having😅…I decided to whip up this super easy DIY lap desk for a bed that can be built out of scrap wood, and now I can be working while resting!! I love that I can now get work done in the time that I would normally just watch tv. I have to admit, I feel pretty cool using my lap desk too! 🤓 So, I’ll show you how to throw one together…I mean I don’t want to be the only cool one around here!😂😜

Isn’t it cute! It’s heavy-duty too! Lol! It literally only took me an hour and a half from start to finish! I LOVE projects like that, so quick and easy to build but yet, I have used this lap desk in bed EVERY DAY since I built it!

It has plenty of legroom too!

You want to build your own lap desk and work from bed, too? Let’s do it! The one drawback to this build right now is the cost of lumber! A 2x12x8 currently costs $30 here, but it was 40 bucks just last week, lumber is on its way down it seems!! And one board will make 2 laptop desks, so if you have someone you need a gift for, what a perfect opportunity to give yourself something great and someone else! But if you don’t have scrap wood to use up as I did, then if you just wait a month or so, they should be FAR cheaper again! Talk about happy dancing, I CANNOT WAIT for lumber prices to fall!! Lol!

If you want to wait for lumber prices to fall, PIN IT to save for later!!😊

Gathering Supplies for the DIY Lap Desk

Materials Needed to Build the DIY Lap Desk for Bed:

***Note: Amazon links below are affiliate links. Affiliate links pay me a small percentage if you make a purchase after clicking a link, at no extra cost to you! It helps me keep providing plans for you at no cost! That is a win-win if I have ever seen one! 😉

1 – 2×12 @ 40″

1 – scrap piece of 1×2 about 18″ long or two small pieces about 9″ long

–1 1/2″ screws – these are my FAVORITE screws because they get started without any problems, every container comes with a bit, and I think they look good too! They are cheaper at Home Depot, I just shared the link so you can see which ones they are!

–miter saw or table saw that can bevel

–wood glue

–sander

-stain of your choice – I used Old Barn Living Stain in Weathered

Cut List to Build the DIY Lap Desk:

-1 – 2×12 @ 22″

-2 – 2×12 @ 8″ ends beveled at 10 degrees off square, ends parallel

-2 – 1×2 @ 9″ ripped down the middle at 10 degrees off square (creating 2 1x1s beveled on one edge at 10 degrees off square)

Building the DIY Lap Desk for Bed

Get your pieces cut to size! If you look closely at the 1x2s you can see that I had already ran them through the table saw to rip them down to a 1×1 beveled on one edge at 10 degrees off square.

I sanded everything before putting it together!

Each 1×2 will be kept as if it wasn’t ripped, then slid apart 1 1/2″ to hold the leg at the 10 degree angle and screwed into place. I set each one in an inch or so and centered on the board, put some glue on it, marked it to make sure it didn’t move and screwed it into place!

I used the leg in between the two boards while I was screwing the mate in on the other side.

Here’s what it looks like once all the boards are in place!

Now you can keep the legs separate to where you slide them in and out and take them apart to store, but I screwed mine in and made it permanent!

I used glue on the top of the leg and screwed through the sides of the same 1×2 boards to keep it in place. Plus, as I said, I LOVE the look of the screws! They add the perfect little touch of character to it! (Especially when they are even!😂😂🙈)

It’s built and you are ready to work from BED!!! The best spot to get all the work done! I’ll never work anywhere else! Lol!

So easy to build this laptop desk, and will make such a great gift idea for yourself or anyone on your holiday list, mother’s day, father’s day, or when anyone’s birthday comes around! I know both my kids have asked me to make them one! LOL!

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If you make one, I’d love to see it! Happy Building!

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DIY Queen Bed Frame – Restoration Hardware Knockoff

July 12, 2021 by Cara Leave a Comment

Hey there! You want to know what project I started FIVE YEARS AGO, and finished only the other day?! This beautiful, DIY queen bed that I built to look like one straight out of the Restoration Hardware catalog! Isn’t this DIY four-post bed just the perfect addition to any master bedroom?! Maybe it’s just because my bed has been mattresses on the floor for FAR too long, 😂 but I am LOVING walking into my room and seeing this beauty! And so of course, I want to share the plans with you all!

Oh yeah, that’s my bed folks…and my clean room…I have to brag because it doesn’t happen that often! Lol!

The really cool thing about the plans for this bed is that they are easily altered to create a platform bed if you have a more modern style! The Restoration Hardware version was a platform bed, I just added the 2×6 to cover the box spring because I am old school and love a taller bed, but you can build to suit your needs and wants…and I say it every time…but, that’s the beauty of DIY!!!

(Ignore the wrinkles😂☝)

This bed will cost around 350 bucks to build today (prices in your area may be slightly higher or lower) with the INSANE lumber prices that we currently have, but if they happen to fall back down to where they were 5 years ago, I paid a little less than $150 when I bought the wood and hardware to build it! Man alive I want lumber prices back to normal!🤑🙃 Even with the crazy lumber prices, 350 still sounds AMAZINGLY low when compared to RH’s cost of 5200 bucks if you are a member…and 7000 if you aren’t!!!😲

So, you ready to get your hands dirty…or should I say sawdusty😜…and build your own? Here’s the download link for the free plans!

DIY Queen Bed Frame Plans

Don’t have time to build it right now? PIN IT for later!

Gathering Supplies for the DIY Queen Bed Frame

Materials for DIY Queen Bed

**Amazon links below are affiliate links! If you make a purchase after clicking a link below, I will make a small percentage of the cost of that purchase at no extra cost to you! I appreciate it when you use affiliate links as it helps me keep my plans coming to you free of charge! Thanks in advance!

-4 – 4x4x8

-5 – 2x8x8

-2 – 2x8x10

-2 – 2x6x8

-5 – 2x6x10

-3 – 2x4x10

-4 – 2x3x8

-2 – sets of Rockler Hardware Bed Rail Connectors (needed for the installation of the hardware: 1 3/8″ Forstner bit, 5/8″ drill bit, 17/32″ drill bit)

–2 1/2″ pocket hole screws

–wood glue

–drill

–miter saw

–jigsaw

–Kreg Jig

-stain or paint of your choice (I used Old Barn Living Stain in Weathered)

Cut List for DIY Queen Bed

-4 – 4×4 @ 87″ bed posts

-2 – 2×8 @ 81″ very bottom bed rails (sides)

-2 – 2×8 @ 60″ very bottom bed rails (headboard and footboard)

-1 – 2×8 @ 83″ matress support board

-2 – 2×8 @ 71″ ends mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel (flat boards that encompass the bedposts on headboard and footboard)

-2 – 2×8 @ 92″ ends mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel (flat boards that encompass the bedposts on the sides)

-9 – 2×6 @ 60″ head board boards and foot board top board

-2 – 2×6 @ 81″ top board on sides

-2 – 2×3 @ 81″ very top post connectors

-2 – 2×3 @ 60″ very top post connectors

-4 – 2×4 @ 56 1/2″ mattress supports

Building the DIY Queen Bed Frame

Oh man, I am seriously excited to share the plans for this queen bed because it is really the most simple build EVER, but the bed rail hardware gave me a scare so of course, I left it sitting forever in the garage working around it for the longest time until I was FINALLY brave enough to just do it! And then guess what happened…I did the first side, no problem, worked so easy and was perfect!! But I got cocky thinking it was so easy, and I messed the second one up! LOL! It was horrible and guess what I did…left it sitting a long while longer!

So don’t get scared when you read that it took me five years to finish this baby, it was just because I was a big chicken and then screwed it up! 😅 The actual building only took me a day, and by day I mean, I started at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and worked until 10!

Building the Footboard for the Queen Bed Frame

The footboard and headboard are essential the same build, you’ll just add a few extra 2x6s to the headboard! The builds are simple, straightforward, and easy! The mitered 2x8s that fit around the 4×4 look complex but they really aren’t, I promise!

The boards you will need to make the footboard are:

-2 – 4×4 @ 87″

-1 – 2×8 @ 60″

-1 – 2×8 @ 71″ ends mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel

-1 – 2×6 @ 60″

-1 – 2×3 @ 60″

After cutting all boards down to size for the footboard, you will need to drill pocket holes at a depth of 1 1/2″…if you aren’t sure how to use the Kreg Jig to drill pocket holes, check out this post that shows the step by step how to set it up and drill them! West Elm Emmerson Dining Bench Drill the pocket holes in the ends of the boards, I drilled 3 holes at each end of the boards since they are pretty wide boards. On the 2×3 I only drilled two holes.

On the 2×8 @ 60″ you will also need to drill pocket holes along one edge, this will need to be the top of the board when you attach it to the 4x4s. You will use 2 1/2″ screws along with wood glue to attach! **Use wood glue on all the boards of the headboard and footboards, only the sideboards will be removable for moving the bed!

Use a scrap piece of 2×8 (or any 2x board) as a spacer when putting the 2×6 into place…I cut the mitered board later so it wouldn’t fit right now (hence why I used a scrap piece of 2×8), but you can scroll on down and see how to cut it if you’d like to cut it now and put it in place first!

Add the 2×3 at the top, I turned the pocket holes up toward the ceiling so you won’t see them…unless you are like 8 feet tall! Lol! The 2×3 is set down 3″ from the top of the post.

I used a 3″ block to set all the top boards at the same height without having to have extra hands!

After attaching the 2×3, your footboard is done for now!

Also, just a note, I sanded the boards as I went just so that each piece was ready to be stained as soon as I had it all together! I felt like I would put off staining if I had to sand the whole thing at the end…it would seem like a huge job, but sanding as I went made it feel manageable! Lol! Just the crazy way my brain works! 😅

Building the Headboard for the Queen Bed Frame

Moving on to the headboard!

The boards needed for the headboard are:

-2 – 4×4 @ 87″

-8 – 2×6 @ 60″

-1 – 2×8 @ 60″

-1 – 2×8 @ 71″ends mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel

-1 – 2×3 @ 60″

You will repeat the steps of the footboard, and then add 7 extra 2x6s through the midsection, starting 24 1/4″ down from the top of the post ! Pocket holes drilled at 1 1/2″ on ends. Use 2 1/2″ screws and wood glue to attach them.

The headboard is almost complete! Now you can cut the mitered boards for the little slot we left at the bottom!

The 2×8 board is cut at 71″ on the longest end, and mitered at 45 degrees off square.

To cut the indentions for the 4x4s, from the longest ends, measure over 2″ from each edge, then down 2″. Then measure over 3 1/2″ and down 3 1/2″…the two lines that are 3 1/2″ are the ones to cut with your jigsaw. Just a tip, use a thicker blade in your jigsaw when cutting the sections out. A small scrolling blade will bend too much and will end up making beveled cuts, which won’t line up when you go to attach them! The cuts are straight so a large blade will work perfectly!

You will follow the same steps for the footboard, and even the sideboards later on…only the sideboards will be 92″ long as opposed to 71″.

Once you have the cuts made on the ones for the headboard and footboard, you can slide them into place and make sure they fit! You can use the pocket holes you drilled in the bottom 2×8 to attach ONE of the boards at this time, DO NOT ATTACH THEM BOTH, you will need to fit a board in later steps FIRST…BEFORE attaching the other one!

Building the Sides of the DIY Queen Bed Frame

The next few steps will bring our headboard together with our footboard to build our bed frame! JUST A NOTE: NONE OF THE SIDEBOARDS WILL BE GLUED INTO PLACE; ONLY SCREWED!

Boards needed for the sides:

-2 – 2×8 @ 81″

-2 – 2×8 @ 92″ mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel

-2 – 2×6 @ 81″

-2 – 2×3 @ 81″

The first board you will cut is the 2×8 @ 81″. This will be the board that you use the bed rail connectors on. I used two sets of bed rail connectors on this one board to make sure it was super sturdy and NOT moving…no matter what goes on!😳😂 Before starting all the bed rail connector drilling, drill 4 or 5 pocket holes along the top edge of the board to attach your mitered board later!

Follow the instructions that come with the bed rail connector kit. You will want to measure everything very precisely so that everything lines up properly in the end! Lol!

Drill 2 – 1 3/8″ holes in the 2×8 on each inside (end) of the board, it gives you the exact measurements and everything on where to drill them and how deep…I can’t remember off hand what they were! I recorded a video on my old phone, but of course, it crashed and I couldn’t retrieve anything off of it! Oy! But I had emailed myself a few shots from the video before it had crashed! Luckily, the instructions are pretty clear and easy to follow!

Make sure they are as deep as they need to be!

After drilling your 1 3/8″ holes, you will drill a hole through the END of the board that meets this hole with a 5/8″ drill bit! Drill both at this time. Make sure and measure precisely!

Make sure your drill is straight and level…unlike in my photo! Lol! I didn’t start drilling yet, I’m sure I leveled it out first! 😏

Once those holes are drilled, set the bolts in place and add the nuts, then add the insert pieces you are going to screw into the posts onto the ends so you can see right where they will need the holes drilled on the posts.

Trace where the inserts go so you know where to drill them.

Drill the holes for the inserts and screw the connectors into the place on the posts.

Screw the bolts into the inserts in the post.

Test your holes and see if they line up by adding the bolts and tightening them! I’m crossing my fingers for you! I hope they work! Lol!

That’s all there is to it! Continue this on the other 3 ends! Boom! Your bed will now stay together…and it’s looking JUST LIKE A BED!!😍 Happy Dance!

If you already cut the mitered boards for the sides, you can attach them now! I would put all the connectors in place and tighten them before attaching this board. Make sure it lines up well with the footboard and headboard mitered boards before attaching it! REMINDER: one of the footboard or headboard mitered boards is still not attached yet! Have someone help hold it in place if need be while you attach the sideboards!

Once those boards are on, you can add the 2×6 that goes on top. Now, you can purchase another set of bed rail connectors if you want to make this professional-looking! I originally bought another kit, but I ended up just using pocket-holes to attach this board. It isn’t the main strength of holding the bed together, so even if I have to take the bed apart to move, I don’t fear the screw holes becoming weak and stripped!

The last sideboard is the 2×3 @ 81″ along the top! It is placed 3″ down just like the ones on the footboard and headboard. Pocket holes are turned up towards the ceiling so they aren’t seen!

Look how good it looks! Stand back and marvel at your fancy work that looks SOOO GOOD!!!

Alright, let’s finish up the last couple of boards so that the bed can be slept on tonight!

Building the Bed Supports for the Queen Bed Frame

Boards needed for the bed supports:

-1 – 2×8 @ 83″

-3 – 2×4 @ 56 1/2″

The 2×8 @ 81″ will be the center support that will run along the length of the bed! I just pocket holed this board in place as it is only to hold the mattress supports up! Pocket holes will be drilled at 1 1/2″ deep and using 2 1/2″ screws (NO WOOD GLUE) to attach!

Don’t pay attention to the way I don’t stain anything that isn’t seen! Lol!

After screwing this 2×8 into place, you can now attach the headboard or footboard mitered board (that we left unattached earlier)! You can see mine isn’t attached in the bottom right corner in the photo above!

Now add the 2x4s across the top of the 2×8 attaching them to the mitered 2x8s and pocket hole them into place!

Screw the 2x4s down into the 2×8 with 3″ screws down the middle.

And now…your bed is DONE!!! Your bed is DONE!!! Yes, yes, yes…it’s done!! Throw them mattresses into place and enjoy!

Building the Queen Bed Frame as a Platform Bed

Alright, the slight modifications I mentioned to make this into a platform bed, are basically removing the 2x6s along the bottom of the bed frame. Also, you will need to lower the 2x6s on the headboard and leave one out…using a total of 6 boards to make the headboard and leave a gap of 12″ from the bottom 2×8 to where you will start the first 2×6! Hope that makes sense!

It will look like this! Still beautiful, just lower to the ground!

Hope you like the Queen Bed Frame Plans! I would LOVE for you to share them if you do!

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Have a good one, and HAPPY BUILDING!

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DIY Gold Hexagon Napkin Rings

November 30, 2020 by Cara Leave a Comment

Do you know what’s funny? I’m all into creating table settings this year, and I don’t even host Thanksgiving or Christmas at my house! Lol! I happen to be a sucker for it anyway, even if my family and I are the only ones that see it! 🤓 Plus today’s DIY napkin rings can be used year-round, dressed up or down for a nice dinner or even hot dogs! Lol! That is the way I roll, just add gold and it immediately makes them fancy!😉

The DIY hexagon napkin rings pair really well with my DIY marble epoxy pumpkin chargers, but yet would look great without the table fully set as well or use them with the Christmas chargers I am currently pouring that I can’t wait to show you! EEK!! They would make a great hostess gift if you are heading to a friend’s home or family members for a holiday party!

You can make a full set of napkin rings in about an hour’s time of actual work…a little longer when you count dry times of paint and wood glue! Aren’t those the best DIYs though, the ones that look so good but do not cost a lot or have in-depth, time-consuming steps?! Lol!

You could package them with a little bow and gift tag…boom, a quick gift to throw in a stocking or hand over to a hostess at a holiday party! I mean, I am holding out hope that in a month the holidays will be normal!😅🙄😬

Anyway, let me show you how to whip them up!

Materials for the DIY Napkin Rings

**Amazon links below are affiliate links!! An affiliate link is a link that allows me to receive a commission from any purchases that you make for a short time after clicking the link, at no extra cost to you! It is a real win-win for us both to keep my content coming at you for free!**

-1 – 1/4″ 1″x6′ pine lattice or 1/4″ poplar project board (ripped to 1″)

–miter saw

–filler primer

–gold spray paint

–wood glue

–painter’s tape

–sander

Cut List:

-6 – pine lattice cut (or poplar project board) @ 1 1/4″ long and beveled on both ends @ 30 degrees off square, ends not parallel (this makes 1 napkin ring so multiply this times however many napkin rings you want to make).

Making the DIY Gold Hexagon Napkin Rings

If you purchased pine lattice, it should be sized 1″ already, if you grabbed a poplar project board, it will need to be ripped down to 1″ wide.

Once it is ripped to size, you can cut your pieces.

Set the bevel on your miter saw to 30 degrees. If your miter saw doesn’t bevel, or you want to use the miter instead…as I did, you will need to set the miter to 30 degrees and you will cut each piece on its side.

I couldn’t find my clamp for my miter saw, and I don’t think it would have swung this far over even if I could have found it! Lol! So I used a piece of painter’s tape as a guide once I measured out where 1 1/4″ was on the saw.

The painter’s tape gives you a stop block so you don’t have to measure every time you cut one piece…that would take forever to make one napkin ring! And yes, I am well aware that it is not taped square to what I am cutting, but I was only lining up the very top edge.

Once you have the saw set up and tape in place, cut, cut, cut, and cut some more until you have all the pieces you need to complete as many napkin rings as you need for your table!

Lay out a piece of painter’s tape and set the pieces beveled edge to beveled edge on the tape.

Once you have all six on the tape, add wood glue in between each piece!

Then roll the tape up completing the hexagon! Make sure all the pieces are lined up properly when the tape is around them.

Make sure the tape is tight around the hexagon to make sure the glue is able to set and hold them together! You can even wrap an extra piece of tape around to make sure!

Whip up as many as you need to complete your table settings and then let them sit for a couple of hours and then come back and check on them! This gives the wood glue time to set. If you want to be sure, give it 2 or 3 hours…and then completely forget about them as I did!😂

Sand them lightly to get rid of any scraggly pieces from the saw, and spray them with the filler primer. The filler primer is an important part of making them look like they are not made out of wood. It fills in all the pores and gives it a really smooth surface for the paint to adhere to. Use two coats! I learned about this from the AMAZING and INCREDIBLY talented Lizzy @thehouseoftimber! She is the scroll saw QUEEN!😁 Make sure and follow her if you aren’t already…you will NOT be disappointed!!😊

Anyway, sand lightly after the two coats of primer, and then when you spray them with the gold paint they magically look like they are made of metal or plastic, definitely not wood! Lol!

Just a tip, you want to wait until the primer is fully dry before you sand, I messed mine up by rushing to sand them 20 minutes after I sprayed them! OY!! The primer feels dry to the touch really quickly, don’t be fooled as I was! Lol!

Here’s the gold spray paint I used on the napkin rings!

Let them dry and slide them on some beautiful napkins! Another tip, after testing everything on this napkin ring, I sanded using a stationary sander as opposed to trying to use a handheld sander, and it worked WAY better!! Then I just used a tiny bit of wood filler on the miters and they look way better!!

Pretty simple, huh?! I told ya, and TOTALLY worth it!

Have any other ideas on what I could make into a hexagon shape? If you do, don’t tell me I already have too many hexagon projects! 😂😜 I’m kidding! Let me know in the comments below! Have you made these napkin rings? Send me an email with some pictures or tag me on social media, I LOVE seeing y’all’s projects from my tutorials…makes my day!!

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Hope you all have safe travels if you are headed out of town this week! Thanks for stopping by!

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DIY Marble Epoxy Pumpkin Chargers

November 25, 2020 by Cara Leave a Comment

Hey there! It has been so hard to get into fall and winter crafty projects since it has been nothing but HOT here! Lol! I want some COLD weather already!! If you are having cold weather, send me some, pretty please!! No matter the weather, the days don’t stop so I still have to force myself into projects like these beautiful DIY marble epoxy pumpkin chargers!

Aren’t they the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?! 😜

Well let me tell you, I need someone to come take the epoxy away from me! Lol! I am making ALL the marble epoxy projects this week! And hexagons, someone come take the 30-degree marker off my saw to keep me from making any more hexagon projects! 😂😂

See the hexagon napkin rings in the photos?!

They are so inexpensive, easy to make, and can go with ANY table setting you create!

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you saw a year or so ago, I shared making a marble epoxy countertop pour that I was INTRIGUED by! I have been wanting to create faux marble epoxy projects of all kinds ever since, and in the last few days, I have fulfilled this desire! 😅 Wanna see all the marble epoxy projects?

DIY Marble Epoxy Hexagon Chargers (coming soon)

DIY Marble Epoxy Hexagon Coasters (coming soon)

DIY Marble Epoxy Hexagon Napkin Rings (coming soon)

I LOVE all the marble epoxy and would be happy to receive any of these projects as a gift! Not only is it a handmade gift, but it looks REALLY good too! And marble is so expensive that this is a WONDERFUL alternative! From hostess gifts to actual Christmas gifts, you will want to grab a couple of bottles of epoxy resin and get busy!!😍

Could you imagine an ornament just like this for a Christmas table setting, they could be red and green marble, or solid red and solid green…the ideas just run amuck in my mind!! SO. MANY. IDEAS.😂🤓

Wanna save this for next fall?! Make sure and PIN IT!

Okay back to the tutorial for the DIY marble epoxy pumpkin chargers! Here’s the PUMPKIN PATTERN if you want to cut your own! But you could also make squares, circles, hexagons (as I did), or any other shape you can cut! Dream up something amazing, just make sure to share it with me!😊 I LOVE seeing your ideas and projects!

Materials for DIY Marble Epoxy Pumpkin Chargers:

-3/4″x4’x4′ project panel plywood (easily makes 9-10 pumpkin chargers)

–scroll saw or jigsaw

–epoxy resin – this is the one I used, this is a great deal on Amazon as I paid the same at Hobby Lobby but had to pay an additional 12 dollars for the mixing measure cups! Also if you want to make more than 6 you can buy 2 sets, but I think I would just order a larger set, you can get 2 gallons for 70 bucks…you know how many epoxy pours you can do with that?!😍

–white matte acrylic paint (or whatever color you want as your base color)

–gray spray paint (or whatever color you want to accent with)

-paper plate

-paintbrush – cheap…does NOT need to be quality, the cheaper the better so you can trash it when done!

–lighter or torch

-plastic drop cloth (I used an outdoor trash bag)

Making DIY Marble Epoxy Pumpkin Chargers

Cutting the Pumpkin Shape out of Plywood

I used plywood simply because I had a lot of smaller pieces that were scrap, and the pumpkin pattern is about 14″x14″ so there isn’t any off the shelf lumber that will accommodate the pattern!

You will need to print the pumpkin as a poster, this will tile the pumpkin on multiple pages so that it will be the correct size! If you haven’t downloaded the pattern yet, here it is! PUMPKIN CHARGER PATTERN

You will then tape the pumpkin pages together.

Using painter’s tape, cover the plywood where the pumpkin pattern is going to be placed. Then spray the back of the pumpkin pattern with adhesive, and stick it to the painter’s tape! This keeps the plywood from becoming sticky from the pattern!

Using a scroll saw or jigsaw, cut out the pumpkin shape!

Sand the edges to make it smooth, also try and lightly round over the edges of the pumpkin to help the epoxy flow over the edge!

Paint your pumpkin edges or the whole thing, whatever color you plan on pouring over your pumpkin. I painted mine white because I was pouring white over it! Make sure you paint the edges well if you don’t want to see the plywood through the epoxy! Lol! Again, just ask me how I know?!😬

Setting Up to Pour Epoxy

You will need to set up your space to keep from making a huge mess! I used a contractor bag instead of a drop cloth, because crazy as it is, the epoxy comes straight off and I can still use the bag! Lol!

Set scrap boards or anything really to create a dam to keep the epoxy from running off the table. Place them under the drop cloth or trash bag!

Set your pumpkin up on something, I used painter’s triangles for some and also just quart paint cans…they both work great! You just want the epoxy to be able to run off the edges, if you don’t lift it up, it will dry looking like your pumpkin melted 😂 and that is not the look we are going for!

Pouring the Marble Epoxy Over the Pumpkin

Mix the epoxy just as the directions tell you, usually a 1:1 ratio…basically, however much you pour of part A, you match with part B, it’s pretty simple! For each pumpkin it will take 5 oz. so you will mix 2 1/2″ ounces of A and 2 1/2″ ounces of B. If you are doing all your pumpkins at once, you can use a measuring bucket instead of the little cups and mix enough for all of them at once!

Add the acrylic paint to your mixed epoxy resin and stir the paint until it’s all white or whatever color you are going for. Then…drumroll, please…POUR THE EPOXY!!

It is sooooo satisfying!! Start in the middle and only pour a little, so you can see how fast…or slow it flows. Depending on the speed, you may want to pour around the edges, but no matter where you pour it, you can use a popsicle stick to spread it around, or a gloved hand, paintbrush, etc.

Once the pumpkin is covered with epoxy and flowing over the edges, rub around the edges making sure to cover all of it. You will notice it drips in certain areas but not others, that is why you rub around the edge to make sure it flows over everywhere and covers.

Creating the Marble Veins in the Epoxy

Next, you will spray a little spray paint onto the paper plate and use your paintbrush to create the marbling in the epoxy. This will take just messing with it to find the pattern you like most. Marble comes in so many variations, you really can’t mess it up!

I just keep working the gray and adding more streaks where I want them!

You have about 15 minutes to play with the marble veins and then you risk divets in the finish. Don’t overthink it! And what you see when you walk away, will not be the exact finished project, the paint will settle and lighten slightly!

Lightly run a torch or lighter (torch works best) over the top of the epoxy after you have it how you like it just to get out any air bubbles! Don’t get too close with a torch or stay in one spot too long or it will create a bunch of tiny air bubbles where it pretty much boils the epoxy! Lol!

Let it sit overnight and in the morning, come check your masterpiece! Make sure you keep your pets away from the area and ask the bugs to stay away as they can ruin a project real quick! Oy!

Finishing the Marble Epoxy Pumpkins

There will be drips on the bottom of the pumpkins, you can sand them off or just leave them as I did! They weren’t noticeable so I left them, if I were giving them as a gift I would probably try to wipe the bottom at the hour mark to try to keep from creating them, or sand them off…but I am not worried about them for me!

Last, I covered my pumpkin and used painter’s tape to tape off the stem, then spray painted it gold just to give it that little touch to match the other gold in my table setting!

And they are DONE! Set the table, break out the fine china…it looks like you have MARBLE PLATE CHARGERS…you FANCY!!!😉

The ideas are absolutely ENDLESS when it comes to what you can make with the marble epoxy!! I mean, I could marble epoxy EVERYTHING…and I just might if someone doesn’t take it away from me!😂😂

What ideas do you have for DIY marble epoxy projects? Let me know in the comments below! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Thanks for stopping by!

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DIY Hinges Made From Dowel and Pipe

November 22, 2020 by Cara Leave a Comment

So you built the DIY TV Stand and now you want to add the doors, here’s where I show you how to take an oak dowel rod and a little copper pipe and turn them into DIY hinges for your media cabinet!

I even have a video for you guys to go along with this post…but I have to admit, it is not the best! 😅 I am still working on figuring out a way to make videos without having someone stand behind the camera…and it’s not easy! I get working and get into my own little world and forget that I am needing to show every little step, and before I know it, I’m done and the video caught very little of what I did! Lol! It should be posted here tomorrow!

Materials for DIY hinges:

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-1 – 1/2″ x 4ft oak dowel rod (you definitely want oak or hardwood, not pine)

-1 –1/2″ x 2ft copper pipe

-1 – 5/8″ pine dowel rod – shortest length you can find, it’s only for capping off the top.

-1 – spare dowel rod, smaller than 1/2″ to use to measure the depth of holes, you won’t cut this one, it’s only to measure!

–1/2″ Forstner bit

–5/8″ Forstner bit

–epoxy

–drill

-saw

–pipe cutter

–square

CUT LIST:

There really isn’t a set cut list because, on your dowel rods, you will have to measure how deep you drill your holes into the cabinet and into the doors, plus 1/8″ to get your measurements! This will vary trust me, some were only 2 1/8″ and others were 3 1/4″! LOL! I was a little more heavy-handed with the drill bit on some more than others!😳

With the pipe it is the same, you will have to cut your pipe based on the depth of holes drilled into the cabinet!

Making Your DIY Hinges from Dowel and Pipe

Drill holes in the bottom of the media cabinet

Drill 4 – 5/8″ holes along the bottom 2×4 of the media cabinet. Mark 1 1/4″ from the leg (2×4 @ 34 1/2″ board) and 3/4″ from the front of the 2×4, place an X. You will drill right smack in the center of the X! Go about an inch or so deep.

*When it is zoomed in to see the spacing of the hole, you can’t really see where the hole is on the cabinet so as you scroll the next three photos, it’s just zooming out!

Cut Pipe to Fit in Holes

After drilling all four holes along the bottom, use the copper pipe and stick it in each hole to mark where to cut the pipe! Each of mine was different measurements! Lol! Using the pipe cutter, cut your pipe to size.

Don’t mind that I had to take screenshots from my phone! Lol!

Epoxy Pipe in Place

Using a fast dry epoxy that mixes itself, I lightly smeared it on the inside of the hole and stuck the pipe in the hole to set. I also added a small amount to the very bottom of the hole to create a hard surface for the dowel rod to rotate on, since pine is a softwood, I didn’t want the dowel to wear it down with every turn and then the door sink down the 1/8″ that we have spaced to hold it up and rub on the bottom!

I didn’t plan on it, but I ended up letting the epoxy sit overnight to make sure it was hardened in the bottom of the hole and I am glad I did, you don’t want your dowel stuck in the epoxy if it happens to not be dry all the way!😆 Granted, I used the epoxy at like 9 pm, so it was only 12 hours or so, not 24!

Drill Holes in the Bottom of the Doors

After the bottom pipe is set, you have to drill holes in the bottom of the doors. Measure your bottom holes again, we know the holes were SUPPOSED to be at 1 1/4″ and 3/4″ but sometimes the actual holes are a little off…oh that only happens to me?! Skip this step if that doesn’t happen to you as well! 😂🤔

Measure to make sure where your holes ended up, and from the 1 1/4″ measurement, subtract 3/16″. This will give you a 3/16″ gap for the door to swing.

If you only do 1/8″ on the spacing here, the door will rub, it still works, but rubs! Ask me how I know! Oy! Yes, the first door that I did at 1/8″ rubs, so I moved the others the extra 1/16″ and it worked perfectly!

Let’s say your measurement that was supposed to be 1 1/4″ was actually drilled at 1 3/16″ inches to center, you will mark to drill the hole in your door at 1″, and 3/4″. Drill the hole in the door with a 1/2″ drill bit…NOT THE 5/8″ DRILL BIT. Why do I stress this in all caps? You guessed it, I drilled my first door with the 5/8″ drill bit that was already in my drill…LIKE AN IDIOT!!😂😂🙈 Nothing that a little epoxy and toothpicks couldn’t fix but save yourself the trouble, grab the 1/2″ drill bit!!!😅

Measure to Cut Dowel Rod for Bottom Doors

Okay, now you will use the small dowel rod again and stick it into the bottom hole in the cabinet, measure. Add 1/8″ to that measurement. Stick the small dowel rod into the door and mark the dowel, measure that…and add the number you had from the cabinet and 1/8″ to this number. This will be the measurement for your 1/2″ oak dowel rod that will be glued inside that door.

So let’s say your hole in the cabinet is 1″, plus the 1/8″ = 1 1/8″ then let’s say the depth of the hole in the door measures 1 1/4″, your total size to cut your dowel rod for that door is 2 3/8″ long.

Once it’s cut, you can glue it in the door and test it. You will have to pound it into the hole with a hammer and a scrap wood block. I cut mine a hair on the long side just in case, you can easily cut it down while it’s in the door but it’s a lot harder to pull it out and cut a new one.

Check the spacing, you are looking at the spacing between the top of the door and the cabinet and the bottom of the door and the cabinet. You are also checking the space on the left or right of the door (whichever is the hinge side) making sure it isn’t too close or too far away from the cabinet leg.

If all the spacing looks good, you will want to drill the holes in the top of the cabinet.

Drilling the Holes in the Top of the Media Cabinet

You will want to mark the holes on the top the same as the bottom, the only problem is, the top doesn’t have a 2×4 on its side, you are drilling through the face of the 2×4. Luckily, using a square you can manage to mark it the same as the bottom.

Make sure and use a scrap piece of wood clamped to the top of the cabinet to keep from having rough holes on the top of the cabinet.

Drill the holes!

I had to use an extender only because my shelf was in the drill’s way, if you have already notched the shelf as it is shown in the media cabinet plans, you shouldn’t need an extender!

Epoxy Pipe in Top of Media Cabinet

Once the top cabinet holes are drilled, you can epoxy the pipe in the top holes just as you did in the bottom. You know the holes are drilled 1 1/2″ deep but you will want the pipe set down a 1/4″ or so so that you can cap the hole with a 5/8″ dowel and not see any of the pipe or hole! So cut 4 pipe pieces at 1 1/4″ and epoxy in place!

Drilling the Holes in the Top of the Doors

Allow the epoxy to set. Then place the doors back in place, line them up and drill through the top of the cabinet into the door with your 1/2″ drill bit. Drilling the door holes this way helps ensure the holes are lined up!

Measuring to Cut Dowel Rods for Top Doors

Using a long dowel rod not cut to size yet, you can check the door and see how it’s going to look!

Now using the small dowel rod, measure how deep you drilled the holes into the top of your doors, add 1/8″ and add 1 1/4″ to that measurement!

Let’s say you drilled into your door 1 1/8″, add 1/8″ to that = 1 1/4″ then add + 1 1/4″ = 2 1/2″, you would cut your 1/2″ oak dowel at 2 1/2″ and glue it into place from the top of the cabinet! You will have to hammer it into place using another piece of the dowel so that you can hammer it into the hole…if that makes sense!

Cover the Holes in the Top of the Media Cabinet

Once you have hammered the dowel rods into place in the top, you will cut 1/4″ pieces of 5/8″ pine dowels to cover the holes in the top. Make sure and use wood glue, but don’t gob it on, keep it minimal so it doesn’t squeeze out on top! Stain the dowel! BOOM!! You just made your OWN hinges from dowels and pipe!! How cool is that?! I was pretty proud, and you have every right to be as well!😉😊

Open and close those doors…open and close, open and close…you did that…you did that!! 💃Woohoo! Now sit back and enjoy that fact that YOU built a media cabinet to hide all the ugly stuff! Haha!!

Let me know if you have any questions or comments below! I appreciate you stopping by!

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DIY TV Stand / Media Console

November 9, 2020 by Cara Leave a Comment

This is some funny shiz I tell you! This DIY TV Stand was supposed to be posted on the 4th of January! 😅 When I pulled the draft up, I had a GREAT LAUGH at what I felt coming into 2020…if only I would have known!!! OY!!!😂😆😂 This is what it said:

“Happy New Year! Can you believe another year has FLOWN by? I cannot…though I cannot say I am upset about 2019 being over either! Lol! I am excited to see what 2020 has in store and it is starting off pretty great since I was able to complete today’s beautiful DIY TV stand/media console!”

Bwahahaha!! I can’t believe I thought 2020 was going to be GREAT and I was happy 2019 was over…what I would do to have 2019 back now!!😂 I have had enough of you Corona, feel free to leave ANY DAY NOW! Lol!

Moving on! Let me show you the media console already I mean that is actually what this post is about, I promise!😉

I mean, isn’t that the most beautiful, brawny thing you have ever seen? 😍 (Don’t worry, that strange pinkish stripe isn’t so obvious in real life! Lol!) I saw a media console just like this over at RH.com and I could not help but copy them and build it! I LOVE this thing and am so happy to not only have this LARGE version available but I will also have plans for a smaller one as well Friday!

I know that not everyone has 93″ to spare on a living room wall for this DIY tv stand but the smaller version will only require 49″ of space! Woohoo!

I also have a few other projects that you may want to take a look at if this DIY TV stand is too large for your space!

DIY Industrial Media Console

DIY Slim Truss Console Table

This buffet could definitely be used as a media console if you wanted as well! Herringbone Door Buffet

I love that it looks a little rustic farmhouse, but at the same time has such a unique modern look! I am completely smitten with this piece of furniture! ☺ First, it was gnomes throughout the holidays, now it is my DIY media console! Wow, it really doesn’t take a lot to steal my heart…my hubby better watch out!😂😂😜

Not only is it beautiful on the outside, but it’s also beautiful on the inside as well…you know where it normally doesn’t count on a piece of furniture! Haha! It has all the media storage you need, DVD and game drawers, and shelves that hold all the accessories and consoles perfectly!

(Don’t mind that the back isn’t on yet! Lol! Or that I don’t have pictures in those frames either!😂🙈)

Enough about me and my love affairs…would you like to build one? I do, I do!

Here are the downloadable plans:

DIY LARGE MEDIA CONSOLE

DIY SMALL MEDIA CONSOLE

If you love this DIY tv stand/media console but you don’t have time to build it now, make sure and PIN IT so you can find it later!

Materials for DIY TV Stand:

**Amazon links below are affiliate links! Any purchases made after clicking an affiliate will pay me a small percentage of your purchase amount at no extra cost to you! And I really appreciate it!😘 Other links are provided to help you but are not affiliate links!👍

-2 – 3/4″ – 4×8 sheets of plywood

-1 – 1/2″ 4×8 sheet of plywood

-7 – 2x4x10

-1 – 2x6x10

-1 – 1x12x10

-1 – 1x4x10

-2 – 1x5x8

-3 – 1x2x8

-2 – 2x2x8

-1 – 2x3x8

-2 – 1/4″ 2×4 sheet of plywood

–Kreg Jig

–Wood glue

–2 1/2″ pocket hole screws

–1 1/4″ pocket hole screws

–1″ pocket hole screws

–2″ flat head screws – This is my FAVORITE brand of wood screw ever!

–saw

–drill

–jig saw or scroll saw

-1/2″ oak dowels for the hinges

-5/8″ pine dowel

-1/2″ copper pipe for hinges

–epoxy

–pipe cutter

Cut List for DIY TV Stand:

2 – 2×4 @ 93″ mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel (front and back of the top frame)

2 – 2×4 @ 20″ mitered at 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel (side of the top frame)

6 – 2×4 @ 40 1/2″ (front and back rails)

6 – 2×4 @ 34 1/2″ (legs)

3 – 2×4 @ 16″ (side and middle rails)

4 – 2×6 @ 26 3/4″ (doors)

4 – 1×12 @ 26 3/4″ (doors)

4 – 1×4 @ 26 3/4″ (doors)

8 – 2×2 @ 15 1/2″ (doors)

4 – 2×3 @ 22 3/4″ (door handles)

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 13″ x 86″ (top)

3 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 16″ x 27″ (sides and middle)

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 16″ x 87″ (bottom)

2 – 1/4″ pieces of plywood @ 24″ x 43″ (back) you can route a space or just staple on

Optional Interior – Wood is accounted for in the Materials list

Interior left:

8 – 1×2 @ 15 3/4″ for undershelf braces

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 43 5/8″ with notches cut on the front edge

3 – 1/2″ pieces of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 36″ (drawer bottoms)

6 – 1/2″ pieces of plywood ripped down to 3 1/2″ wide x 36″ long (drawer fronts and backs)

6 – 1/2″ pieces of plywood ripped down to 3 1/2″ wide x 14 3/4″ long (drawer sides)

4 – 1×5 @ 43 5/8″

Interior Right:

8 – 1×2 @ 15 3/4″ undershelf braces

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 43 5/8″ with notches cut on the front edge

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 20″ (first vertical board)

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 36 5/8″ with notch cut in right front edge (second horizontal shelf)

1 – 3/4″ piece of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 14″ (second vertical board)

Option 2: One shelf on each side

2 – 3/4″ pieces of plywood @ 15 3/4″ x 43 5/8″ with notches cut on front edges

If you want the free downloadable plans, click the link and enter your email, the plans will be sent straight to your inbox! DIY TV Stand Printable Plans

Building the DIY TV Stand

I used the Kreg Jig to build this DIY TV stand, so let me share a little info on how to use the Kreg Jig just in case you are new here!

Since we are using 2x wood (2x4s) the actual width of the 2x4s is 1 1/2″, so we are going to set the Kreg Jig to 1 1/2″.

Then we will set the drill bit to the same depth of 1 1/2″.

Now clamp your board, and drill your holes!

Building the back frame of the DIY TV Stand / Media Console

You can see in the photos below where you need to place the pocket holes.

You will want to use wood glue on ALL the joints during the build and any 2x wood, you will use 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws!

The back frame is done.

Building the front frame of the DIY TV Stand / Media Console

The front frame is almost the same as the back except the 2x4s @ 40 1/2″ across the top are not there. You will just add the actual top board (2×4 @ 93″ 45 degrees off square, ends not parallel) to hold it all together. This same board will be placed on the back frame in later steps as well.

The top frame board is not flush with the front or back but centered on the two, which will make it a 1″ overhang on both sides. I used 1″ scrap pieces of wood under the other 2x4s to keep it in place and amke sure it was attached correctly.

back

front

See how it is missing the top 2x4s? That’s how you want it to look! Front frame is done! See downloadable plans if you need extra help understanding the building of the front or back frame.

Attaching Front and Back Frames

Attach the front and back frames together using the side and middle rail boards (3 – 2x4s @ 16″).

I added the side plywood at the same time as the bottom 2x4s to keep everything square and held in place. The plywood is only 3/4″ thick, actual measurement, so the Kreg Jig will need to be changed to 3/4″, the drill bit will need to be changed to 3/4″ as well. You will use 1 1/4″ screws to attach!

Make sure and drill pocket holes on all four sides of the plywood, the holes drilled along the top of the plywood will be used later to attach the top.

I used a place holder because I used a solid bottom piece of plywood instead of two cut pieces. I placed the middle 2×4 @ 16″ down 3/4″ to accommodate the plywood going over it. If this doesn’t make sense, the printable plans will help!

Make sure and use wood glue on the plywood as well.

Now, go figure, it wouldn’t be a complete post if I didn’t forget to take pictures at a certain point or lose the pictures if I did take them! I swear if only I started and finished a project in a normal amount of time, maybe I wouldn’t have to say this pretty much EVERY STINKING POST! OY! As usual, I apologize and will use Sketchup pics where I didn’t take them!

Now, the next few steps are shown in the order that I did them, but you are more than welcome to change that up, I was not sure what I was doing for the shelves at first so I built the basic outside structure and then added the shelving, the doors, and last the drawers because they have to fit inside the doors!

Adding the Bottom Plywood

I attached the bottom plywood at this point, I usually always flip a cabinet over and attach top first and work my way down (up) to the bottom, but I am not using pocket holes to attach my shelves so I did not add them first, but you can.

The easiest way to do this is to place your plywood across the bottom, and then clamp scrap boards across the bottom of the media cabinet along the 2x4s, then flip the cabinet over so you can lay your plywood on your scrap boards and it will be supported while you screw it into place! (Pretend the plywood is under those ‘clamped boards’…lol!)

Add the Middle Partition

Choose whichever side you would like the pocket holes to face. Screw the partition into place!

Building the Top of the DIY TV Stand

Now we can finish the top! Building the top of the media console consists of finishing the mitered frame as I will call it, and then attaching the plywood inside of the frame.

The front board of the top is already attached to the console, I suggest adding the sides next and then the back. All the top frame boards are mitered at 45 degrees off square, but you can still use pocket holes to attach them. Make sure when you are drilling your pocket holes that you can see where they will be drilled so you can make sure there will not be any unsightly holes on the edge of a board.

Drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes into the side boards only, on both ends. Attach these with pocket holes to the front board, and then add the back. Flipping it over helps see where the pocket holes are the easiest and will hold your plywood in place as you attach it as well.

Make sure after you have attached the new frame boards to each other that you use the previously drilled pocket holes to attach it all to the cabinet as well!

Building the Doors of the DIY TV Stand

Alright, the doors are the hardest part of the build. They are not actually hard per se, more so, they require a few jigsaw/scroll saw cuts which if you have been here any length of time, you know I am not great at the small tedious stuff that requires skill!! LOL!!

This was the part when I started putting it all off because the cuts had to be precise and I am not good at precise, don’t be like me, putting it off does not make you any more precise! 😅 Just get it over with, and worst-case scenario, the sooner you start, the sooner you can recut them if needed! (That was me talking to myself as well!🤓)

Start off by cutting all your door boards to the same length. This is important so you may want to set up a stop block to make sure they are all exact! Each door will consist of:

1 – 2×6 @ 26 3/4″

1 – 1×12 @26 3/4″

1 – 1×4 @ 26 3/4″

They will be attached in that order! I used pocket holes drilled along both sides of the 1×12 to attach. Again, a 1x has an actual measurement of 3/4″ so pocket holes will be drilled at a depth of 3/4″ and attached with 1 1/4″ screws and wood glue.

The 1×12 is flush with the back of the 2×6, creating dimension between the 2×6 and the 1×12 on the front of the door…if that makes sense.

I also had to rip a 1/4″ off of the 1x4s to make the door 20″ wide. A 2×6 has an actual width of 5 1/2″ + the actual width of a 1×12 is 11 1/4″ + the actual width of a 1×4 is 3 1/2″ so that equals 20 1/4″ and we need our doors to be 20″ total! I actually even ended up having to shave a little more off of each one after making my dowel hinges because they moved the doors over slightly more than 1/8″, so you may want to go slightly over 1/4″ or you can do as I did and run them through the table saw after you have the dowel hokes drilled! Up to you!

After assembling the boards for the door, it’s time to add the 2x2s to the front. These have small notches taken out on one end. The notches are cut at 3/4″ x 3/4″. This will fit over the edge of the 2×6. I notched them using the scroll saw but you can use a jigsaw if you don’t have a scroll saw.

This photo above was taken before I rounded all the edges of the 2x2s with a sander.

Measure down 4″ from the top and 4″ up from the bottom, that is where you will set your 2x2s, make sure they are flush with the edge of the door.

I measured on the back as well to make sure my screws go into the center of the 2×2.

I put ample wood glue on the 2x2s and clamped them in place where I wanted them, and picked up the door to screw them in from the back. Use flat headed screws though, I used Kreg Screws and the rounded head was keeping the doors from closing all the way! LoL! It’s ALWAY something I learn along the way that I shouldn’t have done! 😆

Use 2″ screws to attach.

Making Handles for the DIY TV Stand

The last thing to do before the doors are finished is turning a 2×3 into a handle! This was the trickiest part since it has to fit perfectly over the 2x2s we attached in the last step.

2x3s are an off the shelf lumber in hardware stores around me, but I know that they may not be as common in some areas. If that is the case, you can rip a 2×4 down to 2 1/2″. I actually ran the 2×3 through my table saw just to take the rounded edge off so it sat completely flat against the door!

Once you have the 2x3s cut down to 22 3/4″ and the rounded edge removed, if you prefer, then just set them on top of the 2x2s and mark where they need to be cut.

Cut them and glue and screw them from the back just as you did the 2x2s!

Dowel Hinges for DIY TV Stand

Now you need to attach the doors to the console, but I couldn’t find any store bought hinges that would work on a 2x board! 😬 Didn’t even think about that when I was planning the build of this TV stand! But luckily, I came up with an idea to make my own dowel and pipe hinges…and believe it or not, it worked! 😵 I made a separate post since it’s kind of a process and more than enough for a whole post of its own! See it here:

DIY DOWEL HINGES

Building the Interior of the DIY TV Stand to Fit Your Needs

Lastly, you need to deck out the inside to fit your needs! Are you a gamer or have gamers in the house, you can easily make sure that all the gaming equipment fits perfectly into the console. Are you a movie lover and buy all the DVDs and Blu Rays of your favorite movies, if so you can build the drawers like I did to easily find the movie you are looking for! Or do you just want some basic simple shelves to store stuff inside, you can make that work as well!

This is the REASON I DIY! I LOVE to be able to build to suit my needs! We needed a little room to store odd-sized gaming equipment, a record player and amp… and a lot of DVDs… this is what worked perfectly! You can customize this part to fit exactly what you want! If you happen to want yours just like mine, continue reading on to see how I did all the interior parts of the TV stand!

If you want just one shelf midway in the cabinet, it will simply be 2 pieces of plywood cut at 43 5/8″ and either pocket holed into place, or you can use 1x2s as I did to brace the shelves so you can easily change them if need be!

Building Out the Left Side of the DIY TV Stand

Add the top shelf! Since it is the longest shelf you will need to add it to the media console before adding the doors or drawers!

The top shelf needs to be notched out of the front edges so that the doors can easily swing into this space when opening. They are notched 1″ inward and 4 1/2″ long.

Using the 1x2s @ 15 3/4″ brace the shelf up on both sides with 1 1/4″ screws. You can glue the 1x2s if you would like, but I didn’t so I could move them if I ever wanted to change it up!

Next, you will build the drawer boxes! They are 36″ long by 15 3/4″ wide, they have to be this short to fit between the two open doors! And before you build yours, you will want to MAKE SURE AND MEASURE between your two open doors! Yes, that does mean that the doors should be in place, or at least holes drilled and tested to make sure of the space between them! Check top and bottom measurements as well, as one of my top dowels went in a little crooked and the bottom drawer had to be slightly smaller than 36″.

Take your piece of 1/2″x 36″x 15 3/4″ piece of plywood and attach 2 – 1/2″x 36″x 3 1/2″ and 2 – 1/2’x 14 3/4″x 3 1/2″ pieces to it with pocket holes drilled at 1/2″ depth and use 1″ screws! Make sure and USE WOOD GLUE or else your boxes can easily fall apart!

As you can see in the pic below, you will drill pocket holes along the edge of all the boards and on the two small (14 3/4″x 3 1/2″) will have holes drilled on both ends as well!

Drawer slides are attached to the bottom of the drawers since they are set too far in to be side slides. I attached the slides to the bottom of the drawer first. By the way, I bought these drawer slides from D. Lawless Hardware and they are a fraction of the cost of the ones from the big box stores, but JUST AS AMAZING!

I used side mount drawer slides even though they have bottom mount! Lol!

The bottom drawer is just going to have drawer slides affixed to the bottom plywood of the cabinet.

Set the drawer in place, and then push down on the inside of the drawer to slide the drawer out without moving the whole slide, only slide it out a small way and climb over the drawer to attach screws! Then pull the drawer out furthur to place other screws!

First drawer is IN!!! Pop open a cold drink and celebrate!!😁

The next drawer needs supports to attach the drawer slides to, so I added 2 – 1x5s to attach the slides to, you can use another size board if you can’t find 1x5s but I wouldn’t go with a smaller board, only larger. If you went with a smaller board, there wouldn’t be a place for more than 2 screws in the slides!

I attached the 1x5s the same way I did all the other shelves, just a 1×2 brace. I went ahead and put both of the sets of 1x5s in at this point because you can move them out of your way, but if you don’t put them in at this point you won’t have enough room to put them in!

The first set goes in at 7 1/4″ from the bottom of the cabinet, to the bottom of the 1×5. Second goes in at 15″ up from the bottom of the cabinet to the bottom of 1×5. (supports go below)

Now all you have to do is build the other 2 drawer boxes and put them in! Keeping the back of the cabinet open is the only way to get the top drawer slides in! After it is all in and finished, then you can add the back…or not as I have yet to do!😂🙈

Building Out the Right Side of the DIY TV Stand

On to the shelves! Woot, Woot!

Now, just an FYI, the shelves must be in BEFORE the doors go on!

The top shelf is the exact same as on the left side. It is just set a little lower to allow for taller gaming consoles. It is set at 20″ up from the bottom of the cabinet.

On the right side, the same 1×2 @ 15 3/4″ support boards are used to support all shelves. You can choose whether or not you want to screw the shelf down to the support boards or not.

The next shelf is the verticle shelf to the left.

Then the second horizontal shelf.

In this pic below. it does not show the notch cut, but it does NEED TO BE NOTCHED only on the right side but just like the top shelf! The notch will be 1″ inward and 4 1/2″ long. The door will not open if it is not notched!

Last but not least is the vertical divider!

Boom! DONE! Fill it up with all the stuff that has been lying around for the last year…oh that’s just me?! My bad!😅😂

Now put doors on this side to COMPLETE your DIY media cabinet, gaming storage, tv stand, whatever you want to call it!! Or heck you can use it as a buffet, or any other table you need! Here’s the link to the DOWEL AND PIPE HINGES in case you missed it above!

And just like that, you made a beautiful piece of artwork that hides and organizes all of your tv watching and gaming needs!

I happen to LOVE it! It looks EVEN BETTER in real life, if that’s even possible!😊

Well, I better get to work on all my fun fall projects I have planned over the next couple weeks! See you soon!

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DIY Neutral Fall Wreath

October 22, 2020 by Cara Leave a Comment

Y’all, I swear I went into Hobby Lobby to get marigold and orange-colored FALL decor items…but I came out with neutral greens, blues, and white makings for a DIY Neutral Fall wreath! 😂🙈

The saying, “Old habits are hard to break,” is no lie!! I am not a fan of oranges and yellows in general, but I was loving some of the ideas I had seen on Pinterest and in the Pottery Barn magazine, so this year I was going all-in on the REAL fall colors! Lol! Nope, naturally, my mind and old habits had other plans! I am just going to blame Hobby Lobby for being sold out of almost everything fall-related!😅

Well, just in case you can’t break your habit of purchasing neutral fall decor like me, I’ll show you how I made this wreath! 😉

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Materials for DIY Neutral Fall Wreath:

*Amazon links below are affiliate links! Affiliate links offer me a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking one! It helps me keep this small little blog running, so I appreciate it!😘 Other links are just for the convenience of finding the same products I used!

–grapevine wreath

-2 – eucalyptus stems

-1 – dusty miller stem

-1 box of pumpkins

–hot glue gun and glue sticks

–floral wire

–ribbon

Making the Neutral Fall Wreath

Gather ‘dem supplies! I purchased most items at Michaels and Hobby Lobby, if you aren’t going out much Amazon has the same stems (just search eucalyptus and dusty miller stems), they are just a little more expensive!

Sorry, all the shots for the tutorial are darker than I would like, and they are upside down to the camera, so that is why they look strange! Lol! But it was easier to see what I was doing this way as opposed to the other way! 😅 I’ll try to do better next time! 😬

I always start by taking my grapevine wreath form and lay my florals out on it to get an idea of exactly how I want them to be placed before I start gluing and cutting. I did cut the large stem off though, just did not cut them apart!

I even had to check the bow! Lol!

Okay, I think I like my idea, so I can move on and ACTUALLY start making the neutral fall wreath!😉

I went ahead and cut apart the eucalyptus!

I didn’t completely cut it apart, I left the one main branch together.

Then placed the main branch back where it was and hot glued it in place!

Repeat for the bottom.

I added floral wire around the stems and tied in the back just to make sure those babies stay in place!

I added glue to some of the smaller pieces of eucalyptus that I cut off earlier and attached them on the top and bottom.

Next, I added the dusty miller small pieces of the stem. One on the “top” section and one on the “bottom” section, hot glued in place.

I wrapped a piece of ribbon around all the greenery at this point and hot glued it in place. I’ll make the bow later but for now, that’s how I left it! Lol!

Now add those pumpkins to give it that FALL FLAIR!!👌 Just put ample hot glue all over the bottoms of the pumpkins, you may need to add more once you have it in place!

Oh man, I may be biased but I think it’s looking soooo good! 😍

Last little tidbit, make that faux bow that I swear I put on EVERY dang wreath I make! 😂 I warned you that I can’t break my old habits! I don’t lie! 😂 I do think you could leave it JUST like it is in the above photo and it would be perfect, I am kinda wondering why I didn’t! Lol!

I make this faux bow as you will see in my Christmas wreath from last year, and my spring wreath from YEARS ago as well! It’s about the EASIEST way to ever make a bow.

Make a large loop, whatever size you want the bow, find the middle of the loop and then make as many more loops that same size. My bow is three loops obviously!

Cut the ribbon a little longer than needed for the bow to wrap around the middle, as if you tied it!

You will want to cut another piece of ribbon to be the tails of the bow…FAKE, FAKE, FAKE I tell you! LOLOL!

Hot glue it to the back of the bow.

Attach the bow with hot glue to your wreath where you wrapped the ribbon earlier!

Boom, DONE!

I love it! It is simple elegance and I am here for it!🤗

Now I just need to get some pretty plants in that empty planter!😂 I can’t win ’em all Jack! Hope you like the new wreath! I’d love for you to share it if you do!😘

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Gathering Supplies for the DIY Lap Desk

Materials Needed to Build the DIY Lap Desk for Bed:

Cut List to Build the DIY Lap Desk:

Building the DIY Lap Desk for Bed

Gathering Supplies for the DIY Queen Bed Frame

Materials for DIY Queen Bed

Cut List for DIY Queen Bed

Building the DIY Queen Bed Frame

Building the Footboard for the Queen Bed Frame

Building the Headboard for the Queen Bed Frame

Building the Sides of the DIY Queen Bed Frame

Building the Bed Supports for the Queen Bed Frame

Building the Queen Bed Frame as a Platform Bed

Materials for the DIY Napkin Rings

Making the DIY Gold Hexagon Napkin Rings

Materials for DIY Marble Epoxy Pumpkin Chargers:

Making DIY Marble Epoxy Pumpkin Chargers

Cutting the Pumpkin Shape out of Plywood

Setting Up to Pour Epoxy

Pouring the Marble Epoxy Over the Pumpkin

Creating the Marble Veins in the Epoxy

Finishing the Marble Epoxy Pumpkins

Making Your DIY Hinges from Dowel and Pipe

Drill holes in the bottom of the media cabinet

Cut Pipe to Fit in Holes

Epoxy Pipe in Place

Drill Holes in the Bottom of the Doors

Measure to Cut Dowel Rod for Bottom Doors

Drilling the Holes in the Top of the Media Cabinet

Epoxy Pipe in Top of Media Cabinet

Drilling the Holes in the Top of the Doors

Measuring to Cut Dowel Rods for Top Doors

Cover the Holes in the Top of the Media Cabinet

Materials for DIY TV Stand:

Cut List for DIY TV Stand:

Building the DIY TV Stand

Building the back frame of the DIY TV Stand / Media Console

Building the front frame of the DIY TV Stand / Media Console

Attaching Front and Back Frames

Adding the Bottom Plywood

Add the Middle Partition

Building the Top of the DIY TV Stand

Building the Doors of the DIY TV Stand

Making Handles for the DIY TV Stand

Dowel Hinges for DIY TV Stand

Building the Interior of the DIY TV Stand to Fit Your Needs

Building Out the Left Side of the DIY TV Stand

Building Out the Right Side of the DIY TV Stand

Materials for DIY Neutral Fall Wreath:

Making the Neutral Fall Wreath

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