Wall Decor

DIY Ice Skate Decor

December 22, 2019 by Cara Leave a Comment

Alright, I am still way behind on my 25 DIYs of Christmas! I am going to continue posting them right up through Christmas though because most of them can be made after Christmas to use as winter decor or they are gift ideas, and gifts can be given year-round! Lol! For instance, this DIY Ice Skate Decor can be used long after Christmas and through the winter!

I learned with this project that it is absolutely my (non)skill and not the saw when it comes to scrolling work! Lol! I cut these ice skates on my grandad’s DeWalt scroll saw, which as you may or may not know, Lizzy from The House of Timber on Instagram worked absolute MAGIC on that Dewalt saw…but as it turns out, it is actually Lizzy’s skill, not the saw! ???? I tried though, so there’s that! And they don’t look THAT bad! If I would have sanded a little more, they would probably look really good!????

Even if they aren’t perfect, I LOVE the ice skates decorating the swag wreath, you know I picked up this fresh greenery at Walmart for 5 bucks! It was a bouquet in the floral section! It smells amazing of course!????

Don’t mind my door either that needs to be refinished! ???? It’s 303rd on the list of stuff that needs to be done around here! I’ll get to it…that’s my motto!????

It is a really fun craft that you can easily do, once you cut them out, you can adorn them while enjoying some family time because they really don’t take any effort! Just stain, paint, drill holes and attach fur and string! Boom, cutest wintery ice skates to accessorize any wreath, entryway hooks or wall decor!

I cannot help but smile every time I walk in my front door, and that is a successful project in my eyes! ????

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Let’s get your’s made too!????

I have provided the THE PATTERN FOR THE ICE SKATES so you can make them too! If you are a patient person, you will have no problem cutting them out on the scroll saw! You can even use a jigsaw, I honestly think a jigsaw is easier than a scroll saw…well in some ways! Lol!

Materials:

***Amazon links are affiliate links! What does that mean, you ask? If you click an Amazon link below and make a purchase…I make a small percentage of that purchase at no extra cost to you! I always appreciate your support through affiliate purchases!????

-2 scrap pieces of 1/4″ plywood (8×8) or if this is the first project you are doing, you can purchase a 1/4″x 2’x2′ project panel at your local hardware store.

– Drill and 5/16″ drill bit

–faux fur fabric or ribbon

–1/4″ cotton cord – I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby but can’t find it on their website – it was from the area with the jute rope and cotton rope but the cost was only 4.99 and I was able to use a 40% off coupon on it!

-stain/paint of your choice

–scroll saw or jigsaw

–stencil if you want to paint snowflakes

–spray adhesive – I found it cheapest in-store at Walmart!

–painter’s tape

Making your DIY Ice Skate Decor

Step 1

Print out your pattern for the ice skates! Get it above if you haven’t already!

Step 2

Use painter’s tape to cover both sides of one of the scrap pieces of 1/4″ plywood, and on only one side of the other piece! Then use the spray adhesive to ‘glue’ two painter’s taped sides together and then use the spray adhesive again on the one other painter’s taped side to attach your pattern to that piece of plywood. You are going to cut the two skates at the same time so they will be identical!

I was working on like 5 crafts at the same time, so when I threw the pattern on the wood and got it ready to cut, I totally forgot to take a picture or video this step! I apologize, but hope you understand the concept!????

I actually forgot to tape the front of mine, and when I peeled my pattern off the top, it didn’t leave a residue! I was shocked, but I wouldn’t risk it if I were you…just use the painter’s tape to be sure!

Step 3

Cut your ice skates out!

Now that you have the base of your ice skate decor, gather the rest of your supplies!

Step 4

Stain or paint the skates! I did my skates in this order, but you should probably drill the holes very first!????

I used Weathered Stain by Old Barn Living, it may be MY FAVORITE STAIN of all time!!

Step 5

Drill the holes for the laces!

Using a scrap piece of wood to keep from drilling into my table, I just measured and drilled 4 holes along the ice skates. I then realized there needed to be another, and came back and drilled an extra one at the top!

The first hole is drilled at 1 5/8″ from the top of the skate and all the holes are 1/2″ from the front of the skate, and then they were 3/4″ apart.

Step 6

Paint the white accents on the one skate, or both if you like that look better!

Using a stencil paint the snowflakes…the trick to a stencil is to have VERY LITTLE paint on your paintbrush and slowly build up the color! I went too heavy on my first snowflake! Oops!

Step 7

Once I painted the first snowflake I set it aside to let it dry, and started lacing the stained skate!

Start at the bottom and only pull half of your string through the lace holes. Leave the string longer on the bottom! (Remember how I drilled 4 holes at first and then decided I needed the 5th hole, this is when I only had 4 holes!) But don’t feed your string through the 5th hole, stop at the 4th!

Step 8

Bring the long string from the bottom up through the laces to the top.

Bring that lace from the backside through the last (5th) hole, and tie the two strings together on the front of the skate!

Step 9

Add the fur to the top of the skate with hot glue! I have used this faux fur a lot this holiday season and one trick I have learned is to cut your fur about an inch larger than you need and then along the bottom, push the fur upwards when you cut it down to size. Then when you flip the fur back down, it is uneven and realistic looking instead of being bluntly cut!

Step 10

Repeat to finish the other ice skate!

Step 11

Using a long piece of your string, cut it to the size that you want and hot glue it to the back of both skates!

Let it dry and hang it wherever your heart desires to add some wintery / holiday cheer!

I LOVE mine! How will you use them this Christmas or winter? I would love to see!

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas everyone! I should be back with 3 or 4 more projects before then, but just in case we miss each other…Merry Christmas!

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DIY Dartboard Cabinet

December 13, 2019 by Cara 1 Comment

Project number 4 is here! This is one of my favorite projects out of my 25 days of a DIY Christmas! My boys have been wanting me to make this DIY dartboard cabinet forever and ever! Well, here they go, an early Christmas present! Lol!

The best part is, I didn’t have to make the dartboard, just the cabinet, so you can throw it together in a couple of hours! What a GREAT gift idea, ready in a couple of hours! Sweeeeetttt!

Want to see the other projects I’ve posted for the 25 Days of a DIY Christmas?

Let’s not waste any time getting started, if you are like me you are already a little behind so we don’t have much time…Christmas is in less than 2 weeks! What?! Yea, we better get ON IT, let’s go!

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Materials:

–18″ dartboard

-1 – 1x4x8

-1 – 1x6x6 or a scrap piece of 1×6 ( you will only need 26 1/2″)

-1 – 1x2x6 or 2 scrap pieces of 1×2 ( you will only need 2 – 8″ pieces)

– 1 – 1/2″ 2’x4′ sheet of plywood

-12 ft of 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ lattice (from the molding section)

–2 knobs

–4 small hinges

–double magnetic latch

–chalkboard paint

–Kreg jig

–1″ Kreg screws

–brad nailer

–drill

–1/8″ drill bit

–wood glue

–saw

–white paint marker

Cut List:

-1 – 1/2″ piece of plywood @ 23″ x 23″ (back)

-2 – 1/2″ pieces of plywood @ 11 5/16″ x 22 7/8″(doors)

-2 – 1×4 @ 24 1/2″(frame)

-2 – 1×4 @ 23″ (frame)

-1 – 1×6 @ 26 1/2″ (top)

-4 – 1/4″ lattice strips @ 19 7/8″ (door molding)

-4 – 1/4″ lattice strips @ 11 5/16″ (door molding)

-2 – 1×2 @ 8″ (dart holders)

Building the DIY Dartboard Cabinet

To start I ripped down my plywood to 23″x 23″ so that I could get by with using one 1×4 instead of needing two! If you don’t have a table saw to rip the plywood you can use a clamp and a board as a guide, or the Kreg Rip-cut works really well! Or have Home Depot or Lowe’s do it for you when you purchase your plywood, just know that they won’t be the prettiest cuts!????

Next, cut the frame boards. To attach the frame boards, you will need to drill pocket holes in the back plywood. If you don’t have a Kreg jig, you could get by with using a brad nailer and wood glue, it is just really hard to shoot brad nails into 1/2″ plywood without any of them getting wonky and blowing out the side!

Using your Kreg jig, set your jig to 1/2″, then set your drill bit to 1/2″ and clamp your board into place. (sorry the pics are blurry, they are from the video)

Drill holes all around your plywood.

Using wood glue and 1″ pocket hole screws, attach the frame boards to the plywood.

Flip it over and brad nail the side so they don’t lean inward.

I love how that was JUST cut off from the frame of the camera! ???? Hopefully, you can still figure out what I am doing!

Add the 1×6 (ripped down to 4″) to the top of the frame. Center it, then use glue and brad nails to attach it!

Next, cut your lattice strips for the doors. Attach them with wood glue and 5/8″ brad nails. Make sure the depth of your brad nails is just right so they don’t come out on the other side!

Once the doors are framed out on the front, you can dress them up on the back! To make your dart holders, you will need to drill holes in the center of your 1×2 at 2″, 4″, and 6″. They will be drilled into the 3/4″ side of the 1×2.

Then glue the 1x2s onto the backside of one of the doors. Make sure to center them on the door.

Paint or stain your pieces at this point!

Then, using painter’s tape, tape off a section of the door that you did not place your dart holders on, and paint it with chalkboard paint. This will be your scorekeeper.

Attach the doors to the frame with your small hinges. I used them flat since that is the simplest way you can use hinges! Lol! Also because it gives it a little character if you ask me! (no photo, sorry…my hubby did this for me while I was sleeping)

Attach the magnetic latch so that it will hold the doors steady while you drill your holes for your knobs! I just used a screwdriver for this part…and I had help from the best helper! Lol!

Measure and drill your holes to attach your knobs!

I like to use the yellow painter’s tape for marking and then drilling holes because I can see through it to see my mark! And yes, I COULD just mark on the tape but I NEVER remember to put the tape down first, and then I don’t want to go back and measure again! This is what works best for me!

Screw the knobs into place!

Hang that sucker on the wall! I just screwed it into the studs from the front side before hanging the dartboard inside. Don’t mind that this is an incredibly blurry picture my little one took for me! ???? You can see the two black spots, those are the screws into the studs! You could use a hangman if you are giving it as a gift!

Then I put a screw to hang the dartboard inside the cabinet, that way we can change out the dartboard once it has too many holes!

And that is all there is to it! It is finito! ????

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I better get busy, I have sooooo many more projects to bring you before Christmas! Happy Building!

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DIY Winter Christmas Wreath

December 10, 2019 by Cara Leave a Comment

Woohoo! It’s day three! Maybe I should say project three since I am a wee bit behind and it is supposed to be day 9 of the series! Lol! I will catch up at some point I am sure of it, maybe by next Christmas!???? Today’s project is a DIY winter Christmas wreath! I love the metal hoop wreaths but just couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for! I surely made it though!

Here is my DIY Christmas wreath without the mirror behind it, and I really can’t decide which I like better honestly! Lol! There is something so simple without the mirror, but there is that layered feeling with the mirror that I love!

Oh, and LOOK at my cute little gnome painting! My youngest son painted it for me and I couldn’t love anything more than this right now! As my 25 days of a DIY Christmas progresses you will see that I am completely smitten with all things holiday gnome! Lol!

Back to this beautiful wreath though! I love how it has a modern farmhouse style to it but yet with a few added touches, it could fit with any decor!

And, I tallied all the supplies up to see how much it cost, it came in at a grand total of 37 dollars! That’s really not bad for how large and full it is, I mean I’ve seen smaller, skimpier ones for more expensive!

Plus, this was the look I was going for that I couldn’t find anywhere. I wanted a wire hoop wreath, but not one as simple as most of them that I have seen. I also love decor that can stay up through winter and this is perfect for that!

Alright, here are the instructions! The video will be below and the step by step post is following!

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Materials:

1 Large metal hoop – 19 inches

1 Medium Metal hoop – 14 inches

Ribbon of your choice (mine is from Walmart but they don’t offer it online – it is in the Christmas section though)

4 large stems of your choice (mine has 2 glittery Eucalyptus from Hobby Lobby which I could not locate online, here is a link to the closest thing I could find to it: Silver Eucalyptus and 2 glittery pine with pinecones from Target)

4 small stems of your choice (mine has 4 glittery pine with pine cone stems from Hobby Lobby- of course, they don’t have the ones I used online…and I can’t find another one like it online either)

2 small stems (mine are glittery lamb’s ear)

1 stem of champagne balls (mine are from Target and they are not online, ugh!)

floral wire

wire cutters

scissors

hot glue gun

Making the DIY Christmas Wreath

Gather all your supplies and get your hot glue gun ready! I love making wreaths especially on a cold winter day when I am stuck inside, it’s an easy craft that makes a big statement!

Step 1

Tape the two hoops together at the top. I used packaging tape because I knew it would be covered. Even if you want to leave the top without greenery, you can still cover the tape with the ribbon.

I played around with my greenery for a few minutes before actually putting it all together to get an idea of how I wanted them to be placed. This is crucial and you need to do this as well…even if you forget what you JUST put together and attach the wrong stems first!????????

I cut the stems down to a manageable length and started working. Yes, I was supposed to attach the eucalyptus first and had to go back and correct myself! Lol!

Once I had them where I wanted them, I used the floral wire to attach them to the metal hoop.

And then a little hot glue to make sure they don’t go anywhere!

I then worked up the sides to make sure and attach some of the greenery with wire and hot glue so it didn’t get too heavy and hang weird!

Next, I added the little twigs. I took stems out of the lamb’s ear picks because I didn’t want that much, just a touch! I hot glued them and then wrapped the wire around all the little stems once I had them all hot glued in.

Making the Bottom Bow for the DIY Christmas Wreath

Take whatever ribbon you like, wired ribbon preferably, and I only wanted 2 pieces on each side…not sure what you call them on a bow?! Lol! I made a video while making this wreath so the step by step pictures are not as great as they should be, but if you want to see step by step photos, I used the same method as when I made the bow for THIS WREATH. Check that out for help until I get the video uploaded!

I basically find start one side of the bow, and figure out the size by that. Make 2 loops big loops and pinch them in the middle.

Use the floral wire to hold the middle together while you wrap another small piece of ribbon over the center and hot glue it on the back.

Hot glue another ribbon on the back to hang down. Brain fart again as to what they are called!????I am typing this with my eyes half-closed falling asleep so yeah, my brain isn’t working that well…oh the typos I will find tomorrow! ????

Attach the bow to the bottom of the wreath. I used the wire and a lot of hot glue!

Placing the Greenery at the Top of the Wreath

Again, I kind of had to play around with the stems to get them to lay how I liked them. I just used the small stems, one on each side, and bent them downward. Then I added a couple of pieces of the same lamb’s ear I used at the bottom (not the whole pick, just a couple pieces pulled out). This was all out of the frame of my video so I don’t have any photos to share. Ugh! ????

Add the wire and hot glue the picks into place.

I then wrapped a piece of ribbon around the stems and hot glued it over them to hold it all in place.

I stuck a piece of gold balls on each side of the ribbon while the hot glue was still wet. Viola!

I thought I was done at this point, but I had a few stems left and thought I would try adding them along the bottom of the smaller hoop, and I kinda loved it! So you could leave it right here, or you could add a little extra as I did!

Once I had it how I wanted it, I used wire to wrap it all together, and then hot glued it into place!

I added one more small piece of ribbon to cover where the stems cross and it was DONE! And I LOVE it!

Think someone in your family or one of your friends might love this wreath, SHARE IT with them!

Thank you so much for stopping by, can’t wait to see you again soon! Make sure and check out all the other great holiday decor and gift ideas!

Happy Building!

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DIY Advent Calendar

December 3, 2019 by Cara 1 Comment

Hey there! I would like to welcome you to the 1st day of my 25 Days of a DIY Christmas!! I am so excited to bring you a new project every day this December, until Christmas Day! There will be gift ideas and decor items galore, I hope it helps you in some way this Holiday Season! The first project is a DIY Advent Calendar! It is easy enough, you can start it and finish it today and not miss but a couple of days in the countdown because, update, I have had technical difficulties and now, my 25 days are running LATE!????

I saw a similar one at Target and fell in love, but guess what, by the time I went to purchase one, they were long gone at all the Target stores somewhat close by. Dang, it! I knew I should have bought it when I saw it! That was okay though because I wanted to make it a little different, and I could even make it cheaper, so why not?! Plus, I made the back a totally different sign so I can flip it over once we hit Christmas and boom, a winter sign! Lol!

All the projects for my 25 days will be projects that you can complete in a few hours, not days because we all know time seems like it is in short supply this time of year! Make sure and PIN any projects you like because you know you can always build the gifts for Birthdays or Mother/Father’s Day as well and next year you may have more time to build that perfect decor piece!

You can hang it on the wall as well.

Let’s dig right in! I have created videos as well for all the projects to help you see how easy they are! But that’s where my technical difficulties have surfaced and so the video will be late for the show! Lol!

Making Your Own DIY Advent Calendar

Materials:

1 – 1/2″ x 2’x2′ piece of plywood – or scrap piece of plywood 13″x19″

1 – 1x2x8

wooden numbers from 1 – 25 or you can paint them on – I had to buy 5 packages to get all the number 2s that I needed from Hobby Lobby. I was able to get them 40% off but it took two trips.

small greenery to make a wreath

paint/stain of your choice – I used acrylic craft paint in white and black for painted backgrounds. I used Rustoleum stain in Natural Oak for the frame.

small magnet

metal strip – I used a recoil spring off of our lawnmower that the dogs tore up! Lol!

Get the FREE DOWNLOAD files emailed to you to create the same artwork as I have!

Cut List:

-1 – 1/2″ piece of plywood at 13″x19″

-2 – 1×2 @ 11 3/4″ longest side; mitered at 43 degrees off square on one end and 45 degrees off square on the other, ends not parallel (roof)

-2 – 1×2 @ 13″ – longest side; mitered at 43 degrees off square on one end (sides)

-1 – 1×2 @ 14 1/2″ (bottom)

-1 – 1×2 @ 4″ longest side; one end mitered at 43 degrees off square (chimney)

-1 – 1×2 @ 3 1/4″ longest side; one end mitered at 43 degrees off square (chimney)

The video will be HERE once I finish it! The video creates a quick run-through of how to make the DIY advent calendar, below will be the step by step instructions!

Also, pay NO attention to the dates on the camera, I have NO IDEA why they say 2/24/2018…absloutely no clue!????????

Step 1

Cut your piece of plywood down to 13″x19″. I ripped it to width on the table saw and then cut it down to 19″ on the miter saw.

Step 2

Mark your board for the roof. Measure up 13 inches from the bottom on each side and mark 13″. Then find the center of the board, 6 1/2″, at the very top of the board. Draw a line from the side to the center mark on both sides. This creates your roof.

Using the miter saw, cut on the lines you drew. It should be right around 43 degrees off square.

Step 3

Cut the frame for the house out of 1x2s. I cut sides, bottom, roof, and then chimney. The tops of the side pieces are cut at 43 degrees off square but the bottom is just a normal 90 degree cut.

The bottom is cut with both 90 degree cuts.

The top is cut with both ends 43 degrees off square, and ends are NOT parallel.

I did not attach the frame at this point, I went ahead and stained them (golden oak by Rustoleum).

Step 4

I painted the board at this point while I had a flat surface to work on.

To paint the days until Christmas at the top, I used the old print in mirror method, and scratch the back with a pencil. I have the free download available for you as well if you aren’t able to freehand draw it like me! Lol!

Then you just draw over the letters with a paint marker. It’s the only way I can make art, I don’t have a fancy Cricut or Silouhette…and I am not talented enough to freehand anything!????????

I went ahead and spray painted the numbers as well, they started as regular ole wooden numbers, I sprayed them with metallic gold, and they came out looking almost like I stained them in the photos! Lol!????

Oh, how embarrassing…those toes!???? I had a shovel scrape that polish off my big toe just in case you were wondering! Lol!

Step 5

Adding the numbers. I measured the space in between the numbers, which there is 13″ to work with that isn’t part of the roof, and there are 5 rows of numbers, so if you divide 13 by 5, you get 2.6. Each row will be 2.6″ wide, I used this tape that is like painter’s tape to mark the spaces.

Then using super glue, glued them to the board just eyeing the space between each number in the row.

Then I went ahead and did the artwork on the backside, the same way I did the front. Paint it, use your mirror image print out and scratch the back of it to apply your ‘stencil’. Using paint markers fill in the letters! It was much harder to see on the black but any other color seems to work well with this method.

Step 6

Glue and brad nail the frame to the plywood.

Step 7

Add the metal strips in between the numbers, this will give the small magnet on the wreath a way to attach. I made the small strips of metal by cutting a recoil spring off of our lawn mower…don’t laugh, I saw it laying on the ground in our back yard, the dog’s somehow had destroyed our push mower and I sent a picture to my hubby and was like, “Hey, while you are in town, can you grab another of whatever this is?” He was like, “No, you know that’s off the lawnmower?” Ugh, who cares where it came from, I only care where it’s going to go! ???? Anyway, they do have new ones on amazon for 4 bucks, or you can look around Hobby Lobby, they may have something similar. I just cut it with tin snips and spray painted it black. My hubby had to get the rust off of mine first though! ????

Step 8

Make the wreath, using green rope garland I just wrapped it around twice and made it big enough for the number to show through.

Then I added some small pinecones and berries I got from Hobby Lobby in the Christmas section. I just wrapped them around the wreath using the wires they came on.

Glue on a magnet and… there you have it! Such a cute way to countdown the days to Christmas! And after Christmas has come and gone, flip it over and use it as wall art!

See you tomorrow with another day of a DIY Christmas!

Happy Building!

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DIY Fireplace Makeover

November 1, 2019 by Cara Leave a Comment

Hey there everyone! It sure has been a long time since we have hung out here! Lol! I may have been in hiding, but I have been working! My latest installment of, make our house look decent, is our Fireplace Makeover! I could not be more excited with how it turned out!

I bet you are curious to see what it looked like before! Well, here you go!

Sorry I didn’t stage the photo! Lol! When I FINALLY start a project, I can’t even think about wasting time to stage it, and yes, I could have cleaned it since I had to take everything off to get started…but then I would have forgotten to take a before photo!???? I can’t win them all, you just have to have an ugly before photo!????

Now, I didn’t necessarily hate the concrete, it was just starting to flake off. Sometimes large chunks, and most often just powdery residue on the floor around it! It was frustrating to clean it up almost daily. Plus, I wanted to sit and enjoy my coffee by the fireplace…but I would get up and have cement dust all over my butt! ???? Now, I can enjoy it without any worries, and the best part is…I didn’t have to remove the concrete.

Remember the cement wall in my kitchen renovation that we took out? Well, after removing that and the MESS it created, there was NO WAY I was removing this from the fireplace. We decided to just cover it up to make it a quick and easy weekend project! I am hilarious, seriously…a weekend project…bahaha!! Who was I kidding that I can do anything over ONE weekend?! ???? Yeah, I am not sure when I even started this makeover, does that tell you how long ago it was?! I think it was before last Christmas but I am really hoping I am wrong! ????????

Would you like to see how I made this fireplace makeover happen…in way more than a weekend! Lol!

I am so eager to decorate this baby for winter! I can picture it already!????

Alright to start, I will show the materials I used but, if you wanted to makeover your fireplace, in the same way, you will need different amounts of materials!

*NOTE: Links below may be affiliate links! If you click a link, I make a small percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you! I appreciate every time you click a link whether you make a purchase or not! I just love that you are here reading my blog!

Materials:

–3/16″ underlayment (like plywood but cheaper) ripped into 6″ strips

–1/2″ MDF

–1×4 primed board

-2×4 board

–stick of crown molding

–baseboard molding

–pine edge-glued panel

–6×6 cedar post

–brad nailer

–hex bolts

–laser level

–Caulk gun – this is one of my FAVORITE tools ever! No more hand cramps while caulking! I put a link to amazon to show you the caulk gun but you can pick it up at your local Home Depot for 39.99 without a battery or charger if you already have Ryobi 18v tools!

–caulk -Dynaflex Alex Flex – this is also my FAVORITE caulk! The main difference between this caulk and others, this one DOES NOT SHINE through paint! Take it from a woman who has been caulking baseboards, window trim, door trim and everything else in our home…it is the BEST I have found!

Fireplace Makeover

So the whole process of the fireplace makeover is simple as can be! The sheer size of this fireplace and the angles that most fireplaces do not have made it take a lot longer than any other fireplace makeovers will!

I started the makeover by covering the hearth. I ripped the 24″ pine panels down to 19″. The hearth measured a little under 18″ and the MDF was 1/2″ thick that I was adding to the bottom of the hearth. The underlayment was 3/16″ so this left around a 1/2″ hangover which I wanted! Pictures are a little blurry for the next few steps.????

Once I had the hearth, or seat as I think of it, covered I could just start working from the bottom up. I covered the whole base with underlayment. I did not bevel it or anything for the angles since I was adding the MDF molding later.

I then added the trim molding out of MDF, I did miter/bevel the ends for seamless fit! Our fireplace ended up having roughly 30 degree miters, so each board is mitered 15 degrees off square.

I bumped the base MDF up a few inches from the floor because I was adding baseboard over this.

I just kept adding the molding to make the fireplace base match my kitchen cabinets! I love the traditional squares made of molding!

So this was the work I actually accomplished in that one weekend. Then I left it to sit at this place for a long time, you want to know why? My brad nails kept hitting the concrete and curling back up through my shiplap boards…and that pissed me off! Lol! Once I was determined to get back to it, months later, it was quick progress though.

I just cut and brad nailed the shiplap boards over and over until I reached the top of the primed 1×4. Then it was time to figure out the mantel!

We don’t have any real salvaged wood yards around here, and I really didn’t want to build a faux beam mantel, so I decided I would use a real solid piece of wood but I would buy it brand new and let it weather outside for a while. Cedar is the only non-treated wood I could find in a 6×6, and for a reasonable cost, so I went with it!???? After weathering a few weeks it lost that orangy color that cedar tends to have (that I don’t like)! I love it now that it is a more warm wood color with gray tones!????

To hang the cedar post, I had my hubby do this for me while I was out and about on motherly duty! ????He screwed a 2×4 on the fireplace, using hex screws that were pretty big into the studs of the fireplace. You can see it in the picture even though this picture is out of order with the others!

He then traced the 2×4 onto the back of the cedar post, drilled holes in the corners, and using a router routed out the back of the post so it could be ‘hung’ on the 2×4 and screwed into it!

The router didn’t work as fast as he was hoping so he ended up switching over to the circular saw and only using the router on the ends.

We used our laser level to make sure everything was level throughout the entire fireplace makeover. It is so easy to get off and then with all the lines, it is very obvious! This laser level (affiliate link) I cannot recommend enough, it has saved me on ALL my renovation projects! I honestly do not know how I would have accomplished some of them without it!

Anyway, back to the shiplap boards! After the 2×4 was set, I just kept adding the shiplap all the way up to the ceiling! I also had my hubby move the lightboxes to the fireplace instead of in the ceiling. You know, I am not sure I love that I placed the lights there…I wasn’t even thinking that it was going to totally mess up my decor options!????????

If you notice, my very top board is larger than 6″, I had to cut one at 8 1/2″ because the ceiling was not level! Once again, same problem I have all over this house! Lol! I opted to trick the eye into thinking it was straight by placing the larger board. If I would have used a 6″ board, the line would have been under the crown molding on the left side of the fireplace and then you would have seen the line on the right side of the fireplace! Talk about distracting and bothersome! Oy! I would have gone crazy, but this little change-up saved me! ????

I added the crown molding, and boom, almost done! I will admit I was ready to party once I was at this stage in the project!

Now everything just needed to be caulked to cover ALL MY IMPERFECTIONS!! ????

And last but not least, paint! I opted to spray the fireplace vs hand roll it because a few minutes taping everything off saves a TON of time not having to roll the paint on! Each coat literally only took 10 minutes to spray on! The most underrated tool in my tool arsenal I believe is my paint sprayer (affiliate link)! I LOVE my Home Right sprayer…no this post is not sponsored by Home Right, Ryobi, or anyone else, I just love sharing what makes DIY a little easier for me with you!

Here she is ready for her spray!

When using a paint sprayer, you definitely want to cover surfaces because the overspray/dust can go places you wouldn’t even imagine! Lol!

Another amazing product that I discovered recently is this painters’ tape (affiliate link) that comes with 24″ of plastic already attached to it, they even have it with 48″ already attached! Let me just tell you…it’s a freaking game changer…the real MVP of this makeover!????

Primer sprayed! I used the same primer on this as I did my kitchen cabinets, its called Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3, and the best place to get it is your local WalMart, they have the best price!

I painted the fireplace Pure White by Sherwin Williams, two coats and it was time to add all the finishing touches! Woohoo!

Here is the link to the step by step post for the modern blanket ladder I built recently if you would like to build one for yourself!

And here are links to the items I used to decorate the fireplace! Some may be affiliate links, others are not!

Lights – Amazon – I only paid 36.00 for them, when I added this link they are charging 99.00… don’t pay that much they will go down!

Mirror – Target

Basket – Target – discontinued!

Lantern – Walmart

Horse – antique store locally – I would have bought this one off of Wayfair though had I seen it first, I felt like I was completely ripped off on the price of the horse I bought! Lol!

Small White Houses – Target Dollar Spot!

I hope you enjoyed following along with the process of transforming my fireplace in this post! Any questions ask away in the comments! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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DIY Wall Blanket Ladder

August 5, 2019 by Cara Leave a Comment

Hey there! Oh my word, where has our summer gone? I have not accomplished much of anything around here! I planned on getting EVERYTHING under the sun taken care of…but silly me, I should know better than that by now! Lol! I still have three weeks left, I hope to make the most of them by completing more projects like this simple easy DIY wall blanket ladder! But before we get into that, I want to share a little about this summer!

See what happened was, we adopted two puppies!???? But said puppies were so young that they really needed someone to take the place of their mama, and so that has kept us pretty busy! They are finally two months old and getting a little less needy!???? There was a point I felt like I had a newborn baby again! Okay, maybe not quite the same, but definitely time-consuming I tell ya! I want you to meet our new little boys!

His name is Thor and he has already grown so much since I took this photo!???? He is the completely laid back one that is just happy to be outside chewing on his roll of painter’s tape! Lol!

And Dexter! He’s the brains of the operation, and Thor is the brute force! Lol! Dexter thinks he has to be on your lap if you are sitting down, and he is happiest chewing on your fingers… while on your lap! They are mutts, but they look like they have a lot of blue tick hound in them, so wish me luck! Lol!

They both have completely stolen our hearts! ???? They wake me up at 6 am (and if you know me, you know I am NOT a morning person)! Lol! They want to go outside and play all day, but they won’t stay out of the road or keep from eating cat poop that they find…so that means we are pretty much outside with them all day! They are a ton of work, but so worth it!

Anyway, to FINALLY get to the point of today’s post, check out this cute little DIY blanket ladder that hangs on the wall! If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a pic of it while it was still in progress! I thought I wanted to leave it unstained and all modern looking, and I just couldn’t do it! It just did not look right! So I tweaked it until I loved it!

It’s wall-mounted to keep the spiders away from my blankets and I think it’s pretty cute in all it’s matching glory with my wood and leather wall hanging prints!

Try to ignore my mid-makeover fireplace! Lol! I couldn’t wait until I finished the fireplace to post my blanket ladder, I have been telling myself, “I am finishing the fireplace today, no matter what!” for about a month now…and yeah, it still hasn’t happened! Ugh! BUT, I did recently finish my bed that I started three years ago, so I’m basically winning at life right now!????????

I love the idea of it hanging on the wall as it saves me from having to move something else around while vacuuming…and once the fireplace is complete, it is going to be perfect here!

It was beyond easy to build as you could have guessed based on the design! That seems to be my style lately…anything I can build super quickly! ????

Want to build one for yourself? You can easily build it for around 25 bucks if you use select pine as I did, and you can build it even cheaper if you use furring strips!

Materials List:

– 3 – 2x2x8

– 1 – 3 ft. leather strip (I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby but they don’t have it online)

– 4 – nail heads

– wood glue

–saw

–Kreg jig

– screws

Cut List:

– 2 – 2×2 @ 48″

– 2 – 2×2 @ 24″

– 2 – 2×2 @ 20″

– 2 – 2×2 @ 17″

– 4 – 2×2 @ 1″

Building the DIY blanket ladder

Alright, once you have cut all the pieces, you can assemble the ladder! You will need to drill pocket holes set at 1 1/2″ deep and then use wood glue and 2 1/2″ screws to attach everything!

I started by creating a simple rectangle, you can see the pocket hole placement in the photo!

Next, add the ladder rungs.

(Ignore the raunchy toes! ????????)

Originally I added a 2″ piece to the back of the board I used to hang the ladder (2×2 @ 24″) so it would hang away from the wall. It stuck out way too far and looked odd! Lol!

So I quickly removed those and tried a small sliver on the back of the hanging board.

I left it just like this but I put 1″ pieces on the cut list because I think that will be the perfect length or maybe even 3/4″, but the sliver is a hair on the small side I feel! I will take it down and play around with it later! For now, it is hanging and holds my blankets so I have moved on to other projects! ????

Last add the leather strips! The package you get at hobby lobby is 3 ft long and so each piece is cut at 9″ long. I just hot glued it to the wood and then added the nail heads for a little character!

The 9″ strips you cut just wrap around the 24″ board used to hang the ladder, glue the leather to the front and back of the ladder!

I just used long screws to go through the front of the 2×2 and into the wall! It was the easiest way to hang it, I tried a couple of other ways and was unsuccessful, so this way was what worked! ????

It is done and holding the blankets perfectly!????

Now, to get back to the fireplace! ????

Thanks for reading and happy building!

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DIY Ring Toss Game

April 29, 2019 by Cara 2 Comments

Hey, hey, hey!! I am happy to be partnering up with my blogging friends again to bring you DIY games this month for our DIY challenge! I created this cute little diy ring toss game that is a slight twist on the regular ring toss you know and love! You mount this one on the wall instead of throwing them on the ground! Check out my version!

Cute right?! I love the navy stain…I have had it forever and never tried it, but after finding it recently I knew this was just the project for a fun color!

We have had a blast playing all different ways with it this weekend. I do plan on ordering some other rings! Lol! I had these on hand for the pool and so we used them, but I would not buy them for it..you can get much cheaper options on Amazon!

This was one of the EASIEST projects I have ever done! The circle was purchased for a table I was building, and then it split…so to the scrap pile it went! I realized it was perfect for this project even with it’s small flaw! So ordinarily I would not purchase this round because I could easily glue one up and cut a circle with my router, but since I already had it, I was using it! Lol!

You ready to make one yourself?! Mother’s Day is just around the corner and you can make one to hang in the backyard and entertain the kids while mom is enjoying her brunch or breakfast in bed! The great thing is, it is similar to darts which my kiddos love, but I don’t have to worry about them stabbing one another…”on accident” of course!????????

You ready to make yourself one?! Here we go!

*NOTE: Some links below may be affiliate links! See my disclosure policy for more details!

Materials:

-1 – 1x6x10 ( or you can purchase the wooden round I used HERE, what is really crazy is that I purchased this round only 4 months or so ago and I paid $15.97 for it…it is $21.72 now! ???? It seems EVERYTHING is going up so much in price lately! Ugh!)

-13 – straight peg board hooks (This package on Amazon was the same price for 25 as I paid in store for 13! You will have enough you can make one for a friend as well!????)

– Epoxy

– Angle grinder or Dremel tool to remove peg hooks

-Drill and drill bit

-paint or stain of your choice!

–Rings of some sort – you can even make some out of rope or plastic tubing you have laying around the house.

Cut List:

-4 – 1×6 @ 24″

-1 – 1×6 @ 12″

Since I used the wooden round, I just had to drill holes and stain the board! EASY!! If you are making your own round, you will just need to glue up the boards and then use a jig saw or router to cut a circle from the boards you glued up!

I drilled my holes pretty randomly and didn’t go all the way through the wood. I wanted the epoxy to have a little pocket to fill instead of running out of the back! I used a piece of painter’s tape as a guide to keep me from drilling too deep!

After drilling the holes, I stained the board before adding the hooks.

My hubby cut the hooks for me while I was staining the board, so guess what…I didn’t get pictures of that process! Lol! But here’s what they started out as!

He just cut that back piece right off and and made them straight hooks! Perfect! He also lightly ran the sander over the end that would be epoxied into the board to help the epoxy hold.

Using the epoxy, I just mixed it up, and smeared it onto the end of the hook that was going into the board. I put it on pretty thick and let it drip into the hole first so it would have a firm attachment, I don’t want any loose hooks!???? Epoxy came up around the pegs and I left the excess there to help hold them in!

I gave a number to each peg in randomness! I just used a chalk marker to write them, then sealed the piece with outdoor polyurethane. I would suggest using a paint marker, not a chalk marker…but again I was all about using what I had on this project! Lol!

I made a french cleat like I have many times in the past to hang it! This has quickly become my favorite way to hang items because it is practically free…I always use scrap wood, and it is strong! I also love that I don’t have to measure precisely when hanging, as long as my board is level on the wall, I’m good to go!

You basically just bevel a board at 45 degrees off square, the board above was a 1×6 scrap that I just cut into two pieces! French cleat is made! Hang one of the pieces on the wall, and the other on your piece!

Boom, DONE! That was so EASY! Now challenge the kids or friend to a game of ring toss! We played first one to 21 without going over, and then we would just take turns seeing who could get the highest score! You can come up with so many ways to play your new DIY ring toss games and have fun for hours!

Enjoy!

Now you will definitely want to go check out the other amazing DIY games of my fellow blogger friends!

The Awesome Orange

Stacy Risenmay

My Repurposed Life

Ugly Duckling House

100 Things 2 Do

Joyful Derivatives

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and found many wonderful games to play with your family with this month’s challenge! Make sure and sign up for email notifications of new posts so you won’t miss any of our challenges!

Have a wonderful day!

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Wall Decor

DIY Ice Skate Decor

Making your DIY Ice Skate Decor

DIY Dartboard Cabinet

Materials:

Cut List:

Building the DIY Dartboard Cabinet

DIY Winter Christmas Wreath

Making the DIY Christmas Wreath

Making the Bottom Bow for the DIY Christmas Wreath

Placing the Greenery at the Top of the Wreath

DIY Advent Calendar

Making Your Own DIY Advent Calendar

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

DIY Fireplace Makeover

Fireplace Makeover

DIY Wall Blanket Ladder

Building the DIY blanket ladder

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DIY Ring Toss Game

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Wall Decor

Making your DIY Ice Skate Decor

Materials:

Cut List:

Building the DIY Dartboard Cabinet

Making the DIY Christmas Wreath

Making the Bottom Bow for the DIY Christmas Wreath

Placing the Greenery at the Top of the Wreath

Making Your Own DIY Advent Calendar

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Fireplace Makeover

Building the DIY blanket ladder

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