Using items in my workshop, I made this baby safety gate (it is also serving as a puppy gate for us as well!) for our family room without spending a dime!
The fence pieces made from left-over project wood are secured to a cut fence post that is anchored to the wall. I finally found a home for a set of vintage, rusty hinges I have been wanting to use somewhere and the copper post top was also left over from a previous project. The castors on the bottom make for easy opening and closing (and with a toddler, this gate is opened and closed a lot!) Using small scrap barn wood pieces and a large drill bit I made the birdhouse-look in the front of the post to add a bit of whimsical fun to a necessary safety gate.
A few years ago I decided this narrow hallway that connects our kitchen, family room, guest bathroom, front hall and garage door (yes, you read that right. This hallways is veryHIGH traffic!) needed a runner of sorts. After a few weeks of having a runner rug constantly sliding around, bunching up and causing us to trip and needing washed way too much, I decided that I what I actually needed a solution that would add a bit of decoration to our hallway but save my sanity from always fixing and washing a rug. I came up with this idea to add a HopScotch board to the hallway and my kids were thrilled!
To make it, I taped up my squares using a ruler and painters tape and the numbers and HEAVEN letters were cut using my Cricut machine – I am sure pre-cut number stickers or number stencils from the craft store would work as well! It took very little paint and a quick afternoon to put it together. Once it was dry, I removed the vinyl numbers and letters and peeled up the painters tape. I also distressed the paint a bit to fit the style of my home and to help hide the scuffs, scratches and marks from wear that were sure to come with time and constant use.
We keep a small basket of bean bags in the kitchen for whenever my kiddos (or their friends) want to hop along!
My latest DIY is probably one of my absolute favorite transformations! I found this inexpensive Peel&Stick wallpaper online and knew immediately it would fix my ceiling woes!
My dated, patched and ugly popcorn ceilings were a constant deterrent from my family room decor ideas. When taking pictures of my space I always tried to get as little ceiling in the picture as possible. Unfortunately, I knew a brand new ceiling – patch, repair and paint – would be out of our budget at this time. I needed a somewhat temporary (but possible permanent) solution that I could do on my own. This fix fit the bill perfectly! And to be honest, the textured popcorn ceiling underneath makes the distressed faux tin tile look even more realistic. The best part was the easy, clean and fast application. In under 2 days I was completely finished and because it was Peel&Stick wallpaper, there was no water or glue mess to contend with (Winning!) so clean up was fast and simple.
Tip: When hanging, I found it was easier to cut each square individually beforehand. This saved a lot of back ache and neck ache I am sure! The squares were easier to manipulate and because they have a distressed look, lining up the lines was a breeze. I also reinforced the pieces with Elmers craft spray glue to ensure adhesion due to the fact that I was hanging the paper upside down on a popcorn ceiling (I had nightmares the next few nights of coming downstairs in the morning to all of my beautiful paper on the floor! – Luckily, my nightmares never became reality!)
This piano was my first vintage piece of furniture. I bought it almost 14 years ago at an estate sale. She was in a basement under magazines, books and clothes. No one else wanted her but me so there was no auction or bid war. They even lowered her price without me even asking just to get her out! My husband has been saying we should get rid of the piano now that our family is so large and our space ‘smallish’. But I have too many memories of my oldest son playing “We Three Kings” over and over again at Christmas time in preparation for his recital and visions of each of my littles sitting in their diapers playing their version of a Piano Concerto. I decided to give her a little love and help her fit our space a little better. I used chalk paint but left some of the original finish as well.
I couldn’t commit to completely covering her up. Instead, I just dressed her up a bit.
For under $40, this kitchen light went from ‘blah’ to ‘Farmhouse-Trendy’ in just a few simple steps!
Using an inexpensive exterior wall lantern and a piece of faux copper ceiling panel (both found at The Home Depot), you can easily transform any space with this farmhouse trendy lighting look!
Gather your supplies(I found all of these at our local Home Depot – I am sure most larger hardware stores will carry comparable items)
Wall Lantern, Faux Copper Ceiling Tile, Adhesive, Utility Knife and a Straight Edge.
Gather your supplies
~After removing the existing light fixture, I cut the Ceiling Panel in 3 pieces per the measurement of my area I was covering. The reason for this step was to easily cover the hole from the previous light that was originally located above the sink. The panel was extremely easy to cut with a straight-edged ruler and a utility knife. I attached it using the adhesive as well as a few brad nails~
Now for the lighting. For safety and comprehension purposes, I am quoting more detailed directions sourced here:
These are the same instructions used for this project. In the picture below, the previous light has been removed and the new hole has been drilled.
Previous light removed, new hole drilled
Turn off the power.
In your electrical circuit panel, locate the circuit breaker control for the room where you’ll be working, and switch the circuit off.
If the circuits in your panel aren’t labeled, turn on the existing light, and turn off the power to each circuit until the light goes out. Leave the power off, and label this circuit breaker for future reference. Also turn off the light’s wall switch. Remove the old fixture. Remove the cover of the old fixture. Remove the old wire connectors, and untwist the fixture wires from the installed wires. Remove the base or trim from the old fixture. Tighten the screws. Check the electrical box in the ceiling where the fixture is attached to see if it’s loose. If so, tighten the screws holding it in place, but don’t over-tighten. The box must be acceptable for use with your light fixture and be securely attached to the building structure to support the weight of the fixture. It must also be grounded, or attached to a ground wire in the ceiling. If you have doubts about the suitability of the existing box, purchase and install a new one.
Connect the wires.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for matching the wires on the new fixture to the wires installed in your home.
Typically, the black wires connect to each other, and the white wires connect to each other. A grounding wire, which is often green, connects to a grounding screw on the grounding bar. Use a wire stripper to remove the protective coating of the wires on the fixture. Wrap the bare section of each fixture wire to the bare section of its corresponding installed wire, and screw on the wire connectors. Connect the grounding wire.
Secure the base or canopy.Fold the wires into the electrical box or into a void in the base or canopy. Use the included hardware to attach the fixture base or canopy to the electrical box.
Before replacement
*After light replacement with Faux Copper Paneling and Farmhouse Style Lantern – A few pieces of old barn wood trim was added to complete the look*
After replacement
I may decide to paint the ceiling tile white and distress, but for now, I am enjoying the copper look.
I read something this week that really spoke to me:
“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.” – Nate Berkus This got me thinking of all of those home projects and decor “ideas” I have that I toss aside because they aren’t traditional or they may be a bit different. It pushed me to start working on something that’s been on my mind for a long time. Here is a peek at my children’s corner they now call the “Neverland Corner”.
It is full of bright light, architectural salvage, live plants and repurposed items. The teepee was made by Edward and I. This corner has always been a space that I have struggled to decorate. Now it’s a favorite spot to relax, play make believe and read stories for my whole collection of little people that I love so much.
Update:
I switched out the gallery wall that was originally behind the Neverland Corner. I think the new wall of refurbished wood planks, repurposed tin cans for storing “treasures” and salvaged garden fencing makes the corner look even more fun and magical.
Today I made an inexpensive floral chandy for my hanging light. It was fast and easy!
I attached the additional greenery and flowers using hot glue and I used floral wire to wrap the finished garland around the light and attach to itself. There was a lot of left over greenery and stems (which means more projects!)
I decided to add an old metal basket I had lying around as well to give it a more farmhouse feel. I just removed the handle, turned it upside down, unscrewed the light bulb and reattached with the basket between the light and the bulb (the bulb is holding the basket in – hopefully this makes sense?) It’s a very light-weight basket so this works just fine for this project.
When I married Edward, my life changed for the absolute best. We agreed to jump into this marriage thing head on and take on life together for better for worse, for richer for poorer.
I am pretty sure we thought we would have a few kids and be so much “cooler” than our parents. But, like so many young newlyweds, were we so wrong!
We had no idea what God had in store.
Here we are, 13 years later, blessed with 8 healthy, amazing kids and a parental style that deeply resembles the ideals and principals we were both raised with.
In honor of that day, and every blessed day since, I am starting this chronicle of our life. I want to share our love, our laughs, our struggles and our failures. I want to leave behind a legacy of faith and hope for our children. I want them to know that mom was more than just the taxi driver or dinner maker. I want them to know how my every day was filled with deeds, thoughts and prayers to keep their hearts happy, keep their bellies full, to keep their home warm and welcoming and keep smiles on their beautiful faces. I want them to understand that dad worked tirelessly to provide us with what we needed because he loved us more than words can express. I want them to see there is so much to love about life and so many reasons to be happy.
Most importantly, I want them to remember our family motto: “We are not quitters.” Because some days I’m killing it, and some days are killing me. But tomorrow, I get to try again. And by remembering our faith and love of the Lord, we will get through this crazy train together.
