DIY Master BR Wall Decor

I think I need to rename my blog 'All things DIY.'  When I bought lamps for our bedside tables I actually felt guilty because I hadn't made some instead.  I love that feeling of accomplishment I get when I make something using what I have on hand.  That is exactly what I did with this wall decor.  I may have been a bit impatient posting before I found a place to hang it though.  

I needed some decor to prettify (is that a word?) my walls, and it is so expensive to buy that sort of thing.  I knew that I could come up with something on my own.  I had a frame that housed a not-so-pretty canvas painting, so I removed all that and painted the frame with chalk paint.  After that dried, I waxed and distressed it a tiny bit.  

I had a purple matte from a friend (thanks Amy!) that ended up fitting perfectly.  I painted it with the same chalk paint in old white.  I didn't know how well it would go on, but it was perfect.  Then, I used some scrapbook paper as my "art"--- it makes me so happy to get those huge books of scrapbook paper at AC Moore.  I love to flip through and look at all the different designs.  It's definitely the little things that make me happy!

So, I was probably a tad impatient posting this before I hung it up, but I'm pleased with how it turned out!  Total cost: $0.00 since I had everything on hand.  

Frame pre-chalk paint and wax

Matte before I painted it with chalk paint 

Wall decor for the master bedroom 

Delving into DIY: Laundry Soap

A friend and I recently made laundry soap from a recipe we found at lizmarieblog.com.  It consists of oxy clean, baking soda, baking soda wash, fels naptha, and borax.  I've been using it for about two weeks.  I really like it, but I think next time I will omit the oxy clean to make it more natural.  

I am loving the idea of making my own cleaners.  Strange as it sounds I can't wait to run out of my dishwasher detergent so that I can make my own.

I read that one batch (we split our batch) will last for about a year.  That's $28.00 for one year of laundry soap.  Pretty good, right?  

Headboard DIY

So happy that we had a very productive weekend.  We built a headboard for the master bedroom.  Looking online and at stores, even the least expensive upholstered headboard is in the $200 range.  If you buy one from PB, it's more like $600.00+.

So, we bought plywood, a foam mattress topper (much cheaper than buying foam in a roll), batting, and a linen drop cloth from Lowes, and we made our own.  The mister was a huge help on this one.  This isn't one of my diy projects that I can take all the credit for. :)

Creating a template for a curved headboard was probably the hardest part (for me).  I'm NOT a math person.  Lyle cut out the design with the jigsaw, and then we glued on the foam with spray adhesive.  We let that dry and cut off the excess.  We stapled on batting and then the material.  Somewhere along the way we also added legs.  I'm thrilled with our first attempt!!  I think we spent something like $70 total.  

I found bedding that I liked at HomeGoods, and I'll eventually find new linens and maybeeuro pillows and shams...doubt I'll ever get around to that truthfully.  So there you have it! I love our new headboard!

Plywood after hubby cut the curved design in the top

Glued the foam down, cut off the excess, and added legs plus foam 

One layer of batting doubled and stapled and the drop cloth
stapled over that

Finished! I love it!

Desk Refurbish

I am slowly getting our room the way I want it.  I refurbished my old desk yesterday.  I've had it since I was a teenager, and it needed a bit of a face-lift.  I had contemplated selling it and buying something else, but I didn't want a particle/cardboard desk.  

I painted the drawers a custom color of Annie Sloan Provence and Old White.  For the hardware, I used oil rubbed bronze spray paint.  I did the rest of the desk in Old White and left the top "as is."  I know it will still get a lot of wear and tear with my clan!  My inspirational photo, found here, refinished the top in walnut, and it looks gorgeous, but I just didn't feel like doing the sanding, etc, etc.  

I am altogether pleased with the end result, and I think I'll rest a few days. {maybe}  The hubs would say I don't know how to relax.

Before

After

Love the updated hardware!  Such a difference color makes!

Desk Chair Redo

It's been so long since I've blogged that I think I've forgotten how...so please be patient with me! ;)  I have finally started decorating the master bedroom one project at a time.  I recently sold our glider rocker - that we'd been using as a desk chair- and I needed something new.  I searched and searched for something simple, and then it dawned on me that I had a chair in the garage.  It was a solid wood counter height chair that mom had given me.  

I shortened the legs and removed the rungs that were too low after I sawed off a few inches.  I filled in the holes, and sanded some but not much.  Last, I nailed sliders into the bottoms of the chair.   

I just ordered chalk paint, and this was my experimental chair.  I painted it old white, waxed, and distressed.  I'm happy with the final product!

Now to find (or make) a cushion!

Chair before

With shorter legs

~New desk chair~

Ethan and Landon

I know it's been ages since I updated my blog, but I wanted to share pictures of my new baby boy, Ethan Caleb, and my big boy, Landon, too!  My sisters did pictures of the boys when they were here last weekend, and they turned out so amazing!

Landon and Newborn Ethan

Ethan Caleb

Five days old

It's a BOY!

We found out today that we're having another boy!!!!!!!