DIY
Turn a Hutch Into a Freestanding Bookcase
Who loves a good furniture makeover? *raises both my hands…and feet* You’ve come to the right place because I have a fun makeover to show you today! We were able to turn a hutch into a freestanding bookcase and it’s been a game-changer in my tween daughter’s room. If you’ve been a long-time follower, you might remember that when I bought this dresser with brass details at the Habitat Restore it came with a hutch. I never could figure out the hutch part of the dresser. Not only was it not quite the right size, I couldn’t tell where it had ever attached to the dresser. It was a mystery. I…
Update: Making the Switch to Linen Bath Towels
A couple of year ago I posed the question: Should I switch to linen bath towels? You can count on me to ask the hard-hitting questions. At the time I was living in Ireland and drying clothes outside on the line was the norm. Since Ireland has a well-deserved reputation for raining A LOT, I hung clothes indoors to dry on a rack next to our radiators too. Cotton bath towels were tricky to wash in a teeny tiny washing machine (many European washing machines are smaller than their U.S. counterparts) and even trickier to dry, so that’s what led me down the rabbit hole of linen bath towels. In…
How to Mount Antlers on an Acrylic Base
I’m not a hunter. I’ve never hunted. I don’t own anything camouflage. I’ve never worn anything in a hue resembling hunter orange. Although, I did have a pair of fluorescent yellow leg warmers in 4th grade. I do own a set of deer antlers though. My brother gave them to me years ago. I don’t know where they came from. Or how old they are. I have no answers on that front. I just liked the antlers. If you’re an antler purist (is that a thing?) then stop reading now because it will definitely seem blasphemous that I painted the antlers gold at some point. What can I say? I…
Easy DIY Leather Drawer Pulls
I don’t throw the word ‘easy’ around willy nilly. So if I say it is easy to DIY your own leather drawer pulls without fancy tools, then trust me, it is. Here’s what I used…(I’ll link the relevant things at the end.) I’m of absolute certainty that there are more proper ways to make leather drawer pulls, but I’m all about using the tools I have on hand. Call it a creative problem-solving challenge. If I was going to go into the leather pull business, then I’d invest in leather tools, but for a one-time project, this is how I made it work. And it was actually easy! I purchased…
Makeover: Dresser with Brass Details
My love affair with my local Habitat ReStore is still going strong. In early August I found a small dresser with brass accents at the ReStore. When I spotted those brass accents it was like the heavens opened up and angels began singing. Honestly, I need to have this sort of reaction when I find a piece of used furniture in order to go through the herculean effort to get it home and refinish it. We all have our barometers. Mine is angels singing. Totally normal, right? As you can see, the dresser had a hutch on top that I still do not understand. It has the same brass edging…
The $9.60 Table That Almost Broke Me
To clarify, I did not break a table. A table almost broke me. Emotionally speaking, of course. Our current house (I need a name for it because I’ve had a lot of ‘current’ houses) has a good-sized kitchen with a bump-out for a dining table. That bump-out is directly next to what I’m assuming was intended to be a proper dining room. Since our family functions best with an open concept floor plan, I’m making the ‘dining room’ into a living room. However, my table that I love (not as much as my children, but close) is the wrong shape for the dining area IN the kitchen. It’s rectangular and…
Cat-tastic Chair Makeover
If there’s ever any doubt that I love my kids, let’s all remember this blog post, shall we? On a recent trip to the Habitat Restore where I found THE couch, my daughter found a chair for her desk. It’s actually less of a desk and more of a vanity table (from IKEA), but let’s not mince words. She draws her cat pictures there, so I’m calling it a desk. Plus, we’re a little too early for the vanity stage of growing up. Draw cat pictures as long as you want, kid. Now, back to the chair. My daughter tested out a lot of potential chairs and finally after I…
Which Adirondack Chairs Should We Build?
Do you know what I’ve wondered more than once in my life? You’re dying to know, I can tell. Here it is. Why are Adirondack chairs so expensive? Does anyone know? It’s not like they are the most intricate chairs ever built, right? These chairs from L.L. Bean are all-weather Adirondack chairs that come in a variety of colors. They are $299. EACH! Although, they are made in the USA. These Acacia-wood Adirondack chairs from World Market are regularly priced at $129, but are on sale for $78. That’s much more affordable. The chairs come highly reviewed, but the product info says you should cover the chairs or bring them…
DIY Live Edge Wood Coffee Table
When I go “home” for a visit, I literally go home to the same house I grew up in. Anyone else sleep in their old bedroom when they go home? Thankfully, all my old posters are long gone because there are some things I just don’t want to explain to my kids. However, I am happy to tell them over and over until they say, “MOOOM!” about the endless amount of chores I had to do. When I was growing up one of our home’s “design features” was a 5-foot long slab of unfinished black walnut wood sitting on top of a half wall. I’m not even sure if the wood…
Turn Building Blocks Into Christmas Ornaments
Some people do crossword puzzles to keep their brain sharp. I constantly thinking of ways to repurpose items in our home. Totally the same, right? Hmm. The latest idea was to turn my kids’ natural wood building blocks into Christmas ornaments. Why?? Let me explain… One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the artwork my kids bring home from school. I’ve saved some of it and every year when I open the holiday boxes and see something they made with their cute little toddler (now big kid) hands, I melt into a pile of mom goo. This is one of my favorite pieces of foot-made handmade artwork. If…
