DIY Chevron Tray

Over a year ago during a trip to Goodwill, I picked up an old, tired, wooden frame.  It was only $2, and because of the wood and the depth of the frame, I knew it would make a great tray.

I've looked at it and have never been sure how I wanted to fix it.  After I finished my end table last week, I had a little bit of paint left, so I decided to use it for this tray.

The old wire and hooks needed to be removed, the nails in the back got pounded in a bit {so as not to scratch any surfaces}, and the entire thing got a fresh  coat of ASCP in Paris Grey.  I distressed a tad with fine grit sandpaper, and then applied clear wax.

Then, I cut a piece of chevron fabric to size and used mod podge to apply it.  I had to hot glue around the frame, to secure it a bit.  I then sprayed some Scotch Guard on the fabric, just in case someone actually puts a coffee cup in there and we have a spill.

The bottom of the frame is wood, as is the top of our current coffee table, so I put felt pieces cut to size along the edges of the frame bottom.  This will keep it from scratching the coffee table.

I like that it's large enough to hold magazines, if I want, the remote, some coasters, a candy dish, or an occasional seasonal decoration.  Although, we will probably wait a few years for it to hold decorations.

There are some things that just don't fly in a house full of toddlers, so I choose my battles!  One day we'll have pretty things on our coffee table, but for now, legos will do.


Have a great weekend!

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End Table Meets Paris Grey

This summer I visited Studio Eleven, near my parents' home, and purchased a sample size of ASCP in Paris Grey.  I knew I wanted to use it on an end table in our Family Room, but it's taken me just a few months to get around to it.

I had read that a small jar of this would definitely cover an end table, but I was still a bit skeptical.  You would be amazed at how far this paint goes!

I was able to cover the entire table, plus had enough left over for another project {will share with you next week}, and hopefully just enough for yet another small project.  One small jar is only about $13, which is not too bad for a table, let alone three project re-dos.  If you haven't tried ASCP yet, I'd encourage you to purchase your favorite color in a small size and just go paint something with it.  You'll be happy you did.

When I stood back to take a picture of the table painted, I noticed that I needed to do something to the inside of the drawer.  You can see from the photo below that the wooden color inside was standing out just a bit too much from the front.

It just took a little bit of paint to coat the inside edges of the drawer so that the front looks much better.

After the paint dried, I used some fine grit sandpaper to distress the edges and a few spots on the front and back.

I wiped off the dust quickly and then applied a coat of clear wax.  I've used rags and paper towels before to apply wax, but this time I used a cheesecloth.

This was the best method so far.  There are specific brushes you can purchase for wax application, but they are rather pricey, and the cheesecloth worked great.

I'm happy with how it turned out.  Paris Grey is a lovely color, and the wax really deepens the blue in it.

One of the best things about ASCP for me is the quick drying time.  My kids were down for a nap at 2, and by 3:30, the table was painted, sanded, waxed, photographed, and back in its spot by the couch.  You can't beat a nap-time paint project!

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Family Room Preview & Small Plans

Happy Monday!  Today I wanted to share with you some pictures of our Family Room, a spot that hasn't received much attention on this little blog.  I haven't done any major projects in here, and don't have any on the horizon, but thought it was time to show you how it's been shaping up and let you know some of the things I have planned.

Our sofa was purchased with a monetary gift when we got married and I love it; it's the most comfortable couch ever.  The color is not what I would choose at this stage of life, but I've tried to lighten it up a bit with some pillows and paint.  I'm not planning to get rid of this until it's absolutely unusable.  The pillows I made {with help from my MIL} in my pre-blog days, but I just copied some I had seen in a Pottery Barn magazine.  The blue ones and flowered one are all made out of Target tablecloths.

This chair was a gift from a friend who was moving across the country and needed to get rid of a piece of junk.  Again, it was pre-blog, but let's just say this little chair was gross.  After some new cushions, stain, fabric, and some work it was a new piece.

Our leather chair was a purchase when we moved into this home 18 months ago and it's my husband's relaxing spot.  We don't typically buy new furniture, yard sales and craigslist are our go to stores, but we had a coupon and this piece is a classic that will hopefully last a long time.

You can read about this end table here.  My gallery wall finally got put together a few months ago and the kids' pictures are soon to be replaced, already!  They grow up too fast!

The entertainment center was another purchase when we moved in; we wanted the TV to be surrounded.  I love this piece, but the shelves need to be organized better and some character added.

So, what is planned for this space?

This is my list:
1) Cover remaining 2 lampshades with linen or burlap.
2) Decorate the entertainment center.
3) Make a clock for above the entertainment center.
4) Paint the tall round end table.
5) Paint coffee table.
6) Make a tray for top of coffee table out of an old frame and some fabric.
7) Get some baskets for bottom shelves of the entertainment center to hold baby toys.
8) Paint the table in front of the fireplace {I purchased a sample of ASCP in Paris Grey}


These projects are yet to be done, but they shouldn't take long, and I have most of the supplies to do them.  Some things just take time, and that's okay!  Decorating a home is a process, especially on a small budget, and there's nothing wrong with that.  Our homes don't need to be magazine worthy.  I love what The Nester says, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."

Other posts about Family Room projects:

Color Choices

Privacy Roman Shade

Ruffle and Flower Pillow

Look of Linen Drapes

Linen Lampshade with Matching Trim

Thrift Store End Table

Linking to:
Thrifty Decor Chick

My Photo Collage Wall

Finally, I finished a project!!  And, we're only, what, 3 weeks into January??  Where has the time gone?  But, it's done and I'm thrilled.

If you've ever hung a collage of photos on the wall, you know that it is no easy task.  One would like to think it could be something like this:

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But, trust me, that most likely will not achieve the kind of photo collage you are looking for.

The method we used is probably not the most effective either, but it worked and I'm pleased with my wall of photos.

First, I placed all of my frames on the floor, rearranged them until I had what I wanted, and then I snapped a photo.  Confession:  this photo was taken in July, of last year; that's how long I've had these frames and been wanting to do this project.

Then, 6 months later...my husband suggested stapling newspaper together (it was free since we already had the paper) to use as a template.

I then placed my frames on the paper, following my photo.

We measured between them (roughly) using that black device below {I don't know what it's called, but it's a ruler in the shape of an L, so you get 90 degree angles}.

Then, using a permanent marker, I outlined each frame.  If you're following this method, do this part carefully so as not to tear the paper and get marker on your carpet.

You can see how 'rough' our placements were.  We knew we would be able to adjust once the paper was on the wall.

Using masking tape, we taped the entire paper to the wall and started hanging the nails.  This took some time, and patience from my sweet husband, who willingly did this part for me.  He used my outlines, measured the space to the hook for each frame, hammered in the nail, and then hung the picture so we could see how it worked.  I think we only ended up with 3 extra holes in the wall :)

And, here is the finished product:

I'm a lover of symmetry and uniformity {if I find a shirt that I like, I usually buy it in several different colors}, so mixing up frame shapes and frame details was a stretch for me.  However, by using all black frames and black and white prints, it remains cohesive enough for me.  {I still need to get a black and white photo of my brother made, and the empty frame is for the little one due in April, so it will be empty for awhile}.

This was a fun project to do and I'm glad to have another little spot in our house finished.

Here are some great tutorials on hanging photo collages, if you're looking for something more professional. Ha!

Picture Perfect: How to Hang a Grouping, Better Homes and Gardens
How to Hang a Gallery Wall, Being Brook Create Awesome
The Hallway Full Monty, Young House Love

Finished Project: Privacy Roman Shade

We moved into our home almost 10 months ago now, which is hard to believe!  Our neighborhood was still under construction at the time and we had no neighbors for months.  We longed for people to be around us, but that also meant spending some money.  You see, only the windows on the front house came with mini-blinds; it was up to us to cover the remainder of the windows.  We weren't in a position to go out and spend hundreds of dollars getting blinds for every window.  We've slowly added blinds and window treatments to various rooms in the house and I love what we've done so far.  You can read about the kitchen windows, dining room panels, living room drapes, and bathroom valance.  I mentioned in this post the linen look drapes that I made for the family room.  They are perfect for a couple of reasons: 1) they are simple, 2) the light comes in so they can be pulled shut to provide privacy and natural light, 3) they were relatively inexpensive.

When we finally got neighbors behind us, we decided it was time to do something about the back door, which is all glass.  Rather than purchasing a shade for the door (they are expensive), I decided to use the same material as the family room drapes, and make a roman shade.  Roman shades always terrify me, because you have to get the rings/cords lined up perfectly in order for it to function properly.

Four rows of rings with cord looped through in order to make the shade pull up evenly.

Thankfully, this one worked well!

It had been hanging up, unfinished (I've mentioned before that I'm notorious for not finishing projects), for several months.  My husband finally told me this was one of the projects he wanted me to complete before our company comes for the holidays.  So, I got around to it the other day and love how it works.

I just need Bradley to hang the cord pleat so that the cord doesn't need to be wrapped around my kitchen plant in order to keep the shade up.

Notice the cord on the right hand side of the photo.  Soon there will be a hook on the door for the cord to wrap around.

We now have a nice shade on our back door to give us some privacy from the neighbors and also keep the hot sun out during the summer months.  I love it!  Best part, it only cost about $15!

Simple piece of trim on the bottom for a bit of difference.

Love the folds when it's pulled up.

Just to give you a picture of real life around here, this is what the door looked like before I washed it to snap some photos.  

This is what you get with an enormous St. Bernard who gets muddy playing outside.

What projects have you finished lately?  You can read about my sister's latest project here.

The Look of Linen for Less

Linen is my absolute favorite textile, both in home decor and fashion.  Linen pants are super comfortable and somehow I always feel thinner when I wear them.  And, regardless of what fabric store I'm shopping in, I always pick up linen fabrics first, whether I plan on it or not.  Although linen is classic and beautiful, it also comes with a high price tag.  Most linen fabrics, even linen blend fabrics, are over $20 a yard, if not much more.  I decided to find an alternative to spending this much money but still have something that looked similar to linen.

Look at this fabric:

Now, look at this one:

Which one is real linen?  It's hard to tell, isn't it?  The second is the non-linen, which I used for drapery panels in the Family Room.  My original plan was to go with burlap drapes, which I had seen in a Ballard Designs catalog, something like these

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But, my daughter broke out with a rash when she touched it, so that was a no go.  I searched the internet for alternatives, because I really just wanted a plain, neutral colored fabric, with no pattern on it.  Muslin was recommended for drapes, but it was a bit too lightweight for me.

I browsed through the utility fabric section at Joann's one day and discovered Osnaburg (I think that's what it's called).  It's a Roc Ion fabric, and it only costs $3.99/yard.  This was perfect!  It had the textured look of linen, the neutral color I was looking for, and with my coupon that week I only had to pay (wait a minute while I get out my calculator...) $2.40/yard.  When you need to purchase 15 yards, this is a great deal!

These panels were easy to make.  Because I hate cutting fabric, as mentioned in my Easy Drapery Panels post, I made each panel as wide as the fabric so I only had to cut it the length that I needed.  I sewed a small hem down the side of each panel, made a rod pocket at the top, and then used stitch witchery (actually my mom did this part for me) to make the hem.

I love that the sunlight comes in through the fabric, they hang nicely, the wind blows them just right when the windows are open, and they are the simple drapes I wanted.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on fabric.  Be creative and utilize other fabrics to get what you want while being a frugal, yet tasteful, decorator.

Linking to:

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage