I Love Woodworking: ideas

I love Easter. Its my favorite holiday and I always start planning for it early. I have so many cherished Easter memories with my hubby and kids. Hard to believe how time flies. This year I wanted to create something fun and special to celebrate Easter and I am thrilled to be able to share it with you. Yes, I know it isnt even Valentines Day yet but Easter is in March this year, so it will be here before you know it. :)

I created these egg shaped mini bread board sets just for Easter and I am so proud of them. They are made from a special type of walnut that my hubby gets that I just love because of the beautiful shade of color through it......kinda like Easter eggs. :)

For our table, I always like to use white dishes because thats my favorite but I also wanted to add a splash of Easter color so I picked up these lovely blue pasta bowls at Crate and Barrel. They were a splurge for me but I couldnt resist and we eat a lot of pasta so hey, why not, right?

I also wanted something to put Easter treats in for my kids and thought that these burlap sacks were just the cutest thing ever. I picked them up on Etsy here.

For some reason, Im drawn to anything egg shaped, especially involving the kitchen, so making these boards was seriously so much fun. They will be available in my Etsy shop for just the Easter holiday. And they will only be available in this walnut.

My hubby found this old table/desk and I absolutely love it. When he found it, the drawer was full of all kinds of vintage brochures and letters, which were lots of fun to look at. I had so much fun using it for this photo shoot. If it was bigger and had enough space for 6 people, I would totally use it for our dining table.

So if youd like to purchase a set of these cute little boards for Easter, click here. Since this is a special seasonal item, quantities are limited.

And thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to visit and leave a sweet comment here on the blog. I may not be able to respond to each of you, but know that I read every single comment and appreciate each one so much. And a huge thank you to all my shop customers. YOU make it possible for me to do what I love.....create. :)
Easter Blessings to each of you!!
~Diana

Spring Summer Porch Ideas

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Minggu, 07 Agustus 2016

di 03.42 0 komentar Label: ideas, porch, spring, summer, Woodworking

Hey there! Hope everyone is doing well! Ive had lots of fun the last week or so changing our front porch out for Spring and Summer. We do a lot of living out there during the summer on warm evenings and nights, so, I really try to pay just as much attention to it as I do the inside. And its fun, so, why not, right?

Our front porch has been several different colors during the time that we have lived here and Ive never been satisified with any of them, hence, painting them over and over. Last summer I painted it a very dark chocolate brown, which I really liked at the time of the painting. Ive come to the conclusion that the reason I liked it so much is because it really did look like dark chocolate while it was in the can and as I was rolling it on. It was luscious and I wanted to it eat it. Of course, I didnt. Anyway, a couple of days after it dried, I hated it, but hubby would have thought I had lost my mind if I painted over it so soon with something else so I just lived with it until now. At this point, he kind of expects me to change paint colors with the seasons, so, changing it now, wouldnt be so crazy.

This year I decided to do stripes on our front porch, just like I did on our side porch last year. I already had all the paint, which was white and manchester tan, so I taped off 12 inch sections and got busy. After it was all dry, I gave it a couple of coats of water based Varathane for high traffic floors. Water based so it wouldnt yellow over time like oil based does over light colors. Heres how it looks now.

Pretty sure I wont be changing this because I LOVE it. I did a couple of DIY projects while decorating this area and I will blog about those later. First up is this nifty jar candle hanging lanterns thing (for lack of a better word) that I put together with some of my old jars, wire, rope and scrap walnut and attached to the ceiling of our porch. (ignore the wind chime....I forgot to take it down before taking the photo)

Crazy about that as we sit outside a lot at night and doing that by candlelight will be really special and fun. I filled the jars with lavender and tea lights.

I love to sit here and chat with my boys about their day or read to my youngest in this cozy corner. At night snuggling up to hubby here is the best way to end the day. Theres nothing better. Or we like to sit here and eat our lunch together.

My color scheme for the porch was taken from the pillows on the swing. It had light orange, melon, light lime green and very light lavender. I ordered the large orange dot fabric here. I ordered two yards and had enough to make a large lumbar pillow for the settee and a smaller pillow for the swing. That dot pillow just makes me smile. Its so cheerful and fun, perfect for the porch.

I picked up the ceramic garden stool at a flea market for 15 bucks. I was thrilled about that because Ive always wanted one but they were just too high. I cleaned it up and spray painted it white. It was off white when I bought it and rather dingy, so, I thought bright white would be perfect.
That sucker is heavy!

My hubby collects old minnow buckets and I just love them. I thought they would make cool planters for flowers and ferns with their splash of color and shiny galvanized coating. And by using them, there is also a piece of him in the decor, as well. :) The only other thing I purchased for the porch was this really cool vintage step ladder. I wanted something unique to place a fern on instead of just popping it into a plain planter and thought this was perfect. I had my eye on it at a flea market but wasnt sure about the price so hubby talked them down a little and bought it for me for around 15 bucks as well. It was red and gross but I loved it anyway because of the X in the back, a design I adore, and I knew I could give it a little TLC and make it into something special. Ill blog about how I did that later and show you the before pics.

And thats it for the front porch!

Ill be blogging about the ladder and jar lanterns soon! Have any of you decorated your porch yet for Spring and Summer? Have a great weekend!

Mailbox Ideas

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Minggu, 26 Juni 2016

di 09.00 0 komentar Label: ideas, mailbox, Woodworking

I love a good spray paint project. It is the cheapest way to give something a new look, so, when Krylon contacted me and asked if Id be interested in trying some of their new spray paint, I was thrilled at the opportunity. I chose their new Rust Protector quick drying spray paint in Copper Metallic and Aged Brass Metallic and I loved it.

The timing couldnt have been more perfect as I had picked up one of these copper post caps at Lowes on clearance not too long ago and thought it would be perfect for something,

I just wasnt sure what yet.

Then inspiration hit. Our cheap basic mailbox has been looking pretty sad for the last few years so why not give it a facelift. The spray paint I chose was perfect as it is a rust protector and of course, a mailbox is exposed to all kinds of weather so thats what it needed. I was also pretty happy that I selected copper and aged brass for my choice of colors. The mailbox would also tie in nicely with my copper porch curtain rods.

Heres a before shot of the sad looking mailbox.

Pretty dull, huh? You might be wondering why anyone would care about sprucing up something as simple and basic as a mailbox and the answer is, I would. Im just that kinda gal. I like to think that simple mundane objects, like mailboxes, as part of a home,

deserve to look good, too.

So heres what I did......

As usual, I wanted this project to be as cheap as possible, so we went hunting for some rustic wood, as in, beside the road, free. No problem.

We found a 4 x 4 and a 2 x 4, both dirty and old, just like I wanted.

First I prepared the wood by hosing it off, letting it dry and then sanding it with 180 grit sandpaper. I wasnt going for perfection here, after all, it was going to be outside. Next, I brushed on some special walnut stain and set them aside to dry.

Next up, the mailbox. After cleaning and removing the old number stickers, I spray painted the flag first with the aged brass metallic.

While that dried, I grabbed a package of these.

They are foam letter and number stickers available in any craft store. I wanted to personalize our mailbox and also create an embossed metal look. I added our name to one side and our address to the other side. Then I taped off the already painted flag and spray painted the mailbox with the copper metallic paint. I gave it a good 4 or 5 coats.

It is a fast drying spray paint and it certainly lives up to that.

It was almost dry before I got around to the other side of the box.

Mailbox done.

The next part, building the post, was a bit difficult and I didnt take photos. It took two pairs of hands, which required hubbys help and stopping for photos isnt his thing. :)

After the entire thing was complete, I added the copper end cap to the top of the 4 x 4 post with a little glue and heres how it looks now.

We are pretty happy with how it turned out. And we finished just in time as about 10 minutes after this photo, a huge storm hit. But the spray paint held up great!

I cant wait to add some mums and pumpkins to the base

of it for a little Autumn decoration. :)

Heres a closeup of the foam stickers.

The adhesive on the back is pretty strong so Im confident they arent going anywhere.

This was a pretty fun way to spruce up a cheapo mailbox and I loved how fast the paint dried!

Thanks Krylon!

I am certainly no expert, but here are a few spray painting tips that have helped make spray painting easier for me.

* Always keep your spray paint back about a foot from whatever your painting.

If youre too close, your paint will go on too thick.

* If youre spraying, your arm should be moving. If it isnt,

this will also cause too much paint in a single area which causes the paint to run.

* Its always better to do several light coats instead of one heavy coat in an

attempt to hurry and get it done. I learned my lesson on that one over and over.

* If you have to stop to make dinner or do a load of laundry like me, wipe the excess paint off the spray valve. That way it wont get a weird clog and spray out the side,

painting your face when you resume working on your project. :)

If any of you have any other helpful tips, please feel free to leave them in the comment section and I can add them to this post. :)

Have a great day!

Diana

Back Side Porch Ideas For Summer and An Industrial Pipe Curtain Rod How To

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Minggu, 19 Juni 2016

di 22.04 0 komentar Label: an, and, back, curtain, for, how, ideas, industrial, pipe, porch, rod, side, summer, to, Woodworking

Hey there! When we first found our home 6 years ago, I was absolutely in love with this side porch off the kitchen. At the time of course, it looked awful because it was in the middle of being renovated, but, I saw what it could be. I pictured pots of delicious herbs just waiting to be harvested for cooking, a cozy table to enjoy lunch or a morning cup of tea or coffee, or just a place to sit and read. Funny thing was, it wasnt until now, 6 years later, that I finally filled the porch with those things. I have no idea why.
We have a large vegetable garden in our backyard, complete with herbs, so, it never occurred to me to also have some on the porch. My hubby came home the other day with a crate that he found beside the road that I just loved. I had it sitting on the porch for a few days waiting until I decided what to do with it when I realized how much I loved it on the porch. And an idea was born; fill it with unique herbs that I dont have in my vegetable garden, but that I would like to experiment with in the kitchen.
I like to keep the decor on this porch simple, so, heres what I did.

Last year when I made these porch curtains, I just hung them with rope instead of going to the trouble of installing a rod, very rustic and easy. This year, after seeing industrial copper pipe curtain rods everywhere, I just had to try making some, so, I went to Lowes and priced copper. Uh....yeah, way too expensive. So I stood in Lowes for an hour trying to come up with a cheaper way. Total cost, $25 for two 4 feet long rods. Heres what I came up with.

I used PVC pipe and spray painted it with the best metallic copper spray paint. The quick tutorial will be at the end of this post.

I love how they turned out! Its like a little surprise inside the porch.

Heres the crate my hubby found.

I filled it with italian parsley, purple basil, chamomile, dill and cinnamon basil.

The hand carved oar is vintage and was found by hubby.
I painted these stripes on our back porch last summer. They match our front porch, as well.

Hubby also found this metal garden planter. I didnt care for the brown color, so, I spray painted it with the extra copper spray paint. The vintage faucet towel rack I made a couple months ago, click here for the tutorial. It will be the perfect thing to hold my kiddos wet towels this summer from swimming, instead of piling them on the floor. And is the perfect pop of color.

And thats it for the back porch!

Best thing is its exactly like I pictured it 6 years ago. :) Finally....

Heres what you need to make the pvc pipe curtain rods.

Everything was found in the plumbing department at Lowes, except the spray paint. Its important to note that if you make your rod any longer than about 3 - 4 feet like mine, you will need a middle support as they will droop a little from the weight of your curtains.
I started by cutting the pvc pipe to size and then cutting four 1 inch pieces to use to connect the elbows to the adapter. Then connect the elbow to the pipe.

Next, connect your 1 inch piece of pipe.

Take your adapter/connector and flange......

Screw the connector into the 1/2 inch flange.

Then connect it to the elbow and pipe.

And thats it! Spray paint next!

Make sure that when you spray paint, you spray light coats, keeping the nozzle at least 12 inches from the rod, or the paint will run. Let dry completely between coats. I painted 3-4 coats. Then attach with screws through the flanges. I dont know the exact terms for these parts, so I hope this is helpful. I should also mention that I had a nice Lowes sales person help me find the right parts after I told him what I had in mind. That helps a lot!

See how nice the spray paint goes on, even though its plastic? Perfect! And so much cheaper than real copper! As always, if you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments below or shoot me an email!

Note: After your rod is painted and complete but BEFORE you hang it, you can easily pull off the end to slide on your curtains. Then reattach the end and hang. Be sure to do this before you attach them to your wall or you wont have a way to put your curtains on the rod.
Ive got so many fun projects going and I cant wait to blog about them all! And Im still working on those tutorials, as promised!

Have a great day!

Diana

Older Boy Room Ideas

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Kamis, 21 April 2016

di 20.52 0 komentar Label: boy, ideas, older, room, Woodworking

Our oldest son recently turned 20 and I really wanted to give his room an upgrade from boy to college age adult. His room design hasnt been touched in 6 or more years so it was definitely time. So, for many months, Ive been planning and picking up items here and there and redoing them to put in his room.
I finally had everything I needed, with the exception of a desk, which Im still looking for, so we through out pretty much everything in there except the bed and then painted the walls Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore. They were originally a very dark navy blue and it felt like a cave in there so making it lighter was the first thing on our list.
Im going to be showing his room in stages as the other side isnt ready until I find that desk. So, heres the side that is ready.....

While planning the room design, I needed to find a dresser, bedside table, book shelf and desk. The dresser we found at a storage auction for around $10 and I blogged about that here. The book shelf we actually found by the side of the road during clean up week but it wasnt for free, we paid $15 for it but I thought it was definitely worth that.

It is a very solid bookcase, however, Im not a fan of dark wood bookcases. They are too, well, dark. And I didnt want to paint it, so, I upgraded it by ripping off the back and using scrap wood that I painted black to make an X design in the back to give it a more open feel.

I LOVE the way it turned out. Then I filled it with a few linen storage baskets and some of his favorite things. Next up was the bedside table. My hubby found this old rusty metal base last summer and its been sitting in our storage building. I worked on yet another piece of bowling alley flooring and put together this table for him.

I was thrilled because this was our last slab of flooring and the size ended up working perfectly.

I wanted to give him a more comfortable bed so I made a new upholstered padded headboard, blogged about here, and purchased all new bedding that was on sale at West Elm. I also purchased new sheets there, as well. The vintage wool US Navy blanket was found at an auction.

Our son works part time and goes to college so I really wanted to make his room comfortable and relaxing for him. I also wanted to design it to reflect a college age adult. Finding design inspiration for that age group is difficult because most boys rooms inspiration pics found online are for younger boys and are theme rooms, which Im not a fan of. But Im very very happy with how it turned out and more importantly, so is he. :)

He didnt want curtains or wood shades so I left the windows with what he initially wanted which were these white wood blinds. I might sneak some curtains in later.... ;-)

Ive still got to find that perfect desk and finish up a couple more things for the wall for him and then I will blog about the other side of his room.
What do you think? Do you also find it hard to find inspiration for decorating older boys rooms?
Have a great day!
Diana

I Love Woodworking

Pages

Easter Table Ideas

Rabu, 17 Agustus 2016

Spring Summer Porch Ideas

Minggu, 07 Agustus 2016

Mailbox Ideas

Minggu, 26 Juni 2016

Back Side Porch Ideas For Summer and An Industrial Pipe Curtain Rod How To

Minggu, 19 Juni 2016

Older Boy Room Ideas

Kamis, 21 April 2016

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