Bathroom Shelf Make Over

The 1/2 bath downstairs has been screaming for a make over for awhile now. When we bought the house, it had been painted this hideous spring green that I immediately changed. I picked out a dark mocha color but never really loved it but I didn't want to re do it either. So for 5 years, it sat.

Here is the before:

Totally dark and cave like. So I repainted it in Behr's Celtic Gray (it's a bluish-greenish gray). Once that was done, I knew I needed to redo the shelf above the toilet. The cherry wood color never matched anyway. I wanted it to be fresh and bright.

The shelf is originally from Pottery Barn and love the lines. I primed it and painted it with Benjamin Moore White Dove which is the same color that we painted all of our trim. I then slightly distressed it. It looks perfect in the space now and I can't wait to finish up the rest of the make over so I can show you the final reveal.

Shara Pin It

A Storage Chest Make Over

I've been on an organization and purging fest this summer. My kids have way too many toys that never get played with so I narrowed the toys down by over 1/2 and got rid of a ton of things. It feels so good to get out from some of the clutter.

I was on the lookout for some kind of storage solution to help hold games and puzzles. My former neighbor and friend offered me this cedar chest (I had a desk that she wanted so we traded...win-win for us both).

It has a lot of storage space but needed a little face lift. I painted it using ASCP in French Linen and then applied dark wax to seal it. I restained the top using a dark walnut stain to match the hutch I just competed.

Here's the finished chest which is now the coffee table in my family room. It holds puzzles, games, and Littlest Pet Shop toys. A storage table is the perfect solution to help conceal the clutter when you have kids with toys.

I love how it turned out. It's a great piece and will be useful even when the kids are out of the toy phase.

Shara Pin It

A Reading Nook

Our house has a built in style wall in the family room. One side contains the fireplace and the other this large nook for holding a TV. Our house was built in 2003, so the nook is rather large and designed for the fatter tube style TV. We have housed our TV in this nook since we moved in in 2008. It has been OK, but the way we have to set up the couch makes watching TV a little awkward. I've been envisioning a change for a while now but wasn't quite sure what I would do with the gaping hole once I moved the TV.

So, I forgot to take a before picture but I found one that would work. Don't mind the pile of laundry or the bookshelf in front of the fireplace.

This is taken from my kitchen looking into the family room. As you can see, the room is narrow and the best place for the couch is under the windows. This was before moving the TV.

I decided to use that built in space to create a reading nook. With school just around the corner, reading and homework time is going to increase. I wanted to make a fun place for the kids to hang out and read a book.

 Once I started the project, I decided to paint the entire wall a grayish blue color instead of the boring, dark beige color it was before. This really helped lighten up the space and make it feel like less of a cave.

The white bookshelf is a Closetmaid 2 by 3 shelf from Target. It holds all the books perfectly and fits the space just right. The aqua back pillow is also from Target and very fluffy and soft. The kids love it. The two navy floor cushions are from Ikea. I made the sign with my favorite Dr. Seuss quote. The clip on light is from Fred Meyer.

Here's the whole room put together:

Once the large armoire that holds the toys and the train table are no longer needed, the room will be perfect.
I love how it all came together. The kids love it, too. The family room has much better flow and it is much more enjoyable to sit and watch TV.

Shara Pin It

New Craft Counter

My craft room/computer room/loft has been in dire need of a more useful space for storage and a dedicated space for working on projects instead of using the kitchen table. My craft projects have taken over and I needed to find a solution.

Here's my utterly messy craft space before:

I couldn't find anything. My craft cabinet and craft table where packed full. This area isn't very big so I need to pack a punch. Enter Pinterest. I saw this pin a while back and it got the wheels turning. I decided to start hunting down 2 drawer file cabinets. Couldn't be that hard, right? Well, lets just say that I hit up every thrift store in a 10 mile radius with no luck. I finally found a large lot on CL and jumped in. 

I started by spray painting the fronts and the sides that would be visible with Rustoleum Aqua spray paint (my most favorite color). I then took a lot of measurements and hit up the Depot for some plywood. I had the guys in the orange aprons cut down the wood to my specifications and the hubster loaded it in the car for me. We got it home and started by attaching the casters to the base piece. I used 8 casters. They were not very cheap so it kind of defeated the thriftiness of the project but I wanted the added height to the counter so I could stand or sit at a bar stool to work. 

The casters are totally awesome so I guess I shouldn't complain about their cost! Anyway, all the file cabinets that I found were varying heights and lengths.  So we had to build up each of the shorter ones to match the tallest one. We did this by cutting extra plywood and screwing it into the base piece. 

Here's the hubs helping me build the bases. 

Once they were all level, the next step was to stain the top.

We used a maple/birch veneered plywood. It had a gorgeous grain to it. I used my favorite dark walnut stain and set to work. 

Here it is all ready to be poly'd. It took the stain great. I did 3 coats to achieve the desired color. 

 After that my hubby cut down the trim pieces and we attached it with out nail gun. The final step was painting and cutting the base molding to hide the varying layers of plywood under the cabinets.

Here is the finished product. I love the size and the amount of storage. I can spread out and work on crafts without having to clean up every time we need to use the kitchen table. What do you think? In total, this project cost just under $200 for all the supplies. If I hadn't have gotten the casters, I could have saved over $50 dollars. Not too bad for a custom built craft cabinet.

Now I just need to work on a gallery wall for above it and this 1/2 of the craft room will be complete. Then I need to do something to the other half. Stay tuned for that project!

Happy Crafting,

Shara

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A Buffet Reinvented

I finally painted furniture! It feels like it had been forever since I picked up a brush and created some magic. This buffet was a steal of a deal and I had been on the hunt for a long dresser/buffet for quite some time. I needed to weed out some of the clutter in my craft room and rearrange the space.

Here's what the buffet looked like when I brought it home.

I love the look of the french provincial style but it can look outdated real fast! I knew the perfect solution would be to use ASCP in French Linen. I also spray painted the hardware with a leafy green color to give it that WOW! factor. I think I succeeded.

This beauty now resides in my craft room and stores all my fabric. I love it. It makes me smile.

Shara Pin It

Quick and Easy Storage

My kitchen is on the smallish side and I have hardly any drawers. The amount of kitchen gadgets and utensils gets overwhelming at times and I needed to find a solution to store those gadgets that I use occasionally but not all the time. Perusing Pinterest, I found several ideas of storage boxes on top of the cabinets.

I decided I would find a way to make my own. The K-cups that we buy at Costco come in the perfect size box that fits nicely on the cabinets over my fridge. I decided to figure out a way to decorate them that was quick and easy. A stumble down the duct tape aisle at Target cemented this idea in stone. I picked up a roll of aqua and white and set about my box decorating adventure.

It literally took less than 2 minutes per box and I was done. I added a small vinyl number to give it just a little something extra. Now I have the perfect place to hold those extra gadgets like cookie cutters and melon ballers that I only use once and awhile. It's freed up so much space in my gadget drawer that I don't feel so overwhelmed anymore! Yay!

Happy Crafting,

Shara Pin It