Signs, Signs, and More Signs...

Here are some of my recent signs:

Shara :) Pin It

My Latest Sign Creations

Sorry I have been out of the blogging world for over 2 months. Life happens and being a Mom to 3 comes before anything else. I've continued making signs over the past few months and thought I'd share them with you here finally.

More new designs in the works that I will share with you shortly.

Shara Pin It

Farmhouse Table Complete

I've been dying to own a rustic farmhouse table for what seems like forever. I love the charm and rustic appeal they bring to a space. Farmhouse tables are not cheap however. I've seen prices from $600 to upwards of a $1000. That is just not in this girl's budget, especially with 3 kids at private school this year. I've been eyeing DIY plans for one over at Ana White's blog for over a year. Why I waited so long to take the plunge is beyond me. I think I was nervous and I wanted to make sure the hubby was on board. After selling off a bunch of kid stuff this summer during the great summer clean out, I finally had enough money to get the lumber.

Let me just say there is nothing like the smell of fresh cut lumber. We purchased the lumber at one of the big box stores and my husband cut the lumber with his table saw. You can have them cut the lumber for you at the store, but I wanted to make sure we were as accurate as possible so we decided to cut the lumber ourselves. The lumber along with screws, a countersink drill bit, wood glue, wood putty, sand paper, stain and a brush was just under $130. Much more budget friendly.

We used the plans found here minus a couple of modifications (like not using a middle stretcher):  http://ana-white.com/2013/04/plans/happier-homemaker-farmhouse-table . The size was perfect for our smallish space while still giving us plenty of room for the 5 of us to spread out. It took about 2 weeks to build. We started with gluing the end stretchers and letting them sit for 48 hours. We only have 2 large clamps so we had to work in sections.

And yes, we built it in the kitchen. Our garage is too full of other "projects" there just isn't enough space. It ended up working out just fine though.

For the top, I picked out the lumber with the most knots and rustic charm I could find. After we built it, we moved it outside so we could sand and stain. I used a stain and poly in one which I hadn't used before. It went on really well and wasn't as runny as a traditional stain. I chose a Dark Walnut color to match with other pieces I have done in the house. It took 3 coats to achieve the color I was going for. The stain dried relatively quickly and I did end up applying 2 additional coats of wipe-on poly to the top just for added protection from my 3 kids.

I also refinished the farmhouse benches that came with our old table. The tops were in bad shape and were not the right color. The cherry colored top just wasn't working. I bought more lumber and built the new tops. Here's a before:

And here's an after (before I painted the bases white):

I love how the bench tops and table tops match now.

This table is everything I had envisioned and more. It will be treasured in this house for years. I'm so glad I finally took the plunge. It looks fabulous in the room...now to redo my kitchen cabinets and the space will be perfect!

Thanks for stopping by!
Shara Pin It

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 Sweet Sign

After moving the TV to my gray buffet, I need something to go on the wall above it. The wall was screaming for a handmade sign. Earlier this year when I built my rustic shelves, I had originally envisioned 4 shelves but only 3 made the cut. So I've had this extra stained board lying around the garage just waiting for inspiration to strike.

I decided to use the board since it was the perfect size to fit over the TV. I created a Home Sweet Home stencil using my Silhouette machine and then painting it with acrylic paint. I then distressed it to give it a worn, rustic appearance.

Here's the sign before being distressed. Don't mind the random feet in the picture.

Here it is above the TV. It fits perfectly in the space.

I added a painting that was my Grandma's to the help fill in the space next to it. Don't mind the random dog bone. :)

What do you think? I love the look of the stained wood with painted words. I haven't done this kind of sign before but I see a lot more in my future.

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