Mailbox Makeover

Our mailbox was sad...very sad. We noticed that almost every mailbox on our street had some sort of flower bed around it but ours. Ours was just stuck in the dirt and looked very old. I wasn't sure what to do with it. I had originally thought I would sand and paint the post (to save $) and just get a new box.

So Saturday morning I went outside to inspect it a little closer and while doing so I realized it was really shaky. I pushed just a little on the side of it and the darn thing just fell over! So much for trying to save the post! But come to find out once it broke it was all rotten and yucky inside. My neighbor saw me working and came out and told me that the mailbox was the original to the house...so yeah...it was old.

So a quick trip to Lowes and we got a new post and box. Wasn't expensive either. We spent $21 on the post and $14 on the box. Picked up some mulch and a couple plants and back home to start.

I wanted to get a better before picture but as I mention...it fell over before I could. So I took one with it laying by our curb with other junk we threw out.

Here is the BEFORE, IN PROGRESS, and AFTER. It looks SO much better! As my friend told me...it shows classy people live here now. :)

Easter Village

I love this time of year...days are getting longer, the weather is warmer and Spring is just around the corner. I am starting to get out my Easter decorations and decided a fun project for me and Eve would be to make an Easter Village. I picked up some $1 birdhouses from AC Moore and a few Easter decorations from Hobby Lobby and the rest was just scraps I already had. I painted the houses and added scrapbook paper with Mod Podge. The bases are just small boxes and small wooden scraps. Found a thin sheet of wood and assembled it all together.

And most importantly...Eve loves the new Easter Village. :)

Board and Batten Bathroom

So we moved into our house a year ago and I painted the guest bath a bright yellow. I didn't get a sample before I bought my gallon and got it home and really didn't like it. BUT I paid for it so I figured I must use it. So I did...and I've never been happy with it. I knew I wanted to do something else but wasn't sure what. Until I saw Gail's post on her Board and Batten back splash in her kitchen. I loved it and knew that's what I wanted to do. My Dad is the most talented guy I know and while visiting I told him my plans. He had a stash of 1x4's that he wasn't using and gave them to me! And for my birthday I got a Lowes gift card so that paid for my paint. So this project literally didn't cost me a dime!!

Here are my bathroom BEFORE pictures:

These are the original 1981 cabinets and it just didn't go with the black mirror or the counter top...

I think my friend summed it up...it's just Country looking...

And here's my AFTER Board and Batten Bathroom:

I just love how it turned out!

I painted the cabinets a glossy black and which brings out the mirror, light fixture and other black accents.

Instead of working around the baseboard, I took it up and used a 1x4 instead and put down new shoe molding.

That's me!

The sides of the sink were too narrow to add any boards so instead I just ran the top boards across the top.

Here's the other side of the mirror.

Up close of the board and batten. I used a semi-gloss white paint. Painters caulk is my new best friend!

I painted the walls first (yes, that's just dry wall) and then painted my boards and then attached everything together and gave it all one final coat.

As I mentioned before...my friend said it went from Country to Kickin! :)

Next I plan to do my breakfast area the same way.

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Mudroom Lockers

I came across the idea of "mudroom lockers" while blog surfing one day. My favorite was Karla's which is AWESOME. But she has a handy dandy husband...me...I have a handy dandy daddy but he lives almost 3 hours away. While looking at other DIY Lockers I decided to try and find something I could "repurpose" to make my lockers. Save some money and recycle! While at my local Habitat Restore I walked over to the closet doors and studied them for a bit and thought...that could be my sides. So I found 2 sets of doors that looked pretty good and brought them home for $15. I had this project on my to do list for several months but didn't have all the tools I needed to really make it.
Thankfully for Christmas I got lots of tools! So now I had what I needed to get started.

The only thing I had to purchase "new" for this project was the bead board, hooks and baskets. My good friend is building a house and had some scrap boards laying around so I went and grabbed them up. That was my backer to attach the bead board to.

I then went about adding the beadboard to the back, attached the doors to the back, made the shelves out of a piece of board I found on my neighbor's curb, all the molding I got from my in-laws house which was left over in their attic. The bottom of the lockers was a piece of scrap I got at home depot for 50 cents.

Once I got it all put together I put one coat of primer over the entire thing and then 3 coats of paint.

My finished Mudroom Lockers

I found the baskets at Target and the initials at Michaels. The letters were white and used black spray paint on them and tied them on. A basket for each of us.

I actually do not have a "mudroom" I built these to go right beside the door in the basement which leads out to our garage. So when you come in and out of the door from the car you can hang your coat, keys, hat, etc.

Now I did make quite a bit of mistakes and it's definitely not perfect but it was my first "furniture" type project. And it's very functional!



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My DIY Christmas

Christmas 2010 has been a very DIY kind of Christmas. I had bought several things to turn into projects and thought...why not give them as gifts. I actually did not photo all of my gifts I made...I forgot. :(

American Girl Doll Kitchen

I converted this old cabinet into a kitchen for Eve's American Girl Doll.

BEFORE picture

I primed it with 2 coats then 3 coats of left over pink semi-gloss paint from Eve's room. Made one of the drawers into a microwave by removing the backside of the drawer, made a hole for the sink (dog bowl) and curved a copper pipe for the faucet. I brought some small kitchen items from the Our Generation brand at Target to go with it.

AFTER picture

stove top are small black circles and a sink and faucet

Doll Cradle

I posted this eariler but here it is again.

BEFORE picture

I painted it and made a bed to go with it.

Countdown Blocks

I made several sets of these but didn't take pictures of all of them. But here are a couple I made as Christmas gifts.

Holiday Blocks

These were fun to make and so easy. They are just 2x4's cut at different lengths and then used Modge Podge to add scrapbook paper and hand drew the letters on them.

Halloween Blocks...would look cute on the mantel at Halloween

Be Mine blocks for Valentine's Day

Purple Black and Decker Kid Workbench

Eve kept saying she wanted some "pink" tools. She watches me use tools alot and wanted her own. Well I looked everywhere for some pink tools. They make them for adults but not kids. So...we decided to buy a black and decker workbench with tools and just spray paint them. :) I couldn't find pink plastic spray paint but did find purple so that would have to do.

I used Krylon Fusion Purple Spray Paint that can be sprayed on plastic. Worked pretty good.

Reindeer Rootbeer

I got this idea at Crafty Sisters. I thought it would be so cute to make for Eve's teachers. I am not a Root Beer fan myself but hoped maybe they were. :)

Polymer Clay Play Food

Eve was looking threw her American Girl catalog and said she wanted some cupcakes for her dolls. (This was before I bought the Our Generation kitchen food). So I busted out the polymer clay and we made a few pieces. When we were done she clapped her hands and said "Yay...you made it....great job Mommy, great job!!" It was so cute! (she's only 2 years old)

In addition to these crafts I made some homemade cards and grouped them together in packs of 10 as gifts. I made my mom and mother-in-law a Chair Planter like mine but forgot to take pictures of them.

I have felt like Santa's elf this year. :)

Merry Christmas!



Doll Cradle - Before & After

My neice Lucy enjoys playing with Eve's doll cradle when she comes to visit. My sister-in-law mention getting her a wooden one for Christmas so when I came across this I called her to see if she'd found one. Found it for $15 at The Gingham Daisy.

I brought it home and put a coat of primer on it. Then used left over pink and green paint from Eve's room. I also had left over foam and fabric to make a mattress, cover and pillow. And viola...it's done!

American Girl Kitchen

Eve really likes playing with her kitchen and her dolls. She got an American Girl catalog a couple weeks ago and in there is a pictures of a kitchen table and food accessories for the Americal Girl dolls. She saw it and called it a kitchen and asked if I could make her one. (She's been watching me make larger play kitchens). I thought...of course...a DIY Doll Kitchen. I looked online and saw the Our Generation girls from Target have a kitchen but other than that...small kitchens that are not Barbie size are hard to find. So I was on the hunt for a piece of furniture I could repurpose to a doll kitchen. I went to my favorite consignment shop...The Gingham Daisy and it wasn't long before I spotted this find! I love the mission style look.

American Girl Doll Kitchen - BEFORE

I actually paid about $23 which is more than I usually would spend but it was just too perfect. It would fit her American Girl doll great! I got my Dad to cut off the bottom of the shelf and drilled a hole for the sink. I picked up a small dog bowl for the sink. This project is still a work in progress but hope to be done soon. I added small marble type pieces I've had for years and glued them to the backsplash.

I'll post more pictures once I get further along. This is such a fun project!