This Wall Needed a Little 'Something'

When we bought our home in 2014 we loved how the dining room flowed into the living room. However, every time I walked thru it I always thought it needed a little 'something'. Well, two rooms shared one very large wall, so a little 'something' became quite a large something. Inspired by a Pinterest post (of course) I stumbled upon the words 'board and batten.' Board and what? I had never heard of these words used together in my life. Well, I was inspired and decided to take on the challenge. Here is the gigantic wall we tackled.

Finished Wall

Most of the ideas I was seeing online involved using MDF. I chose to use 1x2x8 poplar boards, about $2.50 each at Lowes. They are the cheapest ones they carry. We started in the middle of the wall using two vertical boards that went from floor to ceiling. We did this to hide a large crack in the drywall. Smart! That saved me from hiring a drywall guy as that skill is not is not my wheelhouse.

After the 2 vertical pieces were in place we broke out our 6th grade math skills and divided the entire wall length into even sections for the boards to be installed.

I am not one to use a nail gun (that will come later when we redo our master closet) so Daddy Bird was the operator of that. I am more of a table saw gal and was in charge of the wood.

Once the wall was measured and I decided how tall the rail should be, I measured and cut all the boards using my miter saw. I used a quarter round piece of moulding on top of our baseboards so the boards didn't appear to be hanging in mid-air. The vertical boards rested on the moulding.

For the horizontal boards I ended up using three different ones, stacked. I wanted to create a wide enough shelf to hold our family photos that we had printed on very large canvases. 

We used a nail gun to get everything into place, puttied the holes and painted. Also, because we have a warped wall we had to use some caulking along the edges to fill any gaps. Overall, the gigantic wall that needed a little 'something' ended up with a pretty 'BIG' something. We are very happy how it turned out.

Let's Do Coffee!

This was a project that I didn't even know I was looking for. Once again I was on our local yardsale Facebook group and saw this posting for a coffee table and two matching end tables. So why would I need these? I have tables already that are doing their job perfectly. My feet have a place to go when I'm watching T.V. and my drink has a place to rest when it's not being enjoyed. So what was it about these tables? Well for one, they're solid wood, not the cheapy stuff you tend to see out there. And two, they were just $40 for all THREE tables! Sold! 

These tables were screaming, "Make me pretty!", so that's exactly what I did. Upon first bringing them home I hid them in the garage under blankets. I didn't want to hear from my husband about bringing home another project (as most sit in the garage for a couple months before they make their way to a new location or home). He found them after about two days. With that being said I had to move this project to the top of the list. First job was to get them primed. 

For color I went with a nice taupe, very neutral and something that would go with our decor. I opted for spray paint for this job and do not regret that decision a bit. I purchased a high-gloss spray and bought 6 cans. I was pleasantly surpised that I only needed about 2.5 cans. It went on very well and does not have a stickyness to it like some sprays do. I was very pleased at how they turned out.

So Day 1: Primer, Day 2: Paint, Day 3: Bring inside! 

Curbside Mantel

I'm a teacher and leave pretty early in the morning to head to work. About a month ago as I was driving out of our neighborhood, I noticed two pallets on the curb with a "FREE" sign. Um, yes please. I called my husband and asked if he could rush down there and grab them (before any other crazy pallet lady saw them). As awesome as he is, he hopped in the car and drove down. To his surprise there were other curbside goodies to be had, a bundle of scrap wood tied neatly with twine. Weeks passed and then the creative lightbulb went on. I'm going to build a mantel! We have two fireplaces in our new home and zero mantels. Hanging stockings this year was pretty tricky.

I had pinned a great mantel idea from Pinterest that was my inspiration. Let's just say that one took way more engineering skills than ours. We totally winged it. With a handful of tools we went to work. That list included: tape measure, table saw, nail gun borrowed from my brother-in-law and sand paper. 

First step: Make the top and bottom. Easy peasy.

Step Two: Add the front. 

 Step Three: Watch your husband laugh at you and give you that "it's not going to work" look. Then miracles happened and we made a mantel.

There are a ton of discrepancies in this but we just call it 'character'. This is straight from the curb, not Restoration Hardware. Cost: $0

My Happy Hour Table

We have been so blessed with an incredible backyard with an amazing view and before we even closed escrow I was on the hunt for a project table and chairs. Our local Salvation Army here in San Clemente came through once again and I scored a bamboo table, with glass top and 4 chairs. Bonus....it was HALF PRICE DAY!!! The whole set was just $60. Yes, the chairs are ugly, I know this, that's why they ended up being resold and we had to look for chair alternatives.

So I bought these in August and it wasn't until November that I found the chairs that would ultimately be the ones we stuck with. These took some work but not nearly as enough work the ugly ones would of needed. These had 3 layers of fabric all stapled with about 1,000 staples. It was tedius but all layers came off...eventually.

Once the layers of fabric were removed it was time to paint! We purchased an outdoor paint, a great shade of turqouise and applied two coats. We think it turned out great!

Now to cover the chairs! I purchased outdoor fabric from Fabric.com and love, love, love it! After some measuring, cutting and staple-gunning I was done! CHEERS!

You're Making a Door into What????

Well another project was completed over my Spring Break! We recently moved into a new home and our guest room was lacking a headboard, so, after seeing two solid wood doors for sale on a Yardsale group I thought, "That could totally be a headboard." My husband did not see that vision. But for $25 for two doors, I couldn't pass up the chance. Not sure what the second door is going to be, but I had to have them. It was a project that took no more than a couple hours (that includes drying time of the paint), but it looks like I spent hours and hours on it. I love how it turned out!

Step One: Cut door in half

Step Two: Paint it! For color, I added a bit of primer into a dish, added some water and used a clean cloth to wipe onto the door.

Step Three: I added plates on the back and screwed on to secure.


Last Step: Hang it up! It looks awesome! Just what the guest room needed. 

Saved From the Landfill

So what do schools do with their furniture when they decide to gut the entire campus and remodernize? Well, lucky for me they get rid of stuff! 









Most of the furniture removed from the school is being stored in a warehouse, but some bookcases that were damaged came home with me (instead of going to the landfill). 

I popped off the backings, measured them, then headed to Lowes to get some new backing cut. With some wood glue to fix some wobbly shelves, some nails, funky fabric and fun paint, these bookcases will live another day. 

They were originally from 1967 when the school opened, so they're almost 50 years old. I love them! Now, to find them a good home. 

First Pallet Project

So a couple of years ago I jumped on the pallet bandwagon, and have yet to jump off. I LOVE PALLETS! My friend's husband worked in an industry that left him with the occastional pallet. I asked if I could have one and he said, "YES!" Another FREE project! I lugged it home, hammered it apart and got to work. I love how it turned out and it looks great in our courtyard.