Faux Vintage Crate from the Scrap Pile

I’m always amazed by the things people figure out to do with their scrap wood. That may be the reason my garage is overflowing with small pieces of wood! But this nifty project from Johnnie at Saved By Love Creations is further proof that scraps can come in very handy.

Johnnie used her wood scraps to build a wooden crate that looks like something she hauled home from an antique shop or estate sale. She nailed together various pieces of scrap lumber to create a small box. She added chicken wire for an added rustic touch. For visual interest, she stenciled a crown on the side of the crate. Now, the faux vintage crate holds ferns on her porch-isn’t it lovely?

Go to Saved By Love Creations to get instructions for building your own scrap wood crate.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor | Tags: box, chicken wire, crate, DIY, faux, leftover, lumber, planter, remade, repurposed, scrap, stenciled, vintage, wood

March 31, 2014March 31, 2014

“Om” Your Way Through Doing the Dishes

When Amber from The Queen and Her Court was looking for a floor mat for her kitchen, she had a lightbulb moment: yogo mats are the same size as the kitchen mat she needed to go in front of her sink! It just so happened that Amber had a yoga mat at home, so she decided to save some money and DIY what she wanted.

Amber’s yoga mat was purple (like the oneabove), but that wasn’t the color she uses to decorate her kitchen. Instead, she painted over the purple mat. Taping it off to create a pattern of wide stripes, she painted the rug navy and white. Amber’s former yoga mat is now the perfect size and color to serve as a kitchen mat. Bonus feature: if she needs to sneak in a few “ommms” to get through a load of dishes, she can, now!

Visit The Queen and Her Court to get more information on this repurposed yoga mat.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor | Tags: kitchen, mat, nautical, navy, painted, reimagined, repurposed, reused, rug, striped, white, yoga

March 30, 2014March 31, 2014

Just in Time for Spring: Eggshell Tealights

If you aren’t composting, eggshells are probably something that you throw in the trash without thinking. Well, start saving them, because Angie from Little Inspiration has come up with an adorable use for eggshells that you will want to try this spring.

To make a pretty, spring centerpiece from her broken eggs, Angie started saving the shells each time she cracked an egg in the kitchen. She dipped her broken eggshells into dye to turn them pretty colors. (Angie mentions that you can dye your eggs before you crack them, too.) Her eggshells were just the right size for simple tea lights to fit inside. Angie placed the egg candles in an open egg carton, which serves the purpose of keeping the candles upright and looking seriously cute.

Go over to Little Inspiration to get more details on how to make your own eggshell candles.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor | Tags: candles, compost, craft, dyed, eggs, eggshell, repurposed, reused, spring, tea lights

March 30, 2014March 30, 2014

A Colorful Clock Update

“We have had the same boring IKEA clock in our kitchen for about 8 years,” says Amanda at her blog, Popper & Mimi. “It was time for an update so I thought I’d take it down and do some hacking.”

The clock in question is the Ikea Rusch-and all it will take for you to snag one of these for yourself is a couple of dollars! Amanda took hers apart and covered the numbered face with some pretty gray white polka dot paper. She glued 12 buttons onto the clock face in lieu of numbers, arranging them in rainbow order. Even the hands of the clock got a new look thanks to washi tape! The newly pretty clock goes perfectly in Amanda’s daughter’s bedroom, now.

To get more information on this clock makeover, click over to Popper & Mimi.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor, Wall Decor | Tags: buttons, clock, clock face, color, ikea, makeover, paper, polka dots, rainbow, redo, refab, Rusch, washi tape

March 29, 2014March 29, 2014

Leftover Plywood Gets an Anthropologie Inspired New Use

What’s a girl to do when she spots adorable (but pricey) coasters in the Anthropologie catalog? Well, if you are a DIYer like Abby of Just a Girl and Her Blog, you check your garage for leftover plywood and get to work making your own!

Abby had plenty of plywood scraps from other projects, which she had her husband cut into simple, coaster-sized squares. She taped off cool geometric designs and painted them with bright colors. To make sure the designs would hold up to real-world use, Abby made sure to seal them with decoupage. Aren’t they great?

Visit Just a Girl and Her Blog to get more details on how to make some Anthro-inspired coasters with your own leftovers!

By Kimm | Filed under Decor | Tags: Anthropologie, coasters, colorful, craft, decoupage, design, geometric, knockoff, leftover, paint, plywood, squares, upcycle

March 29, 2014March 29, 2014

Sitting Pretty at the End of the Bed

Over at One More Time Events, Tammy has recently completed the final touches on a bedroom makeover. Her last task was to give the bench at the end of her bed a fresh, new look. The bench was originally a dumpster find.

To refresh the look of the bench, Tammy gave it a wash of creamy white paint. She took off the floral upholstery, and replaced it with a tan and cream buffalo check fabric. Now it matches the soothing, neutral colors of her bedroom. Lovely!

Go to One More Time Events to learn more about this rescued bench.

By Kimm | Filed under Benches, Furniture | Tags: bench, buffalo check, cream, dumpster find, fabric, makeover, neutral, painted, redone, refurbished, reupholstered, tan, upholstered

March 28, 2014March 29, 2014

Instead of Reupholstering, Consider Painting

Recently, Cristina from Remodelando la Casa encountered an interesting situation. An store in her area was closing, and was giving away office chairs for free! She went over and picked up two sturdy, upholstered chairs. They were in great shape, but they weren’t exactly her style.

When you get something for free, it’s like an invitation to try things you’d never dare try with stuff it took hard earned cash to buy. Since they were too dark for the space where she wanted to use them, Cristina decided to try painting them-upholstery and all! She covered both chairs with two coats of homemade chalk paint. The upholstery got two coats of white, and the wood got two coats of a simple greige. The paint completely changed the look of these chairs!

If you click over to Remodelando la Casa, Cristina answers quite a few questions about the process and outcome of painting upholstery.

By Kimm | Filed under Chairs, Furniture | Tags: chairs, chalk paint, DIY, experiment, greige, homemade, makeover, office furniture, painted, redo, upholstery, white

March 28, 2014March 28, 2014

Another Use for Spindles

At Thrifty Treasures, Sara has an idea for using extra spindles. If you’ve been saving spindles from old furniture, or have access to them from architectural salvage, this is a rescue that will interest you.

For this project, Sara sandwiches a spindle between a sturdy base and a decorative top. This forms a sturdy stand, which Sara paints. Next, she attaches small metal buckets to the spindle, using metallic one-hole straps from the hardware store. She’s made a variety of these stands with buckets hanging from them, in different colors. Sara suggests using them for things like an indoor herb garden, flowers, succulents, organizing q-tips, makeup brushes, crayons, or office supplies.

Find out more about this rescue by visiting Thrifty Treasures.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor | Tags: architectural salvage, bucket, decor, metal, organizer, painted, planter, repurposed, reused, salvaged, spindle, stand, upcycled