Levees and Lace

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Eight weeks to organized... Bathroom {part 1}

Since I have been sick with a sinus infection and ear infections, organizing my bathroom drawers seemed like a good task--I could sit in bed and bring the drawers to me. I had a long ways to go as the "before" picture below show....

I decided to take this project one drawer at a time and start with DIY cereal box drawer dividers inspired from a post on iHeart Organizing {one of my favorite blogs} that I had been dying to try. You can find her original post here. I should tell you now that this took me longer than I expected, but I did not have to spend any money which is always a huge positive. I started out by gathering boxes that I had been collecting for this particular project.

Then, I began fitting the boxes together in the drawer that I wanted to organize. Keep in mind that my boxes did not magically fit in the drawer like this the first time. I actually tried several different options {while watching tv} until I decided to stick with one. The cereal box was not in my original pile of boxes to choose from. I swiped that from the pantry when I realized I needed a few more options. So just keep trying until they fit together--think of this part as a puzzle.

Next, I traced around the outside edge with a marker. There are several ways you could accomplish this step. Measuring would work just as well, but at the time this seemed easier to me.

Then, I cut the boxes to be flush {or as close as possible} with the top of the drawer. This step takes some time.

Next, I used scrapbook paper that I had from a previous project to cover the boxes. I measured the paper and made the creases before using glue and tape to secure the paper in place. At the beginning, I was completely covering the boxes inside and out. Then, I decided that it was most important to line the insides and not worry as much about the outside since that would not be showing. Any pretty paper would work for this step. Maybe you have wrapping paper or large decorative sheets of paper that are sold at craft and art stores. It probably would have been easier if I had used wider paper for this step, but I was trying to use items I had on hand in order to keep the cost down.

After lots of measuring, cutting, gluing, and taping, I finally finished covering all of my boxes and here is how my organizers turned out.

Next, I wanted to make the other drawers as pretty but did not need all of the different sections. Rather than buying contact paper to line the drawers, I used scrapbook paper from the same book that I used to line the boxes. I matched up the pieces and taped it down to prevent it from sliding around.

Because I had created so much organized space in my top drawer, it opened up the space in the drawers below. Now the drawers look like this... Some of the items in the very back are not easily accessible, but those are items that I do not use regularly.

When I was cleaning out my drawers, I realized there were lots of product samples without a "home". For now, I threw them all into one of my spare baskets that came from the dollar store years ago. I am planning on putting the basket in our second bathroom for guests. I will probably add to this over time in order to make it a more complete selection. Currently, there are different types of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, sunscreen, mouth wash, and tooth paste. As well as being great for guests, these are all great sized products for travel, and any time I need something for a trip, I will know exactly where to find it.

Low budget organization may take more time {and patience while accomplishing it} but it was great to finish part 1 of my project still not having spent $1. Do you repurpose items in order to help with organization? I would love to hear about some of your ideas and projects.

Happy spring cleaning!

Nicole

Chalk paint transformation {part 1}

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When my good friend, Jane, asked me to help her paint a piece of furniture for her little girl's "big girl room", I jumped at the opportunity! She told me that she wanted a "chalk paint look", and I knew this would be super fun and easy :)

After talking with her I realized that Jane did not know of Annie Sloan Chalk paint and all of its glory. So, we talked about colors, and I dropped by an Annie Sloan dealer in Jackson, MS for a can of "Pure" and "Clear Wax".

Here is a picture of the inspiration of Ava Montgomery's "big girl room"....

...We thought a big white chest of drawers would fit in perfectly.

Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take a before picture of the chest, but just try to use your imagination. First I had Jane, with some help from her sweet husband Richard, remove the handles and knobs and fill the holes from the hardware with wood putty. After Jane's husband and dad moved the piece out to their lake house and set us up in the basement/garage, we started painting. We started with a quick thin coat of paint, no sanding involved! {This is the greatest part about using chalk paint}

Then, we let that coat dry over night. Next we sanded the spots where the holes had been filled. This could have been done first, but we did not have the sandpaper until the next morning. Then, we continued with a second coat, and, in some places we even added a third. We were shocked at how quickly the entire job went, and Ms. Ava Montgomery even got to "help" transform this piece of furniture for her room!

Lastly, we decided we could not wait on hardware to be ordered/shipped so we headed into Oxford to find some knobs. After some debate with the store owner about whether or not they would work correctly, we decided to purchase some beautiful glass knobs from AC's. The knobs were originally made to be used as door knobs (not pulls), so we made a quick trip to the hardware store to purchase some nuts. With the minor adjustments the knobs worked perfectly! We couldn't be happier!

The last steps are to wax the chalk paint using clear wax for a more finished, matte result and to add some knobs or handles to the doors (the ones we purchased were too big and bumped together).

Stay tuned for pictures of the the final product in Ava Montgomery's finished "big girl room"!

Enjoy,

Sarah

Sun room redo...

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For the love of stenciling....

Since buying a house in February 2011 I have learned many new DIY tricks and experimenting with new things is one of my favorite things to do. Most recently, I decided to try an all over wall stencil in my sun-room. Here is the before...

This is actually what the room looked like when we bought the house, so the previous resident had actually taken all of the items. It was first carpeted and we had the floor tiled when we did some work in the bathroom across the hall.

This project was inspired by a beautiful wall covering that I found from the Thibaut Geometric collections.

After I figured out how much the wall covering would cost (approximately $400), I started looking into less expensive options. My mother-in-law (who also happens to be an interior decorator) told me to look into wall stencils. After researching a few places online, I decided to go with an all over wall stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils since they had one that looked very similar to the lattice design that I liked. I also had to decide on a color that looked similar to my original inspiration. After debating for a long time, I decided I just needed to pick. After trying my first sample pick, I decided on Sherwin Williams "Aviary Blue".

Directions....

First, I had to prime the walls, and I chose to use a plain latex Kilz.

Next, I painted the entire room bright white with a latex paint. And, finally, after two coats of boring white, I got to start stenciling!!!!

Unfortunately, I decided to start at the bottom (just because it was easier), but after the project I learned that it would have been a much better idea to start at the top. The stencil company sends a straight edge stencil that is smaller and easier to navigate the ceiling line. Since I started at the bottom the repeat did not end at the correct part of the design to be able to use the small stencil.

After one (or a few) mess ups I quickly learned how to line up the stencil quickly and easily. I simply followed the directions provided by Cutting Edge Stencil which can be found here.

Lastly, I decided to just do the one "plain" wall in the room and finished it by painting the rest of the room blue. And, here is the finished job.

I would love to know what you think!!

Enjoy,

Sarah

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