Storage Ottoman - Building The Box - Part 1

 I needed something to store blankets in our basement in, and plan on putting this storage ottoman behind our couch to hold them.  The backs of the couch that the bench will be against both recline.  I knew that because of that I couldn't make my bench more than 20 inches high.

 To make this storage ottoman I started with the tufted bench cushion dimensions.

I know, I know, you guys are probably thinking..."What in the world is this crazy girl doing, didn't she just have back surgery a month ago?"  BUT, I had my dear sweet hubby come to the store with me, load and unload all my wood from the store to my garage, so all I had to do was saw and hammer. (which was all within my weight limitations, kinda ;).

I started by cutting the long sides of my box first.  I wanted the front piece to extend along the entire front.

Then I cut my side pieces to fit in between my two front pieces.

Then hammered them together with 1 1/2 inch nails.

I cut pieces going along the width of the box because I was using a miter saw and couldn't cut pieces long enough length wise.

I cut the pieces to fit until it was all closed up.

Now I had a finished box!

Next, add your bun feet.  I simply drilled a hole slightly smaller than the screw that came on my bun feet and screwed in the feet.

And...you have a storage box with feet!

Tomorrow Part 2 will show you how I finished it off!

Guest Feature: DIY Ottoman by the Do It Yourself Divas

Recently I was inspired by the very talented and amazing Do It Yourself Divas, go check out all their different projects...you won't be disappointed!  

After seeing their 'by scratch' ottoman here, I decided that THAT was what I was going to do with my broken bench that was no longer functional.

Isn't theirs beautiful?!

Tomorrow I will post how I built mine, and a few changes I made a long the way.

Broken Bench

Months ago I was excited to find and purchase this beautiful bench on KSL (similar to Craigslist) for $20. 

I loved the fabric, and it made a nice addition to the bottom of our bed in our master bedroom. 

 

As I mentioned above I said I was excited to find it, not we...implying my husband and I.  The good sport he is, he picked it up for me on his way home from work.  However, he was not keen on having it there at the end of our bed.  Even though there was plenty of room to add it there, he knew we would stub our toes on it in the middle of the night and would end up being in the way.  You know what?!  He was right, and the one time I did stub my foot on it I had to bite my tongue because I didn't want to add fuel to his fire. :)

My kids loved to lay across or sit on it to watch TV in our room.  So I only assume, it was from their constant 'love' and 'affection' that this is what happened to it:

So, so sad. :(

But, I think it may have been a blessing in disguise.  

One, because my husband is happy that it was broken and no longer there.

And two, because the cushion top was still in perfect condition and I found something awesome to turn it into.

I have been working on it this past week and can't wait to show you what it will be!

November Decorating Tip Of The Month

How To Make a Roman Shade - 

This site is great and has a "Hardware Calculator" that allows making your own Roman Shades so much simpler.  All you need to do is plug in the dimensions you want your finished product to be, answer a few simple questions regarding the shade you desire, and it provides all the necessary information you need to make it.  The site also contains instructions, FAQs, and variations of styles to help you prior and also along the way. 

 

Here is one I made using this site and their "Hardware Calculator":

Hope you give it a try!

Happy Halloween!

Preparing For Haunted Houses...

Lots of Halloween fun has kicked our weekend off to a good start! My youngest child Kennedy (AKA - the witch) had a preschool Halloween performance and carnival today that was a blast.

Two of my kids had Halloween parties to attend this evening, so I thought I would make a festive treat to send with them...'severed bloody fingers' (or just 'sugar cookie fingers' if your kids are too nervous to try them :). 

 

Here is the recipe if you want to give them a try yourself!

Happy Weekend!

Antique Thrift Store Small Table Makeover

Last winter I found this cute little end table at a small thrift shop for $15.  It may look very cool and antiqued from the photo; however, it really was just plain gross.  It smelled, had spider egg sacs, webs, and dead bugs all in it, and was very very dirty.

As you can see from the picture below, the top layer of the table was lifting and peeling off.  This baby was OLD!  I was told from a reliable source that it was made between the 1600-1800's after they inspected it.  After how much love it has weathered, I believe it!

I immediately pried the top layer of the table off to get to the soft even wood below.  Being winter and cold, stripping and sanding this thing took months!

I filled in all the holes, nicks and dents with wood putty to sand some more:

If you look to the back of the table in the photo below you will see I was left with a portion of the table not covered after I pried the top off.  I added a 1x2 piece of wood cut to fit the space, then proceeded to shave and contour the edges to flow with the rest of the top.

And then sanded some more, and more, and more.  It finally was ready to paint!  I chose Sherwin Williams Underseas:

I also fell in love with these beautiful knobs from Hobby Lobby (when they were on sale for 50% off of course :).

It fit perfectly for the small space on the other side of my guest bed!

The room is feeling a little more complete!

I am linking up to the following parties:

Window Valance #2 Complete!

Finally, I am back in project mode once more! My back surgery went well, and after a month of recuperation I have had plenty of time to lay around and think of more projects in store.

Here is one I finished before my surgery. I had a hard time sitting for quite some time after my surgery, the reason for the lack of posts.

Do you remember the window valance I did for my daughter's room here? Well, I completed a second for our guest room. Being in the basement, I wanted to make the room feel tall and large so I installed this one up to the ceiling hoping to give it that illusion.

Here is what I ended up with:

Remodelaholic Feature

A big THANK YOU to Remodelaholic for my featuring my "how to keep a picture level" trick! 

Check out their website here, they are FANTASTIC!

Boy Room Update

I haven't posted in quite some time; however, I have been quite busy around the house.

Now that my son is 8, he felt dinosaurs was a little "babyish".  So, I removed the dinosaurs in my sons room and filled his shelves with "sports" themed items that hopefully he will enjoy until he moves out of the house. :)

Here is what we ended up with:  

 The bat in the above picture used to be my husband's when he was a little boy.  I love how worn and loved it is.  I put it on a hook that he could easily take it on and off the wall with, that way it can serve as both functional and decorative.

Please excuse my absence for the next little while, I am headed into the OR tomorrow to have back surgery.  I'll be back, and have a lot of projects to update you on!

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