dyi race car shadowbox

Oh, bare wall, what shall we do with you? When we found out we were welcoming our first child, we were off to the store to decorate the perfect room for our new bundle of joy. We wanted a room that was perfect to welcome our new addition. I would like to say that we were equally ambitious when we found out we were expecting number two but that was not the case... this momma has been slacking in the deco department for Baby D's room.

Let's just say that Baby D's room has had little transformation. I started off with one theme in mind but it quickly changed to something else, which turned into leaving it as is. I have finally started to get back into some DIY yourself projects around the home and thought Baby D's room would be the first place to get a face lift.

As you walk into Baby D's room there is a small wall that faces you. I had searched several stores and never quite found what I was looking for to fill that space. I knew it was time to take matters into my own hands, hence my next DIY project.

Baby D is a huge fan of small toy cars and I knew I had to create something that incorporated them. I finally decided on a shadowbox with Baby D's initials as a race car track with bright little cars racing around the track. This was a fast and easy project that was completed in less an hour. It fit perfectly on the wall and gave the room a bit of colour. If you would like to make your own race car shadowbox, all you need is the following:

• shadowbox
• cardboard 
• toy cars
• acrylic paint
• hot glue gun

Directions

Cut cardboard to fit into shadowbox. Trace out initials. Paint initials with desired colour of paint, black with white or yellow stripes for that race track look. Let paint dry. Hot glue toy cars onto the race track. Place in shadowbox and your finished! How easy was that?!?!

Baby D loves his new artwork. He loves to point out the cars as soon as he enters the room. This shadowbox can be adapted to fit any of your child's interests. You could add colourful beads, baseball cards, foam letters... the possibilities are endless!

The finished product!

DIY painting kitchen table

Alright folks, here is another DIY project the hubby and I started/finished last year. You may remember I spoke of a dining room table I had inherited from my great Aunt. We love this table, which sits in the highest traffic area in our home. This hand-me-down dining table is full of character.. dents, chips, peeling trim and water damage are indications of many years of meals shared among loved ones. Before adding yet another generation of character to the table, we decided to take on a DIY project and give it a modern update. Specifically, we painted the table and chairs white and added some funky seat covers (more details on the seat covers coming soon...)

Here is a summary of how we painted a previously stained and sealed dining set:

• to remove loose dirt, dust and grease, wipe down all surfaces with a clean cloth dampened with pure, white vinegar - allow to dry
• lightly sand all surfaces using orbital sander and hand sander - 220 grit
• to remove dust, wipe down all surfaces with damp cloth - allow to dry
• chair back-rests: apply two coats of spray primer for indoor/outdoor wicker furniture
• remainder of chair surface and table: apply two coats of acrylic stain killer/primer/sealer with mini-roller for flat surfaces and brush for all other areas
• chair back-rests: apply two coats of white, flat spray paint for indoor/outdoor wicker furniture
• remainder of chair surface and table: apply two coats of white, flat melamine paint with mini-roller for flat surfaces and brush for all other areas
• allow to dry for at least a week  

Here is the set after removal from storage

Note the four matching chairs including a captain chair have a mesh backrest - this proved to be a challenge

Wipe down with vinegar to remove years of fingerprints, grease etc.

Lightly sand with orbital sander

We didn't attempt to remove the finish and get down to the wood since we planned on painting (and not staining)

Here is a close-up of some water damage that had to be smoothed out using a combination of orbital sander and hand-sanding.

We decided to spray paint the mesh back-rests using an indoor/outdoor spray primer and flat white paint designed for wicker furniture, it worked great!

Here is the finished product as it looks today in our kitchen. More on the seat covers in an upcoming post

The finer details slowed the process, but was worth the effort. I love love love the little details.

For the legs, we pained the grooves using a small art brush and then the mini-roller resulted in a smooth, dripless finish.

We think this classic table, looking slightly modern, fits perfect in our kitchen. I love love love the finished product.

DIY change table

Wow, this post has been a long time coming... and I mean a VERY long time! I love love love the spring/summer months because it means yard sales and DIY projects. I just realized, okay maybe not JUST realized, that I have been slacking in posting our DIY projects. I guess I should share with all of you some of last year's projects before we get started on new projects this year!

First off was the change table we re-purposed for Baby D's room. Last year, my mother-in-law obtained a change table from a friend who was cleaning out the house and whose children had now outgrown it. The change table was made of sturdy maple and was handmade. It was a nice piece of furniture but didn't quite fit in with the decor for Baby D's room. I loved the size and structure of the piece, I knew all it would take was a little face-lift and it would fit in perfectly.

The hubby got the sander out and got started on our little project. This is the first time we tackled a project like this and boy, did we learn a few things.

Here is a look at the bad boy before we got started...

First, we wiped down the table with a damp cloth to get all the dust and dirt that had accumulated over the past several months while stored in our garage. Once all the crud was off, we let the table dry for an hour or so to make sure all the moisture had disappeared.

The hubby, armed with his hand sander, started the sanding process with 80 medium grit sandpaper to remove any defects and score the finish. There were a few spots that we did by hand, but mostly by electric sander.

We then switched to 120 grit to smooth out the surface prior to staining.

You can see evidence in this picture of a lesson learned, always sand in the direction of the grain - you can see here where the hubby moved diagonally and in circles which scored the wood and was very difficult to hide

Lesson learned #2 - a water-based stain will not uniformly stain wood that previously had a finish. Notice under the flower where lack of sanding prevented the stain from setting. We didn't have the guts to use chemicals or the energy to sand down to wood, so we switched to an oil-based stain for subsequent coats. As we were already behind, we opted to save time and use a combination stain and finish (Minwax® PolyShades® One-Step Stain & Finishes)

Lesson learned #3: don't try to fight gravity, it will win - applying too thick a layer of stain on a vertical surface resulted in a run that was not easy to correct - notice an example of this just above the ledge. Curved and intricate details were the most difficult to avoid running. Suggestion - do not paint a surface while vertical, let the coat dry, then lie the table on it's side/back/front and stain horizontal surfaces.

We lightly rubbed down the table with steel wool between coats of stain

It took three coats of stain to achieve a depth of colour that matched the crib

The finished product

The hubby and I learned quite a few lessons but we both agree it was totally worth the effort. I picked up a change pad and added two baskets at the bottom for storage. It fits nicely into Baby D's room.

my love-hate relationship with ikea

Ikea and I have a love-hate relationship. I could spend countless hours walking around the store, and dreaming of how I would redo my bedroom or dining room etc. I look at a piece of furniture and say "you would fit perfectly in our home" and excitedly write down the aisle and bin number - I am now one step closer to my furniture victory as I race down the aisle to see if they have my item still in stock. I get a rush lifting my find into the cart - there is just something rewarding about doing it yourself. After everything is paid for, the fun really begins. I love love love placing my find in our vehicle, it is like my very own large jigsaw puzzle. Plus, I am not going to lie, I sometimes linger because I enjoy watching others work on their jigsaw puzzle too! Now it is back home I go, after several minutes my find is now in it's new home. This is where the hate part of our relationship begins to form. I open the box to see the million and one pieces I now need to put together. I open the instruction manual and notice the hundred steps I must take to get to my end result. I take a deep breath and begin the "oh-so fun project." This week I decided to tackle one of these projects.

I was lucky this week to have my good friend April staying at our home for a few days - I kind-of talked her into the trip to Ikea and then once we were home, I might have slipped in "Oh, this looks easy...I am sure we could put this together ourselves." I have a great friend because she was up for the task. It was going smoothly, it was teamwork all the way, we were on a roll, you could see the pure satisfaction on our faces as we were plowing through the steps as Little Miss L. did her Ikea dance (she likes to dance on all the pieces) to keep us motivated. The hubby came home half way through the process and we excitedly shouted out that we were doing a stellar job, and that we didn't need any help - we knew what screwdriver to use, and the hammer was a cinch. We were nearing the end, maybe ten steps left at the most. When pure panic set in as I watched my girlfriend's face as she looked at the manual and then back at the table, back to the manual, and then back to the table. I knew I wasn't going to like what was about to come out of her mouth. I remember the words "we have to take it apart," one of the pieces had been put in upside down! At that moment, fire was coming out of my ears - I hate you Ikea, I hate hate hate you! We needed to take the whole thing apart, we were now back at square one. All of our hard work had been for nothing, once everything was apart we started the process all over again, but our brains were fried at this point and we couldn't even repeat step one (no, I am not lying here). We had to declare Ikea defeat and walk away from our project. It was now the project for my fabulous hubby to tackle. Let's just say several hours later, and some not so nice words - we now have our new tv stand.

Ikea, there is just something about you, you keep me coming back for more. You're like a drug. You have me wrapped around your finger. Please, feel free the next time I purchase something from you.. send someone to put it together for free? I would love you even more!!

Little Miss L. breaks out her Ikea dance.

She's got the moves like Jagger!

I couldn't help but share a few photos of Baby D and Auntie April. He adores his auntie, and loves spending time with her. She always knows how to make him smile.

looking for a new way to hang your artwork?

Over the last month, the hubby and I have been working on transforming the kids playroom. One of the first projects we wanted to tackle was finding a way to display our precious babies' artwork. I came across the idea of using a curtain rod over at Pinterest. The hubby and I made a trip to our local Ikea where we picked up the Dignitet curtain wire in stainless steel and a 24 pack of the Dignitet curtain rings with clips. I love love love this idea because it is not big and bulky, is easy to assemble, allows you to swap artwork in a snap, is perfect for hanging artwork that may be an awkward size, leaves your room looking uncluttered and organized, and best of all, I can now see my refrigerator again! We decided to mount it lower to the ground level so Little Miss L. is able to place her own artwork on display. She loves when her daddy arrives home from work and she can point out all the fun crafts she completed during the day. We can now rest a little easier knowing we don't have to throw Little Miss L.'s artwork in the closet because there is nowhere to display it for our friends and family to enjoy. Happy crafting everyone!

Craft corner before...

The Dignitet mounted on the wall.

The craft corner after... I love looking at all of the beautiful artwork my children create.

things loved in fall thus far

As you all know, I love love love fall. There is just something about the changing leaves, crisp air, and yummy food associated with the season. Here is a peek of a few things I am loving this fall...

I love when I am able to pull out our warm comfy sweaters. I think Little Miss L. is a natural, look at that pose!

Little Miss L. showing off her fall shoes.

I love love love decorating for fall...

...especially when it involves little pumpkins like these. My fireplace has never looked better.

I love love love fall crafts, such as this little turkey.

I hope everyone is loving fall as much as I am this year.

children's table

After moving a few months ago, we are still in the process of unpacking and finding homes for our belongings. It is hard to believe how many things you accumulate over the years. It did not take long before we realized that we did not have the space for certain items or we had double of an item. As we looked around our garage we noticed that we had more than one computer table, what were we going to do with two computer tables? After thinking about it for sometime, I realized that I had been talking about getting a children's table for our playroom for several weeks. Children love having their own sized furniture where they can easily play, eat, read, and draw.

I had started my search at several of our local department stores but nothing was catching my eye. The tables were all smaller than I had hoped for and the prices seemed high, especially when I knew how this table would be treated. I wanted something that would allow more than 4 children to be seated at a time and would be economical. 

After several weeks it finally dawned on me, how about using one of our computer desks? Both the hubby and I had old Ikea desks that we had back in our university days. I knew we weren't going to use both of them in our home. We had the perfect spot for it in the corner of our basement, it was cost effective (free we already had it), it was a project we could complete in minutes (who doesn't like that?!?), and it would allow up to 8 children to sit comfortably.

The project was complete in no time flat. All we had to do were cut the legs of the table to a suitable height for the kiddies, and then I went to our local dollar store and purchased some inexpensive plastic chairs. I could not be happier with the results. Little Miss L. loves her new table and uses it all the time.

This is the perfect time of year if you are thinking about a similar project for your home. If you don't have an old table hanging around, then check out your local goodwill store, or what better time than to hit up a good garage sale find. Happy hunting, I know the kiddies won't be disappointed!

mirror mirror on the wall...

You may remember my previous post where I spoke of the dilemma I was faced with in our master bedroom - we had an empty wall between the closet and our bathroom which looked bare and lonely, and lacked character. I knew I wanted something large to fill the space but I didn't quite know exactly what. I headed out on the search for an object that would fit just right. My search was short-lived as soon as I came across Mongstad at Ikea. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was the solution to my problem. "Who is Mongstad?" might you ask... well, Mongstad is a full-length mirror which can be hung horizontally or vertically, with a big chunky frame. When I caught a glimpse of myself in that perfect rectangle - I knew I could stop looking.  Let's face it, who doesn't need  at  least one full-length mirror somewhere in their home?!? So, without further ado - here is my new friend...

...and this is how Mongstad looks in our master bedroom. I think he is fitting in quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

Little Miss L. loves chatting to her new friend.

Sorry the picture is crooked, but that's what happens when you have a 20 month old jumping around while taking the picture.

Good choice momma!