DIY Painted Chevron Border Rug

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape. All opinions are 100% mine.

The mini makeover on my pack patio took another step forward this week.  I painted a rug. Yes, I painted a rug. With the help of FrogTape® Shape Tape™ I took a plain ol' gray rug and added a little interest.

This project has been on my to do list for months. I wanted an outdoor rug for the sitting area in front of our patio fireplace. I didn't want to spend much money on a rug that would get rained on and be subject to hours of direct sunlight.   I spent less than $18 on this 8x10' indoor/outdoor rug.  To 'fancy' it up I added a white chevron border to the edges.

DIY Wood Baby Name Sign

My friend just welcomed her third child - her first boy.  She's in for it.  I tried to warn her, but she's used to quiet, calm, doll baby-playing girls.  Life's about to get a whole lot more crazy! I know this from first hand experience...I had the quiet and calm for two years, nine months and one day and now...this is my daily life.

Bless his little heart.  He's undies-on-the-outside-of-his-jammies-wearing superhero one minute and a selfie-taking princess the next.  Sometimes he wears underwear on his head and sometimes not at all. 

Anyway, she has her precious baby boy and I had a wonderful excuse to make a painted wood sign.  I wanted to do something a little different than the chunky wood baby frame I made for another friend, but I still wanted to include all the baby's birth info.

Dresser Drawer to Storage Box {Easy DIY Project}

Oh boy I am so excited to share this one with you...it turned out way better than I could have anticipated and had I known what the end result would look like I wouldn't have dragged my feet on this project for so long.  It was literally months in the making...but really it took me all of about 2 (kid-free) hours to complete.

Repurposed louvered door and full length mirror

You might remember a few months ago when we had our master bathroom expanded so we could replace our tiny vanity with a double... No? Okay here's a refresher.  Part of that renovation included combining our two reach and grab closets into one 'large' closet (and I do use that world loosely').

Yard Sale Nightstands Flip and ReSTOREd Challenge Update #2

Well, here we are more than half way through October and my ReSTOREd Seed Money Challenge is going strong. I'm currently working on my biggest piece of painted furniture yet. I'm hoping to get it up for sale by the end of this week - that is if I can part with it. It's a beauty, if I do say so.

So far I've sold four pieces - well, technically five you if count the set of matching nightstands as two.  These babies really plumped up my Seed Money Challenge Fund.

I found them on a local Facebook page where individuals sell stuff.  They came complete with yard sale stickers, because they clearly hadn't sold at $10 a piece.  The seller was still asking $20 for the set, but I haggled her down to $15 and she was happy to just get rid of them.

Vintage Table Makeover and ReSTOREd Update

So last week I made a sweep through my favorite furniture thrift store and took home two pieces. One was this little vintage table.  It immediately caught my eye as soon as I walked into the vintage room. The tag said 1960's vintage baby blue table. As I sanded her down it was obvious this table has not only been well loved, but also painted a few times.

I Spy DIY: 7 Master Bedroom Ideas

Last week on the blog I showed off my newly refinished/repainted nightstand and got some great feedback from readers on it.  One of the biggest compliments was from a reader who asked if the headboard in the photo was purchased or made.  I'll give you one guess...

That got me looking at the photo, which at first glance doesn't look like much other than the nightstand.  But actually when I look closer I realize just how much blood, sweat and tears  love I have poured into our master bedroom since I started transforming it in the spring.   In just this one photo I spy FIVE DIY projects that I have featured on the blog...can you see them?

Okay, okay I'll give you a few hints (and all the links to the tutorials)...

Let's start with the nightstand because it's the most obvious.  It was painted two-tone to match the walls and trim and new hardware was added.

DIY Boot Rack in 15 Minutes

It's fall and that means it's boot weather.  I must have acquired about five new pairs of boots last year and already they're spilling all over the floor of my tiny closet (you know the one that's about to get even smaller due to our master bathroom renovations).  Anyway...this boot debacle calls for some organization in the way of a DIY boot rack.

Boot racks or boot stands sell on the cheaper end at stores like Target for about $25.  Martha Stewart's version goes for upwards of $99 (are you kiddin' me?!). 
This baby, my friends, cost me just a few dollars and about 15 minutes.   It was seriously the easiest and fastest project I've done in awhile....meaning like I squeezed it between two blog posts, lunch, and folding clothes during one nap time!

I already had everything on hand, but if you don't just pick up some lumber for the base (a 1x6 would be perfect) and a large diameter dowels.  Mine were all different sizes, because like I said, I just scrounged up what I could find lying around the basement and the garage.

Vintage drum table refinished with spray paint

Recently our mom and her siblings sold our late grandparents' beach house.  Of course, first came the challenge of emptying the place which had a lot of mis-matched, antique, and vintage furniture.   All of the kids and many of the grandkids - including both of us - took a few things which made for some really awesome refinishing and repurposing projects like my tool box to herb garden and nightstand to entry table. Stephanie scored this vintage two-tiered drum table.

Let's be honest, it's not much to look at.  In fact, even the bargain price at the estate sale didn't attract a buyer...but their loss was Steph's gain.  She took the table apart and gave it a fresh coat of paint - spray paint, to be exact! 

Refinished nightstand in DIY Chalk Paint (Before and After photos)

A few weeks ago I landed this table for the grand ol' price of FREE! She was in great shape and actually not too hard to look at - just not really my style or in line with my bedroom decor.  The best part (aside from the price) was I have been needing a nightstand as we only have one - and of course we have two sides of the bed.

You may remember from my master bedroom makeover that I was temporarily using my tiny childhood nightstand borrowed from my mom's house.   No more, people, no more!

DIY Doll Bed for American Girl from Scrapwood

Let me just start off by saying that after paying $130 for a doll...I wasn't about to spend just as much on her bed.  No ma'am. Sorry. Not gonna happy.  Not now. Not ever.  But if you've been following along on Instagram you know I have been working on a DIY doll bed for Miss Rebecca - my 5 year old's first American Girl.

I'm not really a furniture maker.  And by that I mean I don't really have any clue if what I made would actually hold a human if made to scale.  I mean I did make a shelf out of pallets for my bathroom so I guess I can cut and screw together a few pieces of scrap wood to make a doll bed for an 18" doll, right?  Here's to hoping....

This thing doesn't look like much..and that's because it's not really.  It's just a few pieces of wood I had lying around the garage put together enough that my 5 year old is satisfied that her dearest Rebecca doesn't have to sleep on the hardwood floor (gasp!) or even worse her bed. Can you imagine?!

Okay so there's not really a tutorial here so I'm gonna let the pictures do most of the talking....

How to cut chair rail trim with a miter box saw (Photos and Video)

Okay, so before I explain all this to you, let me just tell you that I learned how to cut trim with a miter box saw the hard way - by screwing it up.   I quickly learned that not only do you have to pay attention to the angle of the cut, which is determined by the corner, you also have to be careful about the way you position the piece of wood in the saw.


Since my recent $100  $84.41 bathroom makeover was my first go at it and I screwed it up, I had to live with my mistake and fix it as best as I could so I didn't blow my budget.

But now I'm here to tell you how to use a miter box saw correctly so you don't screw it up and end up with this...

DIY Beach Throw Pillows on the cheap and easy

Of course it's the end of the summer and here I am finally getting around to making a couple of beach throw pillows for my in-law's new beach house.  But better late than never, right?

I really had no plan for how this was going to go, except that I knew I wanted to involve navy and coral.   My first thought was to somehow use mod podge to transfer the prints onto the pillows.  However, cutting out all that detail in the coral and around the letters just didn't work so I had to find another way.  That's when I had a light bulb moment - why not print on the fabric.  When I say "print" I literally mean feeding the fabric through my inkjet printer.

Bedroom furniture makeover tutorial (and where to get cheap knobs)

Okay, I've been promising this tutorial on Stephanie's (aka the childless aunt to my two kids) nursery room furniture for some time.  I think we're getting closer to having a kid with this latest DIY - at least I would hope so!

Sorry, I have been a little behind - I am also editor over at The Royal Baby Blog and perhaps you heard Kate Middleton gave birth, showed off her kid (while wearing heels 25 hours after giving birth without an epidural to an 8 lbs, 7 oz prince), and revealed his name as George - that all happened last week...whew!  But finally I'm back and ready to share all of Steph's tips and tricks on this nursery furniture makeover.  (She did the work, I write the blog because that's just how we roll....she repays me by painting furniture for me.  I think I have the better end of this deal.) But anyway....I digress.

PHOTOS: Baby Nursery Furniture Makeover REVEAL

Apparently Stephanie will be all ready when she finally decides to give me a little niece or nephew.  She and her husband have been working hard over the last few weeks days (they work fast!) on restoring her old bedroom furniture.  They are using it in what will eventually be their baby nursery...whenever the time comes (hint, hint/wink wink/nudge nudge). 

How to dry hydrangeas

I absolutely love hydrangeas.  The big, colorful, flowery blooms are among my favorite flowers.   Too bad I don't have much of a green thumb. That's why it comes in handy that my mother in law was happy to let me cut a few blooms from her hydrangea bushes.

I picked a few that didn't have too many brown petals, as some of the blooms were already passed their peak.  As you can see in the picture below, the blooms have various size petals.  I picked a few of each because I was curious how they would dry.  I also looked for blooms that were the most vibrate color.  (The purple hydrangeas are from a different bush, we left these in water and they just wilted.)
I was hoping to dry the blue ones to keep them longer and use the hydrangeas to decorate.

Rescuing family furniture pieces from the dump

Hi All,

I'm back from 10 glorious days at the beach with my family.  We had a great time biking, kayaking, enjoying the beach, swimming in the pool, and even a trip to
Home Depot for the kids workshop. (They're free the first Saturday of every month 9-12 at every HD!) 

Of course, I also spent some time dreaming up a few new projects....not to mention gathering some new materials. 

My family is in the process of selling my late grandparents' beach house and in doing so needs to empty the house.  Of course, I'm helping hoarding.  (They can thank me later!)

Anyway, I took it as an opportunity to rescue a few pieces of old family furniture from making their next home at the dump.  The mister isn't too happy that I brought home this old tool box (or as he calls it "junk") and that I've claimed a dresser...errr, three (shhh!), a nightstand, two lamp shades, some lawn tools, a full size headboard and footboard and an antique sewing machine that was my great grandmother's. 

His argument is that we already have most this stuff - only 50 years newer - and we don't have room for it all. Well, my dear, one of these days you will learn to embrace my inner hoarder, because it's just the nature of a DIYer.

DIY Stenciled Drop Cloth Curtains

I was on a drop cloth kick a few months back, having made an upholstered headboard out of a drop cloth, a Pottery Barn-inspired bed skirt, drop cloth covered boxes, and drop cloth curtains.  The first three have been some of my most popular posts...the curtains, however, I've been reluctant to put on the blog because there was just something about them, that just wasn't exactly working for me.  They were just too plain...that is, until now.

Here's what you'll need: (By now, hopefully you know the drill, I list all the supplies, then I gather them into an Amazon shopping cart for you so you can order them all or just what you need...easy peesy).

• Canvas Drop cloth 
• 2 Small Containers of Acrylic Craft Paint
• Stencil  (preferably plastic, but paper would work)
• Foam Paint Brush
• Round Foam pouncers (optional)

So, let me start from the beginning...to explain how I made these drop cloth curtains. First, I measured my window, including the trim, to see how wide I would need the curtain to be.   Then I laid the drop cloth out to cut out my curtain.   TIP: If possible use two of the finished edges...this way you will only have to finish off one other one edge.  The top you will fold over and make into a pocket for the curtain rod. 

How to make a jewelry organizer from a picture frame

How is it that my 4 year old daughter has more jewelry than me?? Granted most of hers came from birthday party goodie bags and mine has come from my too-good-to-me husband, but the girl's jewelry box is seriously overflowing.  That's why I am so happy I have finally gotten around to making her the jewelry organizer that I've been planning.

This DIY jewelry organizer is super easy - and if you add a ribbon to one of the wood dowels - it doubles as a hair accessories organizer so it's like the ultimate.  The part I love best is just how simple it was to make.  All you need is a picture frame and some dowels (or one long dowel cut into a few sections).

For months I knew I would be making some kind of jewelry organizer out of his old silver frame.

 I wasn't sure what I would use for the actual jewelry to hang on, but when I was tasked by Hometalk to create a portfolio of dowel projects...a lightbulb went off.

How to paint stripes on walls like a pro

Striped walls are like the new thing and I gotta admit I LOVE the look.  We have more than few rooms in our new house that are in need of some paint and I figured for the workout room I better go big or go home.  I decided on some big horizontal stripes on the wall and I couldn't be more pleased with the way it came out.

Here's how I did it:

I measured my wall from floor to ceiling then divided by five since I wanted five even stripes - for my height walls it came out to 22 inches.  Starting at the bottom I measured up 22 inches and made a mark.  I did this all the way around the four walls marking every few inches.  Then I used painters tape and a level to tape a straight line around the entire wall putting the bottom of the piece of tape at the mark.  From the piece of tape, I measured up 22 inches again and repeated above steps - only this time I put the top of the piece of tape at the mark.  This worked for me since I was only painting every other stripe and leaving the others white.   Starting at the bottom, I painted below the stripe then skipped a row and then painted the next.

You can use two contrasting colors or you can leave some of your strips white and only paint every other one to cut your painting in half.  

Once the paint was completely dry, I removed the painters tape and wa la I have a striped wall that looks like a pro did it - but no, I'm a DIYer, I did it myself -- and you can, too!

Thanks for stopping by 2IY.  If you like what you see we'd love for you to share it with the world by pinning it or "liking" it on Facebook! 

Project by: Stephanie

Posted by: Melissa