DIY Farmhouse bed!

I thought I would share with you one of the projects that I built recently!  This wonderful king size farmhouse bed!  What do you think?  It really wasn't too bad.  I got my plans from Ana White.  She has made it REALLY easy to build her DIY furniture!  She supplies the shopping list, cut list and instructions. I modified the plan when I found another version on her site from someone else who built the same bed.  Here is her link-

I wanted cubbies for storage and also wanted to access the space under the bed between the cubbies. So here is what I did~

I first build 2 sets of cubbies.  Each one is 16" deep x 15" Tall x 80" Long.
I added 1" trim to the front of the cubby to finish the edges which made the depth 17". I attached the bottom trim flush with the inside of the cubby so it raised the height to about 15 1/2".  (Visit the site and this will all make sense!)

Next I built the headboard and the foot board.  I attached the center board of the foot board to the posts with top hinges and a latch at the bottom so that I could open it to access the middle of the bed. 

Finally (After painting everything!) I screwed the headboard and foot board to the cubbies.  I used L brackets in some place to make it even more secure.  I didn't want the bed to move or squeak AT ALL!  :)

Be aware that when you follow Ana's plans she turned her king size bed on its side and so the dimensions are not exactly accurate for a typical king size bed.  READ all of the directions before you begin your project.

The overall cost was about $400 or so.  About 1/4 of what it would have cost me to buy one!  And...I know it is done right and with solid wood. 

Here are the cubbies!  I bought regular old Steralite storage bins from Target and slip covered them with canvas. I wanted BIG bins so this was my best option. 

I simply laid the tote on top of the fabric (one side at a time) and cut each piece about 2 inches bigger than that actual size to allow for the seam.  The exception was at the top.  I wanted the fabric to fold over the top so I added about 5" to the height and used the finished edge of the fabric.

As you can see there is a lip around the top of the bin. Once I sewed the four sides together I pulled the slipcover over the bin (Inside out) and I folded the fabric at the corners and pinned it so that it would fit snug and not fall off of the bin.  I then stitched the mitered corners.  I had to be careful to not sew it too tight because I had to be able to pull it over the bin. Next, I simply adhered Velcro to the bin and the underside of the fabric to attach it. I glued the Velcro to the bin with E6000 glue and held it down with masking tape until it dried. I stitched the Velcro to the fabric.  It's not going anywhere!  I am super happy with the finished project!  I think I will be adding some sort of vintage print to the front of the slip covers at some point but that is another project for another day!

Hand painted furniture tutorial!

I have been having way to much fun re-doing my kitchen and some furniture the last couple weeks!  I thought I would show the results!  First the cabinet-

I found the cabinet at an estate sale a couple weeks ago hiding in that back of someone's garage.  Of course it caught my eye and I convinced my hubby that I HAD to have it!  :) 

I brought it home and got to work!  After sanding, priming with "GRIPPER" primer and painting it, I distressed it with paint using an antiquing technique with paint!  I then rubbed it down with some burn sienna paint tint to give it an aged look.  I love how it turned out!  I will post the pics of the kitchen tomorrow! :)

Vinyl for furniture!

It is so fun to dress up furniture with vinyl. There are so many ways to do it!
Below you will see the yellow dresser with a floral design on it. You can also dress up armoires, tables and just about any flat surface you can think of!

Finished Banquette

Here are the pics of the banquette! I built the frame and attached it from inside with L brackets instead of screwing right to that wall. This way if I need to move it or want a change, all I need to do is unscrew the brackets and remove the bench! (And if you know me at all you know that nothing ever stays the same in my house for too long! ) Although I do think this will be a permanent fixture! I also added a piano hinge and lids for storage.

It is so nice to have. I find the kids wanting to be in the kitchen with me more. It is so comfortable and inviting.

Elegant moody bedroom

This is my latest redo! A deep plum and silvery gray girl's bedroom.

I took the antique dresser and painted it with Rustoleum's metallic silver! It turned out just as I had hoped and is definitely the jewel in the room!

One dilemma I had was what to do with the aquarium. Aquariums are not always pretty but with the use of a decorative pedestal, it dresses it up a but and becomes a more intentional part of the room.

I also added a vinyl monogram in silver. It adds a bit of sparkle to the wall and helps personalize the space!

To add a bit a pattern and texture to the room, the closet doors were replaced with a fun set of chandelier curtains! This also helps with easier access to the entire closet. The curtains were simply hung on a shower retention rod that extended the length of the closet!

I'm cooking up a new project

I injured my neck on Monday and have been in bed for the last couple days. What have I been doing? Design, design and design...in my head and searching on the computer. I love to do new things to my house and I have conjured up yet another project. I think I may build a banquette seating in the eating area of my kitchen. A banquette is a fun and functional way to add style, personality and function to your room. It is a great opportunity to add pops of color in the fabrics and create much needed storage.

Here are some fun ideas I have been looking at. I will post the pics of my before and after if and when I am up and able to!
Pictures courtesy of:
http://.www.frugaldesigngirl.com/
http://.www.lisacalcagni.com/

Cattknap on photobucket

Harlequin Vanity

I spent last week in Idaho with my family for Spring Break! We were able to visit my entire family and our children were able to meet their 5 new cousins now home from Haiti! YIPEE! We had a nice time. :o)

Now back to work!

I decided to post a project that I did for my daughter. I purchased an antique vanity and refinished it. What do you think? :o)

Instructions-
(Each step is important to ensure a quality finish that will last for years!)
1)Remove all hardware from your furniture.

2)Sand, Prime and paint your base color on the furniture. I used spray paint primer and paint because it creates a smoother finish. The base coat is "Heirloom White".

3)After the paint has dried, (best to wait 24 hrs), tape off and cover the part of the furniture that you do NOT wish to paint. I measured the width of the vanity to help me decide how wide I wanted the diamonds to be. Tape off your first diamond in the center of the furniture so that everything is centered. You can use painters tape and paper to cover the "VOID" were you do not want the second color to be. I actually kind of cheated because I cut vinyl diamonds and placed them in the areas that I wanted covered and then removed them. (I have done it both ways and either way works great.)

4)After I did this, I sprayed the black paint on the vanity. I waited about 10 min. and then removed the vinyl. Do not wait too long to remove the tape because it can peel the black paint up with it. You want it to still be wet and tacky.

5)The next step is to antique the furniture. After all of the paint has dried~ dry brush the entire piece of furniture lightly. (See DRYBRUSH teqnique in archives.)

6)Lastly~seal the furniture with a clear coat of Polyacrylic.

VIOLA! You have a custom piece of furniture that YOU created!

Distressing painting technique

Do you have a piece of funiture that doesn't look quite the way you would like it to look? Update it or personalize it by painting it a fun color! Finsih it off with a nice drybrush technique that will give it some personality. Drybrushing is an easy painting tecnique that creates some depth and gives the peice of furniture an aged look without sanding. Sanding can sometimes damage the furniture so drybrushing is a better alternative.

How to drybrush-
After you sanded, primed and painted the base color on your furniture, choose a color such as burnt umber, black or any natural toned dark paint. When I say natural tone, I mean a color that would be an earthtone but it should be rather dark. To get an aged look on furniture you are more or less trying to make it look worn and somewhat "dirty". Therefore the colors must be in line with what the natural process would do.

After you have chosen your drybrush color, take a large brush, 4 inches or so and rough up the ends. The best way to do this is by pounding it into your driveway or any rough surface. Crazy I know! But it will give you the best result. You know it is "beat up" enough when you see fattening of the bristles at the end of the brush. Next grab a couple paper plates and we are ready to paint!

Dip the end of your brush into your paint. You only need a small amount of paint so it may be easier to put a small puddle of paint on a paper plate instead of dipping into the can. Next, wipe off most of the paint that is on your brush by swiping back and forth on a paper plate.

You are now ready to apply the paint to the furniture. Beginning at one end, drag your brush across the surface. Be careful to do it lightly. You can always add more. Concentrate on the edges of the furniture and the raised surfaces. Always go with the grain of the wood. Continue the process until the surface has the effect that you are trying to achieve. If you find that the drybrushing finish is heavier than you would like it to be, simply take your base coat color and drybrush with that color over the darker one. (Using a bit more paint.)

You now have a custom piece of furniture that you can enjoy for years to come!
If you have any projects that you have done, I would LOVE to see them and post them for others to see as well!