DIY Farmhouse Table & Bench

For years now I have been wanting a big 'ol farmhouse table with a bench and plenty of room for chairs.  I've secretly been pining away looking for some crazy sale so that my dream table could become the real deal.  But it hasn't happened and to top it off the table and chairs that I had were perfectly fine.  So justifying a major purchase seemed a little silly, but oh how I tried :) Then I started seeing a bunch of DIY table plans and I was immediately smitten!  Unfortunately I am not a talented wood worker and all the plans I found entailed perfect notches in the legs for support pieces and other very technical over my head steps.  So I did what any sef respecting DIY'er does... I put our old table and chairs on craigslist, sold them in one hour and then out of pure terror, and a desperate desire to stop eating  hunched over our breakfast bar totally winged the project and I LOVE how it turned out!!!

To get started I found this table and four great chairs at a local thrift store for only 30 dollars. Sorry about the picture of the underside but this was after I took off the legs.  I knew that the table wouldn't work but the underside construction gave us a road map for how to make ours just on a larger scale.

The legs were the real score, they were in great condition and were the exact style I was looking for.

The chairs were VERY rough, but they had great character and the rustic country feel I wanted, plus the price was perfect.

The biggest issue with the chairs came along the bottom.  It appears that a puppy chewed on ever spindle, every day maybe for a year.  This is AFTER I sanded and used wood fill to smooth them out.  But thankfully after a quick coat of black spray paint you can't even tell they once looked more like chew toys than chairs.

Forgive the lack of pictures for some of the steps along the way, as I said we were totally winging some of this so taking pictures wasn't at the top of the priority list.  This is the top of the table.  To make this we layed four boards (2" x 10" x 8') on a flat surface, the side we wanted to be the top of the table face down.

Then with the help of my hubby (who thought I had once again lost my mind with this project and only begrudgingly helped because he was tired of being without a table) we pulled the boards together as tightly as possible and then used some scrap pieces of 1"x4" slats that we had from an old IKEA bed and used 2" wood screws to drill through the scrap piece and into the table top.  This connects all four boards together as one solid piece.  For the 8 foot table we used five cross pieces to make it nice and sturdy.

Then we used 2"x4"s cut into two short and two long pieces to create the skirt or side pieces of the table.  We attached them to the top by using a paddle attachment to drill a pocket half way up into the board and then using a screw from that point to attach it to the table top.  This hides the screw and helps with the stability.  We did five of these pockets on the long sides and three on the short sides.  You could just attach legs to your newly formed table top, but I think the sides add a little more finished look and some extra stability.  Copying the design of the old table we used scrap wood pieces to make the four small cross pieces to attach the legs.  My hubby used a table saw to cut these, because I've tried using it and with me behind the blade it is an ambulance ride waiting to happen.  After a little trial an error we got the measurements just right and after drilling holes for the leg bolts to go through we screwed the corner pieces to the side apron pieces and we finally had at least what looked like a table.

We used inexpensive boards from Home Depot that were less than $7 a piece.  When you are picking boards do get them out and try to pick the few that aren't warped or have big cracks.  The flatter they are the less work you will have later.

We (I use that loosely I think the hubby did more of the sanding than me hence the hairy arms in the picture :) sanded the table top, making the boards as level as possible then we filled in gaps between the boards with stainable wood fill, let that dry and then gave it one last sanding.

For the color I used Minwax stain in dark walnut.  I really slathered it on and did three heavy coats.

Once the final stain was completely dry I used sand paper to distress some of the top of the table and bench.  No real science to it, I just sanded until I got the look I wanted and some of the lighter wood peaked through.

Then three coats of poly.  This step takes some time.  I did this in my garage and tried my best to control the dust particles, but even so there were a few specks.  For my "rustic" (aka that big mistake I made I totally meant for it to be there) look it wasn't a big deal but if you are looking for a perfect finish you can drape plastic over it to create a little tent to better protect the poly until it dries or you can lightly sand any spots you have and then apply another coat.

For the bench I used a 2"x12"x8ft board and I followed this great tutorial.

The only thing I would add is that after I finished the bench was still a little wobbly so my hubby helped me go back and add extra screws especially through the side apron piece into the three leg pieces. This made a huge difference.

Here's a better view of the apron or side pieces.

I'm really excited to finally have this project that I dreamed up in my little brain finished.

We use it for every meal and cannot wait to make many more memories sitting around it.  Stay tuned for the burlap table runner I made for it.... sooooo cute!!!

The grand total for the thrifted table and chairs, screws, wood, stain, paint and poly (not including the debt I owe my ever patient husband for his "help" :)... all came to under 100 bucks!

Not too shabby for a drill, saw and one weekend nagging the hubby.  Hope you like it!!!

DIY Faux Metal Letters

This took maybe 3 minutes to make and it at least partially solved my empty space situation :) 

Do you have one of these large spaces in your kitchen and don't know what to do with it???  I sure do!  

Not a single thing in my cupboards that may actually be presentable fits up there so I have been trying to find or make somethings that would work.  My initially idea was to try one of these penny covered cardboard letters.  They are so cute and seem to be pretty easy, but in our new house the appliances are mostly stainless steel so I was worried that the copper might not work and lets be real here I'm far too frugal (aka cheap) to use nickles or (GASP) dimes or quarters... hehe!  

And I'm totally a bum and wanted a quick fix so I grabbed this metallic spray paint and decided to give to give it a try.

The letters are super light cardboard from Jo-Ann's and with a coupon they were a little over a dollar a piece.  I've had them in my stash of "things to make" (which is growing at an alarmingly fast rate) for months so it was about time I did something with them!  Knowing me they will be replaced with three more must have materials this week, when that happens more poor husband may just commit me for institutional level therapy so if you don't hear from me you know there has been a "crafter-vention".  I can't help myself, at least that is my story and I'm stickin' to it!!!    

I gave each letter front and back two quick coats of paint and that's it!

From paper to the appearance of metal, so simple and fast.  When the short time it takes spray paint to dry, especially on a hot day, is the longest part of the project it is a huge success in my book!

The pictures don't really do it justice, (sorry about that) the hammered paint gives the paper letters a fun texture that looks far more expensive than the few bucks I invested.  Because these are so light you could spell out anything and use some 3M strips to hang on a wall without leaving any marks and you can easily move them when you change your mind or get the itch for a change which happens around here far more than I care to admit.  I still want to add a few fun quirky things possibly behind my letters to really finish off the space but at least it is a start!  And since this "exhausting" project has really taken it out of me I think I will go grab some coffee and put my feet up as a reward :)

Hope you like it!

Old Chair Planter Upcycle

This is the latest addition to your new house, a fun chippy chair planter that I have been wanting to make for months and finally got around to doing!  It took about 15 minutes and I think it is the perfect piece for our front porch.  

 The chair with all its' chippy charm was a freebie from a local antique store... score!!!  It didn't cost me a dime and I don't have to paint and distress it... who could ask for more??? If you don't already have a chair you can pick them up at any local thrift store for a few bucks.

 For the planter I traced around the bottom of the plastic planter I had left over from some apple trees we bought a few weeks ago, then used a drill to create a hole for the jig saw and followed the line.

 OK so followed might be a bit of a stretch!  Precision is not really my thing but thankfully this doesn't have to be perfect, you just want a hole to squeeze your planter down in and for it still to be tight.  If your chair has a sturdy cross beam under the seat you can rest your planter on that and have a more loose hole, mine did not so I decided to get the support from the seat itself and cut the hole smaller than the top of my planter. 

 I used three different perennials that were recommended by a local nursery.  I wanted something that would grow over the edge and things that will stay year round so that it doesn't look silly near the front door this winter. 

I can't wait for these little guys to take off and fill up the planter and the chair.  That is if I don't accidentally kill them first...fingers crossed ;)

XOXO, Lindsey

DIY Peg Board Jewelry Organizer

Now that I have tackled my mound o'scarves with that fabulous old ladder (post here), the next order of business had to be the pile of tangled baubles that was found underneath all of those scarves!  Obviously I do LOVE my accessories, but they usually are such a mess I either can't find or forget about most of the pieces because they are such a disaster.  So I decided it was about time to be grown up and have some sense of order, very mature huh??? :)

This piece of peg board is left over from when I made the play workbench for my little guy (post here) so I figure it was free to me :) Hey in my mind that works!!!  But even if you have to go buy a piece at Lowe's or Home Depot it is less than $7 for a big piece that you could have them cut it in half to make two or if you have a really big wall and lots of "stuff" use the whole thing.

All I did was sand the corners a little to round them out and even up the sides form my not so perfect cutting job last year.

You could just leave it white or pick any color your heart desires.  I decided to try this hammered silver from Rust-oleum.

Two quick coats of the paint and that's it we are ready to hang it up.

For the jewelry hooks I used these very inexpensive peg board hooks from Walmart.  You can find them near the nails and screws in the hardware section and for all 15 hooks it was less than $6.  I just slipped the red plastic off the ends, only because I didn't want them on and spaced them out on the board. Depending on how you hang you board you may want to put the hooks in first before you attach it to the wall because the hooks need some space between the board and the wall to secure in place.

Then start hanging things up....

and finally step back and give yourself a little pat on the back!  For the first time in years, OK lets me honest for the first time in FOREVER my jewelry is actually organized and I can see what I have instead of grabbing the first thing I see that doesn't look like a toddler tied it in 35 knots!

This was another one of those angled wasted space walls in my closet so I used three nails right down the middle to secure it to a stud and also used some of those handy command strips that are super strong little veclro pieces at the two top corners just to be safe.  Actually securing things into studs is always my goal, but not always how it turns out and the last thing I want is for this to come crashing down in the middle of the night.. not that that has even happened or anything ;)  To really finish it off you could add a frame, but I like it as is and didn't want to waste any of the board space with a frame.

This is the opposite wall with the ladder that I showed you earlier.  Since then I've added the rug, a few hats at the top and finally hung the two frames I've had sitting around for months to fill out the space next to to the ladder.

They are just thrift store frames painted and distressed with some chicken wire on the back.

These are also great for earrings!  For now I'm using inexpensive clothes pins to keep the necklaces in place.

I hope these give you some ideas to help organize all those "necessary" collections we all have and can't bring ourselves to part with because I "might" wear that someday :)  It is an accomplished feeling for this crazy mom to look at my closet and not cringe, I'm off to have a cup of coffee and maybe just stare at the little corner of peace in this place.... while it lasts :)

Lindsey

Old Ladder Up-cycle

 Old wood ladders make me happy, especially this amazing green gem that I found a few weeks ago! I know that sounds odd, but I have been on the hunt for one with lots of "character" for a few months now and wasn't having much luck until digging around in an old shed at an amazing antique shop in my area and like a beacon "greeny" here called my name!!! 

 For twenty bucks this guy was all mine and since the two pieces slip apart I am going to use one to tackle my chaotic closet and the other suspended from the ceiling over my dining room table... fun huh??? I can hardly wait, but since my "muscle" is out of town working and probably rolling his eyes at my latest "idea" that he is getting roped into helping me with :) I am going to tackle the closet first. 

 Since the ladder is already a great chippy green color I just cleaned off the dust and dirt and brought it inside.

 In our new house I am again "sharing" the master closest with my hubby!  I use the term share very loosely here... in years and houses past the pour guy got so sick of his things getting pushed further and further to one side to make room for my things that he moved to another closet.  But since I have taken up those as well I'm being very kind (I think :) and "letting" him have a corner in ours... haha!  The problem with that loving gesture is it really causes some space problems so I'm trying to maximize all the wasted areas to get my mess off the floor and organized.  This angled wall between racks seemed like the perfect place for my ladder.

Literally five minutes later my clutter overload went to cute organization and I didn't even have to hammer a single nail.

 I just leaned the ladder against my angled wall and then tucked my embarrassing collection of scarves over the bars. Yes, I have a sickness!!!  I have them in almost every color imaginable, the key word being ALMOST.  I'm really trying to stop, but every time I see a color I don't have I have a hard time walking away.  Seeing them all displayed like this does kind of put a spotlight on my "issue", but hey at least they are off the floor :)  I'm a glass is half full kind of gal!

 And bonus I used the bottom two bars for heels that I wear often.

For five minutes and only 10 dollars I am thrilled with the way it turned out!  I also found a super cute old step ladder for $1 at a yard sale that I'm using as a shelf to display old signs and pictures in my dining room (post coming soon) and I love it! There are so many creative possibilities so grab a ladder and let me know what you come up with :)

Lindsey :)