Birdhouses

This project was plagued with problem after problem. I went one direction, only to change my mind and go another route. There were color problems, roof problems and size problems. I even left the project on the wayside for a week due to frustration. But in the end, I think they turned out cute and better than originally planned!



Birdhouse Tutorial:

The first thing I did was cut the boards to make the birdhouses. I used cedar fence slats (1"x4"x6'). The final sizes I did were 36", 30" and 24". I originally used a wider board for the biggest birdhouse that was 4' tall. This birdhouse caused me the most grief, so in the end I scrapped it and cut out a 30" birdhouse.

I cut the side boards at 36", 30", and 24". The front and back pieces needed to be longer so the roof could be pitched, so I added 5" to the measurements above on the front and back pieces and then cut them to make a triangle.


Next, I used a brad nailer to attach the boards together. I then drilled holes in the front of the birdhouses. I drilled three in the largest one, two in the middle one and one in the smallest. I also drilled a small hole below each hole and put a peg into it. I then sanded each house.


Next, I painted each house.


I didn't like the blue, so I painted it gray. For the roof I glued books on. This is how the project stood for a week. There was something off about them. Like I said, I had color, roof and size problems...


I scrapped big blue and made a 30" birdhouse the same width as the other two. I also shelved the books.


Before you make the same mistake as me, be sure to paint the birdhouse first. There is no picture for this step, but I decided to stain the roof and the pegs. I also glued spanish moss into each hole.












Happy Spring!

Butterfly Prints

Lately, I have been into the vintage botanical print stuff. Last Christmas Matt made me some Christmas Botanical prints of different flowers that represent the Christmas season. This time I had Matt design me some butterfly prints. He used Photoshop to edit the images we found online (THIS SITE has a lot of great vintage botanical/insect prints). Below each image, we added the Latin scientific name of each butterfly.

Once they were perfect, we had Costco print them in a 12"x12" size. We got four prints for $12. I used the same Ikea frames I used for the Christmas prints and hung them on my wall.








What a great addition to my Spring Decor!

Signs of Spring

I am so happy it is spring! The weather is finally warming up, the flowers and trees are blooming and the birds are out. All this also means, It is time to decorate for Spring. Today, I am going to show you my Spring shelf and a tutorial for the flower signs I made.

During winter, I came across THIS cute flower sign. I knew I had to make one (or more) just like it, so I did...




Wood Flower Signs Tutorial:

First, I designed some stencils with my SCAL program and cut them out of vinyl.

Next, out of 3.5"x6' cedar fence slats, I cut three lengths out: 23.5", 18.5" and 12.5".

I then sanded each board.

Next, I painted the boards a cream color.

After the paint dried, I stuck the vinyl stencil on top of the board. I used clear Contact Paper to make sure the stencil went on straight.

Next, I painted the letters on. For all my stamping needs, I use Martha Stewart sponge stampers. The colors I used for the sign lettering are: navy blue for hollyhocks, red for geraniums, and orange for marigolds.

While cutting the boards for the signs, I also cut side slats to frame the signs. This wood is 1"x4' lathe boards. You can buy a bundle of them at Home Depot for $12.

I then painted the side sign slats brown.

After the paint dried on the signs, I distressed each sign by sanding the edges and front of each sign. I also distressed the side slats.

Finally, I nailed the slats onto each side of each sign.

Here is how they turned out...

This is how I decorated my shelf for Spring. I bought the metal vase at the thrift store for $1. I filled the vase with twigs I got from my sister.

I added a bird house and nest I had to the display.

I saw this bee print on a website, so I had Matt Photoshop the image to my liking. I had it developed at Costco for $6. The size is 14.5"x14.5". I put the print in a frame that Matt made me some time ago.
I love how everything came together!


If you are interested in purchasing the vinyl flower name stencils or bee print, send me an email and I will add them to my Etsy Shop.


Happy Spring!!!

Industrial Pipe Shelves

Supplies Per Shelf:

-(1) board cut to length
-(2) Flanges
-(2) 1/2"x 3" Nipples
-(2) 1/2" Tees
-(4) 1/2"x 1" Nipples
-(2) 90 degree Elbows
-(2) Pipe Caps
-(1) Pipe cut to length
-wall anchors
-walnut stain

We bought most of our galvanized pipe supplies from Gatzies on line. Home Depot's price is $6.24 per flange and Gatzies is $2.07 each. We saved $4 per flange!

We started this project by going to Home Depot and buying our pipe.

We asked a nice Home Depot employee to cut and thread our pipe.

Once we got home, we washed all of the metal pipe supplies. The metal is greasy and smelly, so DO NOT skip this step.

Next, we assembled each shelf.

This is what the bones of the shelf looked like after assembly.

These are the parts we used for the shelf. Repeat the same configuration on the other end.

Next, cut a board to the length you need. We cut our board to 7" x 23.5".

Next, we drilled a hole in each end of the board. I think we used a 7/8" drill bit. It needs to be big enough so the 1/2"x1" nipple can fit through the hole.

This is what the shelf will look like with the pipe caps.

I sanded each shelf.

Next, we stained the boards with dark walnut stain.

Before we attached the shelves to the wall, we marked where we wanted each shelf to be.

Next, we drilled four holes in the wall.

Since we didn't have studs to attach the shelve to, we had to use anchors.

Finally, we put the caps on and tightened them with a wrench.

I added some shelf decor I have been collecting for a while to each shelf.




I think they turned out awesome!

Next up a shower curtain rod and towel racks...

**Check out the whole bathroom reveal HERE

***Check out the tutorial on framing a bathroom mirror HERE