Remodeling Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Organize Your Life with The Container Store

December 30, 2017 by Danielle 2 Comments

I have a major problem functioning when a room is in total chaos. If I have to spend forever to find something among piles of other somethings, forget it! For example, we’re currently remodeling my kids’ huge loft playroom. But with so much stuff, where was I to put it all? Thank goodness you can Organize Your Life with the Container Store! Originally shared in 2015, but the big ELFA sale is back and I just had to reshare!

When we decided to makeover their playroom, I knew that one of the major things I wanted to change was where their million toys, action figures, costumes, legos, cars and other kid-stuff was stored. Up until now, it took over my hallway linen closet. For a visual….

See any towels, bedding or other normal ‘linen closet’ items in there? You wouldn’t, because none of that stuff would fit! I wanted it OUT of my storage place, and nicely organized in their HUGE playroom…they’ve definitely got the space for it! I picked out one of their corner areas where I wanted their storage to be….

That corner…totally blank except the couch and occasional forts. Plenty of space to move stuff around! I painted it from the blah ‘Arctic Frost’ color that our house came in to a Pebble Grey on the walls and normal white for the ceiling. Then I headed to The Container Store near us…in Frisco/Plano area…and had the AMAZING people there help us out!

I got so excited, because their Elfa Storage Solutions are ON SALE RIGHT NOW through February 11th! That’s a full 30% off all Elfa products AND 30% off installation services! We actually find it totally simple to install Elfa systems, so choose to do it ourselves. It’s awesome! The store will even help you DESIGN YOUR SPACE FOR FREE. Yup, they’re awesome! We gave them the measurements, then they worked with us to figure out exactly what type of stuff we needed. They even helped us choose between things so we could stick to our budget!

We stuck with the platinum, since it will go with our playroom theme great (shhh…that’s coming soon!) I also love how durable and safe the Elfa stuff is…there’s a slit at the top runner, so it’s not like the kids could slide the down hooks off themselves.

They also have end pieces you can put on so the edges of the shelves LOOK nicer, and are more safe against rough or pokey edges!

After just a little bit, we had our shelving and drawers all set up!

Then it was just a matter of organizing all of the kids’ stuff out there! As we were putting their toys here, we did decide to make a couple changes as to where things went (drawers lower, etc.) and it was a super quick and easy switch!

I’m totally in love with this…how it LOOKS, how EASY it was, how FLEXIBLE, and how much the kids are loving the simplicity of getting out and putting things away! I’m totally in love with how ORGANIZED things stay, too, since even my youngest can figure out where things are suppose to go with this!

So contact your nearest Container Store, have them help you (for FREE) design your own space – whether it’s a playroom, closet, garage, or bedroom – and take advantage of the amazing Elfa sale before you miss out this year!

Budget Friendly Garage Organization

February 16, 2016 by Danielle

For those of you that don’t know, we moved to Texas just over two years ago, and after 6 months our house was built here. Although our house is wonderful, there’s one big issue I have with it that can’t be changed: our tiny garage. Luckily I can make the most of it with some Budget Friendly Garage Organization! Originally published February 2015, but their annual Elfa sale is back so I had to reshare!

Our garage is technically for 2-cars, but when we park the van inside, there’s about 2 feet between the van and the wall, then 3 feet between the front of the van to the door leading into our house. Tight squeeze! If we wanted to park Hubby’s car in the second bay, there’d only be about 2-3 feet between the vehicles….and we couldn’t have ANYTHING else in there. Needless to say, we just park the van in there and use the other side for the garbages, our extra fridge and freezer, plus our storage. Things like bikes, tools, paint (I have a slight paint hoarding problem), Christmas lights, yard supplies and other miscellaneous take up that side.

As you can see in that picture, it was a DISASTER, and I couldn’t find anything easily! After over a year of dealing with the mess just getting worse, we decided to take advantage of the Elfa Storage sale at The Container Store….then we spent Valentine’s weekend fixing our cluttered garage problem! Now the second bay looks like this…

Such a difference, right?! And we still have plenty of space for other items as needed. I can find whatever I need, and don’t have to ‘forbid’ the kids from going out there, afraid the messy piles of stuff will swallow them!

Friday Night: We painted the walls

Yes, Hubby was trying to get a ‘butt shot’ but I was too busy to hold still 🙂 Guess he wants to get me back from the butt shot I took while working on our playroom Elfa storage!

Saturday: Install the Elfa Storage System

It was the perfect weather for just opening the garage doors and letting in the sun and fresh air. Loved it!

We could have had The Container Store install it for us, but it’s so simple we just did it ourselves!

Did you know that they’ll also help you design your space to fit your needs for FREE in their stores? That’s what we did…gave them measurements, they designed it, then we worked together switching pieces in/out until we fit the budget we were looking for. It’s so flexible…we still want to add a few shelves later, but it can wait!

Hubby did really good fitting the top shelf PERFECTLY above the garage door, so it doesn’t touch at all as it opens/closes.

We used some of our supplies to adjust our shelving to the perfect height.

Then: Organize it All Easily!

Now I don’t have to kick things out of the way to get into our freezers, and have room to place things (and a table!) when putting away groceries. The kids can easily pull out their bikes and helmets, and I can grab the stroller super quick whenever I need it.

We have perfect spots lower for the kids’ outdoor toys, and can keep the chemicals and things higher out of their reach.

I even have a work table out here, with shelves at just the right height for my painting supplies. Told you I had a paint problem…and this isn’t even all of it, yet!

I can even get the hose and outdoor brooms by myself now, instead of begging Hubby to go dig them out!

Look at all that organized space…I’m totally in love with my garage! As sad as I am that we can’t fit our 2nd vehicle in here, at least it can now be used for some great storage.

Between our playroom, some for my craft room and now our garage….we sure have loved using Elfa to help us organize! And guess what? The Container Store has extended their annual Elfa SALE! So hurry in and take advantage of the 30% off now until March 2nd….believe me, you’ll love it!

Ceiling Fan Update

October 26, 2015 by Kathleen Clegg

Do you have ceiling fans in your house? When you’re watching those home improvement shows, they always say that you should take down your ceiling fans because they are “so last year”. Well, we have five of them in our house, all upstairs, and I’m not taking them down. Today I’m here to show you how you can do your own Ceiling Fan Update, with minimal heartache.

Where we live, most people don’t have air conditioners, including us. There isn’t really a need. We have a free standing air conditioner and it was only one about two days this summer. However, the fans are a must to keep the air moving. When we moved back into our house, I decided they needed an update. Actually, my good friend Lisa, who happens to be an interior designer, told me they needed an update. So, I did what she said and they looks so much better.

[Read more…]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Playhouse Shellraiser

April 4, 2015 by Danielle

I received free paint from Modern Masters to assist with this post. All opinions and ideas are my own.

As we’re remodeling the kids’ playroom to be totally Ninja Turtle themed, we wanted a fun little area for them to play in…like a hut, only sticking to our theme. That’s when the fun idea came that we should build them the Shellraiser – the turtle’s fully-loaded, radical subway car turned van. There was a LOT we learned along the way, so get ready to hear our Do’s and Don’ts of making your own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Playhouse ‘Shellraiser’!

When we started on this project, I knew I wanted to do a few EXTRA things to really make it seem more like the Shellraiser on the show. A tube along the front bumper? Check! Graffiti-like designs on the side? Done! And, of course, fabulous metallic paints to give it that ‘shine’? Easy, thanks to Modern Masters!

I was able to find the perfect colors for their playhouse:

First, we got TWO large pieces of wood panel. Our finished Shellraiser measures 8 feet one on side and 6 feet in the front. We cut our boards to these dimensions, then cut out the door. Hubby marked where we wanted it, drilled two holes in the top corners, then used a saw for the straight lines. Don’t forget to sand it, making it more safe and ouchy-free for the kids!

Then I used my awesome paints to design the wood planks. Since most of it is ‘roughly’ painted and such on the show, I tried to stick to that and not let my OCD get in the way. I loved doing the ‘graffiti’ side of it! Just do a a few different layers/designs of the paints!

I loved how thick and ‘creamy’ the paints were, and they gave it the perfect metallic shine for a ‘subway car’!

Once the painting’s all done, we got to work assembling the playhouse! We used 2x4s against the wall for support. Measure out to where your wood planks will go, then place the 2×4 right inside. Try extra hard to get a stud behind your boards, since this will really help secure everything. Nail or screw your front wood board (our shortest, so easiest to work with first) to the 2×4 on the wall, then use a 2×2 at the ‘corner’. Use lots of nails/screws – you want it secure!

Next, attach your bigger wood board to the other 2×4, then to the same 2×2. Again, lots of nails/screws!

Along the top of your 2x4s and 2×2, attach more 2x2s (one on the side, one on the front). This is what you’ll attach your ‘roof’ to! We didn’t cover the entire roof, of course, just made a metal ‘edge’ to look like it. Although we used metal ducting – I DO NOT recommend you do that! It was a huge pain, and didn’t get the look I was aiming for. If you really want to use metal, use metal sheeting. If I do this again/over, I’d just find a shiny fabric 🙂

We flattened our duct, then used duct tape for ALL the edges. Our kids are playing with this, so we wanted it as safe/smooth as possible! We used screws to attach it to the top of the wood boards, then folded it up over the top 2x2s. Once all the pieces were attached, we also duct taped the seams, just to be safe.

I had a tube packaging thing leftover from a delivery, so painted that a metallic silver and duct taped it along the front to match the turtle’s bumper!

After it was all done, we got some foam rolls (like the kind you can grab for A/C units and such) and attached it to the door openings – this way if they bonk going in/out of the playhouse, it’s soft and padded for them. Hubby’s idea – yes, he’s awesome! (foam not shown)

So grab some metallic paints, wood and tools, and build your kids their very own Ninja Turtle Playhouse ‘Shellraiser’ style!

Dreaming about Flooring

March 12, 2015 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InspiredHome #CollectiveBias

We spend a lot of time in our home. Like…a LOT! Right now both Hubby and I are here, the younger kids aren’t yet in school so they’re here. Since this is our special place, we’re working hard to take our now 1 1/2 year old builder-grade house and turn it into a beautiful, comforting and welcoming home that fits OUR tastes and preferences. The process is going slowly but surely, and right now I’m in full on remodel mode and Dreaming about Flooring!

For those that follow regularly, you know I love a good DIY project. That being said, there are definitely times when it’s better you #DDIY – Don’t Do It Yourself. Like the time I tried applying molding to a table with a hammer and nails….dumb. The nails kept bending, the molding was crooked, and a few bruised fingers left us in quite the grumpy mood! Or when we tried ripping out some baseboards to do a built-in shelf, thinking we could reinstall it without a nail gun….ya, not smart. I finally gave up with that, and it’s still an eye-sore along the base in Wonder Woman’s bedroom. You should check out these videos of other #DDIY moments from people!

This big flooring project I have in mind is one of those situations, and I’m being smart enough to not attempt it myself first. I’m relying on my friend Jeff at my local Carpet One to handle it for me!

See all those selections in their store? That’s just a FRACTION of what they have for you to choose from! First, I love the way Carpet One smells like fresh carpet. Am I weird? Perhaps, but I like it. It’s so fun to pick out your colors and materials, too, because they have plenty of samples to look through, feel…even walk on, to make sure it’s the right choice for YOUR project. Speaking of projects, this is one of the area’s I’m working on….

The huge playroom loft, plus the top of stairs and hallway. Now, I don’t just want carpet everywhere like it has right now. I want the hallways to be wood laminate. Can you imagine trying to do the carpet, stairs, PLUS making it go well with installing laminate? No way! I love that I don’t even have to measure it myself, Carpet One will do it for FREE! No hassle, no strings attached. Jeff came and did all the measuring for me, plus brought plenty of samples so I could compare the look and feel, especially against my specific paint colors.

I wanted a carpet that wasn’t a solid color, but a few speckled in there. I love the look, plus it does better on hiding things if it happens to not get vacuumed for little while…perfect for a playroom! I also wanted it really soft, since the kids roll around, sit and play on there every day.

I know, our old carpet isn’t THAT bad….but take a look at some of the issues, like stains…

Or the chunks that are flat out MISSING because our dogs went through a carpet-chewing stage as pups…

Are you a fan of mood boards? I totally am, and sometimes make a dozen or so for a project! Here’s one of mine for this upstairs flooring project…

I had a ton of fun at Carpet One going through my options, and loved that they really know their stuff and WANT to help, not just make a sale. Of course I have a budget I want to work within, and it’s important to them to help you find what will work best. I’m also big on supporting my community, and these stores are locally owned by people who live and invest here.

Jeff was so patient with me, since I kept going ‘oh, this one looks great’ and then found another one that was ‘perfect’. I’ve never done a project of this type or scale before, so had a million questions that he answered clearly so I could understand. They really know their stuff at Carpet One! They also have their ‘Beautiful Guarantee’ – if you’re not 100% satisfied with the new floor, they’ll replace it for free. Can’t go wrong with that!

One concern I had was the mess that could end up in the house, with Superman having such sensitive skin. No worries, though, because their cleaner, healthier installation practices help minimize the irritants, dust and other junk that could affect the air quality in my home!

And guess what? They’re having a #DDIY Sale!!! Everyone loves saving money, right?! From 03/06/15 – 04/19/15 is the #DDIY Flooring Sale – Lee’s Promotion and you can get up to 50% select Lee’s carpets, or up to $500 instant rebate on select hardwood, tile, laminate, LVT and more.

Want another option for saving some on your budget? Save $100 Off a Purchase of $1,499 or more. Disclaimers: Available at participating stores only; not all products at all locations. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts or promotional offers and is not valid on previous purchases. Coupon has no cash value. Limit one coupon per household.

Easily Make a Brick Wall with Stencils

March 6, 2015 by Danielle

I received a free stencil for this post. All opinions and ideas are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more info.

Have you ever wanted to do a specific design on your walls, but the thought of doing each piece by hand made you want to cry? That’s how I felt when I decided to make my kids’ playroom wall look like bricks…old, sloppy bricks (that still looked fabulous)! Luckily, you can Easily Make a Brick Wall with Stencils from Royal Design Studio!

When we bought our house, the biggest reason we chose this specific floor plan was because of the HUGE loft upstairs, knowing this would be the playroom while the kiddos are younger. The last couple months I’ve been working on remodeling it to be more fun, organized and look AMAZING! After I painted the yucky, builder-grade wall a nice grey color to install our new shelving area, I got ready to create a ‘brick’ look on the rest.

Before the Brick Wall Look…

My go-to place for stencils is, of course, Royal Design Studio. They have an amazing selection, and I know my chances of finding exactly what I need for a project are high. Sure enough, I browsed through and found their Mosaic Stencil (in large) that would be PERFECT for a brick wall! I contacted their amazing staff (seriously, they’re all super friendly and helpful!) and got started right away…

Although in their project images they have the lines running up and down, for the brick look I did mine horizontal. I loved the variety of shapes and sizes, since I needed it to look NOT perfectly matched. I went one shade darker than my wall for the majority of the ‘bricks’, then two shades from that for some.

Originally, I considered just doing the one color….

Not quite the ‘POW’ amazing look I was going for…it needed that other coloring for some accents and variety! Much better, right?!

Since I didn’t decide this until later, I did things the REALLY hard way and went back over for the dark ‘bricks’ by hand….every single dark one you see wasn’t roller, it was a brush.

So the EASY way to do it, other than make up your mind before the ‘end’, is to follow one (or more) of these great stenciling tutorials from Royal Design Studio.

After the Brick Wall Look…

Check out my cute little photo-bomber in this picture….he LOVES the new look of their playroom!

I seriously can’t WAIT to finish the entire playroom remodel! Still a lot to do, but it’s going to knock your socks off, so be sure to check back! And the next time you have a fun project you want to make simpler and look FABULOUS, check out the selection at Royal Design Studio!

Other Royal Design Stencil Projects I’ve done

Door Makeover with Modern Masters plus a Giveaway!

July 29, 2014 by Danielle

This post is sponsored by Modern Masters. I received compensation and/or product for review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

I’m totally stoked to share with y’all today! I’ve been looking forward to this post for several weeks, and FINALLY have it complete for showing off. Not being a fan of boring, plain white doors like my house was full of when we moved in, I jumped at the opportunity for a Door Makeover with Modern Masters!

What a transformation, right?! We built our house on a budget last year, so we went with a lot of basic, standard things, including boring paint. I’ve slowly been repainting some of the rooms (long ways to go still…so lots of room makeovers to come!), and thanks to Modern Masters Front Door Paint I now have some doors that are fun and ‘POP’, instead of the boring white.

I first heard about Modern Masters at Snap! Conference I went to this past April. First of all, fabulous ladies who really knew their product and could answer all my questions. As I looked into their door paint more, I noticed they really tried to make painting and remodeling extra fun, and added personality to their colors…literally! When you choose a paint color, it isn’t just ‘purple’ or ‘berry’. The deep purple shade I chose is Spontaneous. The crisp grey shade I chose for my stenciling is called Mysterious. They have 24 gorgeous colors based on the emotional color wheel, so you can find the perfect match for YOU. See, super fun!

So first of all, I applied my Spontaneous paint to my boring door. I did three coats just to make sure I had adequate coverage (two looked great, but I figured why not do another….can you tell I love painting?). You should know….I did two doors, one side on each. My bedroom door, and my craft room door. So that means I did SIX coats (two doors, one sided, times three coats)……..

…..and still had THIS much leftover in the quart container!

Ya, a little goes a long way and I LOVE to have extra paint for touch-ups down the road (kids create scuffs, we all know this), or even for adding it to other spots in a room to tie in the color. Woot Woot!

I then used this design from my favorite stencil company, Royal Design Studio, to create my pattern on the flat main parts of my doors. The Mysterious color was a perfect accent….it stands out, but also blends well at the same time. A great ‘pop’ without a ‘wham, in your face’!

Clean-up was a cinch….I did get a bit of paint on my doorknobs (I loosened them, but could not for the life of me get them OFF the door), but once it dried I simply peeled off the unwanted parts and it was perfectly clean! I’m all for the easy. Modern Masters paint also dries quickly (but not TOO quickly), and I could easily apply my next coat after about two hours….but it was fine to touch within one, which makes it nice when I’m still going in and out of the doors I’m painting. I love the satiny finish, smooth and beautiful!

Another perk of Modern Masters Front Door Paint? It never fades, even in the sun! Perfect in this Texas weather, that’s for sure! I really wanted to use this on my front door, but due to HOA stuff I’m not allowed to change my door color 🙁

Don’t want to paint your house doors? How about your garage doors or shutters? It works great on those, also! I love flexibility.

Modern Masters even has a FREE app, for iPhone or Android, that allows you to instantly see how their Front Door Paint can look on your doors! Genius, right? And don’t forget to swing by their Modern Masters Cafe Blog!

Front Door Paint is available at selected Lowe’s and Ace Hardwares as well as online via Amazon or the Modern Masters online shop. One of my nearest Lowe’s that’s now carrying this is in Fort Worth – so my neighbors already know where to head to nab up there fun new door paint!

Now it’s YOUR turn to transform some doors or shutters into a fun, beautiful expression of YOU! One lucky reader will receive a FREE Quart (remember how far that much paint will go?) of Modern Masters Front Door Paint in the color (expression) of their choice!

Must be at least 18 years of age to enter. Only valid for the Continental US. Giveaway courtesy of Modern Masters and Busy Mom’s Helper. Please see complete Terms and Conditions in the Rafflecopter Giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY Pirate Ship Bed

June 20, 2014 by Danielle

I have to tell you, I was slightly nervous as to how well our DIY Pirate Ship Bed would hold up against our 3-year-old…but it’s been fantastic! Very sturdy, and no issues at all. Well, except for Hubby knocking over the spyglass once, but easily repaired!

This part of my boys’ Pirate Bedroom Makeover was super easy (most of it was, but this one especially). I was so relieved, being a little tired from the DIY Pirate Treehouse! They are so in love with their room and beds, though, that any work put into it was well worth it! Now YOU can learn how to turn a basic twin-sized bed into a fun DIY Pirate Ship Bed, too!

Note: Our bed had a basic wood board frame already, so you may have to get a couple more boards than we did. Also, your bed may vary in height and such, so be sure to measure lots so you get the correct pieces!

Supplies

Two 24″ x 24-28″ boards. These make the front of the boat
Two hinges. For the front of the boat pieces to hook together
Wood screws/screwdriver
Tall board for mast. I did 60″ x 5″
Two thin pieces of board for mast. I used 40″ x 2″
Black, Red and White cheap plastic tablecloths, for mast. Can use fabric, if preferred.
Tape, for attaching tablecloths
Cardboard pieces, to cover the hole at the front of bed where the spyglass will go.

Directions

Paint any/all pieces, if you want them to match.
Attach your tall board for the mast. I sat it directly above the head board and fastened it with wood screws all up it.
Use more wood screws to attach the two thin boards across the tall board for the mast. These give you something to attach your tablecloths/fabric to.
I used tape to attach the black, red and white tablecloths (cheap plastic…but it works great) to the backside of the two thing boards.
For the front of the Pirate Ship Bed, use wood screws to attach the two square-ish boards to the end of the bed posts. Use the hinges to connect the boards together at the tip. To cover the gaping hole between the foot of bed and tip, I just hot glued in some cardboard pieces.
I looped a random piece of cardboard up on the end and hot glued it to the other cardboard pieces, then hot glued a Spyglass on top of it (to make your own spyglass, check out the tutorial from our Pirate Party).
I then added decor such as this captain’s wheel (found on Amazon), and one of the banners leftover from the Pirate Party. For the palm tree, I just painted some triangle-tube boxes we had laying around (from an Amazon order, probably), attached them together and to the wall, then cut out green poster board into leaves.

So simple and VERY cost effective! The boys LOVE their Pirate Ship Bed! They’re STILL constantly in their room playing pirates…and yes, bedtime is still a bit of a struggle because they’d rather play in their room than sleep.

Ahoy, Matey!!!

Royal Design Stencils Giveaway

June 19, 2014 by Danielle

I received free stencils to facilitate this review/giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own.

Since I absolutely LOVE you guys, and it’s a total blast sharing my favorite things with you all, I’ve got another fabulous giveaway today: Royal Design Stencils!

I know we’re already having a lot of fun with our Disneyland Vacation Giveaway this week, but there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing, right?! I’m so excited that one of you wonderful readers will get to win one of my absolute favorite room-remodeling products: your choice from Royal Design Stencils!

I’ve shared two projects already where I’ve used Royal Design Stencils….remember Wonder Woman’s Frozen Inspired Bedroom? I love how their Starry Moroccan Night Stencil made her accent wall PERFECT for the theme, and is such a beautiful focal point of the room!

And just last week you got to see the boys’ Pirate Bedroom Makeover…

The Pro Bamboo Trellis Stencil fit in great with the Pirate theme, creating a whole forest/jungle feeling for the walls.

One of my favorite things about Royal Design Stencils is how EASY it is to apply. I was totally intimidated the first time I used one of their stencils, but that quickly went away. If you want to read my full review on this amazing company and their products, be sure to check it out here!

I’ve also got a couple projects coming up using more of their fun stencils (told you…I love this company!), so stay tuned!

Now On To Our Royal Design Stencils Giveaway!!!

One lucky winner will get to select any stencil or stencil product $50 or less from Royal Design Studio!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What projects are YOU excited to try with these fabulous Royal Design Stencils?

Pirate Bedroom Makeover

June 13, 2014 by Danielle

You know those moments when you’re so relieved, it’s like you can hear angels singing? Ya, that’s what I heard when I FINALLY finished my Pirate Bedroom Makeover for my three boys!

Even though it just took a chunk of our ‘free time’ (who really has free time, anyway, right?) for the past 2 months, it was some HEAVY work at times. When I did my girl’s Frozen Inspired Bedroom, it took awhile and some decent work, but a big chunk of this was MANUAL LABOR. So although it was a lot of fun, I’m totally feeling relieved right now!

Since there were SO MANY ideas I wanted to put into this room, be prepared for a LOT of pictures! They’re awesome, though, so just enjoy right along with me!

First up is the Treehouse Bunk Bed….yup, this was a major part of the HEAVY work I was talking about! We took a generic bunk bed and made it super fun for the boys. Like their own pirate-y clubhouse!

If you have young boys close in age, like my twins and youngest, and they share a fun bedroom…you’ll understand that there WILL be fights over which bed each one gets. And it’ll change all the time as to which they want! So we plan on having them all switch every couple weeks, and will hopefully avoid all that drama.

Here’s the 3rd bed: plain wood bed turned into awesome Pirate ship, complete with a mast & sail!

The boys especially love having the spyglass on the end of the ship…have to watch out for Captain Hook, after all!

Our puppy was so curious as to the going-ons in here, she managed to photo bomb a couple times! Curious little puppy!

The ship wheel on the wall was just about $14 on Amazon, and it’s just simple plastic and hangs easily for a bit of decoration.

Remember the Pirate Growth Chart I did quite awhile back…….

It’s finally in a permanent location, and looks rather nice against the Pirate Direction Sign! Also appearing in our decor tour today is this AMAZING Pirate Direction Sign….and guess what, it’s not wood! Yes, another tutorial on this coming soon!

A Pirate Bedroom wouldn’t be complete without some dueling swords, of course!

Although my youngest would LOVE to play with this map all day, just like Cubby on Jake & the Neverland Pirates, I think it’s safest decorating above their dresser (plus, he has about a dozen more!).

Our Chore Rewards Treasure Chest has a perfect spot in this room! Now to get it filled with more gold doubloons…

Many of the banners, and even some of the decor, I was able to reuse from Green Lantern’s 3rd birthday party last month. Not to sound repetitive, but posts for his Pirate Party coming to the blog soon! HAHAHA…ya, we’re a pirate-y bunch lately!

Maybe instead of ‘take a break’ when my kids misbehave too much, I should make them ‘Walk the Plank’! But then they’ll probably misbehave even more so they CAN do that.

For some fun, we moved the boys into another room while we did this entire Pirate Bedroom Makeover. Meaning they didn’t see ANY OF IT the entire time, until we did a grand reveal for them. This was their reactions….

Sorry for the blurry photo there…but he was all excited and bouncing up and down!

Yes, the dog even climbed the stairs to the top bunk of the Treehouse to join all the excitement! The boys were STOKED for their new room, and have begged to play in there ever since.

Don’t forget to keep checking back for tutorials for the Treehouse Bunk Bed, Pirate Ship Bed, and Pirate Direction Sign!

DIY Craft Table

April 22, 2014 by Danielle

Do you have a specific table for your crafting, sewing, and random other work? Or do you kind of find an open spot at the dining table or kitchen counter, or squeeze room on your spouse’s desk? Well, I’ve done all of those, but no more thanks to our DIY Craft Table!

If you saw my Craft Room Grand Reveal Sunday, you already saw my wonderfully awesome DIY Craft Table. I promised that I’d give you the lowdown on how we built it, so here we go!

Supplies

Tabletop: 1 piece Plywood: 4 ft. x 6 ft, 3/4 inch thick (I got an 8×4, but trimmed it to size)
Legs: 4 Posts: 2.5″x2.5″ thick, 32″ high
Stabilizing planks: 4 Boards: 5.5″x1″, 36″ long
Wood Screws/drill
Trim for edge of tabletop, if desired: 2 sides 6′ Long, 2 sides 4′ Long…..but don’t forget to add some for the angles to match up!
For the trim, I HIGHLY recommend a nail gun! (and correct size nails)
Paint of desired color (I did Pebble Grey for the legs/planks, Boysenberry Blast for the Tabletop, and left the trim white.
Measuring tape (I recommend 2), leveler

Directions

Double check all of your measurements….VERY important!
Paint all of your pieces, allowing plenty of time to dry. You will need to touch-up later.
Attach the stabilizing boards to the legs. The boards near the top went about 1″ down, the ones at the bottom went about 2.5″-3″ up. ONLY USE ONE SCREW at each connection. This is just for now, but it will allow you to move the posts/boards while assembling it all together without cracking or breaking anything, plus it assists with leveling everything.
We then moved the pieces (the now-two supporting ‘leg’ pieces and tabletop/trim) into my craft room….this would be extremely difficult to get through a doorway!
Set up your leg pieces roughly in the position where they will go….put something on either side of each piece to help hold it into place.
We did ours so that the posts were 6″ in from the tabletop edge on the long sides, and 13.5″ in from the tabletop edge on the ends (short sides).
Place your large tabletop piece onto the supporting legs (CAREFULLY!!!). Start with one post, and measure in to where the post is. This is how Hubby measured…using TWO MEASURING TAPES. You then have your guide for where to drill the screw down into the posts, and you’re less likely to skim the sides of the posts.
Move to the next post, testing it with the leveler to make sure it’s fine. If it’s not quite level, remember you can adjust the supporting beams to switch the level.
Finish all of the posts, testing with the leveler each time. After they’re all done with at least 2 screws (we did 2 at first, but then I had Hubby add 2 more to make it ULTRA secure), check that everything is completely level.
Once you’re certain it’s all level, add 2-3 more screw per connection on the supporting beams. This will help it not wobble, shake, or adjust now that you’ve got it to the perfect position.
Add the trim pieces to the edge of the board (you don’t want to be up against a rough edge, getting scratches, cuts or splinters…plus it looks better)! I definitely recommend using a nail gun for this…I explained how my Dad came to our rescue in my Craft Room Grand Reveal post.
Touch-up any paint, and ENJOY your new table!

Mine works wonderfully, and has made crafting and sewing (and staging photos) SO much easier! I love it! I nabbed some cheap bookshelves from walmart for the two ends. They are about 1/2″-1″ lower than the tabletop, so they’re not supporting any of the weight (don’t think they even could!), but they fit nicely underneath to store more crafty goodness!

Yup, projects have be SO MUCH easier with this bad boy, and to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t all that hard to make! SCORE!!!

Craft Room Grand Reveal

April 20, 2014 by Danielle

I’m FINALLY done!!! It’s taken weeks (possibly months, depending on what you consider the ‘start’) for the remodel of my craft room, but I’m finally ready to share it with you all. I wanted it to be MY space, the one room that I could do however I wanted, escape to and just create by and for myself. Success!!! Without further ado…my Craft Room Grand Reveal!

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Fair warning: LOTS of photos ahead! But I just HAVE to show this off, since it’s taken so much time, effort and just down-right will-power to get this thing done. I wanted my craft room to be ORGANIZED, BRIGHT, and ME (although I’m technically not organized, but that’s we can pretend)!

Here’s what the room looked like before the overhaul:

Mismatched furniture that I got from yard sales
Ugly tannish/off-white paint color on the walls AND ceiling
Dry erase board sticking out like a sore thumb with no border
Boring plain windows needing some lovin’
Piles, piles and MORE piles of random crafting supplies, fabric, projects, random wood pieces and other odds and ends ALL OVER

Yup, that needed to be fixed. Like ASAP! My amazingly-wonderful-totally-awesome Hubby gave me the green light, and to work I went! To start, I had to drag EVERYTHING but some furniture out of the room, down the stairs, and pile it up in the garage. Needless to say….EXHAUSTING! Then….to painting!

For my colors, I knew I wanted something fun and BRIGHT. It’s a craft room, after all, so colorful-but-not-too-crazy. I chose white ceilings and Pebble Grey walls. I brought the ceiling line down a bit, then put a stripe of my accent color, Boysenberry Blast, between the grey and white. For my other colors, I stuck with some light pink, light blue, greens and yellows. Like I said, FUN yet BRIGHT.

I decided to just keep 3 of my random yard-sale found furniture: 2 dressers and the corner armoire thing. Since the corner one is a big part of my craft room, I painted over the black with the Boysenberry Blast. It was a bit TOO much accent, so I then made the panels white. The dressers I did the pink and blue. Add some new, matching knobs and they were set to go!

I also framed in the dry erase board so it had a nice, clean border. The green was very bright, but I ended up really liking it!

I have to give a HUGE shout-out to my dad, here. While I was working on everything, he made the long trip here to Texas from Utah to bring the remainder of our stuff we had left during the move. Along with our stuff, he brought his NAIL GUN to help me finish up some of these things…like the framing on the dry erase board. It was so quick and simple, he was such a lifesaver! THANKS DAD! It also helped a ton adding the trim to the craft table we made ourselves:

I’ll be doing a tutorial soon on how to make your own craft table, so stay tuned for that! I nabbed 2 cheap bookshelves from walmart to stick under the ends of the table, for some extra storage.

Love how organized most of my ribbon is now! I do still have a whole drawer-full (I may have slight ribbon addiction), but at least these are easily accessible!

I also got an Expedit shelf from IKEA for under my windows. Good storage shelf, seat and bench for reaching my curtains!

If you’re curious about my curtains, I did a tutorial on How to Make Curtains: Or Not! Learn how to make them the right way…and how to fix some if you happen to make a big oops like I did!

Another fun file organizer, nabbed from IKEA (ya, LOVE that store)!

The corner shelves are a fun decor aspect to the room, plus a great place to put some jars! Notice the button-filled jar? Ya, Hubby still can’t understand why I have so many….but that’s ok!

I picked up these wonderful organizing trays and peg board items from The Container Store. Handy for holding many of my frequently-used things.

For inside the big corner armoire, I decided to put all my sewing supplies in there:

LOVE how easy it is to find things, now! Including my well-organized Simplicity patterns….they’re fabulous!

Then it was just a matter of adding some pops of color and decor…one of the most fun parts of remodeling a room, if you ask me!

Since I’m attending SNAP! Conference in just a FEW DAYS (eeeeek, can’t wait!), I plan on finding a bit more decor to fill up some empty spots…like this very large wall that’s just begging for some cute stuff!

I’m just SOOOO in love with my new craft room, and have been really enjoying my time in there now that it feels so clean, organized, bright and BEAUTIFUL!