2013 Overview

I can hardly believe we've already reached the end of this year!  I love to look back at the projects I completed through the year and thought I'd share a quick overview.  I realized I didn't actually write up posts for a few of the projects so I have included a few pictures below along with the links to the projects WITH blog posts.  (Does that make sense?) :) I've also included some before & after pics of the townhouse reno at the bottom of the post!

Trash to Treasure

  A Little Rescued Relic

 Sweet Dreams  (DIY)

  A Sweet Little Night Table (DIY)

   My Kentwood Bookshelf  (DIY)

   DIY Campout (Pottery Barn hack) (DIY)

 Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...almost

 Shabby to Chic

  Sugar and Spice

 French Provincial 6 Drawer Dresser

  French Provincial Desk to Table

  Table x Two

 It's only been 3 years...

 Townhouse Kitchen Makeover (no blog post)

 

  Townhouse Dining Table and Chairs Makeover (no blog post)

 

 Townhouse Master Bedroom Farmhouse Bedside Tables (no blog post) (DIY)

 

 Townhouse Living Room Coffee Table (no blog post) (DIY)

Townhouse Laundry Room Cabinet Makeover (no blog post)

 

Cedar Planter Boxes (no blog post) (DIY)

  Our New Headboard  (DIY)

  6 Cubbie Storage  (DIY)

Sliding Lego Table (no blog post)  (DIY)

In addition, here are a few additional before and after pictures of the townhouse I renovated this summer!  What a HUGE job, but I am SO happy with how everything turned out!  

(PS - it's For Sale if you know of anyone looking!). ;)

Before / After

Thank you so much for popping by!  We wish you the very best for a very Happy New Year!!!

6 Cubbie Storage

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to put some of my leftover wood scraps to use.  After my Kentwood bookshelf project, I had some leftover strips of plywood with no specific plan.  I’ve always liked the look of the cubbie-type storage units, but so many of the store bought ones are built with ½” particle board and assembled with large screws and an allen key.  I knew I wanted something more durable so I decided to build one.  I popped into Canadian Tire and picked up three of their large fabric storage boxes.  They're part of their "For Living" collection and they're called "cube fabric drawers".  I knew I wanted to build the cabinet to custom fit these boxes.

I had enough leftover material to build 6 cubbies, but not quite enough to make the unit tall enough to hold 6 boxes.  I decided the bottom of the unit would be fine for 3 storage boxes and the upper shelves would be fine a little shorter and would be perfect for books or display.

The main box and shelves are built with ¾” sanded pine plywood, constructed with pocket hole screws.   The front and back face frames are built from solid white wood.   Before painting, I filled the visible pocket holes with wooden pocket hole plugs, sanded them flush, and then primed over them!  You can hardly tell they're there!

After starting to paint it with a dark blue paint, I realized immediately it didn’t suit it at all! 

So I repainted it in a soft cream and finished it with a glossy clear coat.  SO much better!

This awesome little storage unit really fits into any room you need a little more storage!  I built the project to sell, but after moving it into my living room for pictures, I was debating whether to actually list it or not! ;)   It just fit in so nicely with our other furniture!

Ok, so this one does have to go, but I’m already thinking about the next one I’ll build!

Thanks for popping by!

A Little Rescued Relic

Over the summer I went to see this little dresser after a few other people ahead of me decided to pass on it. (Pic is from the original online ad)

As soon as I saw it up close, I realized the problem.  Originally it would have had some cute little curvy legs, but at some point, someone had decided to chop them off!  

 

I’d like to think it must have been damaged during a move as I can’t seem to understand any other reason why you’d cut off those cutie little legs!  After I pointed out a few of the other issues (the paint was in rough shape and one of the drawer slides was cracked and broken as well), the seller agreed to lower the price and we loaded it into my van.

To add back some height to the dresser, I knew I had to replace the missing legs.  The problem was the only available premade furniture legs I could find locally were not only too big and bulky, but they were expensive!  Four new legs would have cost me almost DOUBLE what I originally paid for the dresser!  After some thought, I decided to make new legs using parts of the leftover wooden stair balusters I had after building my little DIY bedside table.  It worked!  Because the original cuts on the dresser were "off" and didn't leave much to work with, I had a little trouble cutting the legs to the required length so the dresser didn't wobble.  THAT was fun....eek.

After a good sanding, a crisp white paint and glossy clear coat, this beautiful little lady is standing tall again!    

I chose to use the original hardware but sprayed it in a glossy white to update it.  The addition of the black and white vinyl freshens up the inside of the drawers.   

With a new drawer slide and all new corner drawer supports, this lovely little lady will soon be added to my shop and ready to go to a new home!

 Before & After

Thanks for popping by!