Cluttered to Clean: Dining Room Wall

I've always had the vision of having a beautiful gallery wall in my dining room, but I've got to tell ya, I'm bad at it. BAD. AT. IT.

Case in point.

So I gave up, cleared house, and installed this. Is it perfect? Not yet. It is better? So much so.

Still not perfect, but better.

I just wanted to show you that everything in my home, and in my life, is a work in progress. And just like you, I get very overwhelmed about the number of changes I wish I could afford to make. But take it a room at a time and we'll all get there together. Eventually.

Kristina

Kids' Growth Chart

I love these things! They are easy, fast, and cheap. Oh, and a great memory for your kids that you can take with you if you move.

To Do:

1. Buy wood - and sand it!
2. Buy vinyl decals from Etsy and stick them on (or you can write them but I have bad handwriting)
3. Finish the wood with Shellac or Laquer 
4. Mark the height on your wall so it hangs properly
5. Hang it!

I made it tall enough to fit my 6'1" husband's height

I never do the stand and mark - I use whatever the doctor tells me they are

Cute, right? The whole thing took about a day including dry time for the shellac. Just an FYI - shellac dries yellowish over time. My ruler is in a dark hall so we've been okay, but when exposed to light the change is supposed to be noticeable. So be warned.

Kristina

Backyard Chalkboard

Backyard chalkboards aren't just the latest Pinterest craze - they're actually really cool.

Easy + Cool + Makes Kids Quiet = Magic!

Better tutorials can be found here, but this is what I did.

How to:

1. Buy the shower water-proof sheetrock, bolts, washers, and nuts. And the chalkboard paint!
2. Prime the sheetrock.
3. Paint the sheetrock. It took me about 3 coats.
4. Drill holes in the sheetrock to hang it on your fence. 
5. Hang it.

Wasn't really a birthday present, but I did it in the right month. So we pretended.

Kristina

A few more DIY bed pics...

If you read Tweet, Tweet, you may be wondering how this bed is put together. Here are a few more quick pictures of it.

Kristina

How to tell when your husband has a wood problem...

He makes this:

And forces you to take pictures of it.

Kristina

Don't buy crib teething bumpers!!!

You know those expensive teething bumpers for cribs? The ones that are usually AT LEAST $40 for the set? Yeah, you can make them in 10 minutes and for $5.

Are they gorgeous? Heck no! Are they effective? By all means!

I like messes, yo. They're authentic.

See? Protecting the crib from whatever my girls are thinking they are doing.

And protects from this!

 How to make your own crib teething bumpers:

1. Buy 2 regular towels. Mine were on sale at Walmart for $2/each. They should be about 54" long.
2. Buy a cheap roll of ribbon or string. I like grosgrain, but really it doesn't matter.
3. Cut one towel in half.
4. Fold the 3 pieces in half lengthwise.
5. Poke holes in the towels where you want to run your ribbon through to tie to the crib. I made 3 holes for the ends (sides and middle), and 5 for the front (sides, middle, and halfways).
6. Place the bumper around your crib rail, and use the ribbon to tie it on.

Done.

Warning: Do not stab your fingers and hand repeatedly while poking holes with the scissors. It's harder than it looks, and if you are clumsy like me it's dangerous. Enlist a coordinated/strong friend if necessary.

Just so you know my little monster isn't always a monster, here is Ari being adorable while she reads in her big girl bed.

No, I do not ever brush my children's hair.

Kristina

I Built a Dog Bed!

I always see those annoying Pinterest ideas of using scrap wood to build things, and I they all make me angry. I mean, who has that much scrap wood??

Apparently my husband does. But it took me an hour to find the 3 pieces I used to make my dog's new bed.

Objects on computer are less red than they appear.

Day One: I cut the wood to size with our miter saw, clamped and glued it together, and let it dry.

I used a steamer lid to create the curved cut out.

Day Two: I made my husband trim the wood to perfection with a table saw. Then he routed the tops. He doesn't trust me with the scary tools.

This is the real color of the stained wood. And the routing Husband did.

I put the box together, and Husband used a nail gun to finish it.

It's 4 sides with 4x4s at the corners to use as a platform for the pillow.

Day Three: After using wood filler on the nail holes, I used Walnut Danish Oil to stain the box while Husband used the table saw to cut the case to size.

The bed base rests on the 4x4s

Finished! I just placed a bed pillow with a case on it in the bed.

Dog still won't sleep in it.

Kristina

Kids' Art Wall

Today I bring you one of my more popular pins on Pinterest - only 14 but that's huge for me. It's the the kids' art wall via IKEA's Dignitet Curtain Wire. $12.99/row of pure magic. Don't forget the Riktig clips!

Our art has both multiplied and advanced since this picture.

And no, it's never that neat. Remind me to show you someday how awful-wonderful it usually looks.

Kristina

Bright and Fun: Little Girl's Room

Eva, or Evs as my phone calls her, is my oldest daughter. She's amazing and creative and vibrant, so when I found out I was pregnant with my second child (the one living in the bird nursery), I decided I wanted her to have the best room on the planet. And I gave it to her! Recognize that wall from Ari's bird nursery?

My most pinned Pin EVER!

I actually upholstered that bed myself at 7 months pregnant. It's really easy. Just a cheap frame from IKEA, plywood, foam, batting, material, and staples. Make it up as you go and it works easily.

Then I swapped their rooms and... well, I had to start over. Oh, and she made caci on the rug pictured and I've never been able to properly replace it. I love kids.

The new room isn't nearly as perfect. 

Just not as nice. But I like the art!

Eva's favorite animal - Titi.

The bird and the woman are from Eva's grandparents. Her paternal great-grandmother made the woman. The other's are from IKEA and Target.

Her dresser area is busy, but in a good way. I mean, she's a kid. I am not a fan of the pink lamp, but she loves it so it stays. The art is from IKEA. As is the Malm dresser. I keep thinking she deserves something more, but I just haven't gotten to it. And it's made so well with so much storage!

I love that Melissa and Doug Responsibility Chart - except I never remember to use it. We call it mitzvah magnets!

Giant beat is from CostCo. Love.

IKEA labels so she knows where her stuff is.

Letter from Hobby Lobby, and curtain rods spray painted to contrast with basic white IKEA curtains.

Leftover party decorations from the cutest party ever!

 On the other wall, Eva has a ton of storage. Book case holds a million books (I'm a horder of books), jewelry, her mirror, and built in cabinets. I've always hated those cabinets, but they offer so much storage I can't tear them out. Right now they're holding my collection of American Girls dolls from my childhood and adult books I don't want to display or give away.

Decals on the cabinet are from Etsy, custom ordered. Great idea!

Bird hook holds up mirror (I love bird decor!) and then the loop holds butterflies cut from a book. It was supposed to be a mobile, but that never worked out.

Purses? Backpacks? We've got a place for them!

So really, although I think her room is incredibly hard to photograph (especially with my poor skills), it's a fun space to foster her creativity.

Stay tuned for more tours and DIYs.

Kristina

DIY Billy to Built in Bathroom Shelving

I mean, my bathroom was fine and all, but it had a ton of dead space in the middle of the sinks. Inspired by Pinterest, because apparently that's my theme and I don't believe in originality, I wanted to create shelving in the middle.

Before: Cluttered AND Empty.

So I bought a Billy Bookcase from IKEA. It happened to be both the perfect color AND style to match my custom built bathroom shelving. How sad, right? Or how happy?

We built the the bookcase, cut out the back for the back splash and outlet, and added handles.

Looks built in, right?

What I bought:

• Bookcase
• Height Extension
• Doors (no longer available)

Nice, right?

Kristina

Tweet, Tweet - Little Girl's Room

I really, really, really dislike birds. I have a sordid history of them pooping on me and diving into my car to commit suicide. There just isn't much about birds I like.

However, bird themed anything I love. It's right up there with turquoise.

When I created my baby daughter's nursery - which is really just a little girl's room with a crib stuck in it - I started with simple DIY projects. I saw photos on Pinterest of bird houses on walls, and I knew I could do that. So I bought bird houses, spray painted them, and  stuck them on the wall.

Check out that rocker - it's from when I was a baby!

Right after we put in the wood floors, before we built the bed.

This wall decal was left over from when my older daughter was in the room. Just happened to match perfectly!

Then I moved to the bed. I begged my husband to build a bed with a trundle for her room. My original intention was to have two, but that project took days upon days, so I think we'll stick with one for a while. I designed it, he built it, and I painted. It's one of the most amazing beds I've ever seen, and I really feel like we created an heirloom piece.

He let me help!

Halfway point.

Adding the bed bracket somethings. The hard way. We use a router now.

Finished! Paint Color? Ballet Slipper.

More birds on the bed.

For every bit I detest birds, I like bugs. Weird. So I made a mobile of them and hung it from the ceiling.

Next, I painted an old dresser my parents had. It was one of those ugly junk dressers that people always paint and make look amazing. It's seriously easy. Just remove the hardware, prime, and paint 3-4 coats.

Before the paint.

Not a true white - an off-white with a little grey to it.

Spray painted IKEA frame with a pillow from Etsy inside. Could have made the pillow, but my sewing talent is nill.

Finally, I bought a cabinet from a Facebook selling group with the intention of painting it to match, but I really love the color. It came with glass panes in the doors, and I thought I'd have to replace them with plexiglass. Until I realized that plexiglass is CRAZY expensive. So I just removed it and realized I still like the look. Until she's older, we're just keeping it empty. It's not staged or organized yet, but it makes for great shoe and book storage.

So much crap piled on top.

Shoe storage

Book storage on the lower shelved for baby to reach

And there you have the best room in my entire house! Partly because there is so much DIY. Partly because it has birds. Partly because it has that one turquoise birdhouse.

And now I leave you with a photo of my crazy daughter in the crib I did not take a picture of because I detest cribs as much as birds.

She doesn't like to sleep.

Kristina