DIY Vanity Honey Oak Transformation

I DIYed the vanity in Mark's bathroom and transformed from Honey Oak Yuck into something Dark and Wonderful! We tore out all our old oak cabinets in the kitchen a few years ago but this vanity didn't make it into the remodel budget. It has been on my summer list of things to do ever since.

I didn't get a photo taken before Mark had the door removed. Here is another piece of the old Honey Oak that was EVERYWHERE in our house when be bought it 1996! It was the height of style in 1985 when the house was built, not so much by 1996, and horribly outdated in 2014!  Despite not loving it when we moved in  I learned to just live with it.

This was a pretty quick project. Mark took the doors off on Thursday and we put it all back together on Sunday. If you are interested in doing something similar you will need some supplies.

Supplies I used

Palm sander

Sanding pads

Gloves

Tack cloth

Black indoor paint 

Paint brushes (one 2 inch and one smaller brush for details and close to walls)

Tarp

The first thing we did was remove the doors and sink panel. I tried to strip them but all the curved surfaces around the trim pieces didn't come clean. I then got out my palm sander and sanded them. I didn't go crazy here just roughed up the varnish. 

Next, we sanded the face of the vanity in the bathroom. We hung a piece of tarp up to trap the dust into as small of a space as possible. 

Then, I used blue painters tape and taped off the counter and the walls. I wiped off the doors and face of the vanity with a tack cloth. If you have never used a tack cloth before I HIGHLY recommend buying one. I used a wet cloth in the past but it just doesn't work as well. 

Next, I painted two coats on the face pieces and two coats on the doors. 

Finally, we waited for it to dry and put it all back together. 

We had new carpet installed as well and I LOVE how this looks now! The honey oak is gone! This bathroom looks like it belongs in 2014! 

DIY Refinished 1960's Desk

I refinished a desk that belonged to the Glassett family sine the early 1960's. I truly did this on my own or DIY! It is very stressful refinishing furiture that belonged to the in-laws! I am happy with the results but learned a lot, as usual, along the way.

I didn't take a picture before I started but there are two dressers that have the same finish and it was a set purchased for my husband and his brother when they were just little boys.

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I used a chemical stripper and sanded both the desk and drawers. It was a lot of work since this is an older piece of furniture. In hind sight I wish I had done even more sanding. After three days of working on this my arm and right hand were sore and I had to move on. 

I stained the whole thing three different times and could have done one more. I was out of energy for this project and varnished it. I filled in the holes where the original hardware was but I am NOT happy with the way the stain took on those spots. Still can't decide what to do. I am using the desk now without and handles or drawer pullls. Such is the life of a DIY'er!

Upcycled Broken Binder

I upcycled a broken binder today and wonder why it took me 15 years of teaching to think of this! I will never throw away another binder! This is super easy and free. Got to love that!

I have wanted some kind of strudy writing surface for student to use in class. As an AVID teacher last year, I learned a really effective teaching strategy called a Gallery Walk. Student walk around the room looking at different items and complete an assignment. It allows them to get up and walk around while doing an assignment. It was AWESOME with middle school students. One issue I kept running into was when the kids were trying to fill in answers they had no firm writing surface. I considered clipboards but they are so bulky to store! Even five clipboards are too messy for me. PROBLEM SOLVED with the upcycled binder!

All you need is a broken binder (or you could even go to the dollar store and get binders if you wanted several right away) and a pair of scissors.

Broken binder

Cut the front cover and back cover away from the spine. 

Cut apart binder

The binder I used was a view binder so the front has a clear cover on it.  This is where I will put instructions for my students. If your cover is just a regular cover use a binder clip to attach instructions. The back side has a pocket. This is where I will place the worksheet. 

View binder cover 

Pocket side
Now, this isn't just a teacher thing. This could be used at home for all sorts of things. One idea that came to my mind was spelling lists. A parent could label the view side/front side with each child's name and slip in or attach the list for the week. The pocket on the back could hold flash cards and lined paper to practice on during the week. 

Another use could be a menu planner. Write it on a piece of paper slide it into the view side or use a page protector and attach with a binder clip. You could use a dry erase marker to write in the menu too!  Attach a command hook and hang the menu anwhere you want! On the pocket side you could keep a shoping list and coupons. Below are two photos of what is hanging in my kitchen. 

Menu side

List and coupon side

Give it a try! I would love to see what you create! 

Upcycled Window Blind Trim

I found an old piece of trim in the basement and upcycled it into a lesson plan board. I got the idea after seeing a menu planner board on Pinterest that is for sale on Etsy.  I immediately thought it would be a great lesson plan board.

I often bury or misplace my lesson plan book in the course of the day. This year I will be teaching six periods of  Reading and I know the same kind of chaos will plague me! My plan is to write some breif notes about my lesson on these cards. I can take the card off quickly if I need to refer to it during class and it has a specific spot to return it to when I am finished. Students can also look at the board instead of asking me what we are doing in class. 

Inspiration for Lesson Plan board

For this project you will need:

1 board

Alphabet stickers

5 cup hooks

5 Binder Clips

Index Cards

Below is a picture of the piece of trim I used. It fell off the blind and the plastic piece that held it on was broken. Since I have a window topper covering the top part of the blinds I don't care about this piece of trim. I chose it becasue it is already painted and ready to use. Any scrap piece of wood would work. This is just what I had available. 

Window Blind Trim 

Cup Hooks Added to trim

 Once I had my board I needed to figure out  where I wanted the hooks placed. Mark helped me with this because math is not my strong suit. He pre-drilled the holes to prevent the wood from splitting. It takes a few extra minutes but it is worth it. This trim is really thin and I was sure it would crack if the holes were not pre drilled.

After the hools were in place I added the days of the week. I used a really old set of alphabet stickers from my stash. I learned a trick a few years ago from my friend Kathy. Stick the letters onto a piece of plastic before putting them on the project. Place the stickers so about 1/2 of each letter is off the plastic. (I keep blank pieces of plastic from packages of stickers or double sided tape for this purpose.) This allows me to line up the letters and get the placement just right on the project. I then placed the stickers above each cup hook. It isn't perfect but I works for me. I wanted to add some rub-on flowers but I didn't plan out space for that I don't have the space for it. Something to consider if I ever make another one!

DIY Jewlery Organizer from a Picture Frame

I needed this jewlery organizer 

a long time ago! 

Usually my earrings are a big ol' mess all over my dressser. My husband complains about the cluttered look and it has been impossible to dust.
I used an old picture frame, eyelet, white cup hooks, and thumb tacks to make this wonderful organier.The frame is pretty big because I make jewery and so does my Mom and sisters. I have a lot of earrings.
I have seen several DIY organizers on Pintrest and my Daughter-in-law makes a hair accsesory organizer. Picture frames are the common denominator in all the organizers. Many have screen or wires to hang the jewlery from. I have found that my earrings  tarnish very quickly when in contact with metal. I was thinking I would use thin ribbon. Then I had a brillant idea. EYELET! That was it.  I jumped out of bed got dressed and ran downstrirs and dug out all my old pictures.

(This room is going to get new paint and new carpet by August 5th. This is all part of a larger makeover for the bedrooms in our house. More on that later.) Below is a list of supplies used and some instructions.

Supplies
Picture frame
Pliers
butter knife
Eyelet or lace
Thumb tacks
Cup Hooks


This is my old picture stash. Quite a collection! I wasn't sure which frame I wanted so I pulled all the pictures apart and then selected the biggest one! Not too suprising.





Most picture frames look like the one below. Bend the prongs up that hold the back and glass in. Throw the back and glass away or, if you are like me, keep both  for some unknown project in the future. I believe there is a name for this I call it recycling, my husband calls it horading!



Once you have selected a frame. Get out your eyelet or lace. I actually used some of both. Again, I just went to my sewing room and got out a baggie full of lace and eyelet. Most is from making baby blankets for my boys. My baby will turn 26 in September. I am telling you I never throw anything away!
Next, I measured and cut the lace and eyelet. I didn't get very precise on measurements. I started in about the middle and added one row about two inches above the middle row and another two inches below the middle. I continued like that until I got to the top.
Finally, I added te earrings and quickly discovered that the lace and eyelet needed to be much tighter. I took off all the earrings and adjusted all the rows. My suggestion is to pull them really tight from the begining. I would also suggest using 100% cotton eyelet. Polyester stretches a lot. If you look in the picture you can see some droopy rows, they are polyester. I MIGHT replace them. So far it hasn't bothered me. Sometimes things like that irritate me, but this doesn't seem to at this point.
The last thing is to hang up your frame. As I mentioned this room is going to get painted and so Mark refused to hang my organizier up properly. I don't blame him. no sense doing something twice.

I am going to make a smaller version of this for the night stand. I seem to crawl into bed with earrings on a lot. Once, a long time ago, a diamond earring fell in the garbage can next to my bed. I didn't realize it until after the garbage was taken out and the city picked up the trash! I cried for a long time that day!

A unexpected result of this new organizer, I found so many lost earrings. I had about six or seven different little cups and containers for my earrings before the organizer. As I emplied each container and hung up the earrings I found lots of misplaced earrings. Good thing I never throw anything away. See,  it is good to recycle.

Patriotic Centerpiece repeat

Fourth of July Centerpiece

I created this centerpiece back in 2010. I still have it and will use it again this July. I have made several of these centerpieces for different holidays like Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I like this project because it really shows that one's card making/scrap booking supplies can be used for more than the intended purpose. It isn't just for card making.

Items listed below are from Close To My Heart.

Inks: Tulip, Moonstruck and Indian Corn Blue.

Card stock: White Daisy, Outdoor Denim, and Tulip.

Stamp Sets: Adorable, In The Month Of July, A Twinkle, Calendar, Save The Date, Classmates Alphabet, and It's A Party.

Ribbon: Tulip and Outdoor Denim.

Other items: Bamboo Skewers, white ribbon and eyelets, bucket, candy, cicrle punch, star punch.

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

DIY Wax Paper Transfer

The sign I made

The DIY wax paper transfer method really works! I was so skeptical! I read about several DIY methods for transfering images in order to create decrotive items on the Graphics Fairy website.

(This is a fantastic website and I have spent hours looking at all the terrific images available there. Many items are available as a mirrored image so that it can be transfered onto another surface. Below is the image I downloaded.)

The Wax Paper method seemed like the easiest for me.

You need the following items:
Wax paper
Scissors
Printer
Computer
Wood, fabric or other surface
A rubbing tool like a popcycle stick or spoon.
Spray bottle for misting the wood

Basically, I cut a piece of wax paper to
8 1/2 x 11 inches and fed it into my Lexmark 4650 printer.
Next, I lightly misted a section of 1 by 10 inch piece of pine board. I then laid the wax paper ink side down, onto the board. Then, I rubbed the wax paper with a popcycle stick.
VIOLA! The ink went onto the wood and I have a new sign!
Mark has a router bit called a keyhole bit. He is going to use it to create a keyhole on the back of the piece of wood as a way to hang my sign.
 I think the plain wood is a little boring so I am going to experiment with white wash for the next attempt. I also want to somehow "ink" the edges to age the sign.
If you have been wondering about making a DIY sign I found it to be super easy once you have a piece of wood.
In the future, after I perfect the wooden sign, I want to try placemats and maybe a burlap pillow.

The mirrored image I downloaded from The Graphics Fairy

Harley Trip Smash Book

I created a Smash Book for Harley Trips. I have tried to do something similar in the past and failed. I always think I scrapbook our adventure once I return. Guess what? It never happens! New solution! Smash Booking. I created this Smash book before we left on the trip. I then packed a small makeup bag with stickers, markers and my Close To My Heart scissors. I threw in a few other small items and I bought a Smash stick. This is a glue stick and pen all in one. Along the way I wanted colored pencils and a black sharpie.
I was really worried that Mark would flip out about traveling with scrapbooking supplies on a Harley trip. SURPRISE! He didn't even care! WHEW.
Each morning and evening I would spend a few minutes writing about the days events. Mostly what roads we took and where we ate. Ride to eat is our motto! I am really proud of myself. The trip is well documented and I had fun doing it on the road.
The second day of the trip I strted collecting pamplets and brochures about the towns we were in I really like this page!

On this page is a photo I took while on the trip. I got a map of Idaho and collected some sticks and a cat tail and laid it all on the floor of our hotel room and took the picture. I printed it out when we got home. This last page is near the end. I had our friends take a piture of my husband and I at dinner on our last night. Again, I printed the pitures after we got home. I added in some missing details after we got home too.

We are going on one more Harley vacation and I plan to take my new little Smash book and supplies again. It is fun and easy and mostly done when I get home. How about you? Are you Smashbooking yet? 

Smash book

Smash books are my newest obsession!  I am not even sure where this blank book came from! The concept is perfect for me. Just gather up the stuff in you life and smash it in there. There really are no rules.This is a new craze (at lest to me) in scrapbooking.
I went looking through my craft stash and I have a few blank journals that will become smash books. I noticed that Close To My Heart has a blank journal they call a Crush  Book. I beleieve it is the same idea. Since I am no longer a consultant I am not positive.
 Below is my first Smash book.There are also some photos of my pages. As you can see it is random scrapbookking! No rules, just pure fun! I am not sure why this is so much fun but, it really is! I have seen lots of different kinds of blank books being used. Something as simple as a wire bound notebook to a fancy book made just for smashing. I will show you some of my other Smash books later this week. Have you been Smashing anything? I highly recommend it!

DIY T-Shirt Necklace with charm

I finally made a T-Shirt necklace! I have been seeing these at school and on Pinterest all spring and wanted to make one for myself. I finally got out the scissors and cut up an old t-shirt. I love the idea of recycling something that no longer fits or is not in style. This shirt fits both these categories. 

When I first "finshed" my necklace all the seams were showing and I hated how it looked. I decided to wrap the seams with one of the strips I cut for the necklace. Much better! 

Now, I am not the kind of person who just follows directions when it comes to making things. I added a charm that I picked up at Hobby Lobby last week. I have a thing for clocks. I couldn't resist this one. It was on sale half price. I paid about $3.00 for it. 

I plan to wear this with a tank top to dress it up a bit. I will also wear it to school in the fall. I try to look fashionable despite my advanced age! 

If you want to make one of these necklaces and need more instructions feel free to email me at bobetteglassett@gmail.com. If you have made one I would love to see it! 

Canvas Dropcloth Curtains

I know the title sounds odd but I really did make curtains for my outdoor gazebo using painters drop cloths! The price was too low to believe!

This is what my curtains look like on the outside of the gazebo.

This is the view on the inside. I have been looking for a cheap, weather friendly, option for about five summers. Every year I give up on my dream of having coffee on the deck. This year started out the same. Another failed attempt at curtains. Pinterest to the rescue! I found several posts about using conduit pipe for curtain rods and drop cloths for curtains. Hubby was very concerned about this new option. 

Here is what I bought at Home Depot
Two 10 foot conduit pipes. ($2.55 each)
Two 6x9 foot drop cloths. ($12.00 each)
Two or three packages of clips with rings ($6.99 each)

(I forgot to keep the package. I found these in the curtain/curtain rod section. I also found these at Target in the curtain section.) Here is a picture of the clips.

The last item I bought was velcro strips. 

Here is what I did with the items above.

1. Slide the packages of hooks onto the pipe. 

2. Used the Velcro to attach the 10 foot pipes to the outside of the Gazebo frame. 

3. Cliped the drop cloth onto the hooks. 

The curtain will slide along the pipe to open and close the curtains. See picture below. 

I figure I spent under $40.00 for these curtains. I was looking at over $100.00 for blackout curtains in the past. The great thing about these curtains is I can throw them in the washer if necessary and replace yearly if something goes really wrong! 

I hope you found this useful! Enjoy! 

Bobie

PS Let me know if you have questions.