Rustic – Page 2 – Dust Bunnies and Dog Toys

Storage in the Foster Room

Published on February 10, 2016 by JennaLeave a comment

As promised, today I’m sharing what’s underneath the art display boards in the Foster Room that I showed you yesterday. I created a fun storage cubby system with simple wooden crates which can hold books and toys. I got the idea from one of my favorite blogs and originally planned to mount the crates on the wall like she did, but wanted the option to use them occasionally as props for photo sessions occasionally so instead I opted to just stack them on the floor.

I was a little worried that the baseboard would make the bottom row stick out more than the top row and leaving a small gap behind the crates would make them unsteady which could be a safety issue around children but when I set them up they felt pretty sturdy. I figured only going two rows high keeps things at kiddo level so there’s no need to reach or lean on them and keeps the center of gravity on he whole group low so I’m not worried about it.

It coordinates with the art display boards well and is just as flexible since we can change up what’s in each cubby to fit each child’s interests. There is also a digital frame in the lower left crate where we can load pictures of things that they like, which should be a fun project to do together when they arrive to get to know them and serve a dual purpose as a nightlight. The wide openings are perfect for storing books and the toys I’ve started collecting such as the adorable elephant a co-worker knitted and one I found on Etsy years ago.

I also ordered this peg doll set which should be interesting for a wide range of ages. Since we don’t know who will be placed with us I got both the boy and girl sets which can be played with separately or paired up. The cute purple crab in the back is something from my days working at the YMCA that I’ve kept. I thought it was something fun a child might like and since it’s made of Styrofoam it shouldn’t be dangerous for them to play with.

Next to the crates I put some mega blocks in a basket for easy access and clean-up. I found a large bag of them on the local buy/sell page for a few dollars and likes that they are larger so they won’t be a choking hazard for smaller children. Next to that is a bean bag I used to use for newborn sessions before I got my professional poser pillow. I think it makes a fun little reading spot right next to the book storage.

Since I bought the crates on sale and with coupons good for a percentage off a single item, gathering enough to make the cubbies required several trips to Michaels but it was worth the savings – especially since I go there often for my day job and can make a separate personal purchase while there! I used stain I had left over from the Moose Mount Board in the guest room for both the display boards and the crates so that was an additional savings. Next up are the window treatments, which I’ll share tomorrow!

DIY Moose Mount

Published on December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

Today I’m sharing a recent DIY project the hubs helped me create as part of the games for my employer’s company holiday party. The company is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this year so we had a theme of ‘silver winter.’ We wanted to try having some games that people could do before dinner was served and I came up with the idea of a moose head ring toss. I found this resin moose head on Amazon, which the company purchased for around $20 after we used some gift certificates from a vendor we work with.

Much to the hubs dismay, I spray painted him white. Sometimes he just can’t see my vision. 😉 Once we had the moose head ready we purchased the wood, screws and metal strips to make the mounting board. We laid everything out in the garage for a dry run before putting it together.

The first step was staining the wood, which was precut whiteboard. I had planned to use pallet wood but ran out of time to disassemble the pallets I had. Luckily these were the right size and at around $5/board they didn’t break the bank.

Here’s the moose head, sans antlers, on the stained boards. I love the contrast and rustic feel!

The next step was adding the metal brackets on either side to hold the boards together. The hubs convinced me it was cheaper to buy a long solid piece of metal, so he cut it to size and drilled the holes for the screws.

The hubs and Stoli look so thrilled to show off the finished project don’t they?! At the party we set the board on a table on top of a white fur throw with the back propped up against the wall so players could attempt the ring toss.

And now that the party is over and the company has no use for it any longer it’s become a focal point in our guest room!

As I was prepping the images for this post I realized that when we hung the board at the house it’s actually upside down, which makes the moose sit a little higher than it did in the “finished” picture. I might eventually correct that but since it’s not that noticeable that’s pretty low on the priority level.

I think I’ll dress him up a bit next holiday season with a scarf or fur wrap, like I’ve seen many other bloggers do since I plan to decorate more throughout the house with small touches. I’d love to hear what you think of our latest project and how it looks in our rustic Alaskan guest bedroom!

Craft Paper Roll Holder

Published on November 25, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

Although it’s been quiet here on the blog it’s been crazy busy around our house recently. I’ve got multiple events going on at work, we’re preparing for the holidays, everyone wants family photos for their holiday cards and I’ve been crafting up inventory for a holiday bazaar this weekend. I’ll be sharing some of those projects once I have time to take photos and do some writing, but in the meantime I wanted to share a little project the hubs did for me recently. I keep a roll of craft paper around for projects and wrapping, so I wanted an efficient way to store it yet have it at the ready when needed.

The solution was a simple metal bar mounted just above the craft cart which can hold the roll. It consists of a flange, a short piece of pipe, a 90 degree elbow, a length of pipe and a finishing cap. The hubs put it all together and located a stud to secure it to so it’s super sturdy. Although I’d envisioned it positioned in the center of the cart, having it off to one side actually works because it provides a spot for my task light.

Since the end is open it’s easy to slide the roll on and off if I need to use it elsewhere or refill it. The industrial pipe ties in with the open shelving above the desk on the other side of the room and wasn’t too expensive to put together, which makes me like it even more. And it will come in very handy when I start wrapping Christmas presents soon! 🙂

DIY Industrial Cart Bed

Published on November 10, 2015November 12, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

Remember this cool metal cart I shared last month? Well the hubs has worked his magic and converted it to the coolest bed for our foster room! I don’t have step-by-step instructions since he worked on this while I was working on other projects, but you can see the basic design in the picture below.

He also built a trundle frame based on a plan I found on Pinterest that rolls right underneath so we have the ability to take in siblings if needed. Both the trundle and the bed are super sturdy so there’s no worries about having a kiddo and all of the dogs on there together, which I can envision happening.

Here it is all dressed! And because we went with a simple day bed style it should be simple and easy to teach kids how to make the bed and keep things tidy. It’s also a great new place for Luna to explore as you see below.

We still need to get a mattress for the trundle frame and figure out a desk and nightstand for either side of the bed, but I think this room is finally starting to come together!

Shared on Knick of Time’s Vintage Inspiration Party!

Rustic Windmill Becomes Art – The Plan

Published on September 30, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

So it should come as no surprise that I’m a huge fan of the show Fixer Upper, and if you’ve watched it at all you know Joanna Gaines’ penchant for using windmills as wall art. I loved the look and decided to make the same happen in our home. Luckily, we have a fantastic local antique store who does picking trips across Canada and the lower 48. So when they asked if anyone was looking for something in particular I made sure my request got on the list. It must have been fate because they found one in Wisconsin! Unfortunately they didn’t have room to bring it back that trip, but they were able to store it at a partner’s warehouse until the next trip when they cut it in half and wedged it into the trailer with all their other found treasures.

Usually they have a big one day sale a few days after they return from each trip where the items they pick are available, but since it was a special pick just for me, I got to come pick it up as they were unloading. It’s definitely a large scale piece, measuring about 8′ wide and 4′ tall! The picture above is a shot of it on our big flatbed trailer in the yard. It’s so large that I had to take the photo vertically and rotate it because I couldn’t get high enough to fit the whole thing in the frame! Although they brought back the better half for me, it is missing half of two of the blades, but because they are in the center it doesn’t bother me much. And how can you not love the amazing patina this thing has?!

The plan is to mount this massive piece of rustic art on the dining room wall, which I’ve cleared in preparation. The small yellow stickie notes are an approximate of the size for reference. I’d like to have a white plank wall (another Fixer Upper inspiration) behind it so that has to happen first because I have no intention of making the hubs help me move and mount this mother more than once. He loves me, but I’m not sure he loves me enough for that! 😉 I’m hopeful that we’ll get that done before December so I can clip all the holiday cards we receive to it, but life might get in the way of that, so we’ll see.

For now I’ll just envision it there above the buffet, which includes a sneak peek of my fall decorating that I’ll be sharing soon – including a few DIY revamps! I’ll be sure to share both the plank wall install and final look with the windmill in place, so stay tuned!

Master Bench – Industrial Style this time

Published on August 14, 2015 by Jenna3 Comments

Remember our pretty upholstered DIY bench that sat at the foot of our bed? It suffered a fatal injury while we were on vacation and had a house sitter. I’m not sure if the dogs jumped on it or if something else happened, but this is how we found it when we returned from our trip.

Both legs on one end had lost connection with the base of the cushion. We probably could have fixed it but we knew it wouldn’t be as sturdy as it had been and if it couldn’t withstand life in our house at it’s strongest then it wasn’t going to work for us. So we came up with a plan to replace it a bit of industrial style and plenty of support so we don’t have to go through this again. The hubs drew up a plan to use pipe for the base and wood for the top based on pictures I found on Pinterest. Once it was assembled and put in the room we realized our scale was a bit off.

If we needed a coffee table it would have been perfect, but it just didn’t work as a foot board bench. Not only was it too high, it was too wide and took up too much of the walkway. So the hubs took things apart, cut a few pieces and reassembled everything. This time it was a much better fit. (Excuse my ‘naked’ bed – it was sheet washing day!)

Now we only needed one of the boards from the first version for the top. And presto – a perfectly proportioned foot board bench!

Since the board is a little hard and the stain we used will likely seep for a while added a faux fur skin on top as a cushion and stain guard.

I really love how it turned out and the rustic/industrial look it gives to the room, especially since I just changed up the décor in here to go more that direction. I’ll be sharing those details soon. I’m planning to work up a new base for the old bench cushion top and sell it in my booth at the upcoming holiday bazaars. I’ve got a couple of ideas on what it will look like already, but if you have a suggestion I’d love to hear it!

A Simple Change

Published on July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 by Jenna1 Comment

Ever since we finished our farmhouse desk and industrial shelves in the office I noticed that my craft cart wasn’t quite coordinating with the new look so I decided to switch out the knobs for something more vintage or industrial. I searched online for a while and found some really cool options like these railroad spike heads and these numbered numbered pulls, but the $8-9 a knob price tags were a bit more than I wanted to spend on this project. So I did what any bargainista would do – I used spray paint!

A few quick coats of my trusty ORB spray paint and I had some industrialesque knobs for FREE! It made quite a difference when I reinstalled them.

They add a bit of dimension to the piece now, where before it felt kind of flat. It makes me fall in love with this great piece of furniture all over again.

I’m considering tweaking a few other things in this corner to work a bit better and add a bit more industrial style but I’m enjoying how well it coordinates with the rest of the room now – and didn’t cost a dime!

Linked to The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Farmhouse, The Everyday Home, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and White Lace Cottage.

DIY Raised Dog Bowls

Published on May 20, 2015June 5, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

The second project we wrapped up last week were two raised dog bowl stands. We’ve been wanting to do these for a while but kept putting it off. Although we had heavy ceramic bowls for each dog, they would be pushed around on the floor each day and our youngest liked to play in the water bowl creating a wet mess, even with a mat under the bowl. I’d seen raised bowl stands made from vintage crates and loved the look but A) didn’t have a vintage crate and B) if I did I wouldn’t have two that matched, or want to destroy an antique for a dog bowl stand. So we DIY’d an alternative.

The hubs built simple hollow wood boxes and then cut the holes out for the bowls, using small holes inside the diameter of where each bowl would sit as a staring point.

Then it was up to me to finish the look. Since I knew these pieces wouldn’t stay pristine being used by the dogs, I decided to intentionally create a distressed look. I started with a coat of stain, followed by a coat of light grey paint, which I sanded randomly to make them look vintage.

Here’s the finished look! It’s so much nicer than the hodge podge mess we had before! (Apparently I hated it so much I never took a single picture of it, because I can’t find any before pictures to share!) We have one stand on either side of the buffet in our dining room, so we all eat together. One holds two water bowls and a single food bowl for Tequila since she’s the alpha and likes to be separated from the others when eating. The other has two food bowls and a single water dish for Stoli and Bacardi who often share while eating.

I wasn’t sure how well the kiddos would take to the new set up and planned to ‘introduce’ them to the bowls with treats, but it wasn’t necessary. In fact they started using them as soon as they went down, which made me even happier with the project! Eating at this level is easier for them and is supposed to help improve their digestion.

I think Luna is actually a little jealous of their new bowls! But since her bowls are in the laundry room window ledge, where she has plenty of privacy I think she’ll be just fine.