~Home Depot giveaway~

If you've been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I love using reclaimed wood

 in my projects.

When I was contacted to come up with some creative ways to use large and small crates in a way that helps with back to school organization, I was all over it.

By the way, if you click on that link you will see they are now selling deconstructed reclaimed and new pallet pieces! No more killing yourself trying to pry the pieces off!

I knew right away what I wanted to do with the larger crates.

The first thing I did was to stain them a rich ebony.

Then I stacked them on our small front porch to create a catchall for sports equipment,

 bags, and books.

I don't know about you, but I always feel like there is such a small amount of time after school before it's dinner time and then the kids are heading off to sports practice's.

Having everything in one place and organized is key.

I also like that these are totally portable. I didn't attach them together, they are just stacked one on top of the other. 

I painted the smaller crates Rosemary by Sherwin williams and added some little buckets from Ikea in them. This makes a handy place for markers, pens, and pencils.

How many times do your kids sit down to do homework only to spend too much time trying to find a sharp pencil? 

Now for the fun part!

One of you will win 2 large crates, 2 small crates, and drumroll please…..

a $50.00 Home Depot gift card!

Please read the following to enter:

Comment on this post telling me what you would do with your new crates.

Leave your email address.

You do not need to have a blog to enter.

Anonymous commenters count, just be sure to leave that email address so I can contact you if you win.

I will pick a random winner on Friday July 17th and announce back here on my blog.

Good luck!

xoxo

~country living feature~

It's always a good day when you find out

Country Living has featured one of your projects!

You can see the full tutorial here!

xoxo

~how to give an old lamp new life~

I really liked the shape of this lamp but wasn't crazy about the finish.

So when I saw this room, and this lamp, I knew exactly what mine needed!

At first I thought I could make the spots with a black sharpie, but the edged blurred, so instead I used black acrylic paint.

I just randomly started painting on spots.

It took way longer than I thought, but I love the finished product.

I watched a couple episodes of fixer upper while I did this, so it wasn't all bad.

For the base I layered on different colors of paint and then sanded it down in some spots, finishing it off with clear and dark wax.

I started by painting it grey, really blobbing it on.

Then cream, 2 coats, then I finished with dry brushing white on it.

After sanding it I applied wax to finish it off and add a bit more age.

I really like the whimsy of it.

I don't know if the kitchen is where it will stay, but for now, it's home is here.

xoxo

~restoration hardware ish looking book covers~

Head on over to your nearest thrift store and pick up the biggest, fattest, hardcover book you can find, because we are making one of these:

You will need a box cutter or knife, drop cloth material, a iron, and mode podge.

This was the biggest book I could find.

I believe you could also modify this project and re purpose a Restoration Hardware catalog too….

The first thing I did was to remove the pages from the cover and back.

Lay that face up, open, on a piece of drop cloth and cut around it, making the corners at angles.

At this point you can iron your fabric to make sure it has no wrinkles.

Using modge podge, start by folding over one flap on the side and hold down for a minute, smoothing out any wrinkles.

Once the ends are done, you can work on the top and bottom.

It really doesn't need to look pretty because these are really just for decoration.

Once all 4 sides are glued down, put modge podge on the binding and the back and front page, and put in place.

Close the book and smooth out any wrinkles again, let dry.

I took it one step further and printed out a vintage book label and put that on with hot glue.

xoxo

~outdoor living process~

Thank you so much for all the love on our new outdoor space!

We have definitely been enjoying it.

I took a few photos as we were building, these aren't pretty photos but show the process a bit.

The photo below shows the area where the fireplace is:

This is the bar area:

To the right of the fireplace is the area in which the built in grill goes. Right now you can see it resting on top of the refrigerator:

Countertops going in:

Not the prettiest of pictures, and unfortunately they are all I took, but it's just a little

 sneak peek into the process.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend.

xoxo

~our new outdoor entertaining area~

I am so happy to finally share with you all our new outdoor entertaining/kitchen space!

This project actually started a couple of years ago.

We had a big concrete slab poured and then my husband and I built the structure over it.

We knew what purpose we wanted it to serve, but never really got around to finishing it up.

With summer upon us we decided to dive in and finally finish it!

This is going to be a long post with a lot of pictures.

Let's start at the beginning.

Here is that concrete slab we had poured.

We had it colored and stamped to mimic the look of stone.

The beginning of a really long project…

We had fish stamped in as well, as a nod to living on the lake.

Slowly but surely the structure went up.

These are all the photos I have from the building process.

It was a family affair as you can see :)

Then it sat in this state for a couple years until we decided on a plan.

It's about 400 square feet.

And here it is today, finally finished!

We made a built in "kitchen" area for our new grill, fridge and gas fireplace.

The only thing we don't have out here is running water, but there is a hose nearby, does that count?

We added a giant tv for football games/parties, and outdoor movie nights.

Most of the materials we used are reclaimed pieces.

The faces of the bar area and fireplace/tv area are made from reclaimed scaffolding as it was no longer certifiable. We ripped it in half width wise on a table saw and installed it like planking.

I love the rustic nature of it and the grey color.

The majority of the countertops are beams from a turn of the century building in Seattle that was being torn down. 

They were giant beams that also had to be cut down.

The only surface area that is different is on top of the fireplace, under the tv.

It is a slab of slate that once was my parents hearth in their home!

I love having this piece of history in here.

The furniture is from AE Outdoor.

It is called the Sanford 6 piece deep seating, and it's on sale right now!

I couldn't be happier with it.

It is incredibly comfortable and I know will last us a long time. I don't see ever having to buy another outdoor furniture set again.

The color is perfect and the quality is amazing, they are very sturdy.

The barstools we picked out are also made to last. 

They are made with trex decking and specifically for outdoors.

The cushion covers match perfectly with the AE Outdoor cushions.

We got the textured silver with charcoal black stools and the cushions are

 the color called bird's eye.

This area stays cool in the summer with a  ceiling fan, and warm on chilly fall nights with the patio heaters.

I like how you can sit up to the bar and watch tv and

 just below it is the sofa and chairs for additional seating.

To match the slate from the countertops, I picked out this fun slate tiered tray from Painted Fox Treasures.

The burlap star pillow is from Joss and Main, and the stripe pillows are from Heritage Lace.

The flag scarf was a gift from my mom.

I love using quirky vintage cans and such for vases, and 

I think the spiky flowers look a bit like fireworks going off.

This "bar" is the Raskog utility cart from Ikea.

It's so affordable. 

I also chose this because it's on wheels so very portable, and also because the shelves have holes in them which is great if moisture does get in there.

I got the dark grey color and my husband added some wood to the front to blend in with the rest of the wood fronts.

He also did the same treatment to our Texas Pro smoker.

The wine glasses and tumblers are melamine, so totally unbreakable.

They are from TJ Maxx.

This cabana service doorbell just adds a bit of whimsy to the space.

It actually rings…..

Now if only it came with an actual cabana boy!

You can find it here.

{cabana service coming shortly}

I made the garland years ago.

Here is a close up of the slate slab, it's really thick, love it!

Tray is from TJ Maxx.

Another thing I love about this furniture, is the coffee table sections are lightweight and can also be used as end tables.

The outdoor heaters are be perfect for chilly nights.

They were purchased at Home Depot, as well as the grill.

Phew, that was a long post, but I always love getting sources for items, so thanks for bearing with me.

If I left anything out or if you have any questions, feel free to email me or comment below.

Now, off to bbq and light off some fireworks.

Have a happy and safe fourth!

xoxo