Fancy Farmhouse Table DIY

Project Farmhouse Table 

I can do basic DIY if you're talkin' cutesy crafts for the home, pretty wrapping for gifts, knicks and knacks for my classroom.  What I don't do is DIY with pinache, i.e. projects that can stand a critical eye. Take a look under the freshly covered stool or behind the new twin headboard and you'll see a jangled heap of staples and material that is the farthest thing from pretty.  Look closely at those white spray painted vases or "freshly" painted coffee table and it'll give a whole new meaning to knicks and knacks.  The beautiful newly hung blinds? Don't pull 'em!  Whatever you do.  Don't. pull. on. them.  Though I try, I fall short of the talented DIY bloggers out there that I follow so closely and long so evasively to be like.  How do they get it?  How are they so 100% fabulously fantastic at what they do?  I've come to the conclusion that they have been through the failure phase.  Phase Failure. My phase. It's just a phase, right!? They had to start somewhere,  hopefully (for the rest of us) failed along the way, and thankfully (for the rest of us) succeeded through failure. Can I get an Amen? I mean, really, that's our hope, right? That they started off normally like the rest of us and aren't superhuman achieving the unattainable that the rest of us can only dream about.  If they're human and started out like I'm starting out it makes me want to at least try. I try because I won't learn if I don't and you can't become what you need to be by remaining what you are.  If I keep trying then one day, someday, maybe my DIY failures will pay off into something fantastically great.   With Spring Break here (I'm a teacher), I decided to conquer my biggest conquest yet: building furniture <insert gasp>.  I'll admit, it was a whim.  On a whim I began and on a wing and a prayer I finished.  I took my time, measured twice and twice again and cut once.  Nailed and screwed until my fingers were numb.   I cringed all the way, waiting for a roadblock. Waiting for something that wouldn't fit to something else or for a slight breeze to blow the whole thing over.  It didn't. Everything fit. Everything's stable.  My husband jumped in to help me the second day because I needed another pair of hands to help with the drilling.  All along the way, we used our own terms that would make professional craftsmen laugh.  We measured counting "tick marks" off the inch.  Shall I demonstrate?  Me: "This end is 1,2,3,4,5,6 tick marks off 2 inches." Hubs: "Ok, let me measure my end...it is 1,2,3 tick marks before 2.  We need to move it my way some".   It was laughable and highly unprofessional BUT it worked!! For anyone wondering, I plan to study up on my 3/8" and 5/8" to know exactly how to read those tick marks. At least I know it's called a tape measure.  All that to say, it is a my masterpiece and I have never been so proud in my life.  I feel like such an overachiever!  Behold, my fancy pancy farmhouse table.

Material used:
 4 – 2x10 @ 8 feet long
7 – 2x4 @ 8 feet long
1 – 1x4 @ 12 feet long3” screws, 2 ½” PH screws, 2” finish nails, 6" screws

Total Cost: $123
Time to Completion: 2 days

Every iota of ideas, plans, inspiration was taken from Shanty 2 Chic and Ana White's blogs. 
 

Buying the lumber. YIKES! Cue stomach knots.  Spending $123 on possible scraps. Bless my husband for his faith in me.

The blank canvas. My work area.

Measuring twice and twice again.

Holding my breath.  Hoping I measured the tick marks correctly.

Cuts are complete~! Let the assembly begin.

With snafu's along the way. That's a screw poking through. Pretty sure that wasn't in the plans.

End Day 1.  Starting to take shape.

Day 2. So far, so good.

Finishing up. Can it be it looks like it's supposed to!?

You're not imagining.

Angels are singing.

The finished product. Sans stain.

The DIY success journey begins.  If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Pretty Packaging

As the old saying goes, "It's all about presentation".  I plan to take my time this year wrapping each gift in it's own special, unique way.  This year I bought some thick mesh ribbon and white stripes on burlap ribbon from Hobby Lobby and added some accents I found outdoors.  I collected some pinecones from my backyard, spray painted them silver and wah-la!   The cute little reindeer stickers were a couple dollars at Michaels for 20 (I think) and will come in handy for gift tags.  The package contained white sparkle, silver sparkle, and red sparkle reindeer.  A quick, pretty addition to any package.

Holiday Gifting

'Tis the season for all things festive and Secret Santa is no exception. When I drew that name off the tree my entire work day went to waste. I spent the entire afternoon daydreaming about gift ideas and wondering how in the world I would narrow my Pinterest DIY gift list down.  Sometimes when there are just too many options you just have to narrow down and commit.  Here are several of the gifts I've dropped off at the door of my "giftee".  Dec. 19 is the big reveal...still thinking what that gift will be. 

Narrow down and commit.

Materials: Plain frame, scrabble letters, buttons, burlap scrapbook paper

Wine bottle with stickers removed, spray paint, mineral salt

After placing the buttons and letters, I hot glued each. The frame needed a little spicing up so I brought out the spray paint in holiday carnation red and away I went.

Once I spray painted the wine bottle, I slathered it with Modge Podge and rolled it in the mineral salt.

As simple as tracing letters onto scrapbook paper, cutting, and modge podging.  Let it snow!

Easy Sisal Rope Vase

I love the look natural fibers like jute, sisal, and burlap bring to a space. They provide warmth in an earthy, natural way and pair fantastically with modern accessories. I recently spotted a burlap bowl over at Centsational Girl and thought it would be just the right piece to hold some crisp, fall apples.   

All I needed was sisal rope, a glass vase/bowl/basket, and a hot glue gun.  I picked the sisal rope up at, of all places, the grocery store!  It was around $4 for a ton of it <<<finger to chin- the possibilities are endless of things in my house I could add this to...>>>. 

I took the rope and simply wound it around the glass vase 3/4 of the way (I personally wanted a little glass to show but you could wrap the entire thing) and hot glued here and there along the way.

Wah-la!  God bless the easy makeovers. Still  working on that trunk...

Easy Lamp Makeover

Our poor master bedroom has been void of bedside lamps for years  a while now so I set out to find some cute ones that fit my specifications: simplicity, color, pattern.  Easy enough, right?  Not so much.  Turned out lamp hunting is no easy endeavor.  Too tall, small, bright, dark, bulky...and expensive!  Whether it's how my mama taught me or not, I know deep down in my bones that beautiful things do not have to be expensive. In fact, I thrive on taking an inexpensive nothing and transforming it to look like an expensive something. It's simply a matter of choosing the right cheap inexpensive things. 

When I couldn't find the right lamps to fit my needs, I remembered a sad pair of black, beat up lamp bases I stored in my garage a while ago, plugged 'em in- realized they worked, and brought out the trusty spray paint. 

Here's what I used for this quick, inexpensive face lift:

• Rust-Oleum's Ultra Cover Primer
• Rust-Oleum's spray paint in Heirloom White
• Rust-Oleum's (sensing a theme here) Gloss Protective Enamel Spray
• 220 grit sand paper
• Blue painters tape

I started by wrapping the top with tape to protect the lightbulb socket.  Then I sprayed Rust-Oleum's Ultra Cover Primer followed by Rust-Oleums Heirloom White spray paint.  After a dry time of about 10 minutes I sanded the lamps lightly with 220 grit sand paper to get rid of any bubbles.  I followed up with Rust-Oleum's Gloss Protective Enamel for a glossy finish. Add a couple Target lampshades and it looks like they came straight off of One King's Lane!

An easy fix and beautiful transformation. Now to conquer the rest of the bedroom.  

Come back soon to see my next undertaking- restoring a charming old vintage trunk.