Trash to Treasure: Old Windows

 Remember these beauties from my May post? Well, I finally got around to fixing them up. If you ever come across old windows that are made from wood don't pass them up! With a good wipe down, some sandpaper, paint & stain, you can turn trash into something beautiful. There are endless things you can use old windows for.  I used one window as my main piece of decoration to dress a mantle over a bed. Here is how I turned these old ugly windows into a cute classy rustic piece of decor.

DIY Upholstered Headboard

 

I've had this headboard project for my guest bedroom on my to-do list for a while now and I finally gathered all my supplies to make it. As you know from my Pottery Barn Clock post that I love pretty much everything from PB. I saw this headboard on their website and I knew I could make something similar for WAY less. Theirs (with shipping) will run you about $1,000... I paid $50! Although mine is a bit thinner than the one at PB, it still looks great (in my opinion) and no one will know it was a DIY unless you tell them. 

Materials and measurements:

One plywood board- cut 5ft X 3ft

One 2X4 wood- cut 4ft long

 1" Foam-- 4 yards

Batting-- 2 yards

Fabric-- 2 yards

Upholstery Nails 7-- 24 count boxes

Spray adhesive

Tools:

Tape measure

Pencil 

Circular saw 

Staple gun

Flat head Screwdriver

Rubber hammer

May Highlights

Happy Monday everyone! The month of May for us has been a crazy busy one! We did something different every week and we got a lot of things done that we had planned to get done in this past month. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

At the very beginning of the month we did trim work on our entry, dining room, and upstairs hall way. (finished pictures coming soon). This took about a week because we did it ourselves and let me tell you... It was NOT easy!! I don't know HOW many times John had to cut and re-cut the corners and the stair part to make it look perfect. My job was to seal all the nail holes, sand, and paint-- the painting was the most time consuming because I had to apply a ton of coats to get a nice bright white and a smooth finish. But we love working and building together so in the end it was fun and we both had a blast.

 

You're probably wondering about these old, dirty, ugly, windows.

My dad found these old windows somewhere out in the country and brought them home for me to re-finish. Funny thing is, I've been looking for old windows to re-do for a very long time and never found them. (My dad knows me well.) I will have a post of these beauties very soon because I got working on them as soon as I got them.

Here is a sneak peek of my living room re-decorating. I got a new rug and some new furniture that I will show as soon as I bring them all together.

One of my big projects this month was to build a headboard for my guest bedroom. Here is a little sneak peek of that.

We planted a garden!! It's not big; but we didn't want to plant a ton of stuff and for the plants to end up dying, but it's actually doing very well! We planted tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash, and jalapenos. All the plants are growing very nicely, I will update on the progress.

This month we also celebrated my first Mother's day and John's gift to me was a fig tree that he planted for me. Now, you're probably thinking..... wow... he bought you a tree?! It was the most perfect, romantic and thoughtful gift, and here is why... I absolutely LOVE figs and I craved them more than anything while I was pregnant with Luke. I wanted to grow a fig tree but I could never find the plant to buy. But John took care of everything, he found a store that carried the tree and planted it for me as well.

 

Last and certainly not least. Here is my little peanut-- he is growing and changing so fast! I try and savour each moment with him and John. Luke is almost 6 months, we started him on solids this months and he absolutely loves food. YAY!!

 

 I hope you all have a wonderful, fun, and safe month of June!!

Projects from the month of May

1.DIY Lamp Re-do

2. DIY Chalk Board

3.Homemade Laundry Detergent

4.DIY Chevron Clutch

5.DIY Cardboard Letters

 

DIY: From Mirror to Chalk Board

 

Remember that mirror I found at a garage sale from my April post? Well, I finally got around to re-purposing it. My original plan was to re-finish it for my parents front entry, but they found something else to use and I ended up keeping the mirror. I've always wanted to make a chalk board for my quest bedroom/craft room but I never found the right shaped, sized, or priced mirror I could transform until I got this one. This project was so easy and simple to make, anyone can pull this one off. All you need is an old mirror or picture frame, paint, painters tape, and patience.

DIY Lamp Upscale

 I've been on the lookout for a nice lamp to repurpose for my son's room, and a few weeks ago I came across this beauty at a garage sale and snatched it for $3 bucks! The main reason I fell in love with this particular lamp was because it was brand new and the base was all-wood-- and you know me, when it comes to all-wood furniture and fixtures. With a couple coats of spray paint, some jute, and a hot glue gun, you can transform an ugly lamp into a beautiful piece of decoration. Here is how I did it.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 

Happy Monday everyone! Today I want to share with you a homemade laundry detergent I made a few weeks ago. Before I got into making my own laundry detergent, I used Kirkland's detergent but I was running out and I've always wanted to try making my own and going the more "natural" way since both my son and husband have more sensitive skin. I found *this* recipe and I decided to give it a shot... After a few weeks of using the homemade soap I'm completely sold. It cleans very well, the boys are not allergic to it, makes towels fluffy, and absorbs odor- that's from the baking soda. I'm very happy with this new method of washing clothes without harsh chemicals.

Carrot & Garlic Hummus

 I've always wanted to make hummus, but for some reason I thought it would be really complicated to make... turns out it's so easy to make you can whip it up in minutes. I like my hummus to have a little twist to it so I made it with carrots and garlic and let's be honest who doesn't like garlic?! Here is what you will need and how to make it. 

 Carrot & Garlic Hummus

1 cup carrots
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (you can add more if you like garlic!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry ground mustard seed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of pepper

• Peel and steam the carrots for 20-25 minutes.They need to be pretty tender to blend well in the blender.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
Place all the ingredients in the food processor/blender and blend until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Serve on pita bread or with pita chips. Enjoy!