Eileen

Sisters and Stripes in the Nursery

February 15, 2016 by Eileen 22 Comments

After finding out we were having a boy, we had to start turning a room into a nursery. The obvious choice was our guestroom. I spent countless hours going through Pinterest boards and googling pictures of DIY nursery ideas, deciding how I wanted to decorate our little one’s room.

The room was currently yellow – a color I had chosen years before. The yellow was bright and sunshiney, but it was ready for a change.

The furniture was ready for a change as well. It was odds and ends from flea markets and leftovers from our college days.

It was certainly time to makeover the guestroom, converting it to a beautiful baby nursery.

Making Plans for the Nursery

The carpet was already turquoise, so the plan needed to revolve around that. I love a pretty carpet, but when they are bold colors, you have to go neutral with the walls.

After much consideration, I decided to paint the walls gray. I know that sounds crazy – who paints their nursery gray?! But, I had a vision.

My DIY nursery ideas included painting the fourth wall, the longest one, striped with a lighter/whitish gray. This wall was opposite the mirrored closet doors, so the reflection of the stripes in the doors would make the small room appear larger.

The furniture would be all white, and I would work in more turquoise in other areas – pillows, blankets, and baskets.

Here’s a side-by-side before (from quite a few years prior) and after:

Two of my sisters offered to paint the room since I was pregnant. And, it gave me time to work on more DIY nursery ideas.

My sisters had made a bet on whether we were having a boy or a girl. PK put her money on a boy, due to the fact that everyone’s first-born in our family had been boys, and Bridget said a girl to go along with the bet. Whoever lost the bet bought the paint 🙂

Ash was thrilled with this hands-off project because he had more time for other things – like putting together all that nursery furniture!

Just to give a little background…

PK, my fact-loving, detail-oriented sister had never painted a room before – let alone done any house project other than some light dusting.

Bridget, on the other hand, designs movie sets for a living and can pretty much do everything. She is a hard-worker, a great delegator, and very goal-oriented.

Accordingly, she gave PK the responsibility of planning out the stripes, putting PK’s meticulous nature to good use, while she got started on the rest of the room.

Painting the Stripes – DIY Nursery Ideas

We planned to do nine, thick alternating stripes, aiming for the stripes to start and end in the base color – the darker gray.

PK started with the laser level and masking tape with the plan to do two rounds of masking tape, painting the darker stripes first.

After that dried, she did another round of masking tape for the lighter stripes. It was more time-consuming this way, but paint wasn’t wasted.

The laser level made putting on the masking tape rather simple. It hooked onto the wall very easily, so there was no ruler, pencils, or any other contraptions involved – just a little patience 🙂

Here’s the initial tape job, leaving everything outside the boxes to be painted with the base color.

Painting the Window Trim

After the room was painted with the base color, the wooden window trim stood out like a sore thumb. It screamed to be painted white.

This is a prime example of how one project can turn into another; however, the end result made it worth all the effort they put in!

Below the window trim is now painted white, the second round of masking tape is on the striped wall, and the lighter stripes are now painted.

After looking through so many DIY nursery ideas, the room was coming together nicely.

Sisters & Stripes in the Nursery

I forgot to mention one thing about my sisters – they love Frozen…. and they were painting the nursery right around the time when the soundtrack came out.

Yes, they are in their 20s, but they love that movie – the funny sidekicks, the catchy songs, and of course the fact that it’s about sisters.

As they were painting, they blasted the soundtrack over and over… and over again. This was probably the point where Ash wished he painted the room himself – just kidding…

I, on the other hand, was actually disappointed I couldn’t help. However, I did enjoy the extra time to catch up on the Real Housewives with my buddy Zeus.

Here’s PK and her awesome stripes. Not bad for her first time painting!

Other than cleanup, the room was done. The accent wall looked perfect!

Looks like all that singing, I mean painting, paid off.

My sisters were thrilled to be able to help out with the nursery, PK received some real world lessons, Ash and I got something checked off our growing to do list without lifting a finger, and our little one was about to get a beautiful nursery.

We loved the grays of the nursery. If you are looking at turning a room into a nursery, definitely consider neutral colors. They are easy to work with and can be easily accentuated.

Furnishing the Nursery

For every piece of furniture, we carefully read reviews – especially for the changing table and the crib. The crib and glider chair were from Babies R Us. We used coupons that came in the mail.

The changing table was from Wayfair, and the lamp was a Target find.

I made the pillows with leftover fabric from the curtains. I also made the storage bins for under the changing table. The storage bins were made from contact paper and cardboard boxes.

The nursery was such a sweet little room – perfectly made over. After we moved, the new owners fell in love with the room as well, using it for their nursery too 🙂

If you are looking for DIY nursery ideas, the gray striped accent wall looked gorgeous – and it was an easy DIY.

From Rags to Riches: French Doors on the Pantry

February 12, 2016 by Eileen 57 Comments

Simply stated, our pantry was an eyesore.

It was a little nook of shelves with old curtains pulled to each side.

We were going to put our house on the market soon, and in looking at the competition, we kept seeing very similar houses with beautiful kitchens.

We looked at our old countertops, painted cabinets, and raggedy pantry….and sighed.

Then, I got an idea – installing double French doors on the pantry.

Who doesn’t love French doors? They add a certain style and class – and it should be an easy, relatively cheap upgrade to a tired kitchen.

Planning for the French Door Installation

I tend to be very particular when it comes to what I want. Installing any old French doors wasn’t going to cut it.

I searched and searched and finally came across a set of French doors on Overstock. Overstock has some great options when you aren’t finding what you want at the typical stores. (I also found my oddly-sized bathroom mirror there!)

French doors can be expensive but a 10% coupon code, which is pretty easy to find with Overstock, helped with the price.

The before picture (below) is so zoomed that I thought I would include the below pictures too. These are unfortunately the best pictures I could find.

The first is a picture of two of my sisters and me, standing in front of the pantry. You can see the old curtains and the tiebacks. It was pretty awkward having the curtained pantry in the middle of our kitchen.

The second is my sister PK, acting like Vanna White, and it shows the curtain rod and the pantry shelves. It needed an upgrade, didn’t it?!

The doors I found were sold as bi-fold doors, but the conversion to French doors was simple, especially because we had an existing opening. This made for a much easier door installation.

Also, the doors were cheaper to buy unfinished – which wasn’t a problem because I don’t mind painting. Amazon also has a lot of French Doors too if you are looking for more options.

How to Install Interior Double French Doors

To install the double French doors in an existing opening, Ash removed the six small hinges that connected the door panels together. These hinges were light duty and were meant to be used in a bi-fold setup with little load.

He purchased six heavy duty door hinges, figuring that due to the glass, 3 hinges per door would be needed to handle the weight. (Aside from that, no additional extra hardware was needed.

If we wanted to keep the doors as bi-folds, we would have needed to purchase a bi-fold track to mount in the door frame.)

The actual door came in several different sizes, so we bought the one that most closely fit the pantry opening. It wasn’t perfect because the door height was just a little short.

So Ash filled the gap at the top with a piece of 2 x 4 wood painted white (as you can see in the picture).

He also had to trim the baseboard at the bottom so that he could have a flush edge for the French doors.

To mount the French doors, he installed the hinges on the doors first. Then he took one door panel and placed it in the ‘open’ position in the pantry, with the hinges open 90 degrees. He used some scrap wood (about ¼” thick) to elevate the door off of the floor.

With the door in position, he used heavy duty screws to secure the hinges to the wall. He then removed the scrap wood supports on the floor and verified that the door swung open and closed easily.

Then, he repeated this procedure with the other door panel. Installing French doors was pretty simple, and although unpainted, the double French doors already looked so much better than before 🙂

How to Paint French Doors

With the double French doors mounted, the next step was painting. I chose a white semi-gloss paint to match the baseboard and chair rails that I just refreshed.

It went on pretty easily with just one coat needed. There was no need to use any masking tape for the glass panels.

This particular door came with a protective plastic film on each glass panel, so it was easy to paint the double doors without prep work.

Unfortunately, as easy as this made the painting process, removing the film was actually very time-consuming. However, we knew this going into the project because we always thoroughly read the online reviews 🙂

How to Attach the Door Installation Hardware

After screwing on the door handles, the last step of the door installation was to attach some magnetic catches at the top to keep the doors closed and to also serve as a stop to prevent the doors from swinging inwards.

A simple task, but the first try was a no go.

The magnets Ash used were way too strong, as they were making a loud, clanging noise as they connected. Also, when we opened the doors, the panels shuddered from the magnetic tension release, which wasn’t good for the glass.

Ash simply replaced them with less powerful magnets that were just as effective.

As you can see, this weekend project of installing French doors turned out great.

Our raggedy old curtains were now beautiful double French doors. A simple swap made a drastic difference.

Here’s another look at the before and after of installing the double French doors. It really updated our kitchen without touching the countertops or cabinets.

Now that we are in a new house, I miss those interior French doors; however, I have a plan to work them into our new house too!

Maybe in my office – they would go with our new built-in bookshelf with a window seat. I’m sure Ash won’t mind installing French doors again. Stay tuned 🙂

How to Make Storage Bins from Cardboard Boxes

February 4, 2016 by Eileen 108 Comments

Before our son was born, we spent a lot of time putting together the nursery. We painted gorgeous gray stripes, decorated the room with a sweet theme, and ordered the best furniture for our budget.

We found a great changing table with open shelving, so I was planning to buy storage bins to fit all the little things you need under the changing table.

However, I ran into a snag. I realized that I could only fit two store-bought fabric storage bins on each shelf. It awkwardly left a lot of open space, but three storage bins just didn’t fit across.

On top of that, there weren’t many colors to choose from on the store-bought fabric storage bins.

Since I was 7 months pregnant with my first and was pretty bored, I decided to make my own DIY storage bins. I tried using fabric from the curtains, but that was a fabric/hot glue mess.

So, I found a much simpler way – making DIY storage bins using contact paper and cardboard boxes! I can’t emphasize how easy it was! It’s definitely fool-proof.

Here is the end result – these customized storage boxes are made out of just contact paper, cardboard boxes, and packing tape! Not bad, huh?

The contact paper on the DIY storage bins easily allowed me to customize the bins in colors of my choice, rather than being tied to store-bought colored storage bins.

How to Make Storage Bins from Cardboard Boxes

I cannot tell you just how much I love these homemade storage bins. The customized storage boxes are so easy to make and you would never know that the base is made from a cardboard box!

You just need a little time and patience and a few easy supplies to make these DIY storage bins.

You can pick out different colored, patterned, or textured contact paper, which brings character to your space.

When making your own DIY storage bins, for just a few dollars per box, you get lots of storage and a pattern of your choice.

DIY Storage Bin Materials

Cardboard boxes
Packing tape
Knobs
Contact paper(s) of your choice

To make these cardboard storage boxes, I ordered a bundle of boxes from Amazon, since we didn’t have any laying around. (Have I mentioned how much I love Amazon prime?!) We were planning to move soon, so we would use the rest of the cardboard boxes then. However, if you have little ones already, diaper boxes and wipes boxes work really well for these cardboard storage boxes.

I also ordered three types of contact paper for the storage bins. The baby’s room was going to be gray and turquoise (gray walls, one striped with a lighter gray, turquoise carpet, and white furniture – check out our nursery makeover).

So, I found a cute, high-quality turquoise patterned paper and a gray one on Amazon. I figured I would alternate colors on the customized storage boxes.

For the inside, I used a less expensive, thinner paper in a neural color from Target. You don’t have to cover the inside, but it is nice to have a storage bin where you can easily wipe the inside.

Instructions for Making Customized Storage Bins

To make DIY storage bins, first measure the area where you want to put your customized boxes. Make sure they will fit length, width, and height-wise. I had to cut a little bit off the top of my cardboard boxes to make them fit.

Next, cut the flaps off of the cardboard boxes. You could use these as dividers, if you’d like 🙂 Use a good pair of scissors or a box cutter if you are cutting your cardboard box.

Now you are ready to cover your DIY storage bin with contact paper. Cover the outer four sides of the cardboard box with contact paper. Pay attention to patterns, if you want everything lined up nicely. Some patterns are easier to work with than others.

I didn’t cover the bottom of the cardboard box with contact paper, so this is what the bottom of the homemade storage bin looks like.

Also, you might need to tape the bottom or inside edges of the contact paper down, depending on the quality of your paper. If you want your customized storage boxes to last, I would get good quality paper, like this one.

Next, if you plan to cover the inside of your DIY storage box with contact paper, you can do that now. Since I was making this batch of customized storage bins for my son’s nursery, I wanted the inside of the box to be nicely covered, so I could easily clean it.

Later on, I made more cardboard storage boxes for various things, like paper storage, and I didn’t cover the insides – so it’s up to you!

Adding Knobs to the DIY Storage Bins

Now, ready for the best part?

This really makes your DIY storage bins look store-bought and makes them super functional.

After I was finished covering the inside and outside of the customized boxes, I was ready to add the knob to the cardboard storage box. The knobs made the storage bins look professionally made and made the bins easy to quickly grab.

I picked the knobs up from Home Depot – they were inexpensive white knobs. Yet, the screw was too long – so I simply swapped the large screws out for the short ones. (Below is the knob, washer, and short screw).

I drilled one hole in the front of each DIY storage box. Then, I added simple, white knobs, so I could easily pull customized bins in and out.

Here’s a picture of what the inside of the DIY storage box looked like, after adding the knob.

I definitely recommend using these knobs for the cardboard storage boxes because they made it so easy to pull out each homemade storage bin.

Later, I made more customized storage bins – for closet storage (winter hats, gloves, etc) and for Ash’s office. I used knobs on all of them and it was so much easier to grab a knob from the top shelf of a closet, then a whole bin.

For less than $5 per box, I had functional customized storage bins that I LOVED.

Time and Cost of Making DIY Storage Bins

The total cost of making customized storage boxes is really just the amount you spend on contact paper and knobs. I made my storage boxes for less than $5 per box.

I was so pleased with cardboard storage boxes that I used the leftover materials for winter storage bins and pantry floor bins. I also used chalkboard contact paper to make paper storage boxes for Ash’s messy office closet. They were fun because you can write on the contact paper with chalk, which makes for easy labeling.

These DIY storage bins are so pretty that you can put them anywhere in your house, leaving your guests wondering just how you made storage bins from cardboard boxes.

Overall, this was one of my favorite thrifty DIY projects – it’s hard to believe that underneath the customized storage bins is a simple cardboard box.

Updated: How did the storage bins hold up?

The customized storage bins have held up great. Three years later, these nursery storage bins still are in tact. In fact, I just tightened the knobs yesterday for the first time. The contact paper has remained on perfectly too.

And, I should mention, these bins get a lot of use!

Three years of pulling the diaper bins out multiple times per day!

Beige Bathroom Makeover with Gel Stain

January 30, 2016 by Eileen 47 Comments

After moving to our new house, our first floor bathroom needed a little makeover. It was a tiny powder room with lots of beige – a beige toilet, beige floors, and beige walls. The vanity mirror was simply a small, dated mirror, and the vanity was oak.

Ash was busy building the shed, so I decided to tackle this task entirely on my own.

All I did was apply gel stain to the vanity, buy a coordinating mirror, and change the decor. It just goes to show that a few little changes, like gel staining bathroom cabinets, can make a BIG difference!

Below are the before and after pictures – you can tell how dated the old oak cabinets look with the hanging mirror. Everything looks so beige and blended.

Researching My Options

I scoured the internet looking for ways to inexpensively redo cabinets. I worked with regular stain before and furniture paint previously, but neither of these were a good fit. So, I needed another option.

While researching, I found a great tutorial on Monica Wants It, in which she used gel stain to redo her bathroom cabinet. Her cabinet turned out awesome. It looked like a completely new room.

In reading through her steps, I found the gel stain seemed like a simple option. This was mostly because the cabinets did not need to be stripped or heavily sanded.

Testing the Gel Stain

A little worried about ruining our first floor vanity but determined to give our bathroom a makeover, I decided to start on the inside cabinet door.

If I like the way it turned out, I would continue on. If I didn’t, not too much was lost.

Below is a picture of my test piece and workstation. I worked just outside the garage to get natural light – and perfect ventilation.

Loving it, I continued on to do the whole vanity, and months later, the entire kitchen (but that’s another blog post)!

In holding the gel stained cabinet door to the old oak vanity, I was in love!

I made up my mind that the task was simple enough and that the change would be such an improvement.

Gel Staining Bathroom Cabinets

The thing that made it so simple is that you don’t need to strip the wood, you just clean it and then lightly sand (giving the gel stain something to stick to).

Make sure you use General Finishes Gel Stain and General Finishes Poly, which are not sold in most stores. I got mine on Amazon (love Amazon prime!). Also, I did a couple things differently from the tutorial (that I linked to above):

I used foam brushes, instead of a sock. It was easier for me to get all the ridges.
I used the color “Antique Walnut” a Hershey’s chocolate shade of the General Finishes Gel Stain. Espresso is really common but it would have been too dark for all of that beige.
I did four coats of the stain. Three was too streaky for me.
Make sure that there is a lot of light where you work, so you can see any potential mistakes or missed spots. You want to be able to fix any drips or missed spots in the moment, rather than later.
Gel stain can get messy – make sure you tape off edges that you don’t want painted very well. As for the floor, I like to use brown packaging paper (from Dollar Tree). It’s thick, easy to tape down, and you don’t have any bumps or missed places (like you do when you use an old sheet).
Work in a well-ventilated space. Or, wear a ventilation mask if you can. The gel stain has a really strong smell, but the poly didn’t smell at all.

Gel stain definitely takes time, but most of that time is dry time. The actual painting of the vanity was a quick 15 minutes here and there.

I loved how the cabinet turned out. The beige toilet doesn’t stand out anymore with the contrasting cabinetry.

After gel staining the powder room vanity, we definitely needed a new mirror. Finding the perfect mirror was a little challenging.

I knew the style that I wanted, but the bathroom vanity must have been an odd size. I wanted the mirror to be the same width as the vanity. If the mirror was longer on the left side (the right side met the wall), it looked really off.

Needless to say, it took a lot of searching (and a little more money than I wanted to spend) to find the mirror. Yet, I happily found a perfect sized on on Overstock.

I then added some fresh decor – seasonal flowers and candles. We finally had a beautiful, updated power room.

The total cost for cabinetry materials was less than $80, which seems like a lot. However, I barely touched both the gel stain and polyurethane, and later used these when I gel stained the entire kitchen.

Gel staining bathroom cabinets took me about a week, mostly due to dry time (another week if you do a trial like I did), but I only spent about 3 total hours on it.

And, it was so simple to gel stain the vanity that I didn’t need to enlist Ash’s help at all… well, except to hold the cabinet door while I took a picture 🙂

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Eileen

Making Plans for the Nursery

Just to give a little background…

Painting the Stripes – DIY Nursery Ideas

Painting the Window Trim

Sisters & Stripes in the Nursery

Furnishing the Nursery

Planning for the French Door Installation

How to Install Interior Double French Doors

How to Paint French Doors

​How to Attach the Door Installation Hardware

How to Make Storage Bins from Cardboard Boxes

DIY Storage Bin Materials

Instructions for Making Customized Storage Bins

Adding Knobs to the DIY Storage Bins

Time and Cost of Making DIY Storage Bins

Updated: How did the storage bins hold up?

Researching My Options

Testing the Gel Stain

Gel Staining Bathroom Cabinets

How to Attach the Door Installation Hardware