Eileen

Easy Swing Out Wall Shelves from Scrap Wood

February 15, 2019 by Eileen 53 Comments

This post will show you how to make these easy wall shelves that swing out, providing ample wood storage for small spaces.

In an effort to share more creative DIY ideas and generate fresh content, my friend Megan from Two Feet First and I have co-organized a group of fun DIY challenges.

For every month, there is a theme, and almost 40 talented DIY bloggers will be participating and sharing their how to projects focused on that theme. The themes are really fun, such as building a whole project with a 2×4 or building a piece of furniture cheaper than buying it – you can find more here – At Home DIY.

This month’s theme is to Build to Organize, and my hubby put together these DIY swing out wall shelves for my craft room. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to check out everyone’s “Build to Organize” projects. There are some awesome organization DIYs!

DIY Swing Out Wall Shelves

I love a good storage solution – a creative way to store something, a hidden pull-out cabinet, furniture that folds out from the wall.

In fact, the tiny house shows are my favorite. I am always oogling at all the ideas to create more storage.

I have a little craft corner in sitting room off our bedroom, where I thought I had completely maximized my wall storage space. However, I found a seven-inch area on the end of a cubby shelf we built, where I could add more storage.

When thinking about organizational ideas, I was thinking of making just a simple shelf to hold some of my acrylic paints, and then my hubs comes along and turned my design into a swing-out shelf, that would hold three times the paint bottles.

Who can say no to that?!

After all that, it looked just a little too plain, so I added the colorful background.

The best part of this design is that you can build just the simple shelf, or you can build both pieces, making this easy DIY swing out wall shelf. The simple shelf holds one row of paints, and the second piece holds two rows of paints. If you build the whole thing, like we did, you’ll have three rows of shelving.

Here our my hubby’s instructions on how he built these swing out shelf cabinet.

Design for Swing Out Shelves

Here is the design for the swing out wall shelves that I sketched on my computer:

The swing out shelf was going to attach to the end of a cubby shelf I had built. We love to maximize all the space everywhere.

The project consisted of two vertical boxes of shelves. Either one could work as a stand alone shelf, but we like to kick things up a notch. So I planned on hinging the shelves together for maximum storage efficiency. The left box would swing freely, and the right box would be affixed to the wall.

For the freely swinging box, I had to put small ledges to prevent items from sliding off the shelves while opening or closing the unit. I also had plans for a small magnetic catch to keep the shelves closed when not in use.

Tools and Materials

Material for the Shelf

3/4″ plywood OR board for frame
Strips of 3/8″ plywood for individual shelves
Small hinges
Construction adhesive
Finishing nails
White Paint

Tools for Building the Shelf

Table saw / miter saw for cutting the wood
Drill for the hinge screw holes
12″ Bar clamp to hold the frame together while nailing

Making the Colorful Background

Mod Podge
Card stock – Here is the patterned paper I used
Foam brushes

Instructions for Building Swing Out Shelves

To start this project, I used my table saw and cut out a piece of 3/4″ thick plywood, about 30″ x 12″. This piece would be used to construct the frames for the two shelving units. I actually wanted to use boards for these shelves, but I didn’t have any lying around the garage.

So plywood would have to do.

The disadvantage of the plywood was that I would have to glue on some trim to hide the exposed plywood edges. Also, plywood doesn’t have as smooth a surface as boards. However, I love a good scrap wood project, and this route worked well.

Cutting Grooves for the Shelves

With my plywood cut, I used a pencil and ruler to mark the positions of slots where the individual shelves would go. I planned on cutting grooves to insert 3/8″ thick plywood sheets for the shelves.

Here’s a picture of the marked up plywood with shelving grooves outlined:

I used my table saw to cut out the shelving grooves. Since the table saw blade was only 1/8″ wide, I had to make 3 separate cuts to get each 3/8″ wide groove required for the shelves.

After each cut, I slide the plywood over by 1/8″ until I achieved my desired groove thickness.

Here’s a close-up of one of the grooves being cut by the table saw:

Times like this I wished I had some dado blades. I would be able to stack multiple blades together to make a 3/8″ cutting surface, and cut out the grooves in one pass, instead of three.

Here’s a picture showing all the shelving grooves cut out:

Cutting the Strips for a Swing Out Wall Shelf Frame

Next, I used the table saw again to cut the plywood into strips to be used to construct the shelving boxes:

Constructing a Frame for the Swing Out Wall Shelves

To join the plywood pieces together to form a frame, I used construction adhesive, a bar clamp, and my finishing nail gun.

Here you can see I clamped together some plywood strips to get ready for nailing:

Here’s a close-up of the finishing nailgun in action:

Once I joined four pieces of plywood to make a frame, I nailed on a backing strip of 3/8″ plywood:

To build the second shelving box, I repeated the same steps for the first box. However, I omitted the the 3/8″ plywood backing sheet, as it was not needed for the second box.

Here are both shelving boxes assembled:

Cutting and Inserting the Plywood Shelves

Next it was time to cut 7.5″ long strips of 3/8″ thick plywood for the individual shelves. Theses were going to be inserted into the grooves I cut earlier.

I used the miter saw to quickly cut the strips:

Here I am inserting the 3/8″ plywood shelves into the boxes:

Here is the completed pair of shelves:

Trimming and Painting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Next I used the table saw to cut strips of 3/8″ plywood trim for the shelves:

I used constructive adhesive to attach the trim to the plywood boxes:

Here are the completed shelving boxes with trim:

Now it was time for a paint job:

Decorating the Swing Out Wall Shelves with Patterned Paper

After the paint dried, I wanted to the give the inside shelving box a colorful look. So I planned on cutting out rectangular sheets of patterned paper and adhering it to the back of the shelves with Mod Podge:

Here’s some of the card stock paper I used for this step:

The inside shelving box was completed. It looked awesome with the patterned paper:

Now it was finally time to connect the two shelving boxes with a hinge. Here I have placed a hinge on the two boxes, and marked the center holes to pre-drill for screws:

Mounting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

With the hinges attached, I needed a way to mount the shelves on some custom built cubbies I made recently. Instead of just screwing the shelves to the cubbies, I opted to mount the top and bottom with some metal plates, as seen below:

Finally, it was time to mount the shelves! I positioned them in between the metal plates attached to the cubbies, and screwed them into the plates.

The metal mounting plates (also called mending plates) worked out great because I didn’t have to see screw heads holding the shelves on.

Also, I didn’t have to put any visible screw holes into the cubbies in case I wanted to move the shelves somewhere else in the future.

However, if you’re doing a similar project, you may not have a mounting area with the same height as your shelves.

So it’s just as easy to mount the shelves to a wall. I would suggest using screws with washers to fasten the plywood backing of the inner shelving box to the wall. The washers would help prevent the plywood from ripping through the screw heads and falling to the ground under load.

Swing Out Wall Shelves in Action

Here are some pictures of the awesome mounted shelves. Here is the shelf mounted and empty. You can easily see that the swinging part can hold two rows of acrylic paint.

Here is the closed swing out shelf. It’s actually three rows deep – the first two rows of paint are on the swinging door.

And, here is the swinging shelf open:

I used all scrap wood for these swinging wall shelves, so the budget was very low – under $15 for the hinges. Even if I had to purchase the wood though, I can’t image it being more than $35 in total to make this project.

Let me know if you try it out!

Be sure to check out all of the below Build to Organize Projects. Enjoy all the inspiration!

Turn Cardboard Boxes into Storage Bins with this Genius Trick

February 8, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

Getting organized can be expensive.

At first, storage bins seem cheap because some only cost a few bucks.

But, multiply that by the number that you need – and you’ll find that getting organized is super pricey.

It’s easy to use old Amazon boxes or cereal boxes for organization, but then the bins don’t look as nice.

And, I love when things match and look pretty – like the expensive ones in the store.

If you’re like me, I have super simple solution for you.

It will help you save money by creating your own storage boxes but the solution will keep you from having to look at Tony the Tiger while putting your things away.

DIY Storage Bins with Three Materials

You can easily reuse old cardboard boxes and cover them in contact paper. Add a knob and you’ll have yourself a little storage bin that can be easily pulled out.

For full instructions, hop on over to my post how to make storage bins from cardboard boxes.

I have these homemade storage bins all over my house, in various sizes and colors, and they are easy, thrifty, and they keep your house looking nice.

DIY Storage in the Nursery

I made the first set of DIY storage bins when I was pregnant with my son, and I couldn’t find changing table bins that were the right size for his discounted changing table. So, I put these together and absolutely LOVED them. They used the changing table space perfectly, provided plenty of storage, and were really durable.

I lined the insides with contact paper too – for easing cleanup.

The thing that makes these storage bins so perfect is the knobs. They’ve held up for so many years – even after the constant pulling when grabbing diapers. Check out the how-to post to for easy instructions on this.

DIY Storage in Closets

Since the DIY storage bins turned out so nice, I started organizing everything in my home using random boxes and contact paper.

One of my favorite places I used these cardboard box storage bins was in my hall coat closets.

Using boxes keeps everything so organized. Everyone in my family has their own boxes for gloves, hats, etc. The knob makes the storage drawer easy to pull too.

I love how it maximizes the space too. Every bit of space is used – from the shelf to the ceiling.

We actually have double shelves in here – so I can fit 8 of these storage boxes in the closet!

DIY Storage in the Pantry

In the pantry, I also have these bins. I don’t like resting food and drinks directly on the floor, so I originally used baby wipe boxes.

I had some leftover contact paper from the closet project, so I whipped these together. How much better does this look?!

DIY Storage for the Office

The last thing that needed major organizing was my hubby’s office, which is filled with every computer part there is. (And after watching Marie Kondo, it definitely needs to be revisited…)

I saved up all the diaper boxes for months and covered them in black contact paper.

One type of contact paper had a leathery look, which was cool, and the other was chalkboard contact paper.

This made it fun and easy to label 🙂

I loved how different and modern the chalkboard storage boxes looked. It shows how you can achieve any kind of look you want depending on the contact paper.

Other Places for DIY Storage

You can use these DIY storage bins anywhere that you need smaller compartments to organize things.

They are great for toy storage because the boxes are sturdy but light – and the knob makes it easy for kids to pull. You can make these storage bins to fit into cubby shelves too.

The DIY storage bins could be used a filing system for papers or mail.

You can use the storage bins on any kind of shelf. For example, if you have a bookshelf, but toys line the bottom – this is a perfect way to hide those toys in a stylish way.

To Do 🙂

Basically, save all of your old boxes, pick up some contact paper at the dollar store and start getting organized!

Here’s one more look at our changing table – the original inspiration for the cardboard storage boxes.

Happy organizing!

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget

January 22, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget Post Preview: Make your own DIY nursery wall decor with this simple tutorial. This easy wall art is perfect for anyone to make on a budget for their child’s nursery.

While wandering around the craft store, I found a fun sale item – a few rolls of adhesive fabric. It was discounted and it was pretty, so of course, I bought it and stashed it in my craft room.

Lately, I’ve been working on my daughter’s nursery, bringing in some brighter colors and textures – leading me back to those adhesive fabric rolls.

I got out the fabric and a few other things from around the house – and threw together these easy DIY nursery wall hangings. If you are looking to decorate your nursery, before you start shopping on Etsy or at Target, check out this easy tutorial – anyone can do it and you’ll save a ton of money. I also have the baby animal outlines available to you for free.

Baby Animal Nursery Wall Hangings

This DIY wall art is so simple to make. Below are the materials you’ll need to make this adorable nursery decor. If you are worried that you aren’t very artistic, almost no skills are required. With the free baby animal templates, all you need to do is cut it out and attach. This is a perfect first DIY project that you can get done during naptime.

Nursery Wall Art Materials

3 8×10 Picture Frames (If you can’t get to the store, there’s these frames )
Adhesive fabric (I found these at Michaels but I LOVE these textured ones)
X-acto Knife
Scissors – Use a really good pair of scissors. You’ll get a much nicer edge with a great pair.
Optional: card stock – keep reading for more on this 🙂
Baby animal outlines (see below for free wall art templates)

Material Alternatives

If you can’t use the adhesive fabric, you can certainly use scrapbook or card stock or some other material you find around your home. I’m all about using things from around your house! If your material doesn’t have its own adhesive, you can use mod podge or adhesive dots to place on the back.

Print & Cut Baby Animal Outlines

After you gather your materials, you’ll want to print out the baby animal outlines. If you can, print it on card stock.

That way when you cut it out, you’ll easily be able to trace the card stock cut-out onto the fabric. If you don’t have card stock, no problem. You’ll just be extra careful when tracing.

Trace Baby Animal on Fabric

After you have printed and cut out the baby animals, trace the animals onto the BACK of the adhesive fabric. You’ll get a better cut cutting from the back (less tear on the fabric) and you won’t have to worry about pencil lines. I traced onto the front the first time – and while it looked nice, using the back was much easier and gave a cleaner look.

I also made sure to center the animals vertically and horizontally.

Cut Out the Animals

Find a hard board, big old book, or some other surface that is fine to cut on. Then, use the X-acto knife to carefully cut out the baby elephant, lion, and giraffe. Remember you are using the outside of what you are cutting – not the animal itself.

If you’ve never used an X-acto knife before, it’s super easy. Just practice first to make sure you can the hang of it.

I found the easiest way to use the E-xacto knife is to pivot the sheet when you to make a turn, rather than picking up the knife constantly. When you are finished separate the baby animal from main piece.

Place Fabric onto Background Paper

Choose a background to place the main piece on. I was planning on using card stock, but my card stock choices weren’t cutting it. The white looked way too harsh against my fabric. So I found some watercolor paper that wasn’t as pure white and gave the animal a little texture.

Then, I carefully separate the fabric from the adhesive. I found the best way to do this was to peel off about the first inch going across.

Next, I placed this part directly onto the watercolor paper. I then carefully pulled the backing as the fabric part slid onto the watercolor paper. You can also slide a ruler across the fabric – but be careful not to stretch or misshape the fabric.

Placing the fabric onto the watercolor paper was very similar to using contact paper.

Frame Your Animals

Last, choose a frame for your baby elephant, baby lion, and baby giraffe, and you are finished! How’s that for nursery wall art on a budget?!

If you don’t have the adhesive fabric, you can very easily use something else – such as card stock, wall paper, wrapping paper, or anything else you can find around your home. Save your money and use what you have 🙂

Time & Cost

This project should only take you about an hour or so to complete. I hem and haw over everything, so I feel like things take me longer at times. However, I finished the project before my daughter woke from her nap.

Nursery Decor on a Budget

My total cost for the nursery decor wall art was less than $20 – and almost all of that was spent on the picture frames. I did get two frames on sale and with a coupon from the craft stores. The third frame I took off my wall and painted white when I decided to add a lion one too. The adhesive fabric for the nursery prints was $5 on sale.

To save more money, check thrift stores and dollar stores for cheap frames and look around your house at materials you can use or reuse.

If you’re looking for nursery decor, definitely think about making it yourself. Not only will you save money while still getting nice quality art work, but you’ll have something special that you made yourself for your son’s or daughter’s nursery. And, if you aren’t that artistic – don’t worry! With the free baby animal templates. all you have to be able to do is cut.

This easy nursery decor craft makes me smile every time I look at it. Hope it does the same for you 🙂

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

December 2, 2018 by Eileen 23 Comments

This Christmas I haven’t done any projects with the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about. So of course, I wanted to incorporate a nativity scene into my holiday DIY this week.

This week is the conclusion of our holiday blog hop – Deck the Home, which is a five-week series of amazing Christmas DIY projects of the home. Hundreds of projects have been shared by 25 very talented DIY bloggers. Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to check out everyone’s home decor. And even though the hop is ending, we have quite a few weeks before Christmas, giving you plenty of time to work on some of your favorites.

So back to the nativity scene project. I wanted to create a giant nativity scene for the yard, but my hubby insisted on a simple reindeer and Santa sleigh instead. Since it was the last week of the hop, it was final chance to incorporate the nativity.

I had also been wanting to try DIY string art because I’ve seen so many cool designs. Therefore, I decided to try my hand at creating a DIY string art nativity scene.

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

Here are the steps I took to create the DIY string art nativity scene. Since this was my first time doing string art, I hope you find all the string art tips and tricks for beginners helpful.

Tools and Materials for DIY String Art Nativity

- Piece of wood
- Saw to trim wood (if necessary)
- Stain – I used my homemade natural stain
- Nails – This scene used over 100 nails. I used silver nails, which made the scene look lit up 🙂
- Hammer
- Embroidery floss string – white
- Template – Free download below

Drawing the Nativity Template

First, I drew the nativity scene on a piece of card stock. I figured the 8.5×11 paper was about the size that I wanted the nativity. You could draw the design out yourself or you could use the one I drew.

Subscribe to our mailing list for DIY updates and tips PLUS get instant access to the nativity template and lots of others files and free printables.

Marking the Nail Holes

The next thing I did on my DIY string art project was I marked my nail holes with a black pen. You want your nails to be about 3/4″ apart. The more consistent, the better because then you can make more even/symmetrical patterns. In fact, you could even use a spacer (grab a drinking straw and cut it down to 3/4″) to be consistent.

In Hindsight: Some of my nails were marked way too close. I did this to try to get the curves of Mary and Joseph and a tight outline of the manger. But it makes your string harder to tie – and the pattern more confusing to follow.

Also, I ended up leaving the hand off of Mary because there wasn’t enough space in between her and baby Jesus to give a nice outline. When you are drawing and marking your nail holes, be sure to have a nice clean outline of your shapes or people.

Tapping the Nail Holes

After I marked the nail holes, I taped my picture to a piece of wood. Then I took one nail and started tapping it through the paper into the wood, to mark the hole.

I used the same nail and continued to do this for all of the holes.

When I removed the paper, I had each of my holes marked for the string art.

If you look at the below picture, you will see that my holes are marked too closely between Mary and baby Jesus. Again, you want to make sure that each area has a clean outline. It shouldn’t be hard to decipher, like this part.

Trimming the Wood to Size

Next, I used my table saw to trim off the top of the wood. I sanded down this side and any rough areas too.

Stain the Wood

After my nativity scene pattern was on and my wood was trimmed, it was time to stain the wood. I used a homemade natural stain for this – which I absolutely love.

Hammering in the Nails

After the stain on the nativity scene dried, I then hammered in all of the nails into the wood. It took about a little over 100 nails. Here are the results:

Wrapping the String

I did a lot of research to learn how to wrap the string around the nails to create beautiful string art. However, everybody the same thing – there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Although true, I like a little more guidance than that, so here are my DIY string art tips for beginners:

First Things First

Decide you want to use the positive space or the negative space. I went with the negative space – which means instead of filling Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the star, etc in with string, I left them blank. Instead I filled the space around them with the string. When you are thinking about positive and negative space, think of using a cookie cutter in dough. The actual cook is the positive space and the scraps around where the cookie cutter went are the negative space.
Take your string and start in a corner. Wrap your string around the nail and tie it a couple of times. Be sure to leave a tail on your string so you can hide it later.
If you are starting with a busy scene or design, such as this nativity scene, then start with an outline of your scene. It will help you see your pattern and go from there. Here I am using my pattern to making an outline with my string.

Wrapping string around nails in a wooden board to create DIY string art nativity scene

Here is the finished outline of the nativity string art. I’m sorry for poor pictures – I get most of my projects done at night when the kids are sleeping. 🙂

Making an outline with string for the DIY string art project nativity scene.

How to Wrap the String

To wrap your string, you can use a variety of different ways.
- You can weave the string around the nail holes in an almost zig-zag pattern – like if you were running an obstacle course lined with cones.
- You can wrap the string around each nail hole in a loop. This is good for keeping a straight line or for anchoring your string once in a while.
- You can make patterns – such as lines coming out from one point, zig zags back and forth, or up and down hills with the string, making almost triangular mountains.

Basically, you can wrap your string any way you want it.

Once you have your outline, bring your string over to where you want to start “filling in” the nativity scene.
To bring back your string, you just keep wrapping it or weaving it around the nails until you are in the desired place.
Then, start “filling in” the nativity scene using one of the ways above – or using your own way to wrap the string.
Be careful not to cross the string over any areas you don’t want filled in. I did that waaaaay too many times.

Below is a picture of me starting to do a zig-zag pattern with the string art, working my way around the picture.

You’ll keep wrapping your string and filling in your picture until you are content with it. I used a ton of string and kept wrapping and weaving in all sorts of patterns to get a filled in look.

More String Art Tips

If you feel like you are losing the shape of any of the things in your nativity scene, then work your string to the point and outline it with the string again. To do this, just work your string around the perimeter of your shape. I did this with the star – I had so much string everywhere and I had only outlined the star once, that I felt that the star got lost.Then, I just worked my way around its perimeter again and again until I was happy with how it looked. I also went around the perimeter of the stable a few times too, to give it a nice clean outline.

Finishing your DIY String Art

Once you are satisfied with your string art scene, then bring your string back to your starting point. (Do this by weaving or wrapping it until you are in the desired place).
Then, take your ends and tie them together.
With the tails, you can either weave them through your string art (easiest way is by using an embroidery needle). Or you can just hide it underneath.

Here is my finished string art nativity scene. Not bad for my first time with string art!?

Here is a close-up of the star:

Time and Cost

It was a little time-consuming to hammer all the nails and to wrap the strings. However, wrapping the string was very therapeutic. Like doing a puzzle or coloring. Of course, you had to pay attention to your outlines – but overall it was a very calming activity.

As far as total time, I would say maybe about 3-4 hours total. The cost for me was just the string, which I bought for a buck or two. The nails and wood we had – and I made the stain with ingredients from my pantry.

Also, factor in whether you are going to add hanging hardware to back. I think I’ll keep ours leaning on the wall.

If you are looking for a fun, calming holiday DIY project that you can decorate your home with or give as a gift, definitely try string art. There’s no fancy skills involved!

Just you and some string 🙂

That’s it for our holiday Deck the Home DIY projects. If you missed any, check out all of the 2018 Deck the Home holiday projects.

35 Amazingly Creative DIY Gift Ideas

November 29, 2018 by Eileen 2 Comments

My favorite part of gift-giving is when you have found the perfect gift for someone, and you are so excited to see them open it.

The joyous look on their face is everything.

However, year after year, it’s hard to always find the perfect gifts. Sometimes, it’s tough to even think of ideas.

So, I’ve compiled 35 creative DIY gifts that you can make. Hopefully this helps you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.

Creative DIY Gift Ideas

In compiling this list of gifts, I looked for gift ideas that looked fun to make, creative, and relatively thrifty. I bet some of the projects and price tags will blow you away 🙂

DIY Bookends

DIY bookends are such a great homemade gift idea! You can use anything you’d like on the bookends, so you can customize it for the person you are giving the gift to. This one is Magnolia-inspired – so pretty!

Etched Water Bottle

This etched water bottle cost less than $7 (and you can reuse some of the materials), and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Water bottles are a great gift idea because everyone needs them – plus, you can help contribute to a greener society.

Embroidered Ornament

An embroidered family photo ornament is such a great idea! Especially for grandparents who love any and all photos of their grandkids.

I also love the idea of making one every year with family photos or even making a “collection” of them with old photos.

DIY Shadow Box

This DIY Christmas box is a great way to use holiday miniatures in a fun way! You can create a pretty snow scene – with lights or pictures or anything you’d like. These shadow boxes have been on sale a lot at the craft stores too!

Homemade Wall Clock

This DIY wall clock turned out so nice with a chalkboard-style background. With some scrap boards and a clock kit, you can definitely make your own gift for the home.

Cinnamon Stick Candle

Isn’t this DIY scented candle adorable? With cinnamon sticks and an unscented candle, it’s a simple but beautiful DIY gift.

Stenciled Coasters

These DIY coasters were stenciled onto stone tiles – making them so unique and beautiful! It’s an easy DIY and you can totally personalize it.

DIY Yard Bowl

This yarn bowl is such a unique gift! It was from a regular bowl and it has design cut into it – to easily pull your yarn while knitting or crocheting! Genius, right?! Definitely the perfect gift for knitters.

Seashell Succulents

These DIY seashell succulents are adorable! Succulents are so popular right now that I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this cute gift idea. Perfect gift idea for beach lovers!

Felt Ornaments

I am loving these hand-sewn felt ornaments! They are so pretty and festive.

Repurposed Broach Magnets

How cute are these DIY magnets made from broaches?! This is the perfect gift to make with those family broaches that have been in the jewelry box and it’s a great way to enjoy family heirlooms.

Homemade Towel Gift Set

These DIY Christmas hand towels are so cute! They could be perfectly paired with something else kitchen-related to make for the perfect Christmas gift.

DIY Earrings

I am loving these DIY earrings that are made with scrap book paper! How creative! And, what a great way to customize your gift.

DIY Scarf

This homemade DIY blanket scarf was made for less than $5. With the cost of store-bought scarves constantly on the increase, this is a great DIY to save money. Plus, you get to pick your own pattern.

Wood Round Ornaments

These DIY wood slice ornaments are so adorable and they were made from a branch – how awesome! This is the perfect gift for family members or teachers – they can even be used as a gift tag or a fun kids craft. I have my kids make homemade ornaments every year – these wood rounds are perfect for that.

DIY Festive Pillows

I am loving these DIY Christmas pillows with pom-poms. They were made for just $3.50 each – now there’s a thrifty gift with a price tag I love.

DIY Leather Bookmarks

These DIY leather bookmarks are super cute – and so easy to make and customize. Definitely a fun and thrifty gift. You could even attach them to a wrapped gift as a gift tag.

DIY Wall Art

These DIY canvas decals are super easy to make with canvas and wall stickers. You can customize them however you’d like! Washi tape and letters make for a nice touch too!

DIY Laptop Table

I’m loving this laptop table for the couch! This would make for an awesome gift idea for someone who works from home. Hint, hint, hubby!

Homemade Inspirational Plate

I am loving this adorable DIY quotation plate. It’s another DIY that looks store-bought but was handmade with love. You can put any kind of quote on here – from a favorite movie line to an inspirational message.

DIY Lego Mat Bag

I love the idea of this DIY lego mat – all the lego stays on the mat, and then it turns into a bag! Genius!

Giant Jenga

If you’re looking for gifts for game lovers or gifts for those who love the outdoors, this life-size jenga game definitely fits the bill. I’ve never played a game like this but it looks like a ton of fun!

DIY Candle Holder

This adorable candle holder attaches to the wall and gives any room a rustic feel. It’s perfect for candles but it can also be used to hold anything – pens, succulents, etc.

DIY Christmas Soaps

These DIY Christmas soaps look so easy to make and are fun pamper-yourself gift.

Homemade Table Lamp

Did you know that you can make a lamp out of anything?! That’s right – this DIY lamp is made with a wooden base and the train lights up!

Felt Gingerbread House

This adorable DIY is a entirely FELT gingerbread house! I love this idea so much, as we try to stay away from centering holidays around junk food. This is a great way to decorate a gingerbread house without all of gooey gunk.

DIY Photo Gallery Wraps

These DIY photo canvases are thrifty and easy to make! Photos are one of the best gifts to give grandparents and aunts and uncles so why not save some money while doing so?!

Christmas Scent in a Jar

This DIY Christmas scent in a jar is the perfect gift for neighbors. You pour the contents of the jar into a pot – and voila!

Then you have the scent of a Christmas tree farm in your home.

Scrap Wood Coasters

You know that I love a scrap wood project. These wooden coasters were made from scrapwood and painted, making them so fun and easy!

DIY Jigsaw Puzzle

Another fun customized gift is a DIY puzzle! You can paint it, put a picture on it, have kids decorate – so many options for a fun gift.

Chalkboard Wall Art

You can easily make this DIY chalkboard sign as one of your DIY gift ideas. You can leave it as a chalkboard or customize to say something meaningful.

DIY No-Sew Finger Puppets

These DIY no-sew finger puppets are another fun felt craft. These are great homemade gifts for kids – and your own kids could even help to make them. These would be perfect with a DIY puppet theater too!

Repurposed Bar Coasters

If you have a bunch of bar coasters lying around, why not make these reusable craft beer coasters?! It’s a great gift for beer lovers.

DIY Farmhouse Decorative Box

This cute DIY farmhouse box is a great gift idea. You could fill it with coffees or teas – and your recipient could reuse it in their home decor.

Upcycled Handwarmers

These DIY upcycled handwarmers are a fun and functional gift!

I hope you found lots of great DIY gift ideas! I know I’m off to making quite a few of them 🙂

Christmas Shadow Box | Deck the Home Spotlight

November 28, 2018 by Eileen Leave a Comment

Have you ever made one of those snow scenes? With the miniature houses, the little people, and the fluffy fake snow?

We made one in our old house. We cut a piece of plywood to fit the window sill of our bay window and made a little snow village there.

But then we moved to our new home, and although we do have a bay window in our new house, it is a completely different size.

So our little snow scene has been up in the loft for a few years.

Since I’ve already decked my home out for the holidays, I’ve been looking for more things to decorate with.

I’ve been wondering what kind of project I could do with the miniatures and the village, and I found some great inspiration from Patti over at Renovating Mapleson Manor.

For our Deck the Home blog hop (which is a 5-week series of DIY holiday themed projects by 26 home bloggers), Patti shared a Christmas shadow box that is simply adorable!

With just a few materials she created a sweet little snow scene complete with reindeer and trees in a shadow box.

Like all amazing Christmas things, it lights up too! Her tutorial and pictures are super easy to follow that you’ll be making one in no time!

Hop on over to Patti’s blog to see how to make her DIY Shadow Box Scene

Patti is a DIY blogger who has renovated her fixer upper. She has lots of befores and afters of her renovation as well as client spaces too.

Don’t forget to check out her DIY projects too – she’s so creative!

More Holiday Inspiration

If you missed our project this week, we made a DIY chalkboard-style clock!

Check back on Friday to see more DIY holiday gift ideas from the Deck the Home blog hop.

Next week is our last official week of the blog hop. Also, the theme is home decor – get excited!!

How to Make a DIY Wooden Clock

November 25, 2018 by Eileen 21 Comments

I totally have a thing for clocks.

I can’t walk into a Hobby Lobby or a Bed, Bath and Beyond without hemming and hawing over a wall clock.

Yet, wall clocks in the store can get quite expensive. I always wanted to make my own but I never got around to it.

As part of our Deck the Home blog hop, this week’s theme is a DIY gift.

Sooo I decided to finally make my DIY clock, as a gift to myself. 🙂

Our mantle clock was just a little outdated. It was my hubby’s from his bachelor days. 🙂

When the clock stopped working, it was the perfect opportunity to make my own!

It was super easy – the hardest part was deciding what color to paint it!

If you are totally in love with clocks too, try your hand at making your own (see what I did there?!).

Here’s how to make your own DIY wooden clock.

How to Make a Wooden Clock

Making the wooden clock was super easy! Here’s the materials and tools needed for the project.

Materials and Tools

Acrylic Paint – I used regular black and white paint from the craft store
Chalk
Clock kit with hands
Jigsaw
Orbital Sander
Router with straight cutting bit

Wood for the DIY Clock

To make our clock, we first needed a square piece of wood at least 20” wide (the diameter of the clock). We didn’t want to use plywood (which could easily be cut to this size), but instead opted for boards.

Using boards would result in a better look and higher quality.

However they don’t come large enough for a 20”x20” piece, so we used two smaller boards and joined them together with pocket hole screws.

We had an extra 12” wide board left over from a previous project that would be perfect for the clock.

Cutting the Boards

Here I am getting ready to cut some lengths of boards for the clock:

We made the board cuts roughly 22” each.

Even though the clock diameter was only 20,” it would be easier to make the circular cutout of the clock if the board dimensions was padded a little bit.

Using Pocket Holes

With two cuts of board done, we were ready to join them together with pocket holes.

Here are the boards with my Kreg pocket hole jig ready for action:

We made four pairs of pocket holes (eight holes in total) along the longer side of one of the boards:

Then we clamped the boards together with a 36” bar clamp and fastened them together with pocket hole screws:

The pocket holes were going to be on the back of the clock, so I didn’t have to plug the holes to make them look nice.

Here are the other side of the boards after being joined with pocket holes (you can’t even tell its joined with pocket holes on the other side):

We now had a solid square board large enough to accommodate my 20” diameter clock.

Drawing and Cutting the Circle

We had an existing 20” diameter clock on the wall that was being replaced with this DIY clock. So I traced the outline of that clock to make my circle.

If you’re making your own clock, just look around the house for something round that’s close to your target diameter (like another clock, a plant pot or plate).

Alternatively you could even use the pencil and string technique to make a circle outline.

Simply tie a string (or wire) to a pencil. Then pin the other end of the string to the center of your board (to be used as a pivot point).

Pull the pencil until the string is tight and start drawing your circle. Move the pencil around the pivot point keeping the string tight until you have drawn a complete circle.

With my circle made, I took my time and carefully cut it out with my jigsaw:

Sanding the Wood

Finally it was time for a sanding with the orbital sander. I used 120 grit paper, and gave both sides of the clock a good sanding. The seam where the two boards met practically disappeared after the sanding. I also hand bevelled the edges too with the sander to remove any splinters.

Marking the Number Positions on the Clock

To prep the board to transform into a clock, I had to mark the positions of the numbers.

So I located the center of the circle, drilled a small hole and drew lines every 30 degrees (using a protractor).

Each line represented an hour on the clock dial. I made all these lines on the back side of the clock, and used them as references later when placing the clock numbers.

Here’s a picture showing the rear of the clock with the 30 degree guidelines I made using my protractor (the black thing in the center is the clock mechanism):

Routing a Hole for the Clock Mechanism

I had purchased a clock mechanism to insert into the circular board. It’s a square device that sits in the back of the clock, protruding through the center where the hands are attached to on the other side.

The part of the clock mechanism that runs through the board was not long enough to reach the other side (the ¾” board was too thick). So I had to route out a square notch for the mechanism to sit in.

To do this, I draw an outline of the mechanism on the rear of the clock, and gave it a little bit extra space.

Then after some trial and error with some scrap wood, I determined an ideal depth for my router (about 5/16”). I used a ¾” straight cutting bit and carefully cut out the notch for the mechanism.

Here’s the rear of the clock with the notch routed out:

The clock construction was pretty much complete at this point. It just needed to be painted.

Painting the DIY Clock

The hardest part of the project was painting the clock because I couldn’t decide on the color. I actually painted the clock three times before I was satisfied with the color.

For the actual paint, I used acrylic paint from the craft store. Just the regular little bottles of paint that are usually fifty cents. The bigger bottles probably would have worked better but I always use what I have.

Another reason I liked to use this paint was because it was so easy to paint over when I changed my mind.

Finally, I settled on a chalkboard black paint color. I used black with a little bit of white mixed in – and then I kind of brushed in more black or white, to make it look like a chalkboard.

I painted the top of the clock and the side – no need for the back.

Here’s the DIY wooden clock drying:

I hung it over the mantel to see how it looked, and this time (haha) it passed the test. Third time’s a charm!

Drawing on the Clock Numbers

I bought a couple of chalk paint markers and paint pen markers at the store. However, when I got home and opened them, none of them worked – so I had to make due with what I had. And, that was plain ole regular chalk.

I used the marks I made on the back and tried to center my numbers around them.

The nice part about using the chalk was that if I wasn’t happy with the number I drew, I just erased it.

In fact, I rewrote the numbers so many times that chalk starting smearing on the face of the clock. It contributed to the chalky look, so I didn’t mind one bit.

I also printed out these Roman Numerals so I couldn’t make any mistakes.

Here’s the clock hanging on the wall with the final Roman numerals drawn on.

Last, I painted the clock hands whitish gray, as a last minute change from the stark black we bought them in.

Adding the Clock Hands

After it was painted, I inserted the clock kit mechanism, and the clock hands were attached to the other side. Here is the finished clock:

Time & Cost

This DIY project took a couple of hours and cost less than $15. That fifteen dollars went toward the clock kit and the wood. The paint and chalk were from around the house.

If you are thinking of making your own clock – or if you have a love for clocks like I do, definitely make your own. You can use anything – it doesn’t even have to be a piece of wood.

I’m so thrilled to have my hubby’s old clock off the mantel and replaced with this one! It brings a more modern element to the room – and it’s fun seeing my handwriting on a huge clock!

Check out what the other talented DIY bloggers made this week in this roundup of my favorite DIY gift projects for the holidays or see all of the Deck the Home DIY projects.

5 Outdoor Christmas Decorations that You Can DIY

November 23, 2018 by Eileen Leave a Comment

One of the things I love about DIY projects is that you can literally make anything.

If you can’t find the style you like, you make your own.

If you can’t afford the real deal, you make your own.

Outdoor yard decorations can be sooo expensive, but you don’t need to worry about that any longer. Just make your own!

Rather than spending the money to adorn your front yard, you can use materials you already have to DIY your own outdoor Christmas decorations.

Today, I’m sharing 5 DIY wooden yard decorations that you can easily make to decorate your outdoors for the upcoming holidays.

From repurposing old materials to using scrap wood out to 30 minute or less projects, these 5 outdoor DIYs have something for everyone.

Wooden Christmas Trees

These outdoor wooden Christmas trees from Megan at Two Feet First are adorable! She made them with cedar fence pickets – and even has a creative way to light them up. I love how the lights make the trees look decorated, and they fit perfectly into a porch planter box.

Her tutorial is super easy-to-follow and will have you making them in no time. If you’ve been wanting to make a cool holiday yard decoration, this is definitely a fun one to make.

Lighted Reindeer and Santa Sleigh

This reindeer and Santa sleigh turned out so cute! The whole thing is made from plywood and a couple strings of lights.

The full tutorial will show you exactly how to make your own Santa sleigh decoration – it even shows how to suspend it in the air using your front porch.

If you have been wanting reindeer and a sleigh for your yard but don’t want to spend the money, this is the perfect holiday yard decoration on a budget. It was made for less than $20.

And, if you already have the plywood, then all you’ll need are the lights.

Snowflakes from Stair Spindles

How cute are these DIY porch snowflakes from Amy at 1905 Farmhouse?!

She made these from stair spindles, and they turned out amazing. I love creative DIYs that are made from something other than their intended purpose.

I love the colors Amy chose too! You can check out how to make these along with her holiday porch decor.

DIY Snowman

This adorable wooden snowman is from Thea at That Sweet Tea Life. She turned a wooden board into this beautiful snowman.

She gives the best painting tips, so I’m sure that you’ll be recreating this in no time.

Holiday JOY Sign

I am loving this holiday Joy sign from Patti at Renovating Mapleson Manor. She made it with two metal letters and bent a cottonwood stem to make the O. Sooo creative! I love her simple, elegant style.

So there you have it, 5 outdoor decorations that you can make this holiday season. They are perfect for decorating on a tight budget, can reuse old or scrap materials, and can be made quickly.

When you are planning your outdoor holiday decor, be sure to keep this awesome Christmas DIYs in mind.

Be sure to check back on Monday morning for the next week of the Deck the Home blog hop.

The theme is gifts – anything you can make someone else for the home. I got a sneak peek of a few of the projects, and they do not disappoint!

DIY Outdoor Wooden Trees | Deck the Home Spotlight

November 21, 2018 by Eileen Leave a Comment

We all know that I love Christmas.

Hence, all the Christmas DIY projects.

And, the Deck the Home Blog Hop. 🙂

If you are just joining us, the Deck the Home Blog Hop is a 5-week series of amazing DIY holiday projects brought to you by 26 very talented DIY and home bloggers.

Each week, all 26 of us share a project centered on the same theme. The first week was holiday door decor, the second week was wooden projects, and here we are at the third week.

This week’s Deck the Home theme was none other than outdoor holiday decorations.

I just had to share my favorite this week – which were these outdoor wooden trees made from fence pickets.

So cool, right!?

My friend Megan over at Two Feet First shared this tutorial – and it’s awesome! With a little wood, spray paint, and lights, she made these three easy wooden trees, which look amazing in the porch planter.

The DIY Christmas trees even light up – and you can easily take the lights on and off for easy storage.

Hop on over to Megan’s blog to see the full tutorial on how to make these outdoor wooden trees

Megan is a DIY blogger who is in the process of updating her home – she has tons of awesome tutorials, especially for beginner DIYers. Definitely check her blog out, as it’s filled with little DIY gems.

Don’t forget to stop back on Friday, as I will be featuring a few more outdoor projects from this week’s awesome Deck the Home Blog Hop. Thanks for joining us!

If you’re wondering what my hubby and I made this week, check out our Outdoor Santa and Reindeer Sleigh. It’s a cool little plywood project that cost less than $20. Plus, it looks pretty cool suspended in the air. Aren’t outdoor decorations so fun?!

8 Holiday DIYs that Will Have You Running to the Craft Store

November 16, 2018 by Eileen Leave a Comment

Looking to get into the holiday spirit?

I’ve got just the jump start you need!

Today, I’m sharing 8 DIYs that will have you running to the craft store. Not walking. Running 🙂

You see, we are in the midst of our Deck the Home blog hop, where dozens of incredible DIY bloggers are sharing themed holiday DIY projects each week.

This week’s theme was wood projects – and I’m so excited to share these amazing wooden DIYs with you.

1.Wooden Gift Tags

These wooden gift tags from Lidia at Design Inside the Box are just adorable. It’s an easy DIY project to add to your list, and it makes these holidays gifts look absolutely adorable. You can even reuse the tags as Christmas ornaments! The craft stores always have cute wooden pieces like these 🙂

2. Barnboard Christmas Sign

This gorgeous barnboard sign from Kristen and Vicki at Timeless Creations is stunning! With barnboard, paint, and the metal wording, they created this rustic yet elegant holiday sign. I always see cute wording at the craft stores, but never know how to use it 🙂

3. Buffalo Checkered Wooden Tree

While you’re at the craft store, pick up a few bottles of acrylic paint so you can paint your own buffalo check pattern – with just tape and paint! We made these wooden tree cut-out and then painted it in buffalo check.

4. Tree Round Garland

I’m loving this tree round garland from Jessica at Jessica Lehman Interior Design. With the little round circles, she made this beautifully simple Christmas decoration. I definitely have to pick up some of these tree rounds during my next trip to the craft store.

5. Paint Stick Christmas Sign

This paint stick Christmas tree sign is soooo creative! Toni from Girl, Just DIY made this Christmas tree wall hanging using paint sticks! She includes all the details of how she got these into the Christmas shape over on her blog. My favorite part is the colors – they are Christmasy but not the typical shades.

6. Peg People Nativity

Doesn’t this project just make your jaw drop?! I still can’t believe it’s homemade. Samantha over at Little Bits of Home DIYed this sweet little nativity scene using hand-painted peg people. I didn’t know peg people existed – so that’s definitely on my craft store list.

7. Holiday Wood Sign

Another project you’ll love is this Happy Holidays wood sign from Megan at Two Feet First. She made the letters out of wood, but you could pick those up at the craft store along with a string of lights to make this spectacular sign.

8. Wood Circles Matching Game

Last but not least is this amazing holiday matching game made from wood circles. Carmen from Gross to Grandiose thought of these cute idea, and I can’t wait to make one for my kids too.

I hope these ideas inspired you to start making and creating this holiday season!

I know my craft store list definitely got longer 🙂

Check back on Sunday for more awesome DIY posts from this talented group of bloggers. Next week’s theme is outdoor decor.

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Eileen

DIY Swing Out Wall Shelves

Design for Swing Out Shelves

Tools and Materials

Instructions for Building Swing Out Shelves

Cutting Grooves for the Shelves

Cutting the Strips for a Swing Out Wall Shelf Frame

Constructing a Frame for the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Cutting and Inserting the Plywood Shelves

Trimming and Painting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Decorating the Swing Out Wall Shelves with Patterned Paper

Mounting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Swing Out Wall Shelves in Action

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Stain the Wood

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Giant Jenga

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Homemade Table Lamp

Felt Gingerbread House

DIY Photo Gallery Wraps

Christmas Scent in a Jar

Scrap Wood Coasters

DIY Jigsaw Puzzle

Chalkboard Wall Art

DIY No-Sew Finger Puppets

Repurposed Bar Coasters

DIY Farmhouse Decorative Box