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Eileen

How to Get Amazing Results with Milk Paint on a Dresser

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Learn how to use milk paint to refinish furniture with this easy tutorial. This amazing before and after shows just how easy and beautiful milk paint turns out. 

This post is sponsored by The Real Milk Paint Company. All opinions are entirely my own. 

Ever since I painted an old nightstand with chalk paint, I was hooked on using alternatives to regular latex paint.

For me, chalk paint was one of the easiest ways to transform old furniture and the results were amazing.

Since I had such a great experience with chalk paint, I had been wanting to work with milk paint.

Yes, there is a difference between the two! Milk paint comes in powder form, so you mix it with water.

Milk paint is always non-toxic, which is a huge bonus.

So, our first milk paint project was giving an old dresser a makeover.

This dresser was given to us from my aunt and uncle and it easily dated back to the 1950s.

It was my uncle’s baby dresser in his nursery, and he was happy to give it a new home.

My goal was to bring some new life into this old piece by using milk paint.

Updating an old 1950s oak dresser with gray blue milk paint

Shortening the Dresser

The dresser was really tall, and I recently realized that you can run furniture through a tablesaw to shorten it!

So, I gave my husband the challenge of shortening the dresser, thinking it would make for a less bulky  and dated piece.

Below is the old dresser, in its original form.

Sanding the top of an old oak dresser before painting it with milk paint

My husband accepted my challenge and transformed the tall dresser into a shorter one using a jigsaw (for those details check out how to shorten a tall dresser).

I was so thrilled with how the four drawer dresser looked and couldn’t wait to start refinishing it with milk paint.

Shortening a dresser and then painting it with milk paint

For a sneak preview of how the dresser turned out, check out the picture below.

The milk paint completely transformed this old piece, and now I’m hooked on milk paint.

If you have an old piece of furniture that you’d like to redo, milk paint can completely make it over.

From choosing a paint to putting on new hardware, all the details are in this simple tutorial.

How to transform old furniture with milk paint

Why Choose Milk Paint

When researching milk paints to use on furniture, I came across the Real Milk Paint Company and loved how natural the paint was.

First, their paint is entirely environmentally-friendly.

There’s absolutely no VOCs in the Real Milk Paint, and it is completely non-toxic. It’s made from iron oxide pigment, milk casein, and lime.

You can literally discard the paint in your garden.

Crazy, right?!

Second, the finish is really beautiful too. It’s high-quality and turns out gorgeous. 

Third, I personally loved mixing my own paint. If you want to mix colors, it’s very easy and fun to do!

Milk paint is also fast-drying and easily adheres to most surfaces.

Using milk paint in French gray to refinish an old dresser

After reading all the benefits of the Real Milk Paint Company’s paint, I knew it was the perfect choice for my next DIY furniture transformation project.

French Gray Milk Paint from The Real Milk Paint CompanyHow to Prepare Furniture for Painting

First, you want to clean your piece and remove any hardware.

Sometimes your piece of furniture might be old, and the hardware might be difficult to remove.

Ours was like this too, and we have a great tip in the a below section (How to Put New Knobs on a Dresser).

Do I have to sand my furniture when I use milk paint?

With milk paint, you need to be able to get the milk paint to stick to the surface of the furniture. So, you have two choices:

  1. You can either sand down your piece OR
  2. You can use a bonding agent in your milk paint.

If you use a bonding agent in your milk paint, you eliminate the need to sand.

If you don’t use a bonding agent, then you need to give it a light sanding.

So, it’s your choice.

If you do sand, always wear a high-quality dusk mask.

Sanding and refinishing an old oak dresser

For this old dresser, we did a little bit of both to prepare the furniture for milk paint.

We sanded down the top of the dresser to give it a fresh start, but we mixed the bonding agent in the paint for the rest of the dresser.

Bonding Agent Note

You only need to mix in the bonding agent with the first coat.

So, if you make another batch of paint for subsequent milk paint coats, you don’t need a bonding agent.

The Real Milk Paint Company has a product called Ultra Bond, which is really simple to just add into your mixed paint.

Then, you don’t have to sand your piece, which does save a lot of time.

Using ultra bond as a bonding agent when painting with milk paint

What materials do I need for milk painting furniture?

The following list of materials is what we used to transform this old dresser.

I highly recommend getting a new high-quality bristle brush when working with milk paint, but more on that later.

How to Mix Milk Paint

Milk paint comes in a powder form. Don’t let this scare you though because mixing the milk paint couldn’t be easier!

You definitely don’t need to be an artist or a even cook to be able to mix and measure your milk paint.

It’s a one-to-one ratio, so the measuring is simple.

And then you just shake, shake, shake.

Mixing milk paint from the Real Milk Paint Company in Lakeview Blue

How I Mixed the Paint Color for this Dresser

I was mixing the Real Milk Paint Company’s French Gray with just a little bit of their Lakeview Blue.

However, I LOVED the French Gray so much that I added very little of the Lakeview Blue in.

To start, I grabbed a quarter cup from the kitchen and a few plastic spoons. I also filled a red solo cup with water.

Out in the garage, I scooped out a quarter cup of the French Gray and dumped it in the paint can.

Then I scooped one spoonful of Lakeview Blue and added it in.

Then, I filled the quarter cup again with water and dumped this into the can.

I also added one spoonful of water (to balance out the blue) and added that to the mix too.

Milk Paint Mixing Tip

If you are going to mix colors, make sure to write down exactly what you mixed so that you can create the same color again.

How to mix milk paint powder in French Gray

I closed the paint can and started shaking it up. You’ll hear the marble that comes with the can bouncing around.

This helps to mix the paint up.

After giving it a really good shake, let it sit for 20 minutes. After that, if any clumps come to the surface, simply shake it up again.

That’s it! Easy, right?!

Testing Your Color

As tempted as you will be to start painting, it’s best to test your color first. You want to make sure the color dries the way you like it.

So, pick a small little area and give the color a little while to dry to make sure you like it.

The French Gray and Lakeview Blue mix that I conjured up was more powder blue than charcoal blue.

So, I decided that when I made another batch, that I would use a smaller amount of Lakeview Blue.

This was one of my favorite parts of painting with milk paint – you make your own color!

Of course, there are base colors to start with, and then you can add other colors in to achieve the look you want.

With regular latex paint, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken a can of paint back because it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

With milk paint, you eliminate all that by making your own color.

How to Use Milk Paint on a Dresser

Okay, I simply cannot stress this enough, but you need to use a really, really good paintbrush with milk paint.

You might not want to go digging in your bucket of brushes and instead just buy a couple really nice ones.

You’ll thank yourself later when you love your refinished piece.

If you use a poor paintbrush, you’ll end up with lots of streaks and uneven surfaces.

But a smooth bristle brush will give your surface a really nice look.

Using a good bristle brush to milk paint an old dresser

How do you paint furniture with milk paint?

So, back to painting. Now that your paint is mixed and you’re happy with the color, it’s time to get started.

I would choose a small area to start in, so that you get used to the milk paint on a smaller surface.

Rather than jumping right into the top of the dresser, I started on a drawer.

Starting on a drawer gave me a smaller area to work on so that I could perfect my milk painting technique.

As you’re painting, keep your water cup near your paint can, because depending on how thick your mix is or what coat of paint you are working on, you might need to add some water.

Tricks to Painting with Milk Paint

Milk paint has a different consistency than regular paint and a different consistency than chalk paint. It’s not as smooth as either of those.

It can be watery, thick, or can even clump together.

Light Coats

The trick is you want to give your furniture light coats.

Don’t clump on thick layers of paint because milk paint doesn’t work this way. Paint will start to build up in places and start to crack. Light coats are key.

The milk paint might look streaky because you’ll see the wood coming through, but that’s okay. Another coat or two of milk paint will even it out.

Even Brushing

Another tip is that milk paint usually dries the way you are painting it on.

So, you want to make sure you are running your brush from one end of the piece to the other, so you don’t have brush strokes on your piece.

If you’re seeing brush strokes when you paint, you will see these when it dries.

So you definitely want to fix those brush strokes while you’re painting. 

Adding Water

If you’re painting and the milk paint seems too thick and it isn’t spreading well, then dip the very, very edges of your brush into your water cup.

A little water goes a long way. Then attempt to spread the paint.

You also might do this with a second or third coat to help the paint spread better.

Now, if your paint becomes bubbly, you have too much water. Keep going over the bubbles with the brush, until they are completely gone.

Getting into a Rhythm

I think the best tip I could give you is to just work with the paint, and the more you work with it, the more you’ll find a good consistency and technique for you.

As you start painting, you’ll start to get into a rhythm and notice what works well for you.

How to Use Milk Paint on Furniture Video

In the below video, I show you my process for painting with milk paint, using a drawer as a test piece. 

What do I paint first?

If you’re wondering what process I used to paint the old dresser, here is exactly what I did.

Test Spot

First, I did a test spot and let it dry. You can use a hair dryer to speed this up. Make sure you are happy with the color before you continue.

One Drawer

After painting a test spot with milk paint, I went on to paint a drawer that wasn’t too prominent. This enabled me to get comfortable with the paint before attempting a more seen surface like the top.

Remaining Drawers

I was happy with that, so I continued onto painting the rest of the drawers. 

Top of the Dresser

After the drawers, I was comfortable with my consistency and I moved onto painting the top of the dresser.

It took me a little while to paint the top of the dresser with milk paint.

I started in small areas, like I mentioned above and continued to keep smoothing out the milk paint.

Rounded Dresser Top

I didn’t do the rounded sides of top quite yet because the milk paint dried so fast – that I was spending all the time getting the top to look perfect.

After I was pleased with the top, I moved onto the front of the dresser and the rounded sides.

For the rounded sides, I wanted to paint these with precision.

I needed to be careful not to get any paint on the dresser top – since I had already painted that and it had dried.

For the rounded sides of the dresser top, I used a small brush from my craft room.

techniques for refinishing old furniture with milk paint

Pictured below is the whole dresser after one coat of milk paint.

Small Color Change

It was a little more blue than I wanted.

So the next coat I mixed up, I used just a half spoonful of Lakeview Blue.

And, the third coat of milk paint, I used all French Gray.

The picture below is after the first coat – so the dresser was looking quite blue.

Using milk paint to paint an old dresser - furniture refinishing techniques

I continued on to paint two really good coats of milk paint on the entire dresser, and then a third light topcoat.

Letting the Milk Paint Dry

Milk paint dries super fast, so you can knock out a milk painting project in a short amount of time.

Paint a coat, head inside for a snack, and by the time you’re done that snack, you can probably do another coat.

That’s why milk painting is a great naptime project for mamas!

Painting an old dresser with French Gray milk paint

How to Apply Finish to Milk Paint

You’ll definitely want to apply a finish on milk paint to protect the paint you put on. Otherwise, dirt or water can disrupt its surface.

Applying the finish to the milk paint dresser couldn’t have been easier.

Once the milk paint furniture is dry, you can apply your finish.

We used the low sheen finishing cream from The Real Milk Paint Company.

I simply scooped a dollop out with a spoon and then used an old sock to rub it all over the dresser.

You use enough of it to cover your area. It was super easy.

The finishing cream is non-toxic – and doesn’t have any kind of smell. Only one coat was necessary too!

Milk Paint Finishing Tip

Some of the milk paint pigment might rub off on your cloth. This is normal.

If your piece of furniture is more than one color then you might want to use a separate cloth for each milk painted color you are applying the finish to.

How to Put New Knobs on the Dresser

Part of the upgrade that we were giving the dresser was new hardware.

I loveee adding new hardware to old pieces because it is an instant upgrade. It is such an easy way to update an old piece of furniture, as it can change the whole look (and time period) of the piece. 

Prior to painting, when I removed the original hardware, I had a little trouble removing a few of the old knobs. 

Tool Tip

Some of the screw heads started to strip with my screwdriver because of the age, so I used my impact driver to easily remove them with no damage.

In putting the new knobs on the dresser, I decided to use round knobs on the top small drawers and half moon shell knobs on the rest of the drawers.

This made the two smaller drawers the easiest to upgrade as it was just a matter of swapping the old knobs with the new ones.

Update old furniture by replacing the hardware - makes a big difference

Additional Drawer Holes

The larger drawers needed some additional holes drilled to accommodate the half moon shell drawer pulls. I used a ruler to line up the existing holes.

My husband helped me out with this since my kids’ naptimes had ended.

He drilled new holes parallel to the ruler, offset by 2.5″ from the old holes (the spacing required for the new handles).

How to add new knobs to old furniture

Excited to see the refinished dresser with the new hardware, I laughed when I saw that my husband installed all the half moon drawer pulls upside down haha! (see below).

He thought the half moon shell pulls were like little bowls 🙂

Gray blue dresser after being painted with milk paint - tips and tricks

After having a quick chuckle, I easily flipped the half moon drawer pulls.

It was just a quick fix to flip them, and voila! The refinished dresser was done.

Gray Blue dresser after being paint with milk paint with the sky in the background

I finished the piece just as the sun was setting and was anxious to move it inside. It didn’t need to be aired out at all because it had no smell whatsoever. 

Using French gray milk paint on an old dresser to make it brand new again

Moving the Dresser In

Once inside, I quickly adorned it with some of my favorite decor, including the below picture of my late grandmother.

So fitting too because she was a DIYer back before the term ever existed. A flea market fanatic decades before all of the network shows.

Boy, she would have loved to have known about milk paint.

Overall, I was so thrilled with how the refinished dresser looked in our home. It was truly quite a makeover.

An amazing milk paint furniture makeover in French gray - milk paint before and after

I had plans to move this dresser upstairs and use it for extra clothing storage. However, I loved the way it looked downstairs. 

It’s currently in a corner of my living room, holding gifts and gift wrap, and I couldn’t love it more. 

Benefits of Milk Paint

If you are looking to transform an old piece of furniture or if you are just looking for a non-toxic, child-friendly, pet-friendly safe paint, definitely check out The Real Milk Paint Company. You’ll absolutely love it. 

Milk paint offers tons of colors (and you can mix even more yourself).

The paint is easy to mix and work with.

You’ll love how fast it dries, how easily it adheres to surfaces, and the beautiful finish it gives. 

Your painting projects and possibilities are endless, and most importantly, the paint is safe. What’s better than that?!

Milk paint before and after - an old oak dresser transformed into a modern gray blue dresser with silver knobs

Furniture redos are simple to do. With just paint, sometimes a light sanding, and new knobs, you can completely change an old item.

If you are checking out old pieces of furniture, check out yard sales, flea markets, Craig’s List, thrift stores, and of course, the curb 🙂

Yet, make sure that the furniture you choose to flip is a solid wood surface. You’ll be able to do more with it if it is a quality wood piece.

Also, make sure your piece is sturdy and doesn’t wobble. There’s nothing like getting home with a new chair or dresser only to find out it wobbles. 

I hope this milk paint tutorial helps you with your furniture flip. 

More Posts You’ll Love

  • Milk paint is absolutely gorgeous on raw wood! We used white milk paint on our mudroom makeover, and it couldn’t be more beautiful. 
  • This tutorial gives you all the tips on how to use milk paint on raw wood. It’s even easier than using it over wooden or painted surfaces.
  • If you are looking for a simple DIY project, make your own hook rack. It’s super easy and you’ll get more storage. 

How to Build a Hexagon DIY Planter Box

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One of Ash’s favorite meals is a simple pot of rice and beans – but he gives it a little kick with a hot pepper called a wiri wiri pepper. It’s a Caribbean hot pepper, so it’s hard to find around here.

Luckily, Ash’s mom had a plant to give him. She was happy to pass it on because they were having trouble growing it in their soil.

That’s how the wiri wiri pepper plant on our fireplace came to be.

But here’s the ridiculous part – Ash didn’t have a planter around, so he looked around the garage and ended up planting it in a fish bowl. It’s even more ridiculous that the fish bowl wasn’t meant for fish – it was originally going to be a helmet for a robot scarecrow.

So, it was only a matter of time until I suggested a proper planter with some drainage, rather than the silly fish bowl. I was thinking we could make a collection of planters too, so I could plant some herbs. The wiri wiri pepper was growing really well on the fireplace, so why not try my hand at a little indoor garden.

How to Build Geometric DIY Wooden Planters for an Indoor Garden

How to Build a Hexagon DIY Planter Box

While thinking about a creative DIY planter box to make, I remembered how much our toddler loves (and I mean LOVES) shapes. Rather than asking people their favorite color or favorite food, he asks them what their favorite shape is.

And, he can rattle off everyone’s favorite shape: “Grandma loves triangles and daddy loves triangles and I love hexagons and mommy, she loves hearts.”

So, rather than making a couple ole rectangular planters, we decided to be a little creative with shapes for our DIY planter boxes.

How to Build DIY Planter Boxes in the Shape of a Hexagon

With DIY planter boxes, you can either fill the box up with dirt or just conceal a pot inside.  Putting dirt directly inside the box requires the use of certain types of wood (like cedar) or protective stain treatment (I highly recommend a non-toxic stain if growing herbs).  Without this, the wood may start to rot quickly.  Since we had a lot of scrap pine board cutoffs in the garage, we went the simplier route and decided to just hide a terracotta pot inside our hexagon planter box.

Materials

  • 1×8 board, 6′
  • 1/4″ plywood sheet (2’x2′)
  • wood glue
  • finishing nails

Instructions for Building a Hexagon DIY Planter

To build a hexagon DIY planter box, we needed six identical wooden segments to make the six sides of the hexagon.

Then for each segment, we needed to bevel the edges at a 30 degree angle so that they could fit together seamlessly to form the hexagon. Bevelling the edges was a breeze with our table saw.

How to Make a Hexagontal DIY Planter Box for an Indoor Herb Garden

Once we had 6 segments, it was time to connect them together with wood glue and finishing nails.

We used a clamp (our handy JawHorse) to hold the segments in place to help with this process.

Here is Ash applying some wood glue to a segment:

Using wood glue to make a DIY planter box in the shape of a hexagon

Next, we pressed another segment against the glue, and used two finishing nails to hold the pieces in place while the glue dried.

Then, Ash used his finishing nail gun to speed up this task.

Using a finishing nail gun to make DIY planter boxes

Here is a finished segment:

How to build a wooden DIY planter box for an indoor herb garden

Segment by segment, the DIY hexagon planter started to take shape. When all the sides were connected, it was time to cut out a base for the wooden planter box.

To make the base, I traced the outline of the hexagon against a plywood sheet.

How to Make a Wooden DIY Planter Garden Box

With the assistance of a clamp and a jigsaw, I cut the hexagon out of the plywood. I had to hold the plywood very firmly as I ran the jigsaw through the wood.

Making a hexagon DIY planter box

To attach the base to the planter box, we used more wood glue and finishing nails.

The hexagon planter box was mostly done at this point.

Hexagonal planter box made of wood

How to Build a Triangular DIY Planter Box

The triangular planter box was very similar in design to its hexagonal planter box cousin.

The main difference was the number of segments – I just needed three. The segments still needed 30 degree bevelled edges to make a seamless triangular shape.

I repeated the steps I did for the hexagon planter box, producing this nice triangle planter box.

How to Make a DIY Wooden Planter Box in Geometric Shapes

Finishing the Planter Boxes

As with most woodworking projects, you’re not done until you give everything a good sanding.

So I used my random orbital sander to smooth all the edges, making the planter boxes easy on the hands to handle.

How to Build Geometric Wooden Planters that Fit Terracotta Planters

I haven’t decided if I am going to paint or stain these DIY planter boxes. Check back next week for an update – along with an updated picture of the wiri wiri pepper’s new home.

And as a bonus, here’s a picture of the wiri wiri pepper in the fish bowl 🙂

Creative Planters for Indoor Gardens

 

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor in Just 10 Minutes

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Make this easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft to decorate your home. The materials for this craft are simple and you can make it in 10 minutes!

I love decorating for St. Patrick’s Day for so many reasons. First, I’m almost 100% Irish. Second, I love decorating with shades of green.

And third, I feel like St. Patrick’s Day is the beginning of spring. The greens make everything look so happy and vibrant.

The problem is that it’s hard to find St. Patrick’s Day decor that isn’t cheesy looking, so I almost always make my own.

Today, I’m sharing a super easy St. Patrick’s Day DIY project that you can do in just 10 minutes.

Easy St. Patrick's Day Decor - DIY shamrock picture

St. Patrick’s Day DIY Decor Craft

This DIY shamrock picture is very simple to make, and it turns out so pretty! The materials for the St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft are listed below – but if you’re a crafter, I’m sure you can find this materials around the house, making this a zero dollar project. 

Light green shamrock against birch tree background in a framed print - perfect St. Patrick's Day DIY craft decor

Materials for the DIY Shamrock Decor

  • Card Stock  or Scrap Book Paper in patterns you love
  • Scissors
  • Glue 
  • Picture Frame (or you can make one – tutorial coming soon!)

Instructions for the DIY Shamrock Decor

These four simple steps will show you exactly how to make this DIY shamrock picture frame.

Choose your Scrapbook Papers

First, I looked at what materials I could use for the background, and I settled on scrapbook paper. 

I had a book in my collection from my sister’s bridal shower last year. Many of the patterns weren’t touched – and I loved them even more than when I originally bought them.

scrap book paper for DIY shamrock decor

I chose one scrapbook sheet for my background – it was one that looked like a birch tree, and I chose another one for the shamrock. This one was light green. Both sheets of scrapbook paper looked textured but worked well together.

I also tossed around the idea of using fabric for the background, but I liked my scrapbook paper options better than my fabric options. I try not to make extra trips to the store because that takes the fun out of using what you have 🙂

If you choose fabric, then just attach your shamrock with mod podge instead of glue.

Choose a Picture Frame

Next, I looked around the house for a picture frame that would work. I had this simple heart (below) up as decoration for Valentine’s Day, and I loved how the frame was deep and there wasn’t any glass.

I always take the glass out of frames if my pictures are hanging in a place where they constantly glare, or if I’m hanging them in my kids’ rooms. 

Also, I thought about making a simple frame. It would be super simple, so I’ll probably do a tutorial on this soon.

DIY heart picture

Make & Attach Shamrock

After, I had chosen my picture frame and my scrapbook paper, I got started on my shamrock. 

How to draw a shamrock?

You can draw a shamrock really easily by just drawing one heart. Then cut out the heart and fold it in half vertically. Trim as necessary, making sure the heart is symmetrical. 

Then, I traced the heart on the back of my background scrapbook paper. Then, I turned the heart sideways and traced it two more times, creating a shamrock. I added a stem, and the shamrock was done. If you need help drawing your shamrock, I have a shamrock in my free Resource Library that you can trace. It’s easy to google and print a shamrock too 🙂

How to make a shamrock from a heart - DIY St. Patrick's Day decor

Cut your shamrock out. Use a good pair of scissors – it’s worth having a nice pair of scissors for crafty projects rather than your junk drawer scissors.

Making a shamrock craft for DIY St. Patrick's Day decor

Trim Your Background & Attach

Next, you’ll trim your background to fit perfectly inside the picture frame. 

Make sure to measure carefully so you aren’t wasting your scrapbook paper.

DIY St. Patrick's Day craft decor

After that, just glue your shamrock to your scrapbook paper and place in the frame.

Making a shamrock on a faux white wood background for DIY St. Patrick's Day decor  

It’s definitely a very simple St. Patrick’s Day DIY decor craft. The cost of the DIY shamrock decoration was zero dollars because I found all of the materials for this decor craft around my house. I love a DIY where you can use things you have.

DIY St. Patrick's Day decor - framed shamrock print you can make in 10 minutes

Cute St. Patrick's Day ideas - easy DIY wall decor craft

But, the best part is definitely that you can easily remove your shamrock and reuse for the next holiday.

A bunny would look perfect, wouldn’t it!?

 

DIY shamrock decor

If you’re looking for another DIY St. Patrick’s Day craft, check out this easy burlap banner.

How to Make a Simple DIY Hook Rack

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There’s one room in my house that just drives me nuts.

No organization, nothing pretty about it, and it’s not functional for our family.

This room – our mudroom – needs a complete overhaul. I mean knocking down a few walls, fresh flooring, wall paint, and a complete rearrangement.

It seems like such a big project, so we’ve been consistently putting it off until summer…summer of 2016, then summer of 2017…. and here we are in 2018. So this year is the year. Mark my words!

I decided to get started on the mudroom makeover with little tasks to make the room more functional. Plus, knocking out some of the little things always makes a large task seem smaller.

First things first, there’s nowhere for coats or bags – except a hat stand in the corner, which just makes the room look messier.

So, I decided to make a simple wall-mounted hook rack for coats, scarves, and bags.

How to Build a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack

How to Build a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack

One of the things that drives me crazy about our mudroom is that it’s so disorganized. Since my project list for this year revolves around keeping an organized home, this is the perfect place to start.

So, I killed two birds with one stone by grabbing a piece of scrap wood from the garage and using that to make this simple DIY hook rack. One less piece of wood laying around the garage, and hopefully less coats and bags around the mudroom.How to DIY a Hook Rack

Materials for the DIY Hook Rack

  • Piece of wood – I grabbed scrap wood from the garage that measured roughly 5″ x 24″.
  • Paint or stain – I stained this piece with homemade stain!
  • Four hooks – I picked them up at Home Depot – but these hooks are similar.
  • Sander – I used my random orbital sander to restore the scrap wood to its former beautiful self. I used my saw horse clamp in conjunction with this.
  • D-Rings – You can pick these up for a couple of bucks from the hardware store
  • Screwdriver, Ruler, Pencil, and Sharpie

How to make an easy DIY hook rack in minutes!Instructions for Making the DIY Hook Rack

Now for the instructions on how to build a wall-mounted hook rack – and I’m sure you’ll find it quite simple. First, I grabbed a piece of scrap wood that looked like it would nicely fit four hooks. It was roughly a 5″ x 24″ piece.

Sanding the Scrap Wood

I put it into my saw horse clamp, so I could easily sand it down. It was a little beat up from laying around the garage.

Next, I used the random orbital sander to smooth the wood. This is one of my favorite tools because it does a very even and consistent sanding job. I used 80 grit sanding paper for this task.

Sanding down scrap wood to make a DIY hook rack

Not only did I sand both sides of the DIY hook rack to-be, but I also rounded the corners with the orbital sander.  Rounded edges add a nice touch of professionalism to any piece.

They are also easier on the fingers because they remove any splinters or coarse edges. If you have a router, you can take it a step further and bevel the edges to really impress your friends.

Making a wall-mounted DIY hook rack

Staining the Hook Rack

Next, I stained the hook rack. I used a homemade wood stain made from pantry items – which I am loving! I stained it right on my kitchen table with no gloves.

What a treat to use a completely chemical-free wood stain! 🙂 Check out how I made this homemade wood stain.

How to Make a DIY Hook Rack with Homemade Wood Stain

Marking the Hook Rack

After the stain dried, I lined up my hooks evenly and marked where they would go with a pencil. I measured about 3 1/2 inches in from each side and place hooks there. Then, I evenly spread the remaining two hooks in the middle.

I used a ruler to line the bottom of the hooks up. Then, I put a dot with a sharpie in the center of each screw hole.

I got perfectly even hooks – without using a calculator 🙂

Make an easy wooden coat rack for your entryway

Applying a Finish

Next, I sealed the hook rack with Annie Sloan clear wax. One day I will make my own from beeswax 🙂 Once that dried, the DIY hook rack was ready to have the hooks attached.

Attaching the Hooks

To attach the hooks, I simply used a screwdriver. The wood was soft, so there was no need to pre-drill. I used an electric screwdriver to get most of the screw in. Then, I just tightened them with a regular screwdriver.

This was partially because of the awkward angle caused by the hooks. However when working with soft wood, it’s always a good idea to use tighten up your screws manually with a screwdriver. With a power tool, you can too easily overdrive a screw in soft wood resulting in no grip at all.

Making a wooden hook rack from scrap wood

In attaching the hooks, I realized that the screws that came with the hooks were too long. They would have gone right through the wood. We had smaller screws in the garage, but they didn’t match the hooks. (See mis-matched pic below)

So, I had two options.

How to Make a Homemade Hook Rack

Screw Option 1

Use the screws that came with the hooks and then use the dremel or oscillating multi-tool, to clip off the ends.

Screw Option 2

Use smaller screws of a different color and then paint the screw head to match the hook.

I went with the latter option and painted the screw head with acrylic paint. I mixed black with a little blue and then dabbed it on with a very thin brush.

Perfect for beginner woodworkers - DIY Hook Rack

Mounting the DIY Hook Rack to the Wall

In mounting the DIY hook rack to the wall, we had two options.

Mounting Option 1

The first was to use D-rings at the back (these come with most mirror/frame hanging kits). This option didn’t alter the front of the hook rack at all.

Mounting Option 2

The second option was to drill a hole on both ends of the hook rack for wall screws, and plug the heads with caps.

I opted to use the D-rings because I wanted an unblemished surface without any caps.  If you end up using caps, consider getting wooden ones and stain them to match the rest of the hook rack.

How to Mount a Hook Rack to the Wall

Time & Cost

This project took me about an hour, if you don’t include dry time. The scrap wood was free, as well as the staining materials. I did have to purchase some D rings from the store for $4 and the hooks for about $10.

DIY Entryway Projects - Build a Scrap Wood Hook Rack

It’s already adding so much organization to our mudroom, and it is just the beginning of the mudroom makeover project. 2018 will definitely be the year. 🙂

Making a DIY coat rack from scrap wood

How to Make a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack from Scrap Wood

 

 

Make Chemical-Free Wood Stain (With Kitchen Ingredients)

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I was picking apples at the grocery store when my toddler asked, “Mommy, are those organic?” I laughed, thinking how he repeats absolutely everything he hears.

My husband and I have really made the push toward more natural and organic living, and it started in our kitchen.

While purging the pantry the other day, I was ready to toss some instant coffee. Before it hit the trash can, I wondered if I could use this to stain wood.

I’ve heard of staining wood with tea and steel wool, but I was interested to see if I could make a chemical-free stain.

Long story short, you can make a chemical-free, natural stain using just a few items from your pantry. Not only does this homemade stain save you money but it spares you from working with harsh chemicals.

How to Make Your Own Chemical-Free DIY Wood Stain -Natural and Organic

Making Homemade Wood Stain that’s Chemical-Free

If you are looking to save a few bucks or to avoid the smells that come from store-bought wood stain, follow these simple instructions to make your own DIY wood stain. It’s simple and easy – and you get great results!

DIY Wood Stain Materials

I experimented with a bunch of mixtures to see what kind of colors they produced, and I encourage you to do the same. Write down the mixtures you make, so you see what you like and can easily replicate it. Below I’ll be sharing the mixtures I created. However, color could vary based on the brand and type of ingredients.

  • Scrap wood – I used a piece of pine leftover from another project
  • Coffee – I used two types – just a regular instant coffee and a special caramel latte.
  • Cocoa powder – I used Hershey’s Special Dark (because that’s what I had on hand)
  • Tea – I used just a regular black tea
  • Hot Water
  • Mason jars or bowls for your mixtures
  • Paint brush, foam brush, or rag for applying your stain

Pictured below is my setup, with all of the mentioned ingredients.

Making a homemade wood stain from ingredients in your pantry

Making Wood Stain from Coffee and Chocolate

I gathered all of my materials ahead of time. With two little ones, DIY time is hard to find. So, I had all of my ingredients ready to go and jumped right into the project while my toddler was finishing up his dinner. I use every minute of the day 🙂

First, I put on a pot of tea, so I had piping hot water to use to mix the wood stain. I decided to make three mixtures. So, I filled three masons jars up a little more than halfway with the hot water.

In the first mason jar, I dropped four tea bags in.

In the second mason jar, I put two heaping spoonfuls of regular instant coffee and one heaping spoonful of cocoa powder.

DIY Wood Stain fro Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate

And, in the third mason jar, I put two heaping spoonfuls of specialty coffee (caramel latte) and one heaping spoonful of cocoa powder.

Making DIY Wood Stain from Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate

I mixed each of them up and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.

As I was waiting for the mixtures to gain strength, I thought about how awesome it was that I could stain the wood on my kitchen table AND with my kids around! No awful fumes and no exposure to chemicals – such a win!

Not to mention, the coffees and chocolate smelled lovely – and when my little guy was done with his dinner, he helped me “paint.”

How to make DIY wood stain for free with ingredients from around your house

After that, I simply used the foam brush to apply the stain to the piece of pine scrap wood. The first coat was really light. You can use a hair dryer to speed up dry time, or just wait and keep reapplying.

I did three or four coats of each. Just don’t let your mixtures sit out for days – because they might grow some strange stuff inside.

Pictured below is an image I snapped after the first coat.

How to Make your own Wood Stain

After a couple more coats, I was starting to see some nice colors come through.

Below is picture I snapped while the wood was still drying.

How to Make Natural DIY Wood Stain with Kitchen Ingredients

DIY Wood Stain Results

I left the piece to dry overnight and was surprised to see how the wood dried. The DIY stain looked awesome!

As far as each of the three mixtures, I found that the tea barely changed the wood color.

However, the tea would make for a GREAT homemade pre-stain, rather buying store-bought pre-stain filled with chemicals.

The wood absorbed the tea really nicely and worked just like a pre-stain would.

How to Make Chemical-Free Wood Stain for free!

The two coffee mixtures were really close in color when they dried, yet I was pleased with both of them.

If you are aiming to make a darker stain, you can experiment with adding more chocolate and coffee. Just remember to write down what you did, so that you can do it again.

Seal it!

If you’re making this wood stain for a project, definitely seal it afterward. You can make a DIY stain sealer with beeswax or there are a few more natural options too. I like Annie Sloan’s furniture wax, but I’ll be DIYing a beeswax sealer in the near future.

Making Wood Stain that's homemade, chemical-free, and natural

I’ll be updating this post to let you know how the color has held up – so check back for updates.

Also, if you would like to see a project featuring this homemade wood stain from coffee and chocolate, check back later this week for my DIY hook rack project.

If you are trying to make the switch to more natural ingredients in your home, try experimenting with this homemade, chemical-free wood stain.

The wood stain is free if you have all the common household items. If you don’t, you won’t need to spend more than a few bucks. Save money and spare yourself the fumes from regular stain. Your nose will thank you 🙂

How to Make Your Own Wood Stain for less than $5

8 Ways to Find Time for DIY Projects (Even When You Have a Hectic Schedule)

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If you ask my husband, he knows it makes me crazy when he says he didn’t have time to do something.

You didn’t put the trash out? (as it’s overflowing and the dog is licking the sides of the can…)

Sorry, didn’t have time.

Can you change the batteries in the smoke detector? (after it’s been beeping for a few days…)

Yeah, I’ll have time later.

Even though I know how busy we are, the time excuse makes me crazy.

Why? Because the way we keep our schedules, if you want more time, you have to make it. 

And you can, if you manage your time well.

I first learned to manage time when I was waitressing in college. For the first few weeks, I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Then, I eased into a routine.

While one table was waiting for their food, I would head off to take another’s order, stopping by the beverage station to grab a refill for a third table, and extra sugar packets for a fourth.

I definitely put those skills to use when I started teaching classes of 35+ kids in the inner city.

After all this, I thought I was awesome at managing time… until I had my own kids.

Nursing a newborn while potty training a toddler had me feeling the same way I did when I was a new waitress in the weeds.

However, I have learned if you manage your time well, there are so many ways to find extra time in a hectic schedule.

And, extra time means more time for all those DIY projects you keep pinning. 🙂

How to Find Time for Side Projects and DIYs

How to Find Time for DIY Projects

With the follow eight tips, you’ll be making  extra time in your crazy schedule – in no time 🙂 You’ll be amazed at just how much more time you will have.

 

1. Get up an hour earlier

I know what you’re thinking.

You already set snooze as many times as you possibly can, so how can you get up earlier?!

I felt the same way… until I did it.

Getting up an hour earlier gives you time to work on your projects.

The chance to work on your project first thing is a great motivator to get you out of bed.

Or, start your day (throw dinner in the crockpot, get the day’s chores done), to free up that hour later for your diy projects.

It’s so peaceful in the mornings. The house is so quiet that you’ll never sleep in again.

2. Cut some things out

You know when you are throwing a party and the day of the party, you still have a long list of things to do?

Then some guests show up early. And, the rest of the list goes out the window.

And you know what?

No one noticed anyway.

Think about your day, your week, your schedule. What things can you cut out – that wouldn’t be noticed?

Maybe you start vacuuming once a week instead of every other day.

Maybe you really don’t need to do laundry every day?

If you can cut a couple things out of your busy days, you’ll dust off some much needed diy time.

3. Let kids work with you

Have little ones and a project you’re dying to work on?

You can actually manage both at the same time. Simply set up a little station for your kids to work too.

If you’re painting a piece of wood, give them something to paint too.

If you’re sewing a craft, give them some fabric to play with or color.

My toddler LOVES our craft time. He usually picks up all of my scraps and makes things with them. He put together a bunch of foam scraps into the shape of a train the other day.

While my husband wondered what I was teaching him, I got a solid hour of craft time in while spending time with my toddler. 🙂

Working alongside your child inspires creativity and gives you quality time together.

4. Delegate what you can

I LOVE to delegate.

Why?

Because the job still gets done – but not by you. 😉

Maybe your husband can take over dinner or packing lunches a few times a week.

Kids can start making their beds or doing their laundry.

Maybe your mom or a mommy’s helper can come watch your little ones while you get some DIY time.

Think about your schedule. And find a few ways that you can delegate some of your tasks.

Delegation is definitely a win-win that you can benefit from.

5. Organize your project ahead of time

There’s nothing like FINALLY having time for your diy project, and then you can’t find the painters tape, or the ribbon you wanted to use, or the tools you need.

Or, maybe your workspace is covered in junk.

Or, maybe you can’t find the website with the instructions (or the pin you thought you pinned).

Take a few minutes during the day and get your project, your workspace, and your instructions organized.

Read through the instructions to familiarize yourself with the steps (it’s like pre-reading – can you tell I was a literacy teacher?!)

When you finally have the time, you can jump right in.

6. Multi-task, multi-task, multi-task

Talking on the phone?

Get the dishes washed. Delete your emails. Steam the floor.

Have a slow eater in your family?

Clean up the kitchen while they’re finishing up. Make the kids lunches for the next day. Write down your shopping list.

As much as you want to relax, using this time wisely lets you cross TWO things off your list, instead of one. How’s that for productivity?!

6. Put the devices down

Even though I manage my time well, my cell phone is my downfall.

I check Facebook, then I see what’s trending on twitter.

I look at the news, my instagram feed, and of course, reply to all my text messages.

Yet, once I started realizing all of the time I was wasting, my mind was blown.

All those minutes add up into hours a day. Those hours across a whole week – the number was insane.

Even though I love to relax by checking my phone, I would much rather be spending this time on my DIY projects.

7. Use wait time to the max

During my college orientation, one of the deans gave amazing advice that I still follow today.

He said that in the next four years, you will find yourself waiting a lot.

Waiting for that awkward amount of time in between classes – where you have more than a few minutes but not enough time to go back to the dorm.

Waiting for professor’s office hours to start, waiting for your study group to show up, waiting for class to start.

He said that all that time adds up – so use it wisely.

His advice undoubtedly applies to more than just college.

Waiting is a big part of life, especially with kids.

So use those few minutes you are waiting in the school parking lot to answer emails or make a hair appointment.

It will make your to do list shorter later – giving you more time for your projects.

How do I start?

Pick just one or two of the above tasks to work on.

You’ll soon start to see that you’ve freed up some time for your DIY projects.

With your hectic schedule and the constant running, you will finally have time for yourself and the projects that you’ve been dying to start.

 

How to Create a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

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My sister PK is sharing a cute little craft puzzle that she gave our little guy. Not just a puzzle, it had a sweet request for her upcoming wedding. Below she shares the details so you can make your own 🙂

I love a good excuse for crafting. With my busy schedule, I feel like I never have a reason to make fun things. So when an opportunity arises, I jump on it.

I recently got engaged to be married, and I could not pass up the opportunity to make some sentimental gifts for my immediate family members, who have always known they’d be included in our wedding.

Backtracking a few years, Eileen and Ash decided to announce their first pregnancy with a surprise photo puzzle. We all love puzzles and thought nothing of being given a puzzle to complete.

Totally clueless, we worked on the puzzle and were completely surprised and excited when we figured out it was a pregnancy announcement for our sweet little nephew.

Fast forward to present day, our nephew just loves completing jigsaw puzzles. He assembles 100-piece puzzles with ease and a lot of excitement, shocking the adults around him. If the puzzle has numbers or letters, he recites each, one-by-one.

It’s endearing and sweet and helped us decide exactly what we wanted to do to ask him to be our ring bearer – with a custom jigsaw puzzle!

Make a custom puzzle with a message

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

I looked at various DIY puzzle products and wandered around the craft store for quite some time to decide on the best materials.

Then I found a pack of 9 plain, wooden puzzle pieces that were 2.5 inches – ready to decorate!

I grabbed two just in case and went looking for some letter stickers.

I decided on stickers from the scrapbooking section, about 1.25″ in height, in a very dark navy blue so they would be in a good contrast with whatever I decided to paint behind the letters.

Materials

  • Wooden puzzle
  • Acrylic Paints
  • Alphabet Stickers – like these
  • Xacto Knife
  • Sand paper
  • Paint brush
  • Scissors

How to Make a Custom Puzzle with a Cute Message

Planning the Wedding Message

I anxiously assembled the puzzle pieces and was pleasantly surprised at how well they fit together out of the package. A few were snug but I knew I wanted to sand them down to be safer for my nephew’s hands.

I also couldn’t wait to test out the letters, so I cut out each letter of our intended message to place over the square puzzle before getting the sandpaper.

The three rows of pieces easily fit:

Will you

be our

RING

bearer?

I ran out of lowercase Rs, but I improvised.

Cute Gift Ideas for Wedding Party

As awesome as I thought it looked, it was really missing the personalization of all of our names!

Then I remembered I got a second set and I could easily add one more row of pieces.

So, I combined the two sets to make a larger puzzle.

Sanding the Rough Edges

These new pieces were not as easy to fit with the rest, but I was ready to get sanding!

I grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and smoothed each side and divet until each piece fit well with its adjacent piece and made sure each pair worked well whichever one was placed in on top.

Painting the Puzzle Background

While working on the letters, I decided to paint a landscape of a grassy hill on the pieces, just like our ceremony venue! I gathered my painting supplies and assembled the now 12-piece puzzle on a few layers of newspaper.

Then, I painted a cartoonish outdoor scene with colors overlapping the puzzle pieces so each looked unique.

I made sure to paint lightly to avoid getting excess paint in between the pieces. It was quick-drying acrylic paint, but I let it dry overnight before placing the stickers.

Next, I took the pieces apart and sanded some of the pieces again as needed for one final run before placing the stickers.

I cut more of the excess white off the back of each sticker for a better idea of the background before calling it a finished picture.

Attaching the Letters

Ready to go, I grabbed a book slightly larger than the puzzle for easy transport later. Then I pulled off the backing of the first letter and not entirely to my surprise, the outline was much thicker than I thought.

I immediately pushed all of the letters closer to the center of their row then placed the first letter more to the right than planned.

Make a custom gift puzzle for kids

After adding the letters, I placed another hardcover book on top and put the two books on a table puzzle-side down. For good measure, I added another stack of books on top and let it sit overnight.

Making the Puzzle Piece Letter Cuts

Next, I grabbed an x-acto knife to carefully slice the stickers between puzzle pieces. This was a daunting task, but I was very happy at the level of sanding I had done.

I originally thought I would have to turn the puzzle over and run through each, but it was not necessary!

Making a customized puzzle craft

(first row omitted from pic)

To secure it once more, I put the pieces unassembled under a stack of books again. I left it for a day while I decided how to box up these pieces!

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle - Perfect for kids

If you’re looking for a unique gift idea for your wedding (like us) or just a simple craft to make for the kids, these custom-made jigsaw puzzles are cute as can be and very simple to make 🙂

 

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

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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.

Nativity scene string art on wood

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

White DIY string art nativity scene on wooden board

Nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the star on a wooden board

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.

Nativity scene homemade drawing on paper

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.

Marking the nail holes on the nativity scene string art sketch

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.

Marking the nail holes on wood for the nativity scene string art piece

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

Nail holes marked on wooden board for nativity scene 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.

Marking the holes in the wood for the nativity scene string art

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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.

Wooden string art project ready to start stringing

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:

Hammering silver nails on the wooden board for DIY string art nativity scene gift

Nailing into the string art board for DIY string art project

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.

Wrapping string around nails to create nativity scene string art project

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. Using string and nails to create a beautiful string art nativity scene Finishing up wrapping the string around the nails on the DIY nativity scene string art project

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.

Placing the finishing touches on the nativity scene DIY string art project

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.
  • Tying the ends of the DIY string art as the final touch

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

DIY nativity scene string art on wood held in front of colorful Christmas tree

Here is a close-up of the star:

String art nativity star in white on a wooden board

White string art nativity scene on wooden board

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 🙂

DIY nativity scene string art with pinecones and twinkle lights

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. 

DIY string art nativity scene on wood

8 DIY Gifts that You Can Easily Make

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Hands down, the holidays are my favorite time of year. Growing up, my sisters and I loved making creative DIY Christmas gifts for our family members.

I remember painting small scrap wood blocks to make buildings for my dad’s hobby train setup. I drew signs on each of the buildings and stores, naming them after our family, such as Momma’s Art Studio and Bridget’s Bakery.

More than 20 years later, my dad still has these little buildings.

Years ago, I made everyone in my family crocheted scarves handpicking the yarn and style for each person. This past weekend, my mother-in-law was visiting and was delightfully wearing the cranberry red scarf I made her so long ago.

That’s the thing about homemade presents – they become such cherished gifts. So much more thought and time goes into them that they really do become treasured.

8 Creative DIY Christmas Gifts

So today I’m sharing 8 DIY gifts that you can easily make this holiday season – along with a homemaking bundle that you and your family members will love. These can be easy homemade gifts for friends or family or even kids.

Creative DIY Christmas Gifts for Anyone

Homemade Lamp from Anything

Did you know that you can make a lamp from anything? This DIY lamp was made using a model train! How cool is that?!

The idea came from an old fisherman’s lamp that my dad repurposed into a lamp that he would enjoy. His train-collecting friend loved it so much that my dad made another one from scratch. It was simple to make – and we have really thorough, easy-to-follow instructions here.

If you have someone in your family that’s difficult to shop for, think about their hobbies, and turn one of their interests into a cool lamp. This is a perfect homemade gift for friends or family members.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from Anything

Gorgeous Canvas Wall Art

If you are looking for an easy DIY gift that looks store-bought but has creative charm, make these homemade canvases.

First, find some cool wall stickers (we love the wall stickers from My Wonderful Walls). Then, paint a few canvases. Let them dry and then apply the stickers. You can also adorn them with washi tape or letter stickers – the possibilities are endless.

I made the ones below for my toddler’s big boy room. I included the letter stickers in an effort to get him to start spelling his favorite vehicles. 🙂

We have a full tutorial here – along with links to the products we used.

With this easy DIY gift, you’ll have beautiful wall art in a matter of minutes. These are great creative Christmas gifts that kids can make for mom or dad – or that gifts that siblings can make for each other. It’s also a great gift idea for craft lovers to make.

Using Wall Stickers to Create Cool Wall Art

Themed Homemade Gift Basket Ideas

One thing people love is a thoughtful gift. And, giving homemade gift baskets enables you to be so creative and thoughtful.

But I’m not referring to the premade gift baskets that you buy online or from the stores. I’m talking about one that’s hand-picked and made with your recipient in mind.

Homemade gift baskets are without a doubt my favorite gifts to give – I love everything from picking out the basket to finding creative gift ideas to put inside.

I have so many gift basket ideas on our blog – from an ice cream sundae gift to a cookie decorating gift basket.

Heck, I even made a huge list of all types of items to include in themed gift baskets. From “gift baskets for mommas” to “gift baskets for practical people,” check out the full gift basket list here.

These are easy and creative DIY Christmas gifts to make, and you’ll definitely find something for every person on your list. As an added bonus, your friends and family will love the thought that you put into this easy DIY gift. It’s a simple homemade gift idea that always goes over well.   200+ Gift Basket Ideas that aren't junk

Easy Picture Ledge from Scrap Wood

Who loves photos?! And who would love to not make a million nail holes in their walls?! These picture ledges are perfect for those on your list that cherish photographs and would love an easier way to display them.

If you have the right tools, they take just an hour to make and they look amazingly elegant.

We have the step-by-step instructions here. And, did I mention that the cost was less than $10?!

This creative gift idea could be paired with some pretty frames or gorgeous photos or a photography gift card. Or, the standalone shelves are a perfect Christmas gift too. Easy DIY gifts are simply the best 🙂

Thoughtful, Themed Photo Book Ideas

Speaking of those who love photos, we have a gift that we love to give in my family – photo books. But not just any photo book. We love making our books personal by pairing pictures with funny or special sayings.

You see, for my mom’s 60th, we made her a book with pictures all throughout her life paired with cliches and common sayings she frequently utters. For my sister’s 30th, we made a book of pictures from her life paired with hilarious Seinfeld quotes (her favorite TV show).

And, for my in-laws who have lived in a few different countries, we paired pictures from their life with sayings from those countries. To see these books, check them out here.

You can make these books scrapbook style (pictured below), or you can make them with a photo site, such as Walgreens. We’ve done both, and they both turn out awesome.

I can’t even express how much our friends and family have loved these books. The extra thought has made the books something they cherish.

Not to mention photo books are extremely reasonably priced, and they are one of the easiest DIY gifts to make. Using sayings or quotations makes it a creative gift too – that’s always so appreciated. These easy homemade gifts are perfect gifts for parents, grandparents, and significant others.

These photo books make for the perfect homemade gift!

Stenciled Wall Art

This gorgeous world map was DIYed with just a wood canvas, a stencil, and acrylic paint. Just choose a stencil and you can make a pretty piece just like this one. It’s a really thrift gift because something like this would cost a pretty penny in the stores.

Easy DIY wall art of the world map

DIY Finger Puppets

If you’re searching for an easy DIY gift for kids, these super cute, no-sew finger puppets are made from card stock and felt.

My toddler has a blast playing with these. He loves singing the Finger Family Song, so these finger puppets certainly made his day.

You only need a few materials – including a hot glue gun, and in less than an hour, you can churn out these cute little finger puppets for the little ones that you love.

These are perfect for a homemade gift for kids, or they make for a great gift that kids could make too! They are simply one of the easiest and most creative DIY Christmas gifts to give.

Perfect Homemade Gift for Kids

Homemade Hopscotch Mat

This diy hopscotch mat is simply adorable and so easy to make. It’s a perfect creative DIY Christmas gift for kids. It’s another felt, no-sew project that you can complete in an hour. The mat is perfect for indoor or outdoor hopscotch as well as the perfect reading mat for kids.

We have one of these for outside, and my kids loved it so much that we have one inside too. It’s my toddler’s favorite reading spot 🙂

I even have free printable letters for you to download – to make the tracing easy.

This easy DIY gift idea is perfect for kids – or it’s so simple that kids could help make it for others too!

How to Make a Homemade Hopscotch Mat

These 8 creative DIY Christmas gifts certainly are very simple to make and in my experience are always so appreciated! They are definitely some of my favorite gifts to make.

With these easy homemade gift ideas, you can make someone’s day with the extra thought and creativity you put into their gift this year. Not to mention, you can definitely stay on budget by saving with these thrifty ideas that make for easy DIY gifts.

In years to come, I’m sure your friends and family will treasure the homemade gifts you made, just as my dad still has his scrap wood train buildings 🙂

Black Friday Deals for DIY and Craft Lovers

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When I was a kid, Black Friday was one of my favorite days. I loved getting up early and shopping before the sun came up.

I loved all of the freebies that the stores were giving away – even if I had no use for them (how many of those Disney J.C. Penney ornaments can one collect over the years?).

And, I loved the time my sisters and I spent together shopping.

Even though everything is online now, I still love grabbing a newspaper on Thanksgiving and looking through all of the store ads.

However, I have to say that I do most of my Black Friday shopping online. The deals are incredible and you can start shopping after Thanksgiving dinner 🙂

With Amazon being one of my absolute favorites, I have put together a list of Amazon Black Friday Deals for DIY and Craft lovers. It’s organized according to when the deal goes live.

And, I’ll be updating it frequently. Please note that you do have to be a Prime Member to get these deals.

Best Black Friday Deals for DIYers and Crafters

Craft Deals

DIY Deals

Home & Organization

I’ll keep adding to the list over the weekend as I find more great deals! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!