Category: recycle

2019, Antiques, cozy places, decor, decor tips and tricks, decorating tips, DIY, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, farmhouse style, Fixer Upper Inspired, home style, living room, make it yourself, New uses for old things, Pin-spired projects, projects, recycle, remodel

Building a faux fireplace mantle, part 3

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Building a faux fireplace mantle, part 3

When we last left you, our beautiful antique mantle with its faux firebox looked like this:

Nothing was painted, no stone was laid. Things were kinda bare. And unfinished.

Our first item on the agenda was to paint it.

First, we caulked any cracks or areas we felt needed filling in. We painted the mantle and the adjoining boards behind it with white paint in satin finish.

Next, we installed Airstone to the surround and the bottom of the hearth.

This stuff is amazingly easy and fun to work with. Simply spread the adhesive on the back of the stones like you’re frosting a cake and press into place. You can also cut the stone with a hacksaw or circular saw.

We then laid faux slate vinyl tiles across the top of the hearth. We may upgrade it later to real slate but I am loving how this looks, and how little it cost.

We then painted the faux brick paneling with some matte black chalk paint. I just like the finish.

We still have a few areas to fill in and some trim to add, but all in all, I am loving it!

Stay tuned! The rest of our living room is about to change in a big way, and I can’t wait to show it to you!!

Have a great Monday!

2018, cheap decorating, New uses for old things, recycle, repurpose

What can you make with pool noodles?

by LumberInMyMiniVan1 Comment on What can you make with pool noodles?
What can you make with pool noodles?

What can you make with

Pool noodles are ridiculously cheap, and you can find them almost anywhere. And while most of us use them to float in a pool, there are many other ways you can use them as well. In today’s Pinterest roundup, I’d like to share some creative ideas for repurposing pool noodles.

You can use them to make a cheap wreath form for a lot cheaper than a foam wreath form.

d87fe8eaaa9db9f8a0e1cc2dad200436

Hometalk

You can use them to make a footstool for your house, or a faux stone column, or pool noodle luminaries.

pool noodle footstool

Mother Daughter Projects

stone column

Epbot

luminaries

Create. Craft. Love.

Make an obstacle course, a sprinkler, or a track for marble racing.

marble track

Sortrature

A pool noodle obstacle course would be a great, easy and cheap fun activity for your kids.

pool noodle obstacle course

PBS Kids

You can cut the pool noodles to create stamps and paint a pattern.

paint.jpg

Instagram

Next week, I’ll share how to organize your home with pool noodles. Have a wonderful weekend, and visit us here tomorrow for a GIVEAWAY!

 

2018, DIY, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, farmhouse style, hardware stores, knock offs, recycle, repurpose, thrifty decor, upcycle

Make it Monday: Easy Farmhouse Candlesticks

by LumberInMyMiniVan5 Comments on Make it Monday: Easy Farmhouse Candlesticks
Make it Monday: Easy Farmhouse Candlesticks

I love chunky, wooden turned candlesticks, but they can be costly. Did you know you can easily DIY them from materials you can find in most hardware stores?

I was in Lowe’s earlier this week when I happened upon these lovely turned table legs.

I purchased the terra cotta saucers from Rural King.

I then used wood glue to glue saucers to one end of the legs, but for the end with the screw? I chose to drill a hole in the saucers.

I learned that you can soak your terra cotta pots overnight in water and drill a hole with a standard drill bit. No masonry bit needed!

I then bolted the saucers on and painted them white with two coats of chalk paint.

I’m happy with how they turned out, but I’m thinking of cutting one of the taller candlesticks down so I’ll have three varying sizes. I love the look of these and I know they’ll look great on our mantle.

This was a DIY project that didn’t cost much, and it was easy and fun to do. I love how cute these candlesticks are as well!

Have a wonderful week.

2018, cheap decorating, Designer dupes, getting organized, organize, organizing, organizing tips, recycle, storage, upcycle

Make it Monday: How to create fashionable storage boxes from ordinary shoeboxes

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Make it Monday: How to create fashionable storage boxes from ordinary shoeboxes
Make it Monday: How to create fashionable storage boxes from ordinary shoeboxes

I apparently have a shoe buying problem.

shoebox upcycle

With two little girls who like shoes as much as I do, I don’t see it getting any better. My husband isn’t impressed by the shoe buying, nor is he impressed by my shoebox-hoarding. I just knew I could do something cool with them.

I’ve wanted to reorganize my train wreck of a craft cabinet for awhile now, so I thought these would make cute storage boxes for my supplies. I raided my craft cabinet and found chalk paint, antiqued book plates and some paint brushes. I pealed all the stickers and tags off the boxes and wiped them with a dry microfiber cloth.

shoebox upcycle 2

I gave the box lids two coats of green chalk paint. Keep in mind anything chalk painted usually has an ugly phase. Don’t let it deter you. Just wait 12 hours and apply a second coat. The picture above is after the first coat- see how streaky and thin the paint looks?

And that massive green blob at the bottom is where my unattended (only for a minute, I promise) grabbed my paint brush and paint I’d left out and got to work. A word of caution: put paints and brushes out of the toddler’s reach when you’re not using them. I’m lucky that’s ALL she painted.

green box

I then applied two coats of paint to the bottom of the boxes and allowed them to dry.

green box 2

I then attached these antiqued bookplates to the box fronts. I already had these in my stash, but you can find them at Hobby Lobby.  Side note: if you are having trouble poking holes in the shoe boxes to attach the brads, I’ve found using a grill skewer works well to poke through the cardboard layers.

When I finished, I had three sets of cute little storage boxes.

shoebox upcycle 5

And with these, I loved the bottom of the boxes and opted not to paint them. I love how they turned out! They’re pretty enough to display on a desk or bookshelf.

shoebox upcycle 4

Next time you buy shoes, don’t toss the box. Get yourself some chalk paint and book plates, and make some cute little storage boxes.

Have a wonderful week!

 

2018, cheap decorating, Designer dupes, DIY, Dollar Store crafts, Dollar Store Upcycles, recycle, rustic DIY, upcycle

Farmhouse Fridays: Dollar Tree Upcycles

by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment on Farmhouse Fridays: Dollar Tree Upcycles
Farmhouse Fridays: Dollar Tree Upcycles

I was packing up my classroom for the summer when I noticed an abundance of these things:

dollar tree upcycles 1

I used to use them a lot to organized cabinets at my old school, but I really don’t use them as much as I used to. I got rid of most of them, but looking at them gave me an idea.

dollar-tree.jpg

I already owned some white chalk paint and some book plates and gold spray paint. I peeled off the stickers, wiped them down with a little rubbing alcohol, and got to paintin’.

dollar store upcycles 3

Two coats of paint later, I decided the bright colors were sufficiently covered, and I attached these gold book plates to the bins and stacked them.

 

dollar tree upcycles 4

I’m loving them, and since I’m in the middle of shopping for a smaller desk, I’ve decided to use them in my craft cabinet in the meantime. I’ll show you all my newly organized craft cabinet next week.

Have an awesome weekend! Join us tomorrow for giveaway results and tips on simplifying your meal planning.