repurpose Archives - Lumber in My Minivan

2020, make it yourself, outdoor spaces, outdoors, Personal, projects, remodel, repurpose, Wood crafts, Woodwork, yard

Repurpose and Remodel: Restoring a Handmade Porch Swing

May 29, 2020by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

My grandfather was an excellent carpenter. He and his brother built me many neat things over the years but my favorite is this porch swing.

It’s handmade, solid wood and heavy. In fact, it’s so heavy that in the 15 years since he built it for me, I’ve never had a place to hang it. It’s been in my mother’s basement for years.

As you can imagine, 15 years in a damp basement takes its toll. We had several rotten slats and a rusted chain. We were blessed the frame was still in good shape .

I promptly ordered the things I thought we would need and I got to work replacing the slats that were rotten or warped. I toyed with replacing all the slats but since some were in great shape, I decided against it.

I then gave the whole swing a good sanding with my orbital sander and removed the rusty chain.

I then put two coats of primer and one coat of paint on the swing and replaced the chain with a new one.

My mom got me this arbor for my birthday so I could hang the swing. It’s very pretty and very sturdy. And we know the song isn’t hanging straight- the arbor isn’t exactly level yet. We haven’t anchored the arbor yet because we are waiting to put down some pea gravel to deal with the mud. We also want to cut those bushes but there are birds nesting in them, so we want to wait until they leave.

I’m so excited to have this swing at my house- finally! I miss my grandpa so much so I am happy to be able to have this gift he personally made for me. It looks so pretty hanging from the arbor. It brightens up our yard quite well!!

I can’t wait to finish this area so I can show it to you!!

2020, budget decorating, decor, decor tips and tricks, decorating tips, farmhouse decor, lanterns, recycle, repurpose

Shop Your House: Don’t buy new, repurpose instead

May 8, 2020May 8, 2020by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

Have you ever had something in your house that you love, but due to its age, it doesn’t look as good as it used to? Or maybe it’s not something that doesn’t look usable anymore but you can’t bring yourself to get rid of it.

At our wedding eleven years ago, we lined the sidewalk of our reception hall with lanterns hanging from shepherd’s hooks.

I have about four of these sitting in my garage right now.

It’s faded. There’s candle wax melted in the bottom of it. It doesn’t look so hot. But you all know about my love of spray paint.

I covered the glass with painter’s tape and got to work. I put two coats on my cute little lanterns.

I let them dry for about 24 hours. The finished project looks pretty great. Next week, I will show you how they turned out, and where I am using them.

2020, crafts, DIY, projects, recycle, repurpose, rustic DIY, Woodwork

Scrap Wood Challenge: Adirondack tables

April 27, 2020by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

This week we are once again sharing a scrap Wood challenge, but as my husband pointed out, is it really a challenge to build something from an Ana White plan? After all, she makes it so easy.

And what is a group of Adirondack chairs without a side table? I truly did challenge myself with this one, as I did not use any kind of plan. I simply figured out how big I wanted the table and went from there. I didn’t really think I’d need a plan, as a table really isn’t hard to build.

You will need:

4 2×4’s cut to 15 inches (45 degree angle on each side)

5 1×4’s cut at 17 inches

4 2×2’s at 18 inches

2” wood screws

1. I began by cutting my 2x4s to 15 inches at 45 degrees on each end.

You will want your cuts to be in the opposite direction.

2. Make a “picture frame.”

Then, drive your screws at an angle to join the edges.

2. Flip it over and attach the slats at 1/4 inch apart.

3. Flip it back over and attach the four table legs.

4. Flip your table over

And now you can sand or paint it any way you like!! Hope you enjoyed!

2020, cardboard, closet organization, closets, closets, closet organization, kids rooms, DIY, New uses for old things, recycle, repurpose, upcycle

Reuse and repurpose: Five new uses for cardboard

April 13, 2020by LumberInMyMiniVanLeave a Comment

We seem to always have a lot of cardboard around here. When our kids were younger we had diaper boxes. Now we have boxes from Amazon purchases and Christmas gifts. And with two daughters and a shoe fetish of my own, we have tons of shoe boxes. Whether it is a big box or a shoe box, there are so many creative and useful ways to reuse a shoebox.

1. Stylish storage container from a shoebox

Take a shoebox and paint it or wrap it in pretty paper. Add a name plate and you have a cute and useful storage box. It’ll look great on your desk.

2. Diaper box closet storage bin

These cute bins are made from wrapping diaper boxes in fabric and decorating them with ribbon.

These super cute matching bins were made from diaper boxes, spray adhesive and fabric. They’re sturdy and roomy, and best of all, FREE! Don’t they look cute?

3. Make a hamper from a y’all box

This donation hamper was made from a tall skinny box…using the same fabric and ribbon as the diaper box bins

This one is just like the diaper box bins. With just fabric, spray adhesive, some ribbon to hide the seams and a cute label, you can have a cute new hamper. This is not for wet clothes, though. Only for dry items.

4. Cute notebooks or scrapbooks from cardboard

These are made from cardboard, card stock, pretty patterned paper and scrapbook binding posts.

I have made these many times to sell but also to give as gifts. Just take cardboard and cut it to your desired size. Use pretty patterned paper to cover it and spray adhesive to make it stick. Then, secure the paper to the cardboard. Create pages from card stock and a hole punch. Then, attach the cover and secure the binding posts through the covers and the pages. These make great journals, notebooks, photo albums or scrapbooks.

5. As a weed mat for your garden.

Raise your hand if you hate pulling weeds. I know I do! Save yourself some time by lining your flowerbed or raised bed with flattened cardboard. It’s biodegradable and it will not hurt your plants.

I hope you have enjoyed these ideas! What do you do with your cardboard?

2020, Bathrooms, budget decorating, decorating kid spaces, DIY, farmhouse, farmhouse decor, farmhouse style, getting organized, Hobby Lobby, kid spaces, kids rooms, repurpose, rustic DIY, Wood crafts

DIY Reclaimed Wood Coatrack

February 26, 2020by LumberInMyMiniVan4 Comments

I needed a spot to hang towels and robes in my children’s bathroom. I had a perfectly good blank wall, but I knew I wanted to do something prettier than just install hooks on the wall.

I already had some adorable shabby chic hooks from a recent Hobby Lobby sale.