Easy DIY Blanket Ladder

Since I moved into my house a year ago, I've been looking for the perfect piece to cover those ugly cable cords.  There is no denying that they are always in the way and never close to the T.V.   I mean, they can really mess up a designers idea!  (Let's not even talk about all those under the T.V.)

I tried side tables with a lamp, tall stalks of cotton in a galvanized tin, and list can go on and on.   I finally came across this beautiful Pottery Barn blanket ladder on Pinterest.  

It was perfect!  The color.  The height.  The overall rustic look.  That was until I saw the price.  My jaw literally hit the floor when I saw $249 for a 5 foot tall ladder.   And, even $429 for the 8 foot.  It's only 7 pieces of wood - give me a break!   

My mind immediately began to think of how I could make my own.  After all, my dad does build houses for a living so I did have the perfect resources available.   I went to Lowe's and found a contractors pack of 4 - 2x2x8 furring strips for less than $8 and knew they would work.  Wasn't sure about the details of "how" they would work at the time but knew I could figure that out. 

My cords just go to the top of my mantel so I only need my blanket ladder to be 5' tall, adjust your height  accordingly if you're trying to hide something or if your walls are taller than 8'.  Make this special to your space!  

Supplies:

Furring Strips

Tape Measure

Pencil

Saw

Drill

2.5" screws (or wood glue and clamps if you don't have a drill)

Sander or Sandpaper

Stain

(If you click on any of supplies, it will take you directly to what I used.)

Instructions: 

Cut 2 of the furring strips 60'' long

You will be left with 2 pieces that are 36" each, cut those in half to 18"  

Mark your 60'' long strips with the first step 6" from the top and then 12" below for the others.  (I marked all of my 60" boards at once at the following inch marks - 6", 18", 30" and 42" - work smarter, not harder!) Your bottom step will be 18" above the floor.   

Lay out you ladder pieces on a solid surface.  (Tip: a 2x2 is a 2x4 just split, make sure the good grain side of wood is facing outward so you have the prettiest side available to stain)  

Screw 18" steps into place. 

(If you do not have a drill, use wood glue and clamps to secure steps.)

Excuse the poor unfinished pictures, the sun is really bright today and you can't even see my pencil marks!  

(Because I bought the contractors pack, I went ahead and made 2.  That's right, 2 blanket ladders under $8!)

Sand really well with 220 grit sandpaper 

Wipe down with a damp cloth to remove any excess dust

Stain the color of your choice

This project took less than 20 minutes from the strips on the ground to ready for stain - quick and easy!   

Allow the blanket ladder to dry 24 hours before moving it into your home.  

Now, show me how you made your own!  

6 Great Light Fixtures for the Contemporary Farmhouse under $200

Happy Friday!  Hope you've all had a great week and are excited about getting those kiddos back in school!  : )

During my recent renovation, lights were the hardest item to get crossed of my "to-buy" list.  I felt like I was about to make a huge commitment and worried would it all match in the end.  Then, I finally said to heck with it and if I liked it, I was going to buy it.  I didn't care what anyone else thought.  Too bad that wasn't my theory the entire time - I could have saved many neck pains from looking up at the ceiling trying to make a decision for hours.   

If I could give one piece of advise to anyone trying to redecorate their home, renovating, building, what have you....if you like it, that is all that matters.  It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, they don't live there and have to see it.  Make your home your happy place!  

Below are 6 great light fixtures for the contemporary farmhouse & under $200.  (Click on the picture for source)  But, if you want to get a real deal, spend Saturday mornings at yard sales or flea markets and you'll be sure to find unique pieces that will only take some paint to give you the perfect farmhouse look you've been wanting.  

Discover 5 Simple Tricks to Make Your Bathroom Look Larger

It’s no surprise when buying a home built in the 60’s that renovations are going to be a necessity but that’s the fun part - you get to make everything your own!   Nevertheless, when I first walked through my house for the first time the bathroom felt small, cluttered and a feeling of heart burn came over me.  How could I make this space appear bigger? Was it going to work?  Could it be my style?  The questions were endless since bathrooms can make or break a house but with these 5 simple tricks – you will allow yourself to create a beautiful room that everyone adores. 

Enjoy a few befores first!  

1.  Paint Color

Bold paint colors tend to make a room feel small and closed in.  Choose a paint color that is light, fresh and crisp.  I chose Sea Salt by SherwinWilliams because it instantly felt soothing and that’s exactly what I wanted my bathroom to be.  Sea Salt can be a tricky color though– is it green, gray or blue?  It all depends on how much natural sunlight comes into the room but it always beautiful none the less.

2.  Flooring

Timeless, neutral flooring is essential in making a room appear larger.  The last thing you want is a strong pattern because it will naturally catch people’s attention bringing the focus down instead of up and out.  A lot of people make the mistake of going with a super trendy floor and with the cost of flooring – let’s be honest, who wants to be replacing that every couple of years?  Not me! 

3.  Double Shower Curtains

Two shower curtains are the perfect way to effortlessly draw the eye away and creates the concept of a larger room and adds such a finesse.  I found these shower curtains at At Home, formerly Garden Ridge and they are perfect.  I love the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware style but not the price tag.  These curtains were $24.99 each and I had a 10% off coupon – so a major score, affordable and my style. 

4.  One Statement Piece

In small rooms, too many patterns and prints can become overwhelming.  That’s why I recommend only one statement piece and keep everything else simple and neutral.   Think outside the box when it comes to decorations – baskets, buffets, old drawers, shutters, antique wooden ladder, etc…  

 

5.  Mirrors

If there is one design trick I can give, it is mirrors - especially when dealing with a small space.  Mirrors essentially double your space but can be tricky to pick out.   Make sure it isn’t going to compete for attention in your space and the size is perfect.  I brought home 3 before falling in love with this one – too big, not the right color or just not the look I was going for.  Again, I purchased at At Home for $59.99.  I am a bargain shopper but mirrors are worth a little splurge. 

Now for the afters! 

As you can see, the before and after pictures are drastically different and hope that every decision will help with resell value one day.  I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result and found these 5 simple tricks to work perfectly. What is your go to design idea for the small spaces in your house?  

By hoovering over any photo, you can choose to Pin-It to your Pinterest board.  

Behind the scenes!  

Here is what the vanity looked like before.

 And choosing sinks was no easy task but I decided white was best choice!  

Family Traditions: Chalk Painted Antique Secretary Hutch

Furniture passed down from my family will always hold a special place in my heart especially since I grew up with this antique secretary hutch in my grandparents house and when my mom was asked by my Granny if she wanted it, there was no question - of course!  More like, I thought you would never ask!    

As you can see, the hutch needed some love but had amazing bones.  They definitely don't make furniture like they used too!  My mom had the perfect place in her dining room but immediately knew the color wasn't going to work.  So...she got busy picking out the perfect color, Silver Mink by Maison Blanche Paint Company at Palmetto Home and Garden in Greenville, South Carolina.  At first, I was the skeptic because I had only used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and had great results but Maison Blanche did not disappoint!  Price and ease of paint were almost identical, not to mention Maison Blanche has some beautiful colors.  

We painted one coat of Silver Mink and then a second coat of half paint, half water just for some extra coverage.  I am the paranoid one who is always scared that after I wax, the original color will bleed through so I like to do an extra coat just in case.  By mixing the paint with water, it's a great money saving trick for the second coat!  We all know that chalk paint is not cheap.  After both coats were dry, I did some light distressing and a final coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.  

Side note: I lost the 'during' pictures due to my iPhone crashing but enjoy the afters! 

When hovering over any photo, you can "Pin it" directly to Pinterest.  

All opinions in this blog post are mine.  I am not a paid, nor endorsed user of any chalk paint company.  

5 Tips for an Easy Move

Before I get started into what my blog is all about, I want to share what made this move so easy because moving can be a very daunting and labor intensive task!  

Follow these 5 simple tips to make your next move more enjoyable and stress free. 

1. Purge (And a lot of it!)

The truth of the matter is that we all have items sitting in our house that we don’t use, have multiples of or just needs to be thrown out.  Before packing anything, take your house a room at a time and really purge.  Ask yourself when was the last time you used it and have lots of trash bags handy!   (Quick Tip: I used white and black trash bags so I could easily keep my Goodwill pile and trash piles separate.)

2. Neat & Tidy Packing

A mistake a lot of people make is trying to pack quickly and just throwing random items in a box.   Take your time to really put like items together or items that go in the same room.  By taking your time, you will have fewer boxes since everything will be neat and tidy allowing maximum use of each box.

3. Label Boxes

You can never label boxes too much!  Write your contents and room on all sides and the top because you never know which direction they will get stacked and this will make for less questions and more efficiency on getting the boxes in the correct room the first time. 

4. Hire Movers

This will be the best decision of your entire move!  Trust me – gas, mileage, fatigue and time add up!  To prepare for the movers; have all your boxes ready and furniture bare (sheets, bedding, etc...)  This will allow the movers to quickly disassemble the furniture and get it loaded.  By having all the sides of your boxes labeled, when the movers go to unload, the contents and room information will be on all sides making for a quicker process.  The more organized you can be, the cheaper your bill will be since most moving companies charge hourly.  (Quick Tip: Our movers packed and unpacked our 3500 square foot house in about 4 hours.)

5. Unpack Quickly

By hiring movers, you aren’t exhausted and have the energy and time to unpack quickly.   The quicker you can get unpacked, the quicker your new house turns into a home and then everyone’s happy! 

I hope by following these 5 simple tips, it will make your next move easier and less laborious!    

New Blog, New House, New Beginnings

I am new to the world of blogging but can't wait to take you on a journey of home renovations, gardening, upcycling furniture and maybe even a few southern recipes here and there.  I absolutely love to make an old piece of furniture come back to life, seeing God's creations bloom, designing rooms with unique pieces and making true southern dishes that are lighter in calories but still big on taste.  

In March I purchased my first home that had great bones but needed some updating.  It has such character and charm on the outside and I really wanted to make sure I incorporated that on the inside.  Lucky for me, my dad owns a construction company that specialized in home remodeling so they were able to tackle the job for me.  

Enjoy a few before pictures and I can't wait to show you the finished product.