Earlier this year by friends over at Scotchblue asked me to create a 4th of July inspired project, which sort of started the whole campy obsession.
To do this project you will need:
Glass Dish
Candle Stick
ScotchBlue Painters tape
Square Punch
Scrubber Pad
Scissors
Paint
E6000 Glue
Start by punching out squares from your ScotchBlue tape. You can use scissors to cut it or a square paper punch to make them more uniform. Cut your squares in ½ to make triangles.
Stick them to the inside of your glass dish (for ultimate wipeability)
Paint over the glass and peel your tape off.
Using a scrubber to rough it up your triangles a little to make it feel a little more rustic because, lets face it perfection is boring! Make sure you do this before your paint has a chance to fully cure, it will be dry but not fully adhered to the glass (with in the first 3 hours of painting)
I found on old thrifted candleholder that I used for the base. I wanted the project to feel like summer camp so I went with a Pendleton stripe on the raw wood. Paint your widest stripe first, once its dry tape off your second stripe and so on. Make sure that you are using ScotchBlue Delicate for this step (when you are taping of fresh paint you want to take extra precautions to make sure your paint isn’t peeled off!
Once your paint is dry use E6000 to glue the dish and candleholder together.
Put your favorite festive treat on top and enjoy!
This project was created in collaboration with ScotchBlue Painters Tape. Project ideas and opinions are 100% Mandilicious.
I love when you are mindlessly wandering around the hardware store and you see something that triggers an idea that turns into an awesome project. Enter the Wood Shim Stamped Curtains.
Obviously I needed curtains in my bedroom (because they are just so pretty!) and the spaces on the sides of my bed are sort of huge and I need to be visually minimized a little.
Ikea is my go to curtain source. They have much longer lengths than most stores and their prices are fantastic.
When you are painting fabric you have a lot of different options depending on how you want the fabric to feel when you are finished. I have tried a lot of different things and here is my recipe for the best durability and most softness.
To start this project you will need your paint mixture, wood shims, and Bounty Paper Towels.
Make sure to mix your paint in something that is big enough to fit your shim.
Dip your shim and start stamping!
Make sure to wipe off the build up that you will get on the sides as you go (probably every 3 dips or so) to prevent splatters.
Let your curtains dry for 48 hours.
Set the paint with heat for 30 seconds, and while you are at it iron out all of the wrinkles.
For my curtain rod I used a 1” copper pipe that I cut (just like this) to the right size. I am still working on how to cap it.
Halejulah. The green monster is DONE. After having a paint flub last week I worked out the kinks and finally have all of the walls in my bedroom painted.
And glory glory do I LOVE IT. (Can you tell I am feeling a little patriotic today?) It is the exact shade that I was picturing in my mind when we set out on this real time makeover journey.
I was still concerned when I went back to Sherwin Williams that the color swatch (Country Squire) was too light so I had them mix in 75% of the white from the formula (instead of 100% of it). It TOTALLY helped with coverage and lightened it up just enough.
Please pardon this horribly grainy picture, but this is what it looked like at 1 am with both colors on the wall.
Not a huge difference but all the difference in the world.
Painting around the board and batten is always a fun task. Creating a smooth even finish on your boards is hands down the most important thing. It also makes the process really long and boring. But its worth it.
My trick? Use a roller with a really short nap when you are painting the boards. It reduces the amount of texture that you leave. I used one that had a 5/16” nap (the same length that I use when I painted the concrete floor.)
One other tip that I have is to go slow (gah! I know it is the worst.tip.ever.) but you will inevitably get build up on the edges of your boards and that will leave ridges and not look so cute. So in order to prevent that from happening, check the area after you roll it and smooth down any lumps.
You guys. I was really hoping that my first real time bedroom post was a stunner…but alas it is struggling a little.
A few months ago Jenny painted her guest room this SUPER dark teal called Bavarian Forest (in her pictures it looks more green than it actually is in real life) I loved how dramatic it turned out and stashed the uber dramatic green away in the very large and cluttered design file in my mind.
Fast forward to the bedroom makeover. I knew I wanted something dark on the wall behind my bed because of the fun headboard project I have in mind. My first thought was my go to dark gray that I have used here and here. It would be really great to mood up the room a little and let the headboard be the shinning star that it is.
After thinking about it for a while (approximately 5 minutes) I decided I needed something with more color. So my mind then went to a dark navy. Which I considered for a lot longer (approximately 10 minutes) and decided that navy wasnt right either.
Then I remembered the dark green that I had filed away so many months before. So I called my MIL (she is my sounding board when it comes to all things design) and she gave me the thumbs up.
I went to Sherwin Williams and had them custom mix a color for me. I took their darkest green (Country Squire)and had them take all of the white out of the formula to make it even darker.
Which created 2 problems.
1. When I woke up this morning my wall was almost black with a green tint.
And 2. The white sort of stabilizes the formula and helps with the coverage. Who knew? I am super excited to get the new formula up on the walls and see how it looks.
So I am pulling out the white flag on the painting post I mentioned on FB that I would have for you today.
I am heading to Sherwin as we speak to get the regular color with no modifications.
One thing is for sure. I am not giving up on the green.
When I was designing the Summer Reading Nook, I was envisioning something that was sort of vintage campy. You know big canvas tents, really basic shapes, the kind of thing that when you picture a summer hideaway it instantly pops into your mind.
This tent can be done 2 different ways. You can make it permanent or removable. Living in Southern Utah we get rain maybe twice a summer. Its very very dry here, so I wasn’t worried about the drop cloth being damaged in the weather. So my tent is permantly attached to the nook. If you want to make yours removable, you will just need to sew the drop cloths together. Super simple.
You will need:
(2) 9×12 Canvas Drop Cloths
(2) packages of curtain grommets
(4) Large Screw Eyes (pictured below)
20 Feet of Sisal Rope
We are going to start by attaching the screw eyes to the 4×4 posts.
Drill a pilot hole into your 4×4. The eyehooks are very thick, if you don’t do this you can risk splitting your entire post.
These are the screw eyes that you want. You can find them at Home Depot or Lowes and they are around $3.00 each I believe.
You should be able to screw them in by hand, but if it is getting really tight and they need to go in deeper, my favorite trick is to put a screwdriver through the hole and use both hands to turn it.
Now that you have your corner where the fabric needs to reach. Measure the distance from the pitch of your roof down the roof line to your screw eyes (write down that #). Then measure from the screw eyes to the ground. You are measuring for your canvas roof so make sure to add a couple of inches to your measurements, you don’t want it to be too short. Oh and I wanted mine to puddle, so I added 5 extra inches to the wall measurement. To make the roof/sides you will need 2 drop cloths that are 9×12. Each one will run you around $25, but Sherwin Williams has some on sale right now for $14.99.
Of course the greatest way to get huge pieces of fabric for a fantastic price is to grab a drop cloth. These things are one of my favorite cheapy fabrics because they are durable, a neutral color and huge. Oh and cheap. (Did I already mention that?)
Lay your drop cloth on a flat surface. Mark your width and height and cut your fabric to that size.
Fold your drop cloth in 1/2 hot dog style (OMGosh remember that?!)and mark where the pitch of the roof ends (where your screw eyes are)
Now we are putting on the grommets. Attaching grommets is VERY easy. And when you are don’t you are going to have something that reminds your kids of shipwrecked Ariel…at least that is what my girls thought. I found my grommets at JoAnn’s. They are regularly $10 but use a 40% off coupon. You will need 2 packages.
With your drop cloth still folded in 1/2 figure out the width between each grommet. Divide that # in 1/2 and draw the first mark on the side with the fold. The distance between each of my grommets is 15” so my first mark is 7.5” from the fold. (Doing it this way saves time) then mark the full spacing (15”) between each grommet across the rest of your drop cloth. Line each mark up to the center of your template and trace.
Cut through both layers of fabric when you are cutting out the template.
Place the backside of your grommet on and then snap the front on.
So easy right?!! If you are making your tent removable this is the point that you will want to sew it together. Also you will want to hem the raw edge with a sewing machine or with hemming tape.
Tie a large knot in your sisal rope and string it through your screw eyes and all of the grommets. To tie the second knot is definitely a 2 person job (one to tie and one to hold the rope taught.)
We attached our fabric to the crossbar with a stapler along the top.
Hope this inspires you to make something fun for the little (or big!) kids in your life!
You.Guys. As I was writing the tutorial for the Outdoor Summer Reading nook/Playhouse post I was HORRIFIED at the pictures that I had taken. I guess full sun and full shade in 115 degrees for 8 hours will do that to you.
They were that bad.
So I am trying to figure out a way to salvage this tutorial, when one of my great friends Rayan from The Design Confidential offered to help me. This girl is LEGIT. Her site is full of amazing building plans with step by step instructions (think Ana White but more modern and West Elm-y) I pretty much I owe her my 3rd born (no, this is not a pregnancy hint) and undying love and devotion. So huge huge thank you Rayan!
Now lets get on with the fun.
This is a very simple build. The finished size of the playhouse is 5 feet x 8 feet.
You will need:
(2) 2×8’s @ 60”
(3) 2×8’s @ 96”
(4) 4×4’s @ 60”
() 2×6’s @ 60”
(2) 2×4’s @ 37”
(2) 2×4’s @ 41”
(1) 2×4 @ 93”
(13) 2×6’s @ 60”
(2) 2×6’s @ 50”
(1) 4×8’ Sheet of Lattice
(12) Corner Braces (pictured below)
(2) 90 degree angle braces (pictured below)
(6) 2×4 braces (pictured below)
1 Box of 1 1/2” Deck Screws
1 Box of 3” Deck Screws
Start by building your base box with the 2×8’s. This makes it a really great height without needing to put in a step. It will measure 60”x96”. If you have a Kreg Jig, use it to attach your boards together, or if you are like me and live in the stone age you can just use deck screws.
Next you are going to attach your 4×4’s. Make sure they are nice and flush with the corners of your box. Use corner braces (pictured below) to attach the 4×4’s to the box.
One you have your posts up, attach the center joist to the box using the same corner braces.
When that is all done, its time to attach the 2×6’s that will be your deck floor. They need to be cut at 60” long. If you have a way to transport it home, buy 10’ boards to save the most money and waste. Start by attaching your first board directly behind your corner posts so that it sits flush.
Space your boards as you are attaching them (we used a screwdriver) and screw them directly to the base. Also if you need to stagger the boards (if you have to use 2 to make up the 60” width) just make sure that it is centered on your joist.
To fill in the gap and add a little flair to the ends of the floor, I left a little bit of an overhang to make it more step-like. Cut these boards to 50” to fit between your 4×4 posts.
We made the pitch of the roof as absolutely simple as possible. First things first you will want to buy (2) 90 degree braces that looks like this (also please note the baby Preying Mantis that apparently wanted to be famous.)
The boards are not mitered at the top to form the 90 degree angle, but you will need to miter them at a 45 degree angle to fit flush on top of your posts. Also you will need to cut a 90 degree angle off of the end of the 45 to make it line up with the end of your 4×4. If that is confusing, look at Rayan’s sketch below, this is why she is a professional folks.
(It is really easy if you assemble the entire roof on the ground and then put it on once it is built.)
Attach your brace to the pitch
Then attach the 2×4 brace to the backside of the front pitch and the frontside of the back pitch. You may need to read that a few times.
Now place your 2×4 cross bar in the braces.
Before you can put on the roof you need to attach braces to the top of your 4×4’s.
Use every ounce of energy you have left (just kidding, its actually fairly light) and put the roof in the braces that you just attached and screw it into place.
And TADA! You have the entire structure built!
If you are planning on attaching lattice to the backside, you will need 1 4×8 sheet. Cut it down to size and attach it to the bottom half of your Nook.
We attached the remainder to the pitch of the roof and then used a Sawsall to cut the excess off. Lattice is really thin and delicate, so be careful with it. One thing that you will notice when you are attaching it to the pitch, is that the corners will come up short on the bottom, because its just not quite wide enough. Use the extra scraps to lengthen the pieces that wont quite reach. (Sorry I don’t have a picture of this process, it was dark when we were finishing up!)
