DIY Outdoor Dining Table Inspiration

With the move only a month away my list of things I need/WANT is getting longer and longer. One of the major pluses of our new backyard is 1) its size..just under 1/2 an acre in a neighborhood 2) its second story deck creates a lot of shade of the patio and creates a waterproof "ceiling" for the patio. 

When we moved out-of-state we gifted our old patio set to some friends. We currently have 2 wicker/resin chairs and that's about it. We would like to create a lounge area and a dining area. 

My first concern is a dining table set. I don't feel comfortable building chairs, but a table should be fairly easy. Here are some of the idea I am liking and where to find them.

Ana White (simple outdoor table)

Embracing Change (old door table)

Retropolitan: Plank Table

Apartment Therapy: Chris and Diana's Red Hook Rooftop

These are some of the most inspirational outdoor dining tables I have found. I am leaning towards natural wood because I find it to be a natural element outdoors. I also want something that will last a long time. Since our patio space is covered from rain and sun this will help with maintaining whatever we do! We currently have an old trestle table from Ethan Allen that I painted a while back. If I reuse that table I will have to sand it and paint it again. 

Either way, I will keep you posted. I am planning to start quite a few projects in the next 2 weeks as we get closer to move in day!

 

A Colorful Surf Inspired Re-Quilted Quilt...and a Tutorial

As I pack and plan, I am also working on lots of easy projects for the boys rooms. One of the first projects I wanted to complete was a set of quilts for my youngest son's surfer themed bedroom. One problem is that I don't really know how to make a quilt. But I had an idea. 

I had an old king size quilt that I bought several years ago from TJ Maxx. It wasn't a style I saw us carrying into the new house, so I decided to re-work the quilt into 2 twin quilts!

Basically, I took the king quilt and folded it in half. Then I pulled the top portion of the quilt over about another inch. I thought making one quilt a bit wider would fit better on the bottom bunk, and then the smaller quilt would still fit fine on the top bunk with the bed rails. Does that make sense? 

I did not measure or anything because I assumed that a king is basically two twins...I folded, added an inch to the top piece and then just cut it in half.

The next step was deciding the pattern I wanted. I had envisioned strips. I bought basic cotton material from Hobby Lobby, $2.99/yard. I bought a couple yards of teal, orange, yellow. I also bought a 1/2 yard of navy blue and gray as well. 


I folded the material over to cut a nice think strip. I used my first strip as a template and cut traced it on the material for the rest of my stripes. 

I started by laying out my stripes, alternating colors. I decided that the orange and blue stripes were starting to look like a circus tent. So I trimmed my stripes and decided to do skinnier stripes the opposite direction with an additional color. 

Once I had all my stripes cut, I laid them all out to make sure I liked the look. Then I just lay the first two facing each other and sewed a stitch the length of the material. Then I add on in alternating colors until I had the width I needed. I completed the same process for the skinnier stripes as well.


Next, I sewed the skinny sections to the wider sections and then ironed the whole thing to straighten everything out. I noticed that I could see the pattern underneath the orange and yellow stripes, so I took an old flat white sheet and sewed it directly to my old quilt. I don't have pictures of this step. 

At this point, I was ready to actually attach the new "top" onto the old quilt. I did a zig zag stitch along each color change. So the middle section had 14 long stitches and 5 shorter stitches at each end for a total of 10 smaller stitches. 


At this point, it would start to bother other people. As I was stitching the new top on it started to pucker and bunch at the edges. I was mildly irritated but let the bunching add up along the edges. When I had it all sewn to the old quilt I literally just cut off the bunching along each edge. This allowed me to have a more smooth top. 

After cutting the bunched up edges so that everything lay smooth, I noticed that my edges were no loneg even or squared. So I did a little more trimming and then decided I was going to just have to add a new back to the quilt as well so that I could hide all the imperfections. 


But first, I wanted to add a little decoration to the center of the quilt. Since his room is a surf theme, I added a navy blue surfboard shape and the shape of a shark onto the surf board. 

First I used a zigzag stitch to sew the shark shape onto the surfboard and then I used a zigzag shape to sew the surfboard onto the middle of the quilt. It was a little tedious but fairly simple. 

The finally step, I took a navy blue sheet from Wal-Mart and spread it out of the floor. Then I lay the quilt, top facing up, on top of the sheet. I trimmed the sheet to have about an inch or two all the way around the quilt. Then I folded over the trimmed edge and wrapped it around the edge of the quilt. This actually made the quilt look finished and more authentic. 

I pinned down the navy edges and then using a zigzag stitch, hemmed all the way around the entire quilt. The contrasting edge looks amazing. I love how it balances and tones down all the bright colors. It also ties into the surfboard and brings in more colors from his inspiration picture.

I also then hemmed along the surf board and the along the hem lines of the skinny stripes. This just secured the navy blue backing to the rest of the quilt better.
 

The last part did cause additional bunching, which might ruin the quilt for some people but for me, I could care less. I don't really know why I dealt with so much bunching but I would guess it had something to do with pulling the fabric through the sewing machine unevenly. 

The final completed product is great. It may not last for years and years, but it did not cost me $200+ that a pottery barn quilt would have and it matches my son's room great. 


The bunk beds are packed away, waiting for the move. So for now, my final image is just of it stretched out of the living room floor. My son is super excited and loves the shark in the middle. I washed it last night and did notice a couple spots along the shark that I will probably reinforce. Once we move and his room is set up I will update on how it fits his bed.

I am linking up to The Shabby Creek Cottage.
Please go checkout all the inspiring projects!  




Disclaimer: I do not know how to quilt, I do not measure and I do not take things being even and perfect seriously at ALL. I respect those who know how to professional quilt...this project was a way to use what I already had and create an affordable option for my sons room.

Laided-Back Beachy Vibe Boy's Bedroom

My youngest son is a quirky little guy. He couldn't be more different from his big brother. So when he picked out this surfer painting at Garden Ridge for his new bedroom, I knew I would go with a laid-back beachy vibe for his room. 

The picture is huge! His room is small. So the plan is to set up a neutral back ground and let the picture and other accessories really pop.

I had thought that maybe I would go with an aqua colored walled, but it seemed so loud and too bright. I knew I did not want white walls, and then thought I would just go with the same grey I was going to paint his brother's room. Actually, every room in my house may end up grey. 

We have a set of bunk beds that we haven't used in a while for his new room. Like I have said before, its a small room. The bunks will tucked into the back wall and take up less floor space then his current crib turned double bed! I am currently making a quilt for his bunk beds. I am making a more detailed bottom bunk quilt and will go with a simple solid color for the top bunk. I will post pictures as soon as I complete the shark/surf themed quilt.

Here is a really bad PhotoShop attempt at changing the bed to navy blue. I don't really like the orange wood tone of the current bed. I am thinking of painting it a dark blue. I don't want to ruin the wood, so I am still hesitant to start that job.   


The next step in his room is finding some storage options that do not take up a lot of space. I have several vintage suitcases that I am planning for under the bed options. They will help with small action figures, legos and such. I really like the shelves and basket idea also, but just might go with a simple toy box instead.

 Pottery Barn Surfer Inspiration 

I have two old boat oars that I would like to find a use for as well. Here is an idea for Pottery Barn that I will tweak to make work a little different but they gave me the general idea. I am planning to combine my oars with the Surf Board Hooks below...

Surfer Board Coat Rack 

Another idea that I have for his room includes a surf board from my husband's childhood. It was a gift to him, and its a white/cream color base with orange stripes and Cocoa Beach across the board. We are going to hang it all the wall like this image below:

Surf Board

Wow, that's a lot of ideas. I have 7 weeks to get as many diy projects done as possible. Between both boys rooms I am going to be crazy busy. Plus, just having a fun summer! I will post and update ideas as I complete them. If you have any fun ideas I would love to hear them.

Inspiration for Vintage Baseball and Football Boys Room!

As our Aug 8th move-in date looms closer I am planning and working on details for the boys bedrooms. My oldest son is a sports fanatic. He wants a Yankees and Steelers room and I want to give it a vintage, timeless look! So we are compromising and planning this room together. 

The first goal is to select a color scheme. With using two different sports with different colors it was a little difficult to agree on the ones to choose. 

The colors above are what I think will offer the best choice for bringing in both teams. We are going with the grey for a neutral wall color. And then do pops of navy, yellow, white and a little bit of red. 


He has a large selection of Steelers framed art/photos as well as lots of Yankee's gear! So I am thinking above his bed I will do a gallery wall. I think it will help blend in the different teams. 


Then on each opposite wall on each side of his bed I am planning to do something super fun! I found this idea online, its a knock-off of an inspiration from Pottery Barn. 

 Vintage Baseball Scoreboard 

The photo is from That Village House. She a great tutorial on the process of how she completed the project. I have plans to change it up just a little and will post as I complete this project!

The other wall opposite the baseball scoreboard will have this...

Vintage Football Scoreboard 

This scoreboard was created by the genius at Infarrantly Creative.They provide the tutorial for the baseball scoreboard and its so awesome. The only change I imagine I will make is using chalkboard paint where the scores go so that he can use it and actually write in a score!

Another idea I am trying to figure out is an actual baseball wall. But since I am planning on grey walls, I don't know how it would look. Any opinions?

Amazing Baseball Wall

This wall is so simple and creative. I just don't know how will would look with grey walls, which I am positive I want. 

I plan to create some simple jersey number signs like the one below. I will do navy for Yankee's players and yellow for Steeler's players. I will probably include these into the gallery wall!

 

  Jersey Numbers

For some other details I am making a Yankee's themed quilt for summer and he already has a Steeler's comforter for the winter. If I can find some old school lockers for a reasonable price I would love to add those as well for all of his sports gear. He has a large dresser that I will also need to incorporate into the room as well. 

So that is our plan for a vintage sports bedroom. I plan on making a lot of the diy projects now before we actually move. I would really like to have everything ready, so we can set up his room as we move in. School starts for us the Monday after moving weekend. So the more I have ready, the more settled he'll feel for a new school year at a new school! 

Bedrooms and a Guest Bath

Coming to the end of the home tour. We are scheduled to move in on Aug 8th. As we pack up and clean our rental, I am putting together plans for the boys rooms. I will be sharing ideas and inspiration for those plans as well. 

The rest of the second level consists of 3 more bedrooms and a full bath. The boys will be in the front two rooms and the back room will be a guest room/office space. 

Guest Room:

There is a door to the outside deck that I talked about in the Master Bedroom tour. This room is going to be cramped because we need to fit a queen bed, desk and treadmill in there. With the extra door space and closet bump out the room loses valuable wall space.

Bedroom #1:

 
This is my oldest son's room. He is a sports fanatic, we are going with a Yankees/Steelers themed room. I am going to make some vintage plywood signs, and a scoreboard. I am thinking a neutral grey, and then add in some sports team stuff he already has in his current room. 


Bedroom #2: 

This is our youngest son's room. He is getting the smallest room. We have bunk beds that will fit in the same spot as where they currently have the daybed. His closet is a nice size, so I may put his dresser in the closet so he has more floor space. I am re-doing some vintage suitcases for under bed storage, plus making a new toy box for large items. 

He picked out an abstract surfer painting from Garden Ridge, and I am basing the design around the colors in the picture. It will have a beachy laid back vibe for sure! 

Bathroom:

Here is the bathroom that the boys and guests will use. Its a great size, has lots of linen closet space, and I love that it has double sinks!Eventually I will paint the bathroom but its not really on the radar anytime soon! 


That is the entire tour! Thanks for looking! 

Home Tour: Master Bedroom and Master Bath

On with the tour! This will be a tour of the master bedroom and master bath. The room space is a good size, though its fairly bland. 

The door on the far right, is the door to the hallway. The doorway in the middle leads into the master bath area. But if you look closely, you will notice there is no door. At least not in the vanity area. A closer look shows a better view:

Standing in the doorway, you see that while the vanity is somewhat open to the bedroom, the shower and toilet area have a door, which is straight ahead. That space also has its own linen closet. To the left you will notice another door, that leads to the walk-in closet. 

I have huge plans for the doorway leading to the vanity area. I am thinking barn door! Super excited. An example of my idea you can see at House Tweaking. 

House Tweaking Barn Door

Another fun feature to our bedroom is a door leading to the second story deck. Our bedroom and what will be the guest bedroom have access to second story deck that spans the length of the house. 

Standing in the doorway leading out of the master bedroom. At the far end of the deck is a door leading to the guest bedroom. The deck is also not two toned, it was raining and the lighter boards were still dry from the over hang. 

That is basically the master bedroom and bath spaces. Basic, but I thinking adding a barn door will add some fun to the room. And the access to the deck will also be fun.

A Pop of Color: Chair Re-do!

A simple chair re-do. I have had these chairs for several years. I found them on Craigslist for $40 for the pair. I have covered the leather several times before, but this time I went for a major change. 

Before:

 

I primed them with whatever primer I had in the garage. Then I gave them several coats of avocado green paint. I used some batting to fluff up the seat cushion, then used spray adhesive to secure the fabric on smoothly. The fabric came from JoAnne's. 

The AFTER:

 

It was a fairly simple project, but adds tons of color to the room. We are moving at the beginning of Aug and these will be placed on either side of the fireplace or in the den. Either way, I think they will add tons of color and fun to a room! 


Linking up to: Funky Junk Interiors

Home Tour: Entryway, Dining and Den

The last Home Tour was the back of the house. The open kitchen and living spaces. This tour I will focus on the front of the house, including the entryway, dining and den areas. 

This is the entryway. Simple, no frills. I like that is has tile down that hallway, but I don't love the basic builder grade beige carpet. 

This is the den, to the left of the stairs. The french doors open into the living room. This may be my favorite room in the house. I love the doors and built in bookshelves. In a dream world I would turn this into a library. But in reality, we need somewhere for the kids to call their space. The bedrooms are not huge, so this will double as a play area. They are 8 and 5, so the term playroom doesn't really apply. We will put their wii in here as well  as board games, legos, etc. However, since this is at the front door, storage will be a huge job to tackle. 

 

This image shows how open the room is to the entryway. It doesn't even have an actual doorway. So the two spaces flow right into one another. I am thinking a sofa, storage ottoman/coffee table. We have a tv cabinet with doors, and I will put that along this wall with the railing. All the open shelving with lots of baskets with lids will help contain toys! 

I want the boys will find this room comfortable and fun. I know I will need some type of a play surface, and maybe a desk for their computer.  The opening on the other side of the stairs is the dining room. 

From the hallway looking into the dinning room, with the entryway. Its a basic size, though there is nothing spectacular about the dining room.

The previous owners used the dining room as an office. We will use this room as a dining room, though I don't see us doing anything super special. In all honesty it will get used when family visits and holidays. 


So that is the front of the house. The den is currently my favorite room in the house. Though the yard and outdoor space is what sold us on the home. We have almost 1/2 an acre in a neighborhood. We are so excited. The next house tour will involve the master bedroom. It has an interesting, odd feature that I have an exciting idea about!