Make Your Own Shutter Lantern

March 26, 2019March 25, 20192 Comments

Good morning! It’s actually spring! I’m so happy we will be seeing some warmer weather! We still have some rain, but at least it’s warmer! I am finally able to get a few projects done since I can work in the garage now.

I always have bits and pieces laying around and usually, I can come up with a project sooner or later. 🙂 I have had these shutters for awhile and decided to make a lantern from them. Actually, my husband made it, I just came up with the idea! I think he did a great job!

The first step was to attach the shutters together. Steve used 1 x 2’s to attach the edges on both the top and the bottom of the shutters.

He also added 1 x 2 pieces across the top of the shutter and used a leftover piece of flooring for the bottom.

Four more pieces were added around the top edges with 45 degree angles to finish it off. Steve used some pallet wood scraps.

You can see here that more 1 x 2’s were added to the edges.

I love how it turned out! It is very tall and makes a great statement piece. I used Minwax Wood Varnish Golden Oak on the wood pieces. I couldn’t believe how closely it matched the shutters.

The candle looks great flickering through the shutter slats.

I added a few more coastal touches- another lantern with fairy lights, a couple of starfish, a couple of oars, a whale and a fisherman net.

It makes me ready to go to the beach!

I’m so glad you stopped by today! Thank you! I hope you all have a great week!

Here are a few other posts you might like:

Master Bedroom Vintage Dresser Makeover with a White Wash

March 11, 2019March 9, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! I’m back this week with a mini makeover! I have been trying to decide what to do with this dresser for quite awhile now. I had scrolled through Pinterest and did searches looking for an idea for a mid-century dresser that wasn’t too mid-century. So easy, right? This dresser had been my aunt and uncles, then my sisters’ when we all lived at home and has been mine since I got married. I’m not sure of the exact age.

When we first got it, it was painted dark brown. My husband sanded it all down and then we just left it as is. The wood is very soft and dirt and oils had absorbed into the wood.

I think this darker spot was from some candle wax.

My cat also decided to use this corner as a scratching post.

Since the wood is so soft, I was able to sand it by hand and all the dirt and oils came off pretty easy.

The scratches were a little more difficult. Some of them were pretty deep. I sanded as much as I could, but I would have had to sand a lot of the wood away if I was going to get it as smooth as possible. I left it like this and thought it would work out okay.

I used Benjamin Moore Simply White and watered it down. You can’t really tell in the picture, but it is pretty watery.

I used very little on the brush and even wiped some off before I started painting.

Once my brush was ready, I started brushing it over the surface until it all looked even.

I would still like to do something with the mirror and my husband is working on some kind of frame. I’ll let you know what happens with it!

Doesn’t it look so pretty!

I love the wood grain on here!

This little vintage dresser was my moms and aunts when they were little girls. It held their doll clothes and all my cousins and I used it too whenever we played at Grandma’s house. I use it for jewelry now, but it holds lot of great memories.

I added a few turquoise touches and my seashells.

I’m really happy how this dresser turned out! It was a nice simple refresh for the bedroom. Thanks for coming by today!

Here are some other posts you might have missed!

Pink, Yellow and Orange Spring Porch

February 26, 2019February 25, 20194 Comments

Good morning! I’m a day late, but I made it today! Did you do anything exciting this past weekend? I helped out my animal shelter at the adoption event at PetSmart on Saturday. We had two different adoption events happening and ended up with 18 dog adoptions! So happy for these furry friends!

I was finally able to get my Christmas stuff (!) off my front porch and make it a little more spring like. It’s been hard to get out to fix it up between rainy days and really cold days, but we finally had a nice weekend, so I got busy!

I always change up my chalkboard for the season.

Aren’t these the boots the cutest? These were my daughters when she was three. She wore them EVERYWHERE!! Even to church! Only when you are 3, right?

This is my favorite bunny friend. She is definitely ready for spring and for some fresh carrots.

I used to sing this song to my girls when they were small. Some of my preschoolers sing it too and it brings back such sweet memories.

I used a Dollar Store scarf and tied it around a small pillow form. This is a great simple way to bring some color to any room.

I try to fill this wicker box with flowers for each season. I usually use Dollar Store flowers out here because they tend to get faded and dirty. This way I can replace them easily and not be out too much money.

It is supposed to rain again this week, so these boots would come in handy. If I was 3. And had little feet. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you all have a great week!

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Pink and Gold Valentine Tablescape to Share With Your Sweetheart

February 11, 2019February 10, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! It’s Valentine week! I decided to set up a little table for two in front of our little faux fireplace. It’s a nice cozy place to have a special dinner.

valentine tablescape title

Since this is Valentine’s week, I thought I would share a sweet story with you.

valentine tablescape

A couple of summers ago, my daughter and I were driving home on a very hot summer day, when we spotted a dog running loose in a church yard. Well, being the dog lovers we are, we turned around to go back. There was no way we were going to leave it out there.

valentine tablescape pink, gold and shite hearts, flowers, candles

After we turned around, we saw another dog running loose in the church yard too. I called my husband, who was just getting home from work, to bring some leashes and some water for the dogs.

valentine tablescape chevron dog plate valentine tablescape dog plate

My daughter and I walked over to where we saw the dogs, and started calling for them. The road next to the church is very busy, so we wanted to be very careful and not scare the dogs into the street.

valentine tablescape pink, white and gold

One of the dogs came right up to my daughter, and when he walked up, another dog popped out of the bushes. Now there were three!

valentine tablescape candles and hearts

We were able to catch the two dogs pretty easily and placed them in the air-conditioned truck with water. The third dog was a little more difficult to catch, but she was just scared and finally decided she wanted to be with her other friends and allowed us to catch her.

valentine tablescape letters and cards

We brought them all home and found the home for one of the dogs immediately, but the other two we ended up taking to our local animal shelter. They had no micro-chips and so we left them there for the required days until we could take them to our friends’ no-kill shelter. Both dogs were really sweet and we know they would be adopted quickly.

valentine tablescape love letters

Once they were at the shelter, I was able to visit them quite often. The little girl dog went into heat and was put into the infirmary until she could be fixed.

valentine tablescape faux rose centerpiece

I would go into the infirmary when I visited, take my girl out of the kennel, and just hold her in my lap. She was so sweet! She would sit with her head on my shoulder for at least 45 minutes and not even try to get down or run around.

valentine tablescape dog plate rose napkin

Needless to say, I was falling in love.

valentine tablescape faux pink roses centerpiece

I talked it over with my husband, but he was concerned about how our older dog would react to bringing another dog home. We already had our 12 year old and two 2 year olds. Do we really want another one?

valentine tablescape heart pillow

I knew my husband was right and so whenever I went to the shelter, I tried to stay away from the little girls’ kennel. It was so hard! She would bark and whine at me every time she saw me!

valentine tablescape candles, flowers

I was trying to be so strong and tell myself she would find the perfect furever home. The first weekend in August, my daughter and I went to visit my sister for a couple of nights. On the last day, it was my anniversary.

valentine tablescape valentine mantle

Around noon, I got a text from my husband with a picture of a leash and collar at the shelter and my husband saying Happy Anniversary! I did ask, just to be clear, is there a dog attached to that? The answer, yes! My husband knew how much I loved that little girl, and had gone and adopted her for me.

valentine tablescape rose centerpiece

Here is my sweet Magnolia Grace! Her first name is the name of the street we live on and Grace is the name of the church we found her at. She is still the sweetest girl and loves to cuddle. Just look at this sweetie!

Maggie is so full of love! She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She has been the perfect addition to our home. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Driftwood Wreath

February 4, 2019February 3, 20193 Comments

Good morning! I’m back today with another driftwood project, or maybe it’s another wreath project! You can see my other driftwood projects here and here and here and here. You can find the wreath projects here and here.

I had the idea to make a driftwood star. My husband cut out a wooden star for me, but when I started to lay the pieces on, I realized I didn’t have enough small pieces of driftwood. So I poked around in my garage and found a large piece of cardboard I had been saving. I figured it would work for a driftwood wreath instead. I tried a few different things to trace for my circle, and ended up with this bucket. I traced the outside of the circle first. It measures about 16 inches.

Once I had the outside circle traced, I turned the bucket over and centered it as close as I could. Then I traced the inside circle.

I cut around the outside circle first and then poked a hole in the middle and cut the inside circle. Now I had a cardboard form for my driftwood to be attached to. The edges don’t have to be perfect, since the driftwood will cover it up.

I started with the bottom layer, using bigger pieces and laying them around the edges. Once I had it the way I liked, I hot glued them on.

After the bottom layer was secure, I started adding in smaller pieces to fill in the top layer. I kept adding until I could no longer see the cardboard and it was filled in nicely.

I felt like it needed a little something more, so I added one starfish to the bottom. I hung it on an old window I have sitting on my faux mantle. The perfect coastal touch!