My Creative Blog:
upcycle

Have you ever looked at your house and thought, well… this is just what it has to be. I can't do much to change it. That's exactly what we heard from Terry, the homeowner of this episode of Knock It Off. I should mention that even though she wasn't liking much about her house, she had the most meticulously clean and cared for home- I want to be like her when I grow up! Now, back to the design- Terry had dark wood everywhere (which some peeps love, but it was dragging her down), wallpaper from almost every decade, and just not a whole lot going for them… Or so she thought!

See what I mean? It's just not the kind of room that inspires you to"Be Awesome" on a daily basis. So, Jess and I decided to take this room from dreary to cheery (yes slightly cheese ball-ish) with a really fun, bright color palette.

How's that for bright and cheery and just overall awesome?!?

We love the impact an accent wall can have and after we removed the circa 1970s wallpaper, we knew that a Royal Design Studios stencil was the way to go! We'll be posting on how to remove wallpaper (we know you want our tips and tricks!) and all about stenciling an accent wall. For now, just enjoy the eye candy!

Terry's family room connected directly to this tiny sunroom she uses as an office and study area. We didn't have money for new chairs, but we were able to build a bench seat (all we needed was wood and 1 piece of drywall! Tutorial coming soon!). We tossed on a few World Market pillows that were on major clearance and we had ourselves a super inviting sunroom! I literally had to pull Jess away from this comfy seat to keep working!

We worked with furniture Terry owned, like this gem and just gave it a new sassy swaga with some paint and two pieces of hardware. If you have a piece of furniture that seems beyond dated, just try giving it a bold color paint and see what happens- it's kind of like magic!

Some of Terry's furniture we used (like the adorable table we upcycled), but other things like the huge ottoman they had, had to go. Instead, we built our own table using 2x4s and 2x6s. This piece looks so expensive because of the X frame, but it's easy-peasy to build (tutorial coming soon!).
I think my favorite thing from this episode was seeing how empowered Terry and Jesse felt. I sound all Dr. Phil, but I'm serious! They thought they just had to settle for how their house was, but now they know the awesome potential it has! Since we filmed that episode Terry has sent us pictures of other furniture they've upcycled, and she's painted her dining room walls and all the trim! Jess and I feel like proud Mamas!
So, no, we can't come to every single reader's home (we wish we could!!), but hopefully by seeing what we're doing with homeowners on Knock It Off, you're feeling like you don't need to settle either!
Here'a a little more before and after action for ya!

Hello adorable sunglasses pillow! Thanks Homegoods for always having amazing things to use in our makeovers!

See how the little sunroom flows right off the family room?

If you missed this episode, what are you waiting for? Click HERE to watch it online!
We promise we'll get all these tutorials to you really soon! I mean with our amazing intern Diana, is there anything we can't do??: ) She's the best!
What do you think of this makeover? Do you have one of those rooms in your house where you just feel stuck? Do Tell!

Yesterday we shared 25 awesome upcycle projects and Ikea hacks, but we wanted to give you some of the juicy details for a couple of the projects we actually tackled during our crazy Women's Night Out White Box Challenge.

Wall Paint Colors
First, the paint colors. Everyone always ask us what colors we use and we never remember to share! Well, this is going to change! We're even going to try to get our acts together and post our color palettes for each of our Knock it Off episodes. One of these days!! Anyway, our bland room started off with Oxford Tan (from Lowes) walls, lightened by 25%. In our 30 minute intermission, the top portion quickly got covered in Classic Teal, which is a gorgeous, rich blue. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw us use that color again- loved it!

Furniture Paint Colors
The dresser got decked out in four different colors, which really added a lot of interest. We are in love with the color-blocking trend and were excited to give it a go with these inexpensive Rast dressers from Ikea. We used Tuxedo Tie on the frame, English Tea Party on the bottom drawers, Mountain Smoke on the middle drawers and Bamboo Leaves on the top drawers (all from Lowes). Such fun colors that matched our fabrics perfectly! We definitely would have liked to build a base for our new buffet so that it would sit higher, but unfortunately, we ran out of time. So, take note if you're planning on giving this upcycle a try.: )

We shared a whole bunch of fun ideas for painted rugs, but this one that Monica did last summer is definitely our favorite: quick, easy and cute! Check out her Stenciled Outdoor Rug for the step by step deets!

This tufted Lack table turned ottoman was a big hit with the ladies during our event and it's a super simple upholstery project that any one can handle.

This past spring, I made this Ikea Lack Ottoman using the same method as above. The only difference is that we added tufting to the one we made during the White Box Challenge. It looks so good I might just have to add some to mine!
Here's the cheater way to add tufts: 1. Follow steps for upholstering the table. 2. Mark where you want to place your tufts. 3. Use a button-making kit to create some cute buttons using your fabric, or buy pre-bought buttons to use. 4. Using a staple gun, shoot a 3/4 inch staple through the fabric, batting and foam on the mark you made. This creates the tuft, without having to drill through the table and bringing sewing into the equation. 5. Hot glue your buttons in place. That's it!!

We love the way this nail head trim dressed up our plain, old white chair. They were so simple to attach and took this chair to a whole new level!

In fact, it wasn't our first time using nail head detailing- we upholstered a chair and added nail heads for one of our Nate Show episodes!

Finally, this upcycled art was definitely the fan favorite of the night. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to do and what an awesome impact it makes.

If you want to know how to make your own, Monica took this old piece of art and made a completely custom canvas for her powder room using a stencil, spray paint and her silhouette machine.

Phew! I think we touched on everything, but if you were at the event and still have questions, leave us a comment! There aren't many things that are as gratifying and budget-friendly as upcycyling. I'm serious, people. Go give it a try!

If you missed it, last week we had the chance to complete a 30 minute White Box Challenge in front of 450 women! It was so much fun and pushed our DIY skills to the max- 30 mins feels like 2 seconds when you're working on an entire space! Here's the before and after- to see the full post about the challenge, click HERE.

Throughout the evening, we upcycled and hacked our way to a completed room, but there are so many other great ideas for these inexpensive pieces, that we just had to share! So get ready for… 25+ Upcycles and Ikea hacks!

First up… the Ikea LACK side table. The Lack table is a DIYers dream because the options are endless!

Here are 3 of our favs… (Click on the number to see each full post from the source) 1…2…3…

At the event, we turned ours into a tufted ottoman! (Tutorial coming later this week!)

We LOVE the Ikea Rast dresser because it's under 40 bucks!

How fabulous are these hacks? 1…2…3…

We combined two Rast dressers, added new hardware, some metal detailing and had ourselves an awesome buffet!

Here's a generic accent chair. Ikea has lots of different styles, but left alone, they're pretty plain…

These chairs went from drab to fab with a little DIYing. 1…2…3…

We paint dipped the legs a bold orange and added gold nail heads to add a punch of style!

Rugs can be expensive! One of our favorite places to get them cheaply is RugsUSA.com, but another way is to buy a cheap outdoor rug and paint it yourself! This one was $19.99 at Home Depot!

It's amazing what a little paint can do! 1…2…3…

We added wide stripes to our rug for the white box, but in our hurry to get the room done, I may or may not have walked across the wet paint! Oops! No pics for you!

Okay, isn't this creepy art awesome?? Well, you might not have something this creepo, but you can score great art at thrift stores or upcycle a piece you already own!

Each of these projects use paint to tone down the"creepy art" factor! 1…2…3…

Here's what we did with our blah artwork…

Target and Walmart sell book shelves so inexpensively! The problem… they look inexpensive!

How about these ideas for fancying up your shelves? We love every hack Kate from Centsational Girl has ever done! 1…2…3…

Almost everyone has a dated lamp around the house- and if you don't you can get one any Saturday at a local yard sale!

Here are three fun ways to spruce up those dated lamps. 1…2…3…

For ours, we replaced the shade, added some ribbon, and spray painted the base.

Pictures of family and friends are awesome, but here are some outside the box ideas for your extra frames!

I'm a huge fan of what Lindsay did with her open frames! 1…2…3…

And what would a post on upcycles be without mentioning pallets? 2012 and 2013 were the years of the pallets!!

Here's a variety of ideas from walls, to plants… 1…2…3…

We used a pallet to make a simple shelf- unfortunately, we didn't bring any mags, so in 30 minutes… scrap paper and Bibles it was! lol!

So that should leave you on Upcycle and Hack overload!! Have you ever DIYed any of these items before? Do tell!!

As you all know, my hubs and I have been DIYing a 600 square foot patio. It's been a huge job, but it's 99% done and we're loving it! (We've even put on an addition, but our lights were back ordered so I can't give the full reveal yet-boo!)

600 square feet is a lot of space to fill and I wasn't about to go out and buy all new furniture for the space. I've had this old record player hutch (if that's even such a thing) in my basement for about 7 years now- It was just waiting to be upcycled.

This baby used to house my in-laws old record player and then eventually a boombox. It's crazy to think that now that all of my music is on a 4 inch iPhone. Anyhow, if you need any convincing that this piece needed some upcycling, I've provided you with some evidence…

One of my favorite things to do, is to look at a piece of furniture and see past the"yuck" and into the potential it has. Remember when we upcycled this dresser into an Anthro Knock off.

They key to a good furniture upcycle is to believe that anything can be changed and set some goals!

To Upcycle this piece, I had a few goals:
#1- Get rid of any and all scrolly things (I sorta loathe them)
#2- Remove the speaker fabric
#3- Paint it with outdoor paint
#4- Add some bold details
#5- Distress it (so I don't get mad when one of my 4 kids"distress" it for me)
#6- Add new hardware

Get Rid of Scrolly Things Sometimes it's easy to think there are things you can't change about a piece, but it's amazing what you can do with a jigsaw! I just taped off a straight line and cut those scrolly babies off!

Remove Speaker Fabric
I ripped off all of the lovely fabric and then had to take out the speakers. There was no magic to this step. I actually gave a hammer to my seven year old son and said,"bang away!"

I love when furniture has an industrial flair, so I cut plywood panels and covered them with chicken wire. It isn't the most fun to work with, but it's not impossible either.

Paint with Outdoor Paint
This piece was originally intended to be used indoors, so I wanted to be sure to paint it with good quality outdoor paint. I really don't love taking tons of time painting furniture, so I used Valspar's Exterior Spray Paint. It took about 3 cans to do two coats on the whole piece.

Add Bold Details
Since this piece was originally so traditional, I wanted to do something graphic and more modern as a detail. I thought a thin herringbone would do the trick.

Herringbone is super-simple!
#1- Mark out your center line. Then, measure the width you want the stripes (I used 1") and make tick marks down both sides of the column. #2- Tape off your lines. The top of the left side slants down to one tick mark below on the right. #3- Paint & Remove your tape. Let it dry and repeat on the opposite side, but shift your painted section down one, so you have the"every other" look.

Distress the Piece
You might notice that my lines weren't completely crisp in the herringbone. I was painting outside in 100 degree heat (blogger foul), but I also knew I was going to distress it anyhow. I'm not always into distressing, but I figured it was going to get banged up outside (and I have 4 kids that are pretty rough on furniture).
To distress, first I went at it with a sander with 220 grit paper.

Have you ever had this problem? I ran out of the right size sanding pads. Oops!
After sanding it down a bit, I gave the entire piece a good glazing. I actually began my glazing love affair by reading Living with Lindsay's blog (check her out it you haven't)!
My favorite glaze is Martha's Black Coffee. As you can see, I slopped it on, rubbed it around, and then wiped it off. I wanted pretty solid coverage, so I used a good bit of glaze.

After adding some hardware she was all finished and ready for the patio!

I think she's much more my style now!

All that's missing now is some cool, outdoor artwork. I'd love to hear any ideas you have in a comment. We have some insanely creative readers! P.S. I have to mention that I'm so glad to have my BFF home from vacation! A week apart feels like such a long time to us! Now that she's home, Jess is working like a mad-woman on some cool projects for her dining room!!

There's nothing like a good, old-fashion upcycle, is there? Remember when my hubs and I recently renovated our kitchen and in the process took down some of our cabinets to make room for open shelving? I know I could have sold them, but I love the thrill of coming up with a new use for something rather than having it sit around waiting for a purpose. Planters are soo expensive, and so the thought occurred to me that I could use one cabinet to make a planter box! A virtually free project makes me one happy girl.

The cabinet was nothing special to begin with. Can you see why I wanted to get these things out of my kitchen?! First, I removed the door and all of the hardware;

and then lightly sanded down the entire cabinet. I just wanted to rought it up enough so that the spray paint would"stick" to it. If your cabinet is really glossy, make sure you give it a good sanding before painting. Next came the spray primer. I used this red one because it was all I had on hand.

I used my favorite shade of blue (Rustoleum Ultra Cover 2x in Satin Lagoon) and lightly sprayed the box with three coats.

I wanted to make sure it had good drainage, so I drilled several holes along the bottom of the box. The holes are small enough that dirt won't easily fall through, but large enough for the water to seep out. There is no perfect number of holes, so drill away until your satisfied!

I also added castors to the bottom because this thing was bound to be really heavy once I added potting soil and plants and I wanted to be able to move it around whenever inspiration struck (which happens really often at my house!)

Polyurethane is your best friend when it comes to protecting any surface from water damage. I applied several coats, letting each coat dry in between. My poly is well-loved, can you tell?I've had this planter sitting on my deck for about a month now. My cabinet is partially made of particle board and is beginning to show major signs of wear. Make sure your cabinet is solid wood OR coat both the outside AND inside with at least three coats of poly. Trust me- I know!

To protect the inside of my box from damage, I lined it with heavy plastic sheeting (found with the dropcloths in the paint section of Lowe's or Home Depot), and secured it with duct tape. Then I poked holes in the bottom of the plastic sheet, again, to aid with drainage.

Then came the fun part! Filling it up with potting soil and gorgeous flowers! I love how it came together and the way it adds a pop of fun color to my deck.

For less than $15, I had a brand new planter box! Even better, I repurposed something I already had and gave it new life.

I love it even more now that the flowers have grown in. So pretty! What would YOU do with an old cabinet?

In my last blog post I discussed my basic design process for working with a unique focal element, in this case, some fantastic vintage & antique keys that I came across at a flea market last summer. I also discussed the basics of choosing complimentary materials such as beads, and the 'laying out,' or organization of the design. The following post will discuss the fabrication of those keys into a piece of unique, one of a kind piece of jewelry.
Below are two styles of necklaces made with keys:
Vertically Hung Key With Beaded Chain

Horizontally Hung Key Necklace

Materials List for both projects
Vintage Keys
WD-40 and paper towels to clean up your keys and remove rust
Coordinating wire: Brass or copper work well. For the necklaces shown, I used Beadalon ColourCraft Permanently Colored Copper Wire in Brown (20 gauge) and Zebra Wire Colored Copper Wire in Brown in 18, 22 and 26 gauge
Antique finish brass or copper chain (for horizontally hung necklace)
Antique finish brass or copper jump rings (for horizontally hung necklace)
Antique finish brass or copper clasps (toggle and or lobster-claw style)
A variety of gemstone and glass beads
Round nose pliers
Flush-cut pliers
Chain nose pliers
*Aside from the keys, most items listed above are available through Fire Mountain Gems Jewelry Supply http://www.firemountaingems.com/

FABRICATION

If you find that your keys are a little rusty, spray them with WD-40 and clean well with paper towels. Because the keys I used were a nice, rusty brown, I decided to use brown colored copper wire for my necklaces. I liked the keys hung both vertically and horizontally so I decided to make both styles. Below are the instructions for both.
Vertical Key Necklace:
beaded chain technique with toggle clasp

*For these necklace you will need to know how to make a basic wrapped loop. This is a simple technique that is basic to jewelry making. If you do not know how to make a wrapped loop, directions can be found here: http://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/beading_projects.asp?docid=652t

Step 1. Cut a 2.5' piece of wire and connect one end to the hole in the top of the key with a basic wrapped loop. (For this style I used the 20 gauge wire)

Detail of wrapped wire loops attached to key
Step 2. Place a bead onto the other end of the wire and complete the end with another closed, wrapped loop.
Step 3. Repeat your next section with another section of 2.5' wire, this time connecting one end of the wire to the previously finished beaded loop. Again, place a bead on the wire, and complete the unfinished wire end with another wrapped loop.
Step 4. Continue repeating this 'wire, bead, loop' process until you have created one entire side of beaded chain in the length that you desire. (I made each side of my necklace approx. 10', for a total finished necklace length of 21' including key and clasp.)
Step 5. Repeat steps one through four to create the other side of your beaded chain.
Step 6. Attaching the toggle clasp: When you have finished your beaded chain in the length that you desire, attach your clasp. Using the same wrapped loop technique, attach the 'bar' part of the toggle clasp to one side of your beaded chain and the 'loop' part of the toggle clasp to the other side of your beaded chain. That's it! You are finished!

Detail of toggle clasp attached with wire wrapped loops
Directions for Horizontal Key Necklace:

Step 1. Place key horizontally on table. Cut a 3' piece of wire and connect one end to the hole in the top of the key with a basic wrapped loop. (For this style I used the 20 gauge wire).
Step 2. P lace a bead onto the other end of the wire and complete the end with another closed, wrapped loop.
Step 3. Cut another 3' piece of wire and with a wrapped loop, connect one end to other, opposite end of the key, wrapping the wire around the body of the key to the inside of the key's teeth.
Step 4. Place a bead onto the other end of the wire and complete the end with another closed, wrapped loop.

Step 5. Continue this technique using 2.5' lengths of wire and beads, until you have the beaded look you want; I used two beads on one end of the key and four on the other end of the key. *Do NOT wrap the open end of the wire after your last bead.
Step 6. Cut two lengths of chain (I used two 10' lengths of chain) and now making a loop in the wire after your last bead, thread the chain onto the loop and wrap the end. Repeat with other side. Your lengths of chain are now attached to each side of your necklace.
Step 7. Attaching the clasp: At the end of each length of your chain you will attach your clasp. For this style necklace I used a lobster claw style clasp. Use a jump ring to attach the clasp to one side of your chain and complete the other side of your chain with another jump ring. You are finished!

Lobster-claw style clasp

A different color combination: Citrine and Honey Jade

Pink Rhodonite gemstone beads
If you have any questions, feel free to post them below! — Laura