Gallery Wall + Tutes & Tips

It's done!!! Was this the longest gallery wall transformation in the history of all gallery walls or what? How did I do the wall, you might ask? Well, thanks for the inquiry. Let's see, first I purchased the frames in 1 fowl {fowl or foul? I can never tell} swoop, from Ikea. They're mostly the famous Ribba with a few dark brown Fjallsta frames thrown in for contrast. Total, they cost less than $80.

Gallery walls are super popular  now {or maybe they always were?}-but the whole reason I did mine was this annoying thermostat. There it is, right in the middle of the wall. One big eye sore right there at eye level. I mean right smack dab in the middle of the wall, right where you may want to hang a large mirror with a wreath on it. Hmmf. No getting around that sucker. So instead of being angry at thermie, I embraced my thermie. I became one with it. You hear that? Embrace your thermies, people!

Planning the layout was rather arduous. First, I had to lay out all the frames on the sales floor at Ikea. Couldn't really tell which ones would work so I convinced my handsome husband we "needed them all". With a shrug and a hug, the frames were in the car {snug}!

Next I used this fantastic wall tutorial on Pinterest? Have you any of you checked this out? If you haven't, you should! It uses wax paper to help line up the frames and keep track of where the nails should be placed. So, I used that.

Well, no that's a lie- I saw the tip way after I started my wall. But I would use that, if I did one again! And you guys probably should!

I used the butcher paper you get free from Ikea -you know, the paper they let you take to protect your  breakables? Yeah? So I used that stuff to cut out out squares correlating with the frame sizes.

 Next, I hung those cutout papers on my wall. This makes it super easy to mark where the nail hole should be right on the paper. Go ahead and hammer the nail right through the paper, it's easy.
I don't know about you- but trying to hang a bunch of frames straight & level horizontal lines is one of my least favorite things to do. So the papers are worth the extra effort.

 Once I'm all hung up, I use a level and some mounting putty to make sure none of the frames will shift when people walk by or if when you dust, hee, hee. Mounting putty is like 2 bucks, a little goes a long way, and it's reusable.

Ta da! All the "art' was handmade and I blogged tutorials for each of them. So if you are curious, feel free to check out my many, many projects. I was able to incorporate personal details for the hubs and for me, that makes all the difference. One of the many reasons I love DIY! Plus, I find that when I DIY, I AMSWM {Appreciate My Stuff Way More};-)

So here's the tally:

Apiary Sign made from salvaged wood, using a transfer technique-$0

Restoration Hardware Blueprint Art Knock Off-$0
Alphabet Art with Discrete Message-$0

Graphics & Faux Book Pages-$0

Zebra and Sentimental Map-$0

Wood Grain Initial Blocks-$0  
 Typography Photo Art-$3.10 @Costco
Of course a frame for my arch nemesis new friend, Thermie.

DIY Eye Chart Art-$0

 Ampersand-$3 @Hobby Lobby
Rhino Map Art- $0
Happy Therm-y - Priceless 

I love how the frames are mostly white, but the infusion of dark frames keeps your eye moving.
I hate to say it, but just as I finished the wall I began thinking of switching out a piece or two and making some new art! {Don 't tell Zack!}  

Grand total for the project- $90.
If I had used frames I already owned, then the total would have been less than 10 bucks!!!
 Great totals for my frugal friends who're planning the same projects. Right?

Have you guys been working on a gallery wall, lately? Has anyone used any of these art ideas? I wanna see'em!!

✥ Feature: Knock Off Decor ✥

Guess what!? 
{maybe you can tell from the title of the post, or the banner above this sentence, but...}
Today Beckie from Knock Off Decor {and from Infarrantly Creative} is featuring the new table I made! 

Her site is fantastic! You guys know how much love a good knock off, well her site is an awesome source of inspiration.
It's kinda like shopping.  You can basically browse the blog by store, gathering ideas to hack as you go. It's great and there are so many ideas to chose from.
 {I know a ton of you gals are DIY-ers yourselves. Did you know you can submit your own knock offs!}
Beckie has been kind enough to feature a few of my others projects as well, so head over and show her some love.
You'll be glad you did. ☺

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my party page!

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Reader Feature: Reupholstered Stripey Chair {& more} ✥

Can I first say, I have the raddest readers! You guys have so many ridiculously gorgeous projects, I am so excited you guys are getting to see each others' projects!

Today Barbara {from hodge:podge } has agreed to share her oh-so-fabulous chair makeover. 

I LOVE her blog and her projects, so I asked her to show you a couple extra pics for some eye candy.

✧✧✧✧✧

Thanks for having me over at your lovely blog Becca! I am thrilled to be here! Let me introduce myself:  I am a caffeine-fueled DIY and design obsessed gal living in Canada's "wet" coast sharing my decorating adventures on my blog, hodge:podge My goal is to create a fabulous home without breaking the bank. Some projects I have tackled around the house:

DIY Diamond Tufted Headboard:

Silver Leaf Ikea Rast Hack:

Pillows Made from Free Chiang Mai Dragon memos:

But today I will show you a first for me, re-upholstering. I tackled this in the spring not knowing what "fun" I was in for! When I was out and about with a few local bloggers, I came across this fabulous chair for $50! But the ugly vinyl had to go. 

It took me forever.

Here is a quick rundown of what was involved. 

Removed the ugly vinyl that was nailed on with a gazillion 1" nails and nail heads. 

That took forever, patience was needed. 

Then removed second layer of dusty fabric that was nailed onto the frame with hand forged nails. Those took forever to remove.

Can I say that again? 

Forever.

Achy hands set in. Took a break. Cursed a bit. 

Found straw stuffing under the upper part of the chair. Sneezed a bit. 

Stapled fabric onto chair. This was by trial and error. Cursed some more. 

Then nailed in 223 nail heads. 

It was too much to make a tutorial

But......

I am happy. The chair is done. 

Want to see?

Before:

After:

Will I ever try something like this again?

 Not sure, after all that work I don't think I would hesitate paying a professional.

It took gads of patience, persistence and it made my hands hurt, really hurt. 

But...

my total cost might make me try again.

Chair: $50

Fabric {from Ikea}: 2 m @ $7.99m = $16

250 nail heads @ $ 0.8 ea = $20

Grand total: $86

Much cheaper than hiring a professional. 

Thanks again for having me Becca.

 Hope my two bits have helped inspire you to create something fabulous!

Later peeps,

Barbara

✧✧✧✧✧

  Barbara is so funny! I knew you guys would love her and her projects.

If she was selling her stuff, I'd be buying. :)

Just looking at her chair makes me want to add some black and white fabric into my home ASAP. 

PS. If you're in love with this fabric, like I am, it's  on final sale at Ikea.

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ DIY ▪West Elm▪ Tree Stump Table ✥

I've seen these tables around the Internet for awhile and I loooove them! I would probably put two in my living room if there were space for them. I've seen painted and stained versions. But the one I'm hacking is from West Elm. I love it so much, from the stump, to the rug to the cool chair. {Doesn't it look a lot like an "inspiration" chair from my classifieds search?}

I kept an eye out for tree stumps for ever months! If you get a newly cut stump, it needs to dry out for a few months. After it's dried out the bark will come off. If you get one that's been cut for awhile, then you need to make sure it's not bug infested! {eek!} 
So that's why it took so long, trying to make sure it was tall enough, wide enough, old enough, but not too old or too short, etc.

First

 Clean'er up! Z and I sprayed pest control all over it for several days {some homemade stuff I whipped up, another post, for another day.} We left it outside to try while it simultaneously repelled pests. Then I washed it down to remove any residue.

 Second

The sides were the easy part, I just used a palm sander and some 80 grit sandpaper, then 180, then 320. Unfortunately, the top was cut a little uneven. I don't have a circular sanded so I improvised.  I added a sanding disk to my drill and it worked like a charm. Isn't she so pretty! Love, love the gray undertones in the worn wood!

Third

I used a homemade stain made from White Distilled Vinegar and Steel Wool pad. Just let the mixture sit for a couple days outside, it doesn't smell pretty. I didn't measure, I just stuffed a steel wool pad into the bottom half of my vinegar bottle (bottle was .5 gallon.)

Fourth

Wearing gloves, I ragged the mixture on, moving in the direction of the wood grain.
You can see what it looks like, as I'm wiping, the color is forming. The stain is a stinky, gray liquid. It's very easy to work with, easier than "real" stains, I think. When dry it looked like this. I was kind of shocked. I thought it would be a lot grayer in color. So, I started Googling and found this stain reacts differently with different trees. {whoops!}
I have no idea what tree my stump was from.
But the stain turned sort of reddish.

Third & Fourth {again!}

I lived with it for 1 whole day, before I made a new stain.This time I used Apple Cider Vinegar, the all knowing Internet said it would turn the wood grayish. I used the same process, just threw the wool right in the vinegar, sanded the stump super lightly, and reapplied the mixture.

You can see where I made hash marks on the stump there's almost a line down the middle, showing you the different colors that the 2 stains turn. Isn't it funny that the white vinegar turns reddish and the red vinegar turns wood gray?

I was kinda petrified to do the new stain right on top of the old, but I figured  could always sand it. {again} The new color is just perfect, a tan and gray mixture! I am so glad I tried again. 




Since I was already playing around with it, I tried two more experiments staining the wood.

1. I also sprayed some clear sealer on, just to see what would happen. It made the wood look a little yellow.
2.  I also brewed some Tea to stain the wood. Tea has tannic acid in it, a chemical that reacts with the vinegar. 
3. I read a few different tutorials and some said to apply the tea 1st, let it dry, then brush on the vinegar; while others said to do the opposite.
4. I just brushed some tea over the vinegar that I had put on the stump days before. I was shocked how dark it tuned! I tried to give you guys a picture of the different results.

Thanks for checking out my new table!!  Have you guys made one of these? Are you planning to now that you've seen my beauty? lol  I wouldn't blame you cuz I love it!

Disclaimers: I've heard this stain will keep long term. That's awesome, but I probably wouldn't keep it a plastic bottle, like the one I used to mix my stain. Make sure you poke a hole in the lid, to let the fumes escape! As always, I'm telling you all how I did this project, but I'm not a furniture professional or a scientist- so wear gloves and follow along at your own risk. Although I didn't have any problems and haven't heard of anyone having them either.

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Reader Feature: Make Your Own Cloffice ✥

It's Monday morning, that means I get share another reader's project! Yay!
Today I get to introduce you to one of my favorite bloggers, Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling!
I know you will loooove her blog, she has such great taste and is super talented. She is basically famous for her Ikat fabric pillows and drapes and for her personalized blog designs {you can see some examples here, here, and here.}
Happily, she has  decided to share with us all her beautiful and functional cloffice.
Oh, and this post was written buy her devoted hubby and reminds me of the zillion times I pester kindly ask Z for some manpower!
✧✧✧✧✧

It's Alfred, Elizabeth's husband, again for another to-do post. The Cloffice was one of our more unique home improvement projects, and the most fun. Why? because it was new, it was trendy and it was finally going to be a space for me in our home.
Guys, if you live with or marry an Interior Designer, you don't get a whole lot of the house to call just yours. When we moved into our house, we quickly realized that we had to solve the problem of where to do the un-fun stuff like pay bills, do homework and maintain our family records. Our house only has 2 bedrooms and setting up a guest room in our office, or an office in our guest room was "unacceptable."
Solution: Turn one of the many closets in the house in to a mini office. The process was pretty easy and took us bout 3 days, about 2-3 hours a day. Like any project read all the steps a few times, before starting the project.  

Step 1: Remove doors to closet. You can replace them later, if you would like to maintain the illusion of an closet, or hang a curtain up like we did.  

Step 2: Remove all shelves, poles, and junk from the closet.  

Step3: Patch all holes to make sure it is ready for painting.  

Step 4: Paint the Cloffice.  
 

Step 5: Shelves. These can be made out of furniture grade wood and painted any color you want. Make a plan for your shelves, #, height, and if you want cubby holes or not. Draw your shelves to scale on a piece of paper to make sure it looks about right. You can use the golden ratio I discussed in my previous post to make the dimensions pleasing to the eye. The Construction is easy. Use 1/2 x1 pieces that go the depth of the shelves to hold the shelves on the wall.  

Step 6: Framing the Shelves. The goal is to make it look like a built in piece of furniture, so once the shelves are up you need to "frame" the shelves to look like a bookcase. A piece of 1/2" x 1" wood down the height of the shelves hides the wood you used to hold the shelves up. A piece of crown molding also works well at the top to give it a finished look. Finishing nails works best for attaching the wood.  

Step 7: Prep and Paint. Putty up the holes for any screws/ nails, and joint and sand 'em till they disappear. Then prime, and paint. We used oil based, semi-gloss Benjamin Moore paint, not the stuff from the blue or orange stores.

Step 8: Prepping the Desk Surface. We used a piece of chopblock wood countertop from IKEA, but you can use anything. Stain the wood to your desired color. It may take a few coats, and don't let the stain dry, this will make the stain uneven. When deciding on the dimensions, you want to leave 1/16" space on either side of the desk for crumbs, dirt and other junk to fall through when you clean it. Plus, leave a 1" gap at the back so that you can pass electrical wires up through the back of the desk. Step 

9: Installing the Desk. Use more 1/2" x1" pieces of wood to brace the desk up and attach the desk with small 1" L brackets. Don't forget to leave the gap in the back. Screws work best, but make sure they will not go through the depth of your desk, and you don't attach at a seam in the chopblock.  

Step 10: Electrical (Hardest Part) If you already have an electrical socket in the closet then your job is easy. If not you can install an electrical outlet, yourself or hire a professional to to it (Recommended). Also if you have a light in the top of the closet you can replace the simple light bulb with a more fancy ceiling light. Make sure when planning your shelves that you leave enough room to install the light.

Step 11: Creativity Let your creativity go and fill your cloffice with what you think you need, books, magazines, bills, small stone lions. Here is where you design the details. If you want to be able to cover up the cloffice you can reattach the doors or put up a curtain. Those are the basics. You should now have a unique selling feature in your home and a space other than a kitchen table, guest room, garage or box of papers, dedicated to organizing your life. Good luck. Alfred

 
✧✧✧✧✧

What did you guys think?!
Love, right? It makes me want to rip the coats out of my closet and build an office this very second! It's just the perfect two bedroom solution. Do any of you have a cloffice? Or plan on building one?

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.