DIY

I Did Something, I Painted Our Fireplace

December 14, 2018 2 Comments

It’s Friday… which means it’s the weekend and I LIVE FOR THE WEEKENDS. If you’ve been following this blog for ANY amount of time, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with white. I feel like it’s my favourite color even though it’s not even a color. Anyhoo… Since we put up our Plank + Mill planks on the fireplace in July, I’ve wanted it to be more white. I loved the wood, but I found it clashed with a lot of my home and it was hard to decorate around as it seemed “busy”. Well today, after crying to you guys all night over my Instagram engagement ( another story for another time ), I grabbed a brush and just started painting. Without even thinking it through for one more second.

I’m so glad I painted it because I’m in love with the completed look. I get a ton of questions about how we’re able to do all these upgrades if we’re renting.

If you read the initial blog, here, about when we put it up, you’ll know that the planks are attach to three big sheets of plywood – one on each side. When we move someday, we can easily detach the plywood with no damage whatsoever to the faux rock composite below. Although, the Landlord might choose to keep our planks up. It doesn’t matter to us.

We did this because we didn’t want to stick the planks right onto the rock because it can rip paint off.. so we didn’t want to damage the under layer at all. Especially since this isn’t our home.

We used a nail gun to attach the plywood to the below layer. Nail gun nails are literally the skinniest thing you’ve ever seen and the holes can’t be seen really. SO this was the best option for us.

As for what paint I used on the wood, I used “Magnolia Homes – Shiplap White” It is my favourite paint to work with ever!

Painting the face of the fireplace took me about 4 hours – I still have yet to do the sides as I ran out of painters tape.

Now I’m going to work on finding a color for my coffee table. I’m thinking something warm. I have to beat it up a bit more before I stain it. Love me anything extra beat up!

Hope you enjoyed this little project I did today. What do you like better? The White or the Wood? Let me know in the comments!

Autumn Tablescape For Under Twenty Dollars

October 24, 2018 5 Comments

Every now and then when my life slows down just a little I get the decorating bug. I like to grab old vintage pieces mixed with cheap finds and I like to create something pretty.

Y’all know how much I love autumn, it’s my favorite time of year. Big slouchy sweaters, lattes, crisp sunny days, candles, yummy crock pot meals and of course, it’s leading into one of my all time favourite holidays – Christmas.

I absolutely dislike buying themed holiday decor as I find it super cheesy. So during autumn I purchase a lot of fresh pumpkins paired with faux florals or branches. Easy peasy and cheap!

So first before all you see the error in my pictures, I just wanted to point out the elephant in my pictures – yes, there is a light bulb missing from my chandelier and I totally didn’t realize until right now. Since this blog isn’t for a brand, this is what you get, my perfectly imperfect house. haha

Also, my dining room is only half finished, but I like to blog about rooms in the process of being decorated. Things that still need to be purchased for this room:

-5×8 Jute Rug

-An actual set of dining chairs. One of our chairs broke so we’re currently pulling our bench around the corner

-Decor for the wall that is not seen in this photo

-Oh, and a lightbulb 😉

I absolutely love the big floor to ceiling windows in our dining room. It’s THEE smallest space ever. I think it’s probably maybe 6×8, but it’s super cozy and bright, we just can’t have anyone over for dinner ( sorry )

For this simple autumn tablescape for under twenty dollars I purchased five pumpkins and that’s it. The faux branches and florals I already had and this planter box we had in storage. It’s sitting on an extra large farmhouse tea towel.

I like centerpieces that I can pick up easily off of the table as my kids will ruin things – super messy eaters.

Also, I just wanted to point out that Glen did an amazing job on my table. We kiln dried the wood for six months and I found the legs in spring on craigslist. Sadly, we put one of the pieces of wood on our mantle while I was waiting for Glen to build my table and it warped. it doesn’t matter how long you kiln dry wood, if it’s put near extreme heat or extreme cold, it will breath, bend and warp. Why don’t I ever remember? Oh well, I love me a good rustic table!

I’m starting to get back to feeling like me. But it’ll be a long while yet. Rhetty is still sleeping in my arms all night long and I find that I’m more snappy and irritated than I normally am. Which makes total sense as I’m getting a horrible sleep. That all being said, I’m trying to enjoy this period of my life as Rhett is our last baby and soon these days will be a distant memory. So please have grace for me friends, okay?

Let me know what you think of my Autumn Tablescape in the comments, I always LOVE hearing from you all.

CANVAS Room Refresh With Canadian Tire

October 11, 2018 1 Comment

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Canadian Tire

Happy Wednesday Friends! I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. Here in Canada we celebrate our Thanksgiving in early to mid-October. Every year it’s really important that we focus on things that we are thankful for, and boy, do we have so much. If you’ve been following me on Instagram you will know I’ve been working on a CANVAS Room Refresh with Canadian Tire. Truth be told, the room we had planned for this stunning makeover didn’t work out as it’s been so dark and gloomy here on the West Coast and that room has no windows, so the pictures were pretty dark and blurry – so I made a setup in my living room where it’s much brighter and airier so you can get a feel for the space.

My “Before” room isn’t the room shown in the below photos as it was far too dark to take photos of on the completion day. But I wanted you all to get to see the room that we have made over. Originally it had an old desk and Brinley’s kitchen in it. Now it’s a cozy oasis where our kids can curl up and read a book.

My initial reaction when everything was delivered was the quality. Canadian Tire continues to up their game in regards to style, comfort and practicality. I was especially in love with the CANVAS Marseille Fireplace. Not only is it sleek and modern – but also the sides pull out as drawers for a ton of storage.

I love the sleek lines on the fireplace and Winston chairs. They mix really well with my Modern Farmhouse decor.

The Winston chairs are roomy, yet small enough that they will fit in a condo or any sized room. I love the tufted backs of these chairs, they’re comfortable and really add a luxurious detail to the space. The CANVAS Pintuck Cushion was chosen by my followers on Instagram and I’m really digging this pillow. I’m thinking I need more for my bed someday. The Dynasty Toss Pillow is really cute too and I think it would look cute paired with a sofa that needs a pop of texture.

I also wanted to talk for a second about my entrance. I snagged the CANVAS Newport Wicker Bench to style my space and it’s made a home in our entrance. The cubbies are filled with hats, scarves and toques. It also serves as a seat when our little’s are putting on their shoes.

To wrap up the living room space, my Instagram followers picked the CANVAS Hexagon Side Table. I love the wood finish on top and I feel like it warms the room up completely. I also decorated with candle sticks and old vintage finds to give this space a farmhouse spin.

I’d love to hear what you think of my CANVAS Room Refresh in the comments below. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and head on over to your nearest Canadian Tire to check out their CANVAS Fall/Winter Living Collection.

Painted Cane Rocking Chair

October 5, 2018 1 Comment

Hello and happy Friday Friends! Can you believe that it’s the end of the week again? Here in Canada we’re celebrating our Thanksgiving, it’s one of my favourite times of year. So much to be thankful for and I just love all the food. But today I wanted to share my painted cane rocking chair with you. I snagged this on Marketplace for 25 dollars and I knew that I had to have it and do a white wash on it with my milk paint. It turned out better than I could have imagined, it’s just so pretty!

I feel like the power of paint is kind of crazy sometimes. Almost every piece in our home I’ve painted and changed out the knobs. It’s an easy and cheap fix to revamping your home.

For a quick refresher ( if you’re not following me on Instagram ) here is how the chair looked before.

Totally didn’t dig the blah brown color. I’m unsure why you would paint pretty wood grain brown – totally beyond me. But each to their own.

As soon as I got this home, I taped off the wicker and started painting.

I used Old Barn Milk Paint to makeover this chair. The instructions on the container say to mix the paint to equal parts water, but I mixed it to double parts water to give this chair a more washed and “Restoration Hardware” look.

Tape is key in projects and a pointed brush.. because if your paint blurs the lines it can make a beautiful piece look ugly. I ended up doing two coats on this chair as I wanted a really washed look. But if you were using the paint as directed on the container, you would probably need 2-3 coats if you’re painting over something dark.

For me, the washed look on my cane rocking chair looked absolutely perfect and that’s the beauty of paint, you can be creative and if you mess up, you can sand it or add more paint!

Here’s how the chair looks completed. I haven’t put a top coat on it yet, but I’m still unsure if I wanted to do light distressing.

I always wanted a rocking chair to rock my babies in and I’ve never had one. So I love that now I can do that. It’s never to let to start rocking your babies – haha

Have you used Milk Paint before? If so, what kind of projects have you revamped?

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and I hope you have an AMAZING weekend

Fireplace Makeover With Plank and Mill

July 13, 2018 8 Comments

Fireplace Makeover With Plank and Mill

This fireplace makeover has been sponsored by Plank and Mill and It may contain affiliate links.

You Guys! I’m so dang excited to jump on the blog today. Not only has it been a few weeks since I said hello on here but also, this is our FIRST DIY in our new home. A lot of you know that we moved a week ago and we’ve been getting super cozy in our new place and starting to make it our home. The home owners made so many beautiful changes in this 1980’s home and we are just adding to their work!

I will first be showing you the before shots of the fireplace makeover and get into the gritty details. Let me tell you that this wasn’t the easiest job as the fireplace seemed not to be level, but we made it work and the end result is stunning.

As I’m editing the photos for this blog I just realized that for some reason the entire “DIY” process was deleted on my camera. I’m pretty upset – but let me assure you, I will do my best to explain the process. It was super easy.

Also, before you wonder why there’s a hole in the fireplace, it used to be a real fireplace and it was converted into a gas fireplace.

So, if you are reading this and have a fireplace like us and you do not want to damage the faux stone underneath, hang up thin plywood so you can

A) Get a even and level surface to work with

B) Not damage the rock

This method is fantastic for renters as it wont damage the composite underneath. We used a nail gun to hang the plywood and only put nails on each corner. If you’ve ever seen a nail gun nail, they’re extremely skinny. So the holes are very minimal and not visible to the naked eye.

Once you hang your plywood, you can start applying the Plank + Mill panels. They have three adhesive strips on the back to make the plank stick long term. I like to start on the top left and work my way down. Like flooring, you want to lay each row before starting on the next. It would be beneficial if you had a tape measure and level on hand. Once you get to the end of the row, you will most likely need to cut the blank. You can easily use a hand saw, or thick exacto blade. We used our miter saw for the cuts, but it isn’t needed.

The beauty of this wood is it looks super beat up and reclaimed ( my Jam ) so if you make a mistake, you can easily pull it up and reapply.

This entire fireplace makeover took us about 8 hours from start to finish. From hanging + cutting the plywood, to sticking on the planks, to painting and sealing the fireplace tile. It was well worth the investment of time as I feel it is the focal point in our living room.

So without further rambling, here is our completed fireplace makeover.

I think the biggest thing for me in a space is making it my own and since I love to change my decor up constantly, I love to add layers in my home that are easily interchangeable. Although, I don’t see us changing this wall anytime in the future. It’s so beautiful!

The planks we used were Plank and Mills ‘ White Wash Barnwood 5″ Boards‘. I love them so much and they look like we literally took reclaimed wood and white washed them. But that would be way too much work. So this is such a cost effective and easy option!

DIY Oversized Chalk Board ( With Beauti-Tone Paints )

June 20, 2018 Leave a Comment

You Guys! I’m so excited to come to you with a DIY today. I feel like it’s been a while. But I promise, I’m still doing a ton, it just takes a bit of brain power to blog about them lately.

I recently was contacted by Home Hardware to try out their new Beauti-Tone Paint line and you guys, I’m obsessed. I haven’t tried out the paint line on walls yet – but that will be my next project when we’re in our new home.

For a long time I’ve been wanting to make our kids a chalk board to color on. So this opportunity came at the perfect time! This DIY is extremely simple and anyone can do it. You will need the following items:

1/4″ Smooth Plywood

26′ of 1×6 Your Choice Of Wood ( I used this )

Stain ( I used this )

Beauti-Tone ChalkBoard Paint – Black

Wood Glue

Roller + Pan

Paint Brush

Step 1

If you do not have a table saw or a miter saw, have the wood cut to size at the hardware store. For our chalkboard we had the plywood cut to 3×6, so the short sides were 36″ and the long sides were cut to 63″.

Step 2

Double Check that everything fits snug together – this has been a live and learn step for me. haha

Step 3

Stain the Boards. I like to use a cheap paint brush to do the job and then I let sit for five minutes and wipe off with paper towel or a rag. I then like to seal it with varnish 10-24 hours after it’s had time to dry. You can also use furniture wax or beeswax as well.

Step 4

Roll first coat of paint on chalkboard and let dry for 1 hour. I put 3 coats of paint on for a really thick finish. It’s up to you how many coats you put on yours. As you can tell below, the first coat still shows the grain of the plywood, so this is why I put three heavy coats on to give it a more matte and finished look.

DIY Oversized ChalkBoard With Beauti-tone Paint Line. Super Easy Tutorial With Step By Step Instructions. #DIY #Chalkboard www.whitepicketfarmhouse.com — First Coat

Step 5

Once the paint has dried, you can attach the wood to the chalkboard. You want to put quite a bit of wood glue on the back of the 1×6’s, but not too much that it will leak out the sides.

Once attached, leave to dry for a full 24 hours. I also like to put clamps on the edges to weigh it down to get a secure suction. But you can also put heavy items on your boards too. Whatever you have on hand really.

Step 6

Attach Hooks on Back + Hang On Wall

Since we’re moving in the next few weeks, I just leaned it against the wall for now.

Also, we wanted you to know that there is a much more advanced way of making this chalkboard, but we wanted to make it as easy as possible and forgo the pocket holes and angle cuts so anyone could make this. Save hundreds and make the most fun piece for your kids playroom!

Step 7

You want to color on the chalkboard with the flat side of the chalk down. Once you’ve colored the entire chalkboard, erase and color away. If you go ahead and draw something before it has been “primed” the first thing you draw will be on the chalkboard forever.

Hope you guys enjoyed this quick and easy DIY Oversized Chalkboard. If you like, don’t forget to pin it! Hope you all have a great week!

Painting With Old Barn Milk Paint – Vintage Mirror

May 29, 2018 1 Comment

Hey Friends! I’m super excited to share with you how easy Painting With Old Barn Milk Paint can be!

Today is going to be a quick one on the blog as I have a little someone staring at me with his big blue eyes.

I received a shipment of Old Barn Milk Paint a few weeks ago and I had to paint this vintage mirror. The key to using this milk paint ( If you want a really authentic chippy look ) is to finding a piece of furniture with a finish on it like varnish. How do you know if a piece has been varnished? It usually is glossy. I find these are the best pieces to work with as the paint cannot adhere to the surface as well. It always gives me the best chippy look. If wanting to see another project I did a few years ago with this exact brand of paint, click here.

Faux Metal In Three Easy Steps

February 19, 2018 2 Comments

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to refinish two filing cabinets and make them look chic and industrial. Thing is, I couldn’t find a matching set and the rare occasion one would come up, it would be way out of my price range. In this “How To” I’ll be talking about how to turn wood into faux metal. You can do this on any surface, but since we couldn’t find any real cabinets, Glen made me these boxes. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s literally a box with lines scored into it to make it look like a filing cabinet.

Styled Hall Bench

January 7, 2018 Leave a Comment

The last few weeks Glen has been off work. Money is tight when he’s working full time, but him being off for three weeks has been quite stressful. In order to help us stay afloat, I’ve made it my goal to try to sell off as many of my projects and refinished projects around the home. I posted my beloved pew last week and we found a buyer. ( Insert all the tears )

See, I waited for years for a real pew, then I finally got one and now only a short 8 months after getting It, I’m having to sell it. I knew that if I had to sell this pew, we had to put something in its place. But it couldn’t be expensive to make but it would still have to be just as amazing as my pew so I wouldn’t be too sad. See how I negotiate with myself?

About a year ago one of my favourite designers DIY’d this entrance hall bench and although I absolutely loved it, it looked expensive. The carved front legs, the amazing Corbels, the sconces.. everything about it screamed dolla-dolla bills. Yet, I took it on myself to create something similar that would be under 50.00 in materials. Keep in mind, we had all the 1×6’s and 1×4’s in our garage already, so the only thing we actually had to purchase was the wainscotting. The 6×4′ piece cost us 39.99, and in the states I’m sure it’s way cheaper. Everything is inflated up here in Canada. If you had to purchase the lumber, I’m sure it would be around 50-70 dollars.

As for the corbels, we DIY’d them and guys, I’m so excited to blog about it. We found a pattern online, traced them out and Glen made them for me. All from using scraps in our garage. Win-Win!

I really wanted a unique sconce light for this project too, but I’ve come to the realization that the light can wait for now. But wow, I’m loving the completed piece. It literally took my husband about 3 hours to build and then me another 3 hours to paint. I put 3 coats on to give it extra good coverage. We also put a sealant on the bench part as I know that with my kids crawling up and down off the bench, it will get marked up in no time!

Funny thing is, we had some leftover “Pure White” paint in our garage. I was so happy, because that meant that I didn’t have to buy paint. I started painting my hall bench and then after about an hour, I stood back and realized it was all grey! The paint can was completely marked wrong. So we have a light grey hall bench, so someday the walls behind this bench will have to be painted white as I’m not loving the green country walls behind it.

Hope you guys enjoyed this DIY. The pictures do not do this hall bench justice, it is absolutely stunning! Our entrance way is so dark and so I had to edit the photos slightly so they weren’t dark. But you get the gist.

As always, sharing is caring and I would love for you to share!

DIY