Have you ever been scrolling through Pinterest looking for party ideas and notice those cute short wood picnic tables? Well I have done this plenty of times and always loved the look of them! After checking online, I found those tables sell for upwards of $200 each on Etsy. With an upcoming birthday party and baby shower, I decided to try building my own DIY short wood picnic tables.
Buying Supplies
After building a game plan in my head, I ordered 12” metal table legs from Amazon. I ordered two sets of 4 legs at $17 each because I intended to build 2 tables.
Next, I headed to Home Depot to purchase supplies. Here is what I purchased:
(1) 8FT X 4FT Wood Plywood Sheet
(6) 8FT Common Wood Boards
Wood Glue
Finishing Nails
Wood Stain
Sand Paper
After I bought all the supplies, I headed home to start building!
Building The Short Wood Picnic Table
First, you have to cut the 8FT X 4FT Plywood Sheet down the middle (making two 8FT X 2FT pieces) to make the two tables. While in the store, I asked if a Home Depot employee could do it and he tried but couldn’t get the cut right. Luckily, I own a Kreg Rip Cut Tool which allows you to cut large pieces of wood down easily with a circular saw.
Kreg Jig Rip Cut Saw Attachment
Once the plywood was cut down, I glued and nailed the two 8FT common boards to each side of the plywood. Then, I measured and cut down another piece of 8 FT Common Board into two pieces for the ends of the table. Those two pieces of common board were glued and nailed to each end of the plywood. I repeated the same steps for the second table.
After everything was dry, I gave it a solid day, I sanded each table down lightly. Then, I stained each table with Walnut Wood Stain.
Table Shell
Once again I allowed the tables to dry overnight. After everything was set, I attached the table legs to the 4 corners of the table using the screws provided.
One Completed Short Leg Picnic Table
Putting the Short Leg Picnic Tables To Use
Originally, I made these for a spa baby shower I was hosting; however, I decided to give the tables a test run at my son’s birthday party.
The tables were sturdy, adorable, and affordable! Total cost for each table was $50. We will be using the tables for years to come! Can’t wait for the warm weather to get here so we can enjoy them outside!
Kids Gaming Party!Spa Baby ShowerSpa Baby ShowerShort Leg Picnic TablesShort Leg Picnic TablesBaby Shower in Progress!
Our Master Bathroom was built with a generic plain builder grade large mirror. While I love that the mirror is large, I hate how boring and unfinished the mirror is. If I were to replace the current mirror with new mirrors it would cost hundreds of dollars. Before I spent too much money, I decided to try to see if I could frame the mirror out myself. Follow me as I construct and design a DIY Bathroom Mirror Frame!
Lights above Bathroom Mirror!
The bathroom is the entryway to our amazing closet. If you missed my closet makeover, check it out here, Custom IKEA Closet. The current bathroom is boring and lacks character. For the first phase of the bathroom makeover we decided to start with the vanity area.
Bathroom Mirror Before
I found some amazing modern lights for above the mirror from Amazon! Lights are generally easy to install, however I ran into a little bit of a problem installing these lights. In true new build fashion, my builders left a huge hole behind the former lights which meant I had to patch a giant hole in the drywall.
Giant Hole in Drywall
The best part of patching this drywall was I got to try a new technique. After I patched the drywall with spackling and allowed it to dry, instead of sanding it smooth I used a technique called wet sanding. Take a damp cloth and rub the dried wall spackling until you get your desired look. Not only does this wet sanding technique save you time it also eliminates the mess! Definitely a win win and I would highly recommend it for your next project.
New Lights with Patched Drywall!
The Frame
Trying to find inspiration photographs for the mirror frame idea I had in my head was nearly impossible. When people think framed mirrors, the frames are usually big and bulky. However, I wanted something sleek modern and sexy for my mirror!
First, I went to the hardware store and picked out a thin light weight Polystyrene Baseboard Molding. The molding was 1/2-in x 0.75-in x 8-ft and I purchased two to complete my mirror, total cost for both was $9.96!
While at the store, I grabbed some black paint (I used Tricorn Black) and some clear construction adhesive. In total I spent $50.90.
Once home, I measured and cut the molding. Next, I painted all sides of the molding pieces and allowed them to dry for a day. After the molding was completely dry, I used the clear construction adhesive to glue the molding to the edge of my mirror.
After a little touch up paint the project was complete. This was a super simple inexpensive project and it turned out fabulous!!!!
With our third baby’s arrival fast approaching, I have been working hard to complete house projects! Recently, I finished the baby’s room by creating a Board and Batten Bedroom Accent Wall. Now that the baby’s room is complete I can move on to a long awaited project, the Office Renovation with Wallpaper!
Board and Batten Bedroom Accent Wall
The Office Before
Before starting this project, I realized the office had become a catch all junk room. I wanted to make the office space more visually appealing as well as a more usable space for our families needs.
The Office During Corona At Home Learning!
The office furniture was a variety of free or cheap items we had collected over the years all packed into one space. It had always been my intention to redesign the office at some point to make it a more cohesive space.
During the height of Corona, we invested in a Peloton. While I love using the Peloton on a daily basis, I don’t love looking at it while its not in use. This workout bike eyesore needed to be addressed during the office renovation!
Getting Started on the Wallpapered Office Renovation
The first thing I did was get rid of all of the furniture in the existing office. Next, I went through all of my craft supplies and materials and got rid of items I no longer needed.
After the purge, I focused on creating an accent wall. The office has a double door entry and is right off of our front entrance space. I wanted the entry wall in the office to be the focal point of the space.
I decided to add a board and batten wall with peel and stick wallpaper. Wall paper adds a nice texture and pop of color to any space. Peel and Stick wallpaper is something I have tackled before in my Pantry Renovation and Reorganization on a Budget , so I felt comfortable working with it.
The hardest part about wall paper is picking out a pattern that works for your space! Target offers a wide variety of peel and stick wallpaper options. I purchased 2 rolls of NuWallpaper Cayman Peel & Stick Wallpaper Gray.
NuWallpaper Cayman Peel & Stick Wallpaper Gray
Next, I ordered all of the mdf primed boards I needed to create a 3/4 board and batten wall, similar to the wall I installed in the nursery. For a guide to building the board and batten wall follow the guide in my Board and Batten Bedroom Accent Wall Blog Post.
Board and Batten Bedroom Accent Wall
Creating the Wall Papered Board and Batten Wall
The first thing I did was install the wood for the board and batten wall with the exception of the top edger. I left the top edger off until the wallpaper was installed to maintain clean wallpaper edges. Next, I painted the board and batten wall. Since I wanted to keep the office bright, I went with a white paint I had from a previous project.
After the paint was dry, I hung the peel and stick wallpaper. The most important part of hanging wallpaper is making sure you have enough to match up the pattern and to make it look seamless. Hanging wall paper takes patience and practice but the best thing about peel and stick wallpaper is you can pull it off and manipulate it if there are air bubbles or it isn’t lining up correctly.
Hanging Peel and Stick Wallpaper
To begin hanging the wallpaper, I started on the left side of the wall and worked my way to the right. Make sure to leave overhang to the top and bottom of the wallpaper. Having more wallpaper is better than having less! You don’t want to run into a situation were you are too short and have to recut the wallpaper section. Using a box cutter, cut the excess wallpaper off to maintain clean edges.
Excess Wallpaper Prior to Cutting
I continued the wallpaper all the way to the right edge of the wall.
Once the wallpaper was installed, I added the top ledge to the board and batten wall. The top ledge was a design choice I added to allow me to place plants and decor on it.
Finishing Touches
To create a desk large enough for the space, I purchased three white file cabinets from Home Depot. For the desk top, I purchased a wood butcher block counter top from Home Depot and placed it on top of the evenly spaced out file cabinets.
For desk chairs, I used the same faux leather chairs I have in my dining room. Using my dining room chairs in the office allows me to store the excess dining chairs for holidays while maintaining a cohesive look.
Office Desk and Chairs
To create the light fixture, I found a basket I loved at Home Goods and transformed it into a basket light. For a step by step guide to creating a basket light, check out my DIY Basket Lights on a Budget blog post.
DIY Basket Light
In order to hide the Peloton, I purchased a screen from Amazon. When we use the Peloton, we simply move the screen to the side and when we are finished, we put it back.
Peloton Screen
I created a small seating area with chairs I had in my bedroom. The chairs needed to be moved for the baby’s bassinet, so this was the perfect spot for them!
Office Seating Area
For all of the accent pictures and decor, I took things I already had around the house as well as purchased items from my favorite store Goodwill!
I could not be any happier with the way this room turned out. It went from a catch all room to a fully functioning office/work out space!
Decorating is something I enjoy doing, and I love the challenge of decorating on a budget. I wanted to add two chairs to our living room to make the area more functional but I did not want to break the bank. There were several chairs I fell in love with online but they fell within the 300-500 dollar range. Ideally for this project I wanted to spend no more than $100 a chair. Join me on my journey for Updating Discounted Chairs on a Budget!
Living Room Space
The above picture is my living room space after completing my DIY Barn Door Shutters project. While the space is functional, we needed more seating for entertaining. I recently purchased blue velvet curtains for my home office and wanted to continue with the same material in the living room. My online hunt for the perfect blue velvet chair began.
Purchasingthe Perfect Chair
While I found several chairs that would fit the space perfectly, they were all sadly outside my budget. I found a blue velvet chair on Wayfair that fit within my budget called the Alivia Armchair.
Alivia Armchair-Wayfair
The chair was listed on sale for $150 a chair. While this seems outside of my budget it wasn’t because I had a credit at Wayfair for $128. I obtained the Wayfair credit because I ordered an electric fireplace for my Faux Built-in Fireplace with Shiplap home renovation project from Wayfair and it came with some marks on it. Wayfair will offer to completely replace your item or provide a credit for the damage. Generally, I take the credit if it is something I can easily fix.
Initially I thought I was paying $172 for both chairs however, when the chairs arrived they both had paint damage to the black portion of the chair. Wayfair gave me $60 off my purchase price because of the paint damage. This discount brought the price of both chairs down to $112, that is $56 per chair! For this project, the paint damage was not an issue because I already had plans to repaint the chairs. The moral of this story is don’t be afraid to ask for a discount if a product arrives in a less than perfect condition.
Updating the Chairs
Rust-Oleum Metalic Gold Spray Paint
The chair base color needed to be redone in order for the chair to have more character and fit into my design style. I picked out a Metallic Gold spray paint made by Rust-Oleum.
I removed the chair base from the chair seat. The chair seat was easily removable and was only connected by a few screws.
Painted Chair Bases
Each chair base was coated with two coats of Metallic Gold Rust-Oleum paint. It took 3 cans of Metallic Gold paint for both chairs.
After the final Metallic Gold paint coat dried, I sprayed each chair base with Rust-Oleum Matte Finish Clear Protective Finish. The Clear Protective Finish helps prevent the gold paint from being scratched off.
Once everything was completely dry, I reattached the chair seats to the chair bases.
Completed Chair
New Chair Set Up!
Extra Seating added to the Living Room!
Completed Chair
Velvet Chair with Gold Accents for less than $70 a Chair!
I played with the placement of my new fabulous chairs and finally came up with the perfect layout.
These chairs are comfortable, stylish, and best of all they did not break the bank. The total cost of BOTH chairs and all of the spray paint was $135. Think outside of the box and have fun revamping inexpensive furniture to fit your design style and needs. I can’t wait to see what you create!
At our last house, we hired a big name closet storage company to come in and redo our master closet. We spent a ridiculous amount on built-ins for basically particle board. For our new house I knew we needed drawer storage in our Master Bedroom closet but sadly it was not in our budget. I challenged myself to think outside the box or closet in this case! I came up with a plan to build my own storage! Follow my DIY built-in Closet Organizers guide to help make your life and your closet a little more organized.
Materials:
4 IKEA Rast 3 Drawer Dressers
Paint
Decorative Drawer Pulls
Trim
Nail Gun
Brackets (8)
Wood
Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Caulk
Full Length Mirror
Simplifying the Project
Instead of building everything from scratch I found inexpensive three drawer wood dressers from Ikea of all places. The Rast 3 drawer dresser from Ikea is only $39.99 per dresser.
Rast 3 Drawer Dresser
I wanted to build a built-in dresser for myself and my husband so I ordered 4 Rast 3 Drawer Dressers(2 dressers for each person)
I do not live near an IKEA so I ordered the dressers online and had them shipped to me. IKEA offers reasonable shipping, I had all of the dressers shipped to me for a flat rate of $9.99.
Accessories
The Rast 3 drawer dressers are pretty plain. I decided to paint the dressers with a gray paint I had leftover from another project. I love to utilize the paints and stains I already have on hand to help save money.
Amazon had some really cute, really inexpensive crystal drawer pulls that were perfect for my closest renovation.
Glass Cabinet Knobs
I got 25 glass drawer pulls for $15.25. They are cute and inexpensive, which fit my project perfectly.
Getting Started
First, start by assembling all four dressers. Once the dressers have been assembled, it is time to paint. Paint each dresser with the paint of your choosing.
After everything is dry, make sure the drawers have been removed and attach the bottom dressers to the wall using the support strap that is included with the dresser.
Fully Assembled Dresser
Stack the second dresser on top of the first dresser and attach it to the wall with the provided support strap.
Attach the top dresser to the bottom dresser using 4, 2 inch brackets (2 on each side). These brackets will help keep the dresser stabilized.
2″ Brackets
Once the dressers were in place, I attached a piece of decorative trim to the gap between the two dressers to give it a more customized look
Using a nail gun, I attached a piece of wood to each side of the dresser. I decided to run the wood on each side all the way up to our existing closet shelf. Running the wood up the side gives the built-in dresser a shelf to place belongings.
I added trim to the wall along each side of the unit using a nail gun. After all of the trim pieces were in place I caulked and touched up paint on the unit.
One Completely Assembled Built-In
I assembled the second built-in unit using the guide above.
I used the Buffalo Plaid patterned Peel and Stick Wallpaper to line the sides of the built-ins and the back wall behind the unit.
Peel and Stick Wall Papered Built-in
Peel and Stick Wall Papered Built-in
I decided to add a full length mirror to the built-in unit. Target had the perfect mirror for $16.99. I attached the mirror to the built-in dressers with Command Strips.
Completed Built-In Dressers
These DIY built-in Closet Organizers cost less than $300 total and completely changed the functionality of our space.
