Santa Bag

Our Santa bag is bulging... I guess that means it is time to head up to my parent's house for Christmastime festivities!

That's a pretty cool Santa bag don't ya think? Functional too. My mom made these for every family a few years back. We each bring ours to her house Christmas eve full of presents for everyone else, and can pack up the gifts we receive back in our respective bags. It cuts down on chaos and missing presents.

She used her sewing machine to embroider on the family's last name on a large rectangle of red velvet fabric. Then she added faux fur trim to the open edge and sewed a simple gold rope to one side so we could wrap the rope around and close it up (as long as it isn't overflowing!). Even if you don't have a way to embroider it, it makes a great addition to our Christmas deco every year, and helps us haul our gifts to and from Christmas gatherings. Santa really had this one figured out!

Small Change, Big Impact

I have been meaning to paint the sink cabinet in the guest bath black since July when I did a mirror/light/paint makeover in there (check out pics of that makeover here).

I can not believe I waited so long. I absolutely love the way it looks. It isn't a take your breath away kind of change, it is subtle really, but in the very best way. No more offensive wood vanity cabinet. It is shiny, black, fresh, and new. Check out the transformation:        (pardon the picture quality - there is almost zero natural light in this bathroom)

I do not have the perfect before picture to show, but I have this one where you can see a little of the wood cabinet. The picture below is actually of the master bath (which embarrassingly looks almost exactly like that still - I think it's the only room in the house we haven't done anything to yet) but the sink cabinet/vanity is the same.

First things first, I taped off the wall, floor, inside of the cabinet doors (just on the bottom shelf since the ledge I painted is nearly flush with it), and the underside of the counter. I also removed the toilet paper holder. I primed the cabinet and doors using the kind of primer with which you don't have to sand first, so I would not have to deal with sanding in that tight space. The primer is made by Zinsser - you can read more about it in my post from Tuesday.

I used the same Rustoleum Painters Touch black on the cabinet as I did for the shelves we recently built for our bedroom, and the vanity and chair I made over this past summer. This black paint is pretty amazing. It holds up really well from my experience so I was excited to use it again. I rolled on (I used a small foam roller and a small paintbrush to get the cracks and crevices) three coats total.

After 1 Coat

2 Coats

3 Coats - Done!

I also picked out new hardware for the cabinet. I tried to re-use what we had by spray painting them earlier this fall, but ultimately decided I wanted a more modern look. Check out the before, progress, and after shots below. 

The best part? The new hardware was only $1.99 each at Menards. Bonus! 

And for the big reveal....

The above are my attempts at showing the mirror and the vanity cabinet at the same time... harder than it seems! There are only so many camera angles in that bathroom.

There is only one thing left to do in there now... a new faucet! That cheap-o one in there drives me nuts. Unfortunately I don't think I can DIY my way into a new one... so I will have to break down and spend the big bucks someday. Or maybe I'll get lucky and find one in a thrift shop. Who knows!?!

Custom Shelving

First things first, happy 100th post today! It is hard to believe I have written 100 posts since last May when this blog started... where do I find the time? And where do I find the energy to do all these projects? We may never know. On with today's post...

This weekend T.J. and I built some custom shelves for our bedroom. This project was fun and challenging, and a great teaching moment. T.J. and I worked together - it was my brainchild/design, while he has the power tool know-how to get the job done. I think we both ended up learning a little something from each other. And most importantly, I helped complete every single step myself! It is a totally lady-friendly project (as nearly all diy projects can be).

First, we went to Menards and purchased two 10 inch by 1 inch by 10 foot boards. We used a jigsaw to cut them to size. I wanted one shelf to go over the bi-fold door closet, and the other to go over my walk-in closet and bathroom door in the master bedroom. So, I measured each area and allowed for 6 inches of overhang on each side. They ended up needing to be 77 inches and 80.5 inches long. We used a speed square to make precise cutting lines and always clamped down the board. We also cut a little off each outside corner to add some visual interest.

Next, we drew out how we wanted the brackets to look. T.J. wanted something a little sleeker, but I talked him into this more romantic shape. We cut out 4 brackets with the jigsaw. Then I got to work sanding them while T.J. fired up the router.

We chose to do a double rounded edge with the router, and it was pretty exciting to watch happen. I tried my hand at it a little bit, but T.J. did most of this part. We routed the long boards for the top of the shelves as well as each bracket.

Finally, we used the router to make keyhole notches in the back of each bracket so they could be attached to the wall. This was pretty exciting as well and took some practice. T.J. had never done a keyhole notch before so while we were at Menards to get our wood, we also got a keyhole bit for $10. If you are trying a keyhole bit for the first time, make sure you line it up with something and stay very very steady. Also, make sure you have the bit positioned deep enough in the wood - and definitely practice a few times first.

We couldn't resist hanging up one of them for a dry run before I painted them...

The black I used to paint the shelves is Rustoleum Painters Touch black and is the same black I used on my bedroom vanity and chair. I have been really impressed with how well the paint has held up. The best furniture paint I have used so far. It is like a tough shell on those pieces of furniture. I first slapped on a quick coat of white primer so that the wood wouldn't soak up my black paint too much. The primer I used is called Zinsser Fast Prime 2 and is the same primer I used for painting my interior doors white earlier this fall. It is the kind you can put on without sanding first... which is definitely a bonus! Then I rolled on 3 coats of black on each side with a small foam roller.

After letting the wood dry overnight, the shelves were ready to hang! T.J. put the screws in the wall where there are studs, and added extra screws in the wall at the middle of each board (using the keyhole cutouts in the wood). Now all that is left to do is style them!

Total Project Cost: $30 - (2 $10 boards, 1 $10 router bit, - already owned the black paint). I think that is pretty darn cheap for two custom made shelves!

Pictures of the other black paint project I recently completed tomorrow!