Laundry Room Sign

One of the items I found while reorganizing the loft closet was the cabinet door to this IKEA nightstand.

I removed it last year in order to store blankets in the loft TV room.  I was positive I could do something with the door, so I decided to hang on to it.  And while reorganizing my laundry room this week, I decided to use it to create a laundry room sign!

It was more of a yellow-white, so first up was a couple coats of Maison White.

Then I spent some time putting together the design.  I printed the design out on decal paper as a mirror image and followed the instructions to transfer the image onto the cabinet door.

While I let that set overnight, I used a laser level to mark where I needed to add the nails.  This was my first time using a laser level and I honestly don't know how I've hung anything without one.  It was awesome!

And here it is!  I love how it looks like a laundry chute door!

I'm hoping to add white wood shelves above the washer and dryer to help jazz it up even more!  Doing laundry will surely be a little more enjoyable now! :)

-Ashley

Loft Closet Makeover

I bet you thought I would forget to take a before pic, huh?  Well, you are half right.  I started emptying the closet before I caught myself, so here is a pic of all that I was storing...

...inside my tiny loft closet.

With everything out of the closet, the first thing I did was purge - such a good feeling!  And the next was to purchase more shelving.  I needed a system that would allow me to easily adjust my shelves up or down depending on what I needed to store and ClosetMaid made just the thing.  I drove down to The Home Depot to pick up 3 shelves that were 16" deep.  I believe standard is 12", so I was very excited about the extra room.  And although a bit pricey, this shelving system was worth every penny!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any "in progress" photos, but here are the afters!

I love how clean the shelves look by using these white baskets from Target.  And those little ones I actually scored from Big Lots!  And if you haven't invested in a label maker, do so!!  It makes it so easy for anyone to find what they are looking for, including my husband. :)

You might notice that some of the baskets are empty.  That's the beauty of this makeover - I have even more room than I need at this point.  Whenever you reassess your storage solutions, make sure you take into account future growth!

And you might have also noticed that I stored my seasonal pillows on the top shelf.  I recommend doing this with anything that you rarely use.  Save the stuff you use often for the lower shelves where you can easily grab and go!

And finally, for my beach towels and yoga towels, I found this cute basket at Marshalls.  Next to that are my seasonal hand towels tucked away in a small white basket.

Happy organizing!!
-Ashley

Spring Is In The Air

And therefore Easter is right around the corner!  In all actuality however, Easter is quite late this year - April 20th!  That's OK though because it gives me more time to decorate and even more time to enjoy those decorations!  Win, win!

I found the cutest stencil at (where else?!) Hobby Lobby - a bunny silhouette.  I snatched it up immediately because I knew it would come in handy not only for Easter decor, but for Spring decor in general.

Wanting to go a little more rustic with the "Easter Collection", I searched through my never-ending collection of scrap wood and found the perfect sheet of pine.  I also came across some leftover letters that just happen to spell "WELCOME".  I can take a hint - a door sign I must make! :)

To get started, I used a small foam brush to apply my most favorite color stain.

While that dried, I painted the orange letters yellow.

 

I let the stain dry overnight before taping down the bunny stencil and painting it white.

Next I used blue tape to create a straight line that would serve as a guide as I glued down each letter.

Last but not least was to drill two holes for the twine.  I enlisted my hubby for this part.  :)

And there you have it!  A door sign that will last me through the Spring and Easter season.

-Ashley

Side Table Redo

After painting the buffet, which was big and black, I needed to bring some color back into my life.  However, I was undecided as to what color.  I knew I wanted to paint a coffee table red, but that was dependent on me finding the perfect piece, which sadly, I'm still on the hunt for.  I did stumble upon this cutie though!  And yellow she should be! 

After a quick wipe down, I was ready to paint!

I chose to let the first coat dry overnight, but instead of cleaning my brush that night, I simply wrapped it up in a plastic bag so I could reuse it the next day.  One of the best painting secrets out there!

After a second coat, I was ready to tackle the in-lay details.  Inspired by the song You Are My Sunshine, I chose grey as my accent color.  Get it?!  ("You make me happy, when skies are GREY!") :)  To paint the in-lay's, I used an artists brush.

Next was to give the entire piece a little distressing.

And finally, wax.  More often than not, I go for clear wax, but I own dark brown wax and have just been too chicken to really commit to using it on an entire piece.  Not today my friends!  I was going for it!  The pictures aren't fantastic, but you'll notice a slight deepening in the second picture vs the first.  That is what dark brown wax can do you for you!

And here is a close up with wax on the left side of the leg, but not yet on the right.

I love how the color turned out!  It has given me the confidence to use dark brown wax more often.

 

-Ashley