Wednesday, July 31, 2013

DIY Hallway Console Table


This table has been on my dream list for a year.  I wanted a table for this wall, but everything I found was too wide, making the pass-through cramped.  I finally pitched an idea to my dad- maybe we could make a table!  He was enthusiastic, and one day this past weekend, we got together and completed it!  He did all the hard parts- the math, finding out how much wood we needed, making the plan, etc.  I just stood around and played with power tools and paint.  I recorded as much of the process as I could, but this is not a step-by-step guide- mostly because I don't actually know what I was doing!  But please enjoy, and check it out, and be proud of me!  Because I am in loooooove with it.

Our makeshift work bench is a plank of wood on a kiln.  Not the flattest surface, but we do things our way.  That's kind of a theme in this family!

First step: Play with power tools!  Cut your boards!  Pretend you don't see the blatant disregard for safety precautions.  


Second step: Attach your boards.  We used wood glue first, and then made little holes with our drill, and finally nailed them together.  We mashed our nails down a little bit so we could fill it later.  This has a name, but I can't remember what it's called.  

Progress shot: This is the top of the table, upside down.  Also two of the legs, which we were using as a T-square.  Like I said, we do things our own way.

Attach the legs!  Again with the glue/drill/nails combo.  We didn't have to mess with the length of the legs at all, which made this really easy. 

Change of scenery.  We moved the whole process over to my house so we could see if I liked the height.  Spoiler alert: I did.  Then we patched the nail divots with wood putty, let that dry, and then hand sanded it all down flat.


Paint and/or stain the wood!  This paint was fun.  We have this cabinet in our living room, and it's one of my favorite things on the planet.  When choosing a color to paint this table, I wanted to get as close as possible to the cabinet.  They are on opposite sides of the room and I thought that would be a nice way to make the whole space feel more cohesive.  Plus, I really love the color.  I didn't want to take the cabinet apart to take a piece with me when buying paint.  I tried lots of things around my house, trying to match the color.  Of all the things in the world- a random candle was almost exactly the same shade.  So off I went with my candle, and home we came with some paint.  I also wanted to incorporate some of the wood color (walnut) because we have a lot of mix-matched wooden antique furniture in the living room, and once again I was going for something that would feel a part of the space and not just a random table in the hallway.


Boom!  Table is done.  To attach the bottom shelf, we used some regular little L-brackets.  We mounted the table to the wall using some command velcro strips.  I threw a couple of items up there so it doesn't feel so empty, and voila!  A completely custom piece built by me and my Dad.  It fits perfectly where I wanted it, and is the perfect width for the space.  Scott loves it too- he said that everytime he sees it he thinks, "that's a real solid table."  Score!

Now all I need is a picture for the frame, a potted plant maybe, and a floor vase of the left of the table! I also CANNOT WAIT for holiday decorating- how wonderful is it going to be to decorate this table for Halloween, Thanksgiving and... CHRISTMAS. 

Oh, and just for fun.... back when I was in the planning stages, I needed a visual/physical reference when I was trying to figure out my measurements (height/width etc).  Apparently most people will just draw it out with masking tape on their carpet.  I didn't do this, because 1) I didn't think of it and 2) I really needed it to be as close to reality as it could get.  I wanted to physically walk my body through the space and say "That doesn't feel crowded at all!"  So after a few minutes and some creative balancing skills, I came up with...

Console Table Prototype.  I don't know, I think they're very visually similar, don't you?


Monday, July 29, 2013

Small Kitchen Update

I mentioned previously that I was sucked into a Target black hole- you know how it goes.  I entered Target for one purpose- find a gift for my dad.  45 minutes later, I left with the gift (score!)- and with some towels for the kitchen.  And an oven mitt.  Oh well!  It cost less than 15 dollars for the pair of towels, oven mitt, and decorative "punny" towel (I love a good pun).  And look how much nicer it makes the kitchen!




Those are the before photos.  You can see it started with an attempt- the sunflower hand towels that were a housewarming gift- but over time just sort of ended up a collection for kitchen type things.  A couple of aprons (I have three, but only two are pictured), and a random towel that we got in a Lootcrate one month.  

Ugh, yes, I know I need to iron the creases out of that center towel
but I just couldn't WAIT to take the photos.


And the after!  Nothing special or worth shouting about, but much nicer, a bit more cohesive, and it goes along with the theme that will eventually permeate the kitchen as a whole.  Pretty cute, I think, and perfect for the cost, in my opinion! 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Little Life Things (Week of 7/19/13-7/26/13)

July 19 - July 26



  • Beach weekend!  We shopped, we ate delicious food,  laid in the sand, tried to swim but it was freeeezing in the water... and managed to not get sun burned!
  • My Uncle got married!
  • We got our wedding proofs!!!  I couldn't be more excited.  
  • Scott managed to recreate a version of our favorite frozen drink from the cruise here at home.  Yummy!
  • Very brief shopping trip to get my dad a birthday gift ended up with some small gifts for my kitchen as well!  More on that later.  
Favorite iPhone Pics of the Week
We toured the Dogfish Head Brewery and it was excellent!


My dress showed up in its preservation box!  

When we went to pick Jack up from my parents' house, he was curled up 
in THEIR cat's bed in the window!  

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Nails of the Week: Summer Daisy Chain

I love daisies!  I'm not sure there's a happier flower.  They just scream "summer" to me- like lightning bugs and thunderstorms.  So on the last days of vacation, I whipped up this quick manicure with little daisies on a stormy-blue background to celebrate.




 Cute, right?  I used the same dotting tools as I did for my polka dot mani from last week, in two different sizes.  And not too bad considering I painted them in a dark room while we watched a movie.


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Little Life Things (Week of 7/12/13-7/19/13)

July 12-July 19
(Late post!  We've been at the beach!)


  • Reconnected with an old, close friend that I thought I had lost forever.
  • Discovered a wonderful new lounge in town that serves key lime pie martinis!
  • Hung out in the hot tub with my brother and his fiance
  • It was hot hot HOT this week! (upper 90s, felt like 100+ some days)
  • Headed to the beach for family vacation!
Spent one evening in the hot tub with Scott, cracked open a bottle of champagne 
that we were supposed to drink the day we got married.  Whoops!


Favorite iPhone Pics of the Week


(Jack was swatting/attacking Abby's tail but she was too lazy to care)

We always try to take the back roads for views like this. 

Monday, July 22, 2013

In the Garden: Sunflower Progress!


While we were on these honeymoon, these things shot up!  Do you remember what they looked like before we left?  I can't believe it!  I'm very excited and can't wait to see their progress over the next few weeks.  And to think I wasn't even sure that they would grow at all... Now I'm searching for buds!







Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Nails of the Week- Pink Polka Dots!

I'm a nail-biter.  It's horrible.  I'm really bad about it.  I've been trying to break the habit for years and years, and sometimes I have a streak of great weeks/months... but then it all goes downhill again and I have to start over.  Prior to the wedding, I started getting Shellac manicures every other week.  That helped a TON.  But after the wedding, off went the nails.  I stopped going to the salon, I was "too busy" to do them myself at home, and for me, naked nails= gnawed-on nails.

Now I'm trying to get back in the habit of painting and maintaining my manicures.  Unfortunately, I have to start with my tiny little nubbins.  It's okay though!  I've done lots of manicures in the past that look great on short nails.  

Take, for example, this one.  Polka dots scream summer to me.  Maybe it's the "yellow polka dot bikini" song.  I'm not sure.  But I decided on polka dots for this one, and I think this design is so cute on my short little nails.  




For these, I used my Born Pretty Store Dotting Tool, which was a Christmas gift one year and comes in handy for when I want to make my nails look cute without spending an extra hour on them.


Monday, July 15, 2013

Honeymoon!

We've returned!  Our honeymoon was us to a T.  It started off with a cruise to the Bahamas, and then a few days at Disney World (we were there for the 4th of July so we got to see THE most amazing fireworks display)  and a few at Universal Studios (Harry Potter!).  Here are a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

Sunset from our balcony the first night!

"Shade Ade" is THE BEST drink... this is not one, but the cup was too cute.




Our fancy dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby

We got completely soaked this day.  

4th of July Mickey Mouse cake pops.  The ears were marshmallows.




HOGWARTS.

And there you have it.