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RECENT D.I.Y PROJECTS

I’ve been in major DIY mode! I’m sure it has something about being stuck at home all the time and wanting to redecorate, constantly. But I started scouring Instagram a few weeks ago with easy and small DIY projects that would be a fun way to decorate the house here and there.

MUD PLANTERS

If you haven’t been following Bre Bertolini on Instagram, then you’ve been missing out! You’ll probably immediately recognize her mudroom because it has been circulating social media for years! And she has some great DIY projects that anyone can do, like these planters. She actually used this method for a lamp base, but I thought this would be a cool look for some small vases for herbs in the kitchen. I loved the shape of these terra cotta vases that I got from a greenhouse in town here in Minneapolis, but the color was a little off from the rest of the room, so I followed her tutorial step by step, except I did actually do a light coat of clear topcoat spray paint just to give it a little protection. The dried mud doesn’t smell at all, but obviously if you touch it or if it gets wet, that can be tricky and will mess up the “stone” vibe that the mudding gave it.

I might try and find a more permanent way to get this effect that doesn’t include getting mud all over the patio :-/ But these were fun and easy!

Hello, World!

 


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or you can check these out too!

TEXTURED CERAMICS

A Minneapolis photographer that I follow posted her friend doing these and ohhhh my gosh I knew right away I needed to try it out!! I am obsessed with dark and moody colors for this fall, so this was the perfect way to get some decor pieces for fall and not spend a bajillion $$’s on a ton of new vases. I went to TJ Maxx and Home Goods and found a few great vases whose shape would compliment each other, then got the following colors from Sherwin Williams. I followed the tutorial here which is really quite simple: mix two parts paint and 1 part baking soda, adding more baking soda if you want it to be a thicker “paste”, then paint away!

 


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or you can check these out too!

I combined the methods from the mud planter and textured vases to make this lamp! It had tons of grooves so I filled it in with plaster and finished it with a grey paint + baking soda mixture and got a stone-textured lamp!!

 


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CANE DRESSER + CABINETS

So I was first inspired by @brepurposed and her IKEA desk hack, but to be honest the more that I thought about it and the more that I looked into her tutorial, it felt a little involved for me. I am lucky enough to have a mom and some friends that have wood cutting equipment, so I enlisted their help to cut the drawers and cabinet doors of these pieces below to get the effects that I wanted. By getting unfinished wood you are able to paint/stain however you want to, which is much easier than finding/cutting/affixing plywood like Bre’s IKEA hack. Her desk looks AMAZING! I just know that’s way out of my capabilities right now.

I got this dresser from IKEA which is only $40 and this cabinet is $70. The cabinet is actually a part of a shelf unit that you can put together, but I decided to buy some legs and make it a stand-alone.

I measured and marked the drawers/doors so that the wood would create a frame for the cane. After the wood is cut, you can stain all of the pieces the way that you want. I chose black because I love the contrast, but I also love the look of a natural stain too, more of a neutral vibe. You could also stain the cane if you wanted a more cohesive look and less contrasting colors.

Picking the hardware is really fun too! I love pretty much anything that is antiqued brass, and Home Depot has some great options, even Anthropologie has some cool finds too if you’re cool with spending a few more dollars.

 


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or you can check these out too!

CANE + SHERPA OTTOMANS

These almost deserve a post for themselves! And they were much more involved since I built the structure and everything from scratch! Below I included a picture from my stories that broke down how I built the structure and what dimensions I used. I kinda worked with what I had, getting the wood from my mom’s stash. But the really tricky part was when I cut the frame. This was put over the stapled cane for a super clean look, and of course it took me a while to find enough of the 1/4” poplar boards to cover both ottomans, and took even longer to cut them all down!

*what I learned: poplar is not the best for staining. The colors are so different with the boards and tend to blotch, so if you use poplar I would only use it when it’s being painted.

I followed Ria’s tutorial in her stories practically exactly when it came to making the cushions as well! The sherpa was on sale and I have to say it is ssoooo soft! I loved this pick! I layered batting underneath the sherpa to give it more cushioning and volume. I used scotch spray and it worked really well! Just be careful because it will get your work surface (and hands) sticky. For more info check out my DIY stories!

  


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next up…

I cannot wait to do these frames for our apartment in Nashville!! There is an antique store down the street from us here in Minneapolis that always has great vintage prints that would be perfect for this! Not to mention there is cane in a few of the pieces of furniture that we have in there so it will be great to tie it all together. Check out Cynthia Harper’s Instagram too, she is where I got this idea and has some amazing other DIY ideas and overall amazing style.

I also have enough Cane left over to make a few of these trays! And these are gonna be so fun because I can play around with the hardware. Right now I’m going with these because they’re so fun, but simple brass handles could be great too.

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