diy | This Old Colonial Home

August 6, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 1 Comment

DIY Nursery Decor

In my last post (see it here) I showed you the finished nursery.Now I want to share with you some of the DIY decor I incorporated.

Let me start with these book shelves.After perusing Pinterest for some inspiration, I decided to buy two wooden crates, which you can pick up from any craft store.

Using leftover paint from previous projects, I painted the inside of each crate. One a mint green and one a dark blue.After letting that dry, I then painted the outside white. This turned out to be a pretty tedious task. It took several coats to get the look I wanted. I also didn’t really tape anything off so I did have some bleeding, which I later touched up.If I were to do this again I would either prime it first or just buy the crate in white instead of natural wood to save time.

Since I stink at hanging things, my husband took the lead and used two anchor screws to attach each crate to the wall.

I then filled the now shelves with children’s books and toys. I love how this little nook turned out!Next, I want to share this gallery wall. (I’m such a sucker for gallery walls!)It all started at my shower where we had guests write a wish for the baby on little paper circles.Later on I laid out all the circles on a piece of 11×14 paper since I knew that was the frame size I wanted to use. But since that’s not a standard paper size I just cut down a piece of 11×17 paper. The idea was to make the circles look like balloons being held by an elephant, which I simply printed from Google Images.Once I had the layout I wanted, I glued each circle to the paper and drew lines to look like strings.After I found the perfect frame, I used this piece as the center and picked up a few more frames to surround it. Do you know what I used to fill those frames? One is my shower invitation and the rest are simply cut up gift bags!Talk about a simple, easy and affordable project! But also one that has so much meaning!

June 9, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

Master Bedroom Reveal

I am so happy to report that our master bedroom is finally done!It has taken more than a year to get this room all pieced together. Gasp! Certain things just tend to hold up the process: time, money, jobs, weekends away, a baby on the way … but that’s alright. This is what real life looks like (at least for us). Who are these people anyway who can knock out a room in a weekend?!

It all started in March of last year when Jamie painted our room Cliffside Gray by Benjamin Moore and I tackled my first stencil wall. (See all the details here.) Stencil wall project in progress The furniture remained a hodgepodge of pieces that didn’t go together. I had bought a yellow nightstand at a garage sale for $5 that I loved. The original thought was to add another yellow nightstand on the other side of the bed, but as usual I eventually changed my mind. So the room remained in a state of mismatchedness. (Is that even a real word?!)The plan now is to put this pretty little piece in the nursery.

Over this past winter, the furniture started to come together a little bit better. We bought dressers from Ikea and started adding some decor.I then splurged on this accent chair from Marshalls. We had the space for it, and it was just too cute to pass up! We also added curtains with some industrial pipe rods (see it here). It’s amazing how curtains can make a room look so much more complete! At this point I wasn’t feeling our headboard anymore. I just didn’t like the color of the wood with the new dressers. So onto Craigslist it went and the search began for a tufted one. After a few months, I found the perfect headboard on Wayfair for a crazy, awesome price! (This is not a sponsored post, but I’m telling you, you should sign up for those daily deal emails. They will literally pay off!)And after just a few days of ordering it, our headboard finally sold too. It was meant to be!

The ceiling fan in our room also got a nice little update. (You can read more about that here.)

So now we’re down to the final pieces of the puzzle: the nightstands.

My ever-so-handy husband built us two nightstands using these free plans from ana-white.com. Here are a few shots of his work in progress:I was then tasked with finding drawer pulls, lamps, and decor. Again, each item took a little bit of searching, but it finally all came together.My favorite part is the artwork. Instead of buying some generic saying in the store (sorry, but I’m over the ‘Love you to the moon and back’ signs), I used Canva to create something that has more meaning to us as a couple. “When I’m with you feels like I’m home” is a lyric from the Duncan Sheik song ‘Home,’ which is the first song we danced to as husband and wife!

So as you can see, this room went through a lot of different phases. Here’s where we originally started when we first bought the house.And this is how it looks now!I truly love our master bedroom! I find it to be such a calming and relaxing space, and a true reflection of us. Is it time for bed yet?!

April 14, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

Fan-tastic DIY

We have a few ceiling fans in our house and man are they ugly! They scream ’80s with their fake wood finish, brass fixtures and dated frosted glass light shades.

The one in the master bedroom bothers me the most since it literally stares me in the face every time I go to sleep.Instead of spending a hundred plus dollars on a completely new fixture, we decided to give it the ole DIY try.

We started by disassembling all of the fan’s pieces. (Don’t forget to cut the power!) Each piece then got a good cleaning. Talk about dusty! Gross.

Now it was time to spray paint. We decided to do the whole thing white using Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch.Jamie laid out all of the pieces on a drop cloth in the garage, including the screws, and gave them two coats of paint.Meanwhile, I went in search of some new glass light shades to replace the old ones. I came across these at Lowe’s. They’re definitely a nice upgrade and a decent price!We let the fan pieces dry overnight and by the next day they were ready to be hung back up.

Here’s what it looks like all put back together. What an improvement, right?! Such a quick DIY and it cost less than $20. Can’t beat that!

March 11, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 1 Comment

Bucket List

I don’t know about you, but I love a good galvanized bucket. Whether it’s new or old, rustic or freshly painted — they can serve so many purposes. You may recall that I blogged about a rusty bucket that I turned into a planter last Fall.Before I really knew what I wanted to do with it, I had turned to Hometalk for opinions. So many great ideas were tossed around — like filling it up with rolled towels for the bathroom, or holding wood by the fireplace, or even serving as an umbrella stand. So when Hometalk recently approached me about curating a board on upcycled buckets, I knew I couldn’t say no. I mean look at all the possibilities!There’s everything from a centerpiece, to lamps, to an Advent calendar, to even a bathroom sink!

Turning them into planters tends to be the most common. But I love how Jeanette from Snazzy Little Things took it one step further and used small buckets filled with succulents as wedding favors. What a great idea!Marie, who can often be found at Flea Market Gardening, took gardening with buckets to a whole new level. She crafted this tipsy solar fountain! How cool is that?!Buckets are also a fun way to keep things organized. Melody over at My Passion for Decor cleverly created a caddy for kids’ crafts. (Say that 3 times fast!)If I was forced to choose a favorite (which is really hard), I think it might just have to be this creation from Laura at Finding Home. Who would even think to create a Christmas “tree” using different sized buckets?! I love that!For more inspiration and to see the rest of these fantastic ideas, head over to my Hometalk board.

What have you created using buckets?

February 2, 2015
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

Fun with Curtains

I’m happy to report that we’re making some progress in the master bedroom! If you follow me on Instagram (@oldcolonialhome) then you know that I recently scored this awesome accent chair at Marshalls.I was supposed to be shopping for a mirror at the time, but when I came across this lovely piece with its nailhead trim, I knew I couldn’t pass it up (especially when I had passed up on one similar last summer).

I did eventually find a big, round mirror that I was looking for to fill up the huge wall above my dresser. This rustic, wooden beauty is a HomeGoods find.But the main thing I want to share with you is our new curtains.I love how they turned out, but man what a process it ended up being!

One of the issues we had was that each of the 3 windows in our room either butts up against the roof line or a wall or both.This makes curtain rod placement tricky, especially since I usually like to go high and wide. That wasn’t going to be an option here. I considered doing roman shades, but I didn’t like the idea of a third of our windows always being covered, blocking natural light.

So I came up with the idea of using one panel on each window and hanging it using a rod made with black steel pipes. But instead of having two ends, we just have one.Making the rod was super easy and cost less than $20 each. Here’s what I used:3/4″ Floor Flange

3/4″ x 2″ Nipple

3/4″ 90 degree Elbow

3/4″ x 24″ Threaded Pipe

3/4″ Cap

After wiping down the pipes, I assembled the pieces in that order.

Another issue we encountered was the length from the top of the window to the floor. Since the windows are at the roof line, they’re lower than normal. So the standard curtain sizes wouldn’t work — 63″ was too short and 84″ was too long. But you know what’s the perfect length at 72″? Shower curtains! Did you even notice?!They were another HomeGoods happy find, and only cost $14.99 each!

So I had my curtain rod and I had my curtains, but there was one other issue — attaching the two. The pipe obviously wouldn’t fit through the holes in the shower curtain, and most standard shower curtain hooks wouldn’t fit over the pipe, and regular curtain hooks only come 7 to 10 in a pack and shower curtains have 12 slits. Oy! I was getting ready to throw in the towel. But finally I found something and ended up getting these affordable curtain rings from Ikea.Who knew such a small project would turn into such a big headache? But at least the end result turned out great and that’s all that matters!We still have a few things left to do in here (like paint the ’80s ceiling fan, build nightstands, and replace the lamps), but our bedroom is finally starting to feel a lot more cozy!

October 2, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

DIY Pumpkin Sign

Somehow I got it in my head that I wanted to make a wooden sign for fall. I’ve never made a sign before. But isn’t that kinda what DIY is all about? ~~Winging it?~~ Learning as you go?

I envisioned a rustic, vertical ‘PUMPKINS’ sign — thinking it could be a fun element to add to our decor. Luckily Jamie is usually on board with the ideas I dream up because more often than not I end up needing his help. His only request was that I didn’t put the finished sign on our front steps. (“People will think we’re selling pumpkins.”) Haha, I suppose that’s possible!

We started by taking two scrap pieces of board and lining them up vertically leaving a slight space between them.We then screwed the backs of the boards to another scrap piece at the top and bottom.Before staining the wood, I did a little sanding to get some markings off. Then I decided to try Minwax Weathered Oak for, you guessed it, that weathered look.The first coat came out pretty light even after leaving it on for 15 minutes. I did a second coat, again leaving it on for 15 minutes, which helped. A third coat probably would’ve been just the ticket. Oh well. As for the letters, I decided to save some cash by printing my own. In Microsoft Word I picked the font Franklin Gothic at size 630. You’ll want to measure how big to make your letters. My boards were about 52″ long and I had 8 letters, so I figured around 6″ per letter, allowing room for spacing. (Yay guesstimated math!) I printed each letter on cardstock paper. To save on ink, just print the outline of the letters.After I cut out each letter, I used two-sided tape to attach them to the boards.This turned out to not be the best idea because the tape stuck to the wood more than the paper. After I traced the letters there was a lot of prying up with my fingernails.

For painting the letters I used Pure Pumpkin craft paint (that’s the actual color name) from Michael’s and used a small art brush to apply it.I probably could’ve used a slightly bigger brush, but I worked with what I had. And then I realized — while trying to stay in the lines and getting visible brush strokes — I probably should’ve cut the letters as a stencil instead. (Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Learning as I go!)Once the letters were dry, I did a little light hand sanding using 220-grit sandpaper to dull the orange.

And here it is on display in our dining room (and safe from pumpkin-buying passersby).So all in all this project didn’t go quite as smoothly as I figured (does it ever?!) But I’m pretty happy with the end result and will now know better for the next time. Because let’s face it, there will be a next time!

Linking up with Bless’er House

September 22, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home Leave a comment

Mason Jar Possibilities

Mason jars. We all love them. Some of us might still use them for canning, but many of us have been coming up with creative ways to use them for organization, gifts or decor. For instance, I recently blogged about our DIY Mason Jar Sconce. Hometalk reached out telling me how much they loved it and asked me to curate a board on mason jar projects. I happily obliged!Vases, lighting, and candles tend to be the most popular, but I love how everyone puts their own little spin on it using paint, ribbon, jute rope, etc. I also love the ideas of using just the lids! Traci from Beneath My Heart came up with a fun and easy way to make coasters out of them. And Erin at DIY on the Cheap shows off a cute way to make ornaments.

What I love most is there are options for all 4 seasons! Here are some of my favorites:

1. Fall

Kelly from Live Laugh Rowe simply placed a votive candle in the center of the jar and added vase filler — like popcorn kernels and acorns. These are items you may already have around the house or the backyard! So easy and inexpensive!2. Winter

Diana at Anyone Can Decorate made “snow globes” out of her mason jars. She glued bottle brush Christmas trees to the underside of the lids and then filled the jar with fake snow and glitter and turned the jar upside down. I love how she also attached some jars to candle sticks to vary the height. How festive!3. Spring

Tiffany from Offbeat and Inspired came up with this centerpiece that’s perfect for spring! It’s so bright and colorful while also rustic and industrial. She used 6 mason jars along with pipe clips, nuts, bolts, and mending braces to create a snake-like vase display that can be bent any way you like. How unique!4. Summer

Dee over at Meatloaf and Melodrama guest posted on PinkWhen her bright, fresh, and fruity mason jar utensil holder. All it took was a little spray paint and ribbon. And she simply used a black sharpie for the watermelon seeds. So cute and perfect for a backyard barbeque! As you can see, the door of possibilities isn’t just ajar (see what I did there?!) … it’s wide open! Head over to my Hometalk board to see the rest of these fantastic ideas.

What mason jar projects have you made?

August 20, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 2 Comments

Blogger Block Party

On Monday I went to my very first blogger-related party! HGTV Magazine hosted a Blogger Block Party in New York City.The details leading up to the event were pretty vague and I didn’t know what to expect. Needless to say I was nervous about going by myself, especially since I’m still a newbie at this whole blogging thing. But one of my good friends encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone. She said the only way people will get to know me is if I go and meet them. Thanks for the advice, Steph!

So I put on my big girl pants and decided to go. Manhattan is just a 45 minute NJ Transit bus ride away, so there really was no reason not to go!I felt welcome right away! There was free swag right upon entering the door, which is always okay in my book. Plus, everyone I spoke with was nice and friendly. It was a great opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and even non-bloggers who just love DIY. I even got to briefly meet Sara Peterson, the Editor in Chief of HGTV Magazine.The day consisted of making connections, as well as crafting, and easy DIY demonstrations. The kitchen art was probably my favorite. I kinda really want to try these painted wooden spoons!The highlight of the day, of course, was when Scott McGillivray – host of HGTV’s “Income Property” – arrived for his demonstration. His presentation was definitely the most interesting and informative. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes! (Sorry, honey!)I even got up the nerve to ask him a question during the Q&A portion. Hopefully my nervousness wasn’t too noticeable. I asked him what his thoughts were on ripping out a closet and replacing it with a bench and hooks, which is something Jamie and I plan on doing in our entryway. He answered that taking away storage isn’t a great idea, but as long as you replace it with another form of storage it should be fine. Thanks, Scott!

We were then able to get our picture taken with him! When it was my turn, I simply thanked him and said it was nice meeting him. I tried to act nonchalant on the outside, but inside I was super giddy!I stayed a little bit for the cocktail hour that followed, chatted with a few more people and then decided after nearly 8 hours I would head home.

I definitely enjoyed myself and I’m glad that I went. I learned a lot from more experienced bloggers and left with my head spinning and full of ideas.

While I am just a little guppy in this massive sea of home décor/DIY blogs, this doormat at the party is my new inspiration and motivation!We all have to start somewhere — so keep calm and blog on!

June 8, 2014
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Celebrating One Year in Our Home

Today marks one year since Jamie, Luca and I moved into our very first house. On June 8, 2013, we said goodbye to renting and hello to home ownership! It’s been a year full of hard work, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. In the past year we have managed to:

Rip up the cranberry carpeting on the first floor

Refinish the hardwood floors hiding underneath said cranberry carpets

Install a stair runner

Replace the switch plates and outlet covers throughout the entire house

Install a smart thermostat

Paint the living room, family room, dining room, first and second floor hallways, upstairs bathroom, and master bedroom (including a stencil wall)

Replace the light fixtures in the dining room and entryway

Create a gallery wall in the living room

Add decor – artwork, pictures, curtains, etc.

Make a mirror out of a window pane

Refinish a dresser into our new TV stand

Build a coffee table for the living room

Freshen up the front flower beds – ripping out dead bushes and adding mulch

And of course we’re not done — there are always more projects on the list. But the sense of pride in owning your own home makes it all worth it! So please join us for our second year in this old colonial home to see what we’ll be up to next!

June 2, 2014
by This Old Colonial Home 4 Comments

DIY Coffee Table

Aside from finding the plans, I certainly can’t take any credit for our awesome, new coffee table.

It all started when I saw this lovely post on Pinterest/Hometalk, which then led me to the incredible site ana-white.com.

Rustic wood coffee table using Ana White plans

Courtesy Creative Little Daisy via Hometalk

If you’re not already following her – START! Her pieces are gorgeous and she provides free, easy-to-follow plans to make your own furniture — saving you some cash.

Jamie picked up the necessary materials, any tools we didn’t already have, and even got a table saw from his dad. (Thanks, Jim!) While I was working on my dresser makeover, Jamie began working on this project. He followed the cut list and then began assembling the pieces step-by-step. This is what it looked like when he was done. Pretty impressive for a novice, right?!He did have one slight hiccup that needed to be fixed. When we brought it inside to test if it was level – it wasn’t. After taking the top off and apart, he determined that the base was level, but some of the boards on top were warped causing it to be thrown off balance. Jamie eventually replaced the boards with new ones and – voila! All better!

After that, he filled any major holes with wood filler and gave it a good sanding. He then applied a wood conditioner before moving on to the stain. (We picked Minwax Special Walnut.) He brushed on the stain, let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped it off with a rag.It took 3 coats to get the look we were going for.I just LOVE how it turned out! Who knew my husband was so handy?! (I think I’ll keep him around!) Here it is in our living room, where I think it fits in perfectly!In the end, this project cost only about $100! Try finding that in a furniture store!