The Decor Mama

A DIY loving, decorating obsessed, mama of three

How to save money when getting Farmhouse Lighting

| DIY

Hi again everyone, and thanks so much for coming!!
 
Today I’m going to show you a simple trick to save you a few bucks when getting that farmhouse lighting that you’ve been dreaming of!
 
Just recently we jumped on the shiplap bandwagon in our house, and I have to say that I love the way it turned out!
 
Once we finished our shiplap wall, I had the perfect vision of two farmhouse wall lights above our windows to give our shiplap wall the perfect finish!  
 
While looking for what lights to go with, I made an awesome discovery!  If I bought the unfinished metal lights, they were $10 dollars cheaper than buying the black colored lights.  So with the two lights I needed, I saved $20 dollars by going with the metal colored lights.  Then you buy black spray paint of your choice, and wa-lah, you have your black farmhouse lighting that you’ve been wanting for a cheaper price!  Especially, if you get your spray paint at a craft store with a coupon!!!  Cha-Ching!  Even more money saved!!
 
Okay, here’s what you’ll need:
Farmhouse lighting of your choice.  I chose the Hampton Bay Galvanized Wall Lanterns from Home Depot as seen above.
Black Spray Paint.  I used the Rustoleum Black flat paint found here.
Puck Lights.  I got mine from here.
Something that you can spray paint on, a mask, and goggles, if you want to stay protected from the paint fumes!
 
That’ it!!!
 
Now let’s get started!!!
 
Gather all your items.
Remove the lighting, take it to your painting surface, and spray paint those lights on up!
Let them dry!
Put the light fixtures back together once the paint is completely dry.
Get your puck lights out, fill them with the batteries, and then attach the 3M PE foam that it comes with to the back of them.  Next, attach one side of the Velcro strip to that and the other Velcro strip to the light fixture.  Attach them together and you have your lights in!!
Now hang your light fixtures where you want them!!
Hold your remote that your puck lights come with in a relatively close area and you can turn them on by remote!
 
That’s it!  You now have farmhouse lighting for cheaper!  Yessssss!
Now go buy yourself something with all the money you saved!!  Okay, I guess you can save it too, if you’re more responsible with your money than I am!😬😉
 
Thanks so much for coming, and I’ll see you soon with our next DIY tutorial!!
 
If you do decide to do this simple project show me pictures in the comments below or tag me on Instagram @thedecormama!  Can’t wait to see your finished products!
 
XOXO,
 
Lauren
 
The Decor Mama
 

How To Make Window Boxes!

| DIY

Hi everyone and thanks for visiting!

Today I am going to be showing you how to make a window box, or window planter as some people call it. 

I just finished making three of these for our three front windows.  I finally got to fill them today, and I’m in love!!!! They’ve added so much character to the exterior of our house, in my totally non biased opinion, of course!😄😉

These were such a simple, fun project that anyone can do at any level! You got this!  Trust me, if I can build these, so can you!

Let’s get to it so you can add that curb appeal as soon as possible!  

This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase from any of the provided links I will make a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.  So thank you so much if you do make a purchase through me!

Here’s what you’ll need!

  • Wood in the sizes of 1 x 8, 1 x 6, 1 x 3, & a 1 x 2.  Note that your 1 x 6 will be the bottom and end side pieces so you’ll need and extra 15” times 2 on top of the length that you want your box to be.  So, we needed 71” of the 1 x 6 board so we made sure to have 101” for the end side pieces.  Also, the 1 x 8’s make up the sides of your box so you’ll need double your original length on that board size.  So for example, we needed 71” of 1 x8 so really we needed 142”.  
    I only put 2 1 x 8’s because our boxes are so long and these will be the two sides of our box. If your window is smaller, you might only need 1 1 x 8.

     

  • A table saw or chop saw
  • Wood glue
  • A nail gun with finishing nails or a good old hammer and nails would work also.
  • Tape Measure 
  • Pencil
  • Wood Stain.  This is the exact stain color we used for our boxes.
  • An all weather varnish to help protect your boxes.  They didn’t have it on amazon, but the picture below is what we used and we got it from Lowe’s.  
  • To hang them up you’ll need:
  • Galvanized L brackets.  You will find these in the roofing section at your local home improvement store.
  • A hammer drill for drilling into concrete or brick.
  • Sleeve Anchors.  This is what we used to make sure they were in there really tight and strong.

Okay, let’s get started!!  

  1. First, measure your windows that these boxes will be going under and decide how long you want your boxes to be.  Our windows were 71” long, so our boxes are 71” long.
  2. Measure and mark your 1 x 6 to the length of your window.  Then measure and mark another 15” two times.  Measure and mark your 1 x 8.  Then measure and mark it again at the same length.
  3. Using your table or chop saw make your cuts on the lines you marked off.  
  4. Grab all your 1 x 6 pieces, the wood glue, and your nail gun.  You are going to glue and nail the two end pieces onto the bottom piece so that it looks like the below picture.  I glued the bottom of the end pieces and then set them on the 1 x 6 and then nailed them on.  Then you have a good base to easily get your 1 x 8’s attached.
  5. Glue all of that wood that is facing you. Then set your 1 x 8 on it, make sure it’s perfectly lined up and start nailing it in with your nail gun.  
  6. Once the first 1 x 8 is all nailed in turn it over and do the same thing to the other side.

Now you have your box!  

Now it’s time to add the trim pieces!  

  1. For the trim pieces you will measure and mark at the length of your other boards plus an extra 1 1/2 ” and mark it off.  Make your cuts.
  2. I wanted to make my box look bigger so I put my top trim piece (1 x 3) higher than the 1 x 8 board.  I laid it down flat, set the top trim piece on it and measured and marked 6″ down on each side and in the middle.  Make sure you have an even 3/4″ hanging off on the sides. Once my top trim was all even I started nailing it in with my nail gun.  (I didn’t use wood glue for the trim pieces because they’re so light, but you can if you feel the need.)
  3. I then just lined up the bottom trim (1 x 2) piece evenly with the bottom of the board and nailed that into place making sure I also had an even 3/4″ hanging off the sides before I nailed it down.
  4. Now you’re going to make the side trim.  Grab your scrap 1 x 3 pieces, set them against the side of your box lining it up with your front trim piece, make sure it’s straight and even, and then mark off where the wood meets the back of your box with a pencil.  Do this step for all side trim pieces.  Then make your cuts.  Nail those into place making sure they’re all lined up with your box and other trim pieces perfectly.
  5. Now pick what color stain you want to use.  Stain your whole box, and then let that dry.  
  6. Lastly, using a paint brush and your all weather varnish, coat your box 2-4 times just to make sure they’re super protected since they’ll be outside!  

*To hang them up we used galvanized L brackets that I found in the roofing section at Lowe’s.   Then to screw them into your wall use a hammer drill and sleeve anchors. 

You’re done!  You did it!  I would love to see pictures of your finished products!  Post them in comments here, or tag me on instagram @thedecormama.

AND if you want to add another awesome outdoor project to your list, go check out my DIY Corrugated Metal Raised Garden Bed!  It’s still one of my favorite projects to date and we have a ton of stuff growing in it that I can’t wait to eat!  Although, my two year old did just chop off half of the jalepeno bushes so that was awesome!🤪🤦🏼‍♀️😆

Thanks so much for coming and I hope to see you back here real soon for my next project!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

How to add Christmas Decor for Super Cheap!

| DIY, DIY Holiday Decor

You guys!  I’m so excited!  I just added 5 Christmas decor pieces to my house for a whopping $3.77 with tax!!!  

This will be the easiest, cheapest, DIY project you’ve ever done!!  You can thank me later!😉

  1. Step One:  Look at the back of all the decor around your house.  Can any of the backs be used to turn into cute Christmas decor, because guess what!?…that’s exactly what I used for my new DIY Christmas decor! The backs of my already existing decor!!  Here’s exactly what I used…
  2. Step 2: Run to your nearest crafting store and buy cute scrapbooking paper.  I went to Hobby Lobby and Got my paper on sale for 4 for $1!!  I also bout a cute ornament to put in the middle of one of my “Christmas signs”, which was $2.50.  
  3. Step 3: Measure the backs of your signs, cut out your paper, and glue those bad boys onto the backs!  Then, if you bought any ornaments or something like that, glue those onto your paper!  That’s it!!!
  4. Step 4: Admire your work, and be sure to mention to your hubby how much money you saved on Christmas decor this year so he can get you an extra special present under the Christmas tree this year!😆👌.  
    That’s seriously it!!  You’re done with probably what will be your easiest, cheapest, DIY project ever!!!!   Yesssss!!  

Thanks so much for coming and if you end up doing this project, which I highly recommend since it was so easy, then show me pics!!  Either post them below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you came up with.  Find me on Instagram @thedecormama!  Yay!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama 

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How to Install A Faux Brick Wall!!

| DIY

Hi everyone and thanks so much for coming!!

We just finished redoing our fireplace, which included adding Faux Brick!  I love the way it turned out and I have to say a brick wall adds so much character to your house!

Almost three years ago we added faux brick to our entryway, and ever since then I’d been wanting to tie in that same brick somewhere else, but you know how that home project list goes!🤪🙈😂  It doesn’t always get done right away, and this was one of those projects that stayed “on the list” for a LONG time!  But, I’m proud to say less than three years later we finally added brick to another spot in our house; our fireplace!  Yay!  For ticking off those to-do projects off of the list!🙌

So let’s get to it already!!

(This post does contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase from any of the links below I would make a small percentage page if the sale at no extra cost to you, so thank you so much for supporting my blog if you do!)

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Brick of choice.  We used the the McNear Thin Brick in the Sandmold Colors called Salt House.  You can find all different variations of flat brick by going to www.mcnear.com  
  • Stone Veneer Mortar.  Here’s some if you need it.
  • Cement Grout.  We made our grout from 1 part White Portland cement to 3 parts Fine Grit Silica Sand.
  • Margin Trowel.  This is what we used to lay the mortar.
  • Grout Bag
  • Water
  • A Large Bucket
  • Cement Mixer
  • *Drill (Optional) We attached the cement mixer to our drill to mix up our grouting mixture really well.  I highly recommend this, but you can mix it by hand as well.  It gets thick and heavy to stir so the drill helps a lot!
  • Tape Measure
  • Wet Tile Saw
  • An electric sander to roughen up the wall where you’re going to lay the brick.  We always love the DeWalt tools so this is our choice.
  • Cheap, thin wood for spacers.  We used some trimming leftover from another project.
  • Something to cover everything around where you’re laying your brick.  We used these plastic drop cloths.
  • Tape.
  • *A mask, gloves, and goggles for safety. (optional, but again, highly recommended)

Now that you have everything, let’s do this already!

Start by measuring out your space to see exactly how much brick you’re going to need.  You can make an estimate of how much brick you’ll need by figuring out how many square feet you’re wanting to cover and how many square feet come in a box of brick.

Then you’ll need to figure out about how many rows you’re going to have in order to cut the first and last piece of brick in half on half of the rows to give you that uneven brick look.

Using your tile saw, cut how many you think will need to be in half (you can always cut more later if need be).  Now all your veneer bricks are ready to lay!  As you can see, we tried to cut them all perfectly in half, but didn’t succeed!  With the grout in you can’t tell at all that they’re not perfect so try your best to get them even, but if they’re not, don’t worry!!!

Start off by covering the area around the wall you’re redoing with any protective covering you have.  We used drop cloths, which worked great for us.

Then you’ll need to prepare the wall for the brick to stick to it by roughing it up, especially if it has paint on it like ours did.  We used an electric sander and sanded the wall down to roughen it up so the mortar would stick to it.

Next, you’ll mix the mortar with water, then starting at the bottom corner, put a little mortar on your trowel and swipe it across your wall where you want your brick to go. Then place your brick where you just placed your mortar.  Decide how much of a gap you want between each brick and lay the next one keeping that gap in mind.  The nice thing about brick is that they don’t need to be perfect so don’t stress too much if there’s not a perfect gap in between two of your bricks.  When your whole wall is finished you’ll be hard pressed to be able to find where the gap is a little off, trust me!  Repeat until your bottom row is finished.

Then you’ll put a spacer above that bottom row to give you a straight line with the right amount of gap you want between rows.  We just used some really cheap wood pieces for ours.  Now that you’re on your second row you’ll need to start with one of the bricks you cut in half so that you achieve that perfect uneven brick pattern.  Go from there, making sure your next full brick is in between the two bricks below it.  You will also end this row with another half brick. See above pic for reference.

Continue each row following those two rows patterns making sure to put your spacers in between each row once you’re finished with it, and that every other row starts and ends with a half brick.

Once you get to the very top row you may need to either cut your brick, or you may have a little bit of a larger gap between the brick and the top of your wall like we did.  If you need to cut your brick, then get your tile saw back out and cut accordingly.  

Let that set for 24 hours.

Now it’s time to put in your grout!  It is important for your safety to have gloves, goggles, and some sort of face protection on while mixing this stuff up.

 

We went with a white grout.  By Mixing we used 1 Part of the White Portland Cement to 3 parts Fine Grit Silica Sand in a large bucket.  Mix that together and then add a little water using your cement mixer.  Like I previously mentioned, we attached ours to our drill and it made life so much easier because that mixture gets thick and can be hard to mix.  The drill works amazingly!  Keep adding water until you get a frosting like consistency. Keep in mind, that you will be squeezing it out of a grout bag so if it’s too thick it will not come out.  Once you have that frosting like consistency, you can start putting some in your grout bag.  A trick we learned while doing this is to not completely fill your grout bag, because your cement will get firm towards the end and it’s harder to squeeze out.  It’s easier to keep more in your bucket so you can stir it and then refill your grout bag when necessary.

Take out your first, bottom spacer and start filling in between each brick and above all of them where that spacer was.  Then using your margin trowel, smooth out your grout so that it’s nice and even between your bricks.  Work your way up making sure to fill in the sides as well.

Teamwork! My husband was filling in the grout while I was smoothing it out.

That’s it!  Once you’ve finished your grout let that dry and you’re finished!  You did it!  I would love to see your finished product so leave a picture in the comment section if you’re not too tired after all that brick work.  Also, if you post your project on Instagram tag me @thedecormama! I’d love to share your work!

If you want other options for accent walls, check out my DIY Wood Panelled Wall Post as well!  

Thank you so much for coming, and I hope you are feeling ready to finally add that brick you’ve been wanting!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Install Your Very Own Wood Pallet Wall

| DIY

Hi everyone, and thank you so much for visiting!! 

We are excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to help you build and install your own wood pallet wall!  It is going to look amazing!

Below is the wall we started with!  As you can see it needed something.  Especially since this is the first wall you see when you walk into our house.

We added this accent wall 2 years ago right after we had our third son, and we still get complements on it almost every time someone new walks into our house.  I have to confess, I do feel a tad bit guilty that I actually made my husband do this while he was on his one week of maternity leave!  Whoopsies! But seriously, he can’t sit still so technically I was being a super good wife by keeping him busy, right guys!?  I knew you’d see it my way.😉

Before you get started, keep in mind that because you have to apply two coats of stain and each coat has to sit for 24 hours, you may want to do the staining part in advance, and save the actual installation part of the wall for a day you have more time.  In other words, there’s 48 hours of prep work before you can install, so plan accordingly to your days off.  Or maybe, you’ll be on your one week maternity leave too, and have a whole 7 days in a row to do it like we did!😄

(This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the links below and purchase something, a small portion of that goes to me at no additional cost to you.  I only recommend what we like and have used.  Thank you so much if you do help support my page!)

Materials:

  • 6″ wide by 1/4″ thick by any length that works for your space of pine wood boards. 
  • Chop saw or table saw.  This is the chop saw we recommend if you don’t already have one.  This is the table saw we use and love.
  • Stain color of your choice.  We used these two, which is Briarsmoke and Canyon Brown and then combined them for a third wood tone.
  • A sock to apply the stain with.
  • Nail Gun ( You could use glue if you prefer), but this is the nail gun we use.
  • Tape Measure.  We have this tape measure and it’s worked great for us!
  • Pencil
  • Possibly a jigsaw (If the bottom row of wood doesn’t fit perfectly, or you have something on your wall like a window/ electrical outlet, then you’ll need to use a jigsaw to cut it down to size.) This is the jigsaw we use.

Directions for how to install your very own wood wall!  (We did this wall before I started my blog so I don’t have step by step pictures like I normally do.  Sorry guys!)

  1.   Buy and gather all your materials.
  2.   Stain the wood.  We bought two stains, and then mixed those two for a third color of board.  You will dip your old sock or towel into the stain, and then rub the wood with it until you like the shade of the color, and the entire board is covered.  I recommend wearing gloves for this process or your hands get stained as well!
  3. Wait 24 hours and then apply a second coating of stain.  Let that second coat dry for another 24 hours. 
  4. Now it’s time to measure out and cut your wood.  We cut ours at all different random lengths to achieve the pallet look we were going for. Be sure to switch up what length size you use on each row so that you don’t have all the same length boards right on top of each other.  See the picture below to see how we changed the wood length on each row.
  5.  Start at the top left of your wall, and nail your wood in using your nail gun.  If you went the glue route, glue the back and apply it to the top of your wall.
  6. Then place your next piece of wood so it’s just to the right of that piece as tightly fitted as possible, nail that into place once your happy with where you placed it.  If those two pieces didn’t complete your top row, then continue with that process.
  7. For the next row underneath that top row you will repeat that process, but make sure of two things: that you don’t put the same size wood right underneath what you just nailed in, and that it’s a different shade of wood stain if you did multiple colors like we did.  Sometimes the same wood stain pieces end up getting underneath and that’s okay due to all the variation in wood sizes that you’re using, but just try to not do it too much so that you can achieve that pallet look.
  8. Continue that process all the way down.  If you run into windows, light sockets, and if the bottom piece doesn’t fit perfectly (which it probably won’t unless you’re super lucky!), then you will need to measure out what needs to be cut and then use your jigsaw or chop saw depending on what type of cuts you need to make to cut out those unique sized pieces of wood.

That’s it!  You just made your very own wood pallet wall!  I would love to see what your wall looks like!  Please share your wood pallet pictures with me!

If you’re into accent walls, check out my post about How To Install Faux Brick Into Your House as well!


Thanks again so much for coming!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

 

DIY Wooden Mummy Halloween Decoration

| DIY, DIY Holiday Decor

Hi guys and welcome to my page!  Hopefully it’s not your first time, but if it is, I’m so glad you’re here!

Today I’m going to show you how to make a wooden mummy just in time for Halloween!

My mom has been wanting this for awhile now, and my dad and I finally made it yesterday!  We even made 5 so each one of my sisters could have one, too.

Okay, let’s get started right away as there’s not much time until Halloween!

First off, let’s get all your materials ready.  Here’s what you’ll need:

This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you click on any of the given links below I make a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you, so thank you so much for your support if you do!  I only recommend what I’ve used and love!

  • Particle Board for the backing and base
  • Cheap Wood. We chose cedar fencing because it was the cheapest wood we could find.  $1.23/board to be exact.  I’d say 4-6 boards would work for one mummy. 
  • A 2 x 2 for the base
  • Wood of choice for the sign the mummy is holding. 
  • Jigsaw.  We love this jigsaw.
  • Tablesaw.  We recommend this one if you have your own workbench to set it on, or this one if you want a free standing one.
  • Nail Gun and Finishing Nails (Hammer and nails works too).  We like this nail gun set.
  • Permanent Marker, because if you don’t have any they’re always good to have on hand.
  • White Paint.  We have our Mummy outdoors so I recommend using an outdoor paint.
  • Black Paint
  • Chalkboard Paint.  Here’s the spray paint version, or the regular paint version.  I’ve used both kinds, and they both work well!
  • Chalk or chalk markers
  • Wood glue.  This is what we used.
  • Mummy Eyes
  • Ribbon to tie the sign around the mummy.  Here’s a bunch of cute options.
  • Optional* Black Spray Paint for the base.  We used spray paint because we were doing so many, but if you’re only doing one, then the black paint that you use for the head would work great.

Now that you have everything, let’s get started!!

Gather up all of your materials.

Cut your particle board down to the size you want your mummy.  We made our mummy 4ft. tall x 2ft. across.  Then cut out another rectangle for the base.  We made our particle board base 1ft. wide x 2 ft. long.Trace out the shape you want your mummy to be.  Here is what ours looked like traced out.Grab your jigsaw and cut out the shape of your mummy.   Paint the head with your black paint, and while that is drying we’re going to make the base of your mummy.Now let’s finish your base so we can finish with the fun part, the mummy!

  1. Grab your 2 x 2 boards and cut them the exact width you cut your particle board for base.  Ours was 1 ft across, so we used our table saw and cut the 2×2’s at exactly the 1 ft. mark.  You will need 2 of these 1ft. 2×2’s.
  2. Now that you have those, you’ll need to figure out exactly how wide your mummy is so that those can tightly hold up your mummy.  We measured the base particle board to see what the exact middle was, marked that with our marker, set the mummy on it, then placed the two 2×2’s tightly next to it, and marked out lines on the outside of the 2×2 boards to see how wide we needed them.
  3. Once we had our lines drawn, we removed the mummy, grabbed our nail gun and nailed those 2×2’s into place by lining up the outside of our boards with the lines we drew. Once you have those nailed into place, set your mummy in to make sure it is a good, tight fit and will be a sturdy holder for your mummy!  That’s it! Your finished with the base!  (For later purposes when you set your mummy in to make sure it fits well, draw a line at the bottom of your mummy where the mummy meets the base wood pieces so you know how low to go with your wood pieces that you’re putting on your mummy.)4.  Paint your base using your black paint or      spray paint. 

Now it’s time to nail your mummy boards on!  At first, we were painting the boards white before we nailed them on, but then we realized it was easier to nail on the boards and then paint them white at the end.  After making 5 we learned all the tricks of the trade!:)  Starting at the top of  your mummy’s head place one board at a diagonal direction making sure you cover the very top of your mummy’s head. Also make sure you place the wood piece as far to one side as you can to save yourself as much wood as possible.  When you cut the piece you’ll have bigger pieces leftover compared to if you used the middle of your wood piece you’d have two small pieces leftover that may be unusable due to being too short. Using your nail gun, nail that board into place.  You can cut your boards down in advance, but we just kept ours long until the end.  See below pic. 

  1. After that top board is nailed on, you will place your next piece of wood going the opposite direction leaving a triangular gap for the eyes to be glued on later.  Nail that piece on once you get the eye gap exactly how you like it.
  2. From there it’s easy.  Just repeat that last step going all the way down the mummy making sure you are covering your mummy with the wood on both sides of his body.  Yes, I decided mine is a he:).  Once you run out of wood stop what you’re doing, grab your jigsaw, turn your mummy upside down on some sort of work bench or maybe even a storage container like we used, if need be, and cut the wood around your mummy following it’s body outline.  Once those pieces are cut off, you’ll have more wood for the rest of his body.
  3. Keep going all the way down until you get to the bottom where you will need to figure out how to fit pieces on going to that line you drew previously that will be where your base board piece goes to.  We would place pieces down, draw lines on the wood pieces of where the wood meets the bottom line and then cut using a table saw(recommended for ensuring straighter lines), or a jigsaw.
  4. Now you’re done with the bottom layer of wood!  We are almost done!  Now we took three more pieces and nailed them on going the opposite direction on top of our bottom layer to give that mummy the wrapped up look.  We started near his lower chest area and nailed them in.  Then followed that same angle with the other two pieces using the same distance for a gap.  I didn’t measure I just eyeballed the gap, and it turned out fine.  You can also use more than 3 pieces if you want, but since we were making so many we went with 3, plus don’t forget we made a sign to go around his neck so that covers the top part of his body as well.
  5. Cut those pieces off following the shape of his body.  Our jigsaw blade wasn’t long enough so we couldn’t flip the mummy upside down to make the cuts, which meant we had to eyeball our cuts.  We had to do a few cuts over, but other than that the top layer turned out good, too!
  6. Your finished with the cutting!  Now paint the wood pieces, sides of the mummy, and the back (optional, but it would look better) of your mummy white!
  7. Grabbing  your wood glue and the eyeballs that you chose for your mummy, glue the eyes onto your mummy.  He’s starting to come to life now!
  8. While your mummy’s drying, it’s time to make the sign that your mummy will be  holding.  Either buy a good size piece of wood for a sign, or make one!  We made ours 14 inches across by 12 inches high.  Then, paint that with chalkboard paint.
  9. Let that dry, and then drill two holes in the top corners to tie your ribbon to that will also go around your mummy’s neck.  We poked the ribbon through the holes using a nail.
  10.  Now write whatever cute saying you want your mummy to say, and you are done!!!

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How to Install a Shiplap Wall!!!

| DIY, Uncategorized

 

Hi everyone!

Today I’m going to show you how to install your very own shiplap wall!!!!  Yay! For beautiful, white shiplap walls in your house!

(We still needed to redo our fireplace at this point, but you get the shiplap idea.)

 

We just jumped on the shiplap wall bandwagon, and I have to say, I’m hooked!  I may be already planning to slowly convert every single wall in my house to shiplap, but I’m waiting to break the news to my hubby!😜😆

I feel like we actually started out with the hardest wall in our house because of the fireplace and windows, so I feel like it will be a cake walk from here on out! At least, that’s what I’m planning on telling my hubby when I convince him the whole house needs shiplap now!😬😂

Shall we get this shiplap party started already!?!?  I think so!!!!!

This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you click on any of the links below I would make a small perecentage of the sale at no extra cost to you!  Thank you so much if you do help support my blog by clicking on the links.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Shiplap.  We got ours from Lowe’s, and it cost us …..and it looks like this.
  • Chop Saw.  We always recommend this Chop Saw if you don’t have one yet.
  • Pencil.  I think you might be able to get one of those;)
  • White Paint of your choice. We used this kind.  I should have thought to take the picture before we used it, but nope!:)
  • Tape Measure.  We’ve always used this one and it works great for us!
  • Level.  This is the level we use if you need one.
  • Nail Gun.  My husband loves the Dewalt Brand so we recommend this nail gun.
  • Finishing nails.  Here’s some if you need them.
  • Possible Jigsaw or Table-saw.  We like this jigsaw if you need one.
  • mask and goggles for cutting your wood.
  • Painting supplies: Painters tape and a brush or roller, or both!  We used both.
  • Trimming if  you don’t think the edges of your shiplap look perfect the way they are.

Now that you’ve got your materials, let’s get started!

  1. Gather up all your materials.
  2. Measure the width of your wall from end to end and then mark your shiplap board accordingly. I forgot to take pictures of these steps, but I know you guys can handle this part with no visuals!😄
  3. Make your cut using your chop saw.  My Husband used the jigsaw here because it was the tiniest little piece that he had to cut off of the end.
  4. Starting at the ceiling, place your cut shiplap on the wall.  Check this first piece with a level because your ceiling might not be level.  (If it is not level, nail your board in straight and fill the extra gap with caulking.)  If your ceiling is nice and level, grab your nail gun and nail that board into the wall so that it’s nice and secure.  We nailed the boards where we knew the shiplap would overlap so you wouldn’t be able to see the nails as well. *If you’re working on a super tall wall, like a 2 story open wall, then start at the bottom and work your way up.  You want to be comfortable doing it before you get super high on that ladder and install your shiplap.
  5. From there you can keep going down with your boards, BUT you do need to measure each new wall length because the wall can be uneven.  What length the top part of the wall is may be different from the middle, or the bottom.
  6. Once you get to the bottom you may not have enough room left for a whole board to go in.  This is where the jigsaw or table saw would be used to cut the board down to the width of your space.  This same technique may also be necessary if you have a window on your wall.  We had two windows where ,of course, we only needed a tiny little sliver of a piece to fit between the last piece of shiplap and the window, so we cut that with the jigsaw.  Check out this tiny little sliver we had to cut!The picture above shows one side finished and the other side not done yet!  This was our 1/2 way done point!
  7. After you’ve installed all your boards, you paint them with however many coats you feel will get you to that amazing shiplap look.  If you’re painting more than one coat, let each coat dry for at least two hours before you paint your next coat.  We used two coats on ours.
  8. That’s it!!  You’re now officially in the super elite shiplap club that I just made up!😆😉
  9. Way to go!!!!  

Stay tuned for how we made the mantle you see above, how we laid the brick, and what we used for the bottom half of our fireplace!  Hint: That’s not tile!!  Way easier and cheaper!  Come back soon and I’ll give you all the DIY goods!

Thanks so much for coming, and I hope you enjoy your new shiplap!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

 

 

 

 

DIY (No Sew!!!) Bench Cushion

| DIY, Uncategorized

Hi you guys!!  I so love this DIY no sew bench cushion project because not only does it not involve sewing, (I’m horrible at it!  I just can’t sew a straight line for the life of me! What’s worse, is my mom is amazing at it!), but it does involve a staple gun, which I love!

This project can add so much fun and character to your bench! 

If you’re super busy, this is a perfect project for you, because it only takes about 15 minutes to make! 

Yay, for fast and easy projects!  If you’ve ever wrapped a present before, then you’ve got this in the bag, and this is coming from someone who also happens to be horrible at wrapping, too!  Yikes, this post is exposing all of my weaknesses! (Okay, I wish that was all of them.  I swear I am good at some things, too.😜)

Anyways, let’s get back to the important stuff, like making this super simple no sew bench cushion.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything from clicking on the links I provide, I’ll get a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.  I only recommend what I’ve used and love. Thank you!)

Here is what you’ll need:

  • One piece of plywood cut to the dimensions of your bench.
  • Foam to fit your bench.  I bought mine at Joanne’s when it was 50% off, so it was only $9!
  • 1 yard of fabric of your choice.  I went with a simple fabric so I could get fun pillows!
  • Staple Gun.  This one works great!
  • Spray Adhesive.  This one here is super strong and works for wood and fabric, which is what you’ll want to glue the cushion to your bench.

Okay, now that you have your materials ready, let’s get started!

  1. Gather all of your materials.
  2. Spray a thin layer of adhesive onto your plywood, and place your foam on top of it.  This will ensure that your foam doesn’t slide around on you under the fabric.
  3. Iron your fabric so that you can’t see the fold lines.
  4. Lay your fabric face down on the floor. 
  5. Lay your plywood and cushion down on top of your material so the foam is face down, which means the foam should be laying on top of the fabric.
  6. Fold your material over the plywood, and start stapling the sides.  Make sure you pull it tight, and have enough material for the other side to fold over.  Make sure you don’t have an excess of material when you fold it over or it may make it look frumpy and bumpy when it gets glued to your bench.  When you get to the edges wrap it like you would a present.  Don’t worry if it looks messy, no one will see this part as we will be gluing it to your bench soon!:)
  7. Spray the wooded side that you just stapled all your material to with that same spray glue, and place it onto your bench cushion side up!

That’s it!  Your done!  Send pictures of your new and improved bench if you have time!  I’d love to see how yours turned out!

I’m sorry I don’t have more pictures to give you a visual of the step by steps, but we did this in my pre-blogging days.

Thanks so much for visiting!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

DIY Ruler Growth Chart

| DIY

Hi everyone and thanks so much for visiting!

Today’s post is how to make your own DIY ruler growth chart!  I already have a measuring board hung up in our toy room that we use to measure the boys every year before school starts and on New Years Day to see how much they’ve grown, but when my friend called me up wanting to make one of these together, I just couldn’t pass her up! Plus, right away I thought about how I would love to have one for our cabin so we can measure the boys each summer.  Thinking about how much they’ve grown since we first bought our cabin almost five years ago is making me want to cry, but never mind that, it will be cool to see how much they grow over the years…kinda!😬😢

I hope you can see the board since I decided to camouflage it in this picture with the wood background!😜

Let’s get to it, as every one of us parents know, are kids grow quick!!  So let’s hurry up and get this project done so you can start measuring to see just how quickly and how much they really do grow!  Ugh, can’t stop getting sad thinking about my kids growing up so fast!  I’m about to have a seven year old in two months!!!😳

This post does contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything off of my links I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you.  I only recommend what I’ve used and love!  Thank you!

Okay, here is what you’ll need!

  • A board of your choice.  I got mine at Lowe’s for $9.  Mine’s 3/4 inches thick and 6 feet long.  You can do whatever height and width you prefer though.
  • Wood stain or paint of your choice.  I chose this stain and color here.
  • An old sock or a foam brush if you choose to stain your wood.
  • Tape Measure.  This one works great for us.
  • Pencil
  • Decorative tape.  I used this gold decorative tape found in the middle of this pack.  I needed 1 1/2 roles of it, so I bought two packs.
  • Number stencils or number stickers (if you choose the stencils then you’ll need paint too!)  I found mine at Michael’s.
  • Finishing Spray.  I used this one.
  • Wood glue.  This wood glue is what we use and it is strong!

Directions:

  1. Buy and gather up all your materials.
  2. Grab your piece of wood, your sock, your stain and get to staining that wood!  Place your sock on your hand, dip it into the stain, and rub it on your wood until the whole thing is covered and even. I only used one coat of the stain, but you may want more depending on the color you like best.
  3. Let that dry for at least an hour.  
  4. Get out your measuring tape and start penciling in your measurements.  See Picture below to see what I mean. ***Important note*** Almost every wall has a baseboard or something at the bottom so don’t forget to measure that and start your board at that many inches.  For example, I started mine at 4 inches because where I’m going to hang it at our cabin is 4 inches above the ground level.  Picture below is not hung yet, but you can see I started at the 4th inch.
  5. Once you get all the lines penciled in, you can start taping.  I started on the back and wrapped the tape around until it was 1 1/2 inches out for the inch marks, 3 inches out for the six inch mark, and 4 1/2 inches out for each foot marker.  Those sizes worked for my board, but you may want longer or shorter depending on the width of your board.  I measured each piece of tape and marked it with a light pencil mark, then cut it, but maybe you can come up with a easier method!  If you do, let me know!
  6. Any tape pieces that are coming off like so…I glued down with wood glue.  
  7. Now you get to put on your numbers or stencil them in!

       8.  Last step!!  Spray your board to help seal in your tape and number stickers!  Let it dry, and you’re done!!!!!!!  

Now we can cry together as we document just how much our kids are growing!!😳😉

Thanks again for coming, and hopefully you’ll come back soon for the next project!😄

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama 

 

DIY Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

| DIY, Uncategorized

Hi again!  

This project has been so fun to see all the ways our kids use it. We made our magnetic chalkboard wall about a year ago for our kids’ play room, and they still use it all the time today, which in today’s day in age, with all this technology, is saying a lot!!  

They love it, and so do I.  We’ve used it for writing, shape practice, hang man, name writing practice, drawing, guessing games, and story telling since they have all kinds of magnetic characters to use with it.  

This board has been awesome, and I’m feeling extra grateful for it since summer break is here!!  Don’t even get me started on my love/hate relationship with summer!  I mean, I love the extra time with my boys, but can someone please send earmuffs stat for the, “I’m bored!” line  that’s about to come my way about 10 times a day!  Not to mention that my boys are either cracking up laughing together, or kicking each other’s butts!  There’s no in between with these boys. Thankfully, this magnetic chalkboard will be one more thing on my list to prevent the, “I’m bored!”, and the fighting that is about to be coming my way. 🙌

So let’s hurry up and get to this project started already, because some of you only have a few days left until your kids summer break starts too!!😆😉  

(This post contains some affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything from the links I provide I will make a small portion of the sale at no extra cost to you.  I only recommend what we have used and love. So thank you so much if you do!!)

Materials:

  • 1/4″ Hardboard Tempered Panel (Size that you want). You can get this at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
  • Wayne’s Coting Chair Rail for the border.  Also found at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
  • Magnetic Paint
  • Chalkboard Paint.  This chalkboard paint is what we’ve used and it’s worked great for us.
  • 2 Paint brushes.  This is a good set to have so you have back ups too!
  • Measuring Tape.  We use this one and like it.
  • Pencil
  • Chop Saw.  My husband loves this chop saw!
  • Jig Saw.  We love this jig saw.
  • Level.  Here is a good one if you don’t already have one.
  • Nail Gun or screws.  We love a good nail gun and this is a good one!
  • ***Paint if you want to paint the framing of the board a certain color.  We used this color and brand, and then brushed this wax lightly over it.  These are the paint brushes I use if you don’t have any.  They have worked great for all my chalk painting projects!

Directions

  1.  Gather all your materials.
  2. Pick the space where you want your board to be and measure it out.  
  3. Cut your hardboard to the size of your choice.  We made ours 4 ft. wide by 6 ft. long.
  4. This step you could use some help.  Hold up your hardboard to the spot you want to put it, but first make sure it’s level.  Either have someone else hold it while you use your level to make sure it’s straight, or you hold it and they level it out with the level.  
  5. Once you get it level, using your nail gun, start nailing your hardboard to the wall.
  6. Then you paint it with the magnetic paint.  This takes a lot of layers because most of the magnetic pieces are at the bottom of the paint can.  So don’t be shy with this step, and make sure to stir it really good before you start.  Add A LOT of layers so the magnets can stick well to your board.  Let this paint dry once you’ve added all your layers.  This step can be optional if you only want a chalkboard.  
  7. Then  paint using your chalkboard paint.
  8. Next, cut the border using 45 degree angles with your chop saw to the length of your hardboard.  The picture below shows you how we cut it, and don’t mind my shadow that makes the coloring look off.  Nope, that’s just me!
  9. ***Optional step: we painted our border with chalk paint, let that dry, then lightly brushed a layer of dark wax on so that it looks a little distressed.  See the picture below to see what I mean.  Notice you can see where the nail is, but this picture is super zoomed in.  You can’t see them unless you get super close to it, so don’t worry! 
  10. Now it’s ready to hang up!  Place your first piece of frame tightly around your board and nail it in with a nail gun.  Go from there and frame your magnetic chalkboard!
  11. You’re done!!  Now sit back and watch your kids have countless hours of fun thanks to you!

Sorry there are not more step by step pictures, but we made this magnetic chalkboard wall before I started my blog!!

Have so much fun, and enjoy your new chalkboard!

xoxo,

Lauren

The Decor Mama