The Decor Mama

A DIY loving, decorating obsessed, mama of three

DIY Bench for $9!!

| DIY

You guys!!  My entryway shoe situation has been looking like it needed some major help lately.  Like, it looked bad, real bad.  I mean take a look for yourself…😬🙈😳.  (I can’t believe I just showed you that!) 

So embarrassing, but I wanted to show you just why building entryway benches was becoming a number one priority on my build list!  I mean, look at that pic!!!!  Yikes!  And to think that’s one of the first things people see!!!!🤪🙈

I knew benches would be a super simple and cheap fix to this situation.  It cost me $18 dollars in lumbar to build two benches.  I already had all the other stuff on hand so it may be a little more for you.

Hopefully your entryway looks better than mine did, but if yours is in need of a makeover like mine was, then this is the perfect quick and easy project that can transform your space.  These benches could also be good for outside, a laundry room, mud room, playroom… you get the idea; anywhere!!!!

Now let’s get to the fun part.  Making them!

Here’s what you’ll need.

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

Now you’re ready!  Let’s get building!

  1. Measure out your space and decide how long you want your bench(es) to be.  My benches are each three feet long based on the spaces I was putting them in.
  2. Cut your 2 x 12 to size. Tip:  For the first time ever I took the nice Home Depot worker up on his offer to cut my 2 x 12 for me, and man, how have I not done this sooner!  It was so much easier for them to do it!  Trust me, if you know how long you want your bench to be, use them!  I think they like doing it, too!
  3.  Now you’re going to make your legs.  I made my legs at a slight angle.  I did this by setting my chop saw to 10 degrees.  Grab your 2 x 4, and make a cut right off the edge of your wood so that you have an angle on this side as well.  Then measure 15″ from there, and make your second cut.  This is what my legs looked like when finished and why I used the 10 degree angle.
  4. Now that you have your leg, use that to mark and measure out all your other legs making sure to only do one leg at a time. I made eight legs for two benches.
  5. Now that you have your legs, it’s time to attach them to your bench! Measure where you want your legs to be on your board.  I went 2” in from the ends and a 1/2” in on the sides.
  6. Now that you know where you want your legs to go,  pre-drill into your wood about 1-1/2″ up on the inside of your legs going about an inch into your wood.  That way the screws will go in easily when you do drill in your legs.
  7. Now that you have your holes pre-drilled, I used wood glue to hold my legs into place, but you could just go straight to the drilling.  Up to you!  Glue your legs into place making sure they’re all going the right direction.  This is what the legs should look like when you’re finished.
  8. My husband came up with the idea to add a support piece of wood in between the legs so we could drill the legs into those as well at the actual bench piece of wood.  I do think it helped to make these benches more sturdy and strong.  So for this step, you’ll measure out the space between your legs and cut your 2 x 4(I had leftover pieces that I used) to size.  See picture for reference.  Then drill those into your 2×12.
  9. Now you can drill your legs into place. Using your construction screws, drill into your pre-drilled holes and keep going until you’re a good distance into your 2 x 12.  Once that’s drilled in, drill into your support piece of wood as well.  I did two screws into the support per side on the back sides of my bench and then used a nail gun and finishing nails on the front side so you couldn’t see the screws, but that is up to you!  Another optional step is to use wood filler to fill in your drilled holes.  
  10. Now it’s built and it’s time to choose how you would like to finish your bench!  I used Minwax’s Weathered Oak, and then once that dried (24 hours of dry time), I did a layer of whitewash (this dries super quick, so maybe an hour of dry time), then I finished that off with a polyurethane sealant to keep it protected from all these boys I’m surrounded by!😉

You’re done!  You did it!  I’m so excited to see what you’ve come up with so either tag me on Instagram @thedecormama or post pictures in the comments below so I can see what you came up with!  I can’t wait to see!

Thank you so much for coming, and I can’t wait to see you back here very soon for my next project!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama

DIY Christmas Tree Box (That I made from my scrap wood!)

| DIY, DIY Holiday Decor

Hi everyone and welcome!

Today’s project is something I made out of the scrap wood leftover from a DIY coffee table that I made that will be coming to my blog soon!

This is such an easy and cheap project that can make a huge difference for your Christmas tree!  Before I made this box for our Christmas tree, it looked really bare and definitely needed something.  Now we have one finished, happy looking tree in our boys’ toy room!  All because of a super simple project that I made out of my scrap wood!  Yes!  I’m all about simple and easy, especially during Christmas time!

 

Okay, so let’s get started already as I know everyone is super busy around this time of year.

This post does contain affiliate links, which means if you click on any of the provided links I will receive a percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.  So thank you so much for supporting my blog if you do!

Here is what you’ll need:

  • 1×6 boards, or any scrap pieces that you have lying around.  It has to be enough wood to cover the base of your tree.  I had 1 x 6’s leftover so that is what I used.
  • Chop Saw or Table Saw
  • Wood Glue
  • Nail Gun (or hammer and nails) and finishing nails
  • *(Optional) Wood Stain.  I used Minwax’s dark walnut.  Your wood doesn’t need to be stained if you prefer it’s original color.
  • *(Optional) Sander  Your box doesn’t need to be sanded either.  I only did it to get off some of my son’s scribbles,(yes, he scribbled all over some of my scraps. ha!) and to smooth down the edges a little.  

Let’s get to this already and give your tree a perfect holder to complete it!

  1. Measure the base of your tree to see what size boards you need.  I made two sides of my box shorter so that they would fit perfectly into a box shape.  
  2. Using your chop or table saw cut 4 boards longer.  My longer boards were 20 inches. Then cut your 4 shorter boards.  My shorter boards were 18.5 inches long.  (If your using any 1 x whatever size board, the 1 inch is actually 3/4 of an inch which is why I made my boards 1 1/2 inches shorter.)
  3.  Now that you have all your wood cut, take one of your longer pieces and one of your shorter pieces, put them together at the edge making a perfect L shape or a perfect 90 degree angle.  Once it looks perfect apply your glue on the end of your shorter piece and stick it to the end of your longer piece.  Once that glue sets a little and your angle looks perfect, nail those pieces together using your nail gun.
  4. Repeat that last step to make the bottom level of your box, which is glue the ends and nail gun it into place making sure it is straight and lined up perfectly first.
  5. Now you are going to do the same thing, but you’re going to glue along the top on your bottom layer of wood when attaching the top layer of wood.  Tip:  Glue towards the inside of your box so that when you set your top layer of wood on, if any glue drips down, it drips down the inside of your box where nobody can see.  This is helpful if you’re applying stain because stain doesn’t go over dried glue.  If it does drip down the outside wipe it off, and try not to worry.  That’s what you have four sides for!:)  I definitely have some glue spots on the first side I did because I didn’t think about glueing towards the inside until after that incident.  Glad I can help you guys through my mistakes!
  6. Optional Step:  Sand down your finished box and stain your wood to your liking.  I chose Minwax’s Dark Walnut stain.  Also optional, coat that in a polyurethane sealant to keep it protected.  That is all up to you!

*Note: This box does not have a bottom section to it.  That’s because it is just to cover the bottom of your tree up, but it you want to make this into a real box, then you would just add some more wood to the bottom of your box.  I just set my tree into my box and I made this out of my scrap wood so I didn’t make it with a bottom piece.  Again, this is up to you as well!  That’s the fun of doing DIY’s; you can make them any way you want!

You’re done!!!  Yessss!!

You only have one job left to do!  If you do make this project, be sure to leave a picture in the comment section below so we can see how amazingly yours turned out, and/or, tag me on Instagram @thedecormama so I can see and share your creation!  That’s it, now you’re officially done!

Also, if you love Christmas as much as I do and want to add more rustic Christmas charm to your house, then check out my DIY Embroidery Hoop Christmas Wreath. It would match perfectly with your new box, and it’s a super simple and cheap way to add more Christmas decor to your house.  Winning!

Thanks so much for coming and I can’t wait to see your Christmas tree boxes!

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and I’ll see you really soon for my next project!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama 

Embroidery Hoop Christmas Wreath

| DIY Holiday Decor, DIY Wreaths

Hi everyone and thanks so much for visiting!!

You guys!!!!  Christmas is coming!!! Yessss!!!  I’m so excited as I love getting to celebrate it with my three boys!  It’s so much fun to get to see how excited they get about everything, but enough about my excitement, let’s get to today’s DIY project!

As usual, I’m always trying to add more holiday decor on a budget, and I did it!

I made an embroidery hoop Christmas wreath for $14 dollars!  It was so easy, too!  I didn’t even use any glue!  Talk about no gluey mess!!!!🙌

This project would be such a cute, simple project to do that won’t break into that Christmas budget!  Ummm, yes, please!

So let’s get this Christmas wreath party started already, shall we!?

Here’s what you’ll need:

 

  • Embroidery Hoop.  I used the 18” size and I pulled it apart into 2 to make 2 wreaths out of it.
  • Paddle Wire
  • Christmas Floral.  I got mine at Hobby Lobby for 50% off so they were $6 dollars each.  I bought 2 per wreath.
  • *Optional* Wood Stain.  I used  this dark walnut stain, but it isn’t necessary. I do think it makes it look a bit more rustic and Christmasy though. 
  • *Old towel or sock if you do choose to stain your embroidery hoop like I did.
  • Scissors

That’s it!  Now comes the super easy, fun part!  Making it!!!  

 

Separate your embroidery hoop out into two so that way you can use that extra hoop it comes with for another wreath! Either this same one or anything else you come up with.  Check out My DIY Succulent Wreath for another idea on how to use your embroidery hoop. I love that wreath, too!

If you’re staining your hoop, grab your old towel and your stain of choice, and stain that hoop on up! FYI, I did it outside on an old tablecloth.  Let that dry and then you can get down to business! Wreath making business that is!😉  And actually, I didn’t even wait for mine to dry because I wanted to finish it before I went and picked up my son from school. So, if you’re like me and feel like living on the wild side, don’t even let it dry!😜😆

Once your hoop is dry (or not!😉), set your Christmas Floral on the hoop where you like it.  Take your paddle wire, cut a piece long enough to tie down your floral, and start wrapping your wire around your floral and the hoop so that they’re bound together. Do this in multiple areas so the floral is nice and secure to your hoop.  Once the top part of the floral is all tied down, take the stem and push it towards the opposite side of the hoop and secure that with your paddle wire as well.  It may need multiple places of tying down, because the stem is pretty stiff.

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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 I Changed My Summer Wreaths to Fall Wreaths For Super Cheap!

| DIY Holiday Decor, DIY Wreaths

Hello everyone and happy fall!!!!!

You guys don’t know how excited saying that makes me!!  I mean, I absolutely love fall and everything about it from the clothes, to the trees, to the pumpkin everything!!!!  

Just, yes!!!!  

This year I was trying to come up with ways to add more fall decor into my house on the cheap!  And I’m happy to say that I did it!!  

One HUGE money saver that I came up with was adding little fall touches to my already existing wreaths so I didn’t have to go out and buy all new wreaths, because I’m getting quite the collection of wreaths around here!😬. 

I can’t help it, they just make things look so much cuter!  Please say you feel the same way and that I’m not just turning into a crazy wreath lady!

Anyways, enough about my wreath obsession, let’s get to this money saving strategy already, shall we!??!  

Here’s what I did, because I had some really neutral wreaths that could easily be changed up a bit for each season.  

Here’s the neutral wreaths I started with.  

 

I took two different wreaths of mine: My DIY Magnolia Wreath and My DIY Farmhouse Wreath (at least that’s what I’m calling it:)

If you don’t have wreaths to start with then feel free to make those wreaths, and then add in your fall touches to them. Everything you need to know about how to make them is in those links given above.

I’ve loved these wreaths because they’re so neutral, they add so much character, they go with everything, and now I’m having fun adding holiday touches to them depending on the season for a super cheap way to add holiday decor. 

First, I’ll show you what I added to my Magnolia Wreath. I got this Fall Floral item from Hobby Lobby for 40% off of $6 Dollars, and this was enough to put into my two Magnolia Wreaths.

I cut each individual branch off and stuck them into my Magnolia leaves without using glue or anything! That way I can take them right back out when fall is over with.

See below pics for reference on where I cut them and how I just tucked them right into the wreath.

Cut the stems

Tuck the stems into your wreath

Keep tucking them in until you get the length that you like them at.  

That’s it!!  You now have a Fall Magnolia Wreath for  $3 Dollars!!!!

Now let’s get to the Fall Pumpkin Wreath!

 

I took this wreath…Added a bag of these I got from Hobby Lobby, again for 40% off.  I can’t remember how much they were, but these were cheap as well!  It came with 6 pumpkins!  In hindsight, I would have probably bought one or two more bags to make my wreath extra pumpkiny. (Yes, I know that’s a word I just made up, but you get the point!)  I may still go back and by more for November, but right now all my Halloween decor is out so I don’t need to just yet.I then just stuck in the pumpkins, again using no glue or anything, so that way I can just pull them right back out when Fall is over.

Keep sticking them in where and how  you like them, and you’re done!! 

I even used this one as part of my dining room table centerpiece, too!

That’s it!!  Super simple ways to add fall decor to your home for super cheap!!!  I sure like the sound of that!  

Happy Fall everyone!

Thanks again for coming, and I’ll see you back here for my next project real soon!

XOXO,

Lauren

The Decor Mama