Valentine's DIY

Now that Christmas and New Years are over, it's time to think about Valentine's Day.  The Christmas tree is down, and the snowmen came down last week in an effort to usher in spring early.  I was left with no decor until Easter, so I came up with some DIY projects for Valentine's Day.

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Here are a few of my DIY projects! 

The frames were repainted from another project.  They are plain wooden frames from Michaels.  The wooden words are also from Michaels and are currently available for $.99 each. 

Happy crafting!

-N

refreshing

while Emma and Natalie were being productive, i was hanging out by the grill this past weekend. it was perfect grilling weather! i say hanging out because i find the recipes and make my husband do the work - don't let him in on my secret!

lately i have been looking for some refreshing drinks to add some summer flavor to meals or simply just to drink on their own. here are some great ones that are super easy and so colorful that they look like summer in a glass!

 

strawberry basil bellini

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 vanilla pear cava sparkler

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 peach & lavender lemonade

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*also amazing with just mint and blueberries

 

 watermelon soda float

okay okay so i know it's more of a dessert, but doesn't it sound amazing?!

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while you are at it - why not get creative? set the drinks (and even food) up as a small display or add some fun little details? here's a little inspiration to get you going. i am hosting a joint grad party soon for my sister and husband so i definitely might be putting some of these ideas to use!

 

 florals and custom signs - easy and simple

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 or any piece of furniture with drawers. can you imagine a bucket or basket full of glasses or pop bottles?

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 put the drinks on a tray of some kind - instantly makes things fancier

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 colorful straws always add a nice finish and look great just sitting on the table too!

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enjoy!

 

 with love - P

operation glider-for-nursery

after Natalie's amazing outdoor patio furniture DIY project, my glider-for-the-nursery success seems a little less thrilling, however i still had to share, as i was pretty excited :)  i found this glider/ottoman set on amazon, and since my husband had recently signed up for 30-day free trial of amazon prime, decided to jump on it, with a discount and free shipping and all.  it arrived earlier this week and i was determined to at least attempt to put it together myself.  turns out, i did it!  truth be told, the actual glider mechanism was already put together, but still ... lets celebrate small victories :)

-E

Outdoor DIY Project

While summer isn't officially here for another few weeks, the weather sure feels like summer has arrived!  Summertime means sitting on the deck with a cold drink in your hand and enjoying the sunshine!  A requirement for spending time on the deck is a good place to sit, which we were lacking last year on our deck.

If you have been to any home improvement stores recently to price out deck furniture, you know it doesn't come cheap.  It would be easy to spend upwards of $300 on a table and chairs to seat four people or more.  Most small tables to seat two people will set you back at least $100.  Not wanting to spend $400 on a deck table and chairs, my husband and I set out in search of a better option.  Our end results, was something we will enjoy for years to come!

Total cost to make this table was around $100 to $150.  We had to buy a few tools along the way, but most of the tools used on this project are basic shop tools such as a table saw, router, hand planer,  an orbital sander, and a miter saw.  To ensure the table holds up to the Iowa weather, we used all treated wood, including deck planking and 2x4's.  Once everything was finished and sanded down, we gave it a coat of stain/seal using Olympic Elite Exterior Stain in Kona Brown. 

Here are a few photos of the table and benches in progress. 

 

We started with the top of the table by building a frame and then filling in the frame with the panels of wood.  In hindsight, we would have started by cutting each panel of wood and then building the frame around it.  Due to warping in the boards, each plank had to be individually measured and cut to fit in the frame, which was time consuming and just plan annoying.  If we had cut the planks and built the frame around the plans, we could have gone with a standard length on the planks.   

 

 Once the top of the table was finished and sanded down, we assembled and attached the leg.  See the pin below for our table leg inspiration.  The same idea for the legs carried through to the benches.  

 

 Here are the benches assembled and ready to be sanded. 

 

As with most of my DIY projects, I start out on Pinterest looking for inspiration.  Once I find something I like, I alter to fit what I need.  In the case of this project, once I found ideas I liked, I took them to my husband to design everything to fit in the space on our deck.









A word of warning on this project; this was a multi-weekend project. We were racing to have this project done for a party, which was this past Saturday, and by the end we just wanted it to be done. My husband was sick of spending his vacation cutting wood, and I was ready to have my car back in the garage.  Even though it felt like this project took forever, it was worth it in the end. I know we will enjoy many dinners on the deck with a bottle of wine and the sun setting behind us!
- N