Easy DIY Stool $5 each!

New tools + Ana White free plans + $5 worth of wood = perfect (inexpensive) bar stool!!! 

I used a mitre saw (5 degree angle and 5 degree bevel cuts on the legs) a Kreg Jig and a clamp (to hide the screws), and my drill. That's it as far as tools go! I hand sanded with no problem.

I needed a 24" stool for our countertop dining space (my kids use 29" stools but our legs are too big as adults). 

So excited about the sucess of this project. As my first real furniture build it took me hours--- but I can tell future stools will be much quicker!

Check it out: 

Follow this link to the plans: http://ana-white.com/2011/01/simplest-stool.html

Best. Rug. Cleaner. Ever!

Straight alcohol in a spray bottle. That's it! So cheap! Saturate well and then scrub with a towel. Dries super fast! Light colored towels are more fun to use, because then you can really see how much dirt pulled up! Vacuum when done. Check out the before and after! 

Changing Our Grout Color: dark to light!

This project was easy, but time consuming! Well worth it we feel. You use a toothbrush and rub in the stain color (after you use this cleaner) 

So you have cleaned the grout thoroughly with a scrub brush, let it dry allllll the way. Thennnn scrub in the stain colorant. We used this and are VERY satisfied. It also has a built in sealant so that was very helpful! 

As you go along, line by line, you are also quickly wiping away excess color and parts that get on the tile with a paper towel. THIS IS VERY SLOW WORK. My neck was sore that evening from being down on the floor focusing on the details. Butttt here are the before and after pictures and again it was totally worth it! 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Grout Stain Success!

We really didn't love the grout that (though it looks like a solid color in this photo because it's wet with Krud Kutter (step 1 of this process) but we actually weren't sure what color the grout originally was? It was dark but had cloudy white and gray places too- it only looked good... Er... decent- when wet.

So after reading reviews and directions we headed over to Home Depot for some of this good stuff: 

After using the degreaser and allowing for hours of dry time, we simply brushed on the paint/stain onto the grout lines with a small toothbrush and then used a napkin to wipe any mistakes off the tile. We allowed it to dry for a full 72 hours before letting it get wet and so far so good! We are very pleased! 

So we decided not to replace the tile after all! I like it! What do you think? 

Moving Our Swingset

Moving our swingset from the old house to the new house may be the death of me... Or my marriage... Or both. We went for round 1 today and got quite a bit done--- but there is still the disassembly of the main "two story house" structure into manageable, movable pieces. If our chain link fence didn't have such a small gate I would be less frightened by the whole prospect... But that isn't the case... Sooooo I'm following online advice and hoping for the best. 

I took pictures of every step and labeled baggies of parts accordingly! Hope this goes alright! 

You get the idea... Pray for us! 

Dumpster Dive: Operation Window to Coat Rack Complete

Well- I love it! I'm so glad I drove over to the house that posted "free old fashioned windows on the curb" to Facebook! Here is what I did: 

Sanded, cleaned, painted blue and then, with a paper towel, smeared some white on top. Then I sanded again  to distress it a bit. 

I attached my (half off) $8 worth of hooks from Hobby Lobby and things were getting good! 

Finally I hung it with picture frame hangers on anchored screws and voila!! 

I'm totally in love! I may go back and put some vinyl lettering or photographs or chalk board paint on it- but for now I love it plain! Woohoo!

Dumpster Dive for Windows!

Check out this awesome find! I'll be working on these as soon as I can!