Tag Archives: diy

Home Decor Projects, New Life for Furnishngs, Pinterest Musings

It’s Time For Another Vintage Suitcase Project!

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A few days ago a friend and I were at a local thrift shop when she spotted a vintage suitcase for me. I took one look and fell in love. It’s not intricate or beautiful in the same way that my last one was, but it is unique. It looks like it may be from the late 40s to the mid-50s. It is most likely of German origin. I purchased it, not having any clue as to what I was going to do with it.

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Yesterday, as I was contemplating what to do with my “new” suitcase, I remembered a post I recently saw on Leah’s Confession Closet. She posted a picture of her Ikea Vanity table, which lit my creative imagination.  Then I did what any normal Diyer does–I went to Pinterest. It’s not that I need a tutorial or further inspiration, but I do love to look at what others have done so that I can improve upon my own ideas. I also wanted to see what kind of legs would look best.

Here are a few of the Vintage Suitcase Vanity Tables that I came across on Pinterest.

The first two are from Mrs. Hyde’s on Etsy. Click on the pictures to visit her shop.

suitcase vanity table insp
From Mrs. Hydes

I just love the long tapered legs on this vanity table.

suitcase table 2

I love the idea of turning a smaller suitcase into a table top or dresser top vanity. Her work on this one is beyond me. I love the fabric that she chose.

This one is from Optimize Design. I found the picture on Houzz.

I love the vanity lights, but I don’t think that they will look right when the vanity is closed.

I really can’t wait to get started on this project. I will have to contemplate the leg style. I would love to use hairpin legs, but they are quite expensive. I do think it would look good with angled tapered legs though. In the mean time, I have to finish the other projects that I already started.

Pinterest Musings

Pinterest Musings: Pallet Projects

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We ran into a little problem after opening the Malm boxes form Ikea. There were no slats for the mattress. Yes, I should have listened to the husband. Here’s the conversation we had as we stood in front of the center rail piece and the bed slats:

Husband: “I think we need these bed slats”

Me: “it’s not on the Ikea shopping list that I printed out. They must be in one of the two boxes.”

Husband: “just because it is not on the print-out, doesn’t mean that we don’t need them. Better to have than to be sorry tomorrow when we put the bed together.”

Me: “I’d rather not have to deal with returns. If we need them, then I will pick them up on Monday.”

Husband: “Okay honey. Whatever you think is best.”–which actually means “you are an idiot and I don’t feel like arguing”

I don’t say this often, but he was right.

So, instead of heading out to Ikea on Monday, husband found a great solution–pallets!

They are free at the Post Exchange (PX).

So he went and grabbed about 5 or 6 of them. After we put the bed together and measured the area, he went outside and cut them. They work great! My mistake saved us 20 Euro!

More on the pallet bed slats later.

Now we have some leftover bits from the pallets. So, I asked myself, “toss them, or check Pinterest?”

I checked Pinterest of course!

Here are a few ideas that I found. Just click on the Picture to go to the web page.

This would look nice in my daughter’s room.

Mason Jar Organizer DIY Playbook

I like this idea for the Laundry room. Could do a couple of these with each family member’s name.

Check Your Pockets Laundry Room Sign by BandLCreations on Etsy, $18.00

I love this one too. We drink more beer now that we are Germany, so this one makes a lot of sense.

Bar Decor

These could make a nice gift.

Barn Wood Coasters

I also love these. They would look great on the patio.

White barn wood mason jar candle holders

These are just a few of the thousands of ideas on Pinterest. Of course, I’m working with bits and pieces, so I’m doing small projects. I can’t wait to get started on one of these ideas. Or maybe I’ll come up with an idea of my own.

Have you made any pallet projects that you would like to share? Post a link in the comments!

Home Decor Projects, Transfer, Transforming Drab Army Housing Blog Series

Project Progress

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Saturday was a very busy day for my daughter and me.  We went to the Nurnberg/Furth Ikea to pick up the majority of the items on my Ikea Project Mood boards.

Mostly Ikea Living Room
Mostly Ikea Living Room

From the Living Room Mood board, I purchased two Ektorp love seats, the Hemnes TV Console, 2 narrow Billy Bookcases (and doors), and the Hemnes side table.  The design has changed a little from this original mood board. and I can’t wait to show you the finished room!

Ikea Office Design
Ikea Office Design

For the office I picked up the two Billy Bookcases, a new cover for the Beddinge Lovas Futon, and the remaining part of my desk.

We also picked up some legs for a dining room table and bunch of small miscellaneous items that we either needed or wanted. We also picked up dinner in the Ikea grocery section–meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy mix, and lingonberry sauce.

This was our haul.

Ikea Shopping Trip. Does not include the Ektorp Boxes
Ikea Shopping Trip. Does not include the Ektorp Boxes
Loaded by me and my daughter.
Loaded by me and my daughter.

When we got home, my husband and I assembled the Ektorp love seats.  After he went to bed, my daughter and I assembled the Hemnes TV console–not easy! Sunday I worked on the bookcases and the room arrangement. It’s not perfect, but we have an odd and small space, so we made it work as best we could.

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THis next picture is all of the parts for the Hemnes TV console. My daughter came up with the idea, and it made the assembly SO much easier!

Hemnes TV console Parts
Hemnes TV console Parts

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Maggie certainly likes the sofa. We need to re-train her.

Black dog, White Sofa--Oops.
Black dog, White Sofa–Oops.

This is what we’ve  done so far…just a sneak peek.

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More to come soon!

Living Life, Musings

DIY Blues

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I find myself longing for my garage back home.

My fingers itch for the feel of sanding wood furniture.

My manicured fingers look foreign–there should be paint on my cuticles and wedged under my fingernails.

My work clothes have been at the bottom of a drawer, paint splattered and worn out, for far too long.

I haven’t used a power tool other than the drill/screwdriver in ages.

I miss the intoxicating smell of stripper and turpentine.

Small crafts are fun, but they don’t invigorate me the way upcycling or repurposing a piece of furniture does. Heck, I even miss home improvement nightmares!

I should be writing a paper for my Shakespeare Seminar class, but as much as I love old Bill, I just can’t shake this desire to transform a room or a piece of furniture.

But, alas, my desires must be put on hold—at least for another 4 weeks.  After I say So long to Bill and modern Brit Lit, it’s hello to paint, toxic fumes, and sandpaper!

DIY Projects, Home Improvement, In the Garden, Pinterest Musings

Pinterest Musings: Pallet Garden and Fence

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It’s spring and that means that it is time to plant our vegetable garden.  Last year we were partially successful at growing our veggies in pots.  The salad garden was amazing! However, we started the garden a tad too soon and lost half of our tomato plants and all of the bell pepper plants.  Aside from the early planting failure, we also learned that ceramic pots burst when you leave them out over the winter months.

Here’s how our corner patio garden looked last year

Salad Garden 2014
Salad Garden 2014

Here are my Herb pots that burst.

Burst Herb pots
Burst Herb pots

This is how the patio looks today.

Patio April 10, 2015
Patio April 10, 2015

What I want the patio to look like:

I think that something like this will looks a lot better than those cheap window box planters that bulge out in the center.

51a8fbbafb04d664bb00114c._w.540_s.fit_
For the Salad Garden

Though I don’t really need anything this large, I think the depth will work well for the tomatoes and bell peppers.  Perhaps adding some sort of lattice to the back would work for growing cucumbers and fall squash.

For the Tomatoes & Peppers
For the Tomatoes & Peppers

When a patio is as small as ours, using vertical space is important.  This year I want to try growing our herbs in something like this.

For Herbs
For Herbs

As for the fence…our ghetto fabulous fence needs to go. We had some high winds earlier this spring and the fence kept blowing over.  I’m looking at Pallet fence ideas.

I really love this one. The post at The Nest by Raul Avenir has DIY instructions–wich is hard to find.

Pallet Fence with DIY Instructions
Pallet Fence with DIY Instructions

This one is very practical and beautiful, but does not include instructions.  I’ve seen this image several times, but I just can’t seem to find the original source. But the page does have several pallet use ideas.

Garden Pallet Fence
Garden Pallet Fence

Here are a couple of ideas that I quickly sketched out.

Pallet Garden Sketches
Pallet Garden Sketches

Building this depends on 1) Whether or not we are staying in Germany for another year (Hubby might get a new assignment), and 2) whether or not I have time.  But a girl can dream 🙂