PB Project Table Knockoff

Pottery Barn is going to hate me...
This is the desk I wanted for my craft/work/laundry room. "The Bedford Project Table" It's from Pottery Barn, and it costs $1,099 (plus $120 shipping). Nope, not in the budget. Not even close.



It took me a quick second to realize that I had seen those cubes before in the form of the below Closetmaid Cubeicals, found at Target for $40, on sale. I could use two of those for either end, and then all it needed was a tabletop, and I would have my craft table! So, I sent Ben to Home Depot for some wood. (If you know me and my projects, sending Ben to get some of my supplies is HUGE!) I decided I wanted the table to match the PB specifications of 55 inches long x 37 inches high x 38 inches deep. The cubes are 36 inches high and 36 inches deep. He came home with 7, 2x6 boards that they cut at Home Depot to 55 inches long. The boards are actually 5.5 inches wide, but for some reason they are called 2x6. Probably to confuse people like me who would have trusted that they were 6 inches wide like it said and not bothered to actually measure.


I knew I wanted to stain the wood instead of painting it white like the PB version. I wanted the top to contrast with the white cubes. So, I picked up a can of wood conditioner and a can of stain & poly in one ($24 total). The stain color is "Mission Oak Satin". The stain plus poly is different from regular stain in that you don't wipe it off in between coats. You brush on a thin coat, let it sit for 6 hours and then apply another coat if needed. I only needed one coat, and it looked great!


Don't let the smile fool you; he HATES projects!


My staining setup in the garage. Who needs a saw horse when you have loads of paint cans?


This is my craft area before:

The desk is long, but not tall or wide enough to do my sewing projects easily. I envisioned something that would let me stand to cut fabric with lots of storage.

And after!!! I am in love with my new table! To assemble, we screwed the boards to the cubes from underneath the top shelf of the cube. That way, when we move, we can just unscrew and go. I think we're going to add some braces in between the boards underneath as well to give it more stability.


Look at that wood!


Can't wait to start using this guy at my new table!


I think it looks quite similar to the PB version! I love having all the cubes to store my craft & sewing supplies, stationery, etc. The PB version has a back on the inner sides of the cubes, but I think I'm going to leave mine open since I can grab things from either side. Now I just need to make a trip to the consignment store, also known as my parents' basement, and grab a bar stool!



Project break down:
White cubes from Target: $80
Wood from Home Depot: $20
Conditioner & Stain: $24
Project Total: $124
PB Project Table: $1,099 + $120 shipping
Savings: over $1,000!!
I made this table for the price of shipping!

What have you knocked off lately?

I Made A Wreath Out of What?

Hate buying expensive wreath forms at Michael's and Joann's? Try using pipe insulation from Home Depot to make your next wreath! I got a 4 pack for $2.47! 

Just bend the insulation and secure the two ends with tape. I used painter's tape because that's what was closest to me. 

For this wreath, I decided to wrap it in yarn and make fabric rosettes again. I wanted another fall wreath for inside our house. 

I placed pins equal distances apart around the wreath so each section of yarn would be the same width. Then I started wrapping very carefully so each loop of yarn laid neatly beside the one before. 

Then it was time to make some more fabric rosettes. I used the same technique that I did for my last wreath. I made a few different sizes then hot glued them to the wreath.

Finished product! I'm waiting to find the perfect place for it once I get out all my fall decor!

Linking to:

Outdoor Fun!

Elliotte's buddy Montgomery, whom she affectionately calls "Gummy", turned two today! They were born four weeks apart. Heather and Jason hosted a fun, whole family, outdoor water party and cookout. It was a great evening for it since it was HOT! E had a blast playing in the water, cruising on the riding toys and jumping on the trampoline. She definitely enjoys being the only girl in her group of buddies. It's so cute. E and Montgomery will be in the same MDO class this fall, so their teachers better watch out! They are T-R-O-U-B-L-E together!

Gummy taking E for a ride in his John Deere!

These two are adorable!

Oh my word...

Don't they look like an old married couple?! I can just hear their conversation.

She wanted a sip of water!

Splashing around! She drug that elephant sprinkler all over the place and soaked everyone.

Still dragging it....

Still sipping...

Onto climbing.

Bubbles with Daddy.

Back to the elephant. Poor thing, her strap would not stay up!

The three amigos: "Gummy", E, and "Aussie" on the trampoline.

Childhood Table & Chairs Redo

Last November, I decided to clean out my parent's house to have a garage sale. It was a huge undertaking, but I came across some great stuff! Up in the attic, were many of our childhood toys. Some had gotten so hot that they had melted together over the 20+ years up there! I found our old riding toys, an old wooden cradle, a wooden Noah's Ark, wooden rocking chairs, our kid sized table and chairs and much more! I immediately ran downstairs and asked mom if I could take the table and chairs home for E to use. She decided since I had taken the initiative to clean out the house, that they could be mine (I do have twin brothers and all, but I'm the self-proclaimed favorite). The boys had no idea what was up in that attic and they certainly weren't going to climb up there and clean it out. I was super duper excited! There may or may not have been grumbling, complaining, and bitterness that I had the table and chairs, but guess who climbed up in the hot attic and drug them down?!

The table and chairs sat in our den for a few months just the way they were (dark, stained wood). We have a lot of dark wood in our house, so I decided to liven up the set a bit (I asked permission AFTER I painted, since I knew I would meet some resistance). I wanted E to really enjoy the table and chairs like I did. I used spray paint for the chairs and table base, and then applied chalkboard paint to the table top so E could draw on it. I LOVE how it turned out, and E did too! Since I knew the set would take a beating, I went ahead and distressed it a bit so it would look purposeful. I used Valspar spray paint from Lowes. The colors I chose were Berry (red), Mediterranean (blue), and Hubbell House (yellow). Spray paint is so easy to use as long as you take your time and do several thin coats so you don't get drips.


Love how these colors look together!


Yes, I am well aware that zebras, hippos, and elephants to not belong on a farm! Gotta love the Target dollar section for some plastic animals!


Do you all love spray paint as much as I do?!

Linking to:
Perfectly Imperfect Linky Party
Home Stories A to Z
Tatertots and Jello
Serenity Now 
Addicted 2 Decorating
Just A Girl
Ta-Da Tuesday Link Party
Power of Paint Party

Quiet Book

I wanted to make Elliotte something special for her 2nd birthday. I decided on a quiet book after doing A LOT of online research. I stalked Pinterest and lots of blogs (links to sources are bolded). My goals in making the quiet book were that it should be gender neutral (I didn't want to make an entire new book should we have a boy next), and I wanted to be able to add pages in the future. The book measures about 11x11 inches and has some thin batting between the pages to keep it soft (and quiet!). If you can sew a straight line and know how to use your sewing machine on a beginner's level (I've only been sewing about 5 months), you too can make one of these! I love the fact that it is handmade and will be enjoyed for many years to come.

For the front and back covers, I used fabric I already had on hand. I thought it was fun and colorful. The book stays closed with a velcro flap and grommets will allow me to add pages in the future.


Since E loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I had to include a Mickey page. His red pants pull back to reveal a small pocket. Felt apples button on and off the apple tree on the 2nd page. The apple tree design was inspired by this blog.


Ice cream scoops velcro on and off the cones for a mix n match look. The ladybug unzips so E can hide things inside. This was my first zipper!


The red, felt barn doors open to reveal five friendly farm animals that are finger puppets! The puppets were bought from cherylasmith on etsy. They are absolutely adorable and E loves them! I found the barn template here.


The next page is a sun and grass page so E can create a "farm scene" with her animals.


This page about made me want to strangle someone! Each number has buttons to help E learn to count. It's not the best looking page in the book (check out #6!), but she really likes it. Thank goodness my sewing machine does buttons!


She had to have a mailbox to receive all her mail. The flap folds down so E can put notes and cards inside. The flag goes up and down too! The mailbox template was found here.


And here's my favorite page!!! This page is 100% original, and I am so proud of it! The pug's ears are floppy in true pug fashion. Too bad it's not real...


The final two pages allow E to dress up a doll. The undergarments are velcro, so the clothing will stay put! The right page is a large pocket to store the doll's clothes. I still need to make a few more outfits. The template for the doll and clothes was found here.


The End!



Linking to Home Stories A to Z

Pretty & Functional Jewelry Display

Pinterest really is a source for unbelieveable inspiration (and it's free)! I think all of my summer projects came from Pinterest! E broke the case that used to hold all my necklaces, so I needed a new way to store them. I had seen this jewelry display on Pinterest and knew I could make one too. I found a basic frame on sale at Michael's (I think, could have been JoAnn's) and bought a roll of chicken wire at Home Depot.

I cut the chicken wire to fit the frame and the hot glued it to the back. Gluing chicken wire is not super easy since it doesn't like to lay flat. I had to hold each wire in place until the glue dried. Not hard, but time consuming.

I then spray painted the frame with Rustoleum's Heirloom White and distressed it with some sand paper to give it a worn look. I added five small nails across the top of the frame to hold my necklaces.


Not too shabby huh?


I hung it then added my earrings and necklaces. Functional storage that also acts as wall art!