D is for Decorator Letters

Grab your jigsaw and some plywood because you can definitely DIY these decorator letters.  They make a huge statement for very minimal cost (and a fun birthday gift for my daughter's friend too!).

Inspired by Pottery Barn Kids Decorator Letters:

image source

Their letters cost $79 each, that's crazy talk too me!  (To do the math 4 letters would be $316 - are you kidding?)  I used 1/2" plywood scraps to make my version but all you need for one letter is a 1/2" plywood handy panel (2' x 4') which runs about $15.  You might even be able to fit two letters on one panel if you're lucky.  Also you could use 1/2" MDF which is cheaper and makes those curvy cuts super smooth.

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W is for Wallpaper Wall Art Giveaway

diy wallpaper wall art (and a giveaway too!)

Wallpaper makes an easy solution for adding pattern and texture to your wall and you don't have to wallpaper the whole wall either.  I was challenged by the folks at Porch.com to make something fun and creative using wallpaper for a pattern play project.  And I actually came up with two projects: wallpaper wall art and wallpaper flower bouquet.

If you're not familiar with Porch.com yet they are a home network with connections to accredited home improvement professionals.  It is a giant information source for all things home and DIY, definitely check it out!

Porch.com teamed up with Scout & Nimble to supply us with wallpaper and I choose this Graham & Brown Kensington English rose pattern:  

Originally I never planned on coloring the flowers however when the wallpaper arrived all the beautiful black and white hand-drawn details had me looking at this paper like a coloring book.

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L is for Loft Space Makeover

Another peek into our home today and we're up on the second floor in the loft space.  Two weeks ago I shared the backstairs and upstairs hallway space and that leads us to the front stairs and loft space.

To be honest this makeover really only needed paint and a new light fixture.  Unfortunately I don't have a before picture of the light but it was straight from 1984 with smoky glass and actually came down shortly after we moved in 18 months ago because I couldn't live with it.

Today the space is bright and fresh and clearly the highlight here are those exposed wood beams which are about 275 years old.  (Our house was built around 1740.)  I painted the walls Benjamin Moore simply white and the trim is London Fog.

That one horizontal beam makes the perfect ledge for books.  I used the kids diy book ends from Emma's build it birthday party here to hold up the books.

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L is for Loft Bed with Lego Storage Work Space

diy loft bed with lego storage and work space

A giant build to share with you today thank you to my fellow buildy blogger Jen at House of Wood, she put together the plans for this awesome loft bed with lego storage and work space!

My son was begging for a loft bed and I wanted to make the most use of the space below by designing the bed to fit 2 Ikea Trofast storage towers underneath for legos.  Plus a lego workspace where he can leave out his incomplete projects without cluttering up our Family Room.

The work space is very generous (the table here measures 32"w x 48"l),  Jen's plans make use of the whole width under the bed.  Our table is slightly narrower because I used a scrap piece of plywood and also it does leave a bit of space on the ladder side for feet to poke through.

I put felt on the bottom of the table legs so it easily slides out into the room for more maneuverability.

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B is for Barn Door Plans

 Looking for DIY door inspiration of all shapes, sizes and colors?

Remodelaholic is devoting an entire week to doors!  Im over at Cassitys place today sharing my DIY sliding barn door from my girls bedroom.

The plans to build this door and hang it using inexpensive hardware are at Remodelaholic here. 

Also if you have any DIY door related tutorials youd like to share be sure to join the linky party going on all week.

Cheers to doors my friends!

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P is for Privacy Curtain

The loft space was all refreshed and my kids were happily making use of it when they declared "Mom wouldn't be great if we had a curtain for privacy?".  I obliged and made this simple privacy curtain using supplies I already had on hand: copper pipe, a white sheet and book rings.

And now the loft space is private!

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