Project Wishlist

Well, now that we have basic mastery of our table saw, I'm excited to design and build things for around the house to my specifications and in my limited house budget. Here are some ideas:

I'd love to put our beloved coat tree and matching bench from my parents in the garage since we don't really have room for them in our current entry way. Instead, I'd love something flatter than hangs on the wall and would have a mirror and some strong hooks for coats. Someday we'll live somewhere with space for my coat tree again! I saw a photo in a magazine (pardon the horrid photo) and have been musing on it since:

Actually, I think this is straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog and the price was insane. I think it'd be easy to find a good-sized mirror from Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity Shop and build around it. Instead of those shelf cubbies, I think a plain shelf across there would be dandy. I also want to put in a small, discreet hook up in the corner so Don can hang his cover there. Where's a good place to get hooks with character?

The other project on my mind comes from Pinterest and is a tribute to my neglected master bedroom. The master bedroom is arguably the nicest room in the house because it is huge and full of light. However, it has been at the bottom of my list when it comes to decorating. We'll get there...someday. I spend so little time awake in that room, that I'd rather put my little house budget towards the living areas. Anyways, I'm looking forward to having matching planters for our matching dressers that look like this:

Pretty!

I like how they add a lot of impact but don't take up much real-estate. I'm hoping to find some good tutorials for how to make them look like vintage crates with black paint or something similar.

The next Pinterest thing on my list is a giant letter H for my mantel similar to this one:

I'm pretty sure from reading the tutorial months ago, that this one is cardboard with the design painted on in Elmer's Glue with a coat of black paint, a coat of white paint, and light distressing.  Sounds good to me. Except no cardboard.  Things need to be durable to survive in this house.

After that, the projects get bigger and more involved like custom built-ins in my office. Eeek!  Let's hope we're here long enough to have time for something like that, especially once baby comes.

Craft Time

I love fall. I love the pretty leaves, availability of pumpkins, and a good excuse to wear boots and scarves and mittens. Overwhelmed by a rare streak of domesticity, I started shopping for wreathes to hang on the front door. Our neighborhood is rather drab. Our friend Forest calls it "Downtown Baghdad" so take from that what you will.

Etsy was my first stop because I love nothing more than spending money without leaving the couch. (Sorry, honey!) However. Those things are EXPENSIVE!! I can buy half a cow for the same price as a few branches arranged artfully in a circle. No. No. No.

A little trip to Michaels set me up with all of the wreath-ery that I would need: grapevine wreath starters, fake leaves and flowers, hot glue, and floral wire.

As it turns out, the business of wreath-making is not as simple as I imagined. After an afternoon of wrestling with wire cutters and all manners of leaves and flora, here is what I came up with. I feel they are a bit juvenile, but they sure as heck didn't cost me $100! So there!

Comment and let me know if you have suggestions and what you think!