Planked it!

Done, da, da, da, da DOOOONE!

Yes, the VERY FIRST wall has been planked, and that officially means, the Smiths have made their mark!

I've been super excited about finally having a fireplace in our new house, but the lack of shelving, built-in storage or really... ANYTHING around our little fireplace, has underwhelmed me since we moved in.

Oh, and yeah, that's Cason's ginormous TV on a iiiiitty-bitty folding table. There are plans for all of that corded mess and humungo screen to go down in the basement once it's finished. We're getting close (more on that later) - but for now, it's the only TV in the house that the kids can watch, so this is how we live for now.

Super "industrial" right!? #trendsetters! 

Since I was so in love with our planked wall in the last house, I knew I had to recreate it somewhere here, and this wall seemed like the perfect place.

For a FULL tutorial on how to do this sort of wall treatment, you can look at our DIY wood planked wall how-to here.

No messing around this time, I was determined to get the planking done in ONE day, if it killed me. Cason's dad came to the rescue and acted as the official "measure-er dude" and the twins even did the majority of the sanding once we brought the 6 inch boards home. They were life savers! 

DIY Crow Mobile - Pottery Barn KnockOff

Two years ago we dressed up our porch for Halloween for the first time, and I loved it! Our little covered entryway to our front door is quite small, so there's not a lot of room to work with, but even a little decor can go a long way.

Full Halloween Porch Post

This year, since we had some "flying crows" going on inside the house, I thought it would be cool to have a slew of them circling around the outside as well.

I originally got the inspiration when I visited my friend Jamie, who had a Pottery Barn version of this crow mobile hanging over her kitchen sink, that she had purchased a couple of years back. It's no longer available for sale, but I found a source online that listed the PB mobile at around $40. 

I really wanted one of my own, so I attempted a knockoff version, and in only about 20 minutes and for $14 bucks, I think it turned out pretty dang close!

Here's how we did it:

First, you'll need some simple supplies to complete the project; those are listed and shown below.

NOTE: The wire is usually found in the floral department, the clear string typically near the jewelry and crows can be bought at your local dollar store!

DIY Labeled Potion Collection with Display Box

Time for another DIY Halloween decor idea!
If you missed the last one, we shared how to make a Creepy Toe Pincher Coffin.

 

Today, we're showing off our DIY Labeled Potion Collection with Display Box. From the wooden stained tray to the little labels on each jar, this box of potions is a fun and easy addition to add to your spooky Halloween decor this year.

I was originally inspired by my No.9 Potion bottle from a couple years back, but wanted to take this idea to a totally different level, by concocting a bunch of new "potions" and gathering them together, to give my new entryway table a "mad scientists lab/shop" type look.

Here's how we did it: 

DIY Creepy Halloween Toe Pincher Coffin Tutorial

Alright, so I know I said I was ready for Fall decor, but typically I decorate for Fall and Thanksgiving time together, so at our house Halloween decorations always come first, and if you've been a reader for a while, then you know that I also like to try and do something new or a little bit different for each holiday every year.

    

    

 This year I've been hovering around this sort of art deco type feel with my Halloween decor. You know, the geometric lines and contrasted colors; a bit 'Great Gatsby' if you will, and of course, I'm working on adding a few touches of gold as well :) I have most of my decorating done, besides a few finishing touches and I realized that I had a lot to share, so I thought I'd break it up a bit over the next little while, to show you all the details and step-by-step better.

Our first little DIY project was this creepy, stained, toe pincher coffin. I wanted something on my shelves that was different this year; not a frame or regular board with a saying, so when Cason mentioned a tall tombstone or coffin leaning up against the wall, I was sold!

Here's How we did it:
We used a piece of 1/4th inch thick birch plywood in a 2x4ft size and sketched out what we wanted our toe pincher coffin to look like. We ended up going with the below measurements. 6 inches for the three top portions, 11 1/2 on the longer sides and 4 inches at the bottom. Cason figured out that the points towards the middle met at about a 130 degree angle.

2nd & 3rd Life Furniture + A Coffee Table Restyle

By now, it's obvious that I'm a BIG fan of 2nd and 3rd life furniture, especially when it has great 'bones'. Meaning, that just because a great piece of furniture is intended or built/finished one way, doesn't mean it has to STAY that way forever. Nightstand Makeover

$12 Entryway Table Redo

CD Cabinets Turned Bathroom Countertop Storage

That being said, occasionally we also have the issue of finding the RIGHT piece of furniture or decor to finish a space, and that's where the more extensive DIY portion of what we do comes in. When we were building up our entryway nook I realized that we were never going to find storage crates the exact size we needed them to be, so out of pure necessity, we figured out how to build some!
DIY Homemade Vintage Wood Crates

The same thing happened when we started working on my office in the basement. There was limited space and I had very specific needs for all of the stuff I wanted to store, so I knew that we were going to have to repurpose and rework existing budget-friendly storage units and build up around them.

Customized Office Creative Storage Built-In

Table Redo for $12 - Holla! + My Best Tips on How to Spray Paint Furniture

Over the years I've gotten LOTS of emails with questions about this little' ol table in our entryway. I have to agree with almost everyone in saying that it's pretty much the PERFECT size for an entryway like mine. Measuring at around 56 inches wide, 35 inches tall and 11 inch wide, this lovely lady has been with us through thick and thin, and will probably always have a place in our home, one way color or another.

:)

You know how you have something for SO long that you sometimes forget where you even got it? Well, that's happened to me once or twice with this piece, actually. I finally asked Cason where we snagged this, and he reminded me that it was from a friend who was moving about 8 years ago. He recalls that we paid $20 for it. This whole time I was thinking we picked it up at our local thrift store.

Yikes, bad memory. ha!

You can read all about our table redo, when we painted this baby white, but just so you know, it originally started out in natural wood, then went deep red with a black stain, transitioned into white with a glaze and now, we're goin' a pretty shade of green... well, Jade, to be exact.

:)

When we painted this table white we rolled it with latex paint and a non-textured roller. This time, since I've been diggin' the whole sprayin' scene lately, I thought we'd try spray painting this table instead, and along the way share some tips and tricks with all of you.

First, we removed the hardware from the drawers and doors. I always put mine in a plastic bag, to make sure they all stay together.

As you can see, our table has been beaten up, and stained (due to a plant that leaked some water while we were away on a 3 day long vacation). No worries though, I just took a 100 grit sandpaper to the top of it, and evened everything out. The sanding got rid of most of the yellow water stains, and a few of the nicks and scratches... but any deep gouges from kids or decor, I didn't really stress over. It gives the table character and a natural "distressed" look that I sort of like.

Because our table wasn't finished with a lacquer or super-shiny paint, I didn't have to worry about reaaaally sanding hard-core. Just a light once-over was enough. Then to make sure I got rid of any dust, I used a dry cloth to wipe any unwanted dust particles away.

In the Kyrlon 24 in 24 challenge, we used this Jade color on a bathroom vanity redo, and I LOVED it! Since then I've been wanting to get my hands on some so I could spray something in my own house this shade. One coat brings out the greens in this color, two & three deepens it a LOT more and then you see all the blues that are combined as well. LOVE it!

Mini Homework Station - Krylon Mystery Box Challenge

Remember the big 24 in 24 Krylon event that I attended a couple months back? Well, after that wonderful-madness ended, I couldn't rest for long, because only a few weeks later a big ol' Krylon Mystery Box showed up on my doorstep.

What's your initial reaction when you read these below words, paired with the phrase "Make something, pretty, classy and useful for your home"?

Pipe cleaners, googly eyes, Popsicle sticks and foam stickers.

I don't know about you, but I literally start to sweat, and panic sets in. I have known that this "mystery box" project was coming up for a couple of months now, but (like a true mystery) had no idea what to expect inside. The above mentioned items were on my worst case scenario list, and luckily, I didn't have to deal with any of them. LOL.

That being said, I was still surprised, yet somewhat relieved by the contents inside the box once I got it opened:

- A Shoe Rack

- Red Spray Paint

- 3 Small Plastic Storage Containers

- Chalkboard Spray Paint

- A Children's Puzzle

- A Ruler

- Paper Clips

- Cork board

- Pencils 

Our requirements were to use at least 5 of the items in the box to complete a project, and so naturally I quickly ruled out the red spray paint, because I knew it probably wouldn't go well with my home's decor, and (after a hearty attempt of trying to make it work) also ditched the puzzle.

In the end, this is what I came up with, and here's how I pulled it all together!

My first concern/priority was that funky shoe rack. I pondered long and hard over that crazy piece, and in the end decided that using PART of it, basically counted as "using it"... right?

:)

So I tossed the plastic ends and had Cason cut the metal rods into even pieces for me with a jigsaw. Once I sanded down the rough edges a bit, I hot glued them onto an empty soup can so they would stand up straight.

Scattered Herringbone Decal in our Shop + DIY Framed Art

I'm stoked to finally be sharing this new decal that we have in our House of Smiths Design Shop now; the Scattered Herringbone in large and small! Today I'm going to share this super awesome, easy DIY framed art tutorial with you guys, that I made using our small herringbone decals, AND a discount code for our shop...

but first, I have to show you how Jen's wall looks!

We covered an accent wall in her master bedroom with the large scattered herringbone decals, and it turned out so fun! It took about 18 sheets, two different ladders and even Cason's help/height...but we got it done!

If you were following along with us on Instagram, then you know we posted a teaser about working on a project with Jen for her amazing 30 day bedroom makeover a few weeks back, and we couldn't show you our fun decal wall reveal until now, because we had to wait until her bedroom was all finished.

I'm happy to report that Jen won the room makeover contest and I couldn't be happier for her, you gotta go check it out!

Okay, now onto our DIY framed art tutorial.

Large or small, when you order a sheet of the scattered herringbone decal, it will come just like this. In a rectangular shape, with three layers. Backing paper, vinyl and transfer tape. I've left the transfer tape off the gold decal so you can see what it looks like without, but the white has it.

When you get your decal(s), you'll want to trim around it, like in image #1. This will help you to see exactly where your placement will be when you apply everything. I used a large Ribba Ikea frame for my wall art, and it was too small to fit two full decals, so I just cut one of my decals down the middle.

You WILL have to cut straight through the middle of some vinyl, as I'm showing in image #3; don't sweat it! That's what's so great about this design, you can mix up the layout however you want, it's totally random and you WILL have to piece things together, so get creative!

DIY Orb Chandelier Tutorial - Zgallerie Eclipse Knockoff

Jen from Tatertots & Jello and I have been friends for about as long as we've both been blogging. I remember the first time we met... and ironically, it was over a lighting fixture exchange!

Who knew that over 3 years later we'd become the best of blogging buddies and life-long friends (???) It's so crazy how life works, isn't it?

From painted chevron rugs to Valentines day subway art and even a little help with a bedroom makeover (soon to be revealed on Jen's blog), I've had a BLAST working with this super-talented-creative-mega-mind friend of mine, and hope we NEVER stop collaborating on awesome projects together.

All that being said, about 2 months ago Jen and I were laying around in a hotel room, during a blogging event, talking about things we wanted to still get done in our homes, and we both mentioned how MUCH we really wanted one of those cool orb chandelier lights that we kept seeing around in all the high-end stores. If we saved, we knew we could probably afford one, but neither one of us felt like spending over $500, or DOUBLE THAT on a single light fixture was really the best place to put all of our hard earned cash. 

So what do you do when you can't find something that you WANT, at the price you NEED it to be at? You MAKE IT of course!

I definitely have to give Jen all the credit when it comes to material choices and basic construction of this awesome DIY orb chandelier.

PS: This is my "things are gettin' serious here" face.  ack!

Jen and her smarty-pants hubby Jeff figured out how to get the orb shape we needed, and then once we had the basic idea down, Cason and I were off to figure out how to construct our own... in a smaller version than Jen's with a little bit of a different twist.

Here's how we did it:

We bought our chandelier base from Home Depot. It's called the Charleston 6 light chandelier and it was $95.00. (Jen's was a bit larger and ran about $120.00)

Embracing the "Dog People" Way of Life & Installing a Doggy Door

Hey, hey, it's Cason here! I like to jump on the blog every once in awhile to say hello and give my perspective on being the husband of a blogging wife.

Today I wanted to give a little insight on how two "not-so-dog-people" do a complete 360 to embracing the "dog people" way of life. It's hard believe that we have completely fallen for our little Zaylee so much that we are willing to change our homes structure for her.

If you have a dog yourself, you know that potty training is quite the feat. Initially we trained Zaylee to use a bell by the back door so when she rang it, we would come running to let her out for a 'trip to the yard to do her 'th'ang'. While totally genius at first, because Zaylee never scratched the door or barked, we figured out a bit later that there were a couple of problems with this approach for OUR dog.

1- You have to hear the bell, or there will be an accident.

2- If Zaylee needs attention, she knows that ringing the bell will bring someone running, even if she doesn't really have to go out to the yard for a bathroom break.

Soooo... after a couple of months of that I finally broke down and purchased a doggy door. Shelley definitely wasn't happy with cutting a huge hole in our door at first, but then finally agreed with the structure change because it meant that she would no longer have to keep running upstairs from her office to constantly answer the ringing of Zaylee and her bell; real bathroom break needed or not.

All that said, here are a couple of things that I learned about installing our doggy door. I'm not really going to go into exactly how to do it step-by-step, as the instructions for the door I purchased were pretty good, but more touch on points/mistakes/discoveries that I made along the way, you can learn from. ha!

1 - Research what type of door makes sense for you. The one we went with was for extreme weather, we have HOT summers and COLD winters here in Utah. We didn't want to have to worry about the door affecting the inside temperature of our home. The big difference with this door was it had a middle insulation flap that the other doors didn't. We found ours at Petsmart.

2 - Understand that it is an investment. You would think that a simple plastic case with some flaps on it would be fairly inexpensive, but we found that this wasn't the case. Even the "cheapy doors" were pretty pricey! So, save up for the right door for your situation, and know that you're going to have to probably dish out about $45 - $100 for a good quality doggy door.

3 - FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! I'm male, so sometimes a seemingly simple project means just looking at the pictures is enough...ehhhm... not for this project. I forgot to install weather stripping, which was not an easy thing to go back and reinstall after the fact.

Along these same lines, if the instructions say take the door off the hinges... DO IT! I thought I would save myself some time by leaving our door on it's hinges, but in reality, it probably took me three times longer than it should have and made the project much harder.
What? I'm just being honest. You live, you learn, and then you blog about it, right?

Chrome Chairs go Gold & A Game Table + How to Spray Paint Metal

Yup... another basement project and update! Are you impressed? I am.

:)

Okay, so we've got a couple of areas we're working on, but right now we are completely focused on the little gaming station that we're trying to create. We looked around at some thrift stores, went to a couple of designer places and then ultimately ended up at Ikea, where we found exactly what we were looking for... sort of. The DOCKSTA table and a couple TOBIAS chairs.

We wanted chairs that were sturdy, but still comfy, and that didn't have arms. It's too hard to jump up and celebrate a big win after playing a good hand of cards, when you've got arms to compete with on your chair. So these chairs were perfect AND stylish!

:)

Since the basement doesn't have tons of light, we wanted a bright white table that was super sleek and simple. We found a few from thrift stores that we could re-purpose, but they were all just too chunky and heavy for the space. We needed a table that wasn't too expensive or big, and something that we could tightly tuck the chairs under, with no problems. That's why we fell in love with the simplicity of the DOCKSTA model at Ikea.

As you can see from above, before we even bought the chairs, we had planned on spray painting the chrome base of the chairs a brushed gold color instead. The chrome is AWESOME and looks great, but when we put it in our basement, it sort of stuck out like a sore thumb. Normally I would be just fine with "metallic-mixing", but in this case, I wasn't feelin' it. 

So...

Say it with your best "game show host" voice impression.

It works with the corny face, promise.

Okay, so actually, before any spray painting happens, a few steps of prep need to take place first.

1. Rough up the metal.

Metal is obviously shiny, so in order to get the best adhesion, you'll want to scuff up the surface you're painting, to cut down on the glossiness.

Same goes for the frame of the chair. We used 100 grit sandpaper, but you could probably go 120 and be okay too, this is just what we had on hand.