DIY Archives - Two Twenty One

DIY Garden Fencing

May 16, 2013

I finally got around to upgrading our vegetable garden fencing this past weekend. For the past two years we protected the vegetables from rascally rabbits with some rusty metal fencing so we were due for something new.

I picked up a roll of wire fencing and three rolls of wooden fencing from Lowes to make the fence. I also grabbed my handheld staple gun and wire cutters.

I simply unrolled the wooden fencing, placed the wire fencing on top, and stapled it to the wooden fencing. Then I went back through and cut the excess wire off.

Now, I’m going to share a blogger fail with you. Not many bloggers share these things but I’m cool with publicly sharing my failures.

Okay so I probably should have thought this out some more before I started. Instead of putting the nice, smooth part of the wire at the top of the fencing, where it would potentially touch our skin when we reach in to get produce, I put it at the bottom. Then I used the wire cutters to clip the excess wire at the top. Mistake. It’s not terribly sharp, but it would have been nice to have the smooth side of the wire on the top, and the cut side on the bottom where it wouldn’t be in contact with any skin.

I finally wised up when I was more than half way done. Face palm. I was too annoyed to go back, pull out all the staples, flip the wire, and reattach it. So I put the smooth side of the fencing near the tomato plants– the most frequently picked vegetable in our garden.

While I was working on this in the garage, Jack decided to treat himself and sneak off with a small piece of wood I had laying around. Don’t worry, we took the piece of wood away from him.

Seriously, this dog will chew on anything wood related– branches, mulch, Popsicle sticks. (He’s never chewed on furniture though.) I once caught him dragging a Manzanita branch, I had planned to use in our wedding decor, out of my office. But I’ll take his wood fetish over a shoe fetish any day.

To secure the fencing into the ground I used the stakes provided in the wooden fencing packaging. But they weren’t the best, so I used some craft dowel rods to better secure the fence. I stuck the dowel rods in between some holes in the wire fencing and sunk them into the ground. You can kind of see them in this photo. I’ll try to get a better photo of today and post it later.

Jack approves of the fencing. Hopefully we won’t catch him gnawing on the fence posts.

How do you protect your vegetable garden from rodents? I read if a man urinates around a garden it will keep pests away. Brad vetoed that idea.
Does your dog have a weird fetish?

I’m sharing this at the following parties: Home Stories A to Z, Tatertots and Jello, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Liz Marie Blog, The Shabby Nest, Positively Splendid, Whipperberry, Funky Junk Interiors, Classy Clutter, Today’s Creative Blog, The Inspiration Gallery, and Serenity Now.

6 Comments · Filed Under: DIY, garden, outdoor ·

How to Oil a Cutting Board

May 15, 2013

Today I’m sharing something I need to do more often and something most people probably don’t think to do– oiling your cutting boards. Brad and I received a nice set of bamboo cutting boards for our wedding, and I’d like to make them go the distance. Because who wants to keep throwing money down the drain for new cutting boards? I’ll be honest, this activity made me feel brutally adult. But I will say I didn’t do this on a Friday night. Take that adulthood.

Everything I’ve read said you should oil your cutting boards every 3-4 weeks or when they start to become dry and lighter in color. And never put your wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher. So break out those yellow rubber gloves, ladies. Another thing about cutting boards– it’s best not to cross-contaminate so don’t use the same cutting board to cut chicken and vegetables. In fact, we strictly use wood cutting boards for vegetables and fruit, and polypropylene cutting boards for meat.

To oil my cutting boards, I started by I picking up some food grade mineral oil at Bed Bath and Beyond. To be specific, I used Snow River Wood Oil. Then I grabbed a clean towel.

I poured a little bit of oil onto the towel and rubbed it onto the cutting board. Don’t go crazy, this isn’t a Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit competition. Start out with a little oil and add more as needed. Wipe any excess oil off with the dry side of the towel. Make sure you oil all the surfaces of your cutting board– front, back, sides.

See the difference with just one swipe?

Tadah! And that’s how to oil a cutting board. Totally painless and super fast.

Do you oil your cutting boards often?
Does partaking in this activity make you feel like a true, responsible adult?

9 Comments · Filed Under: DIY, in the kitchen, kitchen ·

Re-coating the Buffet

April 30, 2013

Thanks so much for all your sweet comments about my post yesterday about my grandparents’ and the buffet. I read every single comment, and I’m working on replying to everyone. Those of you who were all “Whew! Glad you didn’t paint it. I almost lost sleep over that.” cracked me up. I had you on the edge of your seats, eh?

Alright, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of how I cleaned up and re-coated my grandparents’ 1920s buffet. As I said yesterday, Bruce from Mixwax told me everything I needed to do to bring new life to this beauty.

Here’s the before picture of the buffet taken last fall. Before it sat in our garage collecting dust for months.

And here’s the after.

I started by cleaning the dresser with TSP substitute (the old TSP has been outlawed in some states and is bad for the environment), which you can find at Walmart or any home improvement store. If you’re afraid to use TSP try making a soap and water solution. That didn’t work very well on the buffet so TSP it was. I used a rag for larger areas of the buffet, and a toothbrush to get into all the grooves. I wiped the excess TSP with a rag, not letting the TSP sit on the piece for too long. Make sure you wear latex and nitrile gloves when using TSP.

After cleaning the dresser I used a Minwax stain marker to touch up some scratches on the top. I didn’t even realize what I had written out in the photo below– I was merely tracing scratches when my mom, who was looking over my shoulder as I used the stain marker, said, “Does that say ‘Dawn’?” Uh, yeah it does. Thanks, a lot, Dawn. She even took it an extra step by underlining her name. (We don’t have a Dawn in the family so this was from a previous owner. I hope you’re happy, Dawn.)

I did the best I could with the stain marker, but you can still see some scratches on the buffet. It is what it is.

After I got done with the stain marker I started to apply Minwax Wipe-On Poly with a clean, lint-free rag.

Here’s a before-during-after photo. The first photo is what I started with. The second is after cleaning with TSP. The third is after applying the wipe-on poly.

I like how the wipe-on poly brings out the color of buffet and gives it just enough shine.

Okay, on to the hardware. I cleaned them up because they were gross. Patina lovers, please refrain from punching me in the throat.

I get that some people love patina. And antique collectors and dealers love patina. But here’s the deal, folks, in my opinion, the patina hid the beauty of the hardware. The hardware on the buffet is so pretty and intricate. You could barely see that with all the gunk layered on it.

Here’s the thing about the buffet. It’s my buffet. I never plan on selling it so I don’t care if I devalued it by taking 90 years of dead skin cells, dust, and tarnish off of the hardware. Anyway, there’s other things about this buffet that devalue it (see Dawn above… and keep reading).

I cleaned the hardware and applied some antique gold Rub n Buff to spruce them up a bit. Again, please don’t punch me. Brad made me feel bad enough for removing it when he told me he liked the patina… after I had already removed the patina from one piece of hardware.

I’m still not done with the buffet. Eventually I’ll have to attach the new leg brace on the right side. The original piece broke off and couldn’t be salvaged so my uncle made a new one for me. It’s a little long so I have to cut it down, stain it to match, and attach it to the buffet. This is another reason why the buffet has probably devalued, but I don’t care about its monetary value.

All in all, I spent around 6 hours cleaning and re-coating the buffet and hardware.

At the end of the day I’m happy with how the buffet turned out, and that’s what matters most.

Now all I have to do is style it. Fingers crossed it takes me less than 8 months to get that done.

What do you think about the buffet makeover? Can you believe that Dawn chick? The nerve. Who’s excited to see me style the buffet?

Note: Minwax didn’t pay me to mention them or their products. Bruce from Minwax did give me the stain marker and his free advice.

This post contains affiliate links.

37 Comments · Filed Under: buffet, dining room, DIY, furniture ·

How to Turn a Regular Scarf into an Infinity Scarf

April 23, 2013

If you know me well you know my love of pashminas and scarves. I have a collection of about 30– near hoarder status. On a recent shopping adventure I scooped up a couple lightweight scarves to add to my collection. One scarf is an infinity scarf, but the other wasn’t. I thought the regular scarf would look better as an infinity scarf so I decided to perform minor cosmetic surgery on the scarf. And the best news yet, I didn’t even have to break out my sewing machine.

Here’s what I started with. A regular scarf from Forever 21. Let’s call it Jen Aniston pre-nose job.

I grabbed some Heat n Bond while at Walmart (don’t judge me), my iron, and scissors.

I followed the instructions on the back of the Heat n Bond packaging because good girls read the directions.

I started by putting the Heat n Bond on one end of the scarf, and I stuck my iron on top for 2 seconds. I did this along the entire edge of one side of the scarf.

Then I peeled off the paper. See how the film stuck to the scarf?

I took the other end of the scarf, folded it under so there would be a seam instead of it looking like I put the two edges together. I bonded the two ends of the scarf together by holding my iron on the scarf for about 6 seconds in each spot. I let the scarf cool, and then it was ready to go.

And here she is now– Jen Aniston post-nose job. Some people know how to make cosmetic surgery work for them, like this scarf and Jen. Lindsay Lohan, on the other hand, wellllll. . .

Seriously, this is the easiest DIY no-sew project ever. I’m already debating what I can Heat n Bond next.

Have you used Heat n Bond?
Have you ever turned a regular scarf into an infinity scarf?

This post contains affiliate links.

24 Comments · Filed Under: accessories, DIY, no sew ·

Flip Flops with Duck Tape® Bows

April 17, 2013

This post brought to you by Duck® Brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s prom season, people. High schoolers across the country are spray tanning, debating their hairstyles, and crossing their fingers no one will show up in the same dress.

In preparation for prom, Duck Tape®, contacted me and asked if I wanted to participate in their Stuck at Prom® campaign to create a prom accessory, and I couldn’t turn it down.

I chose to create pretty Duck Tape® bows and attach them to some flip flops. I don’t know about you, but after walking in heels for a couple hours my feet start to hurt, which interferes with shaking my booty on the dance floor. These adorable flip flops are perfect for a young chick to bring to change into instead of going barefoot on the dance floor.

how to make Duck Tape bows

To make these bows you’ll need Duck Tape®, a ruler, and scissors.

Start by cutting a 3 inch piece of Duck Tape® in half. Set them aside.

Next, cut a strip of 18 inches of Duck Tape®.

Fold the strip of Duck Tape® in half (hamburger style– if you know what I mean), leaving about 1/2 inch of tape.

Create a circle by attaching the sticky side of the Duck Tape® to the other side.

Kind of fold the cuff-like shape, in the center start scrunching up the tape with your fingers. Grab a piece of tape from the first step.

Use your strip of tape to secure the center of the bow. Fluff the bow with your fingers or with a pencil.

How to make Duck Tape bows

Tadah! You have a bow!

I used hot glue to attach the bows to some cheap flip flops.

how to make bows with Duck Tape

If you have a teen or know of a teen 14 years old or older who is attending prom this year, they can enter the Stuck at Prom® scholarship contest. Enter your Duck Tape® prom creation for a chance to win a $5,000 scholarship for the teen in your life and their school. Visit Stuck at Prom® for all the details.

Have you made anything cool out of Duck Tape®?
How were your prom experiences in high school?
Am I the only person who brings “dancing shoes” to events that involve dancing?

8 Comments · Filed Under: BlogHer, DIY, sponsored post ·

DIY Gold Dipped Vase

April 12, 2013

This post brought to you by iBulb. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t know about you but I have at least ten different varieties of clear vases hanging out in our pantry. A few months ago Brad brought me flowers just because. Apparently he doesn’t frequent our pantry often because he also went out of his way to buy another vase for the flowers. I was that wife who was all “You brought home another vase!? Oh, and that was sweet of you to get me flowers, honey.” I may or may not have received flowers from my husband since this exchange.

So, instead of donating or throwing away all those plain, boring vases, I decided I should spruce them up. This gold dipped vase project took all of 10-15 minutes and didn’t cost me anything because I already had all the supplies.

I started with a clean, glass vase and painters tape.

I decided to go for a gold dipped look, so I put the tape on the top half of the vase. Make sure the edge that will meet the paint is sealed to the vase by running your finger over the edge.

Then I grabbed some metallic spray paint and got to work.

Remember when spray painting to go light. It’s better to have a couple thin layers of paint than to go crazy– that’s when you’ll get drips. And always, spray paint in a well-ventilated area. Woot for spray paint weather!

When the vase was dry, I carefully peeled off the tape.

No pretty vase is completely without flowers. And since Brad is on a flower buying strike, I picked up these gorgeous stargazer lilies and some greenery for myself. Ladies, there’s no shame in buying yourself flowers. I do it all the time. If you follow me on Instagram you know what I’m talking about.

I love how these lilies add a pop of color to my home office, and they smell amazing. I’m pretty sure they’ve aided in my productivity while working at my desk.

While buying the lilies from my local florist I learned some insightful tips. First tip: when a lily is starting to look transparent, snip it off and the other blooms on that stem will open. Second tip: if any of the pollen gets on your clothes don’t rub it in, immediately wash it. I went ahead and removed the pollen from the lilies before they could get on anything. I put on some latex gloves and popped off the pollen pieces and put them in the trash.

Looking for some lilies? You can find them at grocery stores, garden centers, and flower shops.

Do you have a crazy amount of vases?
Do you think this is a DIY you could tackle?
What is your favorite flower?

43 Comments · Filed Under: BlogHer, DIY, paint ·

Easy Art: Framed Ticket Stubs

March 28, 2013

In case you haven’t caught on, I like to save things. Some may define it as borderline hoarding, but I call it treasuring memories. It’s not like I’m holding on to empty milk jugs and cereal boxes. So there.

One of the things I like to save are ticket stubs from important events. I’m not talking about a regular movie ticket stub– those get thrown away. See, I’m definitely not a hoarder. I’m talking about ticket stubs from vacations. As you can see below, I framed the ticket stubs from my visits to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. To me, they’re like little pieces of art. And I love how the Louvre ticket is stamped with the date and the cost of the ticket.

The framed Paris themed ticket stubs are currently residing at the top of my home office gallery wall.

I recently got around to framing Brad and I’s tickets from the Zac Brown Band concert we went to last summer. Why did I frame these? Well, because they were my first wedding anniversary gift to Brad. According to tradition, your first wedding anniversary gift is supposed to be paper. I gave myself a pat on the back for coming up with the ticket idea.

We’ll never forget that concert. Partly because it was to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, and partly because we had never sweat so much in our entire lives just standing still. This was an outdoor concert in 104 degree humid heat. We brought extra bottles of water, and I brought a couple mini menopausal neck fans to try to keep cool. But seriously, if there was a call out for wet t-shirt contestants I would have volunteered just to be doused with water. Cross my heart.

I recently came across my ticket stub from when I kissed the Blarney Stone. I still need to frame it. I mean, how could I not frame it? Making out with a piece of rock on a castle while being dangled seven stories high is definitely a monumental event in one’s life.

So the next time you’re on vacation consider holding on to your ticket stubs. I think they’re pretty cool pieces of one’s personal history. And they’re easy and interesting pieces of art to have in your home.

Read more about my most treasured travel souvenirs here.

Do you hold on to ticket stubs? Did you give paper gifts for your first wedding anniversary? Have you ever been to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or Blarney Castle?

16 Comments · Filed Under: DIY, home decor, travel ·

Blast from the Past: Spring Decor

March 14, 2013

As a blogger, I feel our older posts are often ignored because, well, they’re old. And I get that. But I know I’ve gained new readers within the last year or two, so sometimes I like to do a post where I feature some of my older projects. Gives them new life again, in a way. It also saves me because my camera is in the shop. See how I snuck that in? Anyway, enjoy these oldies but goodies. Click on the name of the project to head over to the original post.

Moss Monogram Wreath

St. Patrick’s Day / Spring Vignette

Mossy Ampersand

St. Patrick’s Day / Spring Centerpiece

Jute Wrapped Monogram Wreath

Don’t forget to enter the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery wristlet and $50 Staples gift card giveaway.

Also, I’m co-hosting a twitter chat with Homes.com next Thursday at 8PM EST. Gift cards will be given away. Enticing, right? Yours truly AND a chance to win a gift card? I’m sure you won’t be able to turn down that action.

In closing, today is Pi(e) Day. Go eat some pie.

Who’s ready for spring?
What kind of pie will you eat today?
Think you’ll try any of these oldies but goodies?

4 Comments · Filed Under: DIY, round up, spring ·

Home Office Makeover Reveal

March 6, 2013

Today’s the day! My home office/craft room makeover reveal. I hope it lives up to your expectations.

This room makeover has been in the works for hmm 17 months. The process was slow. Obviously. This goes to show that rooms don’t come together over night. Remember that.

I must say I really love my office. It’s my woman cave. The place where I can display as many pink and feminine things as I want. Forget about man caves, every chick should have a woman cave.

Let’s start with the largest piece of furniture in the room– the Ikea Expedit workstation. I decided on this behemoth because it seemed like a good storage solution for my office. So in May, 2012 Brad and I made the 2 hour drive to Cincinnati, home of the nearest Ikea, to get the workstation, white storage boxes, picture frames, shelves, and some chocolate.

Brad started on the Expedit shelving unit when we got home and had it assembled in an hour. I don’t know why people complain about assembling Ikea furniture. Tip: don’t use the supplied dinky Allen wrenches. Get a cordless drill. And a beefcake husband. You’re welcome.

I’m not an overly girly person. Don’t let this room give you the impression I’m the bubble gum and rainbows cheerleader type. I’m not. I just like the color pink. I mean, our wedding colors were pink and green.

Speaking of weddings, I tried to sell my DIY wedding program box and card box after our wedding but that didn’t pan out so they’re hanging out on top of the Expedit. I had my wedding bouquet immortalized on canvas this past summer. But I still didn’t have the guts to throw away my gross, dried up bouquet. It’s in the wedding program box.

I originally bought these shelves (from Ikea) for our guest bathroom but they were too deep, so I put them in the office. The Ball mason jelly jars I thrifted a while back fit perfectly on the shelves. I also store my turquoise Ball mason jars on the top shelf.

I store various craft and sewing supplies in the jelly jars– washi tape, bakers twine, buttons, and vintage thread spools.

This wooden cart was given to us by Brad’s grandma. I brightened it up with a little spray paint. I use it to house our printer, modem, router, my greeting card box, and some of my books.

I created a little sitting area/reading nook with one of the chairs I purchased off Craigslist and a table I scored at Goodwill for $9 on half-off Saturday. The table looked a little rough, so I freshened up with a coat of white spray paint.

The blanket has made previous appearances on the blog– it was a wedding present knit by my Great Aunt. The pillow’s twin has made an appearance on the blog too.

I showed you how I tackled the gallery wall a few weeks ago. The process wasn’t as painful as I thought it’d be.

I spruced up my grandma Mildred’s sewing cabinet a year ago. And I showed you how I took the storage box from ugly green to pretty pink last year.

Thrifted tatting threads and vintage thread spools are displayed in apothecary jars.

Last year I covered my teenage cork board I stole from my parent’s basement with fabric and pushed 5,000 thumbtacks along the edge to give it a nailhead trimmed look. I get phantom pains in my fingers when I look at it. Just kidding. Kind of.

No room reveal post is complete without fresh flowers. Write that down.

I picked up these hydrangeas for under $5 at our local grocery store. Two of them were in the clearance section for $.89. $.89! And these puppies have lasted well over a week. They look pretty nice next to my DIY lucite tray, no?

I’m not opening those closet doors and showing you what’s inside. . . yet. I have a little DIY project planned for the closet. Hopefully, I’ll get to it within the next 5 years.

The C monogram hanging on my closet door is from college, and the canvas bag is my super cool Two Twenty One bag. I’m legit.

Oh look, it’s my stenciled file cabinet.

I had it under the desk, but I didn’t like how it was somewhat hidden so I put it here. It fits perfectly in this spot.

The Expedit is pretty awesome. It holds a whole lot of stuff. Which is really nice for me because my home office really is my home office. I’m a self-employed developmental therapist, and I provide in-home therapy in clients’ homes so my home office is my home base. This room also serves as the Two Twenty One headquarters and my craft room. Therefore, I have a lot of stuff. I’m able to store my work related necessities (client files, paperwork, books) along with my blogging, crafting, and personal items in the Expedit.

Finally, no room reveal post is complete without the appropriate before and after photos.

I hope you enjoyed the home office/craft room tour!

Find out more details about the makeover, where I purchased everything, and the approximate cost of the makeover HERE.

What do you think about the room makeover?
What’s your favorite thing about the room?
Any random questions?

151 Comments · Filed Under: DIY, home decor, home office, makeover, organization ·

DIY Wedding Card Box

February 28, 2013

Some of you know I DIY’ed the crap out of my June, 2011 wedding. I couldn’t help myself. So when my younger half-sister got engaged I knew I had to make her something for her upcoming October wedding. The first thing to come to mind was a card box. (Here’s the card box I did for our wedding.)

My decision was solidified when I received some items from the David Tutera Bridal Collection to try out. There are so many beautiful and budget-friendly items in this collection, which is available at Michael’s, and I knew a couple items would be perfect for my half-sister’s wedding card box.

Supplies needed:
paper mache box
paint
ribbon
card stock
David Tutera Bridal Collection flower hair comb
David Tutera Bridal Collection rhinestone table number frame
foam paint roller
double sided tape
hot glue and glue gun

Start by painting your paper mache box. I applied two coats of acrylic paint with a cheapo foam roller.

Next, cut the hole for the cards. I made mine 7 1/2 inches wide, and cut it out with an Xacto knife. Touch up your card slot with paint after you cut it. Or just cut your card slot first, and then paint.

Add your ribbon, securing it with double sided tape on the backside of the lid.

I hot glued the flower hair comb on top of the ribbon. Who says you can’t use items meant for your hair on your wedding card box? No one. That’s who.

Create a “Cards” sign– you can do this in Word or Photoshop. I used the font Lavenderia. The border was made by cutting up some of the ribbon and securing it to the edges of the card stock with double sided tape. I used a rhinestone table number frame to display the cards sign.

Seriously, this is one of the easiest and most inexpensive wedding projects you can take on. This DIY wedding card box took me less than an hour to make.

If you or someone you know is heading down the aisle soon I highly recommend heading to Michael’s and checking out the David Tutera Bridal Collection.