One Room Challenge Week 6 - 3 DIYs for the price of one!

We're almost there folks!  One more week to go til the final reveals not just from myself but from all of my fellow ORC guest participants over at Calling it Home!  So as not to give everything away, this week I'm giving you a slightly different post and share a break-down of the three big DIY projects that I just completed for the guest room, while trying not to spoil the final touches in the room.  Here goes.....

Number 1 - Hiding the TV

If you've been following along the last few weeks you are very familiar with the Owl and Pig portraits that have been sitting over the fireplace, but you might not remember that there is actually a TV hiding behind those guys.  I don't think that the TV necessarily needs to be hidden in every room (our living room TV is very much front and center) but since this one won't be used every day and is the first thing you see when you walk in the room, it was important to find a solution to hide it.

First up, I bought the portraits from Etsy, printed them through Shutterfly, and mounted them in two Ribba frames from IKEA.  Since they weren't wide enough to cover the span of the TV, I used 1x3 boards stained in the same Dark Walnut finish as the mantel to add a second frame (they actually look like so expensive now that I might use this hack with other IKEA frames!)  I then attached two Eye Bolts to each so I could mount them to the support structure.

To make the mount I used a combo of 1/2" and 3/4" plumbing pipe/fittings - the pipe and center support are 1/2" but I used 3/4" fittings for the two side supports so I could easily slip the pipes in.  I spray painted the whole structure in Rust-Oleum Hammered Black and hung it right below the crown.

There is good amount of space between the frames and the TV, and they slide open and closed really smoothly so mission accomplished on this one.


Number 2 - Turning a Clock into a Mirror

I love the look of round hanging mirrors (like this one from Target) and I had been holding onto this old broken clock for a while so I figured why not try to re-purpose it before buying something new.  

I was able to disassemble the clock easily so I could pop the glass front out.  I then spray painted the back of the glass with Krylon Looking Glass.  The directions say to use about 5 thin coats, but I ended up with closer to 9 to get an opaque look.  The final product has an antique finish, so if you're looking for something to do your make-up in I'd suggest buying something with a clearer finish.

The frame itself was in pretty good shape so I just used some furniture repair markers to touch up any scuffed spots, and then I attached two D-Rings to the either side of the frame.  I had some thick rope leftover from my Powder Room shelf that threaded through and knotted around each hook.

When the mirror was dry I popped it back in the frame, re-attached the back, and hung it in the "entryway" over a small shelf that used to hang in our foyer.  I love using cabinet knobs as an alternative to wall hooks (you can just screw them directly into a wall anchor) so I picked this one up at World Market and adjusted the rope to a good height.  I added a few of the cups my dad has brought back from his worldly travels, a set of skeleton keys I picked up a Micheals a while back, and a cute little flower from Ikea to complete the look.


Number 3 - Oversized Book Art

I know some people aren't into using text as decor, but I think it can add a great graphic element to a space if done right.  I like to create my own text art using quotes that are meaningful to me and my family - in this case I used a passage from "A Farewell to Arms" that was read at our wedding (one of my best friends actually made a really sweet framed version of this passage for us but it sadly broke in our move so I've been looking for a way to bring it back into our house ever since!)

I had stumbled across tutorials like this one on Pinterest and fell in love with the look of these oversized book pages.  I think most people print them out as engineer prints and then frame them (which I'm not knocking as it's a great technique) but I like to paint things directly on canvas whenever I can.  And since I'm super Old School and stick to the "the process is part of the art" philosophy I have my own overly complicated way of transferring text to canvas. 

First, I work up the text on my computer, and then I print it out in multiple pages so I can transfer it at scale.  Next, I use an Exacto knife to create a rough stencil - for larger fonts I'll cut out the whole letter but for smaller fonts I just focus on the outlines.  From there I use a pencil to lightly trace the outlines onto my canvas, which I first painted with a coat of white chalk paint.

I was planning on using a gray paint marker to write the final text, but I could only find silver, so I settled on a Gray Sharpie.  That ended being a really bad choice.  It turned out OK, but was a lot more muddled then I wanted so I ended up going back to the craft store and found a Dark Gray art marker that worked SO MUCH BETTER!  You can see in the pic above the difference between the top 3 lines and the bottom 2.

If you're going to DIY anything on canvas I highly recommend also adding a frame!  I just use 1x2 pine boards that I fit to the canvas and stain (this one is in Varathane Briarsmoke).  I'm so happy with how this one turned out that I kinda want to put them all over the house.

The guest room is pretty much done now save for a few punch-list items that I'm going to knock out next week.  I've been having fun shopping and styling and I can't wait to show you the final touches, including all of the goodies I picked up from the Target/Magnolia Hearth and Hand launch - check out my mood board and links below to see what I snagged and make sure you come back next week to see how it all comes together!

1. Small Black House Lantern  |  2. Large Galvanized Silver Vase  |  3. Vintage Brass Bell

4. Silver "Bergamot & Mahogany" Candle  |  5. Medium Glass Jug Candle Holder

6. Cream Textured Stoneware Pitcher  |  7. Large Glass Vase with Brass Wrap  |  8. Cream/Gold Stoneware Bread Plate

 

 

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One Room Challenge Week Five - Picking Artwork and Finalizing Furniture

Happy November everyone!  Did you survive Halloween?  I know I've got a secret stash of candy waiting for me tomorrow to enjoy while I read about the progress of my fellow One Room Challenge Participants - hopefully they had a bit more productive week 5 than I did.  Between getting re-organized after vaca, prepping everyone for Trick or Treating, and just generally feeling a little run down (I'm still in denial that I'm probably getting sick) I didn't get as much done as I was hoping, but here goes......

This weekend was incredibly rainy so I decided to tackle the curtains first.  I spent a long time looking for the perfect fabric and was debating going with something ready-made until I found this beautiful linen-blend from Online Fabric Store.  It has a very subtle gray/gold pattern and a wonderful weight that makes these look a lot more expensive then they are.  If you're interested in a more detailed explanation of how I DIYed the curtains, the rods, and the trim you can check out this monster of a post on my morning room windows - but in short I use white Ikea panels as a really affordable curatin liner and black 1/2 inch plumbing pipes as my curtain rods (if you're looking for a non DIY version check out this similar style from Target).

Next up, the second nightstand.  I'm happy to say that it's built....just not so happy to say that I still need to do the finishing work and staining - cross your fingers I feel better tomorrow morning and can check that off the list!  But even in it's current state I think it looks pretty darn cute.  I based the design on these plans from The House of Wood and was able to use mostly scraps from my workshop mixed with some beautiful poplar 2x2s.  I wanted something a bit more polished than my usual pieces, hence the turned legs and added trim.  Buying something pre-made seriously crossed my mind a few times, but the options I found basically looked almost identical to what I would have made myself so to me it was a no-brainer to roll up my sleeves and just build it custom.

The other building project I was able to tackle (and finish!) was the shelf I installed above the bed.  I have had these plans from Shanty 2 Chic saved for a long time and knew this was the perfect room for them - and bonus, I was able to build it entirely from scraps in my workshop (minus some crown trim and a simple wood scrollwork piece from Lowes).

Which brings me to one of the biggest challenges I've had with this room - picking out the artwork.  For those that don't know, I have always had an immense passion for art and was actually an Art History major in college, so for me the artwork that finishes a room is just as important as the furniture or paint color --- and by important I don't mean expensive or fussy, I just mean that I want to make sure that I have some kind of connection to each piece in my house, even if it is just aesthetically.

For this space, I started with my large map (which you can see in a below pick by the door), and then to pick up the bronze accents I started to look for Sepia colored photos, which led me to my two big animal portraits - why a pig and an owl you might ask?  Simple - the Owl because it symbolizes wisdom, and the Pig because he just makes me smile ; )  From there, it got a bit trickier to determine how much more artwork I should/could put in the room.  I thought once I brought in the curtains and this taller lamp to the far corner of the room it would feel complete....but it just isn't the case.  So I'm going to try creating something on that blank canvas you see on the wall and hope that it does the trick.

 

And of course, I faced the same issue on the other side of the room, but now I needed to add some dimension and some diversity to my collection.  My absolute dream would be to hang two of these Hand Thrown Bells from MQuan studio, but the price is quite a bit out of my range currently, so I'm adding them to the XMas/Birthday list and instead use these two metal scoops I found at Michaels, which I think are pretty good placeholders for now especially since they were 80% off!

Now back to the bed, I had a much more muted plan for the art on the shelf, but quickly realized that I really needed to add some color and shape to that wall.  I keep a Pinterest board of online Artwork that I love so I was able to quickly pick out one of my favorite landscapes from Minted, as well as a beautiful carved frame from Michaels.  But then what to do for a larger piece - I knew it would be hard to find and get another piece I really loved in time, so I took a gamble and dug through my old drawing pads to see if I could find something....finally settling on one of my charcoal figure sketches.  To be honest, I probably haven't looked at those sketches in at least ten years, but while I was flipping through the pages I kept thinking about how much my oldest son loves to draw right now and how special it is to see that passion passed down to him. 

So what's left in this room you might ask?  Well, if you're paying close attention you might have noticed that I have avoided showing the opposite side of the room...well that's because it's really really empty.  Next week that will hopefully change.  I'll finally figure out how to hang my animal friends, and maybe figure out what to add to that verrrrryyyy bare corner.

Additionally, I need to finish off the "entrance" to the room.  I want to add this shelf from our old entryway, and my plan is to turn this shell from an old clock into a mirror to hang above it...so tune in next week to see if that actually works, or if I will frantically also be trying to find a mirror at the last minute!

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