How to make a Crate & Barrel Inspired Tree Collar

Howdy~

Is your Christmas tree up yet?  Now that Turkey day has come and gone it is officially time to prep for Christmas.  Normally, I am more than ready to begin the seasons festivities- including the decorating- but this year I am struggling to find the motivation.  Maybe its the sunny weather we are still having here in SoCal, my ever growing to-do list or maybe its just the winter lazies.  Whatever the cause, I am happy to report we have made some progress and our tree is UP! 

When I am feeling ho-hum about decorating, that is a clear signal its time to change things up a bit.  Doesn't something new and fresh give you a bit of excitement, or it that just me?? 

Our trees of years past have been on the more formal side (reds, golds, silky fabrics), but this year we are going for a more causal and rustic look. 

 Glancing at the recent Crate and Barell catalog I fell in love with their new Tree Collar.  Have you seen it yet?  Its a fresh new take on the traditional tree skirt, but the $59 price tag was just a bit more than I wanted to pay.  Not to mention they were all sold out the last time I looked.  Soooo, in true DIY fashion, the hubby and I figured it out.  The whole project took about an hour and we are so pleased with the result. 

 Here is how it was done: 

1st things 1st- you need to find a 14 or 15 gal galvanized tub from your local hardware store.  As I discovered these can actually be a challenge to find this time of year.  So when you are out shopping and you can't find one and Lowe's, don't panic...and when you cant find one at Home Depot, still don't panic.  This one was purchased at Ace Hardware.  Third time's a charm, right?  

As a last resort, you can also purchase one from Amazon Find Amazons Galvanized 14 Gal Tub HERE.  

** Don't forget to to measure your tree stand so you can find a tub that will fit correctly.  You want to make sure the tub fits properly under the tree in both Height and Width.  This one fit our tree perfectly:

 The next step is to flip it over and cut a hole in the bottom of the tub.  Lucky me I caught my handy hubby just returning from a run (sorry for the no shirt pic) and made him do this part for me batted my eyes and used feminine charm to get his help with this. 

 After he shook his head a few times and gave me his 'you want me to do what, now?' and 'why are we doing this again?' he went along with my little project.  At this point in our marriage, he just tolerates my crazy ideas.  haha!

 He used his Dremel Multi-Max Saw to cut a hole big enough for the tree stump to fit through. He then sanded down the rough edges with a course sanding block to smooth out the sharp edge.   

When you purchase your galvanized bucket, it will have a slightly shiny finish to it.  You can keep it the way it is, or remove some of the shine to give it a more 'aged' look.  Since we were going for a slightly rustic look, I went one step further to 'rough it up'.  

I filled an empty spray bottle with regular ol' vinegar and sprayed down the tub.  Its the acid in the vinegar that does the trick!  Now, from my research on this you should let the vinegar sit on the surface of the bucket for several hours- but since patience is not a good quality of mine, I grabbed an SOS pad and gave it a good scrub- spraying more vinegar where needed. 

 I let it sit for about...oh...10 min (ish) then wiped it down with a wet paper towel.  Viola!

 The surface was definately less shiny than it was in the beginning, but it didn't look like it had been sitting around for 10 years either.  That was basically the desired look here.   Having more patience and letting the vinegar sit for a few hours will give it an even more aged look.  

Here she is all finished and under the tree:  

I'm really lovin' the look!  To balance out the rustic look of the collar, the tree was trimmed with some burlap ribbon and red berries from Michaels, some pine-cones, a few mercury glass ornaments from Target and of course, our meaningful family ornaments. 

 I just love the mix of textures for rustic glam sorta feel.  

Check out the difference in price!  The C&B version sells for $59 + tax and s/h. 

 The DIY version only cost me $23.99 (the cost of the tub). 

How awesome is THAT!

What do you think?  If you love it then run, don't walk to your local hardware store and put this baby around your tree this year!  

Don't forget to leave me a comment below!  Would love some feed back on this project!  

~ Lindsay

How to make a Kids Chalk Board Table

Have you ever gone shopping for one specific item but then stumble into something totally different that will also do the job? Recently, for me, it was this desk:

We were really on the hunt for a night stand for my oldest sons room when this baby found me at a local thrift store here in Carlsbad.  They were asking $25 for the desk set and with the additional military discount, I knew it was a great deal.  The desk was very sturdy, but as you can see from the the pic below the chairs were in bad shape.  They were covered in some kind of black dirt or maybe it was mildew.   Honestly, I wasn't sure they could be saved but wanted to give it a shot.

 In an effort to save the chairs and kill any possible mildew issues, I put them in the bathtub and sprayed them down with a bleach and water mixture.  As I sprayed, the 'black yuckniess' (yes, yeckniess is a word) began to lift away from the chairs.  Yieppe!  It was just dirt after all.  Happy Dance!  I was able to just wipe it away!  The chairs were set outside in the sun to dry so my attention was turned to the table:

 After a light sanding, I applied a wood conditioner to prep the wood to accept the stain.  The wood conditioner helps keep the wood from turning out blotchy when the stain is applied.  It can be found at any hardware store next to the wood stain.

 After waiting 15 minutes, the stain was added to the bottom of the table.  I used what we already had on hand:  Minwax stain in Dark Walnut for the 1st coat and Minwax in Cherry for the 2nd coat.  I wanted just a hit of redness to the table for some dimension.
The next day, I was able to apply the Clear coat.  I used my current favorite:  Minwax Rub-On Poly in Satin.

 Once dry, the desk was fliped over and placed painters tape around the edges.  This was followed by 2 coats of chalk board paint from Lowes.  I used the paint on kind vs. the spray version of chalk board paint for this project.  You can find it near the spray paint section of most hardware stores.  I used a foam roller for an even smooth finish, then just tossed it in the trash afterwords.  My kind of clean up!

 If you have never worked with chalk board paint before, you will need to 'season' it once dry.  You know how you 'season' a new cooking pan or skillet for the first time?  Its basically the same thing- just with chalk.  You want to cover the entire surface with chalk!  So naturally I recruited some helpers for this part: 

 The boys had fun going crazy with the chalk!  Once the table top was completely covered with the chalk, I used a slightly damp rag to wipe it all off.   That's it!  Now, its ready for use. 

Opps- almost forgot about the chairs!  Being the awesome blogger that I am- of course I forgot to snap a pic of that part!  sorry!  Just use your imagination:
While waiting for the table to dry, I applied the clean and dry chairs with a stain-blocking primer (my favorite Kilz oil based primer in the spray paint version - as mentioned in the campaign dresser re-do post), followed by 3 coats of an orange spray paint in gloss.  I was looking for a burnt orange finish, but they came out more 'construction worker' orange.  Not sure how I feel about that yet-but the boys love it!

Here it is in JT's room, next to the bed.  Its currently serving double duty as both a night stand and kids table.
His room is still in progress but we have big plans for this big-boy space (including a pallet headboard and a fun surprise) More on that when this room is complete! 

They love it! 

Have you used Chalk Board Paint yet???

Thanks for visiting!

~Lindsay

Trash 2 Treasure: Campaign Dresser Re-do DIY

Trash 2 Treasure

 Campaign Dresser Re-do

Have you seen these updated campaign dressers yet?  They are all over Pinterest and starting to pop up in furniture stores and magazines.  Gotta admit- I kinda of love em'!  I wouldn't decorate my entire house in this style, but one piece in a bright color adds a lot of character and interest.  
This piece was a Craigslist find.  Can you believe they were only asking $5!  ha-ha!  Me neither- until I viewed it in person.  It was much more damaged than the Craigslist photo showed and clearly was a cat's favorite scratching post at some point. Other than the scratches, the drawers pulled nicely and it was free of stains/smells.  Seeing its potential, I forked over the 5 bucks and brought it home.  The vintage hardware alone was worth much more than that-so why not, right?
You can see from the photo it was covered with scratches and some minor dents.  I took off the hardware and filled the scratches and dents with wood putty.  When the wood putty dried, I gave it a light sanding.  Then added more wood putty, followed by more sanding, and more wood putty followed by more sanding.  grrrrrr.  Did I mention I hate sanding???

At this point it was taking waaaay more time and work than I originally anticipated.  For a moment I regretted spending the 5 bucks.   Honestly, the original owners should have paid me $5 just to haul it away! Alas, this dresser was not going to get the best of me!
After all the wood putty and sanding was done, I primed it with my favorite oil based primer.  This stuff is truly amazing because it will stick to just about any surface!  Just remember it is oil based, so use outside in a well ventilated area and apply with a foam roller that you can toss when done. 

When the primer was dry, I painted it in this bright blue paint purchased from Lowes.  Really love this bright blue color!  It took about 3 coats of paint and one coat of rub-on poly in a gloss finish.  The Polyurethane gives it a nice protective layer.  

The handles were polished with Brasso Metal Polish and I added the corner brackets (which can be found at any hard ware store).  The drawers are lined with some white contact paper we had lying around. 
Looks great, huh?  After all the work, I'm so glad I didn't throw in the towel.  Its the perfect little dresser for my office area.
What do you think of this trash-2-treasure re-do??
~Lindsay

Project Sources:
Dresser- Craigslist
Primer- Zinsser Bond Coat from Home Depot
Foam Roller & small paint tray- Home Depot
Furniture 'L' Brackets- Lowes
Brasso Metal Polish- Left by previous tenants
Blue Paint- Lowes. Color (?)  Hubby recently cleaned out the garage and now I can't find the paint for this project--Grrrrrr
Wood Puddy- Had on hand but probably from Home Depot or Lowes
Wipe on Poly by Minwax from Home Depot

Paleo Sweet Potato Waffles

Paleo Sweet Potato Waffles

Good morning Paleo peeps!  

Today I'm sharing my favorite Paleo waffles with you- Sweet Potato Waffles that is.  

 When you eat the Paleo way, sometimes you need a change from the usual eggs for breakfast.  Here is a great way to change it up and add some comfort food to your Paleo morning.  

The consistency is really nice and they taste great dipped in a little 100% real maple syrup. 

 Let me know what you think! 

Ingredients:  

1 large sweet potato, cooked

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons round cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup almond butter

12 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:  

1.  Preheat your waffle iron to your desired heat setting.  

2.  Using a blender, place all ingredients in and process until thoroughly blended.  

3.  This will create a thin batter.  

4.  Spray some non-stick cooking spray on your waffle iron.  (I use the coconut oil spray from Trader Joes or brush on melted coconut oil)

5.  Pour the desired amount of batter onth the waffle iron and allow to cook until the waffle is golden brown.  

6.  Remove from the waffle iron and top wit your favorate toppings. 

ENJOY!

**This recipe and others can be found in the book:   "4 More Weeks of Fabulous Paleolithic Breakfasts" .  

You can find it here.  

This book is one of my favorites for Paleo breakfasts!

~Lindsay

Coffee Table to Upholstered Ottoman DIY

DIY Upholstered Ottoman

Have you even been given something that you are just not sure what to do with?  For us, it was this coffee table.  Some sweet friends gave it to us to use in our basement when we moved to VA.  Unfortunately, we never ended up finishing the basement and so this extra coffee table was just lying around.  

I loved the bones of it, but it needed some DIY attention.  At first I painted it an espresso color with some left over paint from a previous project, but didn't 'love' it.  So, inspired by all the DIY coffee table-to-ottoman posts floating around on Pinterest, we decided to give it a shot.  

We followed the directions found here with some minor adjustments. 

You can see from the above picture, we did not add the wood around the bottom as mentioned in the directions.  I think that step depends on the shape of your table.  

The hubby drilled the hols and I glued the foam down with spray adhesive.  Then covered the foam with a layer of quilt batting- also using spray adhesive. 

After we covered it with the fabric, I used my staple gun to secure it to the underside of the table (using hospital corners on the edges), followed by some (OK, a few hundred) tiny upholstery tacks.  The hubby helped nail them in and it actually didn't take long at all.  We wanted the fabric to be extra secure so it would hold up against our two boys.  They are good at destroying stuff!  Ha!!

 We attempted to make the fabric covered buttons ourselves with a kit purchased from Hobby Lobby.  Unfortunately, the fabric we choose was too thick for the buttons to hold together.  

We decided to take the fabric in to the upholstery shop just down the road from our house and they made the buttons for us using their Tufting machine.   It cost $40 to do this, but it was worth it in the end. 

The directions give a decent tutorial on applying the buttons, but I also watched a few videos about this on YouTube.  Since this project is from a while back, I dont remember exactly which videos on this we watched, but there are soooo many to choose from! 

 You will need a long upholstery needle from the craft store and some upholstery thread, but its actually pretty easy! 

We love the results and get so many compliments!  What do you think?

~Lindsay

Here is another great Paleo Breakfast Bread recipe for ya.  

Its from 'Elana's Pantry' and you can find it here.  She even has a video on it.  Check it out!

I make this one quite often, as well as the Palso Blueberry Muffins from the previous post.   

Because it calls for just a few ingredients, it is great to whip up when you are short on time.  

*Note- be careful to measure all ingredients exactly!  I have found that if you are even the slightest bit off it will come out dry.  It should be a nice bread consistency and not dry in any way. 

Also, I just skip step #1 and blend all the ingredients together at once. 

 It seems to come out the same either way.

~Lindsay

Paleo Breakfast Bread

• ½ cup creamy roasted almond butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon stevia
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, with a hand blender, mix almond butter until creamy
2. Mix in eggs, honey, vanilla and stevia
3. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon
4. Mix well with hand blender until all ingredients are combined
5. Transfer batter into a well greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish
6. Bake at 325° for 12 to 15 minutes
7. Serve

Serves 4

Amazing Paleo Blueberry Muffins

Amazing Paleo Blueberry Muffins

If you follow the Paleo diet, you know how hard it can be to satisfy that 'bread' craving in a delicious way.  Most of the Paleo bread/muffin recipes I have tried turn out, well...blahhh!  

After trying many recipes, this one is my absolute favorite.  It has a good bread-like consistency and tastes great. I make these almost every week! 

They are great for a quick breakfast with coffee or a snack on the go.  

Even my boys like to eat them!  Enjoy! ~Lindsay

Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup blueberries (I use frozen)
3 eggs
1 cup almond butter
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey

Directions: 
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, coconut, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
3.   Fold in the blueberries and mix gently.
4.  In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs throughly.
5.  Now add the almond butter, coconut oil and honey and mix completely.
6.  Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease with a non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.
7.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients gently, only until the dry ingredients are wet.
8.  Evenly divide the batter into the muffin cups.
9.  Place in your preheated oven and cood for 20 minutes.
10.  Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
11.  Enjoy!

This recipe originally comes from the book "4 More Weeks of Fabulous Paleo Breakfasts" by Amelia Simons. .  You can find it here.