6 Furniture Makeovers (Friday Features + Link Party)

Happy Friday! Hope it’s been a great week for you — and Happy Halloween! This week we’re featuring some great furniture makeovers — be sure to share yours at the party or send your pics to us over on Facebook so we can show yours off, too!

6 Furniture Makeovers

Thirty Eighth Street did a great job on this console! Love the color.

Beautiful chalk painted dresser makeover at Mr Wilson and Me

Create and Babble had a desk — but needed an island. No problemo!

This piece wasn’t really jiving with DIY Passion‘s style, so it got a beachy blue makeover!

Suzy at Simply Vintageous made this rocking chair like new for her grandbaby — way to go, gramma!

http://suzyq-vintagous.blogspot.ca/2015/08/a-rocking-chair-makeover.html

http://suzyq-vintagous.blogspot.ca/2015/08/a-rocking-chair-makeover.html

http://suzyq-vintagous.blogspot.ca/2015/08/a-rocking-chair-makeover.html

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• Thanks for sharing with us, Carrie — great work! by Cass
• Cassity! Thank you for sharing The Donovan Console with your ... by Carrie

 

New House Moving Tips

I feel like the nitty gritty of home ownership gets overlooked round here, because it isn’t a “tutorial”. So, today I am writing about one of the basics of home ownership, how to face a “new” house with moving tips you need before you move in.

Many of us have moved into a new “to us”, (in other words, “old”) house.  Be it a rental, or a purchase, doesn’t matter, but it can be REALLY daunting about what to try and get done before moving in.   So, I wanted to share what we usually do.

Here are 5 things I do when I move into a house, no fail-

5 Moving Tips; What to do before moving in!

Kill the bugs.  ALL The BUGS!

Wow, I don’t mean to sound psycho, but I don’t like bugs in my house.  I try to keep my girls from hurting bugs outside.  I think (*unless you are a black widow or a hornet or a wasp) you *mostly have a right to live outside in my yard.  (I shudder just thinking about this! Yuck!)  Once you (meaning a bug) get into my house, you have forfeited your right to life.  I just can’t relax in a place with bugs!

Okay, so you understand, I am not a fan of bugs, and if the house has been around for a while, I really like to make sure it is cleaned up before I move in or bring my stuff in.  There is a new product that not only kills bugs, but kills germs too, Hot Shot® Ant and Roach plus Germ Killer.  I love that you can kill the bugs and the germs in one shot.  Follow all the instructions on the can.  Follow the directions, spray doors and window frames, or any existing trails to help get rid of ants.  Also, I would at least spray along the bottom of baseboards, where the floor meets the baseboard, (and bugs like to hide!)  around and beneath appliances in a kitchen, beneath sinks and behind toilets.  The good news is you’ve killed germs and ants or roaches in one shot!

 Clean The Stuff….

Moving into a house is exhausting.  I feel like if you can clean the space BEFORE moving in, you will help yourself feel more comfortable about relaxing in the space.

I am NOT a clean freak guys, but I can tolerate my germs better than other people’s left behind germs.  And sorry but on a new (old) house, I like REALLY disinfecting things.  Remember to truly disinfect, you need to allow cleaning products to sit for 10 minutes and do their job before wiping off.

If doing this yourself is too daunting or maybe it is too scary, consider hiring a service to come and clean.

If the home has carpets, and they are not being replaced, now ts the time to get them cleaned.  Don’t skimp on this one, find the best service out there.  When we moved into our last house there were a couple stains on the carpets.  We got a deal on getting them cleaned, BUT they actually made the stains BIGGER!  I din’t’ realize that could happen, I also didn’t think the stains could come out.  A couple years later, when I paid to have another company I trusted come out, guess what, they removed the stains all together… I wish I had just spent the $30 difference the first time around.

And did you know that some companies offer a tile cleaning service.  Again in our last house, the tile was SO gross I just couldn’t face it.  We had them high power clean it for us and got it squeeky clean.  Worth every penny!

Plug in Air Fresheners

Okay so this may just be me, but I really like my home to smell like MY house.  One of the first things I do is buy a set of air fresheners in a scent I really like. Plug them in throughout your house, or you can diffuse essential oils to help the space smell good and like home.  This is probably the easiest thing I do.  So definitely do this!

Set up a Place to Relax

Moving is SO tiring!  So set up a place to sit and relax.  There is NOTHING harder than moving a million boxes or unpacking a million boxes and then having to sit on the floor and not feel comfortable.  Even a few camping chairs helps.

On the day of the move, if at all possible, set up your bed first thing.  Make it nicely with fresh sheets and lots of pillows so you can crash on it at the end of the day and don’t have to make beds after an exhausting day!  (this one takes a bit of forethought when packing up the last house.  So be sure you put some clean sheets aside so that you know where everything is.

Change the Locks

If at all possible, change all the locks right away.  There is nothing like the peace of mind that changing the locks gives.

Let me tell you a personal story… I will be honest, we didn’t do that right away with one of my houses.  Well, about 3 months later some large, gruff, random man knocks on my door and hands me a key to MY house…. What the what?  Apparently the family selling the home, had a little disagreement about who was buying the house, and one sibling didn’t return the key when they were supposed to, and had access to my house for 3 months…

Learn from my mistake people, change the locks, ASAP!  You don’t know what neighbor has a spare key to your house… just change the locks.  Just do it! Yikes!

A few other great ideas…

• Add organizing systems to closets- now is the time people!  Before packing them full of stuff!
• Paint- if at all possible!  A clean coat of paint helps you appreciate a new house, without needing to remodel right away… something to consider!
• Set up utilities ASAP (This is sort of a no brainer! But ya know it is important!)
• New switch plates on lights, and plugs.  A relatively inexpensive project for a nice clean look!
• Have the mechanical systems serviced!  Heaters checked for cracks!  Have the ducts vacuumed out!  Change the air filter in your HVAC system, nice clean air quality!
• Replace batteries on all smoke detectors.
• Install a Carbon monoxide detector
• Clean the windows
• Have the fireplace flew swept!
• Install blinds if needed!

What great moving tips do you have to share?  I want to hear your tricks and tips!  Tell us in the comments!!

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hot Shot® Insecticides.  All opinions are my own.

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DIY Upright Utensil Drawer Organizer

Since the beginning of Pinterest (which really wasn’t that long ago, but pre-Pinterest may as well be the age of the dinosaurs, ha!), there have been plenty of ideas that just go wild because they are so smart! One that I have seen over and over again is a utensil drawer organizer, with organizers turned vertically so that you can actually see all the utensils in the drawer. It’s everywhere because it’s brilliant, but typically the pictures are from a home show or builder’s website — and they are high-end upgrades for luxury homes, not found in older homes or the builder-grade homes that most of us live in. But, our brilliant guest today  got the same look, for a fraction of the price — and it’s removable for easy cleaning, or if you decide you want to use the drawer for something else! 

Read below for Rachel’s tutorial on building your own upright utensil organizer in a deep drawer, and consider making your kitchen work smarter (not just harder) with these other space-saving “luxury” (on a budget!) ideas:

build a chic range hood with storage 

smart cabinet pull-out ideas — full DIY tutorial here

built-in plate rack

slim space-saving spice rack

Ready to make your kitchen completely beautiful and functional and amazing while still staying true to your budget? You’re going to love Rachel’s utensil drawer organizer!

 This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See our full disclosure here.

How to Build an Upright Utensil Drawer Organizer
by Rachel Lynn from Queen Bee of Honey Dos

Hello Remodelaholics! This is Rachel Lynn from over at Queen Bee of Honey Dos, where I blog about all things home and garden. I am so very excited to be able to be with you all today, and to bring you one of my favorite DIY projects.

For those of you who do not yet know me, allow me just a few seconds to better introduce myself. I have an affinity for DIY projects, and the bigger the impact for the lowest budget that I can achieve, the better. I came into blogging after spending a few decades of remodeling and designing my own rooms and projects. I especially love creating furniture, either from scratch, or from old unused pieces that just need some love. (Like this beautiful sideboard)

As you can see from my kitchen, I am a drawer lover. In fact, this entire lower side of my kitchen has all drawers and pull-outs. Today, I am going to show you how I turned one of these deep drawers into a useable utensil storage space. So, let’s get right to it!

Because there are deep drawers on both sides of my cooktop, this is the best place to store all of the cooking utensils. However, I hate shuffling around through drawers, searching for a spatula or a spoon. I needed a solution, and I knew just what I wanted. I had seen something similar to this once during a kitchen showroom tour. I knew then that I would recreate what I saw at some point, and this seemed like as good a time as any. You’ll be surprised at how easy it was!

How to create this deep drawer utensil organizer

This is where the drawer is located in reference to my cooktop. And because I know from experience that some of you want to know the brands for the appliances, I will disclose that information to you now.

Those are Thermador Pro double ovens. The gas cooktop is also by Thermador. It is from their Pro line as well, and has the griddle center.

The cabinets came from Batesville Cabinets in Mississippi. ( I am not affiliated with either company in any way, and disclose this for informational purposes only). The design is my own.

Materials for this project

• (2) 2X 1/2″ strips cut to cabinet length
• 1/2″ sanded plywood or MDF cut to length and width for the inside of the drawer. (Leave 1/8″ on each side)
• Stainless steel utensil holders with lips. (These can easily be found at Amazon or Ebay).
• 1″ wood screws
• Jigsaw
• Drill

Step 1 – Measure

To get the placement for the ledger strips, measure the depth of the utensil holders, subtract the width of the ledger strips and the width of the plywood. For example: My holders are 5″ from the bottom to the lip, my plywood is 1/2″ thick and my ledgers are 1 3/4″ wide. So, 5 – (1/2 + 1 3/4) = 2 3/4. The bottom edge of the ledger strip will rest 2 3/4″ from the bottom of the drawer. Let’s round that off and make it an even 3.”

Step 2 – Attach ledger strips/supports

To attach the ledger strips, I will use a scrap piece of wood that is 3″ across as a spacer. This will help to keep it in place and level until the screws are inserted.

Step 3 – Attach supports

Next, pre drill a hole at each end of the ledger strip to prevent splitting. Then, insert a 1″ screw into each hole. Repeat the process for the opposite side of the drawer.

Step 4 – Determine utensil holder placement

Trace the outline of the utensil holders onto the plywood in the layout that is desirable. On mine, I evenly distributed all six stainless steel holders.

 

Step 5 – Cut

Drill a starting hole for each circle and then, use a jigsaw to cut the opening for the holders. When, making the cut stay about 1/4″ on the inside of the traced line so that the edge of the holders have a ledge to rest. Test the holders for fit.

Tip: when using a jigsaw, place the visible side of the wood down so that any splintering will not be seen. 

This is the back side of my wood after all six holes have been cut. As you can see, the holes do not have to be perfect, and thank goodness for that. BlogThis!