Last Second Holiday Gift Guide From a Procrastinating Wife

When it comes to Christmas, I am the first to decorate but the last to buy all those presents, wrap them and you know they'll get placed under the tree at the very last second...most likely while I look like a cast member of the Walking Dead with a Rae Dunn mug in my hand that strategically says "I can't even." My children would be screaming upstairs that it's Christmas Morning and My husband and I (He's a bigger procrastinator than I am anymore), would have to scale the stair case to sneak up to our bedroom and act like we were sleeping so the magic of Santa Claus doesn't die with our self-dignity. Ah yes. Christmas Morning. Don't you just love staying up all night wrapping toys for kids that will probably get bored of them in a week or two? I do..not. I do not. I hate wrapping. Thats why I love finding "presents" with great packaging already so it's less work for me! But we aren't talking about presents for the little loves that we just love so much. We are talking about our big loves. The guys we said "I do" to for the rest of our lives. The guys who put up with our crap, our giant mug collections, the constant home decor switching, they come home from work with a completely different environment and still give you a kiss and ask how your day was even though you are all sweaty from moving furniture, cleaning, hanging pictures, painting, ripping up rugs, staining decks, taking care of kids all day, and maybe even slaving over a not so hot stove. (Because who's stove is really that hot? I never got that saying...) That guy! He is pretty awesome. Especially with putting up with your crazy. So get him some good gifts. Online. Go to websites...

Here is a few of my favorites things. For him.

JORD WOOD WATCH

Numero Uno has to be these awesome wood watches I came across on Instagram one day.. For the longest time I have been trying to get my husband to wear a watch. I just find something sexy about watches. Maybe it's because time alludes me and I am always late for everything, but watches just scream "Hey, this guy has his stuff together." So sexy. But anyways, my hubby was not a watch wearer. He works a crazy demanding job where he is constantly using his hands to do crazy things like build stages, climb 70 ft in the air to build metal thingies that I have no idea what they are or what they do but I certainly don't know what they are called. They are metal. He always comes home with dirty hands. He just figured he couldn't wear a watch because of this. He was afraid they would break, or he'd somehow ruin it. Well... he got a watch. A wood watch from JORD. When it arrived through the mail, not only was the packaging beautiful, (a crafted wooden box that smelled amazing!!) the watch itself was beautiful. It was manly but beautiful at the same time. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE WATCH!! Yes, it is most definitely possible! But looks aren't everything, what's underneath is what counts huh? Yes. It is automatic (no battery needed) and heavy duty. He wore it to work and it came home looking just the way it did when it arrived out of the package. He didn't break it, it fit him comfortably (they can size it for you!), and it turned him into a watch wearer. 

I'd have to say thats a pretty good gift! You can even enter a JORD wood watch giveaway and recieve an automatic $25 towards your watch purchase, by clicking here!! It is totally worth it. You have until the last day in January to use the code and redeem your $25 gift card! 

Parrot Mambo MiniDrone - APPLE - (also available at Target!)

A second choice is to bring the inner man child out that you know lives inside the heart of your giant man child.. or uh, husband. Only one word needed for this second gift choice and it's pretty self explanatory. Drone. Get one for him. The Parrot Mambo MiniDrone. He will love you forever, even though he does already. And then, the kids will probably want one too. Especially if you have boys. Even girls! Really you will probably like it too. This gift has so many uses. One, keeps your husband occupied so you can paint the kitchen any color you'd like to. Two, keeps your husband and your kids occupied so you can finally get the bedrooms clean without one of them coming in and messing it up. Three, if you have teenage daughters you can definitely get a drone with a camera so Dad can make sure she's really going to Jessica's and not to Tommy's house around the corner, it's a mind easer. Four, they're really just a lot of fun! They can definitely fish with a drone. Just tell him that. There is a video on youtube somewhere that proves this to be true. It is pretty amazing. He can do two things he loves at once! Look two gifts in one! 

MANCRATES

My third and final choice, mainly because this blog post is getting seriously long and I have a house to deep clean for all my guests tomorrow "Christmas Eve.", is not necessarily one choice but rather a whole company that specializes in gifts for men. MANCRATES! This site is the holy grail of stuff to buy the men in your life. Not just your husband or boyfriend.. any man. Dad, grand-dad, your brother, an adult son, a co-worker, all men. Mencrates.com has a selectively awesome list of some great "crates" full of awesome goodies guys love! I literally stumbled on this website a month ago when looking for a birthday gift for my big guy, December 10th, and was amazed on how easy it is to find something that every guy would like. They have numerous categories of boxes, or crates, that include things that would be hard to find in stores. From barbecuing, beer lovers, zombie apocalypse survivors, clean shaven, beard growing, nascar watching, jerky chewing, knife wielding, travel loving, baseball watching, NBA obsessed, golf putting, whisky tasting, guitar playing, baby carrying babes, you name it, they got it. If he is a man, he is going to appreciate it. Go find a man-crate for the man in your life! P.S. They have project kits..for DIYers!! That means you can give your hubby a little incentive to build the Farmtable of your dreams! Wink, Wink! I got your back ;) 

Well, get to it. If you pay a little more for shipping the possibilities are endless...

New Years Resolution for 2017... Stop Procrastinating. If you're anything like me anyways ;)

Visit JORD for the best selection of wood watches!!

DIY Industrial "farmhouse" Light (Simple, Super Easy!!)

If you are an Industrial lighting lover like I am, you probably scoped out a few websites or stores for affordable products. Industrial and "Farmhouse" decor is in trend right now, and with being so popular, price tags sometimes soar and I wasn't about to fork out $80-$250 for a literal hanging Edison bulb. Every time I came across a hanging pendant that I thought would look great hanging above my kitchen sink, I said, "Why spend all that money when they look so simple to make myself?" Well...I did just that. I DIYed three industrial hanging (or swag) pendant lights altogether in our home. One in the kitchen above our sink, and two beside our pallet headboard my husband and I built in the beginning of the summer. The two in our bedroom I am thinking about giving a copper finish to match the headboard, but the one in the kitchen is staying as is.

Here is what you need...

One clamp light, any brand or size you prefer.

$6-$10 (sure beats $80!)

Take it apart... 

Toss aside the clamp for another project and remove all tags, logos and stickers.

Put it back together.

Placing an Edison Bulb in the socket will immediately transform it. Easy right?

Pick up a few small screw in hooks. I got these from our local hardware store. I bought white ones to blend with the color of our ceiling. They are meant to hold coffee mugs so I knew they would be able to hold the weight for this very light-weight..light;)

The clamp lights come with, usually, a black cord attached. You will need an extension chord depending on how low you wish to hang your swag light or the distance from the hook and the outlet. I recommend just getting the cheap $1-$2 6ft. extension chord. FYI you can paint the chords to blend with whatever wall color you have. I did paint half of the chord in the kitchen so its barely noticeable, but leaving it black will give you the raw industrial look people pay so much for. Crazy, huh? 

Here is a look into our bedroom with the industrial "hanging" pendant lights...

The best part about this easy DIY project is that you can paint the "shades". I plan on spray painting the lights in the bedroom copper to match the copper bolts on the sides of our headboard. You can paint them black, white, gold, vintage mint, whatever color your heart desires. 

Just a note: 

I haven't been blogging much this summer as I wanted to but, believe me, I have a million projects I am working on and have so many planned for the fall that I will be sharing through posts. Last night I ripped up all the rugs that remained downstairs and will be showing how to refinish real hardwood floors on the cheap including a living room reveal. So excited!! 

---> I posted a sneak peek on my Instagram. <---

Click to follow and be updated on projects and pieces of my life as it happens:)

Low Budget Kitchen Makeover

     My husband and I kickstarted our crazy busy summer with a kitchen makeover on a very low budget. When we moved in to this house I wanted to renovate everything and we even picked out a brand new kitchen from Lowes, cabinets, countertops, the works! Then life happened. We ended up having to spend the money we set aside for a $10,000 kitchen elsewhere and the project got put on hold for well over a year. I painted the cabinets last summer, a creamy country white that I ended up hating! It was my second time painting cabinets and I definitely learned from my mistakes. We bought a paint sprayer when we painted the dinning room and the most beautiful gray paint I ever laid eyes on. Valspar Signature, Woodlawn Colonial Gray. I am still obsessed with that color, so much so that I decided to use it on our "orangey" oak cabinets I already "primed" with a crappy country white. The color turned out beautiful and I love it even more. With that said, the paint for the cabinets didn't cost a dime because it was left over paint from the dinning room. We then had to decide what to do with the countertops.

     In our dinning room we have a fireplace mantel I built in my early 20's that I turned into a chalkboard with salvaged slate. The mantel is painted white and distressed. The gray with the white and "black" chalkboard gave me inspiration for our whole kitchen. I fell in love with soapstone countertops but loathed the price tag. We have a mortgage, four kids, a dog (soon to be two!), two car payments, the list goes on... We definitely didn't want to fork up the money for the real deal but both agreed that black countertops were the way to go but painting them with regular paint seemed like a dumb idea and I really didn't want to try any of those faux granite treatments. So we decided to do something risky, and probably nuts but its another thing I have love for and the root of my inspiration anyways so chalkboard paint it was! And it worked great! The countertops were originally white with 80's pastel specks, just ugly! I covered them with adhesive laminate a year ago which worked great for the year we had it but was not easy getting off. We learned that using a hairdryer to "melt" the glue made the process much easier. Just a tip to throw out there!

     While painting the countertops with chalkboard paint, be sure to use a smooth roller, it will make all the difference. More than one coat also does as well. They had to be touched up the next day from the backsplash installation, but they ended up looking great. My husband wants to do a clear coat on top just to lock in the paint, but we haven't had the chance to do it yet. I personally don't think they need it but will do it to ease his mind haha! Speaking of the backsplash, I finally got my white subway tiles!! I also went with a silver grout to go with the cabinet color. I painted the kitchen walls from a buttercream color the "flipper" used to a very faint gray, that sometimes even looks white. I just love those neutrals! I think it turned out great and so did our guests for a graduation party that was being thrown at our house just two days after we started the project! Yep, we are crazy but we got it done and completely by ourselves, just my husband and I. For two people who have never installed backsplash tile or even cut tile with a wet saw before, I think we did a pretty good job! Even though they're not perfect, we have so many new memories and laughter to go with it:) Plus I finally have a kitchen I love! Only thing I need next is a new kitchen floor, I already picked that out but thats a new project for a much later date. Altogether, our kitchen makeover cost us $545.00!! That also includes the wet saw and other tools we had to buy. I'd say thats pretty cheap to completely change the look and feel of a kitchen. 

Before...

During...

Don't mind the dirty dishes, had to turn off the water haha!!

 

And that's why the water was off!! ;)

Loving it!!

After...

We are waiting for the cabinet door knobs that match the industrial pulls...

Got that cute little vintage wooden stool from a yard sale my neighbor was having that day for $1!! 

Yep, the pulls are crooked ha!! He tried.

My "microwave stand" is so out of place. Looking for a replacement!

Ah so thats where the teething gel went!

This wall was too empty for me so we made a sign from left over trim 

from the dinning room, a black sharpie marker and stencil!!

Excuse my coffee rings!

Don't look at my garage!! lol, getting a good clean out for the graduation party!

AND that is Jack!

Thanks for stopping by!!

DIY Pallet Headboard for Under $20!!

For the longest time I wanted to build a pallet headboard, but couldn't find the right plans for the one I envisioned on my DIY bucket-list. Yes, I'm terribly corny and created one as soon as we moved into our home;-) I'm not one to really use plans or follow them anyhow so I just followed my instincts and here is what my husband and I put together...

The "scratch look" and imperfections are two things I was really striving for. Nothing seems to fit, but everything flows together nicely like a pallet puzzle. Putting the boards together in the "perfect" spots took more than a few tries, but we really are happy with the outcome and it ended up being everything I dreamt about:)

Each pallet board has a different shade to it, a different imperfection, scratch, dent, mark, and just full of texture and history. I love that!

We haven't attached it to the frame (or wall) yet because we are going to paint the walls, build a new wood bed frame out of scratch and possibly a footboard to match the headboard. 

We attached bolts for appeal and function and spray painted them copper for an unexpected accent.

Each bolt cost $1 each and the copper spray paint we already had but originally cost $4.

I think it is safe to say that I may have a new love for copper.

It has almost a rustic fireplace mantel look to it that I am currently obsessing over!

If you love it just as much as we do, keep scrolling and we will show you how we did it!

Just a girl and her dog admiring the view!! :)

 Let's get started!!

First and foremost... If you don't have any pallets, you'll have to find them. A lot of retail businesses will stock them up behind their building for trash pick-up. Perfect opportunity to snatch them up. If you aren't 100% sure, ask an employee or manager if you can have them. There are plenty of places to find them if you know where to look. Craigslist is a great place too! Most times, they are in the free section!!

After you have collected a stack of pallets (we used all different types and sizes), you will have to take them apart. It can be time consuming, a lot of work and kind of tricky if you've never took apart pallets before. I like to use a flathead screw driver, a crowbar, and a hammer to do the job. Make sure you have a fairly decent amount of pallets because taking them apart can make some of the boards unusable. If you have a little bit of wood splitting or damage, don't worry, a lot of the boards can be sanded down enough to be used. And we like the imperfections anyways;-)

After you pick all your boards out that you want to use, sand them!

 Next, you will either want to make a frame or find a base to work on. 

We decided to use an old piece of plywood left over from another project to attach the boards to.

I cut it down to size for a queen sized bed headboard. Most standard headboards are 64 inches wide. 

I made mine 48 x 64 in.

Next, you will want to measure out all your boards to cut and fit on the plywood base.

We decided to use an old board left over from another project that was weathered pretty nicely into a "barn wood" shade as the top of our headboard. We decided to cut it to "hang" off the base 6 inches on each side.

Our table saw did the job nicely.

We decided to use wood glue to attach the boards to the plywood.

If you are going to buy Gorilla glue "white", I recommend getting 6-8 of these small bottles if you can't find the larger ones. You are going to need a lot of glue!

We used large clamps to help hold the board down a

nd add the pressure we needed for quick,even drying. 

After we were finished with the top board, we cut and glued the side boards that frame the headboard.

After you "frame" out the headboard, place your pallets on the plywood where you like them. Once you figure out your "pallet puzzle", cut, place and glue. CPG! You shouldn't need the clamps to hold down the pallet boards, but pressure is key to drying. We put 15-20lb weights on top to keep them down while the glue dries.

You will notice that the boards at the bottom run off a bit. We decided to leave it as is in fear of the delicate wood splitting. (plus my mattress will cover the bottom anyhow ha!)...

Once you are finished attaching all your boards to the plywood, figure out a way to elevate the headboard so you can get under it rather than behind it to keep the boards in place while you complete the next step. You should use wood horses but we improvised with the oversized coolers we had in the garage. Sometimes you just have to use what you got!! 

This next step is very important... securing the pallets!!

We decided to use a staple gun instead of a nail gun (or hammer and nails) to fasten the boards onto the plywood from the back.

Make sure you staple all the boards to the plywood. 

You can never go over board with securing something!!

Don't forget to cut or sand off any excess plywood!! (or measure correctly haha)  Or you will have this boo-boo.. >.<

But, its ok because we are going for imperfection anyways!!

You will want to "round off" any sharp edges and corners of all your boards if you haven't already. 

It is always good to sand again before your finished!!

This board was a "must use" with all its character!

Make sure you sand enough to be able to run your hand across all the boards without getting any splinters!! Keep sanding off those corners!! The smoother the better and safety is key!!

Once all your measuring, cutting, sanding, glueing, stapling and sanding again is finished, admire your work haha..

Next major step is to attach the "legs"...

We couldn't find the wood we needed so we bought 2 by 4s in pine (they will be unseen so no need for staining, weathering, painting, etc...)

Pre-drill the holes in the frame for the bolts we will use for appearance and function.

Then pre-drill the holes in the "legs"...

We decided to use copper spray paint we already had for the bolts.

Of course, do that step outdoors!

Finish pre-drilling for the nut & bolt then sand out the edges (something I wish we did better haha!)

Once that is all finished, attach the legs with nuts and bolts (copper painted). We used 6 altogether, 3 on each side. Only 2 are really visible once the headboard goes up and the mattress covers the others, so you can attach these closer together if you want them all to be visible on the frame.

After everything is attached, you are finished!! 

I am absolutely in love with the result and can't wait to finish the bed frame 

and maybe even a footrest to complete a whole bed!! 

The best part about this project is that we spent under $20 to complete it!!

The one thing I love most about this headboard is that my husband and I created it.. I almost want to carve a heart with our initials in one of the boards!!

Thank you for taking the time to share the experience of my dream pallet headboard project!! 

Hopefully sometime soon I will have a Master Bedroom Makeover post to share as well!! 

I'm off to cross more projects off my bucket-list!!

Happy DIYing!!