12 in 12...january's reveal!

My 12 in 12 project for January was to tackle the playroom and I'm excited to reveal the shelves that my husband and I built!

We used my inspiration shelves as a jumping off point and built these to fit the play room and fit our needs. The shelves are made out of 1 x 12 pine (be careful when you're buying wood because the wood doesn't actually measure 12 inches wide!) which we had cut to size at Lowe's and screwed together with wood screws.  We used cleats to hold the shelves in place, which are just 1x2s cut to size and screwed into the sides.  The shelves are then attached to the top of the cleat.

After all of the construction was complete, I sanded everything down and filled the knots, holes, and imperfections with wood fillers.  The edges were all caulked and then I painted 4, yes FOUR, coats of white semi-gloss paint.  I just used Valspar's white semi-gloss paint off of the shelf and loved it!

We attached 2 more 1x2s to the back of the shelf and screwed that into the studs to secure the book shelf to the wall.  It's not going anywhere!

I added the green baskets (from the Dollar Tree) that were on the previous shelves in the playroom, along with the new bins that I bought at IKEA.  I'd like to get 2 more of the white bins to put along the bottom shelf and 3 more green baskets to fill in the middle shelves.

I have a few more projects up my sleeve to "decorate" it a little more, including adding a few more frames to the wall for Grayson's art. The 4 frames are just leaning for now but will get hung back up in the near future.

I think that Scott and I did a pretty good job for it being the first piece of furniture we have built together!  If you have any questions about specifics on the book shelves, feel free to leave a comment!

I will be back tomorrow with February's 12 in 12 project!

Have you ever built a piece of furniture with your husband or by yourself?  What are your secrets? 

**I'm linking this project over at:

handprint valentine hearts...

**this is a post that I published on Worthy of the Prize last year but thought it was a good time to post it here!  And yes, we definitely made these last year even though I dated it 2010!  Ha!**

It’s almost February and you know what that means...time to make valentines! Since Grayson is still small, I love any craft that involves his hand print!       Our valentines are headed to Grayson’s grandparents who all live pretty far away. So, if you’re one of his grandparents, stop reading now. :)

We took advantage of a little down time and made ours a little bit early. Here’s what you need to make these handprint valentines:

• Paper: We used watercolor paper, because we had it on hand and it’s a little thicker than regular cardstock so it might have a chance of holding up in the mail.
  

• 2 colors of washable paint: This is the paint that we used. You could use poster paint if you have older kids, but why take the risk of having red paint stain your kiddos’ cute clothes?

• Baby wipes: it helps to have these handy to wipe the paint off when you’re done with the first handprint.
• Paint brushes

Paint one of your child’s hands and press it onto the paper. (It works best to have your child hold their fingers close together.) Repeat this step for as many valentines as you need to make. Let the first handprint dry!  

Grayson’s handprints didn’t take long at all to dry, using the paper and paint that we did.        

By the time we printed the last of our 8 valentines, the first was already dry.

Using your second color, paint your child’s other hand. Overlap your child’s fingers on the first handprint, making a heart.

Let your valentines dry. Now the possibilities are endless!

• If your child is older, have them write the things he loves about his grandparents around the edge of the “heart”.
• Choose a “love” Scripture to write around the edge.
• Write a little Valentine’s Day message and date it.
• These would also make a cute keepsake if you pop them in a frame like we did.

Hope this helps you get a head start on your Valentine’s Day gifts!Do you have any cute ideas for handmade valentines?

thrift store brass lamp…

Have you noticed the trend among our beloved blogdom to find a cheap brass lamp at the thrift store, add a little spray paint, recover the shade (or buy a drum shade), and end up with a beautiful creation?  Yeah, so have I.  And everyone in Southwest Missouri must have, too, because I have gone from thrift store to thrift store in search of the glorious brass lamp and had NO luck.  Until today…



I was walking around an antique junk store in town and found this little beauty tucked back into one of the antique junk booths.  I was sure that the price tag would read $30, as most of the tags on the lamps had, but I’m pretty certain that angels sang as I read the price tag and it said $4!I said little beauty, but it’s actually about 30 inches tall.



I plan to spray paint the base of the lamp and change up the shade. I’d love to buy a drum shade for it at some point, but recovering the shade will work for now.  My question is what color should I paint it?  I’m thinking that it’s going to go on top of the black dresser in our entry way to replace the too small table lamp that’s currently sitting there.

Turquoise?

Source: akadesign.ca via Mary Jo on Pinterest

White?

Source: 320sycamoreblog.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Green?

Any other color suggestions?  Have you made over a sassy brassy lamp?