Eiffel Tower Wood Shim Art

Today I’m going to show y’all how to make signs out of wood shims. I like to call them faux-pallet signs because they have the same look as all those pallet projects you see around blogland and Pinterest, but are a lot simpler to make.  

First, gather your supplies. You only need wood shims, paint, and wood glue for this project! I bought my wood shims at Hobby Lobby (2-pack for $2.33). The shims are about 12 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide. I needed 5 shims for my finished sign, so I had to buy three packs (I’ll use the extra piece on another sign). I also bought a pack of smaller shims to help assemble my sign.

Start by painting the front and sides of all the shims. I just used white craft paint.

 

I forgot to take a picture of the assembly step (my bad), but it’s really simple. Flip the shims over and place them together. Add a line of glue to the back of the smaller shims. Lay them across the shims, press down, and wait for the glue to dry. That’s it! The shims are so light weight that you don’t need nails or screws.

Next you need to decide on a design. I picked the Eiffel Tower in celebration of our upcoming trip (less than 3 weeks!). I found this Eiffel Tower shape online and used my Silhouette to cut it out on some scrap vinyl. I used transfer tape to layout the design on my board. If you don’t have a Silhouette or Cricut, you can use stickers or freehand/trace your design.

 

Now it’s paint time! I used navy craft paint and a foam brush to paint in my design. Remove the large pieces of vinyl while the paint is still wet, but wait until the paint is dry to remove the smaller pieces. Otherwise, you’ll smudge the paint…ask me how I know… If you have any bleeding, it’s easily fixed with a small brush and a little paint.

Et voilà!

 

I used two small pieces of mounting tape to hang my new artwork in my office gallery wall. I love how it turned out and I can’t wait to see the real Eiffel Tower in a few weeks!  

Master Bathroom Artwork

Today we’re back in the master bathroom and we’re talking artwork. The bathroom is pretty small, so the only empty wall space is above the towel bar. After I replaced the black and white shower curtain, I knew had to replace the black and white artwork. I wanted some bright and fun, so I decided to use a printable from my Free Printables board.

The "Make Today Beautiful" print is a free download from Laura Winslow Photography - available here. I thought this would be a great message to read every morning while I’m getting ready for work. .

The frame is from Michael’s ($6.00). It was originally black, but I spray painted it white with some leftover Krylon Paint + Primer. One day I’ll probably replace this frame with a more ornate one, but this one works for now. As I said above, the printable was free and I had it printed out at Staples for less than $1. So with one cheap/easy project, the black and white décor is gone and the bathroom makeover is on a roll – time for those big projects!

OK, now let's review the ol' to-do list:

Paint Room

Replace Missing Drawer

Paint Vanity

New Countertop

Replace Medicine Cabinets

Frame Large Mirror

New Shower Curtain

Re-Caulk Shower

Artwork

New Towels

Buy Bath Mat

Add Lettering to Trashcan

Accessories

Insta-16: Take Five

It’s time for another round of Instagram pictures! You can see the previous four recaps here

If you have an account, you can follow me at: SAMTJH22.  If not, this recap is for you! I’ve rounded up my last 16 Instagram pictures for you here today. This roundup includes my parents’ new dog Sadie (top right picture), our tickets to the Ceremony of Keys at the Tower of London (26 more days until our flight!), the diaper cake I made for my coworker’s twins, and of course, lots of Abby and Ringo pictures!

As always, my plan is to share a pretty collage of all the pictures and then pick my top 5 in different categories: Abby, Ringo, Cutest Couple (Ringo and Abby), Yummy (Food or Drink), and Wildcard (Non-Food and Non-Puppy).

OK, enough talk! Here’s the fifth round of Instagram pictures: 

And here are my favorites:

Abby

Abby loves to cuddle on the couch and this is how we usually watch TV together. She’s the sweetest dog ever and I look forward to our cuddle time every day.

Ringo

Ringo always sleeps in funny positions and this is one of my favorites - all stretched out and hanging off the edge of the bed.

Cutest Couple

Ringo and Abby had to stay inside while my boyfriend weed whacked the backyard. They were upset that they couldn’t be out there with him, so I pulled open the blinds so they could watch from the window. 

Yummy

We had a wine tasting/wine making party for my friend Christina’s bachelorette party. The wine had to ferment for a few months, so this is when we went back to bottle it. We bottled it ourselves and made our own bottle labels. The whole thing was so much fun and I love seeing our bottle of wine in my wine rack every day.

Wildcard

To celebrate Mothers’ Day, I posted this shot of my mom and I from 1988. Man, I love that woman and I can’t wait for our European adventure!

OK, who else is on Instagram? Leave your username in the comments, so I can follow you.

Office Storage – Filing Cabinets

I’m still completely in love with the desk that we built, but there’s one big problem with it. There’s no storage! I’m a paper/office supplies hoarder and I needed somewhere to keep my stash!  

My original plan was to bring in a couple filing cabinets, but I wasn’t sold on the idea of adding such big, bulky pieces to the room.  And then I saw this makeover by Emily Henderson (isn’t she amazing?!). Notice the filing cabinets? They’re from IKEA and they are way better looking (and cheaper) than traditional filing cabinets. And they are only 11 inches wide – perfect for a small space!

(source)

Luckily IKEA isn’t too far from my house, so I stopped there last Saturday to pick up a pair cabinets plus some other goodies. Assembly was a pain – seriously, these cabinets are the epitome of cheap IKEA furniture construction. The the drawers are held together by folding metal tabs together, but it works, so I can’t complain too much.

Here’s a full desk shot, including a sneak peek at the gallery wall that I’m working on:

And now we have plenty of storage…actually a couple of drawers are still empty! I’m sure they’ll be filled soon enough. I still need to work on desktop storage and finish the gallery wall (and hide all the cords), but I love how this side of the room is starting to look! It’s pretty, but functional…my favorite combo!

DIY Number 14 Sign

Believe it or not, I actually created something that I pinned! Actually, I’m sure y’all are more surprised to see two posts in a row than anything. I’ve been blog slacking lately and I blame Game of Thrones. I finally started watching it a few weeks ago and that’s all I’ve been doing during my spare time. I just finished season 3 and I’m still in shock. That show is so good, but seriously depressing sometimes.

ANYWAY…

When I saw this DIY sign from Layla at The Lettered Cottage, I knew it would be perfect for the office. I’ve been struggling with ideas for my boyfriend’s side of the gallery wall and I thought this project would be a great way to incorporate something meaningful for him.

(source - pinned here)

I started by painting a wood plaque from Michael’s with some flat white paint I found in the garage. Once that was dry I used my Silhouette to cut the number 14 (font: Felix Titling) out of some leftover vinyl. I picked 14 because that was his number playing football in high school and I know those are some of his favorite memories. Ah, the glory days!

I filled in the number with some black acrylic paint and that’s it! Originally I was going to distress the sign, but I actually like it as-is. And now I’m one piece closer to a finished gallery wall!

Thanks for the inspiration Layla!

Has anyone else pinned it, did it lately? Or is anyone else addicted to Game of Thrones?

Gray and Yellow Paisley Shower Curtain

Alright, it’s time to kick-off this bathroom makeover - starting with a new shower curtain! Seriously, changing the shower curtain is the easiest/cheapest way to update a bathroom. It’s usually the main color/print/focal point, so swapping shower curtains always has a huge impact on the room.

It’s the same shower curtain that was on my mood board (Threshold Paisley Shower Curtain in Gray/Yellow from Target) and it looks way better in person than online. I think it looks kind of formal and stuffy online, but it’s bright and fun in person. I used the same glass shower curtain rings from before because they are amazing (from Target, but I don’t think they are available anymore).

Clearly Ringo approves of my $20 shower curtain update. Actually, he probably doesn’t care; he’s just obsessed with the shower/bathroom in general. He’s been known to sleep in the tub or shower hoping someone will give him a bath. Seriously, if you can get into the bathroom without him following you in, you win a prize at our house.

And so, the new shower curtain is up and the master bathroom makeover has officially begun!

Navy Console Table

By choosing a light blue rug for the living room, I knew I’d probably have to repaint my aqua console table. Once the rug was delivered, my suspicions were confirmed -the different shades of blue just did not look good together!

I debated a few different color options, but eventually settled on navy. I wanted a bright navy, so I ended up choosing Deep Royal by Behr.

I’m so happy with my paint choice – it’s the perfect shade of navy! Now I just need to update the artwork and finish styling the table.

And of course I have to share a wide shot of the table and rug together in the living room (and Ringo):

The navy table looks so much better with the light blue rug. The blue tones complement each other instead of clashing like the last color. Plus navy furniture is just so pretty!

And with that, here’s an update on the living room to-do list:

Find sectional
Replace arm chair
Buy rug
Find coffee table
Sew throw pillows
Buy garden stool
Style entertainment center shelves
Replace missing baseboard
DIY abstract art
Re-paint console table
Buy large plant/pot
Paint China Hutch
Decorate fireplace mantle
Sew curtains
Apothecary cabinet
Accessories