Minty Malm...Ikea Hack

I think I have early dementia. I just can't remember anything, lately. For now, I'll chalk it up to the end of summer, back to school, and my husband. Let's face it...some how...it's always going to be his fault. No worries, he let's me think that...and among other things, THAT is why I love him!
When I was in the middle of the One Room Challenge, I promised some Ikea hack break-downs. Here is one of a few (told you, I can't remember anything).

It has a bit of a twist to it.... Start with

Here comes the twist...I hate those toe kicks, and can't figure out why Ikea uses them. Must be a Swedish thing...skulle inte du med?
Let's get rid of it...shall we? Cut a piece of 1 x 3 to length

Glue it so it is flush with the Malm frame

Sand, prime, sand, paint....sand and paint again...I did a third coat for just the top

All in high gloss

Using these O'verlays....and gold spray paint, glue them in place

Let them dry completely

I wanted to use this hardware, so I knew my hole placement was 3" on center

Because drilling holes into a perfectly painted piece is enough pressure to give you heart palpitations...I made a template

After spending what felt like hours of deliberation....I marked the template for the hole placement

Add the hardware, put the drawers back and try to style your Minty Malm

To see the entire bedroom with two minty malms...go here. I have a few more hacks coming, so stay tuned. Are you working on anything fun or exciting?

I'm Over at Sadie & Stella....My Favorite Room

I'm over at Sadie & Stella's today!

What am I doing there...sharing my favorite room with you. It is probably not the room you think. Here is a hint

Come over and check out my room. There are lots of tips and DIY's in it.

Don't Buy it...DIY it

Did you happen to catch the Danny Seo One Kings Lane Sale? 

I like Danny, and wrote about him here. One of his items for sale caught my eye....this one

An upcycled serving tray. I like how whimsical it is. The bird finial is a great touch. What's not great about it? The price....$299. 
I have seen this type of stacking done on older craft shows. Here is an easy way to do it. Find a figurine for the top....I like this swan found on eBay

available here

Next some plates

One

available here

Two 

available here

Three

available here

Now the cups

available here

Last one

available here

Glue them together with this

And that would give you a custom upcycled 3-tier serving stand. It's that easy. I don't know about you, but I want to make one. In fact, I probably have some dishes I can use. 

Back to School...My Favorite!

This never gets old for me!

We still need another USB drive, so I'm not done with the supply shopping just yet. Clothes shopping is next week. That's my favorite...I get to hear what bad taste I have. I had no idea!

How's your prep work going?

Organize Your Garden Stuff....Part Two

Yesterday, I told you how Lowe's challenged me (and sponsored me) to organize something. You may remember that I cleaned my tools before I organized them. If you are wondering how I decided to tidy up the inside of my shed....here is a clue.

This might be a good time to tell you that the disorganization is what lead to my bypass pruners obsession....but aren't they clean?
Now you need to see how I got here...It all started like this.

This is not staged....wait, it gets better

You know it would look so much cleaner if we didn't keep those golf clubs....just sayin.
On the other side, you ask

Do bikes and crutches go together?
Here is the best part, until this challenge...I didn't think it was that bad, well....compared to my garage.
Starting with this wall, I added two studs

A friend of mine used to say that the stud finder would go off every time he walked by it.
A trip to Lowe's for some pegboard cut to size (thank you Lowe's man who obsesses over measurements more than I).

Install the pegboard

Go ahead....add some trim around it....it's a girl's shed! 

Recognize the trim? You know how I like to use door casing.
Next, I added these full length shelves

Now this side looks like this

Can you see the bucket of oily sand? 
What about the other side? I'm so glad you asked. Using this system...I hung the bikes and the golf clubs.

Yes, that would be a 10-speed bike. It's vintage, and so is the man who doesn't rides it.
Other tools

I fell in love, that sounds a bit weird...with these hooks! 
As you can see, I have room for more tools...yeah.

Let's review....I went from this

To this

Now let's play a game....what is this?

For more great ideas, check out the updated Lowe's Creative Ideas page.

Clean and Organize Garden Stuff

I don't know about you, but I can definitely feel the difference in the morning air. Yes, we have some warm days left...but Fall is coming. This month, my Lowe's Garden Challenge is:
Address the Mess - Pick an area that could use a creative approach to organization or storage for your gardening tools and accessories. 
How fantastic is that? Lowe's is sponsoring me to organize something! You may remember that last month, I showed you how to improve the look of your garden shed

Well....I can assure you that the inside is in desperate need of organization. However, before I show it to you...I would like to share a great tip with you. 
How to clean your garden tools before you store them away for the winter.

This is super easy and a great way to prolong the life of your garden tools. All you need is three things; 1. A large bucket with a lid. I used a 5 gallon one. 2. Enough sand to fill the bucket. I used play sand. 3. A cleaning lubricant like Murphy's Oil Soap.
First, fill the bucket with sand

Next, add the oil soap to the sand...I used the whole bottle. You don't need to mix it...the shovel will do that.

Now find your favorite shovel that you may have left out in the rain one too many times. Yes, it is dirty, rusty, and sad....but wait! 

Plunge the shovel (or any tool) up and down into the oily sand

This is what it looks like after a few stabs into the sand. The oil and sand do all the work.

 Yes, I switched shovels on you...thanks for noticing. I forgot to take a before picture of this shovel. 
Now here are my two besties

They could use a bit more cleaning...but the season is not over yet, and I have big plans for them before I put them away for the winter. 

Here is my favorite part....cover the oily sand mixture until next time...or next year!

Want to see how I organized the inside of my shed? Me too...come back tomorrow for part two.
Part two is here Since the kids are heading back to school, hop on over the the Lowe's Creative Ideas site for some great Fall projects. Do you have any lined up?