Check Out this Magazine

I went to get the mail the other day and this magazine caught my eye - it's Lowe's Creative Ideas for Home and Garden and it was full of amazing tips and ideas!

Here are a few that were my favorites: (Please excuse the quality of most of these images. I took them at night without a flash with my point and shoot instead of my dslr.)

This spread shows a makeover of an old desk into a bright, cheerful office space where it might actually fun to pay bills. (Okay, maybe not fun, but at least bearable.) It also included a clever idea for a paper sorter using a roof vent!

I love this project idea for a magazine rack. All you need is one board of wood and some wood glue and screws and stain. See how modern, yet classy it looks.

(Picture source and directions here.)

I have seen so many creative ways of making terrariums all over the web and pinterest, but this little dear is so cute and all you need to create the box is five 8"x10" clear acrylic sheets.

This kitchen transformation is incredible. The basic layout stayed the same, but the L-shaped island was scaled down in size, allowing for a more open plan, as well as extra seating around it.

Lowe's showcased this stunning living room that I absolutely love! It is basically a white neutral room, but with so many shades of it that it doesn't look flat at all. The way designer layered in so many different textures with pops of green (pears, plants, etc.), makes it a room that I want to cozy up in.

I was also amused to see a few different projects that some great bloggers have already created. There was a Hardware Monogram Wall Art project that Michelle at Decor and the Dog already showed us how to DIY.

(Picture source and directions here.)

And a folding drying rack for the laundry room that Kate from Centsational Girl already created (and a nicer one, at it).

  (Picture source and directions here.)

 

These are just a handful of projects in the magazine. If you'd like to check them all out, you can subscribe here. Do you get the Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine? What is your favorite project in this issue?

T-Shirt to Pillow

My son is obsessed with all things fire truck/fire fighter/fire station related. Last year Gymboree came out with an adorable line of fire engine clothes and we stocked up! One shirt in particular was beloved by my son.

But as all little boys are known to do, he grew so fast and his favorite shirt no longer fit him. I mentioned this in passing to one of his teachers and she gave me the brilliant idea of turning it into a pillow. Genius! Unfortunately, I don't own a sewing machine, nor do I know how to sew. Heat n Bond to the rescue!

This stuff is amazing for people like me who don't know how to sew but still want to do all these fun projects. I cut off the sleeves right above the red part so I was able to use the rest of the seam that was already part of the shirt. I turned the shirt inside out and sealed the sleeves and the bottom like that so the raw edges wouldn't be exposed. Once I sewed ironed those seams, all that was left open was the collar. I got some stuffing from JoAnn Fabrics and put in a nice amount until it seemed really soft. Lastly, I used the heat n bond to close up the top. It was a little tricky to iron a rounded edge that was really puffy, but I think it turned out great!

I recently washed it and was concerned if it would hold up or not. I put it inside a pillow case and washed it on a delicate cycle and let it air dry. I had to fluff it up a little afterwards because the stuffing wasn't perfectly distributed, but it came out just fine. Now he has a favorite pillow to snuggle with!

Linking up here:



   

New and Better Way to Follow Blogs

Just a quick post to update you on a new way of following blogs. As I'm sure most of you know, Google is phasing out Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger blogs. The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if they phased it out for Blogger blogs some time down the road. So how are we all going to follow our favorite blogs now?

Roeshel, who you might know from her amazing site, The DIY Show Off, just shared an amazing new tool. It's called Linky Followers and it was created by the same man behind Linky Tools, Brent Riggs. You can add and categorize all the different blogs you love to follow. As you can see, I just added it to the right and there are so many nice features that I haven't really had time to play around with, but I wanted to share this with you and invite you all to follow me and add this great new tool to your blogs so your readers can follow you as well. Get your own Link Followers widget here.

Happy following!

IKEA Rast Hack

After I finished my daughter's night table, I couldn't leave out my son so he got a dresser of his own also. I started out with a plain IKEA rast dresser.

I got the inspiration for this from the lovely blog Aubrey and Lindsay. I really liked what she did, but I wanted to make it a little more masculine for my big boy. First I assembled the dresser, but did not insert the drawers. I used Miniwax's Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner because it was the first time I was staining something, I wasn't sure how great the IKEA wood was, and I wanted it to come out good the first time around so I wanted all the help I could get. After following the instructions on the can, I stained the frame of the dresser - top, sides, and toe kick on the bottom - with Miniwax stain in Dark Walnut. I wanted a really deep, rich color and I got it after using two coats.

In the meantime, I primed and painted the drawer fronts white and then brushed on two coats of poly to help it stand up to the wear and tear it would get from a precocious little boy. After they dried, I switched out the plain wooden knobs for the glira knobs, also from IKEA.

And here it is all complete! I really love how it came out and it's great because it's a piece that can grow with him and last for many years.

  

This is another shot of the dresser with some of his favorite thing - books with Billy book-end, mr. fix-it picture frame and fire engine charity box.