Picture Moulding Part 2 (Hangin' Frames, Mon)

Yo, yo, yo.  It's picture hanging time!  This post has A LOT of instruction in it, so if you are challenged that way, move along.  Just kidding!  I made the steps so simple that even you directionally challenged freaks will understand!  Takes one to know one... yeah, I am one.  SO!  Anyway, I am going to teach you  how to make THIS:

It's so beautiful!  

Junk you'll Probably Need:

• Pencil with Eraser
• Painters Tape
• Eye Hooks
• Hanging Wire (I used 9' galvanized braided hanging wire.  This wire can support up to 50 pounds)
• Wire Cutter
• Tape Measure
• Picture Moulding Hooks
• **Optional: Drill and bit to pre-drill holes into your frame

** All materials were less than $20.00, excluding the frames.

Step 1:  Determine where you want your artwork to be positioned.  Hold the piece against the wall.  When you think you have it right where you want it, mark with your pencil where the top of the frame and the wall meet.

If you look closely you can see the faint pencil line above the frame.

Step 2:  The first step is deciding where you want your eye hooks to go.  Depending on the placement, it can make a world of difference on how your picture with hang.  If you put your hooks toward the top, the picture will hang flush against the wall.  This is ideal if you want your pictures to be seen from an anatomical position (standing).  If you put your eye hooks toward the bottom of your frame, the frame will tilt out from the wall.  This would be ideal if you are going to be in an orthopnea position (sitting) while viewing the artwork, as the image will tilt down toward you.  I put my eye hooks 3 inches below the top of my frame.  Depending on the thickness of your frame, you can use a small drill bit to pre-drill holes into your wood frame before screwing in your eye hooks.  I used cheap Ikea frames, so putting a drill to it is an affirmative no go.

Step 3:  Position a piece of painters tape across the back of your frame.  Use your pencil to mark where the eye hooks are on the painters tape.

Step 4:  With your tape measure, determine where the middle point of your frame is, and mark with your pencil on the painters tape.

Step 5:  Because I placed my eye hooks three inches below the top of my frame, I had to measure three inches below my original pencil mark.  If you put your eye hooks five inches below the top of your frame, measure five inches below your line and mark with a pencil.

Step 6:  Peel your painters tape off of the back of your frame.  Line your center mark on the painters tape with the line you created in Step 5.  Secure and smooth the painters tape to the wall.

Step 7:  Place your picture hook above your center line on the picture moulding.  I used a pack of gold hooks from Menards that were $4.00 for a six pack.  You will notice there is a rounded edge (this is the edge that rests on the moulding) and a harsh edge (this is where your wire will rest).

Step 8:  Place your wire in the cradle of the harsh edge.

Step 9:  Find the marks on the painters tape that you created to indicate where the eye hooks are.  Bend the wire slightly on both sides.

Matching the wire up to the eye hook pencil marks.

Step 10:  Remove the wire from the hook.  Watch out!  The hook might fly off the moulding and hit you right in the face... like it did me. Men, protect your goods with this step.  Sharp metal and a fleshy package aren't friends.  I am sure of it.

Step 11:  Using your slight bends as a guide, thread the wire through the eye hooks.  Once the bend is inside the hook, start twisting the wire around to secure it.  You may have extra wire.  Trim off the excess with a wire cutter.  

Step 12:  Remove the tape from the wall and clean up any pencil marks with an eraser.

Step 13:  This is the final and more important step!  YOU ARE FINALLY READY TO HANG YOUR ARTWORK!  Shots around the world!  Loop your wire on the hook.  If your picture is crooked, you can adjust it by tugging on either side of the wire.  The first time I did it, it took me fifteen minutes to hang one picture.  By my sixth one, I was down to five minutes.  BOOM.

Great job guys!  Hopefully the step by step process worked out... because it was a bitch to write.  I just like you all so much. SO MUCH. Definitely worth it.  Cheers.

Picture Moulding

They call me Jen-na-na, I'm back, I'm back.

Hello inhabitants!  If you have been reading our blog you would have noticed that, well, it has been neglected.  But today is a new day!  We are dusting it off with another short and sweet DIY project.

Raise your virtual hand if you have ever lived, seen, or currently reside in a split level home- or any home for that matter- where a long and very awkward wall stands at attention.  Do you know what I am talking about?  You know, that wall that connects the living room and that tiny-ass "so-called" dining room?

Do you find you have a million little holes in your wall from trying to hang pictures in various locations on this particular wall, trusting you will get it right someday, but it always comes out looking rubbish?

There is a solution, people!  It's picture moulding! (or molding-- the "u" makes it fancy)

We have seriously done EVERYTHING to this wall before trying out the moulding.  We have had floating shelves, shelves with brackets, big pictures, little pictures, a giant hutch and bookcases against the wall trying to break up the room, added the fireplace bookshelf (seen here), painted and patched it a zillion times... on and on...  My type A misery was quite endless.  Because we have such a small space, we needed to try and utilize every last shred of square footage, which meant that prized furniture finds found their way to the basement. No worries, I still stop down to say hello.  The hutch understands that I would do it all over again if it meant that I could walk around my dining room table comfortably... and guess what?!  I can!  Eeeeeeh *giddy!*

With the furniture gone, we were left with a wide open space.  We already tried the whole shelf thing, so we knew that idea was shit, if I'm being honest.  That only left one thing.  Art.  Because I love to create art so much, I have the tendency to switch my pieces around.  The downside of new artwork? Holes. Holes flippin' everywhere.  I'm talking holes on top of holes, man.  The hubs can vouch for that.

Back to the picture moulding, aka molding, aka picture rail--

I initially came across this idea after seeing it in my sister's artist loft in St. Paul.  The tenants display their craftsmanship in the hallways.  This system is perfect for them to replace their pieces once they are sold. One strip of picture moulding, some wires, a hook, and no nail holes?  Um, SOLD.

Here is some picture moulding eye candy:

I picked up two 6 foot pieces of picture moulding (picture railing) at Lowes for a little over $7.00.  After doing a little research the best standard height to hang your moulding is 6-8 inches below the ceiling.  For reference we hung ours at 6".  Food for thought: Make sure to keep the no fail 57" rule in mind when hanging your picture moulding, so you can really show off your (or others) creative works of art.  I am gifting you a very helpful link from Apartment Therapy (57" Rule).  You are welcome!

The first step in putting up your picture moulding is mark how far down from the ceiling you want your rail to go.  Things to consider:  Do you or will you have crown moulding?  Do you have a vaulted ceiling?  Keeping those in mind you may want to adjust the placement of the railing accordingly.

Once you have measured 6" (or another figure) all the way down the wall, marking in appropriate areas, get a large level and connect the marks.  Even though marks were created, it doesn't necessarily mean it is automatically level.  Make sure to watch the level line.  Run a pencil between the markings so you end up with something like this:

Hopefully you have purchased enough moulding to cover the length of your wall.  We took one six foot piece and cut the end that will connect with the second piece of moulding at a 45 degree angle.  We used the pencil line as a guide to get our moulding right where we wanted it.  Make sure to hold a level on top of your moulding while it is being secured.  Watch that stinkin' level line!  Also, be sure to attach your moulding with the rounded side on top. We put a few brads in the wood with our nail gun to loosely secure it.

Next we measured the rest of the railing-free wall and marked it on our remaining six foot strip.  Keep in mind you will have to cut another 45 degree angle the opposite way than you did the first strip of wood.
These 45 degree angles should butt up against one another.  Saw off any additional length on the end with a straight cut.

Secure the second piece of railing on your wall with brads.  Grab a stud finder and mark lightly in pencil on your moulding where the studs are.  You can either secure the moulding with additional brads or you can use screws.  If you are using screws, make sure you pre-drill first.

**If you do not have a nail gun, you can also temporarily secure the moulding by putting wood glue on the back of your moulding and fixing it to the wall.  It should hang out there until you are ready to stabilize it.

Here is the hubs being all sorts of manly.  Check out that fine piece of a$$.

Patch the holes with wood filler.  After the wood filler has dried, sand that mother.

When it comes to painting and treating the wood, the options are endless, really.  We didn't necessarily want the moulding to be a focal point, so we painted the moulding the same color as our wall.  This has been by far the easiest project we have done.  No swearing involved!  We think it is awesome-sauce.  What do you think? Are you a fan of picture moulding?

The moulding in all it's glory

I know our home is ever-changing... but I'd like to think of it more as ever-improving.  Check back soon for more quick DIY ideas. Tootles.

Faux Fireplace Bookshelf Revamp

Happy Mini-Moon Day Night!  If you are anything like me, you notice that a full moon does bring out the crazy in most people.  I am lucky that I get to talk on the phone for a living, so the calls, like the mini-moon, have been a bit more rare and special then any other precursor full moon night.  Sigh.

The moon will be about 405,500 km away from Earth, the farthest point in it's orbit!  Awesome!  How does this all tie into my faux-fireplace bookshelf update you ask?  It doesn't.  Tee hee hee.  Just leaving you with fun facts people.  For love and justice!

Okay.  Fireplace.  Let's do this.

Sometime last Spring my fantastic parents came down for the weekend and helped me and the hubs around the house with various projects, one being the faux-fireplace.  I would tell you exactly how it was built, but that job was left for the men, while me and my Momma tended to the garden.  What I can tell you is, I purchased an old fireplace mantel and surround off Craigslist for $75.00.  If you are looking to make a faux-fireplace bookshelf of your very own, the "older" areas in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been selling lots of these little gems for reasonable prices.  You can still score one for as cheap as I did, but with the Pinterest wave, I've noticed the prices are a bit more jacked up then usual.  Do your research, pay attention to detail, don't overpay, and don't bend over.

Without further adieu, here is the fireplace after everything was said and done--

Look at these two lovebirds!  Those are my parents. Aren't they the most precious things ever?!  Who wouldn't want to know this people. Seriously.  They have played a huge role in our home transformation. We have learned so much from them.  When in doubt, call Dad.  Am I right or am I right?

I never had a problem with the fireplace in it's current state, but felt it got a little lost in the room. Throughout our years of living in our home, I've tried my hardest to maintain some sort of masculinity to some degree.  A lot of the changes made to our home were experimental.  We were trying to find the right anecdote that represented the both of us.  Sure, it was artsy fartsy like me, but a touch of boy was hiding somewhere. After a few furniture swaps, the fireplace was all that was remaining to really give our living room that extra pop we were looking for.

Enter paint... and beer.  In this edition of DIY I will transform the fireplace drinking KBC Blueberry Wheat Ale, based out of Maine.  It's BA scores a 97, but I would give it a 98 because I finished one, and drank another.  This year round beverage is carbonated, and smells like bubbling blueberries and smiles.  The pour has a nice, clear as day, golden hue, with little to no head.  This either means it is flat like Miley Cyrus' ass (for realz, guys, it just is) or it is smooth as blubber.  I am betting on smooth, and I would be happy to force feed Miley blubber too.  If only her haircut wasn't awesome... not being annoyed by her would be so much easier.  I think this beer is pretty unexpected, and would taste great no matter the season.  Beer and paint, paint and beer.  La la la la laaaa.  Prost!

I would give the paint a BA score of don't drink it and a pour of muddy.  In the last post I showed off our awesome door color. Because our home is not the biggest, I decided that painting the fireplace the same color as the door would be similar to watching synchronized swimming.  Perfectly balanced and exquisitely in unison.  I love being right about things.  I just LOVE IT!  Just in case you want a reminder on the color, because it's fabulous, it is called Squirrel Tail by Benjamin Moore in Satin.

G-Dog was there to help, as always, but was pretty disappointed with the outcome of his photo op.  He suffers from Black Dog Syndrome. It isn't his fault you can't see his face!

Normally I would tell you to sand and prime the piece you are about to paint, but in this case, that was already done, but would advise you to putty any holes with a paint-able wood filler.  Oh, and cleaning off the surface with a damp cloth before you paint isn't a bad idea either.  

I think the colors really came together in this room.  I also made sure to paint the back part of the wall within the fireplace to give it the look of a solid piece.  Wizardry tricks, I tell you.  We think it is a bit more cozy and modern looking, yet clean and functional.  Two thumbs up. I really look forward to coming home to the hubs and pup and cuddling up with a blanket in front of our newly updated fireplace... shelf.

Love Your Entrance and Make it Grand

This isn't so much a DIY post, but more of a consideration to love the entrance to your home.  I really feel that this is an area that may get overlooked with design and decor.  It certainly did in our home... until this past weekend.  The entrance of your home is basically a first impression.  New visitors coming in are either going to feel welcome and comfortable, or kindly find it in their hearts to look the other way. This can be super challenging if you live in a split-entry home, where your entrance is the size of a peanut, and you have to contort your body just to get around the door.  And taking your shoes off?  Forget about it.  I want to meet this person who thought this space was sufficient enough for anyone over 3 feet tall.  Once I do, you better believe I will come up with something clever.  Paybacks... paybacks. Moving on.  Because you don't have a lot of space to work with, and no matter how much you want that beautiful foyer table with some big ass flowers sitting on it when you walk in-- it is NOT going to happen-- frankly you are going to have to deal and think outside of the box. This is where four key items come into place.  Art, hooks, floor, and paint.  These four secrets will make your entrance-split or not- shine bright.

Art is super subjective, so make it count.  The key when choosing your art pieces is to find ones that;
A. Make you feel something
B. Is special and personal to you.  Heck, everyone is creative in some way.  Apply those talents and try to create something uniquely yours!
C. No matter how many years you have had it, you still stop by once in a while to say hello.
D. Are originals and support local, and starving artists (people like me) when you can.

Things to avoid:
A. Don't buy just to buy.  You need to fill up that giant empty wall space?  Maybe give it a little thought first.
B. Don't buy art to impress others.  Other people don't live in your home.  You are ultimately the one that has to look at it.
C. Unless you really like that super famous and slightly overused painting, try some originals on for size.  Etsy is a great place to check out. You can purchase incredible prints from passionate artists.  We are big advocates for all artists in our home, but you get to a point when you have seen Starry Night (guilty) or Scream one too many times.  Another place to check out?  Your local thrift store.
Ch, ch, check, check it out- www.etsy.com

Hooks are not only functional, but they can also serve as decor.  There is an abyss of hooks to choose from out there.  Antique hooks, basic hooks from home improvement stores, or my favorite, STATEMENT hooks.  Capitalizing statement really made a statement, eh? Here are a few examples of some that hit my happy bone.




If you can't justify spending $18.00 or more dolla dolla bills y'all on a single hook-- and we totally don't blame you, we can't either-- then consider fashioning your own.  Get some basic hooks and a piece of wood for a couple dollars at a home improvement store.  You can even check out Craigslist for free old barn wood, hopefully termite free. Maybe a can of spray paint- PRIMER FIRST, a couple eye hooks and wire in the back, and go to town.  The barn wood piece displayed above is a prime example of what you can make for a fraction of the cost.  Awesome show, great job!

Sources:
anthropologie.com
restorationhardware.com/


Floor.  You need a floor to walk on, obvi.  Just a tip:  I am a big advocate on not having white tile.. because we do.  It blows balloons. You may think, Eureka!  White will make the space look so much bigger and cleaner!  No, just no.  I am going to stop your unreasonable thoughts right there.  White tile will show everything.  Go ahead and get it though if you live to clean... er... clean to live?

If you stop to think about how many times an entryway is used in a given day, you would be surprised.  It is the portal for coming and going.  Your floor should be strong enough to hold up to the every day homecomings.  Meaning, your floor should not be made of hay or dirt.  That is kind of a bad idea, but tile is never a bad idea and hardwood floors are always genius.  Together the two make the sexiest hybrid floor to date.







Told you so.


Paint can make or break your home.  A few posts ago I talked about all of the different paint color we had in our home the last seven years.  Needless to say, we had a very broken home.  Paint takes thought.  If you are using multiple colors, they should be cohesive with one another.  So, no gray with a warm base mixed with a cool base.  It.does.not.work.  I hate to say that you need to sacrifice color, because that shouldn't be the case.  Just find harmony.  Also, keep in mind your trim color.  If you changing it will make the world of difference in your home, why not?  With that said, we went against the grain a bit this past weekend.  I've always thought trim should be white or wood.  No, no.  Not the case.

Enter exhibit A.

See?  White floors suck suckers.































The entrance to our home looked forgotten about.  That's because it was.  So, I went to my friends at Hirshfields for a little paint fix.  I'm still deciding if them knowing me by name is a great thing, or if I truly have deep-underlying issues.  Hmm yeah, issues.  I picked up a quart of Squirrel Tail by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish.  I am totally in love with this color and it is probably because it looks really similar to the door color in Big Bang Theory.

I started out by sanding and priming the door.

My intention was to paint the door on it's own, but I couldn't help myself. Something told me to keep going, so I did. There is no helping that floor by the way.  Just ignore the dirt.  We obviously do.

This is after the first application of paint on the door, AND trim.  I am really happy I went with it.  It makes the door look like a solid piece rather than breaking it up.  Plus, it really warms up the tiny, almost useless area.

The application process is complete, yo!  The floor was even cleaned just for your viewing pleasure.


















I am sure there are a million other little things that we could do in our entryway- like make it bigger for one, but we can't, and we won't.  All we can do is work with what we have and make the best of it.  We hope you have fun making your entryway a bit more special, and grand, like you.

Fun fact- I tried doing research on who designed the split level home.  It gave me every other piece of information but that.  They probably don't want to own up to it because of crazies like me.  If you happen to come across this bit of information, for the love of all things holy, tell me.  As always, thanks for reading.

Ikea Hack (RAST Dresser)

The weather this weekend was, for a lack of a better word, obnoxious.  I didn't like anything about it.  It is simply a reminder that I don't belong here.  Aw, I'll just have to suck it up I guess.  So, because the weather loathed us Articsotans this weekend, I found it to be the perfect opportunity to tackle my honey-do list. (queue Sky Battle in Deathly Hallows)

First up on the chopping board-- the Ikea RAST Dresser.  You can find these little buggers at Ikea, duh, for $34.99!  They are functional, inexpensive, and have a life expectancy of five years, easy.  The coolest part about these dressers?  The material is raw, meaning the ideas are limitless.  If you haven't checked out Ikea Hackers, here is the link: http://www.ikeahackers.net/ It is here that you can find some great ideas on refashioning your neat finds from Ikea.

I had a pretty good idea of the look I was going for with my dresser.  But just for fun, let's check out some other good folks RAST hacks for inspiration.


I probably shouldn't even start out with this one... This would be the "overachiever" of the bunch, but it just proves that anything is possible! Get fancy with it.


Two-tone RAST dresser.  Very nice.

Here is another super awesome example... it is the best one yet, isn't it?  ISN'T IT?!  Good, because this is the ones I am going to show you how to make.  If you hate it, well then, you're on your own.

Step 1:  Obtain an Ikea RAST dresser.  Because the wood is not treated in anyway, you really want to think about the longevity of your piece and what you are going to be using it for before proceeding.  For our RAST dresser, we are using them as nightstands, therefore, they will be out of the way for the most part.  We typically have cups upon cups sitting on our nightstand filled with vodka water, so we knew that putting a protective seal on it would be key to prevent water rings.

Step 2:  Sand me lightly.

Step 3:  Getchyo paint n' stuff.  For this particular dresser I decided to use a primer before getting down to the nitty-gritty with the actual paint color.  Kilz latex white primer would do.  A quart will put you back about eight bucks.  Something to keep in mind when you are priming your piece- It does not need to look pretty.  It can look sloppy as hell.  Just make sure it isn't gooped on there.  We are looking for a "smooth and unevenly painted finish."  Primer also has a really awesome way to make imperfections stand out more.  This would be the time to get some last minute sanding done.

Step 4:  After the primer has set and dried you can begin your application.  You can pick your weapon of choice:  Roller or paintbrush.  If you use a paintbrush, make sure you use short and even brush strokes.  The more coats of paint you have on your dresser, the less amount of brush strokes you will see.  I would venture to say 3 coats of paint on your dresser would suffice.  If you decide on a roller, the application process is much smoother, however, the downside is you could potentially get air bubbles.  Instead of using a foam head, I would suggest woven Dralon fabric.  Purdy is a line that carries this product.  If you are big on rolling... ha.. the Dralon fabric will prevent less bubbles.  For color reference, I picked up a quart of Equestrian Gray by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish.



Step 5:



Step 6:  While my second coat of paint was drying, I went ahead and started to work on the handles.  Here is the list of materials:

* 1 used leather belt purchased from Savers for $2.99 (men's size 36+)
* Cabinet Knob Screws 8-32 x 1-1/2 (need 6)
* 8-32 bolts (need 6)
* Xacto knife

Step 6- A(?):  First things first.  Measure the distance between the two pre-drilled holes in the dresser and mark the backside of your belt.  It would be a good idea to factor in how long you want your leather handle straps to be, and how droopy or tight you want it. For these particular handles, I wanted to make sure I could get a hand in between the dresser itself and the belt.  Also, keep in mind that you should start from one side of the belt and work your way to the other end.  That way you aren't wasting perfectly good leather.  Man, Step 6 sounded dirty.

B.  Once you get your markings established on the back of your belt, use an Xacto knife to twist in a circular motion through the belt.  Tip:  Do not make your hole too big.  It should be the size of the very tip of a pen or pencil.  Another tip, don't twist a hole into your finger.  Be careful.

C.  Once the holes are carved out of the belt, take a knob screw and twist it through the hole until the head is flush with the leather band.

D.  Cut the straps to your desired length.  Remember, you need THREE straps to complete this dresser so measure accordingly.

E.  Once the paint has dried for about 3-4 hours, or is dry on contact, (You can check this by stroking the back of your hand on recently painted surfaces.  If it feel sticky or balmy, it isn't ready yet!) you can add your hardware.  Put the knob screws through the holes and secure the backside with a bolt.  You could even throw a washer in there for added support.  (Notice how I did not paint the inside of the dresser.  That's called laaaazy, peeps.  But you can't see it!  Ha!)









Step 7:  You can seal your paint by using a high gloss top coat.  I used Minwax water-based Polycrylic in Clear Gloss-- see you later water rings!!



Well, thar she blows!  I am really diggin' it.  Hope you do too.  This is a pretty basic hack, but your ideas could be endless!  (think upholstery tacks or stencils?)

Stay warm out there friends.  -40 below can feel like a real asshole.