DIY Basket Lights

A good DIY basket light has a few things.. and DOESN'T have a few things.

#1

When looking for a basket that you want to turn into a basket light, look for a sturdy shape. *aka not floppy

You want this basket to be able to hold it's shape when you set it on the ground and not flop over or lean to one side. ESPECIALLY check that the bottom of the basket is structurally flat (you need it to be able to support the weight of the lightbulb and other attachements).

#2

This may be a personal preference, but, I prefer that the basket not have any handles or at least minimal handles.

This helps the basket look more like a light than a random basket hanging from the ceiling. A few of the examples I'm going to give have handles and they can either be easily removed, or they are small and minimal enough that it's fine.

#3

Now, at the end of the day, this thing is going to be a light fixture. So, you want to make sure you consider the amount of light that will be able to get through this basket.

Do you want more of a moody light? Do you need this room to be bright? Think about all of these things and choose accordingly. Baskets with more holes in them will obviously give off more light.

I linked some great options for a DIY basket light! I love all of these and I think they would all be amazing as lights!

Happy DIYing!

Half Bath Refresh

Goodbye builder grade bathroom!

I know it seems silly to care so much about a half bath in a home... but when you think about it, this is probably one of the most "seen" rooms in your home when you're having guests over.

I knew that I wanted to do "something" with this room from the moment we moved in. I just wasn't sure what. When Stencil Revolution contacted me about their stencils, I was struck with inspiration and knew what I needed to do!

Here is the "before" and truly, nothing is wrong with this. It's just plain and I wanted something brighter and more fun! This is a very common situation for people buying new construction homes. They say "well, nothing is wrong with it so I feel like I shouldn't mess with it."

When you put work into a new construction home, just know that you are adding character (that is most likely lacking) and you are raising the value of your home. Within a new construction neighborhood, SO MANY of the houses have the exact same finish choices. So, when you go to sell your home down the road, your house is going to stand out and shine among a sea of bland and boring. So, do not be afraid to get messy in your new home!

First things first --

I had Stencil Revolution send me their "Boho Charm" wall stencil because I just loved the hand painted look of it. I wanted this stencil to look like a hand painted wallpaper like something you would see at Anthropologie. ($$$)

Inspiration pictures (via Anthropologie and Megan Molton).

The first step was to paint the room a bright white! I chose a Satin finish so that the stencil would appear more as a "wallpaper".

I was unsure at this point of what we were going to do on the bottom half of the room so, I chose not to paint it at this time. I finally decided on the color Cresent Blue by Sherwin Williams for the stencil paint color. It was the perfect powder blue that I was looking for!

This stencil was seriously so easy to use. Stencil Revolution's stencils are huge so that you don't have to repeat the pattern 1 million times. I tried a few methods but ultimately, loved how using a foam brush made the pattern look "hand painted".

We went back and forth on whether we wanted to do shiplap on the bottom half or board and batton...

Ultimately, we decided to go with board and batton on the bottom half of the room. This was a new venture for me, but oh, how I love it! It was so simple to execute and I know that I will be doing it somewhere else it our house at some point.

I took the board and batton up three quarters on the wall to give the room height and to give that coastal feel I was going for.

The original plan for the bathroom was to build a new vanity so that we could get rid of the dreaded pedestal sink. However, once we got into this little "renovation"... I really couldn't decide the direction I wanted the vanity to go. So, we wait! and that's totally fine. It looks amazing even with the pedestal sink.

The mirror was a $5 Goodwill find that I sanded down to a natural wood color that really appealed to the coastal vibe I was going for.

The vanity light is from Lowes Home Improvement and comes in a "bronze" (aka brown) finish. It was the most cost effective option and looked very similar to the Pottery Barn one that I had been eyeing. So, I bought that one and spray painted it matte black.

The faucet is from Amazon (not hooked up yet in this photo - reasons why there are hoses hanging out) and the towel ring is the existing one that I spray painted matte black to match!

Art is from Target and I found it on clearance for $22!

Here are some other pieces of art that I was considering from Target if you need other options!

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Thanks for following along!

DIY Bench Building Plans

I have wanted to add benches to our farmtable for so long and we finally did it! I cannot believe how easy it was and how dumb I felt for waiting so long to do it! I guess quarantine is good for some things!

Shout out to my dad for always being on board (or getting on board in order for me not to hurt myself) and letting me use his menagerie of tools.

---

Supplies List:

**these plans are to build ONE bench. If making two benches, double the amount of wood and cuts.

- Drill

- Drill bit

- Tape measure

- Miter saw (preferred)

- Pencil

- 2 1/2 wood screws

- Kreg Jig (& 2 1/2 Kreg screws) (optional)

- Clamps

- (1) 2x8x10 board

- (2) 2x4x8 boards

Cut List:

2x8 cuts-

- (2) 60" (cut the 10ft board in half so that you have 2- 60inch boards)

2x4 cuts-

- (4) 16 1/2"

- (4) 9 1/2"

- (1) 47"

Step 1 is to make all of your cuts and have all of your pieces ready to assemble. My best tip when making your cuts is to always start with the biggest cuts first.

Once you have all of your cuts made, decide whether or not you will be using the Kreg Jig. If you are using the Kreg Jig, lay both of your 2x8 cuts down side by side and drill out your holes using the Kreg Jig drill bit. Then, using the Kreg screws, attach the two boards together.

Step 2 is to assemble the basic structure of each leg of the bench. You will need two of the 16 1/2" 2x4 cuts and one of the 9 1/2" 2x4 cuts.

Hold the "U shape" together with your clamps while you first, drill pilot holes with your drill bit (this is to avoid spliting in the wood). Then use the 2 1/2" screws to attach the "U shape" of the legs together.

This will give you the basic leg shape (without the center brace). Step 3 is to attach both of the "U shaped" legs to the top of the bench (seen below).

Place the legs 4 inches from the end of each side of the bench and drill them into place.

Step 4 will be to construct the center brace. Mark the midline of the 2 peices of 9 1/2" 2x4's. Attach the 47" 2x4 to the middle of each 9 1/2" piece, giving you the "capital I" shape.

From here, Step 5 is just to attach the "I" shape that you have just constructed 3" from the bottom of the bench. Make sure to measure each side of the 9 1/2" piece before screwing them into place (the clamps come in handy here).

Just give it a really good sanding down to make sure there aren't any splinters sticking out (I like to round the edges of the seat).

Paint/stain and enjoy!

Paint used: Bright White in eggshell

Stain used: 2 coats of Provincial stain by Minwax.

Now, don't be intimidated by this very advanced drawing. But, here she is. I attempted to lay it out for ya'll via drawing. I can confidently say, this drawing will confuse you more than you already were.

Happy Building!