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DIY Plank Wall

October 1, 2013 By Erica Deuel 13 Comments

I am not a professional decorator in the slightest bit. Walking in a store and trying to pick out items for a specific room and putting them all together stresses me out. What about you!? However, I do love to craft, so that takes over in my decor. I usually start with a project that begins to give the room character and I just keep adding (and sometimes subtract) until it feels done.

I have one goal when I work on a room – I try to make it my favorite space in the house. I want to walk in every one of my rooms in our house and be able to think to myself “this is my favorite room.” If that is the case, then I feel my house will be warm and welcoming all over.

Currently, the room in makeover mode has been our foster care bedroom. I showed you the dresser I made over, and today I want to show you how we planked a wall. I wanted a fun accent wall, yet did not want to do another chalkboard wall like we did in Reagan’s room and our boys’ bedroom. While at the Haven Conference this past summer I got to experience a hands on workshop for planking a wall. I also met some kind people representing PureBond Plywood and learned a lot about their product. My mind was made up, a plank wall was exactly what this bedroom needed.

So, Matt and I took the PureBond Pledge and couldn’t be happier about it. This wood is unlike any plywood we have ever used before. PureBond hardwood plywood is a unique real wood product. It is environmentally friendly, formaldehyde free, and made right here in America. Matt was skeptical going into this project because he hates plywood, but we finished up this project planning our next PureBond project. Here’s a quick video on the project.

If you’d like more details and tips, you’ll find those after the video!

So if you are ready to give PureBond a try, go to The Home Depot and look for their signs around the finished lumber and paneling area. Be careful, there are other plywoods stacked around the PureBond products. We had the wrong wood on our cart at first, and once we found the right stuff, we could literally feel the difference in the wood. The best way to make sure you have PureBond wood is to look for their name stamped onto the edge of the wood.

For our wall, we bought four 4′ x 8′ boards that were 1/4″ thick. We had the guys at The Home Depot cut them in half so we could fit them in our mini van to get home. We decided to create 6″ planks so the next step was to measure our boards in 6″ strips and cut them on our Ryobi table saw.

After our boards were cut, we used a stud finder to locate the studs behind the drywall, and we snapped a chalk line where they were located. Since we were attaching the planks to the wall using 1 1/2″ finish nails, we wanted to nail directly into the studs as much as possible. With the studs chalked and a big stack of 6″ planks waiting, we were ready to start our wall.

We did not want our wall to have a uniformed pattern where every board and seam matched from wall-to-wall. We hammered one row of boards across the bottom of our wall. We then staggered boards up to create a stair step look. This created unique spacing for each row of boards as they were attached.

Going into it, it seemed like creating a plank wall was just nailing boards up onto a wall. It sounded easy. Once we got into it we realized it was like a huge puzzle that we were attaching to our wall. I would not say it was hard, but took a little more thought than we initially gave it from the start. We came up with three tips to help you create this wall with a little more ease.

1. Use a quarter to help space your boards. Instead of having the boards literally rest on top of each other, place a quarter in-between the boards as you hammer the top one in place. This will create a little space to help give your wall a uniformed depth and allow for some forgiveness when it comes to leveling the boards. As we found, it’s hard to perfectly cut dozens of 6″ strips. Combo the quarters with a level (next tip) to help keep the wall pretty square.

2. Use a level on every board to get as level as possible. Again with varying cuts you will need to work with your pieces to try and keep it level and square. (by the way, The Home Depot guys were willing to cut the strips but encouraged us to do it at home. They said that while their cuts are usually within 1/4″ of being correct their saws are rarely squared-up. At home most of our cuts ranged between right-on to 1/8″ off, with a handful of cuts that drifted 1/4″) When we had a board with a slight angle, we’d add the quarter to one end, and use a level to bring the other end up or down ever so slightly to keep the whole puzzle straight. BIGGEST THING to realize, once everything is pieced together and you back up from the wall you will not be able to see your 1/8″-1/4″ blemishes.

3. Label the wall and measured board when installing your end peices. We were working with 4ft planks on a 12 1/2ft wall. Depending on your planks, wall size and pattern you will most likely need to custom cut boards to fit the end of your rows. Having our saw downstairs in the shop meant measuring the boards, taking them downstairs to cut, and then bringing them back up and trying to find the right placement for each custom cut board. We saved some time and energy on figuring out where all the cut “puzzle pieces” go by writing a number on the wall with a corresponding number on the back of the measured board. So when we got back upstairs ready to nail the planks in place, it was as simple as matching up the numbers.

We love how the wall came out. The beautiful grain on the boards add so much character and charm to the room. Originally we were going to cover the boards with a light coat of paint and stain to give it the rustic look we love so much. However, the natural wood is stunning, so right now we are leaning towards finishing it with a natural stain or satin polyurethane to seal the wall and protect it from the little artists around here.

The crazy thing is, after all this I can say I accomplished my goal. I still have a number of things to hang on the wall and few accent pieces to go – but this room is currently my favorite room in the house! Seriously. I love it. The warmth of the daylight coming in on the natural wood has a peacefulness to it that makes me want to go in there and just hang out. I begin these projects stressed out and doubting myself. I’m learning though. If I can just find a spoonful of imagination to get it started and get me in my groove, the rest usually comes together pretty well.

Do you love to decorate or like me, is intimidating to get started? What’s your favorite space in your house and why?

If are in Atlanta and you’d like to hang out with me and some other ladies looking to craft together, make sure to check out my next SpoonfulLab. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week.

DIY Paper Pumpkins

September 9, 2013 By Erica Deuel 8 Comments

I can’t believe fall is here. Although the “official” first day of fall isn’t till later this month, I am so excited to start decorating for my favorite season. This weekend I pulled out my bucket of fall decor and happily started placing my collection of pumpkins around the house. I love fall.

As I was in the basement getting my bucket of fall stuff, I saw my huge box of left over moving paper. When we moved in, I had a hard time throwing out the paper we used to wrap some of our breakable stuff, so I saved a bunch of it.

We have been using it for painting projects. I let the kids paint on it, or I put it under other things we are painting to protect the surface. I decided to try to make a paper pumpkin with some of it.

I started by cutting a bunch of paper pieces the same size. Next, I cut the ends of my paper strips to be rounded. Once I had a stack of rounded edged paper pieces, I folded the paper into one big fan and wrapped it with a thin piece of wire.

Slowly, I started to pull the different pieces of paper out away from one another. This is a step that forces you to be some what patient. The moving paper is so thick that if I pulled to quickly the paper would rip.

Once the paper pumpkin is fluffed, I glued the two end pieces (on either side) of the paper fan together to make the pumpkin hold shaped. I didn’t want it to separate back into a fan type shape, but I wanted it to hold the circle/pumpkin shape.

Our kids were really excited about seeing the pumpkins coming out, and they wanted to help in this project. I let them help fluff the pumpkin and to find a good stick ~~or six of them~~ to act as its stem.

Once I had a good stick for a pumpkin stem, I glued the stick and a small piece of felt (that I cut to look like a leaf) into the center of my pumpkin. My paper pumpkin was than complete!

I’m pretty happy with this rustic paper pumpkin. I love that it was made with recycled materials and that it brings a little rustic charm to our decor.

Have you started decorating for fall? I hope you had the chance to incorporate a spoonful of imagination into your weekend!

A special shout out to L. Thompson for winning a set of my Burlap Greeting Cards. I will be in touch!
Thank you so much for stopping in! I hope you have a blessed day!

DIY Burlap Flowers

May 27, 2013 By Erica Deuel 5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t born with a green thumb. Most flowers and plants probably see me as the Grim Reaper. “No please, anyone but her!!! Don’t let her take me home!” they scream as they see me and my shopping cart approaching. Kids, no problem. Pets, piece of cake. Put a plant or flower in my care and you might as well say your goodbyes.

So if you are anything like me (or you are in the mood for a cute DIY burlap flower craft) then today’s post is just for you! The flower arrangement, you can’t kill! Sound good? Ok, here’s what you need to get started:

Materials

The first step is to cut your burlap petals out. I cut strips about five inches wide. Taking the strips I then cut those every four or five inches so I ended up having a stack of burlap squares. From there I eyeballed cutting flower bases out. They don’t all need to be the same. Just make sure they all have the same amount of petals. I cut mine to have four petals. Once you have cut your burlap petals, you are ready to start piecing everything together to make the flowers.

Take one burlap petal piece and hot glue one of the wool felt balls into the center.

Next, put a small drop of hot glue on each petal to attach them to the side of the wool ball (as shown below).

Then hot glue another petal burlap piece below the first one. Turn it so the petals are rotated in between the petals of the first burlap petal piece.

Hot glue each petal down, and hold each one for a few seconds to make sure the petal seals and the glue sets. Be careful of the hot glue as it squeezes through the burlap.

Keep adding layers of petals over and over until your flower is as full as you want it to be.

Once your flower is as full as you want it to be, take another petal and cut a slit in the middle of it.

Stick one of the dowel rods into the hole, and put a huge glop of hot glue on top of it. Then place your finished burlap flower on top, and hold it down for several seconds.

Then take a small scrap piece of burlap and hot glue it around the edge of the dowel rod and the flower. This step helps strengthen the attachment of the two as well as make the flower look better.

Your flower is then done! You can make as many flowers as you want! I love that you can take this idea and make lots of different sizes or use the technique to make more than just bouquets. I think the flowers would look cute to make napkin rings, wreaths, or as an ornament to lots of different baskets or buckets.

I put my flowers in a pretty clay vase on the buffet in my dinning room. If you like these burlap flowers, you might like another burlap flower I created and used on hairbows.

So, what about you!? Do you have a green thumb or like the idea of fake flowers too??

My Craft Desk {a special furniture revamp}

May 24, 2013 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

Do you ever buy things…like big things…pieces of furniture, not knowing where they are going to go? It seems like a piece of furniture should be a big purchase that requires lots of thought and consideration before buying. It usually isn’t for me. When I find something that I like for a good deal I usually buy it (assuming that by the time I refinish it I’ll have a use for it).

That is the story of this desk and chair. I really fell in love with the chair more but for the pair only being $30 together, I knew I wanted it. They weren’t always so pretty though. When we got them home they were a nice dirty, ugly brown. I saw the potential though.

I want to quickly show you how I revamped this piece of furniture, so you too can find an old ugly piece of furniture and give it new life.

My first step in revamping old furniture is to remove all the hardware and give it a nice Clorox bath. I like to know that any germs, dirt, or dust on that piece came from me or my family.

The next step is to sand it down. Although the desk is real wood, the top of my desk is some kind of laminate/coated wood. I went ahead and sanded it too with a piece of 60-Grit sandpaper, since it had dried paint, pen, and glue stuck to it. Sandpaper Tip: The lower the number the rougher the grit. 40-60 = stripping. 80-120 = general use. 150+ = fine tuning and finishing. Change out your sandpaper based on your project stage. I often use 60 at the beginning to strip down and rough up my pieces. I then move to 100+ for smoothing and finishing.

After everything was sanded, I primed it with a nice coat of Kilz. Since I was using Kilz paint, I could have skipped sanding my piece (for my paint to stick) except that I wanted to create a nice even base for my paint. There was a lot of discoloration in the wood. Sanding it helped to give everything a more even start to then prime and paint.

I didn’t know what to do with the top, since it was not real wood. Around this time I was thinking this was going to be my craft desk at our new house. I decided to not paint it because of how this desk was intended to be used. I knew as a craft desk that it would get scratched and things would get stuck to it quite often. The original laminate covering would wear better versus a coat of paint on top of the laminate. I then used left over paint from Reagan’s dresser makeover to paint the rest of the desk. My color is Disney Paint’s Pluto’s Paws.

I then layed out the stencil I had bought (Learn how to use the stencil over here: a colorful stool).

Using Disney’s Cool Marine, I started filling in the stencil and was then forced to decide how much of my new color I wanted to be on the desk. The answer would decided which way I used my stencil as you can see in the picture below.

I stared at those two wider drawers for the longest time, trying to decide which one I liked better. I struggled to decide. I’m not usually a “yellow” fan, so I opted for the design on the right that featured more of the Cool Marine. I really liked the look of the design on the left though, so I used that technique on the middle drawer. I like how the mix all looks together.

I think it’s important to realize that everything doesn’t have to be exactly the same so it “matches”, and different things together can really be beautiful.

I then sanded the edges of my drawers and desk. I wanted the desk to look more rustic. I was going to be staining this piece to tone down the brightness of the yellow a bit and knew the rough edges would help to hold the stain’s color better.

My stencil job is not perfect as paint smeared under parts of the stencil where it was not supposed to. I think the sanded edges go with that “imperfect” look better. It kind of makes the whole piece imperfect and rustic with charm.

I like to paint the back of my projects to have an area that I can test things out. On this project, there were a couple different stains I was thinking about using. I tested a gray stain out on the back and didn’t like it so I went with Early American by Minwax.

I think the wood color stain compliments the warm yellow color better than the cool gray would have done.

I went ahead and stained the top laminate as well. I don’t think it changed the color much, but it did give the desk back its shine (that I had sanded off during the cleaning and stripping process). After my stain was dry, the last step was changing out the hardware! This is an old desk and I couldn’t find hardware that fit the exact width of my horizontal holes. I used carpenter’s wood filler to fill one hole then drilled a new hole to line up with my new hardware. It was a couple of extra steps but totally worth it. The newer slick handles allow for the stencil to be the major eye catcher rather than the old handles. I also used three different handles on this piece and I love how they all look good together but are different.

My new desk was then done! I simply had to move and set it up! Although I didn’t totally know how it would fit in our new house, I knew I could use this piece. I love how it turned out and it is perfect in the corner of our bedroom. (a.k.a. my new area for creating!)

I have found a few of my favorite things to help decorate this area.

One of my favorite pillows I have made.
A new, sweet reminder embroidered hoop art that I made right before we moved. I also really like how I can use my Ikea hanger as an old school (before Pinterest) memo inspiration board.
The week we moved in, we found this bird’s nest with three little eggs just a few feet off our deck. We got to watch the birds hatch, feed, and learn to fly away that first week we were here. It was such a special and exciting time as a family discovering our new place and experiencing joy together in our new house. It is one of my first memories in making this house our home, and I love the reminder of sweet family moments the nest brings.
Scrap sewing pieces and an awesome light that I won from Red Head Can Decorate.
Fun metal tin to hide my paperwork, receipts, and patterns.
Vintage playing cards from my favorite childhood movie that helped inspire my blog’s name.

This area is not done. I have to hang up some of my organizers and figure out a shelf system I like. I’m making progress though and was so excited to share with you a new piece and place that will help me bring lots of creations back here to show you!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I am excited to show you next week the piece my husband was making over simultaneously as I was working on this one!

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