Tag Archives: Home Projects

September 27, 2018 · 3:24 pm

How To Make A “Real” Coat Tree

I care deeply about the Earth, I love to repurpose things and use the natural resources around us. It’s funny, even though our house has many closets, my children and husband leave their coats and backpacks all over our kitchen chairs. This drives me crazy! Since closets and wall racks did not work, I thought maybe a coat tree placed in the side hall would. The coat tree would be prominent, they could easily hang their coats, hats and backpacks as they walked by. I choose my battles, and would rather have the coats on a coat tree in the side hall than on my kitchen chairs.

When I started researching coat trees, all I saw were flimsy or unattractive designs. I looked further and found some really unique looking coat trees made out of TREES! Can you imagine? After seeing that, and living on acres of wooded property…I think you can imagine my thoughts.

I called out to my husband and showed him my idea, he was all for it. We couldn’t have picked a better time, many trees were recently cut by the town because they were too close to electric wires. We gathered our tree supplies and started the process of assembly.

For the base my husband split a large log in half. Then he used a chainsaw and chisel to make a hole in the top of the base for the tree trunk. He also hollowed out the underside of the log right beneath the hole on the top. Hollowing the bottom made it possible to get the screw/bolt used to attach the trunk to the base, deeper into the trunk. We wanted to make sure the base was very safe and secure.

We also put wood glue around the base before attaching it. Then my husband cut the coat pegs from long lengths of tree branches. After that, he drilled holes in the tree trunk for the coat pegs. He put wood glue on the base of the branch pegs, then placed them in the holes and knocked them into place with a 2 pound sledge hammer. Right now, we have three branch pegs on the bottom for the little kids, and three on the top for adults, but we plan to add a few more.

We are going to take the coat tree outside and seal and protect it with marine varnish. We are really impressed with just how amazing our unique coat tree turned out, and have more projects in mind that we will share with you in the upcoming weeks.

We’re happy we were able to utilize the natural resources on our property to make something we needed. In the end, we have something we’re proud of and best of al. it was made in the USA by us! You know what else I love? Coat free kitchen chairs around my table! Yippee for small but gratifying victories! Let me know what you think of this natural project in the comments.

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Filed under Crafts, DIY, Home & Garden

Tagged as Coat Tree, Crafts, DIY, Home Projects, Natural Resources

July 5, 2018 · 3:10 pm

Top 4 Reasons to Renovate Your Home

Renovating your home can be a costly and time-consuming process, but the benefits outweigh the money you spend on it. Many homeowners, in spite of draining their pockets, fail at giving their home a lavish look simply because they do not know how to get things done.

Renovating a home enhances the comfort, and the money spent on it serves as an investment. Moreover, the right renovation options also increase the value of your home and help you earn a good profit in case you decide to sell the house.

Here are the top 4 reasons to renovate your home:

1.Reduced Energy Bills

When you hire an experienced contractor, he/she can remodel your home in a way that can maximize natural light so that you don’t need to keep the lights on. This will help reduce energy consumption and help you save money.

Renovating a home also includes upgrading insulation. This will seal any exit points in the roof or anywhere else in the house to control temperature better. Doing so, will save you money on AC and heater bills, which is important a heating and cooling costs make up for about 50% of the total energy consumption.

Last but not the least, switching light fixtures to LEDs can also help you save energy as they are more energy-efficient than other options. They can run 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

2. Increases The Home’s Value

If you think that renovating your home is a money wasting process, think again. Renovating your home is a wise investment. Making both minor and major improvements in your home can boost the home’s value.

Renovating a kitchen has a ROI of almost 59% while making bathroom improvements give you 59.8% return on investment. Similarly, making upgrades in the rooms and hall can also increase the overall value of your home.

It’s not just the interior that will boost your home’s value, making upgrades outside can help too. A deck addition gives a ROI of almost 80%. Adding a small garden too can help you a great deal.

3. Increases The Comfort

It’s important that your home provides the comfort that you need. If the rooms look messy, cluttered and congested then it can be a bit difficult to find peace in your home.

Renovating your home helps you reconsider the space and make changes. It’s a great way to exclude unnecessary things. For example. a large coffee table in the hall might be occupying a lot of space. You can install shelves in the kitchen to make more space in the hall. Similarly, you can make adjustments for other areas as well.

We suggest that you visit ResCom Designs to find some inspiration.

4. Improves Aesthetics

No one wants their homes to look dull and unattractive. However, when a renovation is long overdue, the aesthetics are compromised. New upgrades such as fresh paint, new flooring, window replacement etc., can help enhance the look of your home.

This is a sponsored guest post, the views and ideals do not necessarily reflect those of Mommy Ramblings.

You’ll Never Believe What You Can Do With Reclaimed Wood

Using wood and other natural materials, is huge in interior decor this fall. It’s with good reason, too. Wood finishes are the perfect way to bring the look of any interior design concept together as well as, adding a personal touch to the family home.

Wood finishes add a sense of warmth, richness and comfort to whatever colors, finishes and materials they’re paired with. The sheer range of woods available makes this material extremely versatile. Pale ash, for example can give a room a fresh yet neutral tone, while a deep mahogany adds warmth and prestige to any living space and oak is perfect for more or less anything.

While many of us love to use wood in our interior design, few are aware of the benefits of reclaimed wood. Just go ahead and look at Plank and Mill’s website and you’ll see the distinctive finish that reclaimed wood has, as well as its enormous variety of applications. Using reclaimed wood is not only good for the environment but is also perfect for a wide range of interior uses, including…

Headboards

The bedroom should be a restful, tranquil place decorated with neutral tones and unimposing natural materials. Thus, a reclaimed wood headboard can be a subtle yet distinctive addition to the bedroom. The type of wood you choose to use will depend on the overall aesthetic of your room and the other tones and types of wood already present in your bedroom furniture. For example, a headboard made of reclaimed driftwood can strike the difficult balance between making a statement and compromising the soothing neutrality of the room.

Feature walls

Every now and then you’ll want to call attention to a particular wall and neither paint nor wallpaper will quite cut it. For an accent or feature wall that’s little more distinctive, reclaimed wood creates a pleasing contrast with paler tones elsewhere in the room. It’s important to remember that wood has a tendency to absorb light, so it’s best utilized in spaces where the furniture and decor is light and airy. Wooden feature walls can be dressed up or down, recreating either a rustic log cabin feel or a more sleek, contemporary look. While versatile, reclaimed wood is, of course, unique meaning that your reclaimed wall will look like no other anywhere in the world.

Dining tables

If you’re looking for something truly unique, a dining table made of reclaimed wood is a wonderfully distinctive piece of furniture that doubles as a fun conversation piece among dinner guests. The great thing is that you’ll never need another dining table as the look of the finish will change subtly with age. While a reclaimed wood dining table is seldom cheap, it may well be the last one you ever buy.

Flooring

If you’re aiming for a rural, country effect, distressed reclaimed wood will look (and feel) fantastic under your feet. However, if your tastes lean towards the classic and elegant, a darker tone will give the room warmth and grandeur while subtly complementing any antique furniture you may have in the room.

This is a sponsored post that may or may not represent the views and ideals of Mommy Ramblings. Photo Credit-Plank and Mill’s website

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Filed under DIY, Home & Garden, sponsored guest post

Tagged as decor, decorating, Decorating Trends, DIY, home, home improvement, Home Projects, Interior Design, Reclaimed Wood

May 15, 2017 · 2:21 pm

Big Home Improvement Updates & New Projects #HomeImprovement

Hi Everyone, I hope all the moms out there had a very Happy Mother’s Day. I am here with some very big updates. We will finally be starting the process of having the interior of our home rebuilt. We received great news from our air and surface testing after the mold remediation was completed so we can go to phase 2 and start getting our house back!

Need Help?

We have had a busy week. First off if you are looking for contractors or craftsmen and women, please try Thumbtack. We live in the country and we were having trouble finding contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters etc. One afternoon on Thumbtack solved that. Our house was like a hub for the next few days getting estimates because we had such a great response.

I have to tell you, we found so many skilled professionals we wanted to work with, it was hard to choose. We actually felt really bad about having to tell them that we hired someone. In the end, we found a contractor to do it all, from soup to nuts, everything! It was the best choice for us and we cannot wait to get this home rebuild party started.

Home Depot Pro Accounts Rock

My husband and I went to the The Home Depot the other day with our new contractor and added all the SKU numbers for all the drywall, wall spackle, thin set, grout, insulation, molding and other building supplies to my Home Depot Pro account. If you are doing work on your home and do not have a Pro account, go and get one, it is free, and if you are doing major renovations and will be spending more than $1500 in 7 days, it is well worth it. They also have a Pro special buy each week.

I could kick myself for the $7,000 plus I spent prior to knowing this. The only thing that consoles me is that what I bought previously was on a huge sale, so I tell myself it probably would not have been knocked down more. That is what I am telling myself anyway.

I work with a wonderful man there and he is so helpful and friendly, he knew my contractor immediately and told me he was a good guy. So, we now have just about everything we need except for the wall paint. That is because I need to pick the colors, which I plan to do this week. My kitchen designer told me to use the Cambria site that I am getting my quartz from. It has a paint match tool that is really cool so that is a huge help. It gave me four shades that would work and so I have to decide which two colors I want to go with.

Unbelievable Deal

We bought all the new hardwood flooring for our upstairs foyer, atrium and bedrooms as well. I am so excited about that because we got a great deal on the wood. It was more than a great deal, it was the kind of deal that makes me think of the IKEA commercial where the woman is running out and screaming to her husband, “Start the Car! Start the Car!”

We also have 3 pallets of Italian porcelain tile in our garage for the kitchen and first floor of our home. I still need to choose the tile for my kitchen backsplash, but my kitchen designer has advised me to wait until the countertop is installed, so I can really see how it will look. In the meantime, I am looking at what I think I want. I have just been informed by my contractor to look at some tile mat designs for the special accent tile I want to put behind my cooktop. I will try and do that this week.

Bathroom Renovation Finally Starting

We are going to be demoing the powder room downstairs and finally installing the new vanity and toilet. I did not pick out the new wallpaper yet so that will be something I need to do. I did pick up the new light fixture for the ceiling and we have a huge medicine chest, mirror unit that matches the vanity with built in LED lighting from Hafele.

We will then be installing a new TOTO USA Guinevere toilet in our bathroom and the beautiful Guinevere faucet from TOTO USA in the powder room. We will be installing the American Standard Self-Cleaning Toilet in the Powder Room along with the vanity and mirror unit from Strasser Woodenworks.

Kitchen Cabinets Due To Be Completed Soon

The kitchen cabinets from Wood-Mode are due to be completed on May 21st! I cannot wait to get my kitchen in. I am so excited. I have missed cooking and baking more than you can imagine.

Our refrigerator and dishwasher were delivered this week too! On May 19th, Home Depot will deliver all the building supplies and then work is going to be full speed ahead.

More Projects Underway

I also have some exciting little projects planned for me to do and show you on the blog. Our basement steps are still the unfinished wood from when we built the house. I want to dress them up a bit. I have thought about it for a while, but never got around to doing it, but no more procrastinating.

I bought Minwax Polyshades in the dark brown Espresso color for the top of the stairs and for the risers, I picked up some Wall Pops, Newport Reclaimed Brick NuWallpaper, peel and stick wallpaper to use. There was a photo on the outside of the package showing it used on stair risers and I loved the look. I will take video of the project to help anyone who might want to recreate the look in their own home.

I am also refinishing some windowsills in my house with the Watco Danish Oil and other Watco products. I cannot wait to share that with you, they are coming out fabulous. I am also covering the process on video, I hope it will help others to see how easy it is to get beautiful results.

Lastly you may remember in my master bath, I have the Concealed Cabinets. Well, I have wanted to add a little bling to them and I found some mosaic tile at Home Depot that I thought would match, and it does! I am going to put them all around the frame and then grout them.

I still need to find the right thing for inside the frame. I am thinking of using one of my flower photos enlarged to that size. The lilacs are just starting to bloom and I am going to try to take a photo that might work for that or use one that I have. I may do one in a peony and one with the lilac. I will Have to see. It is either that or one of my lake photos.

So, that is my update and I will be taking lots of photos and videos of the rebuild and all my projects to share with you of our progress along the way. If you have any questions, please ask.