NIGHT STAND MAKE OVER

As I have mentioned we are s-l-o-w-l-y finishing our basement.  Which means we are going from 6 people in a 3 bedroom house to 6 people in a 5 bedroom house.  AHHH, I can't wait for the extra space.  So when my daughter had a birthday last week she got swag for her "new room". (Sorry no room to actually put the stuff in yet, but we are getting close.)

My favorite project was the night stand.  I bought this ugly night stand at the DI for $8.

If I had more time to look I may have chosen something that only required spray painting but I needed something that day.  I also have a storage requirement.  Our bedrooms are small and so we can't just have things that look pretty they also have to pull their own weight and store something.

I had this bead board kit, (given to me by the neighbor when she was moving, I knew I would eventually use it for something.)

After removing horrible hardware I glued the bead board to the front of the door with wood glue.

I then used leftover door casing to frame the door.  I secured it with wood glue and finishing nails

I then puttied and caulked the gaps around the sides and nail holes.

Then:
Add primer (KILZ),  I did have to lightly sand in between coats for a smooth finish

Add paint (Rust-oleum Heirloom White)

Add handle from the dumpster (see here http://sticksandstoneshomedecor.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-husband-got-me-new-knockers-from.html )my daughter is kind of "earthy" so she wanted the stick handle.

and Viola.

Total cost $15.00
$ 8.00 ugly night stand
$7.00 primer and paint
bead board free
handle free

This night stand is laminate, I was worried it wouldn't paint well and that I would be donating it back to the DI but it painted great.  I also love how it distressed.  I never thought I would say this and in certain circles I may deny I ever did say this but "I am a fan if laminate"

Also I bought this

I will never spray paint without one again.  I have carpel tunnel and this helped a lot.  No more embarrassing trigger finger syndrome,
and it only cost $2.50.

How to install door trim

MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE, BUT DON'T MEASURE AT ALL IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO!!!!!

My husband and I do things differently.  He is a math whiz and for him adding up all the numbers in his head just adds to the fun.  (36 inches for the size of the door, + the reveal 1/8 inch x 2 + 2.5 inches for the casing oh but times that by two and add all that together. Then find the middle of the door, then find the middle of the casing, blah blah blah) For me, not so much.  That's two minutes of my life I can never get back and that's if I do it right the first time which I won't. So this is how I do it.

  First install header- cut one end of the header on a 45 degree angle like this.

Leave the other side longer than you need it, hold it in place and mark where you want the cut. Cut at a 45 degree angle.

Nail in the header (Door molding typically sits back 1/8 inch from the edge of the doorjamb.  This "reveal" leaves enough room for the hinge barrel. This measurement may have to be fudged a little depending on how your drywall was installed just try to make it uniform all the way around the door.)

Miter one end of each of the legs make sure to leave the legs longer than needed.

Hold a leg in place but upside down.

Mark where the top of the header meets the leg and cut the leg straight at the mark

 flip over and install, add wood glue to miters

fill gaps and nail holes with wood putty then caulk side seams.

This is really quite simple, my 13 year old daughter (pictured above) and I installed  several.  I think all 13 year old girls should know how to use a nail gun.   

We used a miter saw to make the cuts but this could be done with a miter box, we also used a nail gun but you could use a hammer and nails, just be careful not to split wood.

Water balloon flip flops

My daughter came home with these cute flip flops from a youth activity.

I thought they were so cute.  I am sure they are all over blog land but I hadn't seen them yet.  They just tied water balloons using a square knot around the strap of the flip flop.  She did get a couple of blisters (That's a lot of balloons, about fifty per strap)