Upcycle

  Mantel to Headboard

If you see an old fireplace mantel on the side of the road, grab it. 

One great way to repurpose it is to make a headboard. 

And that is exactly what I did in my teenager daughter's room.

Materials:

fireplace mantel, luan plywood, 2in foam pad, natural cotton batting, fabirc, buttons, spray adhesive, long upholstery needle, strong string or twine, staple gun, screws, french cleat picture hanging kit, wall dogs

 

Step One: Make sure the mantel is secure.

The one I picked up was in a couple of pieces and needed some repair work. Even so it was still a great find. I priced the cost of several in  thrift stores and they cost around $120.00 to $175.00.

Step Two: If you like the finish already on it, then this step can be skipped. If not, then come up with a finish that compliments your room. 

(I chose to do a white wash finish)

Step Three: Cut a piece of luan plywood to fit snug within the open center of the mantel.

Step Four: Decide on your button pattern. Then mark the button spots on the luan board and drill holes in the marked spots. 

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Step Five: Cut a piece of 2in foam to fit your previously cut piece of wood

Step Six: Spray adhesive glue onto one side of the cut wood board and attached your piece of cut foam.

Step Seven: Wrap natural cotton batting around your foam and secure it on the back of the wood. Be sure to pull it tight. Do not get carried away with staples because you will repeat the process with the fabric. 

(I used an air staple gun to secure the batting. However a manual staple gun will work too.)

 Step Eight: Repeat step seven with your fabric.

 Step Nine: Make your buttons 

I used fabric covered buttons. You can buy a kit at any craft store that sells fabric. (Hancocks, JoAnns, etc)

Step Ten: Add the buttons

This can be done several ways. But here is how I do it.

First I mark the button pattern on the fabric side of the board with a mark-b-gone pen. Next I tie the button in the middle of the string. Then I thread the string ends into a long upholstery needle and feed it through the foam and out of the back of the luan wood board through the designated hole. Once I have both strings pulled through the hole, I have someone push the button into the foam until the desired impression is made. I finally place a popsicle stick between the two strings and tie the strings tightly together.

 Step Eleven: Hang your new headboard

I hung the mantel and the center pad separately.

 For the mantel...  If you don't have a stud in the area you want to hang your mantel, walls dogs are a great product you can buy at your local home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe's, ect.) I drilled a couple holes on each side of the mantel and screwed the mantel into the wall or wall dog. You can plug the holes with wood plugs and touch up the paint / finish.

To attach the center pad... I installed it using a flush mount kit. It is called a french cleat picture hanging kit. It was purchased from a home improvement store. I had to use two kits to cover the length of the padded center.

 After installation enjoy decorating your new headboard.

additional note...

If you or someone you know is handy with simple electrical projects, you could easily add pocket lights to the underside of the mantel. It would be a great addition for reading in bed.

  

Repurposed Drawers

Well I guess this truly is a from trash to treasure project. My neighbor placed a broken desk on the street curb. Being the queen of trash, I walked two houses down to inspect the goodies. The desk was solid wood but broken into many pieces. Even so luck was on my side because the drawers were in tack. I took all of the drawers back to my house. When I reached the front porch steps, my husband was there to greet me with a disapproving nod. I laughed and preceded into the house. I was so excited about my unexpected find I had to call someone that would appreciate it. So I called my mother. While talking on the phone with her all kinds of wonderful uses surfaced: Planters, under the bed storage, pet beds, shoe baskets, and serving trays. After I got off of the phone, I got straight to work. Below are pictures of how I used ordinary desk drawers. I hope it inspires you to repurpose your old drawers or your neighbors.

Pet Bed - This pet bed is a drawer that has been painted inside and out. I also added  little feet to the bottom

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Planter / Raised Garden - This drawer was used as a raised planter. I have been wanting to grow herbs. This was my idea of how to grow them and keep the bunnies out of my garden. I first attached the legs to the drawer by drilling holes in the bottom of it. Second I added a little wood glue on the top of the legs near the screw for added stability. Third I placed the screw through the hole in the bottom of the drawer and secured it with a washer and a nut on the inside. Fourth I added L brackets to the inside corners for additional sturdiness. Fifth I paint it. Sixth I lined the inside of the drawer with plastic. I attached the plastic to the drawer with a staple gun. Seventh I drilled holes in the bottom of the drawer for drainage. Finally I put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the drawer and added dirt & seeds. Hopefully the whole family will be enjoying fresh organic herbs at dinner soon.

Under the Bed Storage - To convert this drawer into under the bed storage I simply added caster wheels to the bottom and stained it inside and out. I left the original handle on the front so it is easy to grab and pull out.

Serving Tray / Plant Flat - This drawer already had groves routed on the inside of it, so I added wood slates in the groves to create dividers. I also added another handle to the back of the back of the drawer for easy carrying.

shown used as plant flat - This is very helpful when carry several small plants from the car to the backyard

Seedling Tray

Serving Tray - This was another helpful way to utilize this drawer. It makes life much easier for the nights we decide to dine outdoors.

Industrial Planter

This extra larger planter is made from an old washing machine drum. When my service repair man came to fix my washer, I had no idea he would leave me the broken parts. This drum was replaced with a new one and it was just too neat to throw away. My brain went straight into crafting mode and within minutes I found a solution. For months I had been looking for an extra large planter for my imported Myrtle Beach palm from my father. This solution fit like a drum - ha, ha

First: I placed black landscape fabric around the inside wall. I did not cover the bottom with it because I wanted to the bottoms holes exposed for drainage.

Second: I added rocks in the bottom to prevent the small drain holes in the bottom from getting clogged with dirt

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 Third: I added the plant and dirt

Forth: I cut back the extra landscape cloth

Finally I watered the plant and admired my new planter.

 

 Reinvent an Old Beer Bottle 

with Coastal Charm

These upcycled beer bottles are a great way to bring a touch of coastal charm into your home. A couple of ways you can use them are as a vase or a diffuser.

Things You will need:

a glass bottle (I used a beer bottle)

Jute or Hemp Twine - inexpensive and found at your local craft store

spray adhesive

hot glue gun

paint thinner - this will help remove any sticky mess the label leaves behind on the bottle.

a cotton ball - to apply the paint thinner to

Directions:

First - Remove all labels from your bottle. Once the labels have been removed if there is any sticky residue left, apply the paint thinner to a cotton ball and use it to clean off the remainder. Then wipe dry.

Second - Apply spray adhesive to the bottle. I apply it in small sections at a time.

Third - Tightly wrap the twine around the bottle.

Fourth - Apply a small amount of hot glue to the end tip of twine and press it down firmly onto the bottle.

Finally - Have fun finding ways to use your repurposed creation. 

  Thank You to my brother in law for leaving his beer bottles in my recycle bin. Without that,  I would not have gotten inspired for this project.

From an Old Shoe Shine Box to a Shelf

This is an old shoe shine box that the front swivel door has broken off of. It has now been repurposed into what I think is a cute little box shelf