DIY Cart Rescue/Furniture Makeover

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Elmer’s ProBond Advanced for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have old furniture just taking up space in the basement, garage or attic? Or maybe with the start of yard sale season right around the corner, you’ll spy a fun furniture piece to flip…keep your eyes open! The other day I spied an old metal cart collecting dust so I decided to give it a purpose. It once belonged to my husband’s grandfather. Time to dust the cart off, give it life and make it useful.

cart makeover at diyshowoff.com

Materials:

  • Old metal cart
  • Pine planks (I purchased three 1x3s and one 1×4)
  • Wood stain and sealer
  • ProBond Advanced

What I did:

First I cleaned up the cart a bit. I was going to spray paint it but it really wasn’t in bad shape (finish wasn’t original – it had been spray painted in the past) and I sort of like the few scratches and scuffs, making it look old and not brand new. Sometimes imperfections are perfect, right?

before…

cart before

cart before

Then I set about measuring and cutting the wood planks to fit the top and what looks like support for a bottom shelf. 

measuring

After deciding placement of the planks, I marked, sanded and cleaned each one. 

I stained each wood plank a rich beautful color. I brushed the stain onto all sides with a foam brush (in the same direction as the wood grain) and wiped away with a clean rag then let them dry for an hour or two.

Last step! Just glue and clamp the wood planks into place. Elmer’s ProBond Advanced is designed for gluing mixed materials like wood planks to the metal cart (porous to non-porous materials) without expanding, creating a foamy residue and making a mess. Awesome! Let the glue dry 24 hours. 

I applied a sealer to the wood to protect the finish and add a little shine.

Loved once again…

flea market flip at diyshowoff.com

Beautiful new wood top and shelf:

wood plank cart makeover at diyshowoff.com

Now what was once just junk now serves as a side table (or would that be center table?) in our family room.

diy furniture makeover at diyshowoff.com

Sharing at Inspire Me Tuesday.

Are you a DIY’er? Find any recent ‘hidden treasure’? Find more DIY inspiration on Elmer’s Mixed Materials Pinterest board. 

 

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Design Style: Urban Classic

I’m often stumped when asked my decorating style. I tend to just do what I love. Our family room is a mix of modern with vintage, new with old, an “urban classic” style but with a bit more fun with pops of color.

I’ve recently been working on redoing the family room which is a mix of repurposed, thrifted, DIY and new. Vintage modern. Urban classic. It’s still a work in progress (I know. I know…I just revealed the family room makeover not long ago but it wasn’t feeling ‘just right’ so I’m slowly changing it. Again.) I love decorating. I love thrifting. I love DIY. But sometimes adding something new is just as important for achieving the look I love. Sometimes that means saving for a big ticket item but most of the time I’m working on a tight budget.

One of the elements you can’t miss in my family room is the set of Sauder Barrister Lane bookcases on either side of the fireplace surround. New but classic spin on the plain cubby-style shelving. I love the color/finish and the addition of vintage-looking name plates.

Two Barrister Lane bookcases give this wall and fireplace surround a built-in (but moveable) look.

I love the vintage vibe of the bookcases paired with a modern pattern like in this accent rug and colorful glass lamps:

And they’re versatile. So when I get the urge to rearrange, they’ll work in several other rooms in my home too.

Get the Look: For a bit of casual sophistication, Urban Classic reflects a smart, easygoing lifestyle through timeless decorating. Somewhat eclectic, this style focuss on mixing classic and found items to hint at a well-traveled taste. Urban Classic is full of sophisticated yet relaxed home design ideas with a healthy mix of materials. Colors are earthy and rich, while materials show age to suggest a loving history of use.

  • Find inspiration. Check out magazines, decorating blogs, ideas via Pinterest or a Google search. Sometimes inspiration can be found in art, fashion, one object, fabric patterns, catalogs, etc.
  • Mix repurposed, thrifted, DIY with new and modern (Sauder has a broad range of beautiful furniture at affordable prices) to create a room that reflects your style.
  • Personalize. Take what you love about your inspiration and put your own spin on it, making it fit your lifestyle, your personality.

Perfect timing: Before I even received this opportunity, I spied the Barrister Lane bookcases and knew right away that I wanted a set of two to flank either side of the vintage fireplace surround that you often see in my family room (sometimes I move it to the dining room). I couldn’t pass up the color, style, function and affordable price and ordered two of them online. THEN just a few days later, I received the offer to participate in the Sauder Get the Look campaign. Great timing, awesome coincidence! I purchased the product before the campaign became available to me. How perfect!

Purchase experience: The bookcases arrived and were simple to assemble by myself. The instructions were easy to read and the pieces clearly marked. There was however one piece missing from one of the packages. My first reaction was panic…would I have to box it back up and ship it back? (Sauder furniture is super heavy – not fun for shipping but definitely adds to the overall quality of product.) The answer: No. I simply went online to sauder.com and ordered a replacement part. Free-of-charge. It arrived within in a few days. No hassle! Great customer service – I was able to manage ordering the replacement part on a Sunday evening without even having to explain the situation to a sales representative or make an extra trip to the store or without having to return the product. Gotta love that!

What design style is most prevalent in your home? See more ‘Get the Look’ ideas from Sauder on Pinterest.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder Woodworking. The opinions and text are all mine.


Craft Room Tour

Have you been following along the Craft Rooms and Spaces series hosted by Angie at Country Chic Cottage? It’s so fun seeing where bloggers create, getting ideas and motivation to maybe initiate some spring cleaning and organization in your own space?

DIY Show Off craft room tour

Thanks to Angie for the invitation to participate! I had no choice but to finally put things away. Here’s my chaotic craft room when I agreed to join the series…

craft room mess before

Yikes!

I’ve made some changes and cleaned things up for your arrival today. Ready for oodles of pics? There’s lots to see!

Craft Room at diyshowoff.com

Looking into the room from the hall (the resin button plaques on the wall are several years old, so no source to list).

Craft Room Tour at diyshowoff.com

One first thing you’ll notice is this room is PACKED full. But when everything is organized and tidy and in it’s place, its a great space for getting creative. The old farmhouse dining room table serves as a great workspace.

diyshowoff craft space

The skirt is sewn into simple custom sized rod pocket panels and attached using tension rods on 3 sides. I’m ready for an updated fabric/pattern but what I really love about the skirt is that it hides even more storage (things not so pretty to display, boxes of supplies and such) under the table. 

DIYShowOff Craft Room

The walls are lined with inexpensive shelving units, some tucked for a perfect fit against the back wall, providing TONS of storage and organization. A string of lights adds a fun festive feel.

DIYShowOff craft room tourdiyshowoff home officecraft room

A small DIY desk area holds our desktop computer, although I’m more inclined to work from my laptop in the living room most days. 

work space at diyshowoff.com

I love the mix of old crates, baskets and vintage finds for storing craft supplies, mason jars for scrap ribbon by color…

diyshowoff craft room storagecraft room organization at diyshowoff.comcraft paint storage at diyshowoff.comcraft room tourstorage for craft roomvintage craft room storage at diyshowoff.comcraft supply storage at diyshowoff.com

I recently added some shelves to the window for plants to bring some “life” to the space. 

diyshowoff craft room

 I love that this window sits low, close to the floor. The shelves add a little privacy (second floor) but still allow for lots of natural light to flood the room.

window plant shelves at diyshowoff.comwindow shelves at diyshowoff.comwindow succulents

I don’t remember where I got the light fixture (maybe Urban Outfitters years ago) but I really like the cage and sometimes clip cards or paint swatches there. 

craft room light fixture at diyshowoff.com

The walls are filled with a mix of fun frames collected over time, some with family photos, others just random art or thrift store finds and continues to grow here and there. 

gallery wall at diyshowoff.comCraft Room photo wall at diyshowoff.comCraft Room gallery wall

Pet Silhouette Art Tutorial

Framed Pet Silhouettes on Burlap

A DIY chalkboard + cork board + burlap message center helps keep ideas and schedules more organized. 

DIY burlap message centerCraft Room message center

A lot going on, right? A LOT of junk which I’ve unsuccessfully tried to downsize but perhaps one day I’ll grasp the truth that if I haven’t used it in 10 years, I probably never will but I’m still waiting for that day to arrive.

Craft Room at diyshowoff.com

Ready to see more craft spaces? Start the tour at here to see Angie’s super organized space. Or if you’re visiting from the creative room at Major Hoff Takes a Wife, welcome friends! I’m so glad you stopped by! Or following along and ready for the next awesome craft room tour on the list? Head over to Homemadeville!

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