Leftover Wooden Blinds to Pretty Picture Frame

So as I was strolling through Pinterest one day, I came across a picture frame project that gave me an idea to use up some of the load of slats we had leftover from installing our mini blinds in the master bedroom.

I bought these little $2 pictures at the dollar store a while back to go with my beach theme I have going on in my master suite, but I really didn't like the way they looked without a frame....made them look cheap.....maybe because they were! lol! Hmmmmm.

It took 2 slats per frame.  That is because I didn't want those little cut out holes to be a part of my frame.

I set up the trusty saw, dawned my safety glasses and got to cutting.  I don't normally do the cutting myself, but since I was on vacation and home alone when I made these frames...it was all up to me!  By the way...no fingers were harmed in the cutting of these wooden slats!

I measured the little picture first, then cut my pieces slightly smaller to fit just on the very outer top edge of the picture.  You want the inside edges {ones closest to the picture} to end up slightly smaller than the size of your picture.  I laid them out as I cut to make sure they were going to line up properly.

Next, I grabbed the Gorilla wood glue and was ready to assemble my little frame.  At this point you'll want to flip your frame over to the back side and line up all your cuts to form your frame.

I applied glue in each corner cut, got my picture frame to "square", then I used a little piece I cut off and saved to use as a brace for my corners. Just apply a dab of glue and line up over the corner cuts.

Next I used a bit of wood filler on the front side to make sure each of my seams were smooth and uniform.  My first frame wasn't nearly as "perfect" as the second one.  Isn't that how it always goes.....the first try is practice and then you're a pro on the next round!

Even though my slats were already white, I wanted a glossy finish on them so after my wood filler dried and I sanded it smooth, I applied one coated of glossy white paint.

I let them dry really good {which doesn't take long when it's 90 degrees outside at 9:30 in the morning} and then flipped them over applied a very small line of clear silicone to the back inside edge of the frame, lined them up straight onto my pictures and viola....pretty framed art! 

Now nobody will know I only spent $2 on each picture.....well, you know cuz I just told you, but don't tell anyone else, ok? heehee!  It just makes the little space so much more special now.  I love it!
There are so many more ideas on Pinterest for using up your left over or broken wooden mini blind slats.  I have lots of slats and can't wait to try something else.
It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

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Master Bathroom Vanity Part 4

 Happy Sunday!

This will be the final post for our Master Bathroom Vanity re-do.....I think! lol!  I know you must be tired of seeing only the master bathroom, I'm almost tired of posting about it!

Anyway, on to the tiled back splash.  It truly made all the difference in the look of the vanity.  Neither one of us has ever installed a back splash, so the challenge was on!  My honey jumped right in and finished the project like a pro!

First we covered our lovely vanity top so it wouldn't get ruined.  Then we measured, measured and cut the tile pieces. {Remember! Always measure twice and cut once!}

 Next the thin set mortar in gray was applied to the wall with a notched wall trowel.

Then we placed all the pre-measured, pre-cut pieces on the wall and inserted the spacers.  Oh, I forgot to say that the natural stone tiles we used came in large squares with a mesh webbing on the back, and it was really easy to cut to size and handle without much worry.

Next we applied the grout.  We used a pre-mixed grout in the color of Alabaster.  It matched our stones perfectly!  To insure all cracks were covered, we used our fingers at the end to get into all the small spaces.

Then with a damp sponge we wiped off all the excess and made sure we didn't miss any spots.

After 24 hours {probably more, cuz we were doing all this after we got home from work each day} we stripped away the protective coverings from the vanities and cleaned up a little.

We love how it turned out and I think we did a really good job for rookies!  One thing is for sure, we wont be so nervous for the next bathroom and the kitchen!

Here you can still see where the mortar and grout kinda made a mess of the painted area above the back splash.  I did some touch up painting and then we made frames for our builder installed mirrors.  The mirrors originally hung the other direction, but I felt they looked better in the space hung long ways.

I think the only thing I didn't show you was the actual painting of the cabinet itself, but We will go over all that some other day.  We have lots of cabinets to paint in Clover House.....lots!  I will say though, that we replaced the hinges and knobs to the oiled bronze color to match all the other items in the bathroom.

We still need to re-do the floors and change out the "lovely blue" toilet in here, but for now we have two functional and BEAUTIFUL new vanities that we love!
It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

Linked to:

Not So Simple Housewife

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Master Bathroom Vanity Part 3

{Vanity top with sink and faucet installed}

 Happy Sunday!

I'm back to show you yet another step in the whole master bathroom vanity makeover.  This time we're installing the sink and the faucet.

{Installing the faucet}

This shot is actually of the opposite side because of course I forgot to snap pictures you learn from your mistakes the first time around and on the second try your a pro! Ha!  We've already cut the holes and are ready for the installation of the faucet connections on the backside of the vanity top.

{Getting everything tightened down}

{This is how it looks all installed}

You may notice the small piece of wood under the faucet.....we discovered while being cheap trying to save money that our big savings cost us the "perfect" faucets for our vanities.  Well, my honey being the smart thinker that he is created a little rise for our faucet so it would clear the sink and function for us. You don't even notice it with the sink installed...unless you're looking for it that is!

{Adding silicone to the bottom of the sink}

Next was the installation of the sink.  We applied a good amount of clear silicone to the bottom of the sink for a good seal to the vanity top.

{sorry for the blur!}

Next we added a line of silicone around the bottom of the sink to seal the gap.  It sealed everything up and made it look finished. 

We've learned so much from doing this project.  As I said in the beginning, we are rookies and have no idea what we are doing, but I think its all turning out so beautiful.  Really, that's all that counts huh?

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

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Master Bathroom Vanity Part 2

 Happy Sunday!

It's part 2 of the vanity re-do.  As of today we have it all done and are putting the final touches on the mirrors above the vanities.
Here's a few more of the steps we took to get to the final result.

After we beat them up and sanded them smooth again, I applied one coat of Minwax Dark Walnut stain, then lightly sanded it with a very fine sand paper.

 Look how the wood grain just pops and shows it's beauty!  I love the different variations in color!

 Then we tried the sink with it to see how it was going to look.....wonderful, that's how it looked!

Lastly I applied two coats of Minwax Polyurethane to seal the wood and guard against any water damage. We've since tried it out for "water-proof-ness" and it passes with flying colors.

After it cured for 24 hours, my honey installed the sink and faucet and then attached it to the cabinet that we also re-did.  More on those steps next week!

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

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Master Bathroom Vanity Sneak Peek

Happy Sunday!

We've been working really hard on getting the Master Bathroom back in working order and I wanted to let you see the progress so far.  I will be posting the steps we took to get this far on the vanities and then hopefully we will be done with the whole vanity area soon so I can show you the final results!  Since we work on the project on weekends and after work, its slow going.  But so far it sure is looking nice and oh so much better than it was to begin with!

A little bit on what we've done so far:

 We used four (4) 2 x 6 boards.....

 Beat them up with these items.....

 Made the boards look like this.....

 Then sanded them nice and smooth.....

And all together they look like this.

More to come next week.  Now I know you're asking...."Why did you beat the poor wood up to make 'new' vanity tops?"  Because we really like the rough rustic look...the look of old...but new at the same time. Does that make since? Yes? No? Maybe?  It looks really nice, I promise! lol! Scroll back up to the top and just look how beautiful it turned out!

It doesn't have to be done all at once.  It is a slow process in the works! C-ya next time!

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