DIY Archives - Page 9 of 9 - My Suburban Kitchen

Sealing my Fate

October 27, 2011 By Shannah 8 Comments

Did you that granite sealing is recommended every three to five years? I certainly didn’t!

Our house is coming up on seven years of age and, with it being empty or rented for the last three years prior to us buying it, we are pretty sure that there was no granite sealing going on. People who don’t cut the grass rarely tend to worry about their granite. So, it got added to the to-do list for the house.

The granite sealing was originally on the “find someone to pay to do it” side of the list. Then, I found out the national average for granite sealing is between $.79 and $1.04 per square foot! Now, I don’t have the world’s largest kitchen but we have a fair amount of granite in there. Talk about sticker shock when I calculated that price.

I was roaming around Home Depot one day while Mathlete was buying some tool or another for his current router project and stumbled upon

For just under $10, I could seal the granite on my own. In to the cart the little bottle went. If your Home Depot (or Lowe’s) doesn’t carry it, you can purchase it on Amazon. The directions are pretty self explanatory but I’ll give you a quick rundown of what I did.
First, clean your countertops as you normally would. I use method The Daily Granite cleaner. Then, let them sit dry for a few hours to make sure there is no residual water or cleaner on there. That way, you won’t accidentally seal excess water into your granite. Water sealed in granite = bad news!
Now, spray a coast of sealer onto your countertops. It should be very well covered but not saturated.

Wait about 4 minutes.

Some (possibly all) of the sealant spray will have soaked in so it is time to spray again.

This time, wait about 30 minutes for the sealer to soak in.

Once the 30 minutes are up, use a cloth to wipe up any excess sealant that is left on the granite.

All sealed and ready for kitchen duty! Overall, it was a pretty easy process. I highly recommend doing it when you know you won’t need the kitchen for about an hour to ensure the countertop stays clean and dry prior to sealing.

This post is partying at the following locations:

Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T., I Made the World Cuter Today at Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple, Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Today’s Creative Blog, Tutorial Tuesday at With Hope Studios, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Anything Related at All Thingz Related, Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts, Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie, Hoo’s Got Talent at Nightowl Crafting, Show & Share at Southern Lovely, Wow Me Wednesday on Ginger Snap Crafts, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs, Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home, Fall in Love with Your Home at Décor to Adore, We’re Organized Wednesday at Organize and Decorate Everything, 100 Ideas Under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence, Coffee and Conversation Thursday at With a Shot of Brandy, Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple, Hooking up with HoH at House of Hepworths, Doggone Dirty Craftin at Rhinestone Beagle, Look at Me, I’m so Crafty at It’s Fun to Craft, Craft, Scrappy Happy Me Thursday at Craft, Scappy Happy, Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge, Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Pity Party at 30 Days, the Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello, Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal, and the Before and After Party at Thrifty Décor Chick.

Coasting on Paper

October 18, 2011 By Shannah 1 Comment

I always seem to be sitting in our family room with a drink in my hand and no where to put it. Serious problem right?! I was cruising Pinterest the other day and came across a handy tutorial for making coasters. Perfect. Pinterest to the rescue as usual.
Out came the modge podge and some scrapbook paper. A quick trip to Home Depot and my supplies were complete.

I brushed on the mod podge and then placed the scrapbook paper on top.

Obviously I had to do some trimming. I just flipped it over and trimmed with an exacto knife. Once the paper was trimmed, I brushed mod podge onto the top as well.

A quick 15 minute project. The tiles were a little rough on the bottom so I didn’t want to put it directly onto my table without some additional alterations. I was also a single parent for the weekend so I didn’t want to drag both kids to the store. What did I find in my bathroom…a solution (Warning: this is a little embarrassing even if we don’t really use them for their prescribed usage)

I placed four of them on the bottom to keep the coaster from scratching my table.

I also sprayed a quick matte finishing spray on top for a little added protection. A set of 4 coasters for under $5! Awesome.

If you need some extra coasters, give this a try. It will take you just a few minutes but give you a stylish place to set your drinks.

Mama’s Got a Brand New Bed

October 13, 2011 By Shannah 14 Comments

Ok, not this mama but still two mamas (mine and Mathlete’s) that are the primary sleepers of the bed we’re chatting about.

I’ve been planning to put up a new headboard in the guest room for awhile now but was very slow getting started. Just call me Ms. Tortoise. It wasn’t really a project I felt that I could do in little snippets like many of my other projects so I did what I do best: procrastinated. Plus, I had to hit at least 3 different stores for my supplies so that required time I just didn’t have. Enter Mathlete who took one of those stores off my hands freeing up some of my time. I think the Home Depot guys like him better anyways.

My supply list:
62″ x 24″ Sheet of plywood (we used chip board and had the HD people cut it)
2 x 4 cut into two 3′ pieces
Batting or foam (I did double layer batting)
Fabric of choice
Staple gun + Staples
Drill
Screwdriver
Wood Screws (2″)
Extras (nail heads, cording, etc.)

Let’s get building!
I have been doing most of my projects in our (unfinished) basement and this one was no different. Down in the lair, I put down a blanket and sheet on the floor to keep my fabric clean. Then, I layered the fabric, batting and wood as I would be attaching it.

I wrapped the batting around and stapled it. I did two ends and then the other two sides. A note here: While I recommend double layer batting if you go that route (it was cheaper than foam in my case), I do not recommend wrapping both layers around. It really interferes with the leg attachment. Just my $.02.

I spaced my staples pretty far apart just to get it secured and then went back to add additional staples. Once I had the batting secure, it was time to do the fabric portion. My fabric was actually a curtain I picked up at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It matches the curtains that are already in the room but with a price tag of $24.98! Subtract my 20% coupon and then my $17 merchandise credit and it was practically free.

I cut a lot of the fabric off but using the clearance curtain even though it was much longer in length than I needed saved me so much money. Staple, staple, staple.

The corners (as always) were a little tricky but I managed to get them all stapled down so that they looked uniform (from the front at least!).

She’s looking pretty good but needs a little something else.

Enter a little bling…nail head bling that is.

I picked up the nail head trim at Joann’s with my 50% off coupon. It was so much easier and faster than doing real nail heads. Just hammer in every 5th nail.

Next up, legs!

This is where Mathlete came in. Armed with his tools, we set to attaching the legs.

He pre-drilled holes into each 2 x 4 x 3 where the wood screws would go.

Then, we positioned it on the back of the headboard and screwed it in. We had pre-measured the distance from the floor to the top of the mattress, how far we wanted it to overlap and the distance between the attachment locations on our existing frame. Using those measurements, we knew where to attach the legs.

We ran into a little problem because of all the batting (see above re: my batting recs) so I had to unstaple some portions and cut out the layers of batting. Then, we were able to attach the legs securely.

I used the extra fabric to cover the legs so they matched and blended well. Just a few more staples to secure that.
Upstairs we went where the headboard was connected to our existing metal bed frame. Voila! New bed for the mamas (and any other guests of course).

Lessons Learned:
1) Pay a little extra and go for the foam. Then, cut it to the exact measurements of your board so there is no wrap around issue like I had with my batting.
2) If you go cheap like me and go for batting, don’t wrap both layers around. The layers are great for the front but totally unnecessary for the backside. Headboards don’t need junk in their trunk.
3) Use 1/2″ staples. You’ll thank me.
4) Nail head trim kits are you friend!
5) Have extra screws on hand. We had at least 3 break during our leg attachment.

Budget Breakdown:
Plywood (cut for free): $7.17
2x4x8 (cut for free): $2.47
Wood Screws: $2.30
Batting: $15.67 (1/2 off with coupon)
Fabric: $2.66 ($19.98 – $17.32 merchandise credit)
Nail head trim: $10.04 (1/2 off with coupon)
Total cost: $40.31

This post is partying at the following locations:

Go Hokies!

October 6, 2011 By Shannah 7 Comments

This post is going to shock you. Be prepared. I made…another wreath. Why? When I made my first wreath, I caught quite a bit of flack for it not being Virginia Tech colors. Being married to a Hokie and close friends with Hokies, I am pretty much expected to bleed maroon and orange. I’m going to blame my first wreath on a momentary lapse in good judgement and plead the case that my blood is indeed maroon (and sometimes orange after a few too many mimosas). I’m getting off track here.
Mathlete, Rock Boy and Shopaholic all mentioned that my front door wreath should be VT focused even if only on Saturdays. So, I agreed to make a football wreath: a wreath that goes out for football games.
The first step to this wreath was painting the letters

I thought about different ways to add in the orange and finally settled on dots. Knowing my hand is definitely NOT steady enough to free hand the dots, I went searching for a tool. My solution: Frebreze Air Freshener cap.

I dipped the little plastic cap into my paint and used that to press the dots onto the letters.

Those sat drying for 2 weeks because I kept shifting focus to other things. Finally, I got around to starting the wreath portion. I’ll spare you the dirty details because it really just involves wrapping, knotting, rinsing and repeating. Pictures tell the story just as well.

Wrapped and ready for letters! I used the hot glue gun to attach the letters I had painted to the wreath.

During positioning, I decided it needed a little something more. So, I dug up an old oval woodsie (wood piece) that I had. Using the paint from our family room walls (leftovers are the best!) and some white trim paint, I made a little football to add.

I randomly twisted some yard together to make two little bows and glued them on too. I had plenty of extra yarn after all.

A few minutes of drying time and we were ready for prime time (a.k.a front door placement in time for kick-off)

The wreath went up about an hour before kick-off. Mathlete likes it but, after the recent game, he might ~~burn it~~ request I take it down for its potential bad luck properties.

This post is partying at the following locations:

Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T., I Made the World Cuter Today at Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple, Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Today’s Creative Blog, Tutorial Tuesday at With Hope Studios, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Anything Related at All Thingz Related, Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts, Tuesday Talent Show at Chef N Training, Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie, Hoo’s Got Talent at Nightowl Crafting, Show & Share at Southern Lovely, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs, Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home, Fall in Love with Your Home at Décor to Adore, We’re Organized Wednesday at Organize and Decorate Everything, 100 Ideas Under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence, Coffee and Conversation Thursday at With a Shot of Brandy, Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple, Hooking up with HoH at House of Hepworths, Doggone Dirty Craftin at Rhinestone Beagle, Look at Me, I’m so Crafty at It’s Fun to Craft, Craft, Scrappy Happy Me Thursday at Craft, Scappy Happy, Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge, Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Pity Party at 30 Days, the Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello, Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal, and the Before and After Party at Thrifty Décor Chick.

Scrapping It

September 29, 2011 By Shannah 2 Comments

Did you hear? We are redecorating our bedroom! That means new paint, new art and new a lot of other things. Knowing that Mathlete is indulging me in this because he knows I will try to do it as budget friendly as possible, I’ve been playing around with different things for accents in the room. The first thing I did was frame some scrapbook paper to make “art”. Nothing fancy but it would look good on a dresser or bookcase.
I bought some solid blue and printed green scrapbook paper from Michael’s. Using the frame mat from my Ribba frame, I measured out the paper. I wanted the blue paper to be the large piece so I used the outer edge of the mat as my guide for cutting.

For the green printed paper, I just cut the paper the inner edges of the frame mat.

I put them both together and into the frame.

A quick and easy decorative item for our new bedroom! Total cost: $5.32 ($4.99 frame + $.33 scrapbook paper (2 pieces on sale for $.16 each))

Have you done any quick and easy art lately? Undertaking a major bedroom redo?

Guest Room Art

September 26, 2011 By Shannah 18 Comments

Awhile back, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and she had done some linen artwork as a ‘look for less’ post.
Her finished product was gorgeous. I thought that something alongs those lines would be a simple solution for the artwork in our guest room.

Unfortunately, the paper that she was used was sold out. So, I went on the hunt for other neat paper that I could for the project. I ended up purchasing two handcut sheets from Etsy.

On one of my recent shopping trips to the fabric store, I picked up some burlap. I chose it over linen simply because of the price tag. The burlap was 3.99/yard and the linen was $12.99/yard.

I had Mathlete pick up two Ribba frames from Ikea in the 20 x 20 size since that is what best accomodated my paper.

Then, I measured and marked the fabric for my frames.

Because the 20×20 frames have a floating mat, I also had to cut that down because I wanted to use its weight to keep my fabric in place.

Once I had everything cut, I used fabric glue and glued my paper down to each piece of fabric.

I left it there to dry for awhile. I put the fabric into the frames and closed them up.

Now I just need to get Mathlete to hang them in the bedroom (along with about a million other items around the house!) and that room will be almost complete!

This post is partying at the following locations:

Making Monday Marvelous at C.R.A.F.T., I Made the World Cuter Today at Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple, Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch, Get Your Craft on Tuesday at Today’s Creative Blog, Tutorial Tuesday at With Hope Studios, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm, Anything Related at All Thingz Related, Take a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts, Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie, Hoo’s Got Talent at Nightowl Crafting, Show & Share at Southern Lovely, Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts, Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs, Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home, Fall in Love with Your Home at Décor to Adore, We’re Organized Wednesday at Organize and Decorate Everything, 100 Ideas Under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence, Coffee and Conversation Thursday at With a Shot of Brandy, Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple, Hooking up with HoH at House of Hepworths, Doggone Dirty Craftin at Rhinestone Beagle, Look at Me, I’m so Crafty at It’s Fun to Craft, Craft, Scrappy Happy Me Thursday at Craft, Scappy Happy, Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge, Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Pity Party at 30 Days, the Weekend Wrap-up Party at Tatertots and Jello, The Exodus Creativity Party at Let Birds Fly, Show and Tell Saturday at Be Different, Act Normal, and the Before and After Party at Thrifty Décor Chick.

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