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How to Make an Ottoman Table

How to Make an Ottoman Table

Design inspiration can often come in the least-expected places. It can happen when you are in an airport or at the farmers market or just plain window shopping in your home town. Last year when I was at the Haven blog conference, I fell in love with this table I saw in the hotel restaurant.

How to Make an Ottoman Table

But want is it called? An ottoman tray, a side table, a bridge? Turns out it is all those things. Today I’m going to teach you how to make one. This simple piece of furniture is not only easy to make, but very functional too. It can fit perfectly over an ottoman in your home and give you a steady place for a book or your favorite drink. Or if you don’t have an ottoman, it makes a nice side table too.

Materials:

  • MDF board – These come in many sizes at the home improvement store. For this project I used a piece that was 1 x 10 x 72″.
  • L-brackets
  • Wood screws
  • Primer
  • Paint
  • Drill and drill bits
  • Circular saw (optional)

Instructions:

First, measure the size of the ottoman you want to slide the ottoman table over. Make sure you have enough clearance for it to fit the width and the height of the ottoman. You will have three boards total. Two that will serve as the “legs” and one that will be the top.

Transfer your measurements to the board. Using a circular saw, cut the board in two places according to your measurements, giving you three boards.

You can have the board cut for you at the home improvement store and save yourself a step. (This works for me a lot since I have a small car, then it easily fits inside on the way home.)

Wipe of any sawdust with a rag.

How to Make an Ottoman Table

Prime and paint the boards. It’s a good idea to use a “gripping” primer so that your table will be stand up to frequent use. There are also enamel paints that are meant for furniture that you can use as the color. If you have paint on hand, use what you got! Or, sample cans are only around $4 and should cover your entire piece, depending on the size.

After the boards are dry, you can assemble the table. Take the top piece and turn it upside down on a soft surface. Place a “leg” board perpendicular next to it and mark where to place the L-bracket. Read more

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Scrap Wood Planter Box

Scrap Wood Planter Box

Scrap Wood Planter Box

Hi, it’s Jessica from Decor Adventures, back this month with an outdoor project that’s perfect for summer. You know how your garage is filled with scrap pieces of wood from other projects you’ve done? Today you get to put those scraps to good use and make a planter box for plants or herbs. It’s very easy to use what you have and it won’t cost you much at all. Here’s how to make a scrap wood planter box.

The main box is made from 2″ x 8″ boards. You can make this box whatever size works for your space, or based on how much wood you have in your scrap pile!

Materials

The idea for this project is to use what you have on hand, so some of the sizes of your wood may vary. Here are the materials I used for this planter box.

  • 2×8″ pressure-treated wood for box and legs (or 2″x4″ pressure treated wood for the legs)
  • ChoiceDek composite deck material for bottom of box
  • 2″ x 2″ wood for bottom of box
  • Scrap triangles cut from 2″ x 4″ boards (Triangles can be cut out of 2″ x 4″s on a miter saw set at 45° degrees.)
  • Miter saw
  • Safety glasses
  • Drill
  • Screws
  • Potting soil
  • Plants or herbs

Instructions

The width of the three deck material pieces I used were 6 3/4″ each. This material was used to build our deck, so we had leftovers on hand and it’s great to use for plants since it won’t rot. The composite deck material is sold at home improvement stores and comes in different lengths and widths.

For the box and legs, you can use pressure treated lumber since it also resists rot and insects. The long sides of the box measure 19 3/4″ and the shorter end pieces measure 12 1/2″.

Cut your wood to size with a miter saw.  Using your drill and screws, assemble the box into a rectangle. Place the ends on each side of the longer boards as shown below:

Scrap Wood Planter Box

Screw the 4 triangles to the bottom of your box, into the corners, with your screws. Attach  the 2″ x 2″s along each long side of the box also lined up with the bottom of the box. This should give support on the underside so you can rest the composite pieces inside to make the bottom.

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Make Your Own Light Fixture

Make Your Own Light Fixture

Make Your Own Light Fixture

Hello, it’s Jessica here from Decor Adventures. This month I have what came out to be one of my favorite projects to date. It’s how to make your own light fixture using just wood trim and wax paper, and I promise it will look great in any room in your house.

Everyone loves Pinterest for inspiration and ideas, and I’m no exception. I was looking through my pins the other day and saw this one of a stunning (and I’m sure expensive) light fixture. I instantly thought how easy it would be to DIY that light and set out getting my supplies ready.

Materials:
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For Wood Frame

  • 3/4″ x 1/2″ pine wood
  • Hand saw or Miter saw (or have it cut at the home improvement store)
  • 9166 CORNER CLAMP
  • Nail gun and air compressor and nails
  • Spray paint
  • Old lamp shade or washer top of wire lamp shade frame
  • Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  • Gorilla tape
  • Lampshade Pendant Kit

For Capiz Shells

  • Wax paper
  • Iron
  • Circle Punch
  • Sewing machine and thread
  • Scissors

Instructions

For this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make and attach the black wood frame to a light pendant kit after you make and put on the faux (wax paper) capiz shells. For a step-by-step of how to make the shells, see my post on how to make a wax paper capiz shell chandelier and follow the instructions on how to iron together the wax paper and sew them together.

How to make the wood “frame” for your light fixture:

Cut your 3/4″ pine trim into 12 pieces. Eight of them will be the same (shorter) length and 4 of them will be the same (longer) length. My pieces are 9 1/2″ and 14 1/2″. Make sure your 8 smaller pieces are the exact same length and same goes for your longer ones. If they aren’t, your 3-D frame will not fit together perfectly.

Make Your Own Light Fixture

To assemble your boxes perfect for easier nailing, use a miter corner clamp. These are available at the home improvement store for about $25 and can be used for a lot of different projects.  Insert two of your smaller pieces into each side of the clamp, making sure the ends line up.

Using a Miter Corner Clamp

Using your nail gun, nail into the wood to secure a corner.

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Hang Art Without a Frame

Hang Art Without a Frame

Hang Art Without a Frame

One way to change the look of a space is to hang up new art. With so many attractive options for your walls, it’s easy to do. Posters, photos, wallpaper and other memorable art can look great, even without a frame. Having art framed professionally can get expensive. Even store bought frames can break your budget. But I have an easier way to hang art without a frame, and it will cost you less than $10.

These maps of Paris and Rome came from a local art supply store for only $5 each. Since they had been sitting in my closet for a while, I thought they would be perfect for this project and give new life to the living room. Each poster will have two pieces of trim, one along the top and one along the bottom.

Hang Art Without a Frame

Materials:

Art Supplies

  • Poster
  • 3/4″ wood
  • Drill and 1/16 drill bit
  • Small cup hooks
  • Small loop chain
  • Wire cutters
  • Gorilla tape
  • Paint and paint brush (optional)

Read more

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Fool Proof Way to Update Furniture Like a Pro

Fool Proof Way to Update Furniture Like a Pro

Fool Proof Way to Update Furniture Like a Pro

Hello friends! It’s Jessica from Decor Adventures, back this month with tips on The Fool Proof Way to Update Furniture Like a Pro! I have some tips to make your furniture finishes look like they were professionally done. Help you pick the best paint, primer and tools for the job. And finally a few quick and easy ways to update your furniture in minutes! If you’ve been craving updated furniture, but aren’t sure where to start, this is your chance.

Update Furniture Like a Pro Materials:
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How to Paint Furniture Like a Pro

Prepare Your Furniture the Right Way

Sanding Dresser

Proper preparation will make the whole project a success. First remove any hardware. Carefully look over your piece and fill any cracks or dents with wood putty.

How to Paint Furniture Like a Pro

Sand the putty and the rest of the furniture until the finish is smooth.

If you didn’t have to use any wood putty, a light sanding with a sanding block will go a long way to helping your paint stick and give you a smoother finish. Remove any sawdust, dirt and debris from the piece with a tack cloth or vacuum. Finish cleaning off the furniture with a damp rag and mild cleanser. Allow your furniture piece to dry.

Read more

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