DIY Nautical Knobs and Handles

I wish I had taken more photos of these knobs and handles, but it was an afterthought. I really wasn't sure how well these would turn out. In addition, I almost forgot to take a "before" picture of the dresser! So, most of the handles and knobs were missing when I took the photo below. The top drawers had standard round knobs. 

DIY 3D Portholes

Recently, I undertook the task of completely making over my son's room. I have to say, I had a lot of fun redesigning this room. Even better was his reaction to the transformation. Slowly, I am accomplishing small projects to really make his room pop - like these DIY portholes! 

I originally suggested having porthole vinyl decals next to his bed so it appears he is looking out to sea. He loved the idea. Then I had a conversation with my father, who suggested 3D portholes would be more realistic and way cooler. Why are you trying to create more work for me Dad?(Even though your idea IS awesome)

Rather than go through the trouble of cutting perfect circles out of plywood, I decided there MUST be something circular on this planet that I can use instead. I also researched the web for ideas and surprisingly really didn't find much help. So, this project was entirely all guess work and pure luck. Which explains why I had to redo them multiple times after trial and error. 

This tutorial will provide the basics, optional material and what ultimately worked for me. What I envisioned was a 3 dimensional porthole with material that mimicked glass and rivets as well. The hardest part was finding what looked like glass, but wasn't glass, that I could cut. Clear acrylic sheet! Who knew this existed? Because I totally knew, just testing you. Honestly, I cannot even remember who first enlightened me to its existence, but this is the part where you bat your eyes at someone with knowledge of a jigsaw and ask them to please cut circles for you (or do it yourself if you're so inclined, but I wasn't).

Nautical Dresser with Stained Faux Wood

Let me say, this is my favorite piece of all the furniture I've redone. It looks nothing like it used to. I tossed around a few ideas on how to paint this dresser for my son's newly designed bedroom. Once I formulated a color plan, I wondered to myself, "just how am I going to pull this off?" 

Wooden Boat Oar Hat Rack

What better way to hang your hat in a nautical themed room than with an oar? This was the easiest project for the entire room and really adds to the decor. I searched for weeks for an oar, but everyone selling them in this area must think they're made of gold. I happened to find this one just browsing at Hobby Lobby and it was 50% off, plus matched perfectly. Score!

I ordered a few boat cleats from Amazon and made markings on my oar and drilled the holes I needed for screwing in the cleats. If you do not pre-drill holes, you run the risk of splitting your wooden oar. 

I screwed in three boat cleats and then attached mounting hooks to the back of the oar. Done. Simple, but really cool according to my son. This would also make an awesome coat rack by an entryway or even a towel rack in your bathroom. 

Nautical Sign

In recent years, my son has asked me to redesign his room because he felt that Thomas the Tank Engine was too baby-ish. This year I finally committed to redesigning his room and what is more perfect that a nautical theme when you live on the coast? 

We came across a framed sign at Hobby Lobby that my son loved, with a whale and a quote from Psalm 93:4, but it was $60. Um no. We wanted it so bad though! How cute it would be to hang just over his headboard. So, I thought to myself, maybe I can make one. I turned to my son and said..I will make it. 

Armoire Upcycled to Entryway Mudcloset

I have struggled for years to keep the front entryway organized and neat with shoes, book bags, umbrellas, husband's junk. I really hated seeing it all. It's a nightmare for someone who dabbles in OCD :/ 

My original plan was to make a mud closet...and I did! See my earlier post here where I re-purposed an old entertainment center into a mud closet. Not bad for my first try. After a couple years of constantly barking orders for someone to straighten up the mess, I decided I wanted an armoire to hide the mess!

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

I must say, these cupcakes are absolutely sinful, but worth it. This was my first attempt at lemon blueberry cupcakes and they were a huge hit with my co-workers (guinea pigs). 

A lot of the recipes I researched had Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting and I specifically wanted to avoid cream cheese frosting, since not everyone likes it. 

The cupcake recipe I tried is from best.momscook.co. There isn't a website name listed, just a list of recipes and an author. I personally found her recipe and information to be fabulous. She gives a lot of tips and tricks. I accidentally forgot to add the lemon zest to my batter, but I did put in her optional lemon extract. Next time, I will add both. I want more than a hint of lemon. In addition, make note that her recipe makes only approximately 15 cupcakes. I failed to notice this until the last minute and had to bat my eyes for my husband to please rush to the grocery store for more blueberries! I was able to get 18 cupcakes from my batter and was not upset in the least that I ended up with 36 cupcakes.

The lemon buttercream frosting recipe I found is from Two Sisters Crafting. It's titled The Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting and they are not lying! I have made this frosting twice and it is wonderful! I made this frosting for Easter and colored it yellow. This last time I chose not to color my frosting so I could decorate it with lemon zest and blueberries. These cupcakes not only looked delicious, they were delicious!

If you have any suggestions or comments for altering the recipe and/or new dessert ideas please feel free to comment :)

Distressed Cottage Style Coffee Table

I found this coffee table at an estate sale for $20. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it, but for $20 you buy it anyway. I thought about painting it antique white and actually started the process, but hated it and began again. 

I really enjoy coastal cottage colors, so I proceeded with a soft blue. I made my own chalk paint and you can find the recipe I use here. In most cases, I usually apply 2 coats, as I did with this table. After each coat has dried, lightly sand for a smooth finish using a very fine grain. I use 400 grit. To distress furniture I use a course sanding block. I have a very detailed article on distressing and waxing here. The instructions will show you how to distress, what kind of sanding block to use and how to apply clear wax and dark wax. Speaking of, I've also made my own dark wax!  

For this coffee table I only distressed it slightly. I added two coats of clear wax for protection using SC Johnson Paste Wax. Remember to click my link above for full instructions on how to apply this! 

Now to find this coffee table a happy home!

UPDATE: This table found a home in beautiful island cottage!