Door becomes Rustic Coffee Table

Happy Halloween!


Husband and wife were at it again, finishing up our living room with a rustic coffee table made out of a wood pallet and an old door. I got the door from a consignment store for just $37, it had the rustic hardware that I have been hunting for. It was an easy project that makes a dramatic statement in our living room.


Here is the door after we had already cut it in half. It was kind of sad but I've got an idea for the top half of the door.

My hubby took a wood pallet apart and then I sanded and stained each piece. Then, we put the planks of wood back on the frame but this time we put them side by side. We cut off what was left over and this is what we used for the legs (since there was only three we cut a fourth piece off another wood pallet). 

This is Michael nailing the door on top of the wood pallet frame after it was turned upside down, this is what creates a shelf to hold books and magazines.

Talk about easy! After that, I decided to personalize our new coffee table. I got some brown paint and letter stencils from Michaels craft store (I had a 50% off coupon for Martha Stewart products, oh yeah). I thought "Choate & Co." would be perfect : )

All done! Our living room once again reeks of wood stain, but its so worth it! I probably need to put a lacquer on top, I'll get around to that eventually. Until then I'm just going to enjoy our DIY rustic coffee table!

Now I'm off to work on a dresser that I'm really excited about! Happy Halloween!

UAC

Rustic Living Photo Shoot

If you ever need some family pictures taken or maybe you're engaged and looking for that amazing photographer to capture your wedding day, I know who you need to call. Right now. 


My sister-in-law Audrey Choate is quite the talented girl. Which is why I went to her when I needed some new pictures for Rustic Living. She captured exactly what I was hoping for and made the whole experience very enjoyable. She has a lot of experience and can do just about everything....engagements, weddings, business portraits, family photos, and is more than willing to try something new. You can check her out on her blog Raft Media or find her on facebook here. 


Here are the photos she captured during our shoot on a beautiful fall day in Boise...

Back to my Passion!

The last few weeks I've been having so much fun making over our home with fun simple projects. Our cozy duplex has really transformed and my husband and I enjoy every minute we spend in it. Due to all my DIY projects and thrift store treasure hunts, I've gotten a bit behind on my real passion....painting furniture. So I was determined to get this adorable vanity done before the busy weekend we have in store (it's my hubby's birthday on Sunday, the big 25!)


I saw this cute piece as I was driving down Orchard Street in Boise. It was outside Sara's Consignment Shop, if you haven't been to Sara's its definitely worth checking out! The owner of the shop saw me eye-ing it and told me it probably wouldn't be there long because it was so-gosh-darn cute. She must have did her job well, because I took the bait and a few minutes later was hauling it home. 


I could tell by looking at the back of the piece that a mirror was once attached to it. Definitely would have made it just that much cuter, but you could still find an inexpensive mirror to hang above it. 

First step, paint stripper.....boo. I have decided I need a break from paint stripper. I'm officially on the hunt for natural wood furniture now. Please don't judge my garage, it's a very SMALL garage.

First coat of paint complete...

Now for the wood stain. As opposed to stripping (paint that is, come on people) I LOVE using wood stain. This is what gives the piece that antique look. It is a dirty job though.

Ahhh yes. Now I remember why I love to do this! So happy with how this turned out...

After painting furniture my next favorite thing would be switching out hardware. How cute are these knobs?!

What a great start to my weekend! Finished my rustic chic project, watching Boise State football tomorrow, and celebrating my husband's birthday on Sunday! Lots to be grateful for!

=AC

DIY Rustic Frames

The Choate's got together again for another DIY Rustic Style. This time we built wood frames that would look great in any home. You can stick with the natural wood for a more country/rustic look or paint the wood to give it a modern twist. All you need is a wood pallet and a picture frame!


The husbands got started by cutting up a wood pallet for us. Depending on the size of your frame, you will need 2-3 strips of wood for the backdrop you will be creating for the picture frame.


                                     (sorry about the bad picture, there was wood dust flying everywhere!)

After they did their manly duties, the wives sanded the planks of wood. We cut them according to the size of our frames.

After sanding, we nailed two strips of wood to the back of the wood planks to hold it all together. Then we hammered a nail to the top center of the wood backdrop to hold the picture frame. My hubby used twine on the back the wood for hanging purposes. 

Audrey and I had plans to paint the wood, but we fell in love with the natural wood look. Talk about an easy project!

Looking forward to our next DIY Rustic Style!

=AC

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Crates and Crates

After I squeezed an "office" into our 13ft x 16ft living room (see Cozy Nook in older posts), what else could I possibly fit in this tight space?


A library of course!


Okay calling it a library is a bit of a stretch, but my husband and I have always dreamed of having a space to hold our ever-growing collection of books including Pride and Prejudice, Charles Dickens, Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, and many others we can't wait to sink our teeth into. There's something about when your books are neatly displayed and organized that makes you want to grab a hot cup of tea, a fuzzy blanket, and an adorable puppy and spend hours lost in another world.


So my husband and I were very excited to complete our library.....okay bookshelves. The Idaho Youth Ranch, Craigslist, and a garage sale helped create the rustic look.

All the crates we got ranged from $2 - $8. All we needed was something to "boost" all the crates up. We were beyond thrilled to find the white shabby shelf at the Idaho Youth Ranch for just $30. I've seen decorative pieces like this in craft stores and they can cost anywhere from $80 - $150. They're typically used to hold fruit and vegetables. Not sure yet what we'll use ours for?

Notice the old print on the side of the crate as well as the rustic metal on the front of another crate. 

Just one more project and this rustic chic living room will be complete!

=AC

Snug as a Bug in a Tub

Family and friends of my husband and I know that we are kind of crazy about our dogs. My hubby will deny this and say that I'm the one with the unhealthy obsession....and he's right. I take it to another level. I just can't resist those sweet adorable faces! If it was up to me, every day would be "Take your Dog to Work Day" followed by "Take Your Dog to the Grocery Store Day" and "Every Child Gets a Puppy Day" and definitely "Bring Your Dog to Jury Duty Day" (I recently had jury duty and this would have made the process a whole lot more enjoyable).


So naturally, I spoil my dogs. We used to let our "children", Whiskey and Banjo, lay on the couch. Guilty as charged. But after purchasing a new couch, this just had to stop. When my husband and I are enjoying a cozy date night at home that consists of homemade pizza and a redbox, I want them to be just as cozy. So here is what I came up with for my puppies...

I think Whiskey is feeling pretty cozy in her galvanized tub turned dog bed : ) I threw some pillows and blankets in the tub and wrapped twine around with a tag made just for them.

It didn't take long and Banjo wanted to try it out too. Now they just have to learn how to share!

Workbench becomes entertainment center

This was a Mr. and Mrs. Choate project!


My hubby and I had so much fun transforming this workbench I got from Craigslist for $25 into a rustic entertainment center. All it really took was some sanding, lots of wood stain, wheels, and elbow grease...


I didn't get a chance to take a before picture of the workbench because by the time I was ready to take the picture, my husband had already torn the thing apart! He was pretty excited to man-handle the thing I guess ; )

Getting every piece sanded before we start staining...

After we got everything stained we mostly just had to put the workbench back together. We added rotating wheels to make it more rustic and practical as well.

Here is how it looks in our living room....

 I'm hoping to figure something out to hide the electronic wires, but for now I don't mind : )

I love this antique fan I got at a consignment store for just $12. It still works too! 

I think all the decor looks really nice against the dark wood. I got the old chess board from a garage sale for $3 and the antique globe from an auction for $6.

This could really be a "DIY Rustic Style" project. It's not hard to find workbenches from garage sales or craigslist. It's a fun project to do with family and friends and adds great character to a room where people love to get together and relax.

Happy Friday! and Go Broncos!