{DIY} Front Yard Fence

We are currently in the process of installing fencing in our front/side yards.  Mostly to keep the munchkins in our backyard when playing outside, this fence also helps add to our fabulous landscaping (ha!) too.  With the way our home is positioned on a hill, we don't really need a fence for privacy purposes.  So, we decided to go for a non-traditional look with a cedar board + hog wire fence.  Partly inspired by the hubs's uncle's fencing, partly inspired by Pinterest... and we're definitely sold on the look.

We started our fence by installing four pressure treated boards with cement as our fence posts.  And by we, I mean the hubs.  He used a post hole digger and dug about two feet down.

All of the lumber and fencing staples were purchased from our local hardware store and we found the hog wire at a local farm supply store.  It is a thicker gauge wire, which comes in sheets (not rolled).  We borrowed a pair of wire snippers to cut the wire panels down to the size we wanted.

The cedar boards were added to finish the look... they hide the snipped wire ends and the fencing staples.  We plan to stain the cedar and are thinking of using a clear finish.

This weekend we will finish building our gate door (to go between the two panels we currently have installed). Then, we are going to build this fence down the side of our home toward our backyard approximately 12 feet or so. We won't build it to fully enclose our yard, but just enough to create a more finished look.

As I mentioned, we are pretty pleased with how this fence is turning out.  So far it seems to be doing it's job.  The boys haven't tried to run around to the front yard with it up... which helps me have more peace of mind when they are playing outside.

We will also add this type of fence on the right side of our home, which will connect our already existing standard wooden fence to our home and enclose that side of the yard.  And, if we ever decide we want a little more privacy than what this fence currently provides, we may take some of the ivy we have abundantly growing around our home and weave it through the wire in the fence.  But for now, we will keep the wire exposed.

This fence is a pretty easy answer for our needs -- and relatively inexpensive too.  The most difficult part of the whole process was leveling it all.  When your home is built on a hill, you get that added bonus of trying to decide how to make everything square and in line.  So proud of the hubs and his patience on this project.  I'm hoping to share an updated photo of our fence progress soon!

DIY Friday: Painted Geometric Shape Canvas

Happy Friday, friends!  I thought I would give THIS Pinterest find a whirl this morning with a small canvas I had left over from another project.  It literally took 5 minutes, maybe less... the worst part for me was not having any painters tape lying around the home.  But... washi tape came to the rescue!  

DIY Instructions:  You'll need one canvas the size of your liking, one tube of crafters paint the color of your liking (I used an acrylic paint in a gold tone), one foam brush, and some painters tape.  Apply the tape to the canvas in the pattern/shape you desire and then paint away.  

Pretty quick and painless... the perfect project to start the weekend off right. 

DIY: Dining Table Re-Hab

The hubs works with one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet... seriously.  We were lucky to have the hubs help him build our crib before Kingston was born and now we are even luckier to have him restore a dining room table to our liking.  Talk about cool.  

Originally, he agreed to build us one from scratch.  Then, a friend of his offered up a solid oak dining room table in exchange for a fire place mantel.  Score on our part - with the table to use, it will be more solid than if he had built one from his own wood.

But... it was oak.  And of course, it didn't really jive with what I wanted our "forever" dining room table to look like.

So, we dissected my inspiration photo to find what it was that I really liked in a table (i.e. plank-style table top, border around the table top, and some "beefier" legs) and he got to work.

After just one day, I couldn't believe how much he had already changed the look of the table.  Pretty amazing, friends.  By using one of his many workshop tools, he was able to create a plank-style look on the table top, he built some pretty beefy looking legs (pretty much exactly what I had been thinking), and added a border to match.  Beautiful.

The best part about this table?  It comes with two leaves and expands from about five feet to eight feet... which provides for seating of up to eight (maybe even ten), easily.  Bring on Christmas!

This isn't a finished photo of it... and I think it was after only one layer of stain (we applied three), but just an idea of what it will look like.  The table top is stained with a gel stain in Java and the border and legs will be painted with a milk paint in Millstone.

Originally I thought I would add a little wear-and-tear to the table to make it have that vintage or antique style/look, but I've decided against it.

We are going to re-use our current dining room chairs, so I am working on re-painting them in the Millstone too.

Oh, and we may have a new Chandelier and rug in the works... hoping to share soon!

  

Mother's Day Gift: DIY Flower Tower

The hubs and Kingston worked very hard to make my Mother's Day present this year, after being inspired by THIS project that was featured on a Home Depot commercial.   

The planter will grow and fill in the gaps to make a beautiful flower tower.  I am so excited to watch this thoughtful gift the next few weeks.  The hubs filled me in on the idea right before they started building it, so that I could take a few photos of their hard work (and Kingston really wanted to show me the pink flowers they picked out for me).  

In addition to this fun project, the hubs also tackled my least favorite Sunday chore by himself today: Laundry.  Boy, do I love that man!  

Oh, and he trimmed our Wedding Bridal Spirea from our garden and made a bouquet for our kitchen island.

I am so thankful for my husband and little boys - such a wonderful Mother's Day I had, because of them.  We also spent time with both moms this weekend and the boys gave their Nana and Mimi handmade gifts and lots of love.  

Being a momma is such a blessing and something that I treasure so very much.  It is probably the hardest, yet most rewarding, thing in my life and I would not trade it for anything.

I hope you mommas out there enjoyed your day and were spoiled just as much - Happy Mother's Day!

Paper Hearts

This happened today.  And I can already feel all the love and cheer it is spreading throughout our home.  Such an easy way to decorate for the month of February - do you think the hubs would mind if I threw up a few more of these throughout our home?!

Supplies used:

• Catalogs (Serena & Lily, Land of Nod, Anthropologie)
• Thread (pale pink + cream)
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine