DIY - Toy Storage Bench

My Daughter's Birthday Is In November & She Gets A Lot Of Toys...Just In Time For Christmas!  Needless To Say, It Was Time To Organize Them & What Better Way Than To Also Provide Some Seating?!

 

 

 

To Start, We Figured Out About Where We Wanted It & The Dimensions According To Where It Was Going To Go & How Spaced Out I Wanted Each Cube.  Since I Wanted Them Spaced Out Far, We Only Had Room For 3 Cubes, Which Was Perfect.

(The Beauty Of Being Married To A Number's Guy Is That This Bench Was Planned With Exact Measurements!!)

 

After It Was Nailed Together, We Filled In The Holes & Cracks

 

Then We Painted It.  I Went With White Since The Rest Of The Furniture In My Daughter's Room Is White.  I Used Behr Interior/Exterior Semi-Gloss Pure White From Home Depot.

 

Since We Were Going To Add Cushions On Top, We Thought It Would Be A Good Idea To Add A Strip Along The Three Sides Of The Top.

 

And My Handy Husband Made It Decorative By Setting It In About An Inch & Adding The Slant At Each End!  He's Brilliant!

 

 

Next, I Had To Organize Her Toys, Put Old Ones Away & Bring Out New Ones & It Was Complete!

The Only Item We Bought, Aside From The Wood & Paint, Was The Green Body Pillow Which I Found At IKEA For $12.99.

 

It's A Great Piece In Her Room Now & It's One That Reminds Me She Is Growing Up!

 

DIY - Photo Coasters

My Dear Friend Jen Just Got Married A Few Months Back & The First Time We Visited Her Home, My Daughter Ruined Her Cork Coasters! So, Of Course, I Wanted To Replace Them...This Time, Making Them Personal To Her.

 

 

Jen & Her New Husband, David, Had A Photo Booth At Her Wedding & I Was Able To Use The Pictures From That For These Coasters.  They Turned Out Amazing!

 

 

Here Are The Items I Needed.....

1. Photos Printed To Size On Card Stock

2. Coasters (Old Ones Or New Ones - I Grabbed These At A Garage Sale - FREE!!!)

3. Scrap Booking Paper Cutter

4. Scissors

5. Rotary Cutter

6. Cutting Mat

7. Mod Podge

8. Sponge Brush

9. Clear Acrylic Spray Paint (not in photo) 

 

 

 

First, I Trimmed Up The Photos Using My Scrap Booking Paper Cutter

 

 

Then I Applied A Coat Of Mod Podge On The Coasters & Laid The Photos On Top 

 

 

I Had To Lay Them Upside Down To Dry So They Would Stick Better

 

 

 

After They Dried, I Took My Rotary Cutter & Trimmed Up The Edges

 

 

 When They Were All Trimmed Up, I Took Them Outside To Lightly Sand The Edges Of Each Coaster. This Adds A Little Texture To Them

 

 

Next, I Applied 3 Coats Of Mod Podge, Letting Them Completely Dry Between Each Coat

 

 

After Each Coaster Was Completely Dry, I Took Them Back Outside & Sprayed A Coat Of Clear Acrylic Spray Paint On Them & Let Them Dry For At Least An Hour.  The Acrylic Seals In Everything & Allows Them To Be Usable As Coasters! Very Important!

 

 

When They Dried, I Packaged Them Up With A Little Bow.

 

 

This Is Such An Easy & Inexpensive Project & A Great Way To Give A Personalized Gift!

I'd Like To Say I Created This Myself, But When I Got Stuck With What To Put On Top Of The Mod Pogde Coats, I Saw ALL OVER Pinterest This Idea. Although, I Didn't Create It Initially, I Created These For My Friend! Try It Yourself!