Pinterest Challenge: Magnetic Scrabble Board

It's that time again...

It was time to get my (our) butts off the couch and diy something. Since listing our home for sale in January, our projects all came to an end and we didn't want to 'dirty' the house in case of a showing. That led to lots of lazy nights and weekends on the couch watching tv and movies. Can't complain, we have been soaking it up. I am sharing my challenge with the creators: Sherry and Katie, and also with Megan and Michelle.

This was inspiring me months ago when I originally pinned it from The Twice Remembered Cottage. It just so happens, about two weeks ago, I snagged some Scrabble tiles from ebay. Perfect, let the challenge begin.

We started looking over the weekend for trim to make a frame and picked up some sheet metal while out at Lowe's. Their trim seemed very overpriced, and Greg suggested checking some thrift stores for an old frame we could paint. The weekend was not very productive. We picked up a few supplies, but that was it.

On Monday, I stopped by a few thrift stores in the area. No luck finding a frame, but I did find an old dictionary to use. I checked Michael's and Walmart for a cheap frame, still nothing. While at Michael's, I grabbed a pack of magnets to glue to the Scrabble tiles. They only had one pack of 50 left, so I will need to check back in this weekend.

I met Greg at Home Depot and we found some decently priced trim. Greg decided (because I am so indecisive) to make the frame 2' x 2'. We picked up 10 ft. of primed pine for around $15. This is where my hubby comes in. I had to get home for a video lecture for class. Greg went back to his shop at work to build the frame. He loves me :)

Greg measured and cut the trim down to size, then used wood glue to secure the ends to each other. He cut the sheet metal down to size using tin snips and used liquid nails to secure it to 1/4" thick luan. He clamped that down between two pieces of wood to set and dry.

While he was busy at work, I was ripping pages out of an old dictionary and gluing magnets to the letter tiles.  I had purchased 3 complete sets of letter tiles from ebay, but only glued 50 to the magnets that I had. I will probably end up using 100-150.

Greg got home and I painted a light coat of white eggshell on the frame and went to bed.

The next thing that needed to be done was to glue the dictionary pages on the sheet metal. I spread a very thin amount of Elmer's all over the sheet metal using a brush and randomly put the pages on. The first layer I made sure everything was covered. The second layer I turned the pages and made it more 'random'.

Once that dried, Greg attached the painted frame to the sheet metal/luan using liquid nails and placed something heavy on it overnight.

The frame and paper still needs to be sprayed with a clear coat to make it durable. I forgot to pick some up at the store, but it doesn't change the look of the final product.

Cost breakdown:
Sheet metal- $8
Trim for frame- $15
300 Scrabble tiles- $12, I will use about half of them, so $6
Magnets- $3 per pack
Dictionary- $1
Paint, liquid nails, luan- already owned

Total: $33

Not the cheapest diy project, but it made a big impact and will be used a lot. My plan is to incorporate it into a gallery wall in the new house. If that doesn't work out, I will be putting it in a high traffic room so it gets a lot of use!

Special shout out to my hubby -- I couldn't have completed this without him. I have the visions, and he always helps me execute them. We make a great team! He said next challenge needs to be completed all by myself, we'll see if he sticks to that :)

xo, Erin

Happy 1-Year Blogiversary {to me}

It was a year ago today when I started this little blog. I decided it would be a good time to revamp the blog a bit and change a few things up. During the past year, I shared our home renovations, vacations, recipes and life! This blog is an outlet for me to document time and share with long distance family and friends who may not be able to visit often.

It's crazy to think that in just a short month, we will be saying goodbye to this house and starting all over again. I am ready for a change and to bring my style into a new home that needs some love. I think there will be some bolder color choices in the wall color, curtains, pillows and accessories. I'm not talking yellow and orange walls... more along the lines of navy, gold, darker grays, etc. Greg and I have so many ideas running through our head, we are excited to execute them and blog along the way.

Sit tight. We will be back in full DIY force soon.

xo, Erin

Blog Changes

I spent a few hours this weekend changing my blog around. Things are still under construction.

On a side note, I started two more grad classes this weekend and we have about a month until we close on the new house. Things may get real crazy over here! I may need a few reminders to chill out and make this moving adventure fun, not stressful. 

via: Super Swoon

xo, Erin

5 Highlights

This week was a whirlwind. Having Monday off, the days kept getting mixed up and blended together. Greg and I don't have much going on right now to keep us busy, so we started watching The Walking Dead on Netflix. It's one of those shows you don't want to watch, but keep watching because you are hooked. It's intense.

Check out my top 5 highlights from this week, and link up with FMGD to share yours.

1. I convinced Greg to take a quick trip to the outlets that are about 45 minutes away. They had some great President's Day sales going on and I took advantage

2. I picked out my Valentine's Day gift and I'm obsessed! I can't stop wearing them which makes going to the gym more fun :)

3. So I just 'discovered' nutella. By discovered, I mean I dragged Greg to the grocery store and he put it in the cart. I have ate it for a snack with pretzels almost every day since. Making up for the past 25 years of my life without it...

4. The weather has been rather chilly this week, including an ice storm last night. I am looking forward to spring, but don't mind wearing cords and a sweater for a few more weeks

5. One of my class grades from last term was submitted. Pretty proud of myself for working full time and doing my Masters part time. Can't get much better than that. \/

xo, Erin

Pinterest Planning

I can't stop. There is so much inspiration floating around Pinterest and it just makes we want to dive head first in to our new house. Yes, we are going to take it slow, but I need a starting point. In order to pick some paint colors for a few of the main rooms, I need a vision. Pinterest makes that very easy, yet difficult because there are SO many choices. Here's what I'm currently loving:

This wall color, window trim, and patterned curtains

 

These calm, neutral colors and patterns for the Master

Darker walls and an assortment of pillows

Striped accent wall in a bathroom

Dark cabinets, white island, light wood floor

Pins { great room - bedroom - living room - bathroom - kitchen }

And these paint colors, love them all!

{ paint colors }

Where do you get most of your inspiration?

xo, Erin