drop cloth projects | Beneath My Heart

Porch Decor Inspiration {from a reader!}

6:18 pm

I got a sweet email this week that I wanted to share with you…

Traci,

I don’t have a URL blog, so I couldn’t update to your August DIY
party. So I’m sending pictures of my side porch that was (almost..) finished
in August. I still need to highlight the raised surfaces on the coffee
table, put family snap shots on top, and cover with a piece of glass.

The inspiration was your drop cloth tutorial! I recently moved to a new house
after living in the same place for 30 years. A must for my new house was a
screened porch. I brought my rocker, porch swing, and wind chimes from the
old side porch. A friend found the wicker set in a yard sale and ‘gifted’
that and most of the cushions. I spray painted every thing… picking up odd
furniture at Goodwill and Habitat stores. The drop cloth curtain adds
privacy and blocks the sun. I trimmed the top with some fringe, and I love
it. I’m able to sit on the porch and watch the birds on the deck. My
favorite time to be on the porch is late at night or early mornings with a
cup of coffee and the newspaper.

Thanks for the inspiration. My friends love it,

Judy

Judy sent me some pictures of her new side porch, and I think it turned out lovely.

Ya’ll KNOW that I love the colors Judy used to decorate her porch. Look at those beautiful reds, blacks, tans, and greens! Perfection!

She has such a wonderful view out her side porch! It certainly is a great place for coffee and a newspaper (and to catch up on all the great posts at Beneath My Heart!) :)

I wonder where that cute little side door goes? I love the transom window over the door!

Doesn’t her porch look so cozy?! The perfect place for entertaining.

Thank you, Judy, for sharing these inspirational pictures with me, and for allowing me to share them with my readers!

I hope you have many happy memories on your porch with family and friends!

Blessings,

Traci

Tweet This Post

Drop Cloth Skirted Wood Desk {a creative storage solution for my office}

10:15 am

Last week, I shared my new skirted desk in my guest post over at Shanty2Chic.

I am so excited with how it turned out!

(I am going to paint the walls a different color. This is the color that was already on the walls when we bought the house two months ago. I think a lighter paint color will help the desk stand out even more!)

I love this desk/table because there is sooooo much room to work! And I love the way the drop cloth skirt hides all my “uglies”…

I bought those storage bins at Walmart, and I am going to buy two more for the other side of my desk when I have the money.

It was so much fun organizing all of my crafty stuff!

Now just in case ya’ll go thinkin’ that I’ve got it all together, and my room is so neat and organized now, here’s what the other side of my room looks like….

See why I need more storage bins?

I am DETERMINED TO GET ORGANIZED now that the boys are back in school!!

If you missed my guest post over at Shanty2Chic, and you want to know how to make this desk yourself, here is the tutorial.

(Believe me… if I can do it, you can do it too!)

I purchase three 2x10x8′s from Lowe’s and place them on our saw horses…

Then I cut each board 82 inches long. (You could cut them as long or as short as you need them.)

Then I cut 2×4′s to make a frame smaller than the top of the table.

I used PL adhesive caulk at the end of each 2×4 before I used my nail gun to nail them together.

I also used PL adhesive caulk on the frame before I nailed it to the top of the table…

I place the three 2×10′s on top of my 2×4 frame and nailed them together.

Next, I cut some 2×4′s for the legs of the table and nailed them to the frame. It didn’t matter if my table had ugly legs because I knew I would be covering them with a skirt.

I made my table 30 inches high.

Then I used a clean cloth to wipe on the stain…

It is called Provencial from Minwax.

For the skirt, I cut strips from some drop cloths 31 inches long…

I LOVE drop cloths! I especially love that they are already hemmed on one side, so I didn’t even have to break out my sewing machine for this project!

Next, I stapled the drop cloth to a 1×2 board that was cut 82 inches long (the length of the front of the table.) I gathered the material every couple of inches to create my skirt.