Drawers as Shelves

Just above our bed and in the boudoir hangs the shelves from Tim’s old (funky) dresser. Instead of getting rid of it completely when he was ready for a new one, we pulled them out, stained and put mounting key holes on the back.

Here are some before shots and process pics:

We then took the old dresser’s frame and Tim installed 3 pieces of plywood. The new shelves are now in the shop and hold all of Tim’s tools.

Also in the shop is one of the old drawers from the filing cabinet (that’s now full of succulents). Tim put all the drawer separators into 1 drawer and then mounted it in to the wall.

Here is the full-effect of the shop:

Let there be Light

Nicole likes to talk a lot about “lighting solutions,” which is some term she picked up from too much HGTV.  This first light is in the kitchen above the dining table. Tim made it using a pendant light. He drilled holes all around the plastic lip just above the socket. From there, he wrapped wire around bulbs and weaved them through the holes.

Tim rigged this pull system so he could be sure to hang it at the perfect level above the table. Ridiculous and awesome at the same time.

The second “lighting solution” is in the bedroom. Instead of two lamps on either side of the bed (clutter), Tim uninstalled the ceiling fan and put more pendant lights.

This is Henry. We paid $5 for him at an estate sale and could probably sell him for a lot more. But, we’ll never know because it’s Nicole’s favorite piece in the house (hence the name). He bends at every joint, the lamp can turn 360 degrees and the on/off switch is the little knob on the back of his head (so cleverly placed).

The next guy is our constellation lamp. We found a cast-iron base at the Goodwill for 6 bucks. Because of the heavy base, we were able to screw together a bunch of Y-sockets. It is a very intense glow when it is on. 

And, no blog about our lights would be complete without the horse lamp.

 

Your name’s on the Chalkboard

 

We had a perfect little indention in the side of our kitchen cabinet for a chalkboard (see right). Tim also installed a small rail using a small piece of crown molding that is a perfect place to rest the chalk.  

Bloomin’ Cactus

Apartment 205 loves us some succulents. Most of our guys were bought when we first moved in March. Well, it’s now early May – and we can’t believe how amazing these Cactus blooms are.

This little pinky is funny, he opens and closes all day long.

This before and after is great. Check out the squatty guy on the far left.

This guy’s little yellow flower is a night club for ants.

This last guy was amazing. We couldn’t believe how such a small plant (smaller than Nicole’s fist) made such a HUGE flower:

Stick a Fork In It

These are perfectly interesting kitchen hooks. Nicole got this idea from Real Simple Magazine a few years ago, but could never execute it because she didn't have a drill that could go through silverware. That's when Tim came along.

We found all of these utensils for 50 cents a piece at the Round Top flea market. Nicole had to rub them all with tarnish remover twice to get the gunk off. From there, Tim bent them, drilled holes and screwed them in to the side of the cupboard.