Hammer Time.

Where has the summer gone??  I know I've been MIA for quite awhile- lots of weddings and visits to get in while the weather's nice!  Couple that with a crazy work schedule the past few weeks, and like sands through the hourglass, so are the nonexistent DIY sessions of my life.  (Days of Our Lives reference, anyone?) 

Annnnyway, here's a quick little DIY to do with little ones (because they can), or by yourself (because you can).  Either way, it'll turn out pretty!

Ooh la la...it's art!!

I found this little gem of a summer DIY somewhere online, and thought I'd give it a go.  Of course I had a hammer, watercolor paper, and blue painter's tape hanging around- staples of a DIY'er, really.

Supplies.  Yeah, it's upside down.  Live with it.
If you can't tell that it's a pad of watercolor paper, you're blind.

Here's what you do:

Pick some fancy flowers and leaves.  Try to pick ones that aren't super thick and watery- they might just burst when you try to hammer them.  Or, pick exactly that, if you want to create a messy explosion of plant juices.  Your choice.

SPLAT.

Yeah, that was kind of a mess.

Arrange your flowers artfully on your watercolor paper.  It's important to use watercolor paper and not just any old regular printer paper- the watercolor texture and absorbency is what you need for this project.

Or, arrange your one flower artfully.
These dang petals tend to stick in a clump!

Next, cover your flowers with painter's tape.  Make sure to cover the perimeter of the flower securely for best results.

Tape it down now!

Then, hammer away!  If you want to take a few quick hits and then pull the tape up a bit to check your progress, feel free!  The painter's tape comes up  easily, so you can see if additional hammering is necessary.

Looking good!

Use some fun stamps and a ribbon, and you've got a pretty little door hanger!
Too cute, right?

After you've done all this, mail the hammer and supplies to your sister for her 5 year old's birthday.  She'll really love you for it.  Promise.

Wanna Get in my Drawers?

So, we're obviously talking about DRESSER DRAWERS today...geesh.  What kind of drawers were you thinking?

A few years ago, we had a contractor come in and bust out a wall in the attic bedroom (excuse me, Master Bedroom) of our bungalow.  He pushed the wall back into the eaves of the roof 4 feet, and created some much needed closet space.  In doing so, he also had to rip out one set of drawers that were built into the wall.  We were able to keep the second set, so we still have one built in dresser.  I love old houses and their quirks!

Drawer Skeletor.

Boxes o' beauty.

In the meantime, I had four large drawers to DIY into something fantastic.  What to do with them?  Turn them into bookshelves?  Attach casters and use as under the bed storage?  Burn them?  At the time, I was working on organizing the basement, and needed some extra storage space, so the decision was made...drawers to shelving it was!

Yes, I can count.  I know this is a picture of only three drawers, and I had four to work with.
Congratulate yourself on being observant.

Bun feet.  The name just makes me want to give someone a hug.
Weird, right?

Since I completed this project 2 years ago, I don't have any other pictures of the process, but it's pretty easy to create a picture in your head.  Here you go:

1.  Unscrew drawer handles.
2. Plop one drawer on top of the other with the drawer faces touching each other.
3. Screw a nut and bolt through each drawer handle hole in order to attach the drawers together.
4. Attach old wooden bun feet from another scrapped project onto the bottom of the lower drawer.
5. Have a nice young gentleman at Lowe's cut pegboard for you to attach to the inside of the drawers, screw up the measurements slightly, and offer you 15% off for his mistake.
6. Smile and take him up on his offer.
7. Paint drawers with an obnoxious color just for fun.
8. Attach pegboard to insides of drawers with nuts and bolts. (Don't forget to put small scrap pieces of wood behind the pegboard so it sticks away from the drawer a bit! You want to be able to actually use the pegboard!)
9. Use s-hooks and other fun organizing peg board pieces to create easy access to your most frequently used tools, painting supplies, etc.

Pea-green in all its glory.  Don't mind all of the paint on the floor
that has yet to find an organized home.

I never said it was pretty...just basement functional!

Presto chang-o!  Wasn't that fun?  If you have extra drawers lying (or is it laying?  Grammar police, come attack, please!)  around, don't toss them, reuse them! 

I still have 2 drawers leftover just waiting for a new life.  As I'm currently creating a fabulous basement craft room, they just might get their wish soon!!

And now, a picture of me dressed up as Where's Waldo?  Why, you ask?  Why the hell not?

Side note: this was Halloween 2011- there was school that day,
and I did call down several kids to my office to suspend them while dressed like this.
First and only day that nobody was pissed for being suspended.