I picked up these letters at Michael's. 


It was hard to decide what to do with them!
Paint, scrapbook paper, fabric?
I've seen some truly gorgeous nursery letters, but I'm not sure I want anything too fussy.  I want the little man's room to be cute, but not cutesy.  (I'm sooo jealous of you gals with baby girls!)

So the nursery is coming along nicely, but needs more wall decor.
And I know what you're thinking... what about those cute wooden nursery letters that everyone and their dentist seem to have these days?

It is a great DIY project and I've seen some really cute ones in blogland.

The DIY Showoff (Roeshel) does a beautiful letter covered in pretty scrapbook paper!

I have a plain ugly mirror left over from building my own medicine cabinet.

So... I bought some polyurethane molding and corner blocks to zazz it up a bit, for hanging in the nursery! 

I painted all the molding with Kona Brown spray paint.  It's just easier to get it shiny and in all the crannies with spray paint.  Don't forget to paint the other side where the mirror will reflect the molding!!

**Added:  Check out my Electrical Wiring Tutorial for more help wiring your own  lamp! **

 I've had an old telescope since I saved up for it as a kid.  I haven't used it in 10 (maybe 15?) years!  I finally decided - why let that awesome tripod base go to waste!  I'll make it into a lamp.

** It's my 1 month blog anniversary!!! **

I can't believe I've never re-covered a lampshade before!
What fun! What thrills!  Laugh at me if you want, but seriously, I can buy any fabric I like love and some short time later have a "new" lampshade in that pattern/color/design.  Imagine the possibilities!!

My first recovered lampshade is such a Beauty and the Beast story (well, if they were the same person... ummm... weird, nevermid.)
Meet The Beast.
$1.99 from the thrift store (and broken).
This poor thing scares the villagers, but I saw hoped it could be made beautiful.

That cheap little metal flower pot made the perfect pegboard pen cup!


It was soooo easy and soooo fast (and sooo cheap, perfect for me!)

I promise that one of these weeks my thrift shopping will come up dry.
But right now, with this new blog, I have ideas for tons of upcoming projects, and I'm in the market for more stuff than usual...

1.  Cute sign
It's perfect just the way it is!
So I grabbed a sign that's been in my laundry "area" and hung them both in my kitchen (where I like to have a few pops of red).

I dream of a day when Bamm-Bamm picks up and puts away his toys!

I also know that this is only something he will learn if I teach him.  It also helps to have a place for everything. 
Labels are an important part of this, and words combined with pictures can help even a young child learn to use the toy storage.

It's actually really easy to create useful toy bin labels.

1.  Tripod lamp
I'll be honest and say that I've had my eye on this tripod lamp I saw on CasaSugar for a while now (that post is dated... Feb 3,... yep, a while.)



I like her so much (Yes, her.   I thought everyone knew lamps were girls.) I wanna make one myself.  Let's see...  hmmm.... how about Saturday.  Wanna come back here on Saturday and make one?   Great.  It's a date!

Last week's birdcage transformation reminded me of another birdcage in my home.

I love this wall quote for my wainscoted nursery.

If you're not afraid of a little paint, here's a trick to get it without paying for a vinyl wall decal.

I like this medicine cabinet over at Ikea Hacker.  The lucky hacker put it in his bathroom during construction.

I saw a lot of potential in this double heart frame.


Since I will soon have another little boy (6 weeks to go!) I figure I can put a picture of each little man into the frame and place it in the nursery (or living room, playroom, craft room... maybe I should find a few more of these!)

I picked up an assortment of goodies this week.

I'm reminded that I follow my own "guide" for thrift shopping (you probably have one too if you thrift a lot).
Here's mine:

I've been seeing these adorable chicken wire cloches on the web.
http://raisedincotton.typepad.com/raised_in_cotton/2009/01/cloche-tutorial.html
http://robolady.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-was-inspired-by-these-chicken-wire.html
http://songbirdisnesting.blogspot.com/2010/02/homemade-wire-cloche.html

I have some chicken wire left over from building my chicken coop, BUT I wanted to try something NEW.

1.  As I was looking for nursery inspiration, I found this wall quote.

Before I started building the faux wainscoting in the nursery, I decided on the colors I waned the room to have: white wainscoting, soft green walls and bedding, and a rich brown on the furniture.  And I did not want to buy that furniture if I didn't have to.

So sometime in January, I refinished my crib from white to Kona Brown (Rustoleum).

Here's a before picture I borrowed from the internets (white Jenny Lind Crib - hope they don't minds).




You can see that the tines/spokes/ bars on this thing are pretty elaborate.  No way was I going to try and sand them.  Being frugal, I also started painting this thing with a can of paint and a brush.

I'd like to introduce you to Ana @ Knock Off Wood. A website that has literally changed my life.

This is one amazing blog Goddess.  She builds her own furniture, beautiful furniture.  But mostly she designs and shares furniture plans with everyone on the web!  How generous is that!?  She's got Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (Pottery Barn) freaking out.  It is too wonderful.  Oh, and she's gorgeous.  Can you tell I have a crush?

So I thought you'd like to know that I've been building my own furniture!

OK, 1 bookshelf, but it has opened my eyes to all the possibilities... nice storage units in the playroom, built-ins in the dining room, maybe even a new desk/office setup.  Bookshelf reveal will be tomorrow... so stay tuned!

Now I don't Even if you have a table saw (sighyeah!), and one thing I've found to be an absolute must when cutting a plywood or MDF sheet with a circular saw is a

Cutting Guide

The cutting guide shows you where your circular saw will cut the wood every time.  It also gives you a guide to press your saw against, so cuts are accurate and fast.  I just need to measure and mark my sheet, line up the guide to the marks, clamp the guide to the sheet and go!

Indescribable, I have to show you a "before" picture.  It was such an ugly dirty little thing.



Here it is with a coat of Heirloom White (Rustoleum).

This clock is so my style - I love it, and it was only $3.00.  I need to find a good place for it!

Ever pick up those cute little Rajtan spice jars at Ikea?
I do - I have a ton of them.

I like how they tip forward, and that feature makes them perfect as ribbon dispensers.

To make you'll need:

• some Ikea Rajtan jars (or you can use any little canning/jam jar)
• a drill and bit (size 5/16")

I chose to drill 4 holes in each lid.  Either hold the lid by itself, or be very careful not to pop through too hard and break the jar!
The edges may be rough after drilling - I just let the drill spin around a little extra and then I picked off the plastic bits with my fingers.

Today I'm sharing some inspirations that have me crafting,... and doing more renovations in my master bathroom!

1.  Wall Art from Better Homes and Gardens

This wall looks stunning.  I especially like that it has a coherent color theme.  I think it would look great in Palm Breeze (Behr)  green, in the nursery.  The fact that some of the patterns repeat (but not all) adds even more interest, along with the variety of shapes and materials (glass, wood) used.

2. Make your own wallpaper decals

(Image: Misty Adair)
Go to apartment therapy for detailed instructions. Check out the comments for more great diy tips!!

3.  Ribbon dispenser

This looks like a great way to store a ton of ribbon...

if you don't have any pets or kids!
Then I saw this. 
Ribbons stored in mason jars.  Getting closer...
And then I knew just what to do!  The perfect solution (at least for me), and I'll show it to you all tomorrow!

I (used to) collect stamps, and I have a lot of "extras".

So, I used a little Mod Podge to cover a thrift store tin in stamps.  I learned the best tin to use is one without stick-out hinges or any ledges.  An old-fashioned metal index card box works best.

This was quite a project but worth it!

I have been looking at Stef's Faux Wainscoted wall for months and just had to give it a try in the new nursery.

There are a few differences though...

1. My walls are textured (shoot!)
2. I have a window, door, and corners to deal with (what do I do there?)
3. I want mine taller and I want a picture ledge like in this gorgeous picture ... yes, I believe I drooled a little.

Remember that dartboard cabinet I showed you yesterday ($15 @ Thrift Town in San Leandro)?

 It has a great design on the doors, and it really was dying to be turned into something more pretty and useful!



This part was easy - a coat of paint. Rustoleum in Almond (gloss), a heart cut out of pretty paper, and a pair of french country handles instantly brings this cabinet into a more feminine space.


But inside is even better!  I'm using it to store some of my scrapbook tools and stickers.
I removed the dart board and backing, and replaced them with a piece of pegboard cut to fit.
I also used blackboard paint to paint over the "scoreboards".

Last of all, I built a basic frame out of some 1x2 boards (just cut to length and screwed together) and nailed it to the back to give the pegboard hooks some space from the wall. 


Sigh, I love it.  But don't you agree it would look even better with Ralph Lauren Smoke Glaze painted on and wiped off to make that gorgeous detailing pop!?  I just don't have any (yet).  I know - crazy!  It seems like everyone in blog land has some but me... I'll have to remedy that right away!

I'm linking this post up with

Did you know the word thrift comes from the Old Norse for success or thrive?  It used to mean prosperity!  Ah, how times change.

Hi! It's Thrifting Through Thursdays. 
Every Thursday I'm going to show you the best of what I've found at my local thrift stores.  No, I don't just shop thrift stores on Thursdays - in fact, I'd go everyday if I could! 
It's actually quite the addiction, and even though it's more frugal than shopping retail, it can sometimes come into conflict with "keeping a budget" and "reducing clutter in my house".  Pshaw! who wants to do those things all the time anyway?!

Since I've been so busy with my brand spanking new blog, I have only a few great finds for you this week.




Finally, I'm going to host a MckLinky party on these days! (Even if it takes a few weeks months years to catch on.)  I'll read all these posts, so I may become a follower of your blog, or even highlight some of the best "finds" here!
 
Can't wait to see what you've found!
P.S. If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area - tell me where you shop thrift!

• Please copy the above Pregnant... with power tools logo button  and use it to link back to the party! OR copy and paste the following html into your post. 

<a href="http://pregnantpower.blogspot.com/2010/03/thrifting-through-thursdays.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVEYhnnXd2hyphenhyphent2I5tHXart5vsEILrsrzZbw_sjGrMB-O5fiBbAtoJa7vPe8c2QE2GwiMVRMb_k3AgvsVxHbmP-Nc6X0hcvLByAVnhfz-j_kVbyMJMS7o5NfUZl-KNnf_4VoJhn09e9Oa0/s200/PregnantPower_button.gif"/></a>

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• This MckLinky party will close Wednesday March 10, at midnight PST

I've been getting the nursery ready for little man #2.
I'll be slowly showing you all the things I've done to this room in a series of "Wainscoted Nursery" posts coming soon.

In particular, I loved these framed Origami Numbers I saw on Bloesem Kids.  Super cute!

When I find something cool on the internet (not always from a blog), I bookmark it with Delicious.

I have found some great inspiration this way even if it takes me weeks months to get around to using the idea.  This is the time, Tuesdays, when I will share these found goodies with you.

#1.  Digital Day Counter



This one is going on my shopping list!  We always have a 1/2 container of broth in the fridge that could be "only the cat knows" how old!  (This would work well for pumped milk too.)

Part1: Beadboard
Part 2: Crown Molding Shelf


If part 1 was a 1 (in difficulty), then part 3 is definitely a 3, because I built recessed wall cubbbies/niches for storing towels and baskets of bath supplies (and it was tough, but fun).