Sofa Table in 4 hours!!!

I'm so excited and extremely proud!!  I seriously did this in 4 hours start to finish!  Woohoo! Chicks Rule!!

Ok.  Let me tell you how I did it and what you need to do it too!

First thing I did was read two different Pinterest How to'ers on how they did it. Then I measured how tall my sofa was & how tall the table could be and still fit under my window trim.

Then I measured the length of the sofa.

With these two measurements my bf (Adrian) told me over the phone to draw a sketch. Ok..... not sure why, but ok!  Turned out to be a good idea.  But I'm not telling him that!  Don't want him thinking he's indespensible!  So  I sketched a drawing of what I was gonna build with measurements.  Just so I could look at it while I was building it.... Mind you, I've never sketched a thing in my life.... Lol... my daughter Katie Sue asked if I wanted lined paper to do it... Hehehe.. I told her, "No, its not that serious."  She looked at me like I was nuts!  I think it turned out fine.

Here is what I considered in drawing my sketch.  The wood was gonna be 1 inch x 8 inches by 8 ft long. The couch was roughly 6 ft 10 inches; and the height was roughly 32 inches.  So in my sketch I decided to have the legs be 31 inches since the top board of the table was an inch thick.  It is gonna sit on top of the legs and and I couldn't have the total height of the table be more than 32 inches.  So my sketch each leg at 31 inches with a table top that is 6 ft 10 inches long. 

In the two Pinterest How to's I found I felt they looked a bit wobbly.... So I wanted to compensate for a corrective fix on that!  Cuz I could just see me doing all this work and the darn thing break and fall to the floor when I had company over.... (Dear Lord that would put me over the top!) So decided to use a 2 x 4 to stabilize the table.  I drew the 2 x 4 into the sketch at approximately 15 in up each leg. 

  

Ok.  That's all I did with my sketch.

So I went to Home Depot and bought two 1 x 8 x 8 ft boards.  1 1/4 inch wood screws & 3/4 inch wood screws. I already had some Gorilla Wood Glue but you need to pick some up.  I already had 3 brand new 2 x 4's at home waiting for me to need them!  :)  But you will need to buy two 2 x 4's.  I also picked up these two different types of corner braces as the other Pinterester's used them.  I didn't end up using them... But you might!  So pick them up! 

They (other Pinterest sofa table builders) also suggest that you ask Lowe's or Home Depot to make your board cuts for you.  If you don't have a saw or  you don't feel comfortable making your own cuts, by all means have them do it for you!  You may find this funny.... But, I was super uncomfortable having them make my cuts!  Why? Because I didn't trust my sketch or my measurements!! Hehehe....  Measure twice & cut once!!!  I measured four times and cut once! Ya I was a bit scared... I called my bf, Adrian and talked with him about it and confessed to my scaredness!  He said, "You can do it." I said, "But I'm scared I'm gonna screw it up....."  He replied, "JUST DO IT & CALL ME WHEN YOU GET GOING!".......... Fine! 

So I move down the hall and into the garage!  Let's do this!  But the lets is me by myself.... Oh, well.... I'm not much on pre-planning.  I'm more of an, "I just got this idea! Drive to the store and buy the stuff to do it right here and now kinda girl..."  

So I made my measurement for the 6 ft 10 inch top board.  

Then I made my measurement for the two legs (31 inches each).  

Then I used my electric Miter saw and made my cuts!  Yes I have one of these... No i don't use it a lot.  Probably used it 5 times in the past!  But I needed it for a project about 10 years ago, so I bought it then.  Any ol' saw would work... Or.... Home Depot or Lowe's also!  :) 

Ok. I cut the three pieces.  Two legs and the top board.  I put it together on the ground (without nailing or screwing it.  Just layed it out) and then measured the distance from inside of the left leg to the inside of the right leg. This measurement I used to cut my 2 x 4.  This is gonna be my stabilizing piece.  I marked the measurement on the 2 x 4 and made the cut.  I was again scared I wouldn't have the right measurement.  So that's why I layed it out on the ground and measured it.  I was scared if I just did the math in my head I would be short!  Hehehe!  But I'm sure glad I did!  I made the perfect measurement and cut!

Sorry no pic.... I got all caught up in my work and forgot about photo ops!  oops!  :(

Then I measured the length of legs again and divided it in half, marked the halfway point on each leg. 

 Then I used my bran new Kreg Jig I bought last month (cuz a guy on Pinterest said if your gonna build anything, you gotta have one!  So.... I went out and got one!)  My bf thinks I'm a bit wacky....  :)  

 I got some scrap 2 x 4 and read the kreg jig directions 3 times and practiced 3 times on scrap wood... I figured I had it down and used the jig to predrill holes into the 2 x 4 to attach it to the legs.  This IS NOT NECESSARY!  You can use the Corner Braces to attached the 2 x 4 to the legs.  

 Attach the corner braces to the under side of the 2 x 4. You don't want anyone to see your handy work!  (Put some Gorilla Wood Glue on the end of the 2 x 4 before you screw it to the inside leg.  This will make a better bond.)  Ok... Please DO NOT FORGET THE GORILLA GLUE.  Why?  It just simply makes the bond better!  :)

Now you have 2 legs with a 2 x 4 in the middle of it.  Stand it upright.  Should look like a big H.  No I didn't take pics of this stage!  I was too into my handy work to take pics!  I will work on that in the future!  My Bad!

Place the top board of the H.  I used a bit of Gorilla Glue and set it on top of the H. Then I used my air nail gun and tapped 2 inch nails into this bad boy... No you do not have to have this!  You can use Corner Braces underneath the top to attach the left and right side.

At this point I was beaming with proudness!  I sent a pic to my bf and he too was proud of my accomplishment!  He had a concern.... And well I had to agree with him.  The top of the sofa table board bowed down when I put my hand on it with some pressure... hmmmm... Well my bf said use some scrap 2 x 4 and stabilize it! That way it won't bend when we put stuff on it!  Sounded good to me.  So I measured the space between the 2 x 4 and the underside of the top.  Exactly 15 inches.  Ok. I cut two 15 inch 2 x 4's.  Then I went to the left of the table and measured 30 inches and marked it.  I did the same thing  on the right side.  This gave me exactly even places to place the 2 x 4's.  For a even amount of stability.  (and it looks more Prolike!!! ) I placed the 2 X 4's in there with a bit of Gorilla Wood Glue and again used my nail gun to attach the 2 x 4's (I LOVE MY NAIL GUN!) , again you could use Corner Braces to attach the top part of the 2 x 4 to the underside of the sofa table top and then flip the table upside down and hammer wood nails or screw screws into the bottom stabilizer 2 x 4 to the middle stabilizer. 

And that is it!

Paint or stain to your liking.  I have black furniture in the room that this piece is going into.  But I didnt wanna paint my beautiful masterpiece!  So, I used the only stain I had on hand. Provinco.  

 I was able to get one coat of stain on it before I ran out... So me and my son (Robbie and his gf, (Summer) went out to Farmer Boys to celebrate my handiwork.  Afterward I picked up more stain... I decided on Ebony Stain.

Even though this was not the color I started with.  I decided to use a darker one since I had black furniture in the room.  When I got home, I applied it and it did darken it up nicely.  I am extremely proud of my first build my own project!  And I used my Kreg Jig too!!  That part had me so nervous I had to run to the bathroom!  lol... and yes I'm sure if I was an experienced wood worker/builder it would have turned out perfect..... but when I look at her.... I SEE PERFECTION!  Is my proudness showing thru?

In the end, I ended up using 4 coats of stain & four coats of polyurethane. That took an additional 2 days.... but all the other work was 4 hours and that included going to home depot and buying everything I needed to do the job! Actual cutting and learning how to use the Kreg Jig and put it together was only 2 hours!

This is what she looks like in all her glory!

Now there are two Pinterest Posts that inspired me.  These are the posts!  Please read them and if you wanna try this, I say JUST DO IT!  

xoxo, 

Lori your Kustomkopykat

Thanks for stopping by!

ps.... yes the pics r from my iphone.... ;)

 http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/04/make-sofa-table-for-under-20-for-real.html

http://wherenorthmetsouth.blogspot.com/2010/09/faux-sofa-table.html

Miniature Schnauzer

Sophia...... our princess!  Ha! she gets into everything!

This front door quick change took me about

  24 hours!!!

Ok, here's what I did... Behind the new lamp is a decorative pine plaque from Michael's.  It cost $10.99.

The 3 black wooden blocks I got for $1.99 each at Lowes and the numbers also.  Those cost $1.28 each.

So far we have spent $20.80

I started at night and grabbed a piece of 150 grit sandpaper from the "Craft Junk Drawer" in the kithen and went over the whole plaque.  I cut the piece of sandpaper to about 5 X 7 inches.  Sanding took me about 5 minutes.  Then I used Rust-Oeum Ultra Cover Grey Primer. And gave it 2 coats of primer giving it 10 minutes in between coats.  The 3 wooden blocks I also gave 2 coats of primer to.

Then I used Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover Black Gloss spray paint and gave it one coat.  Paint cost me $3.79 a can.  I got one can of each.Two hours later I gave it another coat.

 (I know ur gonna hate me.... but I didnt take any pics!   I kno.... I kno.... it was dark outside... there is literally NO photo opts outside guys!!)  Ok.... Phew.... BTS.... Then I went to bed! :)

Next morning I scrambled outta bed to checkout the status of my new project!  And I discovered everything needed another coat of black.  (Very common when u paint at night!) I run back into the house (its cold outside!)  put on some paint clothes go tackle this almost done project!

I moved my pieces out into the winter sun (since there was no breeze) and gave everything another coat (3 coats total).  An hour later I tacked in the white house numbers and ask Adrian (my boyfriend) to drill a hole into the large black plaque for the new wiring to come thru..  God Bless his heart.... I always drag him into my fabulous projects.... Sometimes I think he's gonna say no..... But he never does.... I LOVE HIM SO!!  I wipe of the plaque lightly and hit it with a very light coat of black again..... I probably shoulda had him drill the hole before I ever started spray painting...... but as Si on Duck Dynasty says, "Hey! Its my project!" hehehe.... Ok, now I let it sit for another hour..... (this is the stage where I literally can't sit still.... I end up going back and forth to stare at my works of art every 5 minutes!!!)  Okay at the end of my hour wait the morning sun has dried and is no longer tacky!!  I warmed up by now (10 am) to 65 and beautiful blue skies. Woohoo!!!!  FINALLY, we can finish this!  I'm getting so excited!  I know its gonna look great!

Adrian (bf) and I got the new light (Lowe's on sale for $39.99) and took down the old light and wired in the new light.  (we did turn off the power to the light at the breaker panel and we color matched the wires)  Took us about 35 minutes to do that part.  We did it together because it's tough to do the light with one person.  You kinda need someone to hold the light while your matching and connecting the wires.

I tacked in the wooden numbers and  and used black OPI nail polish to touch the top of the nails and screws that we used to attach the wooden black plaque and house numbers to the wall of the house.

And, there you have it!! I LOVE THE WAY IT LOOKS!  I think It has a bit of pop factor!  :)

How much did I spend... here is the breakdown:

plaque          $10.99
3 blocks        $1.99 x's 3 = 5.97
3 #'s              $1.28 x's 3 = 3.84
2 cans           $3.79 x's 2 = 7.58
new light      $39.99
                   $ 68.37
If you've done a front door makeover.... share yours with me!!!  Up until last year my front doors used to be white!  Yuck.  Too Boring!  Been wanting to paint them for 7 years.... was just too chicken!  I'm so glad I got over that!!!

Here is where I got my inspiration ideas for my house numbers.....

http://www.queenbandme.com/2012/03/i-know-i-have-picture-of-what-house.html 

here's what she did

Here's another one.. this one is darn near exactly what i did!  I tried several times to figure out how to grab the pic... but no luck.  click on her site and check it out!  

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2010/04/count-to-ten-new-house-numbers-guest-project/

Check out these ladies

Ok.  I look thru Pinterest to find ideas.  Some of my best ideas come from a few ladies whom I subscribe to their blog sites... I love this because they send me an email and update me on all things cool.  My ideas are almost never from my own creativity..... heck no!  I Kopy everything....  the Dear Lord gave me that talent.. Kopykating!!  And it took me only 45 years to figure out what my talent was..............  Well, at least I fount it!

So here are my favorites.... Now there are a ton of them out there... and some I keep forgetting to subscribe to that I love, but please check these blogs out. You'll love them:

http://downtoearthstyle.blogspot.com/

http://tidymom.net/

http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/

http://southernrevivals.blogspot.com/

Picture Frame

So I've been watching all these whitewash and blackwash projects on Pinterest.  And they look super easy!  Even more important, they look like something I might actually be able to pull off!  So with no further ado!! Here we go!!

Cheap Hobby Lobby Picture frame with missing glass on clearence for $5.44...... SOLD!

I loved the detail on the frame.  I had a KopyKat idea forming in my nogen.... I didn't have a clue what I was gonna make, but I knew I would make something.... at least I hoped I would!  Otherwise I was gonna have to go spend $ putting a piece of glass in this picture frame.

After 2 weeks, I had decided what to do!  Here's what you need to do this project:

Picture frame (the cheaper the better! Thrift stores and garage sales are great!)

Spray Primer (On this project I used Walmart Grey Primer .97 cents a can.)

Paint  (I was cheap, I got some from Walmart for .97Cents) Pray paint would work too!

Foam brush, cotton balls, or a cheap paint brush (again Walmart is great for this)

Valspar Tintable Glaze. (I tinted mine black. and this small quart will last me YEARS!)

Ok. Take the frame outside and spray it LIGHTLY with one coat of grey primer.  Wait 15 minutes and spray it again LIGHTLY! Wait 15 minutes again!

Now on to the painting.  If you have spray paint that you like you can use it now to paint the primed frame.  Or whatever you have on hand.  Again, I was cheap and bought this. 

Hey this paint was less than a dollar! And spray paint this color was $4 a can! And I barely used any of it!

I used cotton balls then moved on to a foam brush to apply this.  I did 3 light coats. Wait 15 minutes in between coats.

I could still see the grey primer underneath.  But I was gonna blackwash it. So after three coats I called it good.

Now I got the Valspar Tintable Glaze out.  I used a new foam brush and started brushing is on.  Once I was happy with the brush strokes.  I let it sit for 5 minutes.  Then I used and old T-shirt and wiped the glaze off.  I then reapplied the glaze all over again, let it sit 5 minutes and again wiped it off.

This time I felt it need a little bit more black to it.... So I did a 3rd coat of glaze and let it sit 30 minutes.  Here is what I ended up with.

Now I decided to let it sit for 4 days..... It seemed like the glaze just wouldn't dry!  after 3 days it was still tacky.... I have no idea why... with the exception of the spray paint primer, I did everything in my kitchen. So who knows.... 

After 4 days of drying time I still was unsure what I was gonna put in the frame.  I actually started messing around with some burlap and a new stamp I got. Next thing I knew I had stamped up some of my burlap and decided I would toss it in this frame and add these keys I found on CLEARANCE at Michael's for $1 each.

And here's what it turned out like.... No its not perfect! and I'm ok with that.  I'm having some black and white Photos taken of my three kids and of my boyfriends three kids and putting them around this frame on the wall to represent that each of our three kids have the keys to our hearts!  Awwww... I know, pretty sappy!   Don't ya love it!  I will update this post once the photos are up!  :)

Total Cost out of my pocket:

Frame $5.44

Keys   $3.00

Burlap $ .50

           $8.94

I had everything else on hand already....  Always go thru all your bins at home before you go buy new stuff!!

Kustomkopykat@blogspot.com

Not bad for a new piece of wall art!  And best of all..... I HAD FUN DOING IT!

http://pinterest.com/all/?category=diy_crafts

Kindle Cover Makeover!!!!

I love my new kindle!  (I actually have 3 kindles.... each of the past three kindles that have come out, I've got.)  I love the ease of them.... and I can read and Pinterest without moving outta my comfy chair! 

I got the new Kindle HD for Christmas.  My daughter Katie Sue was getting herself a new Kindle HD cover (she got one for Christmas too!) and because she loves me, she got me one too!  And it is a great cover! However...... I've Kopykating everything under the sun lately...  And my old nogen started working.... and I ended up with an original idea!  I know!  I cant believe it happened either!  But low and behold, here it is.... and I had to go over the top and add some bling.... which I don't usually do.... but I decided I might as well go for it!   and you know what?  I LOVE IT!!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

     

Here she is in all her previous glory. Hot Pink and Corral.    But I was busy Kindling today and that's when the idea hit me!  From clean and crisp to WOW!!!    I am so proud!

Here's what you need:


Kindle cover - Walmart
design paper - Michaels (pick out one that is thick)  it takes the adhesive spray better) :)
3M Spray Adhesive - Home Depot
Black Sharpie - Anywhere, hehehe...
Pre-adhesive bling - Michaels
Tweezers - bathroom
Sizzors - kitchen junk drawer



First get your Kindle cover... this one was a Belkin brand with imitation leather.
Go to your local craft store and pick out a piece of paper to match your cover.  I have a stack of papers in every darn imaginable design. (u just never know when your gonna need it) and I am a sucker for the clearance papers. They are usually .09 cents to .99 cents each.  Those are the ones I grab.  Ok, so once you picked out your paper. you need to pick up some 3M spray adhesive.  I already had that too!  A black sharpie....

Then I drew an out line of the kindle cover on my paper.

Then I cut it about 1/16 smaller than the line I drew.

Sharpie time.... Yes I probably coulda and maybe shoulda used something else.  But as Si says,"Hey! It's what I got!" and Sharpie about a 1/4 of an inch around the  area you will b putting the paper... like so!

I know.... I'm so fancy!  Now after you've Sharpied your outlined area. Place your paper on it and double check how it looks.  More than likely you'll need to make an adjustment on the paper size... I don't have a fancy paper cutter.  I do have a pair of sissors!  hehehe. And I made mine a tad bit smaller after placing it on the area.  I wanted the black to show a bit and I was concerned the paper would not roll toward the stitching either.

Lay a trash bag on your flat surface and then flip your paper over and spray the back of the paper it. It is very important to lay something down and spray over it!!  You don't want that adhesive getting all over the place!  Don't be shy!  Get it good and covered. Place it on the cover. You don't have a lot of mess around time.  So go nice and slow and give it a good eyeball!

Place something heavy on it for about 5 to 10 minutes.... I am inpatient... I lasted 5!  :)

That jug above happens to be 8 lbs of Coconut oil.... but that is for another project!  But it was nice and heavy!!

Ok, get your cover.  It's sat long enough. How do you like it so far?  I thought mine looked pretty awesome at this stage!   And I thought I was finished..... for about 5 seconds!  Then the bling factor was formed in my nogen.... and since I already had some self adhesive pink blings already on hand..... I got a pair of tweezers and got to blinging!!  Ya baby!!!

 It's absolutely beautiful!  And best of all it didn't cost me a penny!!!!

Thanks for tuning in!

Do u have a kindle cover make over! share it with me!

I am linking up with:

Savvy Southern Style

Liz Marie Blog

Frugal Friday