Since moving into our forever home and having Fiona I've tried really hard to be more aware of my "frivolous" spending. When I see something I want, I ask myself a couple of questions...
1) Is this a need or a want? 2) Can I turn this into a DIY and cut the cost?
I truly love a good project. Scott just the other day said "I don't think our house will ever be completely finished". I said, "Of course not, that's the fun in it all"! When it comes to the style of home I like, it varies. I love traditional, I love hunting unique antique pieces to add character and a story to tell. I also love modern. If I could white wash our entire home and have minimal pieces in our home that would totally work for me. Then there's that side of me that longs for what I knew growing up in the country. I love a good farmhouse, but I love to see a farmhouse mixed with modern touches. So you see I'm all over the place and with that being said, this is why I try not to invest too much money in the pieces I buy. Chances are in a month or so I will be mixing things up again.
The first time I saw a ladder placed in a bedroom or family room I knew I wanted to add this touch to our home. However, this is another one of those pieces I'm not totally sure will hang around for years to come. So, I told Scott, let's just make one ourselves, and that's exactly what we did and for UNDER $20! Seriously, how great is that?!
So here's all the details!
What you'll need...
Two 6 foot thin pieces (1x2x6′ Pine)
Two dowels (7/8 x 48in)
Minwax Stain (I went with Provincial)
(You can adjust the size depending on how large or small you would like your ladder)
After you have your ladder together you will want to apply 1-2 coats of stain depending on how dark you want your stain. I just cut up an old t-shirt to wipe the stain on with.
And there you have it! Super easy and inexpensive!
1) Is this a need or a want? 2) Can I turn this into a DIY and cut the cost?
I truly love a good project. Scott just the other day said "I don't think our house will ever be completely finished". I said, "Of course not, that's the fun in it all"! When it comes to the style of home I like, it varies. I love traditional, I love hunting unique antique pieces to add character and a story to tell. I also love modern. If I could white wash our entire home and have minimal pieces in our home that would totally work for me. Then there's that side of me that longs for what I knew growing up in the country. I love a good farmhouse, but I love to see a farmhouse mixed with modern touches. So you see I'm all over the place and with that being said, this is why I try not to invest too much money in the pieces I buy. Chances are in a month or so I will be mixing things up again.
The first time I saw a ladder placed in a bedroom or family room I knew I wanted to add this touch to our home. However, this is another one of those pieces I'm not totally sure will hang around for years to come. So, I told Scott, let's just make one ourselves, and that's exactly what we did and for UNDER $20! Seriously, how great is that?!
So here's all the details!
What you'll need...
Two 6 foot thin pieces (1x2x6′ Pine)
Two dowels (7/8 x 48in)
Minwax Stain (I went with Provincial)
(You can adjust the size depending on how large or small you would like your ladder)
For this next step I had Scott jump in to help. This is something I love about home projects because we get to do them together and that always seems to make things more special.
You will want to decide how wide you want your ladder and how many rungs you will want. We decided to have four.
After the rungs are cut, I simply measured out where I wanted them. Again totally up to you on where you will want yours. Next I nailed each rung in to one side of the long slat and then nailed them on to the second piece.
After you have your ladder together you will want to apply 1-2 coats of stain depending on how dark you want your stain. I just cut up an old t-shirt to wipe the stain on with.
And there you have it! Super easy and inexpensive!
