Printables

08.15.2016

Printable Dish Soap Label

I’m excited to share this printable dish soap label with you today.

I like when things are clean.

But when things can be clean AND cleaned with a non-toxic product, it is a win-win in my book.

I recently had the opportunity to test ecover liquid dish soap in Pink Geranium. Not only did it give me spot-free, sparkling clean dishes, but ecover is made with naturally derived ingredients (it is people, pet and planet-friendly).

One squeeze is all you need for a sink full of dirty dishes. And that one squeeze gives you a sink full of bubbles – which is important to me. I want lots and lots of bubbles.

ecover Dish Soap has a soft, pretty scent and is gentle on your skin! It almost makes doing dishes (a little) fun!

I am pretty minimal when it comes to what I put on my kitchen counter. I love the look of vintage bottles and labels, so I decided to recreate that look for my new dish soap. This may be one of the easiest DIYs ever, and you can also recreate this vintage dish soap dispenser with my free printable (a super easy tutorial)!

Here’s a close up on the label:

Do you think I won’t find any more dirty dishes sitting in the sink anymore? A girl can dream, right?!

You can print the PDF of the dish soap label file HERE ->

Dish Soap Label

The bottle is an inexpensive dispenser I found online. You may have an old soap dispenser just sitting around that could work for this project.

I spray-painted the pump gold because I have to paint something in every DIY project (and I love the gold with the amber glass). I just added a bag around the part of the pump I didn’t want to be painted. I also spray-painted the pump in a shoebox. It is easy and mess-free (but make sure you paint outside)!

I printed out a label and used spray adhesive to place it around the bottle. If you are concerned about getting the label wet, you can put packing tape over the label to protect it from water.

And it really is that easy to create a “vintage” dish soap dispenser that is pretty enough to sit out all the time (and maybe encourage dish-washing)!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ecover. All opinions are 100% mine.

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DIY

08.13.2016

Haven 2016 Recap

I have to apologize for completely disappearing last week. I was digesting everything I had learned at Haven, and I was dealing with my baby starting kindergarten. After 11 years of having at least one of my three kids by my side, it was a tough week with no one at home. However, I keep telling myself that I will be able to accomplish some amazing DIY projects without any interruptions… But, back to Haven! This is my second year attending Haven, and it is a conference held in Atlanta, Georgia for home and DIY bloggers. Today I’m sharing my Haven 2016 Recap.

To see last year’s recap, you can go HERE. I did a much better job of snapping pictures last time. I spent some time with Gene and Amy Howard of Amy Howard at Home. I’ve used their products for several projects (like my bedroom bench, kitchen table, and kitchen cabinets) and am a huge fan. The Howard’s are extremely knowledgable (and kind), and they have the most adorable southern accents.

Haven 2016 Recap

I attended so many helpful classes like this hands-on class Amy Howard taught.

Amy Howard at Haven

I also attended classes on Pinterest, Instagram, building a brand, photography, affiliate marketing, and Adobe Lightroom. These classes were so helpful and my brain feels like it could explode with all the new information. I wish I had done a better job taking photos of the weekend. The Grand Hyatt Buckhead is such a beautiful hotel, and the vendor booths were all so creatively done. And as an added bonus, there were pretty little vignettes (created by Home Decorators) scattered throughout the hotel.

The first evening I ate dinner at an adorable little French restaurant with several bloggers and the Amy Howard at Home team. From Left to Right: Kim from Hunt & Host, me, Anita from Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Tina of AHAH, Alex of AHAH, and Amy and Christy from 11 Magnolia Lane.

Bloggers at Haven

The second day ended with a big party (complete with a red carpet) sponsored by several great brands.

Haven 2016

I roomed with Angela from Unexpected Elegance – another Indianapolis-area blogger. We always have a great time together.

Unexpected Elegance and Sincerely Sara D

The poor girl lost her voice while we were at the conference, so I quickly stepped up as her translator. I need to give a shoutout to my parents for keeping the kids so I could attend the conference worry-free and focused!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Home

08.03.2016

Tips & Tricks for Growing a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

Tips & Tricks for Growing a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

In the past few years, the blogging world has become enamored with fiddle leaf fig trees. As I scroll through Instagram, I see beautiful photos of rooms which often include a potted fiddle leaf fig. I bought one last year, and it died a slow, sad death – leaf by leaf. Recently I lucked out and found a couple of fiddle leaf figs at Home Depot for only $12.99 each. I was excited to find them since these plants are hard to find, and I really wanted to prove to myself that I can keep one (or two) alive!

By the time I got home, one of my plants was already showing signs of distress. The top few leaves were wilted. I have been researching this plant because I want mine to survive this time around. Here’s what I found the experts to repeat over and over: Tips & Tricks for Growing a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree

Don’t overwater. Water once a week.
It needs good light. Consistent bright (indirect light) is best, but the plant can tolerate some full sun if placed in an Eastern facing window. Turn the plant every few months once it begins to lean toward the light.
A consistent environment is important. Keep the temperature between 60-75 degrees.

Fertilize once a month during the (growing) summer months and repot as the roots grow. Also, keep in mind this plant has a slow rate of growth.

This plant is native to the tropics (West Africa) and can grow to reach heights of 40 feet or more in their natural habitat. In their natural habitat, fiddle leaf plants will produce flowers and then fruit, however, indoors it rarely happens.

As I mentioned before, My last attempt to grow a Fiddle Leaf Fig ended badly. It started losing its leaves, and the poor thing when fast. After my research, I learned that if your plant is losing leaves, it likely needs more moisture or there is a draft. Misting is a good way to increase humidity. Also, clean the leaves with a soft sponge and water to remove dust and improve the glossy appearance. Cold drafts from windows, doors, and air-conditioning units may cause its leaves to dry out and drop.

Want some help with a dying Fiddle Leaf Fig?

Check out Gardenista’s post: 7 Secrets: How to Save a Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree.

Just want more information?

Check out About Home’s post: Ficus Lyrata – Growing Fiddle Leaf Fig Indoors.

If you can’t find Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees in your area, here’s an Amazon affiliate link for one:

Please – share any additional tips & tricks for growing a fiddle leaf fig. I would love to hear them!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Paint

07.21.2016

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Painting kitchen cabinets – I am all done! Painting cabinets is exhausting enough the first time around, but painting them twice is just crazy. I made the mistake of using wax as the sealer (for my chalk paint), and it didn’t work for our family (to see more about why I didn’t like the wax, click HERE). However, I used a liquid sealer the second time around and am much happier with the result.

Chalk Painted Kitchen Cabinets

When I repainted the cabinets, I did not sand or prime them. I simply cleaned off the cabinets and painted (using a brush and small roller) the chalk-type paint. However, I did find a few more nicks that happened with my second round of paint. I assume this has to do with painting over the wax, and the majority of this happened at the kitchen bar where my kids bump the bar stools:

Scratches

If you paint over a previously waxed surface, I would suggest sanding and priming. I ended up priming under the counter and repainting under the bar. So far the nicks aren’t happening as often.

Adding primer to cabinets

I still had some cabinets left to paint, so I went ahead and primed any of the cabinets that still needed to be repainted.

Painting cabinets in sections

I also suggest painting cabinets in sections for sanity and removing all hardware before painting.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets with Chalk Paint

I painted the short wall of uppers cream again, but I changed the large wall of cabinets. Originally they were also painted cream, and I asked for your help deciding whether to keep the cream or go with gray. I received so much feedback from everyone, and it was so helpful. Obviously, I went with the gray, and now my black appliances blend in so much better!

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. Here’s what I used the second time around:

Amy Howard One Step Paint in Selznick Grey
Amy Howard One Step Paint in Linen
Amy Howard Sealer (I prefer the matte)

Painted Kitchen Cabinets.

I have learned a lot from my cabinet painting saga. My advice: If you use a chalk-type paint, use a sealer like the one I used or a polycrylic (instead of wax). And if you’re like me and want to repaint previously wax-sealed cabinets, sand and prime before repainting them for the best possible results.

Kitchen Baked Goods

Painted Kitchen Cabinets Tutorial

Phew. I’m so glad I am done. Now I can move on to another project!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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DIY Painting Kitchen Cabinets

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Decor

07.14.2016

Bathroom Design Boards

I’m sharing two bathroom design boards, and I need your help!

It has been known that we need to remodel our master bath since we moved in almost three years ago. There is a leak under our shower, and more issues have come up since then. It is time to make this bathroom dream come true! I am in love with this bathroom:

Still Dreaming...Bathroom Remodel

Image courtesy of Pinterest on Gallerie B (I found the image linked to a roundup of bathroom ideas, but unfortunately I can’t find the original owner).

Besides being gorgeous, this bathroom’s layout is almost identical to our bathroom. I would love to recreate a similar look. Here is what our bathroom looks like now:

A little less exciting than my inspiration bathroom, isn’t it? I created two design boards going slightly different directions. I need your help deciding which way to go.

Option A – Polished Nickel Accents

Master Bath Design Board

I would use Moen Weymouth Polished Nickel Shower Head in the shower along with the white subway tile on the lower left and maybe a decorative tile on the shower floor like on the lower right. The floors would be a white-washed faux wood tile. I am a bath girl, so I would need the Home Depot Universal bathtub along with the Moen Weymouth Tub Faucet. We have a single sink on two separate walls, so I would love to use two of Home Decorators Hampton Bay Vanity, and hang a Pottery Barn Astor mirror (which is also a medicine cabinet) above each vanity. I would love extra lighting on either side of the mirror with Home Decorators Progress wall lights and finish with the Moen Weymouth bathroom faucet. I am a huge gold fan, but I’m not sure I can convince my husband to go gold he allowed me to paint all of our brass faucets in oil-rubbed bronze paint. So, my second option includes that oil-rubbed bronze details (only this time I don’t have to do the work)!

Option B – Oil-Rubbed Bronze

Master Bath Design Board - oil rubbed bronze

I would use the Moen Weymouth oil-rubbed bronze shower head in the shower along with the shower tile and flooring I mentioned above. Again, I need my tub, and I like the one from Home Depot Universal 6 foot oval bathtub with Home Depot’s Delta Cassidy Floor-Mount Tub Faucet. I would use a neutral-colored vanity (Home Depot Newport Bath Vanity) along with Pottery Barn classic glass globe sconces on either side of the Pottery Barn Astor mirror medicine cabinet. Moen’s Weymouth high arc bathroom faucet would complete the look.

I would love your input!

Leave me a comment and vote for Option A (polished nickel) or Option B (oil-rubbed bronze).

p.s. Almost two years ago, I created a dream design board for our bathroom (hopefully this bathroom will be done before I have time to dream up another board)! Anyway, I had similar ideas. You can view that post HERE.

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Home

07.08.2016

Painting Plants

For today’s “For Real Friday,” I’m painting plants.

For Real Friday: Painting Plants

As a blogger, I will admit that things aren’t always what they seem. That is why I started sharing “For Real Fridays.” A few Fridays ago, I shared my beautiful mirrored dresser disaster.

Blogger Mistakes

Click HERE for all the details of that project gone wrong.

Scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram can be so inspiring and discouraging at the same time. Those picture-perfect shots are not real life. Beautiful photos require a lot of work – cleaning and rearranging, lighting (lighting kits are often involved), professional cameras, kicking kids out of the house, and lots (and lots) of photoshop. Just because it is funny, here is a photo of my son’s desk and lamp I shared (at one time) on the blog and a shot of how he has added his own touch…

Bloggers behind the scenes

But, now for todays For Real Friday. I recently had the opportunity to partner with a brand for my front landscaping. Our home and most of the landscaping are close to twenty years old, so I was excited to give our landscaping a makeover. I replaced a lot of our landscaping except for several large bushes. They looked okay. Well, that is until I trimmed them. I was just a couple of days out from the blog post-deadline, and I started making everything look as perfect as possible. However, disaster struck when I trimmed my old, large bushes.

Plant before painting

Suddenly a bunch of dead spots were VERY visible. I panicked. I didn’t have time to replace them and they looked terrible. I was beside myself. I had no idea what to do. I was devastated. Later that day, my husband saw my (major) problem and suggested I painted them. He is brilliant (and why didn’t I think of that?)!

How to paint plants

It wasn’t a perfect fix, but at least the dead spots weren’t so obvious. Here is another before shot:

Plants before they were painted

And an after:

Plants after they were painted

So. Much. Better! Now, these bushes will be gone this fall, but this paint will do the trick until then.

Pristine Green Grass & Shrub Renew

This is not a sponsored post. I just was so amazed that this paint actually worked (and thought you would appreciate that I really will paint anything)!

For my four large bushes, I bought 2 cans of this paint I found on Amazon (affiliate link):

It is amazing. It goes on like spray paint, stays on in rain, and won’t kill the plants. For a fix like mine (hopefully just seasonal), it was perfect! It’s over a month later, and the paint is STILL holding up well! What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever painted?

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Home

06.29.2016

Hide Ugly Outdoor Units

Here’s an easy way to hide ugly outdoor units.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Freedom Outdoor Living. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have a pool heater, pool filter, and two air conditioning units on the side of our home. They are along the sidewalk that everyone uses to walk around our home, and there is nothing pretty about it.

Even my flowers could not make that ugly pretty.

I was excited to partner with Freedom Connections Decorative Fencing and fence everything in! Freedom Connections™ is a flexible, decorative fencing product available exclusively at Lowe’s. It’s easy to install with materials you can find at Lowe’s (requires no hardware or glue) and can be reconfigured as your needs change. It can be installed without digging holes, which is often the toughest part of installing a fence.

The vinyl fencing is available in three heights, three decorative panel options, and a two-sided solid panel that can be mixed and matched, stacked, staggered, used in straight runs, or joined to form corners. For my project, I used 10 3-tier posts (you always need one more post than panels to finish your design).

I also used 20 plain panels.

And finished the fence with 5 circle panels.

To begin, you take out the stake stored in the post and pound it into the ground.

I marked off the halfway point on the stake, and we drove them into the line.

The stakes are put 37 1/4″ apart. It’s very important you get the link of stakes and straight as possible.

Once the stakes are down, you can add the posts. Then, you simply begin sliding the panels in.

The bottom panels require removing the top.

I used two solid panels and finished with the decorative panel.

Once the side was complete, we worked on the other side repeating the process.

And she looked great.

Until we realized our mistake.

The fence went beyond the house which meant this panel would be set back further than the other side since it had to be in front of our house.

So, I pulled down the panels we had just installed (which was really easy), and I began working on the other side first.

We had trouble with the wall being unlevel on our first attempt, so I leveled the ground before I installed the panels this time.

Steve was gone, but I was able to install everything completely on my own.

Unfortunately, we have high winds in Indiana, and there is no windbreak coming from the field behind us. After a storm and some higher than normal winds, one of the panel’s end stakes bent.

We added a 2×2 to the end post of both sections of the three-paneled fencing.

We made sure the post was level, and my husband drove it into the ground and secured the fencing post to the 2×2 with screws.

If you need to reinforce the fencing, an easier option I just discovered is the Blue Hawk Steel rebar, available at Lowe’s in a .75″ X 36″ Size that would be long enough to support three Connections panels. The rebar is available in stores for $4.88 per stake. Lowe’s also has a Blue Hawk Steel rebar that is even stronger and it is available online.

This fencing is really easy to install (one person can do the installation), and the sides which only have two panels are very secure. If you go longer than two panels on the three-tier fencing, you may want to secure using the suggestions I mentioned.

I love how tidy the side of the house looks with all the ugly units tucked away inside the fence.

And my boys love their new nerf gun war fort.

Love outdoor projects? Check out how we added curb appeal to our home HERE.

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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DIY

06.17.2016

My IKEA Hack (Cracked Mirrors)

In this age of Pinterest perfect images, I love to share real-life images and stories. This may be my favorite (and most depressing) For Real Friday yet…My IKEA Hack (Cracked Mirrors).

For Real Friday: My IKEA Hack (Cracked Mirrors)

Remember the IKEA dresser makeover I shared last summer? It is my favorite DIY project to date. I spent so much time dreaming and scheming and my dad helped me make the dream a reality. Unfortunately, it’s been moved from our master bedroom to the guest room for the past six months.

Moved to the Guest Room

Two of the mirrors were cracked ALL the way across the drawer front.

Cracked Mirrors

When I first noticed the cracks, I blamed my husband, and he denied it. I honestly thought it was him for days and was SO aggravated with him. Then, one day my daughter came dancing into our room. She sat down singing one of her little songs and starting turning and tightening the knobs. It was HER!

Cracks in Mirrors

I was too tired to redo the piece, so I moved her upstairs until recently I decided she (my dresser – still deciding on my daughter) deserved a second chance. I had Lowe’s cut mirrors to size for the drawer fronts, and I removed the cracked mirror from the drawers.

Removing Mirror from Drawer Fronts I drilled holes in the mirror which is something I’ve never done before. I bought a special mirror drill bit from the hardware store, puddled water, and went for it!

Drilling through a mirror

I drew my paint lines, added the little stars, and repeated all the steps from before. AND I added one more thing: little felt pads under the knobs (Oh, and my daughter is not allowed within five feet of this dresser).

Adding Felt Pads

HOWEVER, before I even had time to post this, my daughter DID IT AGAIN!

Crack in dresser mirror

She tightened the knob, and the glass cracked despite the little felt pad. I was heartbroken, and Lena was in BIG trouble. Thank goodness she is cute because I was out of patience. The dresser will stay for now with its one crack. Strike three for my daughter is not an option. I had to share a photo of the dresser as it is – not styled and how it looks with piles of junk in real life:

For Real Friday - Real Life

Someday I’ll laugh about this – maybe?

Have you ever had a DIY experience go wrong like my IKEA Hack (Cracked Mirrors)?

Go create something!

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Home

06.06.2016

Front Door Makeover

Our home is considered “french chateau” in style, and I have never loved our front door. It was originally red when we moved in over two years ago. Although I would love to eventually replace the front door, painting is always a less expensive option. I painted it a medium gray.

Grays are so hard because they can shine blue, so I decided you can never go wrong with black.

Modern Masters sent me a jar of their never-fades front door paint, and I actually used it to paint one side of my front door (along with two doors in our garage). I still have enough paint to paint one more door!

This paint makes it so easy. All you have to do for prep is clean and tape off areas you don’t want to paint.

If you have some peeling paint, you’ll want to sand first and follow up with a cleaning.

But if you don’t have any peeling or chipped paint, just clean your door and go for it! Here’s the Amazon affiliate link for the Modern Masters Front Door Paint in Elegant: My front door has a little bit of a faux wood grain texture, and the paint went on well and dried perfectly.

Landscaping makeover with Southern Living

My garage door has a smooth finish but had a sloppy layer of latex paint on it. I wish I had sanded it down a little because the paint finish is a little uneven. However, I have not seen an scratches in the paint which I had plenty of with the latex paint.

While I was painting doors, my daughter was also working on her own project. 🙂

What is your favorite front door color? Do you prefer to play it safe like me or have fun like my daughter? Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home. Find me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest *This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post by Modern Masters. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own.

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Home

05.31.2016

Landscaping Makeover

Our home was in need of a landscaping makeover.

Landscaping Makeover with Southern Living Plant Collection

I am excited to be partnering with Southern Living Plants once again this spring. My landscaping has undergone a beautiful makeover with several of their gorgeous varieties of plants. Last year, I partnered with them on a container garden on my back patio.

SL Plants

To see all the details, click HERE.

This year, we stayed in the front yard. Our house is almost twenty years old and most of the landscaping is original to the house. It is time to start replacing and updating. We had barberry bushes all around our home, and we hate their sharp thorns. We spent a lot of time last summer digging the thorns out of our hands and feet.

Removing old landscapting

(The photo is courtesy of my 5-year-old daughter.)

The prickly bushes were replaced with the following plants from the Southern Living Plant Collection:

Yewtopia Plum Yew

Southern Living Greenery

I love shrubs in landscaping so there is something green when winter comes. The Yewtopia Plum Yew is compact and resistant to deer, disease, pests, and drought.

Southern Living Yewtopia Plum Yew

2. Purple Diamond Compact Loropetalum

Container Garden

The Purple Diamond Compact Loropetalum has beautiful deep, rich purple foliage that holds its color all season. It also has pink flowers which appear in spring and sometimes summer. I planted mine in containers, but I will move these to the ground this fall. They can grow 4-5 feet tall and wide.

Southern Living Diamond Loropetalum

3. Dear Dolores Hydrangea

Blooming Hydrangea

I absolutely love hydrangeas, and the Dear Dolores Hydrangea is gorgeous. It blooms in spring and reblooms from summer to fall. Blue blooms occur in acidic soils or pink blooms occur in alkaline soils like mine.

Dear Dolores Hydrangea

4. Encore Azalea Autumn Belle

Encore Azalea

I have never tried azaleas, so I am excited to try the Encore Azalea Autumn Belle. This variety is fast growing upright with light green foliage and bi-colored ruffled flowers.

Autumn Belle Azalea

The landscaping makeover has made such a difference in my home’s appearance.

Outdoor Landscaping Ideas

Here’s a before shot of the front side of my home:

Side of House - BEFORE

And an after

My lilies have overtaken the yetopias for now, but when the cold weather sets in, my yetopia will stay green.

Here’s a before of the front landscaping (to the left of the entry):

Old Landscaping

And an after:

Landscaping AFTER

And the before of the front (to the right of the entry):

Landscaping BEFORE

And here’s how it looks now:

Landscaping Updates

By replacing the barberry bushes, with the hydrangeas, azaleas, and loropetalums, we will enjoy pretty blooms throughout spring and summer.

Landscaping with Southern Living Plants

Curb Appeal

Thanks, Southern Living Plants for making my home a prettier place!

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home. Find me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest *This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post by Southern Living Plant Collection. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own. Here’s a little behind the scenes action of my and my assistant photographer: Southern Living Plants Southern Living Plants*

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Home

05.27.2016

Organizing the Garage

When the weather gets warmer, it’s always time to think about organizing the garage.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gladiator GarageWorks. All opinions are 100% mine.

Organizing the Garage with Gladiator

Our driveway wraps around to the side of our home where our garage is. Because of this, most of our guests end up parking outside our garage and walking through the garage before entering our home.

This past winter, it was just too cold to deal with the garage chaos. Instead, I did a lot of apologizing to my guests. However, springtime is here, and it is time to start cleaning and organizing!

Here’s what my garage looked like before:

Garage Storage BEFORE

We do a pretty good job of not keeping a lot of junk, but with a family of five, we manage to have a lot of things. The unorganized clutter was embarrassing and a better storage solution was needed.

Garage Storage - AFTER

The timing was perfect when I was asked to partner with Gladiator GarageWorks and show my “Spring Keeping” with their great product.

Gladiator Storage Wall

Gladiator sent me the highly-rated Premier Series Modular GearBox. It was delivered almost fully assembled. I only had to add the side bumpers and wheels – which was really easy.

Whirlpool Gladiator

I love that the GearBox has a round key door lock. Although I am currently storing my kids’ things inside, I have the option of storing our power tools in a safe place – out of their reach!

Locking Gladiator Cabinet

Gladitor Quality

The heavy gauge top mat of the GearBox is cushioned and removable, providing a work surface that is great for small repairs. The cabinet has a bucket-top design that keeps your tools and small parts from rolling away

Gladiator Storage Cabinet Breaks

The GearBox travels on durable five-inch by two-inch casters — the rear casters swivel for easy steering, and the front casters lock the unit in place.

Gladiator Cabinet Doors

Gladiator Storage

The Gladiator GarageWorks Premier Modular GearBox provides versatile and accessible storage for the tools, parts, and household items that you keep in your garage. The GearBox features a non-slip, cushion-lined shelf that extends 20 inches beyond the cabinet front, ensuring easy access for loading and unloading. You can also remove the tray glides and reinstall them in different positions to customize the GearBox for your tools and gear.

Gladiator Sliding Door

Gladiator Garage Storage System

I was such a fan of the Gladiator Gearbox that I went ahead and ordered some additional storage system from their line.

The ball caddy allows access to any ball in the caddy, and you do not have to pull out other balls in the process. The basket is larger and stronger than I expected. The channels were easy to hang using screws, and the hooks are great for hanging all types of things.

Gladiator Garage Storage

Now I can be proud of the garage and welcome my guests in!

Don’t forget to check out Gladiator Garage Works on Facebook: Gladiator GarageWorks Facebook

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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Home

05.24.2016

DIY Light Pole Planter

light pole planter

I am excited to be partnering with Enbrighten Café on a patio makeover.

enbrighten cafe LED Cafe Lights

Enbrighten Cafe’s LED Café Lights deliver warm white light, are energy efficient, and never need to be replaced!

Cafe Lights in Day

Cafe Lights for Patio

And with the GE Bluetooth Smart Outdoor Smart Switch, you can wirelessly program and control the lights with your smartphone or tablet!

GE Outdoor Smart Switch

Control lights with app

These lights are impact resistant and will not break if dropped (I accidentally tested this out)!

Backyard Patio at Dusk These commercial-grade lights can be out year-round.

Patio String Lights I used 36 feet of lights for my patio area.

Backyard Patio Makeover Pretty Patio I love the ambiance the LED Café Lights add to our patio.

Patio in Evening The lights are really easy to hang since each bulb has a hook, and I hung most of my lights with screws on our covered patio. However, I also wanted the lights to stretch across our patio table, so I created a DIY planter light pole.

DIY Patio String Light Holder

Please note that this planter works for a small number of lights. Since these lights are commercial grade, they are heavy. The pole started to bend under the weight of too many lights. However, if you just want a string a few, this DIY flower pot light pole is a great solution. Here is what you will need:

Dowel Rod (8 foot)
Decorative Top for Dowel Rod
Outdoor Paint
Flower Pot
Concrete
Gravel
Hook
Potting Soil
Closet Rod Flange Set (optional)

I began the project by drilling a hole into the top of the pole for the decor piece.

Drilling Hole

After the hole was drilled, I added the topper.

Adding Pole Topper

After the top was on, I painted the entire piece with several coats of outdoor paint.

Painting Pole

Once the paint was dry, I drilled another hole into the topper.

Drilling Hole for Hook

This was for the hook which would hold the light strands.

Adding Hook to Pole

Once the pole was complete, it was time to cement it into the flower pot.

Closet Rod Flange Kit

I began with my little closet rod flange set and used the completely round one as a brace for the rod. This is optional, and I am not really sure how much it helped. I added my pole to the brace and centered it in the flower pot.

Setting Pole in Place

This is definitely a two-person job. One person will need to hold the rod in place while the other pours the concrete.

Quikret Concrete

I mixed about 30 pounds of concrete for my flower pot (More concrete would have been helpful, but I had to balance how much room was needed for my flowers).

Adding Concrete to Flower Pot

I created a brace to hold the rod in place while the concrete dried using boards and bricks.

Setting the Pole in Concrete

DIY Outdoor Light Pole I allowed the concrete to dry 24 hours and then I added holes for the flower pot drainage using a drill.

Adding holes to flower pot I tried to evenly space them so they looked pretty and drilled them right above the concrete line.

Adding Gravel to Flower Pot I added gravel to help with the drainage before adding my potting soil.

DIY Patio String Light Holder And that was it! I now have a moveable light pole if I want to change where I hang the lights.

Decorating with Patio String Lights

Check out the video below to see the lights in action!

Go create something!

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*This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post by Enbrighten Cafe. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own. Patio Lights

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