" Rustic Recycle " DIY

When I think about the love language

 that I share with Mr. Dior I realize

DIY in our household has a few bumps

before the finish.

We are as Kristin describes " comedic drama "

and yet flirtatious when we work together

on a project .

When Mr. Dior expressed to me a need for

a more " handsome " look in our home

I knew immediately where he was coming from.

What a love he has been living with the neutrals

 and the truck loads of branches and twigs

I have adorned inside.

There is nothing I would not do for this man

so my wheels began spinning harder than usual.

We are challenged this year by the costs

of my health expenses for the months ahead

more so than ever before.

I needed to come up with a " look for less " project

while working with what we had on hand.

{Enter the old gate door I found

in the dumpster awhile back}

I love this old gate door and have used it

as a back drop from time to time...

The more I thought about it I realized

it would make a nice focal point in front of the sofa

and it would be " handsome "

{Comedic drama ensues} 

I share with Mr. Dior that we can take apart

the old gate and marry it with a piece of glass

from a Goodwill find.

I tell him we can build a box.

Mr. Dior " you want me to build

a box to put glass on? " 

This goes on while I still try and

explain the box.

Finally my son comes outside and says

" I think mom means a crate ?"

Mr. Dior sighs relief for a moment still

not sure where I am going.

We begin...

Mr. Dior

 " You know the other side of the gate is white "

 Kate " yes Ira I know "

He always laughs when I call him by his middle name.

Mr. Dior

" I hope you know what you are doing?"

Kate " I don't but we are bonding "

Mr. Dior

" It looks horrid with the white showing "

Kate

" I know we are not done yet I have an idea"

We go back out to the garage

and I grab a container and mix 

polyurethane, expresso wood stain, and a cup 

of black chalk board paint.

Then just as I dip the brush to start

applying it to the white wood

he screams " Good Lord Wilma what are you doing?"

For those that are around

us the term " Good Lord " is always

 followed by Wilma.

 { No offense to anyone named Wilma}

He is in full panic mode at this point

knowing that he worked hard building

that horrid box.

This is when breathing

techniques come in handy even when you are not 

going through labor.

Finally after a few minutes of calming breaths

I said " Just trust me "

After a few hours of letting it all dry

I could see that the wood had evened up.

A nice blend of color had developed.

We brought the box/crate back inside

and placed the glass on top.

It was not a perfect fit

but someone was smiling

from ear to ear.

Yes Mr. Dior was thrilled as he just sat there

looking at our finished project.

I used equal parts of polyurethane

 wood stain and black chalkboard paint to achieve that

burnished wood look.

Mr. Dior used two inch roofing

and two inch finishing nails to build the box/crate.

We sealed it completely with a quick coat of polyurethane.

 Chalk board paint, wood stain and polyurethane were all items

we had on hand from Home Depot.

Mr. Dior even said he thought it was

"handsome"  a perfect ending to our project.

I love the rustic feel it gives and now I just have to

add the other elements back into 

our living room, ie our area rug and other accessories.

Graphic Pillows The Tarnished Crown

I will be linking up this week 

to my favorite lovelies in blog land.

Kristin's Tuesday's Treasures

Jann's Share your cup Thursday

Becky's Under 100 dollar linky party

Debra's Be Inspired

Funky Junk Interiors SNS # 173

Creating with the Stars

Have a beautiful and blessed week

XOXO