DIY Archives - Page 21 of 52 - Pretty Handy Girl

DIY Mini Planters

Hi everyone! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate. I’m really excited to show you how to make your own mini planters. Tis the season for filling up our homes with garden plants (or faux plants if you lack a green thumb!) With only a few tools and a couple hours you can make your own simple DIY Mini Planters.

I LOVE these planters! They are the perfect mix of chic and rustic. I actually made them from maple, although any wood will work. The wood from this project came from an old pallet! Most pallets in Canada are made with cheap pine, but we lucked out. Lesson learned: always check your pallets! Now let’s get busy and make a few DIY Mini Planters.

Materials:

1″ x 6″ x 4′ board
4″ x 4″ ¼” plywood piece (per planter)
Wood glue
Wood stain of your choice
Styrofoam square (optional)
Faux florals (optional)

Tools:

Speed square
Measuring tape
Miter saw
Table saw or router table
Nail gun
Sander
Clamps

Instructions:

Use your miter saw to cut your 1″ x 6″ board into four 54 3/4″ long pieces. Then use the table saw to cut all four of those pieces to 3.5″ wide (these will be your sides.) Cut your plywood into a 4″ by 4″ square.

Use your speed square to mark a 45º angle on both edges of your 4 side boards. Cut along those marks with your miter saw. You will have four boards measuring 4 3/4″ x 3.5″ on the outside edge, with 45º cuts on both sides.

Next use your table saw or router table to make a 1/4″ groove about 1/4″ inch above the bottom of your 4 3/4″ x 3.5″ boards.

When all of your pieces are cut and grooved, it’s time to assemble them.

Put wood glue on the edges of the first piece, fit the two edges of either side of it and use your nail gun to attach these three sides.

When three sides are attached, slide your plywood into the groove you created. Add more wood glue and nail the last piece in place.

Once the glue is dry, give the planter a quick sand and stain it whatever color you would choose. Add a styrofoam block with some faux florals! If you want to add real plants, line the planter with plastic and add soil and plants.

I LOVE these planters!

I made them in no time at all and they look amazing in my living room!

If you like planters, you’re in luck! I’m sharing these Triangle Planters from Pallets over at Love Create Celebrate!

For more DIY decor inspiration visit Love Create Celebrate.

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July 27, 2016/8 Comments/by Love Create Celebrate

DIY, DIY tools, Do It Yourself, Gift Ideas, gifts

10 Cool Gifts that Every Handy Guy (or Gal) Would Love

10 Cool DIY Gifts for Handy Guy or Girl on Your List

As an avid DIYer, I know that Father’s Day is a good time to pick up great bargains on DIY tools and more. Sometimes picking out the right gift for that handy person in your life can be a little daunting. Therefore, I’ve created a list of cool products that I love and I know your “handy” person would too. And, hey, if this list is for the handy gal instead, then so be it!

Here are 10 Cool Gifts that Every Handy Guy (or Gal) Would Love, to fit any budget (contains affiliate links.) Read more

June 13, 2016/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, arts and craft, DIY

Concrete Tea Light Candle Holders

Hi everyone! This is Lindi, visiting again from Love Create Celebrate! Have you ever made anything with concrete? I’m not just talking about the patio outside! I’ve noticed concrete projects slowly making their way indoors and I’m loving it! The sleek industrial feel of concrete projects makes for some beautiful and unique home decor projects. If you haven’t tried it yet, these DIY Concrete Tea Light Candle Holders are the perfect project to start with!

Materials:

Concrete mix (buy a whole bag for less than $10!)
Plastic container
Tea light
WD-40
Clear Matte Spray Paint
Paint (optional)

Instructions:

Chose some plastic containers from around your home to pour the concrete into. I used old cream cheese containers and they were the perfect size, but you can definitely chose larger containers too!

Mix your concrete according to the instructions on the bag. I made three little candle holders, so I used just over 3 scoops of concrete (same size as my containers). Wear gloves when working with concrete. Mix in a bucket or a plastic containers. Mix well until all chunks are gone. When you are done, simply water down any concrete that remains and dump it – this will keep your container clean.

Give your plastic containers a good spray with WD-40 to ensure that the concrete doesn’t stick to the plastic.

Fill your containers with the concrete mix and tap your container against your table or surface a few times. This will level out the concrete and remove any air bubbles. Grab your tea light and place it in the center. Push the tea light down until level with the concrete. Go back in five to ten minutes and push the tea light down if it has popped out of the concrete a bit.

Leave your candle holder to set for up to a week. When it is hardened, pull out your tea light, and gently lift out the tea light backing. You may have to fold and pry a little to get it out. Then, slide the entire candle out of the plastic container.

Grab your clear spray paint and spray your candle holders to protect and seal them. The concrete will soak up a lot, so don’t worry about overspray!

If you like, you can paint your candle holders. I dipped mine in three different colours of paint. I love the dipped paint effect!

Set them up outside on a patio table or on your coffee table in the living room.

I love how versatile and unique these candle holders are! You are guaranteed to have a guest comment on them. 😉

For more DIY decor inspiration visit Love Create Celebrate.

If you love the modern industrial look of concrete, you will love these simple DIY Concrete Vases!

~ view more projects by Lindi ~

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May 25, 2016/5 Comments/by Love Create Celebrate

Build It, Contributor, DIY, Do It Yourself, kreg jig, laundry room, Tutorial

Scrap Wood Industrial Ironing Board Rack

Rustic Ironing Board Holder | Pretty Handy Girl

Hey there, everyone! It’s Katie from Addicted 2 DIY again. Today, I have a project that is not only quick and easy to put together, but it’s also made of scrap wood! My lumber rack is getting a bit full, so I’ve been on a scrap wood purge kick lately. If you remember, last month I shared a tutorial for how to build a rustic wine holder out of scrap wood. This time I wanted to make a project that would solve two problems. The first being my growing scrap pile, and my second being that I hate not really having a good space to store my ironing board. I came up with a solution that took care of both of those problems and it was so fast to put together!

Materials:

1×8 scrap wood (or purchase a 6′ x 1″ x 8″ pine board)
3/4″ square dowels (I used leftover scraps from some wood I ripped down)
Kreg Jig
1 1/4″ pocket screws
Brad nailer
1 1/4″ brad nails
wood glue
two 1/2″ steel pipe flanges
two 3 1/2″ steel threaded pipe sections
two 1/2″ steel pipe caps
oil rubbed bronze spray paint
3/4″ wood screws
D ring photo hooks

Instructions:

STEP 1: Dig through your scrap pile or head to your local home improvement store to gather your wood pieces together. I used 1×8 pieces of pine and rather than purchase 3/4″ dowels, I used 1″ scrap pieces that were leftover from some boards I had ripped down from another project. Cut the 1×8 pieces to 12″ long. Cut one 3/4″ dowel to 12″. Cut two 3/4″ dowels to approximately 6 1/2″. You’ll want to measure the exact length as not all woods are created equal and sometimes the thickness varies slightly.

STEP 2: Choose the board for the backing of the ironing board rack and drill 3/4″ pocket holes into the long edge of the piece. Apply glue to the square dowels to attach to the piece that will become the shelf.

STEP 3: Line the dowels up flush with the edges of the shelf and nail into place using 1 1/4″ brad nails.

STEP 4: Attach the back to the shelf with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket screws. Read more

March 23, 2016/9 Comments/by Addicted 2 DIY

caulking, Decor Adventures, DIY, Tile

5 Great Tips to Grout a Shower

Five Great Tips to Grout a Shower

At first, tiling a space in your home can seem overwhelming and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. Doing a tile project on your own can save you a lot of money and give you a lot of satisfaction. Recently we renovated an entire bathroom in our basement that included tiling and grouting a shower floor, walls and bench.

Brittany has shared several posts on how to tile a backsplash, how to seal tile, and how to tile without mortar. See those posts for full step-by-step instructions on how to tile.

Today I wanted to share 5 Great Tips to Grout a Shower. When you are tiling a large space, it helps to have some ideas on how to prepare and work for the best results.

Materials:

Grout (We like Mapei UltraColor Plus Rapid-Setting Sanded Grout or Polyblend Unsanded Grout)
5-gallon bucket
Grout Boost or VanHearron’s Grout Once
Corded drill that will accept a mixing paddle
Mixing paddle
Metal spatula
Grout Float
Grout Sponge
Painter’s Tape
Silicone Caulk
Rag
Buffing rag
Sponge
Water

5 Great Tips to Grout a Shower

1. Use Grout Boost or Grout Once

These are liquid products that mix with your grout instead of water so that you don’t also have to seal the grout. Follow the instructions on the package to prepare your grout (usually involves mixing, waiting and mixing again.)

Then apply the grout as usual. Then you don’t have to spray your grout with a grout sealer afterwards.

mix grout with grout once sealant in ice bucket

2. Work in small sections at a time.

This is not the time to apply all of the grout at once and remove the extra after you are done putting in all the grout. You have to apply small sections (4′ x 4′) of grout. Then go back to remove the excess grout on that same section right away.

Don’t wait too long or the grout will become dry and difficult to remove from the surface of the tile. As you’ll see below, I wiped off the grout with a damp sponge while the other area on the left was drying. It helps to move relatively fast so your grout doesn’t dry too quickly.

Five Great Tips to Grout a Shower