Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug | Pretty Handy Girl

The closet renovation is coming along nicely, even though I’ve only been able to work on it in fits and starts. After I added a new light switch for the closet, I added any missing insulation. Then I filled any and all gaps with Great Stuff. This closet had always been very cold in the winter or super hot in the summer. I decided to climate control the closet as best as I could while the walls were open. Then I closed up the walls with sheet rock and painted the small closet. You would not believe how well sheet rock (aka drywall or wall board) insulates! When I added the last piece, it made a huge difference in the climate control in the room. Who knew?!

Every room we renovate, we like to leave little messages in the wall or on the floor. The boys and I had fun drawing before adding the carpeting.

Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug | Pretty Handy Girl

The closet dimensions are just under 5′ x 8′ which is perfect for an area rug. I wanted the closet to be as comfy and inviting as possible for the boys, so I settled on a super soft chenille shag rug.

I also purchased enough carpet padding from Lowe’s to line the closet floor. In the interest of climate control, I bought the thickest padding and opted for the Stainmaster brand to resist spills from seeping through to the subfloor.

Ready to get started Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug?

Materials:

Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug | Pretty Handy Girl

  • Utility knife
  • Scissors
  • Metal ruler or straight edge
  • Sharpie
  • Staple gun and staples (1/2″ – 5/8″)
  • Area rug large enough for your space
  • Carpet padding

Instructions:

Lay the carpet padding on the floor. Line up two edges and fold the other edges up against the wall.

Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug | Pretty Handy Girl

Use a pen to draw along the corner where the wall meets the floor.

Faking Wall-to-Wall Carpet with an Area Rug | Pretty Handy Girl

Cut the carpet pad to size. Read more

How to Remove Spray Paint from Metal

How to Remove Spray Paint from Metal

Spray paint is a great product to use to makeover almost anything. It comes in many colors and finishes and is great for imperfectly shaped pieces that you can spray much easier than brush with paint. It’s a DIYer’s dream!

But someday you might want to remove that spray paint from an object you made over.  Particularly a metal one like a wall hanging, hardware, or lamps.

How to Remove Spray Paint from Metal

While I love the deep blue color, I wanted to return this lamp to its former brass glory to add more metallic to our living room.

I’m happy to tell you that yes, you can undo your makeover in just a few easy steps.

Here’s how to remove spray paint from metal.

Materials:

How to Remove Spray Paint from Metal

  • Spray painted object
  • Citristrip
  • Paint brushes
  • Old toothbrush
  • Plastic scraper
  • Lint-free rags, such as an old t-shirt
  • Plastic gloves
  • Eye protection
  • Respirator
  • Acetone

Instructions

1. Place your object to be stripped on a rag.

2. Put on plastic gloves, respirator and eye protection.

3. Using a paint brush, spread the Citristrip over the piece in a thick coat. Follow the instructions on the Citristrip, letting it work for about 30 minutes. Test a section in 15 minutes. When the paint bubbles, you are ready to scrape it off. Read more

Pretty Handy Girl Holiday Home Tour Mudroom & Foyer

Last up on my holiday home tour is my mudroom and foyer. This year, I re-used the same wreaths for the front door, but I jazzed them up with silver holly leaf floral picks.

Pretty Handy Girl Holiday Home Tour Mudroom & Foyer

It’s incredibly easy to change the look of your wreaths. Try tucking in fresh clippings like these mahonia leaves:

Pretty Handy Girl's Holiday Home Tour 2014

Or tie ornaments onto your wreath to add some sparkle and shine. Get more ideas for updating your wreaths here.

Pretty Handy Girl's Christmas Home Tour

Inside the front door, I set up the advent calendars on our rustic IKEA hacked chest. Read more

Holiday Home Tour - Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

Holiday Home Tour - Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

One of my favorite rooms to decorate is our kitchen. There is something about the combination of aqua with green that makes me happy. Welcome to the next room on my Holiday Home Tour, the kitchen!

Holiday Home Tour - Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

Updating the window seat with aqua and snowflake pillows is the first thing I do when Thanksgiving is over.

I love adding a little bling to the chandelier during the holiday season. Last year I hung a beaded garland from the chandelier, this year it’s white buds and gold painted eucalyptus leaves.

Holiday Home Tour - Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

The open shelves get a new vignette. It’s such an easy swap that gives us something new to look at throughout the season. Read more

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome back for another holiday room tour! Today I’d love to have you join us in the dining room. Can I tell you a secret? I don’t usually make a big Christmas meal. Instead, I like to make a huge batch of pancakes and bacon or sausage. I’m definitely a breakfast for lunch or dinner kind of gal. In fact, we sit down in the dining room and the whole family enjoys a big brunch on Christmas day. Maybe one year I’ll surprise the family with a ham. Or maybe not.

Apparently I’m old enough to witness a trend go out of style and come back again. I’m thrilled to be able to dust off my blue and white Spode plates and use them on my holiday tablescape this year. Do you have a collection of blue and white plates? Do you use them all the time, only for special occasions or never?

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

It was great to bring out the deer from last year’s tablescape.  They really add the woodland feel to our table.

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

I purchased a mixed green garland from Kroger and pulled it apart to decorate the table and more! Gotta love getting fresh greens from the grocery store.

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

Holiday Woodland Tablescape 2015 | Pretty Handy Girl

Speaking of table, did you notice that my table is different from last year? I finally made this beautiful farmhouse table from reclaimed timbers and Osbourne wood table legs. You can easily make your own table following this tutorial. Read more