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I have been super interested in the benefits of replacing our fabric softener with wool dryer balls. I love the idea of it being chemical free because a couple of my kids have very sensitive skin. I also love that you can add a few drops of essential oils to give your clothes a fresh smell!
I set out to make my own and give then a shot! They are super easy to make and there is a good chance you already have what you need around your home, making this a very affordable project!
To make these you will need any color yarn as long as it’s 100% wool. This is a very important part of this project! I found it a little hard to find 100% wool yarn from my local craft store so I ended up ordering this yarn and it worked great! You will also need some nylon pantyhose and I found these one to be quite cheap!
There are only a few steps to the project and it’s super simple! First you want to start the base of your ball. Take three fingers and wrap the yarn around them a few times, I did around 5-6. Then remove the yarn from your fingers and wrap the yarn around the middle of the loop you just made 7-8 times. Next, wrap the yarn around the base you just created until you get the size dryer ball you like! Remember to slightly turn your ball while you are wrapping so that it will stay a round shape.
Then cut the yarn and tie off the end. Now you are going to put your wool balls in the nylon pantyhose and tie a knot. Repeat this step until all your wool balls are inside the pantyhose.
Now it’s time to make it all come together! Wash them with hot water in your washing machine. I use my Samsung Flex Washer and Dryer. With the smaller washer on top I can do this project without running a full load of laundry or wasting water by running the washer with only the dryer ball project in it.It’s super easy to use and has the same settings as the main washer! I set the top washing machine to do a quick wash with hot water and that’s it! I never realized how much I would use this feature until we replaced or old front load washer and dryer with these new Samsun FlexWash and FlexDry
Once the cycle is finished in the washer throw it in the dryer on high. Then remove them from the pantyhose and you’re done!! I made this project with my daughter and we had a lot of fun. It was also a great opportunity to teach my daughter how to do laundry and all the awesome things our Samsung appliances can do – the top feature being the duel washer and dryer. Fingers crossed this little laundry lesson will make her want to do her own laundry from now on!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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If there has ever been a DIY project that I have been obsessed with it’s this one! I have lost count of how many ugly containers I have turned into modern vintage looking faux pottery, and I still want to do more! It’s such a fun project that you really can’t mess up and will always turn out beautiful!
Supply list
- Container you want to transform
- Texture Spray
- Matte Finish Spray Paint
- Dirt from your backyard
- Matte Sealer Spray
You can use this technique on practically anything. I have used ugly pottery, glass vases, plastic pots, even a set of lamps!! Click here to see how my lamps turned out. I’m completely in love with them!
I love checking my local thrift store for cheap pieces to transform! Don’t be scared of the color or design of a thrift store piece, if it has good shape and is the size you like it will be perfect for this project!
Check out the first piece I did this faux pottery makeover on. Talk about a night and day difference!!
Let’s Make Some Faux Pottery!!
- The first step is to cover your piece with a texture spray, this one by Rust-Oleum is my favorite. There’s no wrong or right way to do this. You can see the texture overlaps when you spray it and that’s completely fine. This step gives your piece the truly authentic look of pottery so be generous with the texture spray!
- Let the texture sit until it’s dry to the touch, about 10-15 minutes. Next, spray paint it any color you want. Make sure the paint is a Flat/Matte finish. If you use spray paint with any kind of a gloss finish it won’t give you the same look. For this project I used this medium grey color. I love it and it gives my planter a little bit of a concrete look!
- Now comes the fun part. Grab some dirt from your backyard and add just a little bit of water. You don’t want to add too much water to the dirt, think somewhere in-between dry dirt and mud! Now rub it all over your project and let it completely dry!
- After the dirt is dry take a clean cloth and rub some of it off. You can take off a little or a lot, it’s up to you! If you have trouble removing the dirt, it may be because your dirt was too wet. Get your cloth damp and carefully rub the dirt off that way. If your cloth is too wet and you completely remove all the dirt you will need to repeat the last step to get some of that dirt back on your project.
- The last step is spraying the project with a matte sealer. This is optional but I do find that it preserves your project better, and because the finish is also matte it won’t change the look or feel of your project!!
This style of decor is so popular right now and you can find it all over from Pottery Barn to Arhaus but by DIYing it you can have the same look for a fraction of the price!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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I am frequently asked about my living room mirrors and everyone is always surprised when I tell them they are actually a DIY project I did a few years ago. When we first moved into our new home I realized the living room needed a statement piece. I tried to find tall designer inspired mirrors but just couldn’t bring myself to spend a chunk of money on them, so I set out to try and make what I had envisioned for a fraction of the cost!!
Supply list:
Cut to 57.5″ x 23″
This can be customized a bit depending on the size mirror you get
TIP: If you don’t have a large saw to cut the plywood some Home Depots will cut it for FREE or Lowe’s does cuts for a small fee.
I found mine on a local classifieds page but Home Depot sells wood that looks similar
They come in a few different sizes so you can pick the size you like best, I used the 2.5″ size
– Wood trim
1.5″ wide and .25″ thick
1.5″ wide and .25″ thick
– Black paint
Tool List:
– Sander or sand paper
– Clamps
– Nail gun or hammer & nails
STEP 1:
The first thing you want to do is paint your cut pieces of plywood that you will attach your mirror to as well as your trim pieces, let them dry while you make your other cuts.
STEP 2:
Next cut the barnwood to frame out your piece of plywood. Remember to cut the corners at a 45 degree angle. Frame out all sides of the plywood.
STEP 3:
Then cut the trim pieces to make the X’s on the mirror. Divide the height of the mirror into 3 equal sections. Make three equal size boxes with the trim. Don’t glue anything down yet.
STEP 4:
Now to make the X’s you will need to measure each box on a diagonal (do each one separately because the boxes can vary in size slightly). Cut the diagonal trim pieces so they fit into the corners of the boxes. The best way to do this is to trace the angles on the wood and cut them on the saw. Repeat this step for all three boxes.
STEP 5:
Now it’s time to put everything together!! Lay out your wood trim pieces on the mirror. Once you get them how you want, take some clear silicone adhesive and glue each piece down to the mirror. Depending on how tight fitting your wood trim pieces meet up you may want to fill the small gaps with wood filler.
STEP 6:
Then attach your mirror to the plywood. Use the same adhesive on the back of the mirror and glue it down to the middle of the plywood.
STEP 7:
Next attach your barnwood frame! Take each piece you have already cut and attach it with some wood glue. Then take your clamps and clamp the wood down while you secure each piece with a few nails.
STEP 8:
When the glue has dried, sand the wood filler (if you used it) touch up the paint and add the flat braces to each corner. The final step is to add the hanging hardware. There are many ways you can do this. I like to drive 2 screws several inches apart into the back of the wood and connect them with picture hanging wire.
That’s it, your done, and now you have a beautiful custom mirror without the designer price tag!!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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One of the biggest projects we tackled this summer was creating an outdoor dining area on our back deck. We built this deck about 3 years ago out of redwood and it just didn’t hold up well against the elements. We knew it needed some repairs, but we decided to make it bigger and better than it previously was.
My goal was to create a cozy outdoor dinning area that fit in with the flow of our backyard design. I had a vision for a sleek looking deck with a simple, modern style pergola on top.
First we removed all the old warped and scratched redwood deck boards. We replaced them with Trex, a composite deck material that is able to stand the test of time and weather. This was the best choice for the deck because it’s requires no maintenance. We went with the pebble grey color and I absolutely love it!
After we finished the decking it was time to design the pergola! I knew we would have to make a custom size pergola because the deck is an odd size to fit the back section of our house.
I came across the Toja Grid system and it was the perfect solution to the design I had in my head. Toja Grid makes heavy duty metal brackets that fit wood posts to create a modern looking pergola. The brackets can be purchased in many different kits. For our project we used the 4×4 double pergola with 2×4 roof rafters. This kit made the daunting task of building a pergola from scratch a lot more achievable!
It’s a super easy system and basically fits together like a puzzle. We used 4×4’s for the posts and 2×4’s for the slats on top. We cut our vertical 4×4 posts to fit just under the eves of our house, giving it a true custom look. Each piece of wood fits nicely into a bracket and then they all attach together with the provided screws.
It took us a few hours to get the Toja Grid put together and boy was it worth it!! From the moment we stood it up and attached to the deck I was in love. It completely transformed the whole deck and gave it the cozy feel I was hoping for.
Finally, we moved on to the finish work. We used a semi-transparent black stain that doubles as a wood water sealer. We then added some beautiful outdoor furniture, outdoor decor, plants, and some string lights across the top.
This was a big project but the the result was better than I could have ever imagined. We will enjoying this space for years to come!
If your backyard is screaming for a Toja Grid like mine was I have a great limited time discount offer to pass along to you all. Use code: GREYBIRCH to save 10% off your entire purchase from July 7th- July 21st!!
Before
After
-Grey Birch Designs-
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I wanted to create a more updated modern farmhouse feel to our bathroom vanity and with just a few changes I was able to completely transform this space. It seriously doesn’t even look like the same bathroom vanity!
The first step was to do a little demo. We had the standard builder grade mirror that had to go! These can be a little tricky to remove but the best and safest way is to tape the mirror, a lot!! This will help keep the mirror from shattering and flying all over the place in the event it breaks. You can’t use too much tape on this step so go crazy! After that take a pry bar or something that you can slip in-between the wall and the mirror to carefully pry it off the wall. Typically these are glued in a few different spots with a strong adhesive. This can damage drywall, but in our case we were putting up shiplap so we weren’t too concerned about any drywall damage.
After we removed the mirror we started the fun part, shiplap! For a more modern spin on the traditional shiplap I decide to do vertical seemless shiplap. We used true MDF shiplap boards These are easy to work with because the spacing is already done for you and will line up perfect every time. By using MDF instead of real wood you get a more smooth uniform finish without all the wood grain. We attached the boards to the wall with instant grab construction adhesive and a couple nails in the top and the bottom. To accommodate the vanity light wires coming out of the wall we drilled a one inch hole in the shiplap and pulled the wires through.
Once we finished putting up the shiplap we trimmed it out with PVC trim. This gives it a more clean finished look and hides all the raw edges and nail holes. Then came my favorite part, the finishes and decor!!
I love the look of mixed metals so I picked these brushed bronze sleek vanity lights. They are truly a show piece and the focal point of the vanity. To compliment the vanity lights I added some brushed bronze faucets with a modern look and feel. To finish the look I added the round mirrors in matte black and two different size cabinet pulls. I put the larger size pulls on the doors and slightly smaller size pulls on the drawers in the matte black finish to compliment the black in the mirrors! I kept the decor simple with a wood vase and some greenery
This was a fun and easy update that made a huge difference in our bathroom! I couldn’t be happier with how this project turned out!!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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The beginning of the year for us, like so many others, started out looking very different. We had decided to sell our home and move to the next city over and build a cute farmhouse in a fun community. That all quickly changed largly due to the pandemic that hit us hard in March. Although at the time it was hard for me to see, I soon realized this was a HUGE blessing in disguise!!
I was always a little sad about the thought of leaving our current home because we put our blood, sweat, and tears into making it what is is today. The one area of our home I always wanted to make changes to was our kitchen. I originally picked out off-white cabinets but they always looked a little yellow to me.
Fast forward to late March – I’m not going to lie, I cried like a baby after we found out we weren’t going able to get the new house. But I have the world’s best husband and he knew my heart was broken. So he said to me “how about we do a kitchen remodel and turn our current house into everything you wanted” Seriously this made me cry happy tears way more than sad ones!
This project was mostly cosmetic. I love the layout of our kitchen – it was one of the big reasons we choose to build this model home back in 2015. What I wanted to change was the cabinets, countertops, and of course a farmhouse sink!!!
I had all my cabinets painted bright white (this is just the white base color without any additional color added in). I find this to be the truest bright white. We had the island painted Nevermore Grey by Sherwin Williams. We then had new white quartz countertops installed and modified the sink cabinet to accommodate the most beautiful farmhouse sink I found from BLANCO.
I chose the IKON® 33″ sink for a couple reasons. It’s a granite composite material that is stain and scratch resistant, which is super important with 5 kiddos in the house! It’s also a matte finish which gives it a more modern feel. This fits in perfectly with the new modern farmhouse design I’m going for in this kitchen remodel. I also picked out this gorgeous MERIDIAN™ faucet from BLANCO. It’s design makes me feel like a professional cook even when I’m not!! In all seriousness it’s not only beautiful but one of the best faucets I have ever had!
We took our sink cabinet doors to a custom cabinet maker to have the doors cut down to size. My farmhouse sink has a 10″ apron but our older sink was just a basic drop in. That meant our doors were too tall and didn’t fit under the sink anymore. We also had to change the support braces to hold the sink properly. We built small brackets inside the cabinet for the sink to sit on and lowered part of the horizontal cabinet face. Now my dream of having a farmhouse sink is a reality!!
This kitchen remodel is the largest project to date that we have done on our home and easily the most rewarding!!
BLANCO is a fantastic company and we have been extremely happy with their products. Our BLANCO farmhouse sink and faucet can be found here:
IKON® 33″ FARMHOUSE SINK
MERIDIAN™ FAUCET
-Grey Birch Designs-
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I recently gave our loft/playroom a refresh that fits our growing kids and their needs. I loved how the room came together but the TV wall bothered me. When we replaced our old TV with this larger TV the photo wall didn’t look right anymore. I needed to come up with a different design.
I had a vision in my head and for a certain type of picture shelf but I couldn’t find it anywhere – so that meant I had to DIY it! The TV wall is long and I wanted one large shelf, not two put together.
For this project I used:
Since the wall is 12′ we cut the board down to 10′, which fills the wall but leaves a little bit of space on the sides. We used a circular saw to make the straight cut and then stained the wood with black wood stain and cloth rags
I found the best was to apply the stain evenly was to work in smaller areas and wipe off the stain quickly after applying it. If you have an extra set of hands it’s quick and easy to have one person apply the stain while the other follows right behind wiping it off!
I let the stain dry for a few hours before I put it up on the wall. To install the shelf we held the board up on the wall where we wanted it and used a level to make sure it was straight. Then we drew a level line on the wall across the top of the wood. This makes it easier to attach the brackets to the wall without having to also hold up the wood shelf.
Next we found and marked the studs. For this long shelf we used 4 of the metal brackets. We pre-drilled the holes and then attached the brackets to the wall with 2
inch screws. Once that was done we simply slid the wood into the brackets and then it was time to decorate!
inch screws. Once that was done we simply slid the wood into the brackets and then it was time to decorate!
I used a mix of large black and white family photos, hand cut silhouettes of our whole family, and some new house plants I picked up from Trader Joe’s.
I’m incredibly happy with how this simple project turned out. Finally I love every aspect of our new and improved loft/kids hangout room! To see this project in action check out this video of us putting the whole project together!
-Grey Birch Designs-
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This month we tackled a big home project, one that I have wanted to do for some time now. We ripped out the carpet upstairs and installed new laminate flooring! I was a little nervous this was going to be more than we could handle, but this product from Creative Surfaces made the installation super easy!
We chose the Riverside Oak Laminate Plank and the color is perfect! It’s a beautiful medium brown with a subtle grey undertone. There are beautiful variations in the planks, giving them the look and feel of real wood but with the benefit of being extremely durable.
One thing that makes this flooring so easy to install is the underlayment is already attached to the planks. If you have ever installed laminate flooring before and fought with a big roll of underlayment then you know what a huge time saver this is. The planks also have SurfaceLoc system making it easy to snap and lock the boards together to form a solid surface floor.
There are a few things that are important to remember when switching out your flooring from carpet to laminate. First you will need to remove your baseboards. This is important because the thickness of carpet is much less than laminate, so you will not be able to slide your laminate under the baseboards. A tip to save a little money is to reuse your old baseboards instead of replacing them. If you use a hammer and a pry bar you can carefully pull the baseboards off the wall without damaging them. If you choose not to remove your baseboards you have the option of using quarter round moulding to hide the gaps for a clean finished look.
When you lay the floor you want to make sure you stagger the boards. If any of your seams meet up then your joints won’t be as strong and could shift over time. Install your floor like a typewriter by starting at one end and working your way left to right. When you get to the end, cut your board to length and use the left over pieces as the start of the next row.
I wish I had done this project sooner because it completely transformed our upstairs! Now my flooring is not only beautiful but is also super easy to clean, which is awesome with 5 kids and 2 dogs!!
You can find this laminate flooring at your local Walmart or check their website Creative Surfaces to see when it will be available in your area!
-Grey Birch Designs-
