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Baby Rabies

pregnancy & parenting

  • Start Here
    • About Baby Rabies
    • Baby Registry Top Picks
    • Favorite Pregnancy Apps
  • The Book
  • Pregnancy
    • Birth Stories
    • Perinatal Mood Disorders
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    • Babies
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    • Photography

      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

      February 11, 2019

      Photography

      Simple Tips For Editing Snow Photos On Your…

      December 13, 2018

      Photography

      I Wrote A Photography eBook And This Is…

      December 6, 2018

      Photography

      Creative Lighting Ideas To Help You Take Great…

      November 27, 2018

      Photography

      Learn How To Take And Edit Photos On…

      November 19, 2018

  • Reviews
    • Reviews

      The Answer To Last Minute Holiday Gifting For…

      December 19, 2018

      Reviews

      I Was Never A Barbie Girl Until Now

      October 1, 2018

      Reviews

      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

      August 22, 2018

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Build It

#FreeToBe-lieve In Your #Selfie – Another Easy Tutorial
Build ItCrafty!

#FreeToBe-lieve In Your #Selfie – Another Easy Tutorial

by Jill June 17, 2015
written by Jill


We have half bath downstairs that’s supposed to be for guests. And by “guests” I mean the 10 boys on the street who pee in our house frequently.

It’s fancy and formal looking, which is the exact opposite of my taste. So I’ve decided to add some whimsical touches to it, because painting over the maroon walls is at the bottom of my “that sounds like a total nightmare” priority list.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

And because it’s my bathroom and we are all #freetobe-lieve in our selfies. Plus, this bathroom has the best selfie mirror in the house. I love the idea of filling this room with conversation starters and positivity. If you can’t have fun with a stuffy bathroom, then what good is a stuffy bathroom?

All free clear wanted me to talk about being #freetobe crafty this summer, and I realized this would be the perfect project for this sponsored post.

To start, I found a piece of wood that fit the space in our scrap pile (about 18×24), but you could always ask your home improvement store to cut one to size for you.

Keep in mind that you want your sign to show when you take your selfie, so plan according to that space.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

This one was a little crooked, but I liked that about it. We just gave it a quick sanding to smooth out any rough spots.

This is actually the first project I’ve done with my vinyl cutting machine, and it made it SO easy.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

The key to remember is the letters have to be BACKWARDS on the wood/canvas for them to appear the right way in the mirror. So I designed my text that way in my machine’s software.

If you don’t have a vinyl cutting machine, you could easily request this as a custom order from one of the thousands of vinyl vendors on Etsy.

Now, the sign looked pretty awesome just like that, but it wasn’t the look I was going for, and I liked being able to remove the vinyl so I don’t have to worry about it peeling at some point.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

First, I used some gold spray paint around the edges, which is a totally optional, but fun thing to do.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

I painted over the letters and covered the top. I used white chalk paint for this.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

Then I carefully peeled back the vinyl letters while the paint was still wet. And made a big mess, then made a mental note to throw my clothes in the wash immediately after with some all free clear. (I’ve been working that stuff hard this week. Thank you, stomach bug.)

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

This little scraper tool helped a lot. You can get it in the craft store with the paper and vinyl cutting supplies.

I like the idea of someone sitting on the toilet, totally confused by what that sign is supposed to mean until they stand at the sink to wash their hands.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

I sanded the white paint a little bit to even the texture and distress it just a tad.

Believe In Your #Selfie bathroom sign tutorial | BabyRabies.com

Annnnnnd done! Super simple, but so unexpected. And fun!

Summer is a great time for getting the paint and craft supplies out and experimenting. You can throw on old shorts and make a big mess outside, then let your projects dry in the hot sun while you use all free clear to clean up everything from your clothes to your counters- with their all free clear OXI booster.

If you’d like to save $1 off any all free clear product, head here for a printable coupon.

And if you’d like to take a couple minutes to answer this short survey, that would be pretty cool.

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jun 17, 2015 at 12:46pm PDT

June 17, 2015 2 comments
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A Boy’s Room With Room To Grow
Build ItCrafty!Home Decor & DIYSchool Age Days

A Boy’s Room With Room To Grow

by Jill June 10, 2015
written by Jill

Slowly, slowly, so slowly, we are finishing rooms one by one in our new house.

So slowly that this is only the 2nd room we ain’t touching again for a loooonnnnng time. Hopefully. I mean, unless I come up with something I like better, and we have some free time.

Okay, no. Probably not ever again.

Kendall’s room is DONE.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

I knew going into this that we plan to be in this house, and have him in this room long through his adolescent years and into the teens, so every part of this space was designed with a 16 year old in mind.

You guys, I had to think about my little boy as a TEENAGER, for extended periods of time. It was awful.

The plan of attack was to start with a neutral base, then layer in fun pieces that would be easy and inexpensive to change out if/when he outgrows them.

Also, repurpose, repurpose, repurpose.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

 

To start, we put him back in a full size bed. The bunk/loft bed wasn’t needed anymore since he’s not sharing a room with his brother, and it was SO dang hot up there.

So we dusted off the headboard his dad built him when he was a toddler and swapped it out of the attic, leaving room for the loft bed in storage.

Then, thanks to Garnett Hill, his bed got a comfy jersey fitted sheet and pillow cases, and an Essential Core-Loft blanket (the size of the blanket allows it to drape over the bed). I skipped the top sheet because never in my life have I seen a 7 year old wake up with a top sheet still nicely sandwiched between their body and blanket.

We LOVE this bedding. It’s well-made, washes beautifully, and I’m confident it will last a long time. The core-loft blanket isn’t too hot in the summer or cold in the winter.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

While most might not classify this wall as a neutral, I’m pretty confident it’s a color and pattern that will blend into whatever decor he has in mind for the future, including piles of filthy t-shirts and posters of some future crush.

It was super easy to create. My husband used a long metal level to draw the lines on the wall, then went over them with blue painter’s tape. He also used the clear caulk trick (MUST DO!) to get those crisp lines. The entire room was painted Sterling (Behr) prior to taping, then we went over the taped wall with Behr’s Deep Blue Sea. Don’t forget to pull the tape off while it’s still wet!

 

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 3, 2015 at 8:01pm PST

 

That shelf is one we purchased at Ikea many years ago. It used to be an upright book shelf in Kendall’s room, then it was a horizontal, wall-mounted shelf in our entry way at our old house. Now, it’s the perfect storage solution for LEGOs, games, and other small toys.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

We glued those LEGO plates to the top with Gorilla Glue.

Much like the old, repurposed book shelf, lots of pieces in this room have had a long life already. I used them to bring in layers of fun without much expense.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

We bought that planet mobile from Pottery Barn Kids before he was born. Those tie-dyed pillows were DIYs made with dye from the craft store and cheap white pillow cases.

The side table is part of a set of nesting tables I’ve had since college. I painted over it’s honey oak finish with Americana Decor chalk paint in Primitive, from Home Depot. It’s slightly distressed with brown wax, then sealed with clear wax.

Sidenote: DO NOT BE AFRIAD OF CHALK PAINT. Stupid easy, this stuff.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

The numbered bin shelf is a new purchase from Target.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

I already told y’all how I turned old t-shirts into wall hangings and a throw pillow.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

I recently purchased the curtains from Land Of Nod. The classic pinstripe ticking, with the fun pop of orange dye at the bottom was exactly the combination of unexpected and functional that I was going for. It was love at first click.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

The reading corner has a Land Of Nod beanbag that he got for Christmas a couple years ago, a new metal cart from Target that we filled with his favorite books, and a floor lamp that we spray painted blue. I Modpodged pieces of an old road atlas that was floating around our trunk onto the lampshade.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

This DIY memo board is just a piece of wood (Kendall painted this when he was 3!), with some elastic (from the sewing section) tied around it.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

Kendall and I have been reading Harry Potter together, and I remember when I first read this out loud to him. I teared up. Total mom dork moment. It’s such a powerful, important lesson to remember. So I ordered this print from Etsy, and framed it in a Target frame.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

The bathroom still needs work, so just ignore that part. That’s a whole other beast we’re just not ready for yet. The hat rack is a piece of ironwork we bought on our honeymoon. I spray painted it silver for Kendall’s space-themed nursery, and it used to hold backpacks and sun hats.

The robot art is by the brilliant Gregg Deal, also carried over from Kendall’s previous room.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

A CanvasPop canvas of Kendall and his dad that we’ve had for ages hangs in the entry way.

A Boy's Room With Room To Grow- Created with lots of repurposing and DIYs |BabyRabies.com

And a basket I scored at HomeGoods holds large toys for now. Maybe it will become a wastebasket or footstool in the future.

If you’re pregnant or have a baby that you’re decorating for right now, I have 3 bits of advice for you:

1. Keep it simple. No need to get the diaper stacker the matches the ruffled curtains and the bumper. (I honestly don’t think you need a bumper.)

2. Buy pieces with the future in mind. It will be here before you or your bank account knows it.

3. Invest in the neutral stuff, get creative and cheap with the age/trend/phase-specific stuff.

Now that that task is behind me, I think it’s time to concentrate on my office. Or our bedroom. The kitchen? Oh, heck. It will probably be Leyna’s room. (Just a few things to finish in there.)

Click here if you’d like to see the other room we’ve finished.

June 10, 2015 3 comments
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The Heart Wall Tutorial- How To Get Crisp Stencils On Textured Walls
Build ItPhotographySchool Age Days

The Heart Wall Tutorial- How To Get Crisp Stencils On Textured Walls

by Jill January 20, 2015
written by Jill

I’ve been itching to get the kids rooms done since the day we moved in. The way my brain works, it’s like the reverse of if you If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.

I want their rooms to be orderly, which means we need to organize closets and drawers, but there’s no point in organizing if we’re just going to destroy it when we finally paint, so let’s just do that first.

And plus, it’s nice to see something complete around here. (Except not complete because she still needs a headboard and we now need to organize and such.)

ANYWAY, the point is, we painted Leyna’s room this weekend. And of course by “we” I mean Scott did.

I picked out the colors and the stencil, though!

Which is why he hated me for about 48 hours.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

But it was totally worth it (says the girl who didn’t paint it)!

So if you would also like to achieve this look and push your sanity to the brink of a meltdown, read on.

Oh, and here are the supplies and paint colors we used:

Royal Design Studio large Modern Stencil Polka Heart stencil

Ultra dense foam roller

Clear caulk (and caulk gun)

Painters tape

Blow dryer

Paint- 
Ralph Lauren Golden Buttermilk (metallic gold, Home Depot)
Martha Stewart Plum Wine color matched to Behr paint (dark purple, Home Depot)
Martha Stewart Phlox color matched to Behr paint (light purple on surrounding walls, Home Depot)

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

Step 1. Understand that you are absolutely nuts. You’re just plain crazy. This is a ton of work. Embrace it or don’t do it.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

Step 2. Tape your stencil to the wall. (The stencil is smaller here than it originally came because we cut it down when we came to the end to fit the edges.) We started at the bottom, but if we did it again, we’d start at the top. Not that we’re ever doing this again.

Step 3. Outline the hearts in caulk. Each and every one.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

Step 4. Rub the caulk into the edges, making sure the entire edge of each heart is covered.

Step 5. Paint your hearts by rolling your foam roller over them. The good news is you can go a little heavier with the paint than you would be able to without the caulk, but still, don’t load your roller up too much! We had to do 3 coats. And in between coats…

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

Step 6. We used the blow dryer to speed drying time up between the 3 coats. Yup, each and every heart got a little blast of air. Twice.

Step 7. Continue all the above steps until your entire wall is covered.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

The stencil is going to get caked up. You’ll have to be sure you’re at least wiping the back so the caulk doesn’t build up and cause the stencil to not sit flush against the wall. We did clean our stencil and peeled the paint off halfway through.

The caulk is the reason we were able to get crisp-looking hearts. Our walls are very textured, and without the caulk, it was like… not going to happen. Nope.

When you peel the stencil away from the wall, you’ll see the white caulk around the edges of the hearts, but don’t worry! If you got the CLEAR kind, it will dry clear.

Now, being the perfectionist that Scott is, he still went back and touched up some spots and edges of some hearts, but that was minimal.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

Step 8. Forgive your wife for coming up with this INSANE idea when you see the joy on your little girl’s face who happens to LOVE all things purple, and hearts, and polkadots.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

It’s been drawn to my attention a few times that wallpaper or vinyl decals could also achieve this look for possibly less work, and those are great options for some people/rooms!

Unfortunately, we’ve had terrible luck with vinyl decals on our textured walls in the past. They peel very easily, and an entire wall of them would end up costing much more than a stencil and a can of paint (and be super tempting for little fingers to pick at).

That said, if the vinyl decals are something you’re looking for, I found this company on Instagram that sells them.

Wallpaper is just… not really our thing.

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

How to get crisp stencil lines on a textured wall! Heart Wall tutorial from BabyRabies.com

I didn’t realize what a kick ass photo backdrop this would be until I took these pictures. Looking forward to many more bed-jumping photo shoots!

January 20, 2015 19 comments
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Low Budget Brass Bathroom Update
Build ItHome Decor & DIY

Low Budget Brass Bathroom Update

by Jill October 19, 2014
written by Jill

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com: Arctic Frost by Olympic paint, Ikea Maskros pendant, DIY mosaic tile update to soaking tub, painted oak cabinets, added chrome fixtures, yellow and gold accents throughout

Anyone who’s ever watched an hour of HGTV in their life knows that master bathrooms and kitchens are usually what sell homes, and sell them fast, and sell them for a good price.

The master bathroom was not what sold me on this house. In fact, it was one of my least favorite rooms. So the plan from day one was always to do something drastic to it, especially before we planned to sell.

The problem? It was just too ugly to afford to update.

Or so we thought.

We lived with an ugly bathroom for a long, long time, paralyzed by the thought of ripping out it’s brass fixtures, including a brass framed glass shower stall, and even more terrified by the potential price tag.

These “before” pics aren’t even the real before pics. The original bathroom actually had wretched pin-stripe wallpaper that we had to strip from the drywall, then retexture the walls before painting them this poor, poor choice of jelly bean lavender. (Not actual color name, but it seems fitting.)

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.comUpdate A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

Beyond the dated shower, there were the builder-grade oak cabinets and all the basic white tile, and then there were the brass light fixtures.

And whatever this was in the ceiling.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

I guess the bathroom could definitely have been a lot worse. Please know my perspective is skewed by all the new construction around us at dirt-cheap Texas prices.

It just wasn’t what we envisioned as a relaxing, stylish retreat, and it certainly didn’t match the rest of our house.

We always knew, though, that replacing that shower was at the very bottom of our priority list. For one, it’s in pretty decent shape for what it is. And also, it was just more money than we wanted to spend when we could put that toward stuff like hardwood floors and our new kitchen.

I contemplated painting it somehow, but figured that would only equate to a lot of wasted work on something we’d have to demo in 6 months when the paint started flaking.

Luckily for us (and you!), yellow and all things gold have been making a comeback for a while, especially when paired with a gray/neutral palette, so I ran with it, incorporating brass into the design, and making the shower look intentional and (maybe?) trendy-ish.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

The first step was to tone the walls down with a cool gray. This shade is Gray Frost by Olympic from Lowes. 

Our faucets were already chrome and brass, so bringing touches of chrome in was a natural extension. We replaced the brass light fixtures with basic chrome ones, like these. 

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

I was careful not to eliminate the brass too much from the room, though, and actually brought in more gold/brass/yellow accents to make it feel more intentional. The gold rugs were from Kohls, and I added a brass curtain rod (from Walmart) and sewed a simple curtain with a bold yellow, geometric patterned fabric from Fabric.com.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.comWe replaced those awful ceiling lights with an awesome focal point- the Maskros pendant by Ikea, which happens to make really cool shadows on the walls when it’s the only light on while I’m taking a bath at night. 10 points for ambiance!

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

And we painted the oak cabinets black, adding chrome pulls and knobs.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

Now, we could have stopped here, and I think we would have, at the very least, achieved an updated room.

But we wanted to add a bit of wow to the room, and we also needed to replace the front panel of our soaking tub because it was warped. So, to kill two birds with one bucket of grout, we added some mosaic tile accents around the tub and to the front.

To start, my husband knocked out the top row only of the tile that was already around the top.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

Then he simply added a row of the mosaic tile and another row of matching white ceramic tile back on top of that.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

The front was a little more work, but not too much. We removed the plastic panel from the front of the tub completely. Then he framed in the front…

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

attached a cement board to the frame, and then tiled over the top of that.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

That one little project gave the whole room a more custom feel, and it cost less than $150.

If you asked me when we bought this house if I would have been happy with a design that did not include entirely eliminating that brass shower, I would have laughed at you.

But I think, ultimately, we did a great job of working with what we had, and I’m thrilled with the way it came out. It’s updated and fits with the rest of our home. It even looks great from our bedroom.

Update A Brass Bathroom On A Budget - BabyRabies.com

If you’re looking to update your brass bathroom, the key takeaways here are:

1. Neutralize your space. Don’t try to compete with the brass. Bring in a cool gray to contrast the warm tones. Add lots of white.

2. Modernize and update everything else that you can. Paint dated cabinets. Switch out hardware when your budget allows.

3. Embrace the brass. Work it into other elements of the room, including fabrics and small accents.

4. Embrace dual finishes. Don’t be afraid to mix different metals.

Our house is officially under contract now, and I plan to share a few more posts about how we updated it over the next couple weeks before we have to move.

I’ve already made a note to myself to be sure we take REAL before pics at the next place.

October 19, 2014 4 comments
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Still Loving Our DIY, Low Budget Hardwood Floors After 3 Years
Build ItHome Decor & DIYPopular Posts

Still Loving Our DIY, Low Budget Hardwood Floors After 3 Years

by Jill August 27, 2014
written by Jill

3 years ago, when our 2nd baby was just a few months old, we thought it would be a super cool idea to rip out all the tile and carpet in all the living areas of our house and our kitchen and install 1100 square feet of real hardwood floors. Ourselves.

It was A LOT of work, and we definitely went A LOT crazy while doing it.

We Love Our Low Budget DIY Hardwood Floors

But we don’t regret it one bit. We LOVE them even more every year. Our total cost for the project, including all aspects of installation, finishing, supplies, and what we spent on eating out while our kitchen was unusable was $5,000. That works out to about $4.55 a square foot, all expenses, rentals, and contractors included.

Check out a screenshot of our spreadsheet of expenses, along with a list of exact materials used here.

Over the years, I’ve received so many emails and comments asking me how we like them, if we’d change anything, if we’re happy with how we sealed them (skipping traditional stain and poly).

So I thought I’d take some time today to answer some of the most popular questions I get.

1. Where did you get the wood?

We found the best price at Lumber Liquidators. It’s UTILITY Oak 3/4″ x 2 1/4″. It’s the cheapest real wood option because there are a LOT of irregularities. There are knots you need to fill before finishing, there is discoloration. Many pieces aren’t straight, many are cracked, many are not useable. For that reason, you have to buy at least 30% more and then manually pick through it to sort out the pieces suitable for your floor.

All of that said, it’s still a very inexpensive option for what it is, and you’ll have tons of pieces left over for fun projects. My husband built our kitchen table with leftover pieces, and our headboard. 

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

2. How did you install them?

My very handy husband and his brother, who is in construction and offered a ton of help, took on the whole project of actually installing the floors themselves.

Our home has a concrete foundation with no subfloor. So they had to first cover the concrete with a plastic barrier, then drill a plywood subfloor into the foundation to protect the floors from potential moisture. We aren’t 100% sure this is 100% necessary, but we did a lot of research on it, and felt we wanted to do everything we could to make these floors last a long time.

There was also a layer of felt-quality roof/deck protection that went over the plywood subfloor (bought from Home Depot) before they began installing the actual floor.

They used a professional grade staple-gun to install the pieces of the floor, starting at the back of the house, working up to the front from left to right. It’s VERY important you begin laying the pieces in a straight line.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

3. How did you finish them?

We originally planned to sand and finish them ourselves, but eventually thought better and hired someone on the cheap to come and sand for us. We didn’t feel they did a great job, but they definitely did better than we could have. They charged us $1,000.

You really have to be careful with the sanding because it’s very easy to mess up this part if you’re not very experienced, and that alone can ruin all your hard work.

We did, however, apply our own finish. We opted for a clear Monocoat Natural Oil finish. It was easy enough for us to apply ourselves in a day, and it dried quickly. Not to mention it’s a healthy, safe option with 0% VOCs and other harmful chemicals.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

4. How long did it take you?

The actual install of the subfloor and wood took 5 FULL days with 2 men working on it. We’re talking a few days where they nearly worked through the night. The sanding took just a few hours (remember we hired out for that), and the finishing with the Monocoat took about a day to apply, then time to let it dry. Ultimately, it took about 2 weeks from ripping stuff out to having a livable house again.

5. Are they hard to clean? Do they look dirty easy?

They are actually super easy to clean. We sweep them frequently, and even use our Dyson on them (on the hard floor setting). We mop them once every few weeks or as needed, using a special cleaner from Monocoat that has lasted us a lonnnnng time.

The variation of color in the wood in combination with the matte finish of the Monocoat means they camouflage dirt and dog hair beautifully.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

6. What about scratches? 

Scratches happen. We have a dog and 3 kids. We LIVE in our house, and we don’t stress about keeping these floors pristine. A lot of minor scratches just blend in to the other imperfections of the wood, giving it more of an aged, lived-in look that we really love. The big scratches can be “healed” a bit by cleaning them well and applying a single layer of Monocoat to the scratch again. No need to sand the area. It’s really one of the best features of using the Monocoat finish.

Note: The spot where you apply a fresh coat of Monocoat over a scratch may appear darker for a bit since the floors around it are more worn in. Over time, this becomes less obvious. It’s not something that really bothers us, but again, we are okay with the lived-in, imperfect look.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

7. How are they holding up after 3 years?

Beautifully. They have aged really well, and the imperfections continue to give them character. There are some spots where epoxy that we used to fill in knots have come loose, and we’ve had to refill those. There are some ragged spots where wood has chipped away from some cracks in the wood. Nothing huge or defective. Just… imperfect.

I would not suggest this route for anyone who wants a polished, pristine floor.

Have kids, dogs, make messes, don’t want to worry about keeping your floors shiny? This is a great option.

8. Would you do it again?

Without a doubt we would like to have these floors again. If/when we build or renovate another home, we will for sure strongly consider this option. Though, this time we will hopefully hire someone to install them for us.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

9. What about when they get wet?

Because the Monocoat isn’t a thick, waterproof layer like a polyurethane finish would be, water can seep into the floors if left standing on it too long. It’s not an issue to mop them because we aren’t pouring gallons of water onto the floor and leaving it to sit. It’s not even an issue when we spill something because we just wipe it up. Liquids don’t immediately seep into the floor. We just make sure to keep “floor towels” handy to clean up accidents.

But, if water stands long enough, it will penetrate the Monocoat and can cause warping in the wood. This happened pretty bad around our dishwasher before we realized it was leaking underneath the kitchen floor. The GREAT news is you can’t even tell now. We replaced the dishwasher, fixed the leak, and time healed the warped wood as it dried out.

10. Would you change anything?

I would hire someone to install, sand, and finish them for us, assuming we had the budget for it next time. I would also try to get the wider 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ boards. We originally wanted these, but there was a very long wait for them.

DIY Low Budget Hardwood Floors- BabyRabies.com

11. What do you love most about them?

It’s really cool to say we did this ourselves. We take a ton of pride in our house, largely because of how much work we put into these floors. Scott and I have both admitted to each other that we are fully prepared to cry when we sell this house.

Have any other questions? Please ask away! I will do my very best to answer them, or get my husband to help me answer them. If you want to be sure I see your comment, make sure to leave it in the actual blog comment section and not the Facebook comments, since I don’t get notifications for those. 

 

August 27, 2014 27 comments
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“Kids Live Here” Home Design
Build ItHome Decor & DIYParenthood

“Kids Live Here” Home Design

by Jill August 11, 2014
written by Jill

When we bought this house, our very first house, Kendall was 8 weeks old. Let’s just say I still had a pretty warped idea of what life with kids… like, REAL kids, not just the ones I imagined I’d have… would be like.

Pretty much all I need to tell you is I used to think I’d turn the “formal” rooms of this house into, umm, actual FORMAL rooms. Like, I thought I’d buy a bar cart and keep wine glasses in there. And there would be no toys. Oh no. No toys in the formal rooms. That’s not very formal at all. They would be “adult only” spaces.

Hahahahahahahahalololololololol

The good news is we couldn’t afford to do anything with those rooms until Kendall was well into toddlerhood, at which point I was utterly defeated and just threw a train table and, yes, a crap load of toys up there.

You can read more about the evolution of our formal rooms here.

*Sigh* I would never have beautiful design as long as I had children, I once thought. Kids ruin everything, especially beautiful houses.

And that was just as well because we couldn’t really afford to do everything we wanted back then. Our budget was tight when we moved in, having gone to a single income so I could stay home.  I used to dream of suddenly coming into $10,000, and using every penny to fully decorate the house, throwing every last piece of frat-house furniture on the curb.

I remember Nate Berkus said on his show (oh, RIP Nate Berkus Show, I miss you so) something to the effect that decorating your house should be a journey, and it should represent your journey through life. That you shouldn’t rush out to do everything at once, and instead let it unfold as your life does.

Pfft. That sounded like an awful idea. What fun is that, NATE?

And yet, not really by choice, that’s what we’ve done in the 6 years we’ve been in this house. One day I’ll have to do a real house-tour, and bust out the pictures of this place on the sales flyer. The difference is crazy.

Dining room turned playroom

This house? This is OUR home. It has our stamp all over it. And it is not at all the home I would have designed if someone handed me $10,000 the day we moved in.

It’s much, much better.

That formal space is now a home office in one room and a playroom in the other. In the office, we have a small table for the kids to play Legos at. In the playroom (above) we have nice seating for Scott and I to sip coffee in while the kids play.

Every room in this house is for every person who lives in this house. We’ve changed it, and added to it, and repainted, and remodeled it slowly, and in a way that makes each space as functional for our whole family as possible.

Birch Lane Fairfax Etagere bookshelf

Items like this shelf Birch Lane sent to me are filled with the sentimental (pictures) and the functional (like a bin of sunscreen and bug spray). I even found an aesthetically pleasing way to contain the billions of balls that roll around this house and their accompanying bats and helmets.

DIY kitchen table

Had we designed and decorated this space all at once, instead of letting it evolve with our family, we would have overlooked details like the importance of a table that is easy to clean, and doubles as a craft space. And Scott would have never had time to build one that I love more than anything I’ve ever seen for sale.

We also happen to have a tutorial on how to build a farm-style table yourself here.

Now that I have a grasp of designing not just around kids, but inclusive of the kids, I feel far less defeated. Actually, I think I’m more excited about (gradual) home design than ever.

My kids may ruin a lot of things, like my ability to ever wear anything white, but they definitely have not ruined our ability to have a beautiful house. Yes, when people walk in our house, the first thing they will probably think is, “Kids live here.”

Because, you know, kids live here.

 

August 11, 2014 15 comments
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The Excessive, Ridiculous Bunk Bed
BabiesBuild ItSchool Age DaysThe Story

The Excessive, Ridiculous Bunk Bed

by Jill June 19, 2014
written by Jill

When we decided to put the boys together in Kendall’s room (versus selling this house, buying a new one and trying not to get divorced in the process), we knew we’d have to make every inch count.

I asked Scott to build Kendall a sensible bunk bed without the bottom bunk so it could free up some floor space since we’d be cramming a crib and rocking chair in there.

As I watched him stain and saw the pieces that would become our then 5-year-old’s bed, I thought to myself, “Wow. That looks…. enormous.” But he’s the handyman around here. And I didn’t want to get roped into sanding anything, so I stayed out of his way.

And then, this is what became of that request for a sensible bunk bed.

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It’s 8 feet tall.

EIGHT FEET TALL. I live with Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor. This is the same guy who insists on using his drill and finding a stud for anything we hang on the walls. A job is not complete if he hasn’t used a power tool. Drywall and nails are very unreliable, you guys.

He was quite proud of his gigantic structure. I, on the other hand, literally had a panic attack. I have this thing about my kids falling from heights. Like, actual nightmares. I take medication for it. (Only half joking.)

Sure, we can fit a lot under there, and I can nearly stand up, but I had visions of tucking him in at night, talking with him face-to-face as I stood next to his bed. Now I have to hoist myself up the ladder to the mess above. Oh, you can bet this bed never gets made… or the sheets changed.

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Now that it’s been up for a few months, I’m mostly okay with it, though I’m still pressing Scott to take it down and saw at least a foot off of it this summer. As you can see in the pic above, at least there’s a considerable fence around him. He knows not to play around up there. Leyna is absolutely forbidden from playing up there.

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And he knows to watch out for the ceiling fan. But mostly we don’t turn it on. Or dust it.

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It doesn’t really matter because he doesn’t really sleep in it. Lowell wakes 2-3 times a night, and we’re semi-sleep-training him, so Kendall sleeps in our room every night.

Yay for me not worrying about him sleeping in the clouds, but boo for feet in my back.

The good news is we did manage to squeeze the crib and the rocker in there.

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Some of you have requested plans for this monstrosity. I’m pressing Scott to get those done. I’ll be sure he adds the “excessive, ridiculous height” disclaimer to it.

June 19, 2014 12 comments
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2 Boys Worth Of Stuff Into One Closet
BabiesBuild ItHome Decor & DIYSchool Age DaysThe Story

2 Boys Worth Of Stuff Into One Closet

by Jill February 28, 2014
written by Jill

The plan was to be living in a bigger house by now. It was to sell this house, and buy or build something with more space. The plan was for each of the 3 kids to have their own room, their own closet.

The plan gave me a panic attack when I shook myself free of the pregnancy-hormone-induced haze of nesting.

The new (old) plan is to stay. Again. And so the 2 boys are now sharing a room. It’s not a bad setup. Scott built a loft for Kendall (post to come) and Lowell’s crib fits nicely on the other wall. The room is just big enough for the two of them.

The closet? Was not.

At least, not until we tricked it out with a Container Store Elfa system. Here’s how we made it work.

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First, let me say I am making it a point to get this up now because the 30% off Elfa sale was extended through March 2nd (this Sunday!), and it was only because of this sale that we could make this happen. This is not a sponsored post. Just telling y’all about something that worked for us with, hopefully, enough time for a few of you to take advantage of the sale.

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We took our measurements to our local CS, and I told them who would be using the space, and the ages. What we came up with in the store was slightly different than what we now have, but that’s the beauty of this system. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s super easy to move around.

Here’s what Kendall’s side looks like (5 years old):

1. The 2nd to the top shelf on Kendall’s side is for keepsakes that will get put away in storage eventually, or toys we don’t want him to have immediate access to.

2. The top hanging bar, for now, is for out of season clothes and accessories.

3. This middle shelf is a bookshelf, complete with bookends on either side. We didn’t opt to buy the plastic liner for this shelf, but I’m going to need to go back and get it.

4. Kendall’s jeans and pants fold and lay on the shelf between the two hanging bars.

5. The lowest hanging bar is for all his in-season tops.

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Here’s Lowell’s side (7 months old):

6. The top hanging bar on Lowell’s side is for out of season/too big tops, jackets, and accessories.

7. The shelf below that is where I store my wraps and baby carriers. (There is no shelf here on Kendall’s side.)

8. The shelf below that is where Lowell’s pants and overall’s are folded and placed.

9. The lowest hanging bar is for Lowell’s hanging clothes, like rompers and jackets.

10. There is a shelf below this for storage, and the kids’ tent and telescope are stored on the floor beneath that.

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This is the middle of the closet, which holds 4 drawers. These are Kendall’s drawers since he no longer has a dresser:

11. The shelf below the bookshelf is for Lowell’s shoes, small accessories (organized in plastic shoeboxes), and extra wipes and such.

12. The top drawer is for socks, underwear, and small accessories. These are also organized in plastic shoeboxes.

13. The second drawer is for pajamas.

14. The third drawer is for t-shirts, athletic shorts and pants.

15. The bottom drawer is for his shoes.

(We have one dresser still in the room where we keep Lowell’s cloth diapers, sleepers, onesies, and blankets. It’s also his changing table.)

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This closet has nearly 10 foot high ceilings, so on either side at the very top, we took advantage of the space with extra shelves for things we don’t need to access often. (It takes a step stool to reach them.)

This is also the reason our original plan (which was to have 2 shelves across the top of the closet without that break in the middle) didn’t work out. We found we couldn’t squeeze very much between the top of the closet door and the edges of the shelves. So we had to make that space in the middle and move those two shelves to Lowell’s side of the closet.

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Here’s a view from above:

17. As on Kendall’s side, I have an intermediate storage area for stuff Lowell outgrows or stuff he’s going to grow into.

18. The shelf above the bookshelf, for now, is an intermediate area for artwork and other stuff that needs to be filed and stored.

19. Oops. Forgot I already told you all about the bookshelf.

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20.  This is that big open space I was referring to from where we removed the middle shelves to make the top top shelf areas more accessible for large items.

It was hard for me to get a good shot of the whole space because the new loft bed is in the way, but hopefully you get the idea. For now, this has been an ideal setup for them. As they both grow, we’ll be able to move pieces around to accommodate bigger clothes.

The key, for us, has been the drawer system and the 4 hanging bar spaces. And the plastic shoeboxes (we bought a box of 30 of them) have really come in handy for micro-organizing.

This whole system, including tax (but not installation) was about $490 with the 30% off sale. And while that’s a little more expensive than a 2nd dresser would have been, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a new house.

I wish, wish, wish we had it in the budget to do this for every closet in the house (we did already do Leyna’s closet- will share at some point- and our pantry). It would be a DREAM to do it in the office for all my crafts. Maybe next year.

More specifics:
Closet measurements are 9 feet tall x 6.5 feet wide x 2 feet deep.
We used platinum Elfa ventilated shelving and platinum Elfa mesh drawers, size medium.

February 28, 2014 3 comments
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Build ItCrafty!Reviews

Tutorial: Organize With Chalkboard Paint

by Jill June 11, 2013
written by Jill


ChalkboardOrganization

This tutorial is sponsored by Lullaby Paints. The idea is my own (and I’m really excited to share it with you), so are all the pictures.

Suprise! I’m nesting. At nearly 34 weeks pregnant, I crave labels and bento-box-like organization for every corner of this over-stuffed house.

Leyna’s closet used to be the sweetest little space, full of lovely newborn baby girl things, all perfectly organized. Now it’s like baby-stuff purgatory. All the things she’s outgrown are hanging out in there, waiting to find out if it will be a keeper or a donation after we figure out the sex of this baby in 6ish weeks.

Unfortunately, we also still need her closet to function for her. I carved out a little spot on the floor to put this hutch, which once rested atop her old dresser (now in our room). We’ve been shoving stuff into it for month, with no real system. It recently started driving me crazy because of course it would. That’s where my priorities are now- random collections of disorganized mess.

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June 11, 2013 8 comments
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Build It

DIY Dog Bed from Upcycled Crib Mattress

by Jill March 27, 2013
written by Jill

Have a spare crib mattress laying around?  A lot of parents do once their final baby graduates from the toddler bed, so even if you don’t have one free right now, chances are someone you know… or someone on Craigslist does.

Scott and I came up with this easy project that turns a crib mattress into a beautiful dog bed, perfect for big dogs or for smaller dogs to share. It’s easy to customize it to work with any decor.

Head on over to the Red Barn Blog to get the full tutorial. It’s an easy weekend, beginner builder project.

March 27, 2013 6 comments
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