Airstream Living

small space

DIY Rustic Hat Rack

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I’m a hat girl. John is a hat guy. Hats take up a lot of space! Long gone are the days of our walk-in closet the size of a bedroom to store all of our hats. When downsizing you need to let go of a lot of things. Apparently, we both think our hats are important enough to keep around.

When we first moved into our house, we were renters (you can read more about that here) and didn’t know we were going to end up buying our little house. I threw together this rustic hat rack as a temporary solution. Part storage and part just something to hang on the wall.

Now that we own the house, it has ended up being the inspiration piece for my upcoming bedroom renovation. I even plan to make a second one soon–because there are still more hats that to be hung!

Supplies:

  • 3 boards – I used a couple six-foot boards salvaged from an old fence
  • 12 2-inch wood screws
  • 6 coat hooks

Tools:

  • Measuring Tape
  • Saw – I used a chop saw
  • Drill with a screw bit
  • Screwdriver
  • Pencil or chalk

Wash

If you are using salvaged boards like I did, make sure you wash them really well. I scrubbed mine with a firm brush using dish soap and water. Allow them to completely dry. Note: my boards are not dry in the following pictures. Do as I say, not as I do.

 

Cut to Size

You can adjust the size to fit your space or around the size of the boards you use. If you need exact measurements, these are mine to copy.

2 boards at 45 inches long

3 boards at 24 inches long

Put Together

Lay the two longer boards parallel on a flat surface. Be sure to lay the side of the board that you want to be the front facing down. I chose the most beat upside to enhance the rustic look.

From the top measure 5.25 inches down.  Draw a line where you will attach the first board going across. Then from the top measure 21.25 down and draw your line for the middle board. For the bottom board, measure 5.25 inches from the bottom up.

Line your boards up to the chalk marks. Stand back and make sure everything looks even. Once, you’ve got all your boards where you want them, attach using screws.

Add the Coat Hooks

Flip the boards over. Using the measuring tape, find the center of your boards and mark where your coat hooks will go. Attach the hooks using a screwdriver. These hooks are a discontinued style from Ikea. So bummed–if you see them there again, let me know!

Hang on the Wall

I screwed my hat rack directly into the wall. Heavy-duty picture hangers on the back of the hat rack and molly screws in the wall will also do the job.

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The Celebration Table

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“Nonnie, are we going we going to be eating at the outside table or at the celebration table?” This was the question from my oldest granddaughter when she was just four. It had never been called the celebration table before, but that describes it perfectly. And so, it would be called forever more.

You see, since becoming a mother, I always dreamed of the big family table. A table that would seat my children, their spouses, and their children around it. When we purchased our big house 12 years ago, we had a large formal dining room and I was on the hunt for the perfect table. The big family dining table of my dreams.

I fell in love with a 60-inch square table that had two leaves and extended out to be five by thirteen feet. This table would be big enough for everyone to fit around. They all fit and we used the big family table a lot!

Many memories were made around that table. Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas breakfasts, Easter brunches, and birthdays were all celebrated there.  The most memorable celebration was my oldest daughter’s wedding.

My daughter and son-in-law were married in our living room with 50 of their closest friends and family. The celebration table served as the wedding party table for the reception. At the table, my daughter and her brand-new husband were toasted, given blessings, and laughed right after tying the knot.

A few short years later, the seats around the celebration table started to fill up. My first granddaughter (the one who named it the celebration table) joined us. She was followed by her sister and her brother. A couple years after that a daughter-in-law filled a seat. That made 10 of us around the table. My family had doubled!

The dream I envisioned when I was a young mom had come true. My children with their children all sitting around the table. I loved that table so much. Not because it was a nice piece of furniture, but because of what it represented. Family, a dream come true, and love.

 

When we relocated to California, I brought the celebration table with me. Because we were not able to buy a house before the move, it came along. I knew my house would be drastically smaller. But, I didn’t know if it would have a dining room or not. Maybe I would get to keep it.

When we have purchased our little 920 square-foot urban cottage, the celebration table was going to have to leave me. This was THE hardest thing I had to let go of when we downsized our home. It still makes my heart ache writing this.

I can tell myself it is just a table. Material things don’t matter. New memories will be made around different tables. However, my heart isn’t following and I miss my celebration table.

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How To Hack Ikea Magazine Boxes

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Living in a small house, I have to find storage wherever I can.  There is one built-in shelf in my hall that I use for storage. I have got all kinds of goodies hiding in those gray Ikea Kvarnvik boxes: wrapping paper, ribbon, the glue gun, essential oils and more.

But this is how I updated some Ikea Knuff magazine file boxes and I’m thrilled with how they turned out. Inside of them, I keep a few of my favorite magazines, a couple books on my reading list and a backup supply of an obsession of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks.

Let’s dive into how I hacked these into cute shabby holders. Some of the supplies are affiliate links. I’m supposed to tell you that…just so you know, it doesn’t cost you any extra.

Supplies

Check Fit

Before you get going, make sure the Knuff magazine boxes are going to fit on your shelves. Whew–good thing I checked, mine barely fit.

Prep

Give the magazine boxes a little sanding with a fine sandpaper. They may be a tad rough here and there. Sand just enough to get the baby splinters and the rough edges off. You don’t need to go crazy.

Paint

Apply a couple coats of chalk paint. I picked this one up at my local Walmart. Make sure you let the paint dry between coats.

Sand

Allow the paint to dry completely. Using fine sandpaper, begin to sand off the paint exposing a little bit of the natural wood here and there. Be sure to sand around the edges. This helps give it a time worn look. Keep going until you find the look you like.

Paint the Numbers

Hop onto your computer and print out your numbers. How cute would it be to use alphabet letters in a nursery or initials in a shared children’s bedroom? Make them your own. Choose a font you like and play around with the size. Print the numbers, then cut them out. Did you spy that I also hacked an Ikea Skogsta box?

With a pencil, lightly trace around the numbers, then fill in with craft paint with using a small paintbrush. Allow paint to completely dry.

Add the handles

Here is the tricky part I didn’t take pictures of before I started. Because the file box has a finger hole, you will need to cover this up and give something for the drawer pull to grab onto.

I just happen to have some little cardboard gift tags that were already painted black on one side. A small piece of chipboard would work great here as well. Put a couple little dots of glue or adhesive around the outside of it and cover the finger hole from the inside. You don’t even need to let it dry because when you attach the handle, it will pull the chipboard against the file box.

 

Because the file boxes are fairly thin, I did not pre-drill holes for the handles. I just lightly traced where they would be so I could see where to begin the screw from the back of the box. I used these handles and you can see that they almost cover the finger hole.

 

 

6 Houses We Missed Out On – Part 1

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We found our house by a miracle thank you to our friend, Jodi.  Be sure to read more about her role in the story at the end of part two. It is a competitive world baby! When you are determined to live in a popular neighborhood, and you aren’t an investor that can drop cash, you need to stick to your guns and not give up.

We almost strayed from our goal at one point. We house-hunted for eight months and two of those we were all living apart in three different towns. I think shopping for a house when you are tired and desperate is like shopping for groceries hungry. Stay focused, stay focused. Here is a list of the houses we missed out on before our urban cottage came along.

Small But Super Cute

This is the first house we wanted. John started traveling one week per month four months before we moved, to transition into his new job. So, house-hunting began without me. Our teenage daughter went with him on the visit where they toured this house. They both fell in love it. The house had been listed for months and months and months, so we thought by the time our house sold it would be here waiting for us. Whoops! Sold. Darn it.

What I loved about it: it’s cute. I mean, just look at it. The flower beds, the arch, the lap siding, the paned windows. It had a white kitchen. The bathroom was black and white. The backyard was big.

Why I’m happy we missed out: the second bedroom really wasn’t a bedroom. It was a room attached to the living space that you had to walk through to get to the bathroom. It didn’t even have a closet. Though it was a Jack and Jill bathroom with the master bedroom, this floor plan wouldn’t give our teenage daughter enough privacy.

The House On The Hill

Our big house in Michigan was in a sale contract and John looked at this house the day it hit the MLS. It sits on THE main street in town, and just up the hill a block from the coffee shop, the yummy eats, cute stores, and street fairs. Because we had just gone into contract on the sale of the big house, we hadn’t gotten pre-approved yet. We got that ball rolling and two days after the house on the hill was listed – sold.

What I loved about it; it had a fireplace–something on my wish list that I don’t have in my urban cottage. It had wood floors throughout. The kitchen was a hot mess. Well, there really wasn’t a kitchen – starting from zero, in my favorite room of the house, got me super excited. It had a garage.

Why I’m happy we missed out: I can’t think of anything. I think this would have been a great house for us.

The Money Maker

This was the one that got away. We were under contract for over a month on this one. It was $100k more than we were willing to spend but, it had a money maker attached. This cutie was rumored to be an old country store in the late 1800’s. It was (mostly) updated and had a studio apartment in the back. We had planned to use the studio as our moneymaker to offset the outrageous mortgage. I was really excited to throw my entrepreneurial spirit into our new backyard business! Forty-five days into the sale, we were at the appraisal stage and it did not appraise–by a lot! The seller would not budge on the price. Bye bye, to the business idea (and cute house).

What I loved about it: the front porch was nice and deep, perfect for a big ceiling fan and lemonade with friends and neighbors. The backyard had a ton of potential. I had already mapped out where to throw parties and where I could have had my garden.

Why I’m happy we missed out: the price. Though starting and running a new business would be fun for me, it really was way too much of a mortgage for us. I’m happy I don’t have that stress in my life today.

The Pool House

Right after we dropped out of the money maker, the hunt was back on. John took a tour of this house as soon as it hit the market, and I toured it online from the other side of the country. There was so much potential in this place. We could see it everywhere. We knew that the house on the hill sold for a good chunk above asking, so we decided to offer $10k over asking with a personal letter and a picture of the family. We were outbid by $1k. Sold. Darn it, again!

What I loved about this house. After we punched out a wall, it would have had a really nice, big, open-concept living space. It had an addition above the garage that would have been perrrrrfect for our teenage daughter. It had an outdoor fireplace.

Why I’m happy we missed out. It had a pool. You may think this is a bonus, but we’ve had a pool in the past. It was great when the kids were growing up, but it takes maintenance, money, and backyard space–where I could have my garden to grow food instead.

There are two more houses we missed out on in part two of the story.

Welcome to Urban Cottage Living

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Everything needs to start somewhere. To be honest, I’ve been mulling over what my first blog post should be. Since I couldn’t decide, I thought I would just do a little introduction to my thinking behind this whole thing called Urban Cottage Living. You can also read a little more about me here.

I love home

I love everything home. My environment is really important to me. I’m one of those people who had to learn over the years to let messes sit because I like everything in its place. This is not to impress anyone, but because it makes me relaxed – an oxymoron I do realize.

When John and I were first married, we were broke. I was forced to be creative with what we had, inspired by Country Living, Martha Stewart, and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. We did not buy our first home until 11 years of our marriage, and we moved around often so I got plenty of practice.

Our home has always been decorated and inviting. Over the years friends would ask me “how did you do that?” I realized I had a knack for interior design and I was helping them with their homes.

This is what our house looked like the day we bought it

I love to DIY

Even though I had no other choice than to DIY in the beginning, I’ve never stopped. When I stroll streets filled with boutiques and antique stores I am idea shopping. I love nothing more than to be inspired by something and then come home and create my own spin on it.

Growing up, my dad was a school teacher. But, really, he is a closet architect. He has designed and built five houses and done two remodels. I started building my own furniture out of leftover 2×4’s and plywood from the construction site trash pile. When I was seven years old I built my first table and a pair of benches with a handsaw, hammer, and nails. Today I enjoy my power tools!

I love to entertain

My love language is acts of service. Whether it is a dinner for six or a full out party, I want my friends to feel special. I’m deathly allergic to paper plates and plastic forks. However, I’m learning to loosen up, realizing it’s the people that matter, not the fork.

Nonetheless, if I can make it happen, I want my guests to feel spoiled and special–from the decorations to the lighting, to the music, to the food, to the fork.

I love to garden

This is something I do for myself. I am absolutely grounded when I am cultivating and nurturing in my yard. I think growing my own food is one of the most amazing experiences. I never feel like I can learn enough about it.

In my big house, I had a big garden. Here, in my small house, I have a small yard but I am absolutely having a ball figuring out where to grow everything. With permaculture and edible landscaping becoming more popular, I am finding I can grow just as much food on my small lot as I could in my big garden.

I love to share

Urban Cottage Living is exciting for me because I have some life experience behind me. I have a new project and a new challenge for my small house. I know what works for me. So, I thought I would share it will all of you.

I would love to get to know you more. Please comment, follow me on all those little social media icons in the top right corner, and subscribe to my email. Welcome!