Boys' Bunk Room Reveal

Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you've waited for....

The boys bunk room is DONE and I am so excited to share it with you! This room used to be our guest room, but we realized that we could make the space work for our family so much better if we turned this into a bunk room for all five boys and turned their old (bigger) room into a dedicated play room. I don't know about you, but there are a couple things I was tired of:

1. Boys playing with toys when they should be going to sleep.
2. Stepping on those toys when I go in to check on them at night. 
3. Boys who couldn't nap while their brothers played. Or play while their brother napped.

So we decided to ditch the guest room and create a dedicated sleeping space that is only for their beds, their clothes, and a their favorite books. This allows their bigger room to house the toys along with plenty of open floor space to play and, of course, the monkey bars + rockwall play area we built for them a couple Christmases ago. 

Ready to see how we fit FIVE BOYS (and all their clothes) into one room? Let's check it out!

**Returning to this post more than 3 years later...we still use these bunk beds every day. They've held up great and love them as much as ever!**

How to Turn Stock Cabinets into DIY Built-In's

Our first project of 2020 is (finally) finished! We tackled a totally neglected corner of our home (a little nook off our kitchen) and added a ton of functional storage with DIY built-ins. It's a pretty simple DIY that started with a couple stock cabinets from Lowe's, so today I want to share the process we followed so you can recreate it in any space and in any size!

This project started much like every other project we've ever done: with me saying "It will be easy! We'll be done in like two weeks!" And just like every other project... I underestimated. Like, a lot. It took us nearly two to complete these built-ins. Not because this process is difficult - it's actually pretty simple - but because we were exceptionally slow at setting aside time to work on it, and because the walls in this old farmhouse are crazy crooked. I mean, DIY always takes longer than I hope (you'd think I would learn - but no) but this project was even worse because we spent so much extra time cutting and recutting each board to fit tightly against walls that just aren't straight. But as usual, that slow and steady work has finally paid off in a big way.

It's hard to believe this is the same corner:

Easy $10 Fireplace Door Upgrade

One of the first things I loved about this house was the fireplace.  And now that we've given it a few updates? I love it even more. It's come a long way since move-in day, and we've done it all on a super small budget. I know I sound like a broken record, but you CAN create a home you love without spending a fortune. If you take one thing away today, let it be that.

If you take away a second thing, it can be this handy hack.

So let's check out the fireplace, because it's looking better than ever with it's snazzy new fireplace door! Except it's not actually a new fireplace door. It's the same old door with a fresh new look that cost under $10!

But before we jump into this latest update, let's throwback a few years. At this point we had painted the walls a light gray, but that was our only change so far:

Guys, small changes really do add up. It feels so much more cohesive and fitting to this old farmhouse now than it ever did back then. Partly because of the updates and partly due to my minimizing and learning to style the Cozy Minimalist way (so. much. stuff. on that old mantle). Here's a quick rundown of what we've done so far:

$50 Master Bedroom Refresh (Our Fall Challenge Reveal!)

It's reveal day! Did you join the Budget Refresh Challenge?

Today I'm sharing how we totally refreshed our master bedroom and made it so much cozier for under $50! If you love a good before + after, hold on to your hats. This is your time.

Let's start with the before (you can read more about it here). This picture was take almost two years ago:

Low-Budget Bathroom Update (during our spending freeze!)

Today I want to share a little inspiration for anyone taking on the Fall Budget Refresh Challenge - so I'm going to show you how we totally refreshed our second bathroom during our spending freeze and spent (almost) nothing. It's a tale of thrifty updates, leftover paint, and a broken toilet seat. You have been warned.

Are you joining the Budget Refresh Challenge this fall? There are still two weeks left to work all kinds of thrifty magic! Let us know in the comments or tag us on Instagram or Facebook!

2019 Fall Budget-Refresh Challenge

When I feel that first hint of fall in the air, I get a craving.

And no, it's not pumpkin spice. I'm Team Apple Cider all the way! But that's not it, either.

I start to crave quiet. And coziness. And snuggling up. My introverted heart looks toward chilly days hunkered down at home. So as fall begins to creep in, I start to quiet the house and get it ready for winter. Not just shutting storm windows and draining hoses and all that other homeowner stuff, but I also start to ready the atmosphere of our home for this cozier half of the year. The home I want our kids to remember - a place that's warm and welcoming and ours.

And so Fall is always the perfect time for our Budget-Refresh Challenge. A last chance before winter to tackle that space or project we've been putting off! Last year was our first challenge and I'm super excited to host it again this year! Ready to join the fun and make your home the best it can be?

The Challenge:
Making space to weather the coming winter and enjoy time together. That's it. Is there a corner of your home that needs a little attention before you're cooped up with it all winter? A dark kitchen that needs painted? Living room that needs freshened up or rearranged? Need to simplify the play room? That's your challenge space! And guys, we're doing it all on a budget. Because a house doesn't have to be expensive to be a home.

How to Style a Mantle in 4 Easy Steps

It started after Christmas.

The lights came down, the tree came down, and then all the regular decor came down. I had just finished reading the Cozy Minimalist book and I was so ready to simplify. The room, the decor, the toys, and all the stuff. And the first step was to calm the room. Remove all the extra.

Take a breath.

Then carefully decide what deserves to come back in. 

We wrapped the mantle ourselves and added the faux shiplap!

Guest Room Revamp (during our spending freeze!)

I gave a little teaser of this space when I shared my DIY floor plan art (you can turn your own home into a work of art!) and today I wanted to share the super simple and affordable way I totally refreshed this space... without spending a dime during our spending freeze!

From the day we moved in, I was never crazy about the blue walls in our guest room. For some reason I have never liked blue. Which I realize is ironic since I painted our entire house dark blue and love it with all my heart. I guess I only like a very specific blue? But for whatever reason, these blue walls just rubbed me the wrong way. I'd spent quite a bit of time over the last couple years scheming their demise, but always ran into the age old debate of the MLH household:

How much color do we need on the walls?
Me: "Less."
Husband: "More."

Bathroom Design for the Whole Family

Over the last few years I've learned a lot about balancing kid needs with adult needs, and kid style with adult style. I guess that comes naturally when you have a little flock of children in the house! It all comes down to balance and creating beautiful spaces that work for the whole family. I talked recently about a few functional updates that made our bathroom work so much better, so today I wanted to touch on bathroom design from an aesthetic standpoint and how we turned our shared bathroom into a space we all enjoy. Even though this space is for the kids, it's also for us. My beauty-loving brain needed to find the balance between something for the kids that was still grown-up-ish enough for my eyes. I am what I am. And I'm a momma who likes peaceful surroundings behind all the chaos of four boys.

Homemade Wood Stain and Sealer

Remember this office space refresh I pulled off for just $35? It's one of my favorite corners of the house, and I still can't get over how little it cost to make this beautiful nook! One way I kept my budget low was by making my own wood stain and wood sealer with household items I already had on hand. So today I'm sharing how you can make your own - and it's easier than you might think!

You can see the very sad "before" photos and the rest of the details here.

I went back to my decorating roots for this one. And at my roots... I'm cheap. I come from a low budget use-what-you-have background and I wanted to update this space as inexpensively as possible, while still creating a beautiful space I love to work in. Because, guys, at my core I believe that any house can become not just a home, but a home you love, without spending a fortune. You can stick to a small budget and still do amazing, beautiful things!

So I set my budget at $50 but wanted to stay as far under it as possible - literally not spend a dime more than I had to. I added some DIY budget shelving and a second-hand chair, but the real star of this makeover was a super budget-friendly desk! I started hunting for a desk first because I knew a large piece like that would make or break my budget. If I spend too much on that one item, I wouldn't have budget left for the other upgrades I wanted.

I ended up finding a perfectly-sized desk for a bargain (more on that in a minute) but the finish was in rough shape. That's probably why the price was so low. I wanted to try sprucing it up without spending $$ on new stain or poly, so I took to the interwebs and you know what? Turns out you can make your own wood finish products with everyday items you might already have around the house! I actually had everything I needed!

But let's start with the desk story.

This desk popped up on FB marketplace one day and it seemed like a good fit for this space. Just the right size, plenty of drawer space, and a perfect fit for my simple style (because I "like plain"). I saw it posted for $30, but it had already been listed for a week so I offered $20 (and offered to pick it up that night! - most people want to get rid of things quickly and will give you a deal for fast pick-up!) and they said yes!  

I brought it home and sanded off the old finish. I also tried to remove the laminate top that had been added at some point... and discovered a huge hole cut in the original top. Bummer. So for now it went back on.

The wood looked so pretty sanded down and I wanted to keep the desk light to contrast the dark walls, but I also wanted to warm it up just a bit. But... I didn't have a light enough stain on hand. And I didn't want to spend a good chunk of my budget on stain, so I started looking into DIY options on pinterest. I looked at several recipes and they all said basically the same thing: steel wool + vinegar. But I kept thinking "no, that can't be right." and looking for a different recipe. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it just seemed to simple. Or maybe I didn't want to wait a day for it to soak. But the internet totally agreed that this is the best method. Come on, Georgia. So here's the basic method, followed by a bunch of tips gathered from the interwebs for your convenience:

Homemade Wood Stain

• very fine steel wool
• vinegar
• mason jar

Short instructions: drop steel wool into a mason jar. Cover it with vinegar (make sure you use enough to for your whole project!). Let it sit in a quiet spot like under the sink with the lid vented for 24 hours, then remove the steel wool. BOOM. Stain. Apply it to your wood and let it dry.

It looks almost unchanged, apart from a little rust on the steel wool. It gets more rust-tinged the longer it sits, but it will still stain your wood looking like this! It's crazy.

But there's always a catch:

• the biggest downfall in this method is that it's unpredictable. You don't know for sure what color you will get until the stain dries. And you probably won't be able to recreate the exact same color twice, so make sure you make enough the first time! I made a first batch of stain and applied it to half of one drawer before m3 tripped on it and spilled the entire thing. I had to sand that whole drawer down because it didn't match my second batch.
• you can use different vinegar to get slightly different colors (I found some great info in this post), but the biggest change seems to come from these factors:
• more steel wool = darker color
• longer soak time = darker color
• finer grade of steel wool = darker color (you need to let coarser wool soak longer or it won't work)
• when you first apply the stain you won't notice any change apart from the wood being wet, but as it sits it will begin to get darker. It actually reacts with the wood to change its color and that takes time! According to pinterest it can take up to an hour for it to reach its final color. So if it's not looking as dark as you hoped, be patient and see how it turns out when it's done reacting. 
• since I wanted such a light color, I used a small piece of steel wool and let it sit for just 18 hours. This worked to make a nice light change for my first batch, but with my second I used a less-fine steel wool and it definitely wasn't long enough. Oops.

Stain applied, waiting for it to dry:

You can see my test spot in the photo below. Just a slightly darker, grayish patch. Plus some splatters from the first batch spill that I didn't realize splashed on this drawer.

I loved the color once it was all stained. And if you want it to stay the color (or at least close to it) you should probably try sealing it with a regular polyurethane. But... I again took the cheap DIY route with a homemade beeswax + olive oil sealer. And it dramatically changed the color of the wood. I don't know how much difference the stain in the final color.

Beeswax + Olive Oil Wood Sealer

• 1 part beeswax (1/4 cup)
• 3 parts olive oil (3/4 cup)

Melt the two ingredients together in a double boiler (or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water) until combined. Let it cool slightly before pouring it into a container, then let it cool completely. Once it's cool you can apply it to your wood with a soft rag (or piece of an old tshirt). Fun fact: this is actually the same wood sealer recipe that I use to seal my wooden teething toys! You can read more about the process with photos in my teething ring post.

See how much darker?! And more yellow. I don't know how much of that is from the sealer and how much is the undertone of the wood. I should have done a test spot of poly to compare. My bad, guys.

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed when that beautiful gray tinge disappeared into this darker, more yellowish finish. Ugh. Fortunately once I moved the desk into its new home, the color grew on me pretty quickly. And at the moment I'm very happy not to mess with it anymore. Sometimes that's all we can ask for.

Apart from the color, I've been really happy with how the sealer actually worked and how it has help up so far. It smelled great, went on smoothly, and I haven't had any problems with it! I actually love having this finish in my wheelhouse, especially to use around the kids.

Oh, also keep in mind that I have a laminate top on here that I didn't need to seal. I do wonder if there would be any trouble with the sealer leaving oil stains on papers or fabric left laying on a sealed surface (similar to the problems with that frustrating butcherblock in the kitchen)

With the desk done, we were ready to start moving things into our home office/library.

Those sticky notes on the wall are my high-tech stud markers.

We hung simple shelves using these brackets I made for less than $1 each (more details on that here).

Then slid the desk into place along with an extra chair from our dining set (another FB Marketplace find that I updated with black spray paint).

And that's the rest of the story on our low-budget office refresh!

The only thing I've changed since the big reveal is adding a string of twinkle lights (that's what you call Christmas lights so you can leave them up year-round. you're welcome.) above the bookshelves on the opposite wall. This wall is why we call it a library instead of an office.

Feeling inspired to tackle your own space on a budget? Always remember the best place to start: rearrange and work with what you have first. Then you can see where you really need to spend money to make the space the best it can be. After that, see what you can get second hand for low cost (I'm working on a post with my best thrifty shopping tips to help you out with this step!).

Love this reminder from erkiabault!

For all the pictures and details of the full office update, check out this post:

What space would you love to tackle on a small budget?