DIY: Driftwood Chandelier

Driftwood ChandelierA welcome addition to the front porch of my families cottage is this driftwood chandelier, another DIY that makes something wonderful out of virtually nothing. With a few coats of paint, some fun outdoor throw pillows, and a few DIYs this porch has become the centre of attention. It has become a place that not only looks like it’s out of Cottage Life Magazine but feels warm and inviting. It’s a space that is conducive to gathering which is a popular activity at the cottage. Many a days have been spent reading magazines, doing puzzles, and hosting get-togethers under this here chandelier.

This cute DIY  is the brain child of my Mother in Law and my Husband with a little bit of know how and designing from my Dad and his wife. A family DIY! Neat! Without further ado, here’s what you’ll need.

  • Rope of prefered colour/size/length
  • Drill
  • 3 lengths of Light chain 
  • 3 Hooks
  • Hammer
  • Wood Staples 
  • Heavy-duty hook for ceiling 
  • 3 hanging tea light holders (ours are from IKEA)

First decide on a piece of driftwood to use. It can be as big or as small as you’d like. Remember it has to hang from the ceiling so you might want to take that into consideration.

Now this wasn’t an exact science, at least that’s the idea I got from the sidelines while watching this family DIY go down. I’m more of a thinker-uper than a get-et-done-er! Drill two holes wide enough for your rope to slide through and tie a tight knot or two large enough to keep the knot from slipping through the holes.

Driftwood Chandelier

On the underside of your piece of driftwood, use wood nails to secure your piece of chain. Make sure your chains are evenly spaced for balance purposes but again, it’s no science. Eye ball it!

Driftwood Chandelier
Driftwood Chandelier

 Now fix those hooks on the end of  the light chain (this is where you’ll hang those little lanterns).

Driftwood Chandelier

Next comes the finicky part and that’s hanging up the chandelier so that it’s balanced and doesn’t look lop sided. That’s where my Dad came in. He adjusted while the women stood back and said, “A little more on the left… no….stop…OK….nope, MORE!!”

and TA DA. Isn’t it cute?

Driftwood Chandelier I’ll be sharing this DIY on these amazing blogs! 

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DIY: Repurpose an Old Shutter

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.comWhile spending the first few months of my maternity leave at my families cottage, I wanted to do as many DIY’s as I could possibly cram in. My favourite so far has been this shutter that was going to be tossed in the burn pile but I managed to snag it and spiff it on up. This entire project was actually done 100% using items found at the cottage. I love this project because it was free, I recycled and reclaimed, and it looks just so darn cute on the front porch. It’s a fantastic way to jazz up a wall with a punch of colour.

To make one of these beauties for yourself you’ll need:

1 shutter that’s ready for a new life as a wall hanging

Paint of your choosing

Desired length of chain for hanging

2 screws for chain

3 mason jars of various sizes, shapes, and colours

3 jubilee clamps found in the plumbing section of the hardware store

3 screws for jubilee clamps

drill

 

First I took my shutter and gave it a nice coat of flat black paint and let it dry thouroughly. Then I took my turquoise paint and just feathered the edges to give it a worn effect. I set the shutter aside to dry completely. You could take a light grit sand paper and rough up the edges a bit or leave it as it is.

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

On the back of your shutter you’ll want to put a hanging mechanism of some sort. I opted for some chain and screwed it in on either side at the top of the shutter. Chain is a great option for hanging something of this weight.

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

Next I decided where I wanted to place the mason jars on the front of the shutter. I took my jubilee clamps and my screws and got right to screwing these puppies right where I wanted to. This part can be tricky so you might want a hand from an assistant to steady the jubilee clamp while you drill.

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

Slide the mason jar into the jubilee clamp and tighten the clamp tight enough that the mason jar doesn’t fall out when its hanging on the wall.

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

 

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

Repurpose an old shutter with mason jars to create a flower wall via www.mommyzoid.com

Hang up on a hook, fill with water and some fresh cut flowers, and enjoy your repurposed shutter!

Is this something you’d want to try? What colour would you paint your shutter?

 

I’m sharing this post on these blogs! Take a peek and see what’s happening in blogland!!

and while you’re at it, follow along with me on social media to get a heads up on my next projects.

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Diaper Laundry: Our Routine at the Cottage

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

 

We’ve been using cloth on Oliver since he was one day old and I don’t think either of us would have it any other way. It’s been so simple and not as stressful as one would expect. One area you can run into issues is when it comes to washing those suckers. If not done correctly, you can get a whole bunch of different problems that can be annoying to try and trouble shoot. I’m by no means an expert when it comes to cloth but I am learning as we go.

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

For the first few months of our son’s life, we have been living at our families cottage. The cottage does have a washer and dryer which has made things seamless for continuing on with cloth even while we’re not at home. The only downside is the water come straight from the lake so it can have a bit of an odour.

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

 

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

Our routine has been working really well for us. We’re using older style top loaders to do our wash. This matters because the old guys tend to use more water than the new fancy high efficient guys. More water = better in the cloth diaper world. We do a nice cold soak for 30 minutes and end with a spin. Then we do a hot wash, cold rinse, and spin with 2.5 scoops of Nellie’s All Natural Laundry soda We love that Nellies has nothing harmful in it like fragrances or dyes because lets be honest, these diapers touch some pretty sensitive areas. After this we might do another cold rinse and spin to make sure all the soaps out. Then it’s out on the line for a nice sun bleaching or into the dryer if it’s a rotten day. Did you know the sun has the ability to get stains on bright white again? I didn’t know this until I began  cloth diapering. *PRO TIP: sun bleaching works best when the articles are wet.

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

 

Cloth Diaper Laundry: Cottage Edition via www.mommyzoid.com

Easy peasy lemon squeezey! No, we don’t spend half our days doing diaper laundry. It takes up minimal time and saves us SO  much money. We love cloth, it’s worked well for us, and we hope you love it too!

Are you debating using cloth diaper on your children? What are some reasons why you wouldn’t cloth diaper?

Happy Cloth Diapering!

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