Chunky Bed Frame

I wanted a proper bed frame for our California king bed. It had been on a metal frame that was getting old, and was starting to dip on the sides where we sleep. So, while my husband was overseas for a few days for a wedding, I surprised him by building us a new bed frame. I almost replaced it with a new metal frame, but then I realized that I could build a nicer wooden one for about the same price in lumber, plus a little building work,which I enjoy anyway!

I found this frame design online, thanks to Ana White and Big Box Detox at www.ana-white.com: 

Isn't it beautiful?  So pretty and inspiring. I already had my recycled headboard, but I used the plans to build the rest of the bed frame, with a few modifications.

I used 2"x 6" pine to make the rectangle. The size is for a California king mattress, which is 72" x 85". It is 4 inches narrower, and 5 inches longer, than a king size bed--this comes in very handy for tall people (like my 6'3" husband!) I planned on having the box spring rest inside the frame for extra support and height, and having the mattress rest on top of the box springs. The dimensions of the frame are 74" wide by 88" long, to give a little extra room for the box spring, batting and fabric that I'd add later. 

I checked that the corners were square by measuring diagonally from corner to corner, and connected the pieces together with 3 screws at each corner, with 3" Spax brand screws.

 The Spax screws are amazing for wood working!  Let me tell you, I do not have a powerful drill, but the screws go right into the wood without splitting it, and I don't have to drill pilot holes anymore! They have a square and phillip's combo head, so you can use a phillip's drill bit or a square bit, which strip less and I also love working with. They're amazing! Here's a photo of the cases they come in:

(Scroll to the bottom of the post for a link to Spax screws on Amazon.)

After making the rectangle, it was time to put triangular braces into the 4 corners.  I used two 2" x 4" x 5" squares, cut in half. I screwed the triangles into the 4 corners, using two 2" Spax screws on each side (four per triangular brace), screwing from the outside of the frame in.  They are about 2" down from the top of the frame, so the box spring can rest down in the frame a bit.

Next, it was time to attach the legs. I decided to use 4" x 4" posts, because they're less expensive than 6 x 6 posts, and I wanted them extra tall, to give more storage space under the bed and a more regal appearance with the extra height. Plus, you can always cut it shorter! It's better to start taller and cut more off if necessary.  The legs here are 15" tall. I used my miter saw to cut them to the right length, then I cut off a corner diagonally because I liked the shape.  You could leave them square if you like. Then I flipped the frame over carefully and attached the legs to the bottom of the triangular bases.  I used small metal L-shaped brackets to attach them to the sides, as shown below, and after I flipped the frame right side up, I screwed down through the braces with a single 3" screw.

After the legs were attached, I worked on adding 2"x 2"support rails.  Below, you can see the 5"piece I added to the middle and bottom edge of each end of the bed, head and foot. I attached them with 2"screws.

On top of the supports, I screwed down a 2"x 4"x 88"of lumber.  On a narrower bed like a twin or full, this extra support wouldn't be necessary.

Then I added a brace of 2x2 lumber all around the perimeter of the frame, to support the mattress.

Spax screws are the best!  They are self-drilling, so no pilot holes needed!

Here's the frame!

Another close-up of the legs.

For added support along the center brace, I added another chunky leg.

A little spray paint on the legs.

I stapled batting around the frame...

...and cut up an old brown curtain that I was glad I had saved, into 4 strips. I used masking tape to help me cut it straight.

Finally, I stapled the curtain strips down onto the batting/frames.

It doesn't have to look pretty on the inside!

Tada!  Chunky, solid wood bed frame.  For about the same price in lumber as an ugly metal frame!  I think I spent about $75-$100 total.  Let me know what you think, or if you've tried this project!

Online Kids' Consignment Store:ThredUp

 

I love bargains.  Occasionally I visit thrift stores, because you never know what useful items you might find that someone else has discarded.  They're often known for being a great place to find Halloween costumes (they are), but they can also be a surprising resource for kids' and adults' clothing items, (with a good washing before use!)  Some of my favorite pairs of jeans have come from thrift stores, with good quality brands like Gap, Banana Republic, DKNY, and Ann Taylor.  And it's a great way to be a good steward of the environment.

I also like shopping online.  No lines, no going out, and easy to sift through products to find exactly what you're looking for at the best price.  

So here's a happy marriage of the 2: Online consignment shopping.  I just learned about a company called ThredUp, where you can sell your kids' clothes in good condition, and buy gently used clothing in good shape at steep discounts from the new, retail price.  They often run special deals to make your shopping even sweeter.  Right now, save 25% on your first order.  If you have clothes to sell, order a free bag at their site and they'll send you a bag to ship your clothes in, at no cost.  Check out their website for more details.

That sounds like my kind of bargain!  Let me know what good deals you find!

Reclaimed Wood Workbench

My sister, also a building mom, inspired me to build a workbench.  She was amazed when visiting to see that I had built all of my projects on my garage floor or back patio.  That includes the kids’ playground, pergola, picnic table, and built-in bookshelf in my bedroom!  We do have a wooden kids’ table inside the house that I would sometimes bring into the garage to use, but by and large my workspace was on the floor.  Not so great for my back and neck!  So after I visited her in Pennsylvania and saw the bench/table she had built in her garage, I was inspired to build my own. 

I set out to studying my garage and figuring out where in the world to put it.  We have a 2-car garage, no basement, and an attic that gets too hot in the summer to store anything.  Plus three kids who between them have bikes, scooters, a skateboard, fishing equipment, tents, sleeping bags and mats, etc.  Not a lot of room left over when we park both cars in the garage!  Finally, I decided to get rid of a big plastic stand that was holding various landscaping tools, hang those tools up on the wall, and put the work table in its place.

First, I used a studfinder to find the studs in the wall, and used drywall screws to attach a horizontal 2’x4’ pine into the studs, at 42.5" inches up from the ground. The 2’x4’ was several inches shorter than the length of the countertop I was going to use.  

Next, I cut down two 2’x4’s to 42.5 inches to be the vertical legs supporting the front of the tabletop.  (This makes for a rather tall tabletop.  I am fairly tall at 5'8", but if I did it over again I would make it more like 38 inches to be able to look down more on my projects as I build.)  Assembling them together on the ground, across the middle of those 2’x4’s, I screwed in another 2’x4’, so that the 3 pieces looked like an “H.” 

Just as I was about to make a run to Home Depot for some wood for the table top, I noticed that a neighbor around the corner was moving out of their house and getting rid of some old furniture, including a slab of wood that looked like an old desk top. It was a little scratched up, but the perfect size for a workbench.  With my son’s help, I placed it on top of the upright 2’x4’s I had prepared, and screwed the table top down into the 2’x4’s with 2" wood screws.

 Then I used screws to attach the tabletop into the top of the horizontal 2x4 that I had already attached to the wall.  I screwed them in at an angle, since the tabletop was too close to the wall to get a screw in vertically.

With a recycled tabletop, the total cost for this project was free, because I used leftover 2 x 4's I had laying around and spare screws. I think it would cost about $30-$50 if you had to purchase all new materials. Not bad and my back is much happier!

Materials/Hardware Used:

1- 60" x 24" recycled wood countertop (a plywood piece could also be used)

1- 2' x 4' x 49" lumber (horizontal wall support)

1- 2' x 4' x 39" lumber (horizontal cross brace)

2- 2' x 4' x 42.5" lumber (vertical table legs--this is the length I used, but I recommend shorter, unless you're over 6' tall.)

Studfinder

power drill

2.5 inch wood screws

level

Recycled Crib Headboard

Some neighbors down the street put out a crib on the curb a few months ago as trash.  The crib side rails were damaged and probably unsafe to use as a crib, but the headboard portion was in great condition.  I brought it home, removed the old hardware, sanded it, primed it, and painted it with some leftover paint from the wall rails I had installed on my son's bedroom walls.  I attached some heavy duty picture hangers on the wall behind his queen bed, and some metal loops on the back of the freshly painted headboard, and voila, a new headboard, where before there had been a blank wall. Since I used a recycled headboard and paint I had on hand, all it cost me was about $15 for the spray primer and hardware.  Not bad for a new headboard, and less waste going to the landfill!





 

Recycling Cardboard Packaging

Here is a quick recycling idea. Maybe you already recycle paper, newspapers, or magazines, but do you realize how often store-bought food and household goods are packaged in cardboard? We love cereal, for example. My husband studied dietetics and has a whole sermon on how cereal is the perfect food; needless to say, we eat a lot of it. And all 5 of us play sports or exercise regularly, and we love Italian food, so we eat a lot of pasta, often packaged in cardboard. And with the household goods, there are boxes of disposable mop pads, boxes of toothpaste, dish washer detergent….The list goes on and on! Maybe you have a recycling service that already picks up newspapers. Many services will also pick up cardboard boxes that have been broken down. Ours only comes every 2 weeks, so if I want to get rid of it sooner, I take it to our local elementary school, which has a dumpster for recycling paper products. I open up a paper grocery bag in our pantry, next to the garbage can and another container for recycling plastics and aluminum. As I cook and use up products packaged in the cardboard, I break them down flat and put them in the paper bag until it’s full. Then it’s out to the curb for pickup and recycling, instead of taking up space unnecessarily in a landfill. I hope that manufacturers will continue to develop more earth-friendly ways of packaging their goods, but in the meantime, we can be careful stewards of our resources and get in the habit of reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Watering Can from Recycled Carton

This a a classic way to recycle a used milk carton to water those spring plants that are coming up.  (Thanks, A Journey to Dream)  I've also used a large laundry detergent container, which is quite a bit stronger than the plastic in milk cartons.  But the for the lid you'd have to use a power drill to make the holes.  Please let me know if you have any great recycling/reusing ideas! 

2 Liter Upside-Down Tomato Planters

I love spring!  I love planting seeds or seedlings, and watching the little shoots come up with my kids in the sun.  And of course, eating the fresh veggies and fruit. 

I had always wondered about those inverted tomato planters that are sold on t.v., if they really worked well or had any benefit of growing healthier plants, but I didn't want to shell out the money to try one, not being sure of the result.  So I did a little research online and found that you can easily make your own planters by recycling 2-liter bottles, chopticks, and a chain or twine.  How cool is that?  Here's the link I found to make the planters: Upside-down Planters (Thanks, cheapvegetablegardener.com!).

Once you make the planter, it's simple to get the seedlings into it.  Small, 4-inch pot or smaller seedlings work best for this project.  Gently wrap a paper towel snugly around the leaves, and use tape to secure.  

Thread it through starting from the bottom of the planter, through the nozzle, and carefully pull the paper-towel wrapped plant through.  

 

Unwrap the paper towel, and hang the planter up using a chopstick and twine or chain.  

Water generously, and wait for your yummy tomato harvest! (I'm using grape and cherry tomato seedlings from my local nursery. Each 4-inch plant was only $.98.)    

Now, the verdict is still out as to whether these are better at producing fruit than right-side-up plants, but it's fun to hang them around our small yard.  They're at about eye-level so it reminds me to water them, and as an added bonus, our veggie-loving dog cannot reach them!  Let me know if you try it and how your harvest goes...