DIY Ship Lap Wall

As part of our laundry room makeover for the ORC back in November we put up a ship lap wall with hooks on top. Originally, I wanted to ship lap the whole room, but when you're on a budget, you need to work with what you've got. I love the look of ship lap on walls. I think it gives more architectural interest to a space. Putting up a ship lap wall is super easy! Here's our tutorial:

Material List:

2 sheets of birch 3/16'' thick plywood (@$25 each)

liquid nails for paneling ($5)

nail gun with brads

level

nickels (for the spacing)

Paint (we used Benjamin Moore China White)

  

                                               Here's a good BEFORE picture: BORING!

-Cut strips of plywood at 5 7/8'' width. You can use a full sheet of plywood with almost no scrap with that measurement. Home Depot or Lowes can cut your plywood for you too. Sometimes they charge a small fee, but it's worth it if you don't have the tools or room to cut it yourself.
-Lightly sand the cut edges
-Lay out the first row slightly above the baseboard.

-Use Liquid Nails to adhere the paneling to the wall.
-Use the level to make sure it's straight.
-Nail in place using brads and a nail gun if you have it.
-Lay out the next row using a nickel as a spacer. You'll want to stagger the ends so the seams don't line up.
-Repeat.

Once the boards are adhered and sanded, then you can prime the boards. Steve's got his nice painting clothes on for you.

I chose hooks from IKEA that we installed right onto the boards.

We topped the last row with a piece of decorative trim. We used bullnose trim, but you can use any type of trim or nothing at all.

I definitely see us doing more ship lap walls in our home. I think ship lap looks classic and nautical, which is my favorite look. The half wall with the boards, nails, paint and trim piece above cost about $100. Have you done ship lap walls before?

Design Tips From The HGTV Dream Home

Most of you probably have already seen the HGTV Dream Home . I've been thrilled about it from day one. It's gorgeous and on Martha's Vineyard (one of my most favorite places on earth). Today, I wanted to look at some of the design features I enjoy and design lessons I learned from the Dream Home. 

The great living room is white/neutral with pops of blue. Look at those board walls. So pretty! The open floor plan of the main area works so well, because the designers created zones using the same colors and neutral colors. Now, count how many different textiles there are in this room. I counted nine all with creams, gray, blue and white. They all look great together and give enough variety to the room so things don't look too match-y. 

I love the symmetry in this room with the built in, and even the chairs by the doors with their fish prints above and matching sconces.

                                                                   More symmetry.

A simple and sophisticated look for styling a table: put rice or sand at the bottom of a large glass hurricane and add a candle. 

The kitchen stays white and neutral to match the same open tone as the living room. One of the details I like is the island side has white panels which assist in the theme of wainscoting and board and batten throughout the house. Classic!

The non-matchy chair set is a great look with the ticking stripe open upholstered bench seat. Notice how many flowers/branches arrangements are in the house. Bringing in nature adds beautiful texture.

Hanging pictures or mirror by three is a magic number.

Candles and flowers always add warmth and comfort.

I'm working on designing a makeover for our master closet and this one is quite the inspiration! The wall and ceiling color are the same paint broken up by the heavy white molding and white built-ins. Love this! 

Hello gorgeous mirror and sitting room!

In the bedrooms, I like how the designers played more with color. Bold choices that play really well together. Notice the three lime green frames/mirrors on the wall. 

Blue, white and coral always look good together. I counted eight different textiles in this picture. 

Sigh... I could move right in. I'm sure most people feel the same as me; a house ready to move in? Sign me up! And you can sign up everyday for a chance to win this house. What's your favorite room or design feature?

Turning A New Leaf

I've been blogging for a little over a year now and  love it! Your comments and encouragement have been so kind and helpful. I think what I like most about blogging is it reinforces me to stay creative. It might be a little late in the month, but I thought I would share some of the things I am going to work on this year.  

1. Love my Nixon D3200! Now, it's time to take a photography class.
2. Hang more artwork in our home! Art can really make a house a home. I have several rooms begging for something pretty/meaningful to be on them.
3. Organize the clutter in those closets. Don't call the Hoarders show on me yet! I have some major work to do. I don't know about you, but after cleaning up Christmas decorations I like things to look simpler and clean! Can't wait to show you some good before and afters and closet makeovers!
4. Make some time to read and keep learning. I think it's important to take a few minutes a day to do something enriching for your mind and spirit.

2015 is already shaping up to be a good year. What about you? Do you have some new goals on the horizon?

2014: My Favorite Posts

It was nice to have a good break and be with family! I hope you had a great holiday too. 2014 was a busy year of projects in our home and taking care of four little girls. We've lived in our home for almost two years. It's a beautiful builder's grade (the hubs, Steve and I) we are trying to make feel cozy and our style. Here's a recap of some of my favorite projects and posts this year:

                   I gave our sconces a makeover with Rub N' Buff  and love how they turned out.

Steve and I made this frame for our daughter's room. 

In the winter, I was a contestant in the Creating with the Stars contest where Steve and I made this Melrose knock-off table. 

Color Block Dining Room Hutch: A week after the table project, we did a makeover to a dresser/buffet and added a hutch on top painting the whole thing in different shades of blue.

I love how this old tv stand turned into a stylish bar cart. Also, I show how I made this gold leaf mirror. 

Our tween daughter's room turned out to be navy, coral and white. Love it!

                         In the summer, we brightened up our front entry by painting and adding trim.

My sisters and I worked together to create this nautical loft space for our family home on Martha's Vineyard.

                         In the Fall, I got organized the paper clutter by creating a command center on a skinny wall.

Steve and I made these bookshelves out of plywood for Home Depot and organized our home office.

             Our laundry room now feels pretty, and organized with some hooks and built in cabinets.

I made this mirror into a large statement piece for our living room. You won't believe how inexpensive it was to make.

Lastly, this sofa has a long story that will be told soon, but I'm glad she's done! My tips for reupholstering furniture and getting over your fear of it are coming up soon. 

I have to admit, this was a bit therapeutic for me to look back at some of the things that happened this year. If you're new to Right Up My Alley, I hope you'll stick around. Onto new adventures and projects for 2015! It's going to be a good one!