One for the Books

Whenever I asked for a toy as a child, my parents would often reply: "You want it? Let's make it!" Rather than purchasing the things I wanted, they would take me shopping for all the necessary tools and materials, then provide the guidance I needed to recreate the items I desired.

This was my mom and dad's way of spending quality time with me. They challenged my creativity and instilled a value of resourcefulness. I am grateful for these lessons because they've allowed me to discover the joy of working with my hands. It has become one of my deepest passions, and it influences everything I do today.

When I came across this vintage book iPhone dock at Anthropologie, the first thought that popped into my head was, "Oh neat! I want that."  The second thought that came to mind was, "You know what? I could make that." This turned out to be such a fun and simple project, and I am very happy to share it with you!

Here's what you will need:

- Hardcover book of your choice (At least 1.5" thick)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- 2 binder clips
- Box cutter
- Thin metal file
- Phone & charger cable

Choose any hardcover book you'd like to turn into a dock. Sentimental attachment made me queasy about chopping up my own beloved books, so I swung by the Strand Book Store and picked up this 1943 edition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for a dollar. By the way, if you have not been to this bookstore, you really must stop by. And if you have not read this book, add that to your to-do list as well.

Make sure you are not cutting up a rare collector's edition, and we are ready to start!

Begin by outlining the width and diameter of your charger with a sharp pencil. Be sure to trace as closely as possible.

You know the saying - Measure twice, cut once. We do not want to waste any books on this project! Once you are certain that the outline is as close to the actual size of the base as possible, begin carefully cutting into the cover. Use a ruler as a guide to keep your lines straight. Rather than stabbing into the cover, I found that light, repetitive strokes were the most effective way to cut and maintain precision.

Once you break through the hard cover, try squeezing your charger through the opening. Use a thin metal file to fine tune any areas that need adjusting. File a little at a time and constantly check the fit. You want to achieve a very tight fit in order to create a base that will support your phone in a vertical position.
Eventually, you should be able to wedge your charger through the opening.

Trace through the opening in the cover to get an outline onto the first inside page. Then, using your ruler, draw a channel to accommodate the charger's cord.

Use your box cutter and ruler to cut along the outline. This is where the binder clips come in handy - use them to keep the finished pages clipped back as you continue to cut through the book. After you have cut approximately 100 pages, try pushing the charger base into the cutout. Keep testing periodically to ensure that you are not cutting too deeply into the book.

Once you are able to fit the base snugly into the pages and the charger sits flush with the cover, you are all done!

I usually charge my phone on my night stand at the end of each day. There's always a stack of nighttime reading at my bedside, so the new dock fits right in! I love that you can always swap out the surrounding books to create different looks. 

Prior to this project, I'd been clipping my charger to a pillow so that it would not fall behind our bed every time I unplugged my phone. Having a place to dock my phone is much more convenient, especially since I use it as my alarm clock. No more dropping my phone on the floor every time I hit snooze!

I hope you enjoyed this project! It's a cinch to adapt and personalize, and would make a fantastic gift for that lovely bibliophile on your list :)

If These Walls Could Chalk

Well, it certainly has been an eventful summer! Chris and I have been enjoying back-to-back soirées - birthdays, baby showers, bachelor/bachelorette trips, weddings, reunions - it has been nonstop. There is so much to celebrate! Life is good :)

I’m always happy to find a little downtime in between the all the confetti and champagne to work on projects I’ve been itching to tackle. I recently took advantage of a quiet Sunday afternoon to add a chalkboard wall in our kitchen! This was a relatively easy project that transformed the entire wall into a fun and useful surface.

When we first moved in, Chris and I were surprised to discover that our fridge is not magnetic. This project was the perfect opportunity to add that additional handy functionality to this wall.

I used three coats of Rust-Oleum's Magnetic Primer, which dries to a deep grey finish. *Tip* When using this stuff, make sure you stir thoroughly before pouring the paint, and keep stirring throughout the painting process. The heavy magnetic "goo" tends to sink, so you need to make sure it stays suspended in order to achieve an even application. I used a foam roller to get a super smooth finish. The smoother the finish, the stronger the magnetic attraction will be. Allow 30 minutes between each coat.

I was pretty shocked when I opened the chalkboard paint. It looked blue! I triple-checked the label to make sure I had purchased a "black" formula, and even upon confirmation, I felt uneasy. It just looked very blue...

I got even more nervous when the paint went on the wall. It was definitely blue. I threw down the roller and rushed to Google "Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint + blue". Not a single person on the internet mentioned their black chalkboard paint looking blue! But then I saw that the paint only came in "green" or "black" - blue wasn't even an option. I decided to take a deep breath and keep going. I applied two layers of paint, allowing 4 hours between each coat.

Thankfully, the paint dried to a satin black finish. Whew!! :)

After allowing the paint to cure for three days, it was time to season the wall. It's important to season a chalkboard before writing anything on it because the surface is very porous. Seasoning easily prevents ghosting, which is when chalk lines are "burned" into the board and never fully erase.

Seasoning is easy - just turn a piece of chalk on its side and shade in the entire surface. Rub the chalk top to bottom, left to right in order to get into all of the pores. 

Once the entire surface is covered, simply erase, and you're all done!

Now the fun can start! I was never good at writing neatly on the board in school, so it's definitely going to take a while before I get a hang of it and start creating any real chalkboard art.
But that's the beauty of chalkboards - If you mess up, just erase and start over! Practice makes perfect :)

The magnet wall lets us share sweet mementos and reminders of upcoming events!

I thought it would be fun to start a gallery wall as a neat way to display all our random notes and doodles.

Wonka has his own little gallery! His first two installments? Portraits of his Mini-Poodle mama and Yorkie daddy :0)

Mortar Kombat

Guess what, guys! I am FINALLY done with my brick wall project. Yippee! Hooray! Whew.

Once the mortar was mixed and the bricks had been laid out, I experienced a major "Oh-crap-what-have-I-gotten-myself-into" moment. I honestly felt that I'd bitten off more than I could chew. But everything was all set and ready to go, and those naked, patched-up walls were seriously starting to make my eyes bleed. So there was no turning back. It was time to get down and dirty.

It's been a grueling, dusty, and extremely rewarding month. Here's the recap of my first foray into masonry:

Recognize this awesome laser? A perfectly level foundation is the key to a straight wall, so I used this handy tool to guarantee that my bolsters were 100% straight prior to laying the first brick.

Next, I combined powdered thinset mortar with water and mixed it into a thick, batter-like consistency. The boxes of veneers came in mixed assortments of grays and browns, so I organized all the bricks by color in order to plan out an even distribution of all the variations.

This technique is called back-buttering, and it really is like spreading peanut butter onto a piece of toast! I found that an even 2/3" layer was enough to grip the wall without oozing everywhere.

After back-buttering, I pushed and wiggled each tile against the wall until the mortar started pulling at the brick. Once the suction was created, I slowly slid the brick up and over, using spacers to maintain even distancing between each brick. I went with 3/8" spacers, which is the standard joint spacing for real brick walls.

------------ Repeat for 280 square feet. ------------

It took me about two days to get a hang of the fundamental techniques and stop making huge messes everywhere. After that, I started throwing bricks on the wall like nobody's business. This project didn't call for any extraordinary skills, but it did require an insane amount of tedious repetition and grunt work. I can't even complain, because all that squatting, lifting, bending, and reaching totally whipped me into shape ;-)

I also tackled a smaller wall by our entryway in order to establish a smooth, transitional flow into the living room. The previous owners were obviously really into the color red. I think it made them happy. Kinda like how Wonka makes me happy.

Mid-point laser check! Yup, still straight :)

Almost there!! Chris and I signed the back of the final brick before it was set into place, and...

Bam! All done.

This project was a true labor of love. Sure, I've been sporting a set of calloused man hands for about a month, and I also dropped/broke a brick on my foot, rendering myself incapable of wearing any cute shoes for the next few weeks. But the wall is finally complete, and I am deliriously happy with the outcome.

Once the crown and base mouldings are installed, our living room renovation will be finished! We are sooo close, and I absolutely cannot wait to share the final transformation with you. Stay tuned!