The She Shed Archives

July 31, 2018 by Hootshack

Rustic Hanging Light Bulbs

How To Use Old Lightbulbs

I came across these old light bulbs at a local craft fair and, for some reason, I couldn’t pass them up. I had absolutely no idea what I would do with them, but they spoke to me, so they came home with me. They obviously don’t function, but I still think they are pretty cool. The largest bulb I have in my house is probably 60 watt, and one of these is 1000 watts! I’ve yet to hear what these would have originally been used for, so if you know, please share in the comments below.

Things you’ll need to make the Rustic Hanging Light Bulbs:

Large light bulbs
Rope
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Board (or another item) for hanging. My original plan was to hang these from old pulleys and I think that would be super cool. Of course, I couldn’t find the pulleys when I was looking for them, but if I do, I may make the change.
Hook and eyebolt for hanging

The rope I used was a very stiff, smaller diameter rope that I found at Lowe’s. First is glued a small piece to create the loop for hanging.

Gluing the rope around the threads of the bulbs took the longest. Since the rope was pretty stiff, I had to work slowly and add a little glue and hold the rope tight until it dried. Then I’d add a little more and hold it again as I worked my way around until the bulb threads were covered and then glued the end in place. Again, I held that tight until it dried. If I didn’t work slowly, the rope would pull away from the bulb as it dried. The glue is so hot, so you have to be careful when doing this. Don’t use too much glue or it will seep out and burn your hand. Press slowly until you’re sure that no excess glue is seeping through.

The bulbs looked like this once the threads were completely covered.

Now all you have to do is flick the light switch on the wall and they’ll turn on. Just kidding… they don’t actually work and I could have picked a better place to take this picture. lol .

Then, I repeated this process with all three light bulbs. Once I was done, I had this mental picture of them hanging from old pulleys. I tried to find them everywhere! I had no luck so I used the old piece of wood to hang them for now. I’m not going to stop looking for the pulleys though!

Hanging the Rustic Light Hanging Light Bulbs:

I wanted a different texture, so I untwisted the same rope so that I had two pieces to create the longer pieces that each bulb hangs from. I’m not sure if I achieved anything all that different, but it looked a little more interesting to me. The rope pretty much sticks to itself, so I just wrapped the excess around the wood piece several times and secured the end with a not. I hung each bulb at a separate length. You’ll notice I used two chairs to support my work. I had to be careful though, it wasn’t as secure as I’d hoped. Don’t let them slip off!

The final piece of rope was looped in the center with equal length pieces hanging on each side. This piece was about 3 feet long. I looped the center and then evenly spaced the sides.

Next, I drilled a hole at either end of the wood pieces and fished the rope through the holes and secured each end with a knot. I had to work with each knot a bit to get the entire assembly to hang evenly. It didn’t really take that long to get things even.

Other than installing the eyebolt in the ceiling, I’m pretty much done. I used a small “S” hook to loop into the eyebolt and then onto the loop in the rope. If you put a screwdriver through the eyebolt, it gives you more leverage to screw the eyebolt in or to get the eyebolt turned to the right angle so your finished piece hangs the way you want. Twisting the eyebolt in with your hand can be a little hard.

If you decide to make your own, PLEASE tag Hootshack on IG or Facebook. I really love to see how others interpret my projects or how they make changes to make things look a little different. Please give this post a share. I love new followers!

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Until next time…

xoxo,

Denise

June 21, 2018 by Hootshack

Old Shutters Make Easy DIY Shelves

How To Make Shelves With Old Shutters

I love old shutters but sometimes they come in less-than-perfect shape. I bought four at Three Speckled Hens in Paso Robles over a year ago. None of the shutters functioned so they sat in the garage for a year before I finally decided it was time to put them to use. I’ve been decorating my she-shed so I have a lot of space to fill. Turning the shutter sideways while paint dried gave me the idea to turn my old shutter into a shelf!

Here’s what I used to turn my shutters into shelves :

*my posts contain affiliate links

old shutter
chalk paint
chip brush
shelf brackets
shelf boards (I used scraps from the yard)
Dewalt drill (of course you can use any but I like Dewalt)
Gorilla brand wood glue
Shelf hanging hardware

You’ll also need a saw to cut the shelf boards unless you have the hardware store do it for you. You’ll also need a drill bit for pre-drilling holes.

If your shutters are broken, you can use the Gorilla wood glue to glue them in place so they don’t fall out when you hang the shelf. If they aren’t broken, lucky you! I started by painting the shutter using chalk paint. I wanted some of the natural color of the shelf to show through, so I used a little bit of water in a shallow plate to dip my brush in from time to time to slightly water down the paint. If you want your shelf solid white, just lay that paint on heavier. This part takes the most patience because painting every part of the shutter is a bit of work. You don’t have to paint the back if you don’t want, but I recommend painting all of the edges around the outside because you’ll see that portion when it’s hanging on the wall. I used a cheap chip brush to paint the shelf. I like to reuse things, so I actually rinse my chip brushes and use them as many times as possible. If you like chalk painting, I recommend stocking up. You’ll use them a lot in all different sizes! Anyway, here’s a before and after of the shutters. The screws that are sticking out of the top in the picture were there when I started. I removed those for the shelf.

Now that you have the shutters painted, you’ll need to cut the piece of wood that you’re using for the shelf. I cut mine to the exact width of the shutter. Lowe’s or Home Depot can do it for you but I used old wood from my wood pile for this project. When you pick your shelf, make sure it’s deep enough to cover your shutter and the brackets. The wood in my pile wasn’t deep enough, so I pieced two together. I love rustic, but that may not be your thing. Here’s a picture of my two pieces from the side.

I feel like the above picture says a thousand words. You’ll reference it for your bracket installation and your shelf installation. Make sure to attach your shelf brackets to the thickest part of your shutter. You can see that I attached mine to the frame using shallow screws that won’t poke out the back, but will keep the shelf secure. My shutters were old so I pre-drilled the holes so the shutter wouldn’t split. If you’re not sure what pre-drilling a hole is, it just means that you drill a hole that is smaller than the circumference of the screw into the wood to create a path for the screw to follow. Align the bracket, mark the spots that you should pre-drill, remove brackets, pre-drill holes, align brackets again, then screw them to the shutter. Easy-peasy, just a little time consuming. After both brackets were attached to the shutter (aligned with the top of the shutter), I attached the shelf pieces using the same method. I pre-drilled the holes and then attached the shelves to the to part of the bracket. The last things you have to do is attach the hardware to the back. Again, pick the meatiest part of the wood so the screws will support the weight of the shelf. And, yes, you have to pre-drill one more time. If you’re lucky enough to have two drills, one should hold the drill bit and the other the driver. This is so much faster!

You can see in the photo that I also added some cool rustic drawer pulls to the bottom of one of mine. You don’t have to do this but it’s a fun option. I made one that is for sale in my booth at Reminisce in downtown Paso Robles and one for my she-shed. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you want to learn how to paint mason jars, you can read my 3 Simple Mason Jar DIY Projects to learn how I paint them and other ways I love to use mason jars.

Thanks again for joining me at Hootshack. Be sure to link back to my post if you decide to share my content. Sharing is caring!

xoxo,

Denise

June 21, 2018 by Hootshack

How To Use Old Door Knobs

How To Use Old Door Knobs For Window Decor

I’ve had these old door knobs that I’ve been hanging on to and could never find a use for them. While making my Easy Burlap Window Shades, an idea popped into my head about how to use them. My husband, Jake, was my savior on this one because he came up with the idea for how to attach the knobs.

If you’re lucky enough that your set screws aren’t seized up, you can remove the extra hardware that you won’t need. See this picture below, it shows you what a set screw is and also shows the long metal piece from the doorknob that will need to be removed. This particular knob was extremely stubborn so this set screw is going to have to be drilled out. All of the others played along nicely.

We bought 5/16″ hanger bolts and glued them into place. They fit pretty good in almost all of the knobs. A couple were too tight so we drilled the hole a little larger with a drill bit so the hanger bolt would fit. Your knobs may take a different size so take the knobs with you to the hardware store so you get the right size.

Before screwing the knobs into your shade, lift the front flap of the shade up and pre-drill a hole. Don’t drill directly through your fabric! The fabric will catch on the drill bit and snag it, or wrap it up completely. It’s a mess, trust me. After you pre-drill the hole, let the fabric back down and use a screwdriver to gently push a hole through the fabric. Now you can just twist the knob into place.

I’m excited about these because old door knobs can be used for so many other things. I’m going to be on the hunt for more knobs so I can use them for decorative wreath hangers for my Burlap Bubble Wreaths!

If you use any of my ideas, please mention Hootshack in your post or pics. Also, if you try this at home, share your own photo on Instagram and use #HootshackDIY so I can see. Don’t hesitate to send pictures and details about your projects. If you do, I may share them with my readers. You can use the Contact page to reach me! Please share, pin, tweet or whatever you do! 😉

xoxo,

Denise

June 19, 2018 by Hootshack

Hootshack She-Shed

The She-Shed

My she-shed was the inspiration behind Hootshack. The project first started as a typical garden shed, but quickly transpired to a cozy little She-Shed and the creation of my blog and online store. There’s too much information in between for this one post, so let’s just get to the she-shed for now. (My posts contain affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosures.)

So, the she-shed was supposed to be about 4’ x 6’, but after much debating, aka convincing Jake that it needed to be larger, “we” settled on 12’ x 8’. She-sheds are all the rage right now and I thought it would be a good way to fill up a large amount of space in our yard while also creating a quiet place for me to relax and create and a place for us to occasionally entertain. It’ll make a perfect service bar for backyard BBQs.

I never really have a set plan, things just tend to come together as projects go along. I really wanted shiplap, but the costs were just more than we wanted to spend. We talked to a guy at our local lumber yard and he said that the tongue and groove would work, as long as we put a really good primer and a couple of layers of paint. I’m really hoping that works and that we don’t end up replacing it with shiplap some day.

When we first started to build our own shed, I didn’t plan to start this blog. I wish I had taken more pictures along the way so I apologize for the quick fast-forward. There’s still so much to be done and I have to admit, I’m ‘just a tad’ over budget, but who wants to talk about that right now, right?! I did luck out with some great used items. The French doors were originally a greenish color with brass door knobs, circa 1980. I got them for $100! I painted the outside jet black and the inside stark white. I really love the black, red and white together. The garden fence will eventually be painted black as well. Yes, black! I purchased new doorknobs, and I’m pretty sure they cost more than the doors themselves. Oops (eyelashes fluttering – sorry Jake).

We were shopping at Lowe’s and found the back window that looks into my vegetable garden in the clearance section. I guess someone custom ordered it and then didn’t take it. Lucky me! Another $100 find. So I guess that’s only two good deals…. The rest is history and let’s still not talk about that. 😉

We debated on the roof for quite awhile. We almost did black asphalt shingles but they’ve never been my favorite. I really love the corrugated tin we chose, even though it’s probably not the best style to complement the style of our house. We’re still working on exterior touch-ups and some trim pieces but the outside is close to done.

This is a great book about She-Sheds!

More projects you’ll be reading about soon are:

inside painting
flooring
covered porch
side window awning
wreaths for the door
garden fence
window coverings
indoor decor (cha-ching)
little pop-up shop, about to be right in my own backyard! Yay! Hootshack is born!

Enjoy this little collage of the progress so far. I hope you’ll keep following along! I apologize for the blurry pics, I haven’t mastered that yet, but I’m working on it!

This is the space before the shed

Garden fence down, she shed foundation going in – Ryder and Deano performing the site inspection

Jake working hard

Getting ready for the roof

Featured in this post, Ryder the Golden Retriever and Bali the German Sheperd, oh, and me. The pups are cousins.

xoxo,

Denise

June 19, 2018 by Hootshack

Easy Burlap Window Shades

I am loving these easy burlap window shades! Some of you know I’ve been working on building my she-shed and I’m finally getting to the fun part, the decorating! Today I’ve been working on the window coverings. My Easy Burlap Window Shades were pretty easy to make. I have basic sewing skills, as long someone loads the bobbin thread for me 😉 but for this project, I called in the big guns, MOM!

Here’s what to use to make burlap shades:

1. Burlap Fabric
2. Sewing machine, scissors, pins, and thread
3. Heavy Duty Stapler
4. Thin strips of wood. 1/4” thick x 1 1/4 “ wide x by the width of the window
5. Hammer and nails (drill and screws work, too)

Here’s how we did it:

After we determined the finished shade size, we added 4 inches to the width and 7 or 8 inches to the height. Here’s why:

My window is 72” wide so I cut the fabric width to 76”. We turned the fabric over one inch, then another and stitched it down so the edges of the burlap will be hidden and won’t unravel over time. That’s where you get the extra two inches on each side. As a tip, my mom came up with the idea of using a piece of cardboard that was cut into a 1-inch strip to use as a guide for the side folds. She wrapped the fabric over the cardboard one inch and then folded it again and pinned the fabric in place then kept sliding the cardboard out as she worked her way down the side. I hope that makes sense… You can also iron a crease for the first inch and then fold and iron again and then secure it with pins before you sew.

The part of the project that took us the longest was getting the burlap cut straight. We tried methods we’d read from others like pulling a string out to create a straight line and it honestly didn’t work for us. What finally worked was laying the burlap on my wood floors and using the line in the wood to get things straight. Once you get the burlap fabric cut, the rest is pretty easy.

(This is a sample of how the finished side hem looked)

The height of my window is 36” and I wanted a 3” hem. Again, we turned the fabric one inch, then three inches and sewed the hem. You’re still going to need a few extra inches at the top to attach the shade to the board. More about that later.

Once you’ve sewn the sides and the hem, you’ll be ready to attach the shade to the thin strip of wood. We laid the shade out flat on the floor and measured from the bottom of the shade to the height that we wanted the finished window covering to be and marked it with a straight pin on both sides. Place the pre-cut piece of wood on top of the shade so that the top of the wood is aligned with the two pins. Now gently and evenly flip the wood piece towards the top of the shade two times. You won’t pick the wood up. Just hold it down to the ground and flip it two times. Have someone help you hold the wood in place while you cut the fabric off so you have about 1” sticking out the top of the wood piece.

In the picture above, you’ll see the fold over the wood. This is where you’ll want to staple the fabric to the wood strip all the way along the strip. You may have to use a hammer to tap the staples in all the way if they don’t cooperate. You’ll want the staples flush. See the frayed fabric edge, since I didn’t take a picture of this project along the way, you’ll have to pretend that the frayed part is your finished bottom hem.

Now, roll the wood up in the fabric by flipping it back towards the bottom of the shade two times. This is when you’ll want to hold the shade up to the window to see if you got it right. Hopefully, all is good! Now, have someone help you hold the shade up to the window frame and lift the shade over your head and hammer nails into the wood strip. You’re doing this so you don’t nail directly through the visible part of the shade. You can see that my shade is attached directly to the front of the wooden window frame. If you have to install yours inside the window sill, you’ll have to rethink the measurements so keep this in mind.)

Holy moly, the shed window is dirty!

I originally wanted a roman shade, but my shed is tongue and groove and I already have so many horizontal lines to deal with so that’s why I opted for this simple design. I also didn’t know if I’d have the patience for attaching the strings. (that’s the real reason!) Instead, I attached small silver washers to the bottom corners of the shade and one in the center. I installed small white cup hooks that blend well with my white paint at the top of the window. When I want to open the shade, I just hook the washers onto the cup hooks. The second cup hook hanging out there on the side was a failed attempt. Oops.

Did you notice the old door knobs I used in the final picture? I am in love and if you want to see how I did it, you can read this post about Door Knob Window Decor.

If you use any of my ideas, please mention Hootshack in your post or pics. Also, if you try this at home, share your own photo on Instagram and use #HootshackDIY so I can see. Also, don’t hesitate to send pictures and details about your projects. If you do, I may share them with my readers. You can use the Contact page to reach me! Please share, pin, tweet or whatever you do! 😉

Have great day friends!

Xoxo,

Denise

You have permission to share this content on your site as long as a link to my original article is included. Thank you!

June 10, 2018 by Hootshack

She Shed Update – Edition 2

I have waited far too long for a She Shed update. I’m the type of person that gets easily sidetracked! The reason I started this blog was to share all things She Shed. What I didn’t realize, was that the building and finishing were going to take much longer than I anticipated. Along the way, I’ve posted some fun projects that I’ve worked on to decorate the shed. I hope you’ve enjoyed them.

My most recent update to my shed is the awesome, AND CHEAP, flooring we chose. I wanted real hardwood floors but I just couldn’t justify the cost since I really wanted a rug to cover most of the floor. While walking through Home Depot, we came across some wood floor looking panels that I believe are really designed for walls. Since you’re only going to see about a foot around all of the edges and we won’t be walking on that area, I decided it was quite a steal.

Three panels later and new rug, and ta-da! The floor is done!

Here is a link to the paneling from Home Depot (not an affiliate link) . They are 4′ x 8′ and are around $22 each. We used 3 and cut them to fit with a table saw and a skill saw.

(This is Mooch – My little sweetie. I love her so much!)

I love the look of an outdoor rug for a shed so we chose one with natural colors. I’m not sure it’s still available, but you could use this natural rug instead.

(Here’s me after DIY-ing a bottle of Rose’ – LOL)

I also bought a rug pad to keep the rug from slipping and also to protect it from scratching my faux wood floor. You can use this type of rug pad.

With the rug, panels and floor pad, we only spent about $150. The Rose’ is $25. 😉 Grab a bottle and bring it over for a visit! Thanks for visiting Hootshack!

xoxo,

Denise