HOW TO FRAME YOUR WALL MOUNTED TV

If you are like me, TVs are not necessarily a part of home decorating that excites you. Although we have come a long way from the days of the ginormous bubble screened boob tube and the floor model big screens, concealing a TV to make it a part of the architectural detail already found in your room is a good idea to me. I have already shown you two attempts I have made to do just that in my own home, firstly over the fireplace in our FAMILY ROOM and again in the children's GAMING ROOM.

Family room

Gaming room

If this is something you might like to do in your own home I'm pretty sure anyone with basic carpentry skills, time and patience can do it too. 

First things first, you must hang the wall mount, you have for your TV, in the location you want it. It always looks much better to run the cord(s) through the wall to an electrical outlet further down or into a proper device and make sure installation is up to code.

Here you can see the latte through the hole cut for our cords.

Supplies you'll need:

• Mitre saw
• Table saw 
• Level
• Drill with large hole cutting bit
• Air compressor 
• Nail gun
• Square
• Stud finder
• Measuring tape
• Wood filler
• Caulking
• Front moulding according to your circumference measurements
• Plain boards for sides around the 

To make a frame for the TV, you need to measure the perimeter of your TV, make a visit to your local hardware store and shop for some decorative moulding for the front and flat boards for the sides. You could do this with crown moulding however our TV is on a swivel mount and, consequently, it is already off the wall quite a bit, so I went with a wide flat moulding. This, I felt, coordinated well with the other wood details of the space. 

Once you have everything picked out, measure the depth of your TV from the wall and cut your pieces for the sides and top. Keep in mind, the thickness of your decorative moulding to ensure the frame front stays flush with your TV.  Run your plain boards on your table saw to get your desired width. If you are organized and this is a step you would like to avoid, you could ask at your hardware store and they would likely do this for you, for a small fee.

We used 5/8" MDF for the frame. We designed the frame to leave a 1/2" extra around the perimeter of the TV, to give it some breathing room and to accommodate the ability to tilt it to different angles for your viewing pleasure! I would also like to point out that you should construct the frame by overlapping the side pieces with the top and bottom pieces, as this will eliminate seeing side seams. Nail into place using 1 1/2" nails. 

I apologize for the messy pictures to follow but sometimes when you are on a roll there is no time for clean up. It always gets worse before it gets better!

Step One

The next step is to cut some corner braces to help provide support for your frame. You want these  braces to be long enough to give maximum support, but not so long that they will be seen when your moulding is put in place. We used 1"x2" pieces, cut at 7" long with 45° angles at each end. 

It is best to put these braces toward the front of your frame. This will give you something to attach your decorative moulding to when you are at that step. Before you attach your braces, it is a good idea to double check that things are square. If so, go ahead and nail your braces to your box.

Step two

Step three

 After the braces are attached make sure to measure twice and cut your decorative moulding with 45° corners. Secure these in place on the front by nailing into the top, bottom and side boards as well as the braces for added support.

Step four

Once this is complete, fill your nail holes with wood filler and caulk the seams. Give it a light sanding to have the smoothest finish possible, and paint the inside before attaching your frame to the wall. This way whenever the screen is moved or tilted the inside will look finished. 

Using a spade blade or a drill attachment to cut holes in the bottom and top to allow for air circulation.

Steps five, six and seven

You also need to attach a piece of 2"x3" to the wall at the appropriate height to mount your frame. The length should be a little shorter then the top side of your frame. Next use a stud finder and screws long enough to hit the studs and attach securely. Make sure to paint this as well!

To secure the cabinet to the wall, sit it on top of the 2x3 using 1 1/2" screws.

Step eight

Step nine

If you were unable to hide your cords inside the wall you could always drill an extra hole in the bottom of your frame to allow the cords to run through.

All thats left now is to mount your TV. Voila! Congratulations you did it! Now put in a movie, and if you are anything like me, fall asleep because you are tired from a long day's work!

SHIPLAP IN A SEA CAPTAIN'S HOUSE

Our old house came with a few small rooms that we tried our best to put to good use. This little room is right at the back of the bathroom hallway which we refinished a little while back. It was said to be a room where the help would have lived when the house was originally built, which is why there is a staircase leading down into the kitchen.

Built in daybed by the previous owners.

We decided that it would be a great space for the kids to watch Netflix and play video games with their friends. It is also a cozy place for little kids to crash when we have family visiting. Parents can have the guest room to themselves and really get a restful nights sleep.

I wanted the room to feel fresh and bright with minimal amount of surfaces to clean etc. Basically, nothing in here could be costly or too precious. I didn't want to have to worry about the abuse things might suffer from frequent use by teenagers! I'm not sure exactly how the previous owners used this room but here is another picture of the room when we were first looking at the house.

Over to the left is the staircase to the attic and to the right is a back staircase down into the kitchen.

 First, we had to make this makeshift bed a little more stable and attractive. To do this, we framed out the bottom of the bed with some 2x4s.  Next, we added some bead board and baseboard to make the bed look more built in with nice trim work.

 I would have loved to have added drawers to the base of the bed however there is a furnace duct under there and we didn't want to interrupt the flow of hot air. This is a nice, toasty room to curl up in.  To help the heat circulate, we added these two simple white grates and put them in the baseboard.




The pillows have been collected over the years and help to make the bed cosy. I plan to sew a few covers to add to the collection. The nesting tables are perfect for snacks, remotes and phones when you are relaxing.

The space is about two inches shorter than a standard twin mattress, so consequently we ordered a custom fit mattress. The cost to do this was surprisingly reasonable and I am pleased with the quality of the mattress, itself.

The mattress has a custom slipcover made from a striped ticking fabric from Ikea. It has held up to several washes and lots of messy kids. Unlike a lot of other slipcovers, I have in the house, it does need to be ironed after you wash it, so I try to avoid that as much as possible.

Paul and I have created many different types of millwork throughout the house. In here we decided to try to mimic the look of shiplap. We thought it was fitting for a house built by a Sea Captain!  We did this by adding 6" strips of plywood. It was a simple, inexpensive installation, and I love the results.

View from the hallway.

To finish things off, we added crown at the top which is totally Paul's department. I'm just a set of extra hands when it comes to measuring and cutting crown moulding. I had reno's in mind when I decided to marry a math major. I have always loved old homes and knew my philosophy degree would not hold up to the rigors of installing crown moulding!

There was a lot of painting in order. Many coats of paint on the trim work and two coats of primer plus two coats of paint on the walls. Ugh ... not fun at all when the sun is finally shining. On the bright side, I didn't have to do the ceiling and, because there were two of use working on this project, I was able to fill the nail holes and caulk as we went along, which made the painting process a little more bearable.

I replaced the old roller blind with a wooden blind from Sears. While I love the look of woven matchstick blinds, which I have used throughout the house, I understood when the kids requested a blind that would really block out the sun when they were trying to watch TV in here. Function over form sometimes! We also replaced all the door hardware, including the hinges, as well as the light fixture. I have used these schoolhouse light fixtures in many places throughout the house because I am enamored with their simple charm.  For the door entering the room I purchased a brass plated knob and back plate. I primed and spray painted them black and they look great.

Same angle as the "before" photo above. To the left is the attic door and the right is a back staircase to the kitchen.

We hung the TV on the opposite wall. It doesn't line up for perfect viewing from the daybed so we put it on a wall mount that can be easily maneuvered and pointed towards the bed.

Sometimes Liev just likes to sit on a pouf on the floor and play video games, so the kids can maneuver it however they like. I am so pleased with the decision to frame it and I am very pleased with the end result. I bought the materials and drew a sketch, but the building was all Paul. It looks great and truthfully it turned out even better than I thought.

The cabinet under the TV was something I bought years ago. It's great for storing gaming systems, movies and video games. There is a permanent HDMI cable running through the wall from the the TV to a hole in the bottom of the console. It is great to have all the cords hidden.

I realize it is very white in here now, not much happening on the walls. I already have some homemade art for in here that is currently being framed. I cannot wait to hang it over the bed.

I plan to follow up this post with more detailed instructions and pictures, if you are interested in attempting any of these projects in your own home.

Thank you for reading along,
Valerie

Sources:

• paint on trim - Benjamin Moore Delicate White in semi gloss
• paint on walls - Benjamin Moore Delicate White in velvet
• blind - Home Depot
• mattress custom order - Home Hardware Furniture Store
• cabinet - Sears
• linen boxes in cabinets - Bed Bath & Beyond
• natural paper movie boxes - Michaels
• nesting tables - HomeSense
• red floor pouf - Target
• wicker pouf - Wicker Emporium
• blanket on bed - HomeSense
• pillows from Target, HomeSense, Ikea & custom
• door hardware (knobs, plates, hinges, handles and locks) - Kent
• white jug - Ikea
• ticking fabric for mattress cover - Ikea
• light fixture - Kent
• white tray on bed - HomeSense
• paper mach moose - TJ Maxx
• basket holding gaming guitars - HomeSense
• basket tray on cabinet - HomeSense
• ginger jars - HomeSense
• lacquered boxes- Homesense 
• glass cloche -Michaels
• lamp -Ikea
• tassel -Michaels
• red and white box- Target
• basket holding gaming guitars- Homesense
• door stop sprayed black- HomeSense

EVERYDAY GOODNESS

Again this week I thought I would share with you some, pretty, interesting and inspiring things from around the internet or things that have just been on my mind. Enjoy!

They are gorgeous on the inside too! Just like Mindy!

Paul gave me these MINDY KALING CARDS in my Easter basket. I love them! Having read her books and being obsessed with her show, I needed a Mindy fix, and I got one.  In case you were wondering her show airs Tuesday nights on Fox. Right now is on hiatus but if you are in need of a good binge watch the first two seasons are on Netflix.

I brought these cards to last weekends girls sleepover in case we ran out of things to talk about but there were no conversation starters necessary. Everyone at the gathering is a Flibbergiblet. (Mindy code for likes to talk a lot!)

Doesn't the cover give you the heebeegeebees!

Paul also gave me BOSSYPANTS. (really me?)  I am choosing to take that as a sign that he would rather I wake him up late at night with fits of laughter then sobbing. I have been known to do both.

I am encouraging my daughter to read it over the summer because during the school year she tells me she cannot read for pleasure. It is a great book for women of all ages but I am trying to get to her now. She is 18. Far too old for me to keep reciting the message from The Paper Bag Princess. I hope it doesn't take her until she is $! like me, (figure it out) to learn some of life's greatest lessons.

I am still grieving the loss of Target.  I think I am still in the denial, but moving into anger stage. I don't want to believe they left us, but I'm mad.  My husband would say that I tried really hard to keep the stores in Canada open.  It simply was not a one woman job.

I love a good gourd lamp!

In my attempts to move on I perused the Walmart website and found these GREAT LAMPS!  Suck it Target!!! (Ok not really. I know while I'm on vacation I'll still visit, even though I'm mad at you because sometimes, you are that good!) What can I say my love affair runs deep.


I have a thing for scallops. When Jennifer at RAMBLING RENOVATORS blogged about them this week I was thrilled! Someone else appreciated them. You see, I too love scallops!I have sewn them onto table cloths and right now have them in countless places throughout my home from cake plates to these euro shams.

Then to top the week SARAH DIY'D these curtains. I am going to have to copy that DIY at some point some where. Aren't they fabulous!

Lastly JESSICA KANE is doing amazing things and inspiring people everywhere! She remind

us that wearing a swimsuit at the beach isn't an act of bravery.  GO JESSICA!!!

TGIF

Valerie

P.S.   I gave my hubby three dark chocolate bars from the supermarket... I told you my boys are good gift getters!

CUSTOM BULLETIN BOARD

 Sorry I am not quite ready to reveal my sneak peak from last week yet. I was majorly distracted these last few days by a thing that has been rare in these parts of late, the sun. I hope you have been enjoying it wherever you are! It's recent appearance here has caused me to put down my paintbrush. In the meantime, I have a little DIY to show you.

  For Christmas last year my son, Liev, gave me a box of lovely KATE SPADE push pins to use in my office. It was so thoughtful and generous of him. Even though I am fairly certain he would not understand why I would love these somewhat costly thumb tacks, he saw them and knew they were something I would love. He also gave me a few other Kate Spade desk items and I love them even more because they were from him. His surprise as to the cost for a thirteen year old is understandable. It's kind of how I feel about the cost of video games, hockey sticks, scooter parts and other costly things he enjoys!

Aren't they lovely!

While I was delighted in receiving these, when I opened the box to use them I quickly realized that their stem was longer than the average push pin. They did not function very well in the bulletin board I had at the time. 

What's a Mom to do when her favorite and only son gives her something so fabulous?  Make a custom bulletin board, of course! I did not do this in a timely fashion, however. Quite a few more holidays passed before I got around to it but, late in the summer, I finally made my bulletin board. Here are some basic instructions, you could adapt to your own custom size, and some not so great pictures from my iPhone. 

SUPPLIES:

• Plywood or MDF cut to your custom size. Building supply stores will usually do this for you no problem. Mine is 1/2" cut to 40" x 18"
• Fabric 
• Quilt batting
• Ribbon 
• Scissors
• Pins
• Hot glue gun
• Staple gun
• Measuring tape
• Ruler
• Lighter
• Pins
• Cork board - I bought mine in squares from the dollar store at about $1.00 a piece!
• Picture hangers

To start, I generously applied hot glue to the wood and secured the first layer of cork squares. I then repeated this step, doubling up on the depth of the cork, to accommodate the deep stem on my push pins. When doing this I offset the seams in the cork squares so as to not have any seems or spaces showing. Doubling up might not be necessary if you are using other types of pins.

Next I covered the cork side of the board in one layer of quilt batting, stapling it on the back. This helped to create a nice smooth surface to staple the fabric over.

Prepare your fabric to wrap by cutting it about three inches larger on all sides then your board. Be careful not to cut it too close. It's nice to have enough to really pull on, in order to keep things smooth. You can always cut off the excess once you are done.

To cover it smoothly, the method I use for any upholstering job, is to start in the middle on all sides and working toward the corners. I make small hospital corners on the ends to keep the fabric from puckering. It was pretty straightforward in this case because I didn't have a pattern on the fabric to align. If you have a patterned fabric you might want to be a little more fussy in order to make sure the print lines up.

You might call this project complete right here but I had to add some kind of decorative element to this board. Because my previous board had upholstery tacks around the edge, this time I decided to use ribbon. A simple 3/8" white grosgrain is what I chose and this design isn't difficult once you figure out the size you would like. 

I chose to cut the two longest pieces to be two inches shorter then the width of my board. I centered and pinned it to have an inch on each side and 3 inches up from the bottom.  Next I cut 8 pieces of ribbon at 2.75 inches and seared each end of the ribbon with the lighter to keep it from fraying. Pin them into place using your ruler and pins to keep them aligned. 

Finally, measure and cut the long side pieces and pin into place creating your square corners. 

Once everything was pinned and secured, I carefully used fabric glue to secure the ribbon in place. I'm sure your glue gun would be fine but I had the fabric glue on hand and found it easy to control on the end of a Q-tip. Finally attach some picture hangers to the back and hang!

Okay so that was very long and detailed post about something thats a pretty basic DIY!

Here is a picture of it in use in my office! 

Thanks Liev for my Christmas present last year. I am one lucky gal because this past Christmas he gifted me with something I love as well. My boy is one thoughtful gift giver, his father has taught him well!

I hope to be back by the end of the week with a new post about the kids room and a shiplap tutorial, unless I get distracted by the sun again. If that's the case it might be Monday.

EVERYDAY GOODNESS

Isn't the internet an amazing place! There are really some inspiring and funny things to read, as well as beautiful images to digest.  I thought from time to time I might post some things from around the web that I love and inspire me.

I'm all about learning how to lengthen the longevity of my flowers. I took Emily's advice with my Easter hydrangeas and so far so good!

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I think this has been the most snow I have ever seen in Nova Scotia, at least in the sixteen years I have lived here. I'm really, really looking forward to the snow melting. I need to get out of boots and coats. This simple dress is perfect for spring and early summer.

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I love to shop at Chapters Indigo for home and gifts. Their new spring line is in and I'm smitten with these sweet glasses and these granny chic pillows.

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I have hit repeat on this song ever since I saw Boyhood last year. Paul and Lillie are working on a cover. I hope maybe she lets me record them sometime.

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This long winter has allowed me to get back into a reading kick. The weather has made th guilt I feel about my inability to put down a good book, that much easier.  Of all the books snowmaggeden has allowed me to read this winter, this one was by far my favorite. It wasn't just the artwork on the cover but also the Jonathan Franzen review that made me pick it up. I love everything I've read by him as well, just in case you end up reading this and are looking for a good book.

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I am also really loving Centsational Girls round up of kitchen light fixtures. I think I might try to do the same that is easily accessible for Canadians.

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I really enjoy Sarah Richardson and most anything she does. Set your DVR's because her new show has started on HGTV on Thursday nights in Canada. 

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Finally here is a sneak peak at what I'm currently working on.

 I hope to have a post for you early next week. 

Cheers to a great weekend. I am going to an adult, big girl sleepover with friends tonight. Should be lots of fun!

Valerie

Let them Eat Cake!

                                   This past week we celebrated my daughter's 18th birthday! I adore this girl!

Sorry Lillie Lu! Happy Birthday!

Wow, that makes me feel old when I actually type it! She had several different little celebrations. One of her sweet friends surprised her with a cake at school and, rumor has it, they couldn't wait until lunch to give it to her so they ate cake in calculus class! On the same day, she had dinner at a local restaurant with some good friends from school. I thought this warranted another surprise cake, after all, you only turn 18 once!

My cake!

After sharing an iPhone picture on my Instagram account and Facebook page, the cake received a lot of 'likes' and positive comments. So, I thought I'd share with you how to make it ... after all, this blog is not only going to be about decorating and design but also how to make everyday, extra special, whenever you possibly can. Hence the subtitle, 'Everyday Goodness'.

As far as cakes go, this one is relatively easy. This was the first cake, of this sort, I have made and it turned out just fine. The design is very forgiving and things don't have to be perfect! I could have done my own tutorial however the one I watched below, simply cannot be topped. I followed these instructions for the most part. The only thing I did differently was make a smaller three layer cake which I colored three shades of pink for an ombre effect on the inside. Because the cake was taller I made my flowers a little bigger to accommodate the height.

Click here for link to the tutorial!

Another small detail that I did to make the cake cute was these great, tall candles that you can get at most any party store. Fun!

   

                               
I also love this style of cake plate I used because you can change out the ribbons to add a little more pizazz to your presentation! Seriously you guys, make this cake. You can do it! It really isn't that difficult. Had I known I would be writing a blog post about it, I would have taken my time a little more as well as taken some better pictures!

This might be something you could try over the Easter long weekend for your Sunday gathering. Here is a link for the buttercream icing I used. Always us butter if you can, it tastes so much better!  I quadrupled the recipe and only had a little left over. Buttercream Recipe

I have to apologize for my excessive use of exclamation points but when you are writing about things like birthdays and cake, its hard to keep them to a minimum!!!

Lillie and her friend, Peggy, finishing up the cake at school the following day. I guess they decided against using plates!

Hope this inspires some of you to give this a try. Feel free to ask any questions. I'd be delighted to hear from you! To get sneak peaks of what I'm currently up to, follow me on Instagram! The links to all my social media are under my photo on the top left!

Cheers to the long weekend!
Valerie

Quick Fix

 Let me start by apologizing for the length of time it has taken to publish a new post. I was pleasantly surprised when a few of you reached out looking for a post after my Instagram sneak peak! The weather, mixed with spring break activities, has taken up more time then expected but I did finally finish up a project I started last week.

 Sometimes when you move into a new (to you) but very old home, where everything needs renovation, you sometimes have to opt for a quick fix in some areas. Quick fixes are great as long as you don't invest too much time or money. They can really help you cope with an unsightly area of your home without too much effort.

 That's exactly what I did in a small, back hallway in our home. The walls were in rough shape, the kind of rough shape you know you have to either cover or replace the plaster with sheet rock. At the time I wanted as little mess as possible because we had just undergone a stressful and costly bathroom renovation, right off that particular hallway. Time, mess and money are always a factor in decorating decisions so I decided to wallpaper. I picked a paper that coordinated well with the colors in the other hallways of the house and enlisted a friend to give me a hand. Although wallpaper can be quite costly, this paper wasn't. It was at least 5 years ago since we wallpapered but I remember making the purchase at Benjamin Moore and recall it costing no more than $100.00. We wallpapered for a day and then Paul and I put up some crown moulding, a new light fixture and painted the trim. The wallpaper has done its job for five whole years! I had hoped to do this much sooner but other things always took priority and I was repeatedly told that only someone as fussy as me could see the imperfections of the walls through the paper. Apparently I am the only one in our home who looks at walls!

Not the hallway but if I remember correctly, the same paint colors were used.

 I am sure all you parents can relate when I say that we finally had a weekend where my husband and I were at home together ... no hockey games or tournaments to travel too. Yay! For me that screams PROJECT TIME! I measured, re-measured and did the shopping for materials on Friday and brought them home to get this weekend off to a great DIY start. Mother Nature finally co-operated with lovely weather on Saturday to allow some cutting to be done outside.

                                    

Once everything was painted and ready to go, I cut some brown paper to the size of my frames and roughly laid out how I wanted my celery wall to look. Then I hung my pictures, mostly myself, which is a great accomplishment for me, in itself!

This was actually a pretty straightforward project that mostly required time. The most difficult part was trying to match up the heights of the door frames which were quite varied in this old house. Paul did that part on his own. The rest wasn't difficult at all. Cut tongue and groove to the correct length then tap into place and nail.  We did the same on the ceiling which is actually my favorite part. All that was left was to put the crown back up, caulk, fill nail holes and paint and paint and paint some more.

The paint color is Woodlawn Blue Benjamin Moore. It is difficult to get a true picture of the color because this little hallway is quite dark. The tight quarters, and gloomy days made me put off taking pictures and posting this far too long. (That's a lady bug on the ceiling. Maybe spring is actually coming!)

 Working together we were able to get this done in a couple of days with only a few interruptions   (there is still lots of hockey on TV to be watched) and snack breaks distracting us.

 I had been secretly planning a barn door for this back hallway for quite some time. The old bathroom door opened into the room, often bumping the lovely cabinet used for much needed bathroom storage. A barn door would eliminate this issue. It would also be a cool architectural addition to this small space. I plan to do a separate post about the new trend of barn doors and the building of ours soon.

Just to give you a little perspective about the house and the layout. Straight through the hall is a small TV room for the kids where video games and plenty of Netflix watching happens. To the right is my husbands office. Our house was once two separate residences, one side mirroring the other, which was built by two Sea Captains who were brothers, back in the early 1800's. The house has since been opened up into a one family dwelling with the back portion of the house having very simple trim work. I've been told that these back rooms are where people, who helped with the children and the house upkeep, would have lived. I am not sure about that but our family puts these rooms to good use!

Here are some resources for the hallway:

• Paint on trim and ceiling - Benjamin Moore Delicate White
• Paint on walls - Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue
• Barn door hardware - Kent
• Barn door handle - Home Depot
• Ceramic switch plate - Kent or Amazon
• Light fixture - Kent (special order)
• Frames with oversize mats - Umbra from Kent old
• Large frames - HomeSense
• Smaller Frames - Michaels
• Floral art - Ikea
• Pictures of charming kids - Mine!