Have I told you lately how amazing you are?
Seriously.
When they were handing out readers….
…..they knew I needed good ones.
For example, when I first posted pictures of this front entry there was a deer head hanging on this wall
Here’s a picture of the wall circa two weeks ago.
Several of you pointed out that the deer head was a little too flat and a little too small for this space.
And that the planter looked a little too oddly tall.
And you were right.
That’s why we are friends. Friends don’t let friends have too tall planters and flat deer heads on the wall.
I hadn’t really looked at it. But then I did. And I knew that deer head had to go.
And now the space looks like this.
The deer head happily went to visit another space and I created this DIY industrial farmhouse organizer to fill the space.
It was so easy to make.
All you need are baskets and wood.
And a village to help you decorate. 🙂
I started with these baskets.
Simple, basic that you can find at most home decor stores.
I loved the gray patina of them.
Then I stained a 16″ x 48″ board from Lowe’s that I found in the lumber section already cut like this.
I bought weathered grain stain thinking it would compliment the baskets.
Ummm….not so much.
The gray turned out blue.
Can you move down the street so when I buy gray weathered stain you can tell me I should have bought the dark oak stain instead?
Please?
But you weren’t around, so I sanded it to see if that would help.
Better.
But now it was distressed and blue.
So I stained it with Provincial stain instead.
And realized it wasn’t dark enough and maybe I should distress it some more and so I stained it again.
And now it looks like this.
And this.
And this.
And I filled the baskets with some milk glass (great place to put my keys).
I added a to-do-list and pencils.
And now I love the look of the new space.
Thank you for your suggestions.
Thank you for your comments and encouragement and ideas and little bits of joy that you share with me every day.
And thanks for being part of my village. 🙂
PS If you’re looking for more project ideas…I’m sharing four fun chalkboard projects today over at Homes.com.
It looks great! I think it is an improvement over the previous version. Don't you love a simple project that seems to make all the difference in your home? I find the simplest things make such a huge impact on our life. I have a feeling this organizer set up will turn out to be worth its weight in gold (or maybe stain). :)
Karianne, I'm loving the new use of this space. Cute and organized. What more could you want? Kerry
Love it for sure!!! I am such a fan of baskets of any type. I have quite a few around my house.
Wow KariAnn, I love this project. It's the perfect piece for the wall and a great companion to the tabletop accessories. Thanks for always inspiring! Shelly
Love!!!!
I've never thought of putting naked ladies in a pail like you did!! Thanks for BOTH inspirations!!
Loved the naked ladies also called surprise lilies too!!!
Soo much better! I am for sure stealing this idea for a spot by the garage door for the mail and keys! Thank you :)
Love the new look! The board is the perfect color and scale of pieces is just right. Love it when a project comes together!
That is so perfect. Never wooda known there use to be a deer head in that spot. Love it!
SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Love it!
KariAnne, That is so refreshing! A whole new purpose! Love it! Smiles, alice
Love the changes...so cute and practical! Can you tell me a little more about the watercolorapp when you get some time? I have been looking for a good one of these and I love the picture a reader did of your house. Have a great Monday!
Try Waterlogue - I learned about it from this blog and have used it many times!
I love this project, Karianne! And I can imagine it would be great made horizontally for a space, as well! Thanks for sharing!
You know I could just look at pictures of your house and property all day long. It's so refreshingly beautiful and your way of telling your story is delightful! I can always count on your blog to put a smile on my face and a hop in my step. I LOVE your spaces and your creativity.
I love that you hung the baskets on a board. I wouldn't have thought of that. I would have hung them directly onto the wall thinking the gray stripe and gray baskets complimented each other and they probably wouldn't have even showed up. Love your taste!
Another amazing project...and YOU are amazing!
Hi Karianne, I like this version better too. Great idea for storage which you can never, ever have too much of-lol. This is a great way to make the space attractive and functional, a tough combo to achieve sometimes. Hmm, I see boards and baskets in my short-term future. Hope you have a lovely day.
Isn't it great that you can change the look so easily. It is so nice we live in a time when old things look amazing. Even better that we can make new things look older. Love your house.
That is such a clever idea for your front entry way! I think you have excellent ideas and share them so nicely ~~Thanks!
Bravo, bravo!! Excellent work, I'm so inspired!
Are those naked ladies by your front door???
Actually love the hint of blue that comes through. And what a great, useful design, and proportionate to the space, too!
Love it! the color of the board is great too. Sometimes our mistakes make our pieces. The gray you did to begin with gives a great contrast to the baskets. Just enough of it shows. Great Job!
Ooooo...milk glass! Containers within a container and hung on the wall. Practical and perfect and totally unexpected! My absolute favorite combination.
Looks great! I love it and the scale of the accessories is perfectly done. I never really looked closely at the other arrangement with the deer until now. If you loved it then, that is all that matters, but if you love it better now, then Yeehaa! It's a home run :)
Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much." Guess it does take a village even with decorating. Happy Monday!
You know...most bloggers don't appreciate comments that criticize their decorating...you are the exception. Not only do you actually listen...but you act on their suggestions. You truly are a ROCK STAR! Love what you did! ;)
Love the change and I must say that small table isn't too shabby either, pretty, pretty Cindy
I cannot believe you received comments about that entry. Actually, I can. I've received some whammo's. Your entry was pretty, before. Looks great now, too! Where did you get that cute deer head, by the way? Thanks! Trish
The entrance looks great. Pleas post where you got the little table. Thanks in advance.
You are quite kind to invite comments. I feel you are amazing to share all you do. Julia at Hooked on Houses is another woman I totally admire.
What a perfect project that truly could be used in just about every room. Some times a nudge of inspiration can become a jumping off point to other possibilities. Happy Monday! By the way, there are many blogs out there, but your down home style of writing mixed with your delightful humor, along with innovative ideas for crafts and home decor, equals happy readers ;^) .
And now this space is wearing bright red lipstick! And is just as amazing as the original red lipstick!
Your new space looks wonderful and it may have taken a while but it came out just right :-) Now, there are many deer lovers out there and in case your missing not having a BIG deer head let me volunteer one or two from the herd that wanders our neighborhood. We live in town :-(. You can always make sausage or deer salami from the rest of the *ahem* carcass. I will send the recipes. The heads with antlers look great hanging on top of a fireplace mantle or they make great coat and hat hooks. If you're short on towel hooks they are great for that too. Oh! You don't have to paint them or anything but lights at Christmas time are a nice touch. Have a wonderful day. I love your hall entrance!!
It's fun being in your village Chief Lady Thistle:D Looks good both ways. Love that table!
Looks fantastic and a better use of space! Especially IF you enter and exit that door.
I liked both versions. I always read everyone's comments so I had to look back to see "naked ladies". I never knew there was a flower by that name. AND, I am I ever glad there is! My favorite thing is the milk glass inside the wire baskets. I love how you think outside the basket/box!
Definitely an improvement. Bambi was not the best item for that wall. Normally, I would say yes, go with blue on the wood, but the dark stain really stands out and pops on the wall. Love the milk glass inside the baskets; layering is always good. Don't lose your keys!
Your blog showing your talent is one of the best. I wander how these KNOW-IT-ALL people decorate their homes?? You have a beautiful home so do not pay any attention to tackless people that have nothing better to do than criticise other people's talent. I hope they read this. Keep up the wonderful work and the very pleasant attitude!
You are so darn cute and funny! Love everything you do and I also wear bright red lipstick. Could you do a blog post or periscope on how you lost weight? I am struggling every day!
If we weren't over a thousand miles away from one another, I would predict many days of having sweet tea with you at your house and coming up with décor ideas for each others' homes. The wall thingy looks great!
WOW.... Thank you for telling us about your finishing trial and error process. Too many times those details get conveniently skipped, resulting in frustrated DIYers whose projects don't go perfectly the first time. A key concept in art and finishing is that sometimes your best results come from rescuing a process that didn't work as anticipated.
Karianne, the font at the beginning of your post "organizer" what is it. And one other thing, I just don't think I could tell you anything was this way or that way, if you like it, then it is right.
Oh! I am loving that wall organizer. Great job! It fills the space beautifully!
I love it!! The color of the stain is perfect. Your entry looks fabulous. It looked fabulous before too! Kathy
Oh much, much better! Now it looks balanced. And I like the contrast of dark wood with the silver baskets - good call on that one. :-) It would be great fun to talk about and do projects together. Wish we could all just be down the road from each other! Hugs, Cecilia
I'm curious to know who cuts all that grass with the riding mower?! You -- or hubby? :) I can totally see you on the mower, KariAnne.
You make it look so easy
Masterfully done, as usual. And an entertaining post as well. Thank you for the continuing inspiration!
Beautiful and functional entryway, KarriAnne. I just love your style!
So beautiful but also useful- love the change up.
And this is why I don't blog...I can't put my vulnerable self out there, but you handle it with grace! I don't know what we would do without the routine of hanging our keys by the door. The organization is great. Love the metal/wood combo!
OMGosh, we're the village people!! Hahaha! Seriously love all you do. : )
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I gotta admit - I didn't love the deer head, but I love the organizer - much better!!!
I love this! And I think the stain turned out beautiful!
It's a pinner for sure. Now I am picturing it all over my house.
It looks great! I can imagine something similar in my son's room (which is currently undergoing a makeover). Hugs, Michelle from simlysantabarbara.blogspot.com
karianne, I love the new farmhouse organizer you made! I like this look much better. Very pretty and organized! Love the addition of the milk glass to hold keys and pencils. You totally inspired me to get my entryway more organized before my 4 kiddos head back to school. Thanks so much for sharing this at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link. You blog is one of my absolute favorites and I honored that you would share one of your beautiful projects on mine:). Anytime you want to come over and tell me what I doing wrong and be part of my village you are welcome! I hope you have a fun week planned. Take care, tara
It looks great. I had to chuckle at the naked ladies lilies though. I've always heard them called resurrection lilies. Whatever you call them they look great.
KariAnne, I love the addition of your new industrial organizer! We need something like this by our front door, or maybe in the kitchen to wrangle up all that mail and whatnot. Thank you so much for sharing on Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! I am pinning and sharing on my FB feed. I hope we'll see you there again next week! Cat
I love the industrial look and your organizer is awesome! Thank you for sharing it with us at the Brag About It Link Party! ~Laurie
That looks great. I really love it. I might do something similar in my kitchen. Thanks for the idea. :) #ShineBlogHop
So cute. I love love love the gray stripes.
I love the new look - and very practical too.