Hello Boudreau

Supplies:

Jig-Saw ($29.99 at Home Depot! Works great!)

Sander / Sand Paper

Drill
2x4 Piece of Plywood (3/4” width suggested)
Paint
3/4" paddle drill bit
1/2" round drill bit
String Lights
Super Glue
Vinyl Vertical Blinds
Hammer & Nails

The first thing you need to do is find a font for your letter. Print the letter as large as you want it to be on paper, cut it out and trace it on to the plywood. Next, use your jig-saw to carefully cut out the letter. First time using the jig-saw! nailed it! After your letter is cut, use the sander to smooth the edges and surface so theres no splintering wood pieces.
Next I removed the big bulbs from the string lights to lay them on the letter and mark where I needed to drill the holes. I drilled the holes for the bulbs, painted the letter blue, and glued the bulbs into each hole. Remember they don't have the string lights in them yet.
For the border around the letter I decided to use Vinyl Vertical Blinds instead of aluminum flashing. The metal most people use for these marquee letters is very sharp and I didn't even want to attempt cutting it. The vinyl blinds were flexible and worked perfectly! Just nail the border into place. After the border was on, I added some detailing to my letter so it didn't look plain.
Next you put the string lights back into each bulb and tape it to the back of the letter so it stays in place.

I've been wanting a pair of brass etageres for as long as I can remember. I knew I couldn't afford most of the one's I'd seen on websites like 1st Dibs so I continued to check Craigslist and garage sales religiously. One magical Saturday morning I saw the most perfect pair of rusted brass and copper etageres I'd ever laid eyes on. All they needed was a little TLC and they would be perfect for my roommate and I's little bungalow.

Happy Thursday!

For my version of the Ikea Rast Hack I decided to upholster the chest with a heavy-duty linen fabric. I've seen upholstered furniture a lot lately and am loving the soft look it brings to a room.
I completed my project by following the simple steps in a DIY video from Martha Stewart called, "Linen-Wrapped Table How-To" instructed by Christophe Pourny.
Step 1: Starch and iron your linen so it's crisp and has no wrinkles.

Step 2: Apply Minwax Gloss Polycrylic Protective Finish to the side of the wood you want to upholster with a paint brush. While still wet, place the linen over the wood board.

Step 3: Iron dry over the linen fabric on the wood board, this permanently adheres the fabric to the Ikea Rast.

Step 4: Cut the corners of linen at 45-degree angle; fold and crease fabric to make the corners even. Apply poly-acrylic finish to edges; iron to keep it in place and trim excess corner fabric with the razor blade. (This was the hardest step for me, watching the Martha Stewart video a few extra times really helped!)

Step 5: Apply topcoat of poly-acrylic finish to the entire Ikea Rast. This is optional but it will protect your fabric from spills or stains with a clear shiny coat. I did not do this step because I like the texture feeling of the linen.
Step 6: Add hardware of your choice. I bought my ring pulls from Lee Valley Tools and my nail heads from a local fabric store.

What's your favorite Ikea hack? Have you tried any yourself?