Herringbone Bathroom Bins

I've been thinking about storage bins on our floating bathroom shelves for many moons nows. I wanted our storage bins to have textural interest like our pebble backsplash, trim tile, and mirror and lo and behold, I came across Ashley of naptimediy.com's gorgeous herringbone storage box tutorial using shims. The herringbone pattern that I love + texture from the angled shims = Win! :)

The best news? They were a simple 10 steps to make from start to finish!

Toddler Friendly Bathroom

When most of our renovation zone house was safe enough and my daughter moved upstairs with us 3 weeks ago, we brought up her old potty chair and an underbed storage container that we've used for 2 years as her "within-bathtub-tub."  In our 5 x 8 bathroom, these two items were functional clutter.  I knew they were helpful for us, but I'd have to move them from place to place to access things we needed.  We resolved these issues by purchasing two products and love the improved function they give us and the instant return to less clutter on our bathroom floor.

1:  The Potty... Pooper
Problem:  Our daughter's potty chair was hard to rush to and also blocked the hamper area of our bathroom
Solution:    BEMIS NextStep Elongated Closed Front Toilet Seat in White ($52.62 via Home Depot)

It's a strange thing to say, but I truly appreciate that
toilet seat.

First, I considered replacing the original seat that came with our Kohler Santa Rosa one piece toilet because it got scratched fairly well while we renovated the bathroom and didn't think to protect it.  I didn't count the number of times I dropped a drill on it, but it shows.  :)

We splurged a little and used our Home Depot consumer credit card to purchase a quiet close toilet seat that had a toddler sized potty seat attachment.  Now, our daughter's potty is integrated with our potty, and as a bonus, the larger seats do not slam (although the toddler seat can).  Also, the toilet seat can be easily unsnapped from the toilet, making our one piece toilet even easier to clean.  And the best part is, since I used my HD card, I can pay for this seat over 6 months.  Basically, for less than the price of a restaurant lunch every month ($10), we were able to solve our potty problem.

The toilet itself is still too high for my daughter, but at least rushing with her into the bathroom doesn't require hitting my knees on obstructions like the shower anymore.  If only we can solve the potty training problem, we'd be golden.  :)

2:  The Non-Bathtub Tub
Problem:  Our daughter was outgrowing her underbed storage container "tub" and our bathroom had little space to store it.
Solution:  OXO Good Grips Tub Stopper ($8.99 via Amazon)

Most people choose a bathtub in the bathroom, especially if they have children, but bathtubs have only made me nervous when it comes to our daughter.  The sides are too high for her to step over, tubs are made of hard, dangerous  material, and they can easily fill up with too much water.  All of these safety hazards were a concern, so when my husband spotted a corner shower, with a low shower pan and design we loved, we did not hesitate to pull out our old tub (repurposing it as a planter outside), and install a shower.

"After" the tub stopper.  Less clutter, more space.

Our daughter certainly outgrew her little storage tub now that she is 3, and it struck us that the entire shower pan is liken to the perfect kiddy pool.  It has low walls, but high enough to hold 2-3 inches of water.  It is wide enough for our toddler to bathe and play in and there are doors to keep the splashing contained.  All we needed was a tub stopper, and the OXO Good Grips one works so well for us for little extra money.  All I do is cover the drain with the silicone stopper and fill the shower pan with water, close the shower door, and let my daughter swim in her pool.

Especially since it is summer, I let my daughter get as dirty as she wants outside and when it gets the hottest, between noon and 2, I tell her it's "pool time."  The stopper keeps the water in, and when she's done, she moves it out of the way and drains the tub herself.  She "swims" and splashes without reserve leaving a happy toddler and happy mommy.  :)


Who would have thought that with a stopper, a corner shower would be THE best toddler "tub" ever for us.

Sometimes, a well-timed purchase makes all the difference and these two purchases turned our "adult" bathroom into one perfect for our toddler.  :)

Herringbone Console Table, Legs

Also: Herringbone Console Table, Table Top

Our herringbone console table is now sturdy, painted, and awaiting the final coats of stain before Wipe-On Poly.  I disassembled the legs and supports, cut the table nearly 2 inches shorter, added more pocket hole screws, and on the second try and second weekend of work, the table seems ready to go!  I first saw this console table on Ana-White.com and considered it as one of my first building projects.  Once I saw a similar console table, but with little "3 inch feet" by Caitlin at Desert Domicile, I determined to build it.  I hope ours will look as amazing as Caitlin's once we have things to put on top of it.  :)

My 6:00 pm cell phone photograph of the (mostly) completed table.  I am glad I am able to stain the top separately from the painted legs.  Once the stain is the color I want, I'll use pocket hole screws to attach the top to the top stretchers, seal everything, and it will finally be done!  =D

Materials:

Console Table Legs

4 - 2x2x8 $12
Valspar sample of "Mystique" in Satin $3

Cheese cloth $1.80

Tack cloth $1.70

Miter saw, wood glue (Titebond III), clamps, wood filler, sand paper and sanding block, pocket hole jig, pocket hole screws, Olympic Semi-Gloss white paint, Wipe-On Poly, rag for cleaning  Already owned

The amount I paid is based on pricing in Hawai'i. 
The herringbone console table legs cost $18.50 to build and the majority of my Saturday, again.

As the herringbone table top component cost me $12.50, the total cost of this herringbone console table was $31 to build and finish, which is $13 more than the inspiration piece. 

Process:

The cut 2x2s, sized for the herringbone table top, with pocket hole screws.

I used clamps my brother had purchased a year or two ago to hold the side supports in place, which was helpful so I could screw in the pocket holes without the wood slipping out of place.

Hand screwing in the pocket holes solved my problem from last weekend.  My drill would strip the screws, and the pocket hole would crack and break.  Screwing the screws by hand avoided this trouble, thankfully!  To attach the front and back stretchers, I laid the leg sides and screwed in the stretchers on the floor, to use gravity to my advantage in keeping things flush.  I then flipped over the table and repeated the same procedure on the opposite two stretchers.

I sanded down the table top, even though I had stained it last weekend.  Some spots of glue had dried and did not get stained, but I didn't notice this until the stain had become dark enough.  I re-stained today, following a similar procedure as last weekend.

The console table sits under our mirrored wall clock ($20 from Ross).  I would like to continue layering Dark Walnut stain over the table top until the color resembles the depth of color of the wall clock and flooring.

Here it is: our 8.5" wide console table at the kitchen entryway of our not-yet-lived-in apartment.  Need to get back to work on sewing slipcovers and black curtains next month for that living room!  A dining table and coffee table are in the planning stages as well.  :)

Herringbone Console Table, Top

Also: Herringbone Console Table, Legs

After looking at my storage of wood, I wanted to try my own version of this chevron table top from Addicted2Decorating.  However, lacking a circular saw or another way to make straight, long cuts, I decided to make a herringbone pattern instead.

We stacked and aligned blocks, making and disassembling patterns, my 3 year old girl and I, her mother 9 times her senior.  Our weekends have been wood-er-ful and my little helper has been so willing to work and encourage.  :)

This is what we have so far and the journey we've taken to get here:

Materials:

Console Table Top    

1 - 1/2" plywood 4'x8" $2.50 (leftover from bathroom floating shelves)

~5 - 1x2x4 douglas fir strips $7.00 (scrap pieces leftover from bathroom floating shelves, 2 - $1 pieces from City Mill discount area, 2 - $2.50 1x2s)

5 - 3/4"x1"x4' $3 (leftover from bathroom floating shelves)

Miter saw, wood glue (Titebond III), wood filler, sand paper and sanding block, damp rag for cleaning  Already owned

The amount I paid is based on pricing in Hawai'i. 
The herringbone table top cost $12.50 to build and the majority of my Saturday.

Process:

I started this project with my little helper, and my "best buddy."  She gets excited to work with me on projects, especially if it involves painting, or stacking many little blocks.

While my daughter ate breakfast with her grandma, I cut the pieces of the herringbone pattern with my little miter saw.  I cut square pieces and rectangular pieces about twice the width of the square piece.

I glued together 3/4" x 1/2" strips to create the ledge that would frame the herringbone pattern.

My daughter helped me dry fit the block pieces before we spent the rest of the morning gluing the pieces together.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying each other and letting the glue set.  At night, I returned to our block experiment and filled in all the cracks with wood filler.  After filling, I wiped the surface with a damp cloth, much like grouting tile. I sanded the surface lightly and then called it a night.

The next day, I glued the solid herringbone top to a leftover plywood plank and glued the frame edging I had prepared the day before.  I filled all the crevices with wood filler again, wiped, and sanded and set it aside to set and dry, again.

On this President Day Monday, my daughter and I woke, then let a crisp release of air as I opened these old containers of Golden Oak and Red Oak stain. 

 Using Q-tips to keep my daughter's hands clear of stain and cotton balls for me, I marked zig-zag territory for the Red Oak, while my daughter stained the frame Red Oak.

I applied a coat of Golden Oak zig-zags.  We continued this twice, then I went over the entire surface with Watco Danish Oil in Black Walnut, which reduced the above affect greatly.

Although the staining is only halfway done, this is what the table top looked like.  I appreciate how the initial Golden Oak and Red Oak stains were not entirely in vain. Even if covered by a darker stain, each section has taken on a slightly different wood tone, which was the subtle difference I was hoping to attain.