Saturday, January 17, 2015

Ikea Litter Box Hack



2017 UPDATE: I can't believe how many views and repins on Pinterest this article got, thank you all for your support. I'm so glad everyone loves this content. We still use our Ikea litter box hack to this day and absolutely love it! Thanks for stopping by and supporting our blog, I'm currently hoping to come back and start producing content again but am currently working on building  faithfilledhome.com    :) 


We all know that every indoor cat comes along with that lovely EYESORE of a litter box.  So I found myself searching for a solution to hide this box but no matter what shape or color you make them, they still seem to scream "Hey, I'M A LITTER BOX!" And please don't even get me started on the prices....I am pretty sure I was making the same face she was in the picture above when I found out what these would be costing.





I immediately began looking into litter box "covers" as I knew I wanted to actually cover the litter box. My two main options are pictured above. I could pick between something that was bulky and took up more space than the night stand in my room or I could pick something made out of plastic wicker that still seemed to give off that litter box vibe.



After much deliberation I made my decision....NEITHER. I opted to try to make something half the price and much more appealing with my home decor. I came across this beauty at IKEA, listed at $59.99, it does seem somewhat pricey but let's get serious, I was actually considering spending almost $200 on a bulky cabinet to hide my cat's bathroom. I took measurements of my litter box and compared them with the dimensions listed online and it fit perfectly (my litter box even has the hood cover and it fits!) What I love about this is it even has room to store her extra litter and supplies.





















Now on to the DIY! I first purchased my "chest" as IKEA calls them. They come in two different colors and I picked the "gray" version. The wicker is durable enough that it will hold up overtime but still thin enough that you can cut it with little effort (wire cutters were my tool of choice.) I took my cats litter box and placed it inside the chest. Since the chest is partially see through when looking closely, I was able to trace with a pencil (I strongly suggest pencil as it is very forgiving) where I needed to cut out her entrance. I recommend looking at your basket and litter box entrance and cutting as close as possible to the main supports running vertically. Not only is this more convenient when getting a straight looking entrance but also makes your entrance much more durable. 





















After doing this I hot glued twice around the hole. The first to secure the bond between the woven wicker and the vertical supports. The second so I could place ribbon around the entrance, giving it an overall finished look. My ribbon was actually holding two decorative pillows together that I purchased from Home Goods. The color went perfectly! And that's it, the whole project took me LESS THAN AN HOUR and now I don't have to look at that eyesore of a litter box. Total Cost: $59.99




I personally feel the chest, although large, still feels airy because of the wicker texture. You could style the top of this and I swear people would have no idea it was hiding that dreadful litter box! I chose not to display anything on the top of mine because I try to clean my cat's box every other day and I feel objects on top might be too much of a hassle. I did however buy a scarf at Goodwill for only .99 cents, folded it a few times, and then made it peek out of the chest, making it look like a throw blanket, disguising the litter box even more.

WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?! 
This chest is collapsible when you go to IKEA they are collapsed in their packaging. This means each side of the basket has a hinge and screws. These screws give you the option of taking your chest apart and changing the sides of the basket, giving you the ability to put the entrance on either side! This is a nice bonus because if you ever move or change the location of your basket it caters to YOUR design needs.

Hope all you cat lover's enjoyed this DIY! faith filled home

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Creating Space that is YOU!


I feel that we as humans are influenced so heavily by others and are drawn to things we feel we should be drawn to and not just things we personally prefer. I can easily see how someone walks into a home décor store and feels pressured to make choices that they feel their friends will like or items that portray a certain look. I have found myself doing this many of times, such as basing the color scheme of my bedroom off of the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Or like buying one specific collection through Target's home décor line only to come home and after looking at it for a week realize it’s not even a color or pattern I am in love with and end up returning all of it. 



Here’s a huge secret of mine: I didn’t decorate my new bedroom for over a year and a half. Yes, A YEAR AND A HALF! I always felt pressured into liking a certain thing that I never had the guts to paint or buy because I knew it wasn’t really me. After looking at this situation I finally decided to bite the bullet and put my FIRST nail in the wall and hang some stuff up. I am obsessed with wall art collages and recommend everyone add one to some wall within their home. I feel this wall tells a story - my story - and I am so glad it’s the first thing I see when I wake up, the thing I look at while I type this blog, and the thing that I created all on my own (not counting the help from my dad that took place during the hanging process, thanks dad!) This is how to create a space that is truly YOU…on a budget of course!


I first started with three main items, the long shelf I already had from my mom, zero dollars. The large frame was wood tone; it was a freebie from my aunt, also zero dollars. And finally the smaller shelf I found at my local goodwill, it was only a buck! I spray painted the large frame and small shelf with a 98 cent can of black matte finish spray paint from Walmart.


I then added smaller frames to the mix and filled them with art, handpicked off of the best site in the world, wait for it, wait for it…..PINTEREST! These smaller frames were a mix, some I had lying around and some my boyfriend had given me that were his grandmothers, which I felt added even more of a sentimental touch! The large gold braided frame I bought at a thrift store for only 50 cents, it was missing the glass but still had the card board backing. I painted the cardboard backing with chalk paint and VOILA, a changing piece of art. Most recently it’s been rocking that arrow art. I did a little IKEA hack and turned one of their basic frames into a shadow box, I filled it with 100 roses my boyfriend had once given me. This was a great way to display them without taking up so much space, let me know if you’d be interested in seeing this DIY!


Finally time to fill in all the gaps. This was my absolute favorite part and had so much fun picking out pieces that I loved and expressed who I am. The sun mirror was only three dollars at my local goodwill AND I got it for 50% off, YAY! It was originally silver but I bought a small can of gold spray paint from Walmart. I’ll have to leave the name of it in the comments; I know I found it in the craft section because it wasn’t too shiny like the rest of the golds that were in the spray paint section. Along with the sun I also spray painted the small cat figurine (something my mom had lying around), gotta have those cats! Along with those three keys which were actually great quality and I found them in the Michael’s craft store dollar section! The top shelf I decided to display my Alice in Wonderland shadow book, custom made by me of course (comment or message me if you’d like to see a tutorial on this!) I ended up pairing the shadow book with a tarnished sterling silver creamer that I thrifted, since I felt there tea party vibe played off of one another so well. And there you have it, a space created by me, for me! And guess what? I absolutely love it!

The total project cost me under $10, and I don’t know about you but it certainly doesn’t look like a ten dollar wall to me! Again, this has to be one of my all-time favorite projects. You can customize these walls anyway you like, fill those frames and shelves up with the pretty things that YOU love!

Just an added bonus, a few pictures of my favorites up close and personal...