Posted by Amy

$5 Blanket Ladder

The $5 Blanket Ladder, Ryobi 6-tool combo kit tool review is sponsored by The Home Depot. I have been compensated for my time and provided with product (tools). All ideas and opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. 

A blanket ladder is one project that we use almost daily at this sherpa blanket loving house. My kids are always toting one around, even in the summer. The blanket ladder makes a super easy place to hang blankets, and in my opinions, looks nice too. 🙂

This blanket ladder costs less than $5 in lumber to make, so it also makes a fantastic Homemade Gift Idea!  We’ve had a 5′ blanket ladder for the past 5 years. I have been meaning to make a new blanket ladder with improvements. This ladder is taller at 72″ (6′), has 6 rungs, optional angled ladder legs (risers) and most important felt pads to protect the wall! My wall paint is overly sensitive. <insert eye roll emoji>

$5 blanket ladder - free plans to build this simple blanket ladder to store your favorite throws!


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Scrap Wood Christmas Tree Ornaments

Can it really be December already? Christmas is just right around the corner. Time to get that Christmas tree put up and decorated! I’ve been using knotty alder in some of my build projects lately, leaving me lots of small 6″ or less cut offs. Looking at my growing pile of scrap wood, I decided to make a few new ornaments to add to my tree. These scrap wood Christmas tree ornaments are a perfect way to use up scrap wood 6″ or less. Plus they are very simple to make.

or the beveled tree

The scrap wood Christmas Trees would pair great with scrap wood Patchwork Stars!

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Craftsman Toy Box Bench

When I was a youngster growing up, we had this great wooden toy box that doubled as a bench.  I remember the bench being able to hold tons of toys and also be a great hide and seek spot.  This new bench plan is a play off of that old toy box bench. I decided to recreate the toy box bench, but in craftsman style…a little more up to date with the current trends.

I found this old gem while trying to find a picture of the old toy box. Ignore the toofless bday girl in the front. That was our old toy box. Apparently my parents didn’t take random pics of just their furniture pieces 35 years ago. ha ha.

The craftsman style version of the toy box bench.  The bench seat or toy box lid, lifts up to reveal a generous storage area.

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Magnetic Christmas Countdown Sign

My kids LOVE counting down holidays and events. My daughter even gets her calendar out and starts counting down to her next birthday…the day after her birthday. 🙂 To say that we love advent calendars around here, would be an understatement. I’m joining in on a Deck the Home Christmas challenge this week, and the theme is wood signs. I had a piece of scrap sheet metal, so I thought it would be fun to make a magnetic Christmas Countdown wood sign. The little golden star helps the kids countdown how many more days until Christmas. Also check out the rest of the wood signs in this challenge at the bottom of the post.

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Dap’s Ultra-Cozy Winterization Giveaway

It’s that time of year, the weather is turning COLD… or maybe it has already turned cold in your neck of the woods. We had a few weeks of sub-freezing temperatures in October, but then we’ve been lucky enough to be back up in the 50’s for a few weeks.  We’ll take the nice fall weather for as long as we can get it. Soon we’ll have snow.  Winter brings unpredictable weather and dropping temperatures. Drafts and leaks in your home can add up on your utility bills. Fall is a perfect time for home winterization before the cold temps.

5 preventative maintenance tips to prepare your home for winter

1 – Stop cold air from getting in

Small cracks and gaps between window frames and doors allow water, insects and cold air to get inside. Seal windows and doors – Protect and keep your home warm by replacing old, cracked of crumbling exterior caulk with new sealant like DynaFlex Ultra. It is mold, mildew and algae resistant. It is made for all-weather and waterproof to protect against cracking, crumbling and discoloring over time.

Use MaxFill expanding sealant to fill any large gaps in plumbing, electrical and cable/phone services leading from the exterior to interior of your home.

2 – Protect your pipes

If you have any exterior water spigots for house water, make sure to remove any connected hoses before it freezes. The water from the hose can trap water in the spigot and crack it, causing big problems later (don’t ask me how I know!) 🙂 If you have any pipes in your home that pass through unheated areas, like crawlspaces, insulate them with foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation. In extreme temperature areas, you may need to use heating tape before insulation.

3 – Defend against pests

Avoid issues with mice and other pests trying to join your family this winter by sealing gaps and cracks inside your garage, attic, basement, under sinks or around pipe/electrical pass-throughs using DAP Mouse Shield. It is specially treated to block mice, birds, bats and tree squirrels, as well as insects. The foam also works to seal and insulate gaps.

4 – Clean your furnace filter

If your furnace filter is dirty, your furnace has to work harder. Regularly changing the filters in your central air and heating system can significantly improve it’s efficiency. Most filters should be changed each month, but higher end filters can be changed as little as every 6 months.

5 – Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

When the furnace is working harder in the winter, unfortunately, there is also a spike in carbon monoxide poisoning incidents. Protect your home and family by making sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working by using the test button on each device. I don’t know about you, but my smoke detector batteries only go dead at 2am, making us frantically run around to find which detector is low. ha ha 🙂

Dap Giveaway

To help you and your home keep ultra-warm and cozy this winter, DAP is giving away a fabulous winterization giveaway.

Dap is giving 1 lucky winner:

  • Dap Products: DynaFlex Ultra, MaxFill insulation, Mouse Shield insulation
  • 4 soft and cozy sherpa blankets
  • 2 pairs of Hot Feet heated socks
  • Ironclad work gloves
  • Ghiradelli hot cocoa

Enter the Giveaway!

Giveaway runs from Nov 16, 2019 – Nov 30, 2019. Open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The prize package for this giveaway is courtesy of DAP Products!