DIY: Rustic Entryway

So naturally, I got the brilliant idea of creating a small entryway and coat rack AFTER the winter weather has come and gone through Texas and JUST IN TIME for the approaching heat wave. Makes sense, right?

I mean, coat racks CAN hold more than coats. Beach towels, purses, leashes, you name it. There needed to be a gathering place for all of those items and I had just the perfect blank space to make it happen for less than $50. Here's how:

1.) Saw this cute cream bench at HomeGoods one day sitting all by its lonesome on a back corner shelf marked 'CLEARANCE'. Originally $60, the bench was marked down to $25 for having the broken cross-bar. No problem - into the cart it went! Brought it home, flipped it over, and removed both cross-bars so I could slide my reclaimed barn wood crate underneath to house our living room blankets. It fit perfectly in the space!

2) Next - I was out on the hunt for a two-for-one coat rack and shelving unit. I wanted to be able to hang items, while also having the option of a shelf for pictures or display items. I looked around at a few places, purchased a total of three units, but ended up settling on this one from Hobby Lobby for about $20 with my coupon.

3) To add some character to the shelf, I went ahead and also snagged some numbered stencils from Hobby Lobby (around $3) and used some craft paint I had to bring the numbers to life. *Side Note* - I'm not sure when the vintage numbers trend started to become all the rage, but I am loving it. I'll always know I have a total of "5" hooks on my entryway - should I ever forget ;)

4) Ta-Da! That's it! Once the coat rack was up on the wall and the bench seat was in place, all I did was add a couple of our photos and jackets that had been previously draped over our bar stools.

It was such a fun and inexpensive project to complete, and I really think it added some flavor (and function!) to the room ~~ Can't wait to see your entryway spaces!

BEFORE & AFTER:

{ TRUTH TIME! - A Letter To Myself }

Say Girl,

Since announcing your Dosser Design & Decor venture, you have had it your to-do list (along with many other projects for your biz) to “begin blogging regularly”. What happen? Why no blog post? Why can’t you just admit blogging kind of gives you anxiety? Girl, who are you fooling and why are you trying to keep yourself all together? #Antiperfectionism #unapologetic

Enough is enough. You don’t have to be doing something because everyone else is. You especially don’t have to be doing anything that you don’t enjoy doing.

Stop feeling the pressure to exhaust your creative muscles. You’re missing the point and you’re taking the fun out of it. Stop comparing yourself to others, their blogs, their homes, their budgets, their photography, their followers, their projected lives, their style, their personality, etc..etc.. Just STOP.

Stop feeling as though every DIY project and every sketch of yours has to come to fruition within 24 hours or else you’re a failure. JUST STOP. This is suppose to be something you enjoy doing, not something you dread or resent. This is YOUR OUTLET, not your punishment. Show gratitude and appreciation for that.

Stop letting the endless demands and lengthy to-do list prevent you from enjoying your home for what is it right now, and more importantly from enjoying the people in it. That is, after all, what home is all about - the people you share it with. Not your possessions that fill it.

Relax. Breathe. Have Fun. Be inspired by others, but stay in your lane. Run your own course. Your home is uniquely yours and everything in it should be a reflection of the people that fill it and the lives you lead. Forget styles, trends, categories, and rules. Simply do what you love because YOU LOVE IT. Do what you can, what you can afford, when you can get to it. 

And be realistic about how much you can do at one time. There is always always always time tomorrow to finish your project. And if there isn’t a tomorrow, well then finishing your project never mattered much anyway. Again, enjoy the process. Stop when it becomes stressful. Stop when tiffs between you and your newly-hubs ignite, and when your starting to lose sleep over paint color. That’s just silly! Put down the paint brush and step away, crazy lady. Laugh it off and pick back up later. You’re a finisher - you don’t have to worry about how you might be perceived if you don’t finish when you had planned to or when you might have said you would. Relax. You will! You got this!

Ultimately, take pride in the journey of your home and your business, and recognize the blessing you have been given to be able to do what it is you LOVE for a living. Hold yourself to a standard of grace, not perfection.

Oh, and don’t look now, but you just completed your long-awaited blog post :)

P.S. The whole you being in your wedding dress in these photos doesn’t have much relevance to the blog post, but it worked out that you were reading a letter in them!

Love,

Me.