Dining room ledge

We put up board & batten in our dining room & I really, really love it.  But I'll be honest... when we moved in, decorating above the ledge was not Hannah's top priority.  We randomly threw things up there when we were unpacking if we weren't sure where else to put them.  It looked like a mish-mash of a few picture frames and some other nick-nacks.  So... Goal #1 for last weekend: decorate the ledge and make it look cohesive & planned.  Goal #2:  Don't spend a lot of money doing it.  Here's how it turned out.

This was the random collection that originally ended
up on the ledge after we moved in.  Not my fav.

Step 1: Went to Value Village thrift store &
picked up a bunch of random picture frames.

Step 2: Got this dirty window from the free pile
at Architectural Salvage downtown. 

Step 3: Arranged everything on
the ledge how I wanted it.

Step 4: Bought spray paint from Home Depot.

Step 5: Arranged everything on a
tarp outside to be painted.

Step 6:  Painted frames & window Antique White 

Step 7:  Cleaned & scraped the window.

Step 8:  Got some photos developed at Costco
and arranged them in the frames.

Step 9:  Arranged everything on the ledge.  :)

We got this in Nicaragua this summer. 

And we got these in Nicaragua too.  :)

Overall it only cost about $30.  I can handle that.

I also got this at Value Village for $3!
I love these little pitchers.

Especially when they have flowers in them.   :)

I really love my dining room.  :)  The biggest reason I love my dining room is because we're actually able to have more than 2 friends over at a time and we all have seats to sit in!

Board & batten in the dining room

Our house is old and has a lot of character...which is one of the main reasons I fell in love with it.  In the kitchen, there is a shelf going around under the windows & I wanted to continue that idea into the dining room.  Since I love the look of board & batten and the added dimension it gives to a room, it was an easy decision.  Board & batten, here we come!

First we put a 1x6 board around the room

Then we put a 1x4 board on top for the ledge 

Then we marked off lines for the vertical slats

Then we had to cut boards into 1x2 slats

And put caulk on the back

And nail them to the wall 

You can't really see it, but we added a lip to the ledge so things won't fall off

Then painted it white. Voila. Board & batten.  :)

I really love how it turned out & can't wait to find fun things & fun pictures to put around the shelf.  There's a lot of shelf space, though...so it might take a while!