Refinishing Fun

I picked up an old frame at the local antique gallery a few weeks ago for 15.00. It had been painted red, which doesn't match our living area, but it was just what I had been looking for. It's a simple frame but it has and understated elegance. You may not see it's potential in this picture but you will in the finished product.

I had also bought a beautiful table off of Craigslist. It was about 23" inches tall, too tall to be our coffee table. The shape and size was perfection though. Again, it was simple with an understated elegance. I find that those types of pieces mix well with mid-century items. The picture below shows the table in it's taller/pre-stripped state.

These projects have been calling to me, so today I spent my time stripping off layers of paint and old varnish. This is how the table looked after it had gone one round with paint stripper.

After much more scrapping, washing, and sanding the table finally looked like this.

Since we'll be using this as our coffee table, we had to cut the legs down to 17". That made the table 18.5" high including it's top. Here is a picture of the table with it's freshly shortened legs. Sorry about the picture quality. I couldn't find my camera and had to take pictures with my cell phone. The battery was so low that it wouldn't flash. Ahhh, just another day in my life. ;)

I'm not sure what color we'll finish it. I'm going to deal with it in it's natural state for a few days before I tackle the finish but look for it's makeover pictures to be posted soon. Meanwhile, I'll recoup from the chemical burns I suffered when the paint remover ate through my so-called chemical resistante gloves and flicked onto my legs and arms while using a brush to get the detailing.

Now... what about that old red frame? Well, it got a mini makeover. I took it down to the natural wood with just a little of the bottom layer of stain left, vaguely, on and that is how it will stay. I love the look of the wood. It's so organic and tactile in it's current state. I had a piece of glass cut for it but the print that I had planned to place in the frame turned out to be a huge disappointment. The print had been glued onto it's cardboard backing and it didn't detach cleanly. How sad is that? And to think that I hauled that print all the way from the beach. I am happy with how the frame turned out though.

-Little Note-

From now until Christmas each Friday will be Fabulous, Fantastic, and Frugal Friday. Every Friday I will feature a gift that I think possesses all those attributes.

Our DIY Drama Contest Entry

I thought some of you might get a kick out of this. This is part of the house that usually gets avoided and definitely not a part we show off. The judges will pick the top ten contestants. Then, those will go on to be voted for by all of America. (I'm praying hard that we win!!!) Enjoy this clip of my embarrassing time in front of the camera and our embarrassing laundry room drama.

Who wouldn't humiliate themselves with another cold winter ahead and this problem staring at you?

Enjoy!

Pillows - How to cheat and get away with it!

I had to make pillows for our new sofa last night. I'm still not completely finished. I need to make one more and some for the bed. Pillows are something I've made more times than I care to count but last night it dawned on me that I might have some knowledge to share. You see, I like to do things fairly cheaply and because of this I almost always us "fabric cheats". "Fabric cheats" are ways of using expensive fabric but backing with cheaper material. Many decorating shows will tell you that for a pillow you can cut two same size shapes and stitch them together. The problem is that when you walk by you are seeing this...

 The solution is very simple and only adds about 4" of the more expensive fabric.

First figure out how big you want your pillow to be. My pillow size is usually determined by what I find at... Goodwill!!! I buy pillows in good condition there. I take them home and put them directly in the washer on hot and then dry them in the dryer. That puts my cost between $2 and $4 for each pillow insert. Most inserts average $8 to $25 per insert, depending on size. Here is my Goodwill before pic of the pillow we are working on. It was actually in pretty good condition but it didn't match my living room. ;)

 

After you get the insert, you can make the pillow cover to fit. Just add 4" to the side that would be the front. Don't forget to add about a half inch for seams. Then make the backing 4" less. It should look like this if they are laying on top of each other. In this picture, I've already sewn one edge of the two fabrics together in this picture. I've flipped the side over so you can see.

You can sew the pillow completely and use the stuffing or leave the the bottom edge open. Just be sure to hem the edges and include a zipper, buttons, or ribbon to shut the opening.

Here is where the trick comes in. When you go to sew the sides of your pillow, sew the pillow so that a few inches of the front fabric will be bent over the top and bottom of the back of the pillow. Use about a 3" inch overhang at the top and a 1" overhang at the bottom.

 

The inside top corner will be where my finger is pointing in this picture below. Just start sewing the side seam there.

 The end product should look like this from the back. This picture is of the top but the bottom looks the same, just a little less overhang.

 It doesn't look like much of a change but the results speak for themselves. Here is the pillow we just made compared to one that has been made with the standard "fabric cheat". You can't even tell we cheated!

There are several ways to do this. Adapt this as you wish. The openings can be changed and moved to the middle of the backing fabric, etc. Next time I do a tutorial with this much detail, I'll upload a video. If you have any questions, just ask and

Happy Halloween!!!!

Vinyl Door Numbers, Monograms, & Such

As promised, today I'll walk you through the steps to making your own vinyl door numbers and etc. Since I didn't think of taking pics while I actually cut out my door numbers, I have included pics from the plate I did last night. You see, I have some lovely monogrammed hand towels in my bathrooms and I wanted the lettering on the plate to match. To do that I had to draw the letter myself. You can use your trusty printer and a font you like. I've come to realize that less curvy fonts work better.

If you are one of those lucky Cricut owners, you can disregard this entire tutorial. Scroll down to the bottom to see read some gift giving ideas. :)

First you will need the letter, number, or shape/outline that you have printed or drawn out. You will also need a sheet of vinyl in the color of your choosing. These sheets can be purchased at craft or hobby stores. I got mine by the vinyl letters in Hobby Lobby for less than $2 a sheet and it only took one sheet to do the door and the plate. You will also need something to cut with. You can use scissors or a scrapbooking tool, like I have below. It's just a razor blade with a pen handle, more formally known as a light duty utility knife.

You can see the area where I cut my numbers out in this pic. The font for my door numbers was Cataneo BT. I set the font size for 368 for the numbers. The actual "NO." was done in New Times Roman font, font size 200. It will not display numbers that big in Microsoft or Open Office. All you have to do is click on the tab for font size and it will highlight then you can type in the size you want.

After that, lay your outlines on top of your vinyl sheet and start cutting. Keep your hand on the paper so the layers don's slip around and don't forget to put a mat underneath if you are using a utility knife. You definitely wouldn't want to have a furniture refinishing project lined up for you afterward!

Finally, pull the whole thing apart, keeping the backing attached until you are ready to place the lettering. After that, it's as simple as sticking a sticker on.

Here is where my "E" went. Sorry about the dark picture. My camera flashes so bright that it washes everything out so it was this or bright blur. :(

The possibilities are endless with what you could do. You could make a santa hat in red or stocking. You can put them in a frame, on a canister, on your tater bin, trash can, galvanized tin, christmas ornaments, or candlesticks. I can see a really cut gift of a clear antique canister monogrammed with vinyl lettering and filled with cookies for Christmas or a galvanized bucket with the outline of a mascot and filled with peanuts, beer and a sports cushion! If you fear you aren't crafty enough to do this project, I assure you you are but for bigger projects there is always the option of ordering. I just put up some lettering that I had ordered last night.

Oh the things I could spruce up with sticky vinyl!!!

Happy Crafting!

What does your door say about you?

As I drive around I often find myself looking at doors. I like to see them in all their jewelry and fine raiment. The way they are accessorized, or not accessorized, says a lot. You have clean and simple, traditional, relaxed, and everything in between. One thing is for sure... The door is a place where guests will always stop and take pause. While you are hurrying to answer that bell or knock, we guests are looking around and waiting. What would you like your door to say about you? Of course, it is just a door but Hey! We can always use something or someone saying good things about us! Why not our door, too?
Here is my door.

I L-O-V-E my door bucket! I got this from Southern Living at Home and I must say that it was one of the best buys ever. It wasn't super cheap but it has paid off big time in space savings and conserving pennies on seasonal wreaths. It is always on my door. I never store wreaths, not anymore. I used to have a storage room full of wreaths, but as we've gained children we've lost space. Not to mention that every year I lost a few wreaths to getting smushed and abused. Now I keep a single box of things to switch out seasonally and that's all the storage I need! I replace the picks but the greenery is usually the same. I put a sparkly skull (from the one dollar store) in there for Halloween this year. I used a dowel to hold him in. Skewers work well, too.

The numbers are a recent addition. (Notice the pesky bubble... grrrr!)

Check back tomorrow for a detailed description of how I did this less than $2 project.

I know... I could use a new door. I could actually use several, but for now this one will have to do. It needs to be stripped down and needs a new coat of paint. The beige paint has not held up well. Sadly, it has bubbled up and scuffed off in places but I've done what I can. I've broke out the paddles and gave this poor door a bit longer. Hopefully the old guy will retire soon - if I win a lottery, that is.

Until then, happy decorating!