DIY

Thanksgiving sharpie fumes.

My sister and I are freaks, and after Thanksgiving dinner last week, we went to Michael’s to take advantage of their 40% off pre-Black Friday deal (our cousin and aunt came too — at least the crafting freak flag is hereditary).

(Side note: you really don’t want to know what kind of people go to a craft store at 9:00 on Thanksgiving night, it’s a scary breed).

When the two of us get together, it’s usually crafting pandemonium. We’ve been emailing back and forth about the great ideas on P.S. I Made This, and decided we had to make her animal print tote.

A blank canvas tote… a few stencils… some metallic sharpies… and several hours of permanent marker fumes…

And poof! Animal print tote!

I’m debating whether or not to monogram mine like my sister did, check it out here.

DIY

Before and After: The Kitchen Cart.

I’m now bartering for blogposts. I promised my good friend Taz (who you may remember from my back to school series) that I would lend her my sewing skills in exchange for her before and after pictures to post.

Taz has a challenge that so many of us apartment dwellers face; a severe lack of kitchen cabinetry. So, to store some of her bigger kitchen items like pots and pans, she’s been using a kitchen cart. The problem? Other than exposing her George Forman grill to the world? Dust. She had to wash the tools before she used them each time, and when time is of the essence to get dinner on the table, that’s the last thing anyone wants to do!

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So with armed with some Alexander Henry fabric, the trusty sewing-machine and a dash of Velcro we transformed this:

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Into this:

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I love the playful print; I think it looks great with her Orla Kiely accessories and brightens up the room! I’m trying now to persuade her to make some valances out of the scraps… in exchange for some before and after pictures of course.

DIY

The finished product!

I finally finished my upholstered headboard project this weekend (with only a few minor speedbumps along the way). At the last minute I changed my mind and switched from the grey ikea fabric to a velvety golden yellow color; I decided that since I haven’t yet fallen in love with a new bedspread that  I would choose an upholstery fabric that would match with both my old and new color schemes.

I decided that using a big piece of plywood like I had originally planned was going to be too cumbersome with my 1. lack of car and 2. possible moving at the end of the summer… so I substituted the heavy wood idea with a frame made out of stretcher strips used for stretching canvases:

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In another attempt to substitute, instead of using an expensive piece of decorators foam, I bought an egg crate foam pad from target and cut it to fit the frame, which I then attached with staples:

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Then I laid out the fabric and stretched and stapled it just like assembling a canvas:

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And after attaching some picture hangers to the back of the canvas and nailing it up to the wall, voila! my upholstered headboard is complete:

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Now onto the next project… pillows?

 
 
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