Bedside Table

A couple of weeks ago I saw a small bedside table in a flyer for XS Cargo . . . saw a table in there for $15.00 that was the perfect size for the downstairs bedroom . . . didn't go to look at it until this past weekend and it had gone back to its regular price of $19.99 (plus GST) . . . at that price I bought it anyways.

Some assembly required . . .

10 minutes later . . . while I love a bargain - but I just hate it when I get it assembled and in place and I don't like the way it looks - this looked cheap!

It's really not that red!

 

After having a conversation with my daughter about how much I dislike the one I purchased she tells me that she has some tables that might work . . . nesting tables . . . they are burnished silver with glass tops but what the hello - I'll take free . . . and here they are - LOVE them . . . now I can move on to something else!

TOTAL COST:  $19.99 - may gave it away - or brain fart maybe I'll paint it and like it better and put it somewhere else you never know - silver burnished ones FREE (Thanks again Kristen)
TOTAL TIME: 12 MINUTES; to assemble the first one and replace it with the nesting tables! YAHOO!

Lighting (Mood/Ambient)

The balance KILLS me EVERY TIME!  That's when I know it's not "done"  . . . now what do I do with THAT empty corner?  I know . . . how about a couple of hanging t-light holders - only upgraded!

When I was shopping for the green and pink fabric for the drapes in this room I saw an outdoor lantern type t-light holder in the window of my favourite fabric store . . . I wasn't tall enough to reach them . . . and it was "sale weekend" so it was super busy in there . . . BUT they were 65% off the regular price so Can you get one down for me? and they do! "it's good" I say to myself but, it isn't "enough" .  What if I were to add ribbon to it or OMG another scathing brilliant idea . . . add a lamp shade . . . ding ding ding ding!!!!!! 

The thinking cap is on and the creative juices are flowing . . . I ask myself . . . what inspires you with respect to lamp shades . . . oh I LOVE the ones with flowers on them . . . can I make some . . . what do I have . . . organza ribbon . . . Google flowers from organza and voila a tutorial on YouTube . . . but after watching the first one being made I don't really like them . . . three YouTube videos later and I see one that is in three parts (thanks to +Bethany Kartchner).  They are GORGEOUS when completed and I have enough Satin fabric to make two, somewhere in my arsenal of buttons I have a couple of vintage buttons that would be perfect AND I can wrap the Organza ribbon around the top of the lamp shade . . .

Here's how I came up with the final product.

Ribbon on Lamp Shade

Poke holes through the top of the lamp shade with an awl about 3/8" apart

Run ribbon through the first hole (leaving a bit of an end so you can glue down later), loop around and run through the second hole until you get to the end (which is actually where you started). 

Cut the ribbon just enough so it can be glued down to the starter piece.

How to make the Flowers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U918ZjtBNr4

Attach the vintage buttons

Affix the flowers to the lamp shade with hot glue

How to join the Lantern to the Lamp Shade

Run the chain from the lantern through the hole in the lamp shade

Measure the chain and cut it to the desired length

Screw in a light weight hook underneath the cabinets - I used two - one for the unique Lamp Shade/Lantern and one for a T-light holder (that I moved from my master bedroom that really didn't match in that room any more)

Insert battery operated t-light candles

And . . .  drum roll please . . . here it is . . . this room is really shaping up to be fantastic!

TOTAL COST:  $24.72
Lantern $9.93; T-lights $1.05; Organza Ribbon $2.20; Lamp Shade $11.54
Vintage Buttons: FREE; Beaded Candle Holder: FREE (took it out of another room)
TOTAL TIME:  1 Hour

A Housewarming Gift

Absolutely nothing gets me more excited than a project that is "colourful".

My niece and her boyfriend just moved into their first home together and they've merged their furniture (well it appears mostly it's my nieces but that's a girl for ya) - not an easy task but they're getting settled and housewarming party day was last weekend!

The dilemna is always "what to do" . . . I was just going to bundle up some towels (black, white, grey and a couple of mint green face cloths but I could not find any mint green towels ANYWHERE) . . . and it's the Monday before the party and I'm running out of time . . .

I know . . . napkins and a table runner - easy and fast . . . just need to get inspired - and I truly was with the different coloured chairs in her kitchen (a hand-me-down from her mother (my most-awesome sister)).  She's also got a bit of black and white going on in her house but I thought just for a great fun dinner party for six I'd choose six different brightly coloured fabrics (inspiration totally taken from the chair colours).  I also didn't want them too feminine because they ARE a couple and he counts too!

Here's what I started with - I purchased .5 metre of each colour and 2M of the striped fabric.  There was no pattern.  I simply added 1 1/2" larger for the striped fabric (with respect to the napkins).  I cut them so that they would end up being 18" square when finished.

Here are the supplies

Only needed to BUY one spool of thread - notice gargantuan scissors!

Check out these really easy instructions on how to mitre a corner at Skip To My Lou!

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/04/20/make-your-own-cloth-napkins/
Close-up of the mitred corners for the napkins on this project




Here are the finished product for the napkins

For the Table Runner I sewed all of the left over fabric together to make the top side and I used the stripe for the back adding 5" larger than the coloured fabric and mitered those corners as well (using the same steps as I did with the napkins). 

Here are pictures of everything at my nieces - she was kind of jumping up and down when she opened the box she was so happy so it made me really happy too!

I can't wait to see how she decorates her table when she uses them for her dinner party - and I'll share when they do.

What inspires you?

TOTAL COST:  $65.00 (Fabric and Thread)

TOTAL TIME:  4 HOURS

Well that didn't last long . . . more paint!

I hate it when I get something done and I think . . . wow . . . that looks fantastic . . . and then I open up a magazine and see something I'd LOVE to have done . . . so that's exactly what I did . . . repainted the wall in the basement bedroom.

I was inspired when I opened the current +Style at Home Magazine and saw how many rooms were painted with striped walls (both horizontal and verticle) . . . Page 70 "tickled PINK, Page 72 "mellow YELLOW", Page 100 "electric eclectic"with the turquoise blue stripes . . . turn over a few more pages (page 112) and "miami spice" . . . and this one was the one that I modelled my room after.

Here's the Before - remember it's only a few two short weeks ago!












Here's the After

I used a random pattern and a laser level to get all the stripes perfect - now I don't feel like I need a headboard in such a hurry.  I truly have ran down the stairs about 20 times today just to admire it!  Here are the simple steps.

Random stripes using laser level - this one is fantastic - it sticks to the wall so you don't need two people

Paint all stripes - I put X's on the places where I wanted it to stay green; before the paint completely dries take the tape off

I did a bit of touch up (well, OK, I did quite a bit of touch up because I'm a really sloppy painter) but I'm really pleased with the results.

TOTAL COST: FREE - I had all the paint, tape and brushes on hand
TOTAL TIME: 2.5 HOURS

and a Footstool to match . . .

There was just enough fabric left over to make a slipcover for an old footstool and here's the Before (really doesn't look horrible but I'm sick of it)


Before



Measure top and sides and cut all five pieces of fabric 1/2" on ALL SIDES larger than measured; cut piping strip equal to the entire rectangle PLUS three inches.  Cut four pieces the Length by 7" for the cheater pleats.

Sew Piping to right side of fabric overlapping at the end

These are the sides - sew on three sides, clip corners,  flip right side out and press flat

Sew all four sides as close to the piping as possible

Sew all four cheater pleats down one side and open so the seam is in the centre.  Sew the bottom closed.  Turn inside out and press flat.  This is the same concept as the pink bands for the bows on the curtains in the last blog.

Attach the fake cheater pleats on all four corners



Serge so slipcover doesn't fray



VOILA

I can easily remove the slipcover and have it as it originally looked!  And yes, that's Kenzie in the bottom left hand corner - she follows me everywhere! 

This room is just shaping up to becoming one of my favourite . . . believe this . . . I'm going to change the painted wall behind the bed - stay tuned!

TOTAL COST:  ZERO (left over fabric from the curtains, left over lining and left over cording from another project)
TOTAL TIME:  3.5 HOURS

Embelished Eye Glasses (Bonus Blog #2)

I know it's going to be hard to believe but occasionally . . . I get BORED . . . well maybe I'm just still long enough to have a scathing brilliant idea . . . what about this - EMBELISHED eye glasses. 

I'm really into vintage eyewear these days, and unfortunately for my pocket book I've purchased a few pairs in the last 14 months - well o.k. maybe I've purchased about 14 pairs but who's counting LOL . . . you gotta love Zenni Optical!

I Googled embelished eye glasses the other day and couldn't find my idea anywhere so here goes . . .

What about using that "nail art" . . . that's temporary . . . to get my vision!

Can you  imagine with over 200 stickets what I can do!

These are the ones I chose (for now)

And HERE THEY ARE!

TOTAL COST: FREE - I had them sitting around so can't remember
TOTAL TIME:  10 minutes

Curtains in Pink and Green - yummy!

I mentioned in a previous blog that I loved the combination of Pink and Green.  When I was contemplating new curtains for the guest room (the one with the new cabinets) I considered simple white linen but shyed away from that - it's would have been a safe alternative but WAY too boring for me - I wanted this room to be a happy room and it's shaping out to be just that with the bedding and feature green wall - and after looking closer at the bedding I discovered I actually could do Pink and Green just needed to find the right fabric.  It had to be something fairly "weighty" so that it hung propery and not too heavy because I knew they were going to be lined (I don't like it when you can see coloured curtains from the outside so I line all of my drapes - or put roller blinds on the windows).

I am also almost always on the hunt for that special something that is not at regular price . . . you know it's the same thing on sale that it was at regular price so why would you pay the regular price when you don't have to . . .  I do a lot of poking around when I'm looking for fabric - I particularly LOVE shopping in the bargain wall at Fabricland . . . sometimes I don't find anything but this day I found exactly what I was looking for - a different shade of green from the wall but that's o.k. - same family . . . and the pink . . . well it's kind of a raspberry pink and that's o.k. too . . . I chose something with a non competing pattern and got to work.

Here's the before

 Boring back-tab cream coloured linen-look curtains that were in the house when I moved in 7 years ago - they were actually floor length and sat in another window, cut them off (because of the exterior wall ledge) and that's how they have sat for 7 years! again - pretty boring . . .

Measuring the window and coming up with a plan was kind of already there (in my head) - I wanted something very simple and flat but when opened or folded up it would look interesting (because the neighbour (an old dodgy guy) has a window facing my house so the curtains are almost always closed).

I purchase my lining/sheeting 10 yards at a time when it's on sale so I always have it on hand - I use it for EVERYTHING I am lining and yes I had enough to do this project and a couple more!

First I sew the "ribbons".

 


Open up the fabric and fold so seam is now in the centre and sew 1/2 " seams

Clip the corners

 


Press seam flat

I told you she wants to sit on EVERYTHING I sew

Measure the window and add five inches to EACH side (2" extra to go outside the window trim, 2" to compensate for the back and 1" extra to compensate for the seams), two extra on the TOP and three extra inches on the BOTTOM (for the hem) 

Sew the lining to the fabric

Press side seams flat

Turn over two inches and press again

Turn over to the back and stitch both ribbons down (1/2")

Hem top and bottom to desired length
Leave an opening in the top for all three brackets (otherwise they won't lay flat once you put them through the rods)

Sew a channel for the rod to go through; then stitch the front ribbon from the TOP seam (leaving opening to run rod through)

Run Rod through opening - here they are Closed

And here they are Open!

TOTAL COST OF PROJECT: $61.58
TOTAL TIME:  4.5 HOURS