Quicky Post #1

Hope Chest.

I've had this piece for over 30 years.  I just repainted and reupholstered it.

Sorry, I forgot to take before pictures.

Ready for it's new job...storing grandbaby toys.

Sweet Dreams

Perfect for my little princess.

Yes, it's a bench made from a bed...sort of.  I built this out of a full size bed frame but rather than constructing the standard bed-bench I decided to make it bigger.  I wanted something outdoors that was really comfortable.  What better than an big bench with a mattress and lots of throw pillows, right?

So much for my comfy outdoor bench.

My daughter confiscated it and turned it into a toddler bed for my little grand-princess.  

POLL QUESTION: 

 What color should it be painted?

Just in case you're wondering about the construction...

I built a frame and attached the headboard.  The foot board was cut down the middle and attached.  Then I attached left over IKEA bed slats and dropped in a $10 waterproof Craigslist crib mattress.

Total cost.  $35 for bed and mattress

Appx. $10 for wood and hardware.

Awwwwwwww!

Recycle, repurposed wearable art.

This tunic was a fun project.  It involved a lot of sitting and looking, standing and looking, pinning and looking, planning and looking.  It also involved the following:

Tablecloth

Drapery Samples

Shower Curtain

Scrap Ribbon

Scrap Lace

Scrap Button

Thread

(Note the repeatative use of "Scrap")

I love this top and I get so many wonderful comments when I wear it.  The base of the top was made from a fitted tablecloth with crocheted trim.  There were pleats that leanded themselves well to being incorporated into the design.

Crocheted Tablecloth

The project involved a lot of online photo research as I am not the seamstress my mother is, and I didn't have a pattern.  I found that a Mexican Peasant Blouse style is flexible and easy to sew.


The lace for the bodice was made by criss-crossing and top stitching lace drapery fabric samples my mother gave me.  Lace flowers are actually quite easy to make.  They are trimmed with a few pieces of ribbon scraps.

I covered the tunic part of the top with roughly finished scraps cut from a lace shower curtain. 

Split for comfort

Back View

I'm always buying linens that catch my eye based on the features and finishes.  I love how those pieces came together and I love wearing this comfortable top.

Oh, it's all machine washable, although I like to hand wash it to keep the lace looking pretty.

My 1st Chalk Paint Project

My 1st Chalk Paint Project

I love painting furniture with chalk paint!  I've tried plain house paint & spray paint and I've attempted multiple techniques for creating that just perfect aged effect.  Dish soap, Vaseline, bar soap, glaze, windex, bleach, Cleansers...  While I liked the results of some of these materials I had trouble getting a consistent outcome.

Next up, chalk paint.  The brand name paints were WAY out of my price range so I tried a homemade recipe found online.

1 cup latex house paint

2 1/2 tablespoons Plaster Of Paris

1 1/2 tablespoons cool water

But, first things first.  I found this bed at a yard sale for $15.  Yes, that's right.  The whole Queen sized frame for $15.  It needed a little something to give it that "shabby" look.  Using a plastic stencil and some spackling paste I added a 3-D feature to the headboard and foot board.

I used a wide plastic putty knife and slapped the spackling paste on...thicker than paint but not too substantial.  If the paste is too thick the formation of the stencil won't show the detail.

 

Once the paste is dry be sure to gently put a coat of basic house or craft paint over it before applying your chalk paint.  This way it will maintain it's shape through the more rugged swish-swash of the chalk painting process.

The bed frame was blue and gray originally.  I put on two coats of chalk paint with a brush, sanded a few spots to let a small amount of the gray show through, then finished with two coats of clear wax.

A pretty, bright white bed with that wonderful, shabby look I just love.

Basic Books

I feel sorry for books.

Not all books, just those already-read, can't-sell-at-a-yard-sale, obscure little books that end up at the thrift store collecting dust.  I keep waiting for my brain to kick in with all sorts of wonderful inventions.  Every once in awhile a new idea crops up, but alas, I feel there must be more creativity stuck inside my gray matter that just hasn’t surfaced yet.

Maybe some of my already created treasures will inspire someone else to save a few trees, and a few written words from ending up in the recycle bin.

Crackle finish memory book trio

Burlap covered book duo - Spray paint burlap using an old lace curtain as a stencil

You can use your printer to create a fabric accent on muslin.

Another pretty book.  I printed the burlap on my printer then stitched the fabric layers before gluing to the book.  Highlited with a rhinestone and a ribbon.

 If you are in the mood for a little more effort, see what you can create after you pull some books apart.

Hard cover text book repurposed into a journal for my sister.  (PS, we're dutch)

A Little Girl's Dream

Nothing is useless.  Even if parts are missing...even if a substantial part is missing.  When you are willing to look past what others might see as limitations or defects the possibilities become wonderful.

I am sure that this piece when it was in it's full form was quite pricey, but after all is said and done, when half of it became worthless the other half became almost as much so.  For $12.50 we picked this fancy Armoire top up at the local Goodwill store.  Ponder, ponder, ponder.  It was beautiful, but what could be done with only half of an armoire.

Confession time.  My daughter and son-in-law actual came up with the idea and the 3 of us pulled it off.  A little sanding, a few balled feet, some paint and a miraculous fabric find at another Goodwill and voile'.  We turned this left-over, half baked idea into something beautiful.

What little girl would not want this in her room.  I wish I was 8 again.

Look beyond the defects and let the child in you see the perfection.

More Mulberry Branches

My daughter and I just can't stop finding new things to use these Mulberry branches for.  Cliff, Carlos and Becca all trimmed their trees and we've been stealing the branches.  Well, not really.  They're glad to have a way to get rid of them.

First was a privacy fence.  I covered approximately 100 feet of chain link fence with curved branches and planted snail vine and cat's claw to wrap around it and fill it in for privacy.

Next was the fort.  My grandson had me move his lawn chair and table in for him.  More cat's claw has already started to grow over the roof.

The latest creative venture is my granddaughter's bedroom.  We took more branches, screwed and glued them to the walls and each other.  We also painted a few branches on the wall, then we decorated all with leaves made from old toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

 

Eventually these branches will run out...I hope.  I'm getting tired.