Sunday, December 11, 2011

Curl up and Dye: How to get a canvas drop cloth any color you want!

I found a set of french chairs out by the dumpster during the great semesterly migration of Augus 2011. The best thing about college towns it that three times a year, most of the population is moving. So at the end of every Spring, Summer, and Fall the dumpsters are filled to the brim with potential. (And garbage. Mostly garbage.) Every once in a while we get lucky though. 

Here's the before:


If you're looking for a tutorial on how to re-upholster a french chair, look elsewhere. Many others have already explained this process far better than I ever could. Esspecially considering that my tutorial would go something like this: 

1) Find a cool chair in the garbage
2) Find a tutorial on how to re-upholster said chair.(Click here for a really comprehensive one @ Little Green Notebook)
3) Find someone who has a ton of knowledge and skill to help you out. (i.e. My mother).
4) Hope for the best.

And that's all there is to it! HA. 

But how about that color? That, I can tell you about.


I the look, feel, and cost of re-upholstering with canvas drop cloth. But I was torn, because I really wanted a pretty green chair. I went to JoAnn scouting for the perfect fabric, but the closest I could find to what I had in mind was  olive green suede. Expensive suede. Suede that, if we were to make a mistake and have to buy more, would cost us $60.00. And while, considering that the cost of the chair was nothing (aside from my dignity. Dumpster diving will do that to you. It was worth it.) we had a little bit of room on the budget. But not $60.00 dollars worth.

So I hatched a crazy idea. What if I found a green canvas dop cloth?

They don't make those. What if I made a canvas drop cloth green?


I used three bottles of Kelly Green Rit Dye for a 9x13 canvas dropcloth. I followed the instructions on the bottle for washing machine dying. 

The color was a little bit too "grassy", so we dyed it again mixing 1 bottle Kelly Green and 1 bottle Dark Brown. (I'm not sure why I didn't take any pictures at this point. Probably because I tired of the whole thing by then.) 

The mixture of the two colors toned it down just enough. If I had dyed it with just a bottle of brown dye to tone it down, the odds are good that it would have dyed the whole thing dark brown. 

Want to see a before?



And the after one more time:

I just love that green!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Rainbow Pony Party


My little girl turned one last week so I thought I'd share some pictures from her party.
I think everyone needs a hutch :) I decorated it with balloons and a tulle tutu she can wear around the house for dress up. The framed number 1 is made out of buttons and a repurposed frame.
Heart banners cut from felt and sewn together. This is the next day so they were a little floppy, but even then, they're pretty cute. I am reusing them for Valentine's day too :)

Easy centerpiece with jelly bellies and tissue paper in rainbow colors
The Spread. The framed ribbon cake was fun to make. I painted a frame and mat ivory, then covered the mat in glitter. Then I just used scrapbook paper, buttons and scrap ribbon to make the cake. I think I am going to sew a cute backdrop and tablecloth for my next party so it brings out the decorations more.
Carrying the pony theme, I called the drink station the Trough

Pulled Pork, AKA Three Little Pig Sandwiches (anything pony related would be disastrous)
Spinach salad with grape tomatoes, grated carrots, hard boiled eggs, peas, purple onions, and white cucumbers. I just couldn't think of anything that was blue that would be good in a salad to complete the rainbow theme. Maybe bleu cheese?


Every good pony needs these.
The fruit was supposed to be on skewers. I didn't get that far.
Neapolitan ice cream scooped into a muffin tin, topped with hot fudge, a cherry and whipped cream. I loved not having to scoop ice cream during the party.
Taste the Rainbow {cake}




Jane's little smash cupcake (with rainbow layers too)

I really had no budget for the party, so I had to get creative and make the decorations from things I had on hand. It was a fun challenge. Thanks for letting me share!




Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Fresh Christmas Wreath Mini-Makeover

Did anyone else out there snatch up a real live only $5.00 Christmas wreath at Lowes this weekend? I was all about it. We've never had any real greenery, (I have a set of three tiny fake trees we use for our Christmas tree) so I was excited to try it out. 

I'm not sure what I was expecting for $5.00, but when I got to Lowes I found that the wreaths were a little small and bare.  Not exactly jolly.  But I knew I could beef it up with a little creativity, so I got it anyway.


The first thing to go was that sad little bow. I like bows, but it was just too smashed up and wrinkled to save the wreath. I snipped it off and immediately felt a little better. Then I went outside and gathered.

The boxwood hedges around our apartment are a little worse for the wear, but I'm sure they'll recover...


I looked around the house, and I found a bunch of dried white flowers that weren't being used for anything too special.

Then I just stuck the branches in. They just wedge right in there. Easy peasy. I hung it on the inside of our front door with some ribbon from the dollar store, and viola:


A pretty little $5.00 wreath! I'm loving the fresh scent of pine needles it brings into the house. I'm a little worried about it drying out before Christmas, though. Any hints on keeping it fresh? Should I be watering this bad boy?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Pinterest- Good/Evil debate

Pinterest is king of everything crafty right now. The sisters have been discussing all the wonderful things on Pinterest, pinning any and all wonderful ideas, and having a grand ole time in general.
Then we came to the conclusion, Pinterest can be a real addictive, time wasting activity if you don't act on the fabulous finds and ideas.
SOOOOOO......I acted. The board I pinned this puppy to, "Pinterest made me do it..."
Well, it did!

Cute, huh? YAY for a Pinterest idea come to fruition!
Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Is it REALLY Autumn in Texas?

It's hot outside. Yes, I know, Texas is hot. But I get my whiny voice on when it's less than a week til Thanksgiving and the temp. reads 85 degrees.......

Next best option, make it Autumn inside. We crank the AC down, and craft it up til anyone would think it's about to snow outside. Welcome Autumn!

I made a cute, quick craft to get into the Fall mood. Frames used for our wedding, fall themed scrapbook paper and some brown vinyl really do a house good:
I apologize, the lighting is awful and I seem to think my phone is an acceptable camera......it's not. I'll work on that.

Happy Autumn!


Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Going Green

Our first house was a teeny-tiny, 700 sq/ft house built in 1942. It was perfectly lovely with muted yellow trim, all brick facade, crown moldings, and old wood floors. The front door was painted black, and I absolutely loved it. It was made of solid wood, had a letter slot, and a real brass knocker. So of course, in my next house, I wanted a black door just like it. However, painting a regular door black is not the same, and I noticed that EVERYONE in my neighborhood either had a dark wood door, a black or brown metal door, and a few were painted red or left tan. Why is everything so neutral around here? Our house is a purplish brown color so I decided green with a glaze was the way to go.
I needed to glaze the door so I practiced on this chair. It turned out great.
Getting the door painted was easy. I chose grasscloth by Behr for the undercoat. I used a small sponge roller for most of it and a trim brush for the corners. Then the weather turned on me when it was time to glaze it. I was impatient--I did not want to wait until the snow storm came in and then be stuck with a lime green door all winter. I mean it was a nice clean color, but it certainly did not go with my brick or stucco (sorry--I just have pictures of the finished product, so you'll just have to use your imagination for my story. I need to work on that)

So of course I just foolishly kept glazing even though it was drying as soon as I put it on. I was about in tears. The wind kept blowing everything around (50 mph gusts), it was dark as could be, my hands were frozen, and the door kept getting uglier. Finally, I decide to go back to the store and get some olive green paint and forget about the glaze. Winter is not the time to redo a door--duh.
Then my husband told me to sand it. Why didn't I think of that? So I sanded off the brown and let the green shine through again. It is not exactly how I pictured it, but it has grown on me and now I really like it (and yes--i did scrape off the paint off my oil rubbed bronze handle--got to love the copper. I just left the black in the corners).
Thank goodness for smart husbands (even if he is not really a fan of my crazy front door). So there you have it, a funky, one of kind door, that speaks for itself.


Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Glitter lovin' happened so fast....


Sometimes it's oh-so-good to be a girly girl. And glitter is girly girl! I've been wanting to spice up the delivery of my cards, and stole a few ideas from a couple different places to come up with this:
Now who wants one? I'm contemplating selling them in my Etsy shop. Worth it? What would you pay for one?


Thanks for glitter lovin' it up with me!


Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Storybook Nursery Revisited

The last pictures I took of the nursery just didn't do it justice. The decorations were meant to be on a colored backdrop so they seemed a little washed out. It's amazing what a little paint will do! The color is Tame Teal by Sherwin Williams.

This prism casts the cutest little rainbow on the wall. Love it!



Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Cookies







Today was our annual Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser for the United Way Campaign at the office. I was planning on making some yummy white bean chili, but due to some recent car trouble ( And by "trouble", I mean, my car is no longer with us. So, yea. We all knew this day would come.) there was no way I was going to lug a giant crockpot to and from the office. So, I decided I was going to make some corn bread.

But then, I never went  to the store. My bad.

So, I bring you, Plan C:






















I originally saw the recipe on Pinterest dubbed "The best pumpkin cookies ever." That sounded fairly promising, and I had all the ingredients, so it was a go!

The cookie recipe I used can be found on the House of Hepworth's blog. Click  here for the direct link to the recipe (scroll down to the bottom for the short printable version. Or read through her hilarious instructions. Either way, you win!)

She ices hers with cream cheese frosting. That sounds absolutely divine, but I didn't have ANY of those ingredients on hand. So I used this recipe for Marshmallow Icing (All you need is eggs, sugar and vanilla).


The icing followed the same basic principle as Meringue  topping, so I decided to toast it. Pipe the fluff on, then cook it at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. The tips will turn a delicious toasty brown. So cute!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Great Wall of China

I've been wanting a cute hutch for extra storage for a while now, but seeing Jackie's post about her cute new hutch earlier this week really clenched it. So, being a woman of action, I turned to craigslist.

Craigslist and I are BFF. It knows me. Every time I need something I just pop in, and it says, "I've been saving this one decently priced, perfectly casual thing just for you. You're welcome."

Seriously. After two seconds of looking through the Craigslist search return of "China Cabinet" I saw this little gem.


It was priced at $65.00, but I offered $50.00 and they guy said okay. Sold!

It's not solid wood,  it was pretty beat up, and I'm wanting to lighten things up around here, so I knew I'd be painting it a la The Nester's China Cabinet.

We picked it up on Wednesday, and I spent Saturday listening to wise people and painting my heart out. It was an amazing day.



Done! Well, really she needs to dry for at least 24 more hours. I should have waited at least that long before putting stuff in her. I just get too excited. One of my nearest and dearest friends was over that night, and I enlisted her help in putting it together, and rearranging my collection of white dishes inside.

What's better than a Saturday night spent accessorizing?

 I can't think of a thing. Maybe she can, but she didn't complain.

Here's so you can see how this painted piece kinda works with the paint color of the "entertainment center" in the next room over:


I was worried about having two big painted things so close together...but, I think it turned out just fine.

I had these little pink knobs lying in wait for the perfect future project. Do you think this is "the one" for them? Or should I go with something white and bright?


I didn't really notice these cute little details before--I think the paint really brings them out:

And here's how it looks from the other side.


Here are a few tips if you're ready to take on your own huge piece of furniture painting:
1) You should sand. And prime it, if you're really going to do it right. I sanded, and got so caught up with I forgot to bring out my leftover primer. Luckily, the sanding helped the paint stick, and the BEHR paint is quality, so it's fine so far, but I do worry about peeling.
2) The right paint and tools make a difference. I splurged on the real deal paint and I finally bought a Purdy paintbrush. I used a small sponge roller for the flat areas, but that Purdy got right into the nooks and crannies like a charm. It was amazing. There are no stray brush hairs, and the paint went on so smooth...okay, I'm gushing. I don't think I can ever go back to the two dollar brushes.
Update: 3) The paint color I used is BEHR's Garden Wall (730D-4) from Home Depot. It's my new favorite shade of Greige. It goes on really light at first, and might give you a panic attack as you realize "This is NOT the color I wanted", but once it dries it does darken!


Alright, Kourtney. Now it's your turn to get a hutch. Everyone else is doing it. I expect your post within a week :)

I can't wait to get started on our dining room table/chair revamp now! Well, actually I can. This job was a lot of work. But I'm excited to get started in the somewhat near future, and get the dining area DONE(ish).
Linking up to:
Metamorphasis Monday
A-Z Tutes and Tips
Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday
 Perfectly Imperfect Random Furniture Link up!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Cheesy Mess

In the search of a more "healthy" kind of pasta, I made this up:

1/4 white onion, chopped
1 large heirloom tomato (or 3-4 roma tomatoes), chopped
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil (or 6-7 large fresh basil leaves, chopped)
1/4 cup Kraft Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
1/2 block reduced fat or non fat cream cheese
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz reduced fat Velveeta cheese (or can substitute 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese)
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 box Ronzoni rotini spirals, whole wheat
1 tsp salt (optional)

Get a large wok or bouillabaisse heated to medium heat. Add chopped onion, saute for 3-4 minutes. Add chopped tomato, oregano, basil and cover, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add ground turkey, sprinkle with garlic salt and stir occasionally til turkey cooked through. Now chop your Velveeta and cream cheese into cubes, add to mix and stir occasionally. Once cheese melted, add vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese. Cover and let simmer for 10-12 minutes.

In a separate pot, boil pasta to desired tenderness (salt added to water will help pasta not to stick), drain and let cool briefly.

While pasta cools, add chopped spinach to wok/bouillabaisse. Add boiled pasta and stir. Can cover for 1-2 minutes to cook spinach down, if desired.

Serves 4-6. ENJOY!!





Don't forget to check out the "Party Central" tab to see what parties we love linking up to every week!
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