Server Makeover

Eons ago I would wake up really early on Saturdays to hit garage sales in search of old, tattered furniture in need of TLC. I’d then bring them back to life by making minor repairs, refinishing or painting them. I don’t do this as often now but still find the time to dabble in projects when time permits. It’s so satisfying to see the transformation of something old to something spectacular. Sometimes a coat of paint and a little elbow grease is all it takes. If you haven’t seen my cane chair makeover check it out here.

Here’s the latest project. This little server needed a little oomph after the kitchen redo.

DH suggested I paint the body and leave the wood exposed on top. It turned out better than I expected. For painting over wood furniture, sand lightly with fine grit paper. Wipe dust off then paint. I used Behr Premium Plus Ultra Paint and Primer In One. It worked beautifully and I highly recommend this product. I’ve used this paint on my interior walls too and it sure does save you time!

By the way, I will be heading off to California tomorrow for a little R and R with family and friends. I’ll make sure to share my travels with you.

Topiary Tutorial/Challenge/Giveaway

Ok, due to popular demand, here’s the topiary tutorial. My kids made it for the most part. I haven’t made one of these in years so I’m glad you pressured me into it. I love the smell of eucalyptus wafting through the kitchen-ad added bonus.

NOW THE TOPIARY CHALLENGE AND GIVEAWAY

I hope you make one for yourself and share your pictures with me.  I’m sure you’re all going to make it your own and they’ll be amazing. Yes, this is a challenge!  A fun one, at that!  Send me a picture of your topiary and I’ll post them in a future post!   Please send them by July 12th, okay?  If you submit a photo of your topiary, you will be entered in a giveaway.  One person will be chosen by random and will receive a lovely package from Small Burst.

Oh, now here’s that tutorial….

What you need:

• 4 oz. Dried Eucalyptus branches- 3 of them
• 4 inch green Styrofoam ball
• Thick branch as the the stem.  Found mine in the yard.
• Planter (I have lots of planters laying around from garage sales.  You can get them for 25 cents!)
• Large rocks
• Newspaper
• Glue gun
• Deer moss

1.     Cut the eucalyptus in 3 or 4 inch pieces. If you want a more compact topiary, cut the eucalyptus shorter.

2.     Strip the leaves off of at the bottom approx. 1/2 in.  Set the leaves aside and and use for potpourri. I just placed all the left over pieces in a nice bowl in the bathroom.

3.    Insert the stripped side into the styrofoam ball. Work your way around, insterting branches 1/4″ apart.

4.      Leave a small area on the bottom clear for the stem. My kids found a great branch in the yard. Insert stem and glue in place.

5.     Fill in the empty spaces with more branches. You can use the imperfect branches for the underside.

6.     Place the stem in your planter.  I used large rocks found in the yard to hold it in place and used          newspaper/scratch paper to fill in the pot and to further stabilize the stem.  You can also use floral dri-foam instead of the rocks which I’ve done in the past.  Cut the dri-foam to fit in your planter and instert the stem.

7.     Got this new unopened package of Pottery Barn premium deer moss from a yard sale for $1.  Place deer moss on top of paper and glue in place.  This time around, I didn’t glue them so I can use them later for another project.  I’ve had this deer moss for a year and used them to decorate throughout the year.

and viola!

Also tried it in this white planter (also from a yard sale for cheap ninety-nine)

What do you think-the terra cotta or white planter?  I may go with the white planter since it’s smaller and fits on the window sill. But I like the natural, rustic look of the terra cotta.

Check this project out over at My Backyard Eden.   Click on the link below.

I’m also struttin’ my stuff on Somewhat Simple.

Caught The Bead Bug…Again

I haven’t made jewelry in years for fear that one of my lovies would pick up a wayward piece and choke on it.  I know, I’m paranoid.  Now that they’re older I thought I’d get my dusty tools and equipment out again. It was nice to see them all, like reacquainting with old friends. I also rediscovered all the beads I’ve accumulated through the years. That didn’t stop my daughter and I from hitting up the bead store. This was her first visit and was she fascinated; probably because the beads weren’t macaroni or great big plastic pieces. She wanted everything.

When the time came to put my earrings together, I was a bit rusty and completely forgot what used to come so naturally. From placement to tool handling, I had to relearn. Seriously, it took a while to make these earrings. Well, here’s my attempt at jewelry making after a very long hiatus. My daughter made the necklace all by herself. I was so proud of her. I think I’ve caught that bead bug again. Must. Make. Jewelry.

Don’t forget about the Elizabeth Designs Wristlet Giveaway. Enter by Friday, April 16th.

Mudrooms

Don’t you love mudrooms?  I had to clean mine out today so of course I looked up a few on-line to inspire me.   I am now ready to rearrange, repaint & reupholster. Add another project to the list…

This is our mudroom/shoe station.  We don’t wear shoes in the house so it all ends up here.  We couldn’t find storage big enough but quick thinking DH found this Ikea Billy Bookcase in the clearance section and once again thought outside the box-flip the shelf on its side and add shelves.

I made the seat cushion.  I had mdf board cut to size, added a 2″ foam pad  and batting and stapled it on. No sewing! I also placed a grip pad between the cushion and the seat to prevent it from moving.

I’ll be repainting the room soon enough to an off white color; a shade darker than the ceiling.  I’m also going to reupholster the bench with a livelier color.  This fabric is so drab and stodgy. What was I thinking? Stay tuned for after photos!!

Vintage Hobnail Milk Glass Lamp

I found a pair of these lamps at a yard sale for $3.  Even though it came with this tattered old shade, I knew there was potential.

I went to Paper Source to chose my shade.  Have you ever been to Paper Source? They have tons and tons of gorgeous paper which also make great lamp shades!

I carefully took the old shade apart and kept the old metal parts

I used the old shade a traced it onto my Paper Source paper

Glue ribbon trim on the shade

Carefully fasten shade to metal parts with clips or clothes pins

Hot-glue shade in place

Do you have vintage milk glass lamps? I’d love to see them.  E-mail me a pic and I’ll post it.

Valentines Day Crafts

We’re bracing ourselves for another snow-filled weekend.  Thank goodness for these V-Day crafts. Now we have something to do while we’re holed up for a couple of days.  Here are some adorable “good things”  you can make courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Can I just say these felt fortune cookies are cute enough eat!

Super cute Valentine bookmarks for the kiddos.

Dyed pistachio wreath. So lovely.

These Lacy Votive Holders would look great on the mantle.

Freebie Lettered Pillow Cover Templates

I like to change the color scheme in my living room now and then and the first thing I do when the mood strikes is sew new pillow covers.  The inspiration of my color change- my Tolix chair.   I was also inspired by antique grain sac pillows.  My modernized pillows have the same comfortable, homey feel. To my surprise, they have pillows similar to my homemade version at Pottery Barn but I think making it yourself will add more personality to your space. I found a great quote on-line and the definition of the word JOY from my iMac dictionary and used Microsoft PowerPoint to design the image. I was amazed at how easy it was to make these.  For you it’s going to be even easier because I have included  free printable templates. All you have to do is print them out on transfer paper and iron them on.

What you need:

• Canvas fabric.  I used the softer cotton canvas, not the heavy duty ones. They tend to be too stiff. Here’s a great link on how to sew easy envelope back pillow covers.
• T-shirt transfer paper.  Go to your local craft store. They usually come in ten 8 1/2 x 11 sheets in a 10 pack.

Click on the image above or below for the free printable template. Transfer paper requires that you print your image in the mirror setting.

If you want to place a letter in the center (see picture above), simply print another sheet of transfer paper with just the letter.  The font above is Zapfino and the size 150. Size of the letter will depend on your pillow size.  Cut out the image leaving about 1/8 inch border. I cut out each section or sentence (see picture above).  The goal is minimize the amount of blank transfer paper on your pillow.   Place the cut image on the pillow face down and play around with the placement prior to ironing.

Once you’ve got everything where you want it, iron one section at a time. Follow ironing direction for your transfer paper.

And voila!  I’m now thinking I should have made the ‘S’ a tad smaller but that’s okay.  My six year old thought this was the coolest project -seeing the words print out backwards then seeing the final image on the pillow facing correctly.  His exact words: “That’s amazing!”

Apothecary Terrarium

I’ve been wanting to make a terrarium with the kids for a long time now. Since it was such a beautiful, sunny day out today, it was the perfect time for us to be outdoors gathering supplies.  Most everything you need for a simple moss terrarium can be found in your yard.  For the container we used my all purpose apothecary.  I place seasonal items in it-shells in the summer, ornaments for Christmas, faux fruits. I don’t want the vessel to stain so it will only be a terrarium temporarily.   You can also use mason jars or other glass containers you have on hand.

Here’s what we gathered:
Glass container
Small stones (1/2″- 1″  round-found on our walk)
Moss (found in our front garden)
Potting soil
Terrarium charcoal (I didn’t use this but you can)
If your kids are helping with this project, Play Doh (for small houses etc.)

There are lots of different ways to make a terrarium. Here’s a simple way to put one together:

• When you gather the moss, keep approx. 1/2″ of the soil beneath it intact-they’re surprisingly easy to uproot by scooping out with a hand shovel.  Clean the debris off of the moss and set aside.
• Let’s assemble. Lay 2″ of stones at the very bottom of the container.
• Now add just enough terrarium charcoal to cover the stones. The charcoal is supposed to keep odors at bay.  Since I’m only keeping this terrarium around for a month or so, I’ve opted to go without.
• You’re ready to add potting soil.  Remember, I’m keeping some of the moss soil intact so I only added approx. 1″ of potting soil. For moss terrariums, a small amount of soil will suffice.  They can thrive on very  little.
• Place the moss on top of the potting soil.
• Add some imagination.  The kids used their Play Doh to make small houses, caves etc.  This part kept the kids busy for a while.  They kinda went overboard towards the end but this was their project so I let them use their imagination to make what they called their “little village”. Last I checked dinosaurs have taken residency.
• spritz with water to dampen.

Established terrariums can go for weeks on a spritz or two of water because as water evaporates, the moisture remains inside the container as condensation.  If your terrarium starts to fog up, remove the lid to let the moisture escape.

If you’d rather purchase a completed terrarium, visit Etsy!  You can even purchase DIY kits from Warm Country Meadows.

DIY Kit from Warm Country Meadows

Look at these adorable terrarium miniatures. These are just a few of what Shelly offers. Visit her shop, Serenity Mosaics, for more!

Red Mini Mushrooms

Mini Birdhouse

Gnome Homes

Mini Rustic Directions

Command Central

I’m a parent of 2 and work full time so you can say I’m busy. With my son in Kindergarten this year it seems like what I thought was busy before was nothing. With one in preschool and one in Kinder my husband and I have to constantly check the calendar for upcoming events.  Both my kids also bring home notes, homework etc… which we have to stay on top of.  This is nothing new. Any parent knows what I’m talking about, right? I promise this is not a venting session. Hang in there!  I’ve shared with you the Cozi calendar which is a tremendous help but I’ve dropped the ball and have forgotten to glance at my online calendar first thing in the morning.  This had to happen on my son’s picture day when I sent him off in sweats and a t-shirt (what? it was PE day and he needs to be comfortable!).  So, not only do I need a calendar on my computer and next to my computer it seems I also need to print our full week’s schedule out! Please tell me I’m not the only forgetful mom who needs major reinforcements!!  So, I got my creative juices flowing and came up with a command central, if you will. Okay, this idea is also not  new but I never saw the need for one until now.   So, here’s what my command central is-an old art frame repurposed into a fancy schmancy message board.  This is where I post the week’s schedule and any important paperwork that  needs to be completed and submitted for the week. DH and I have been good at not bogging down the board with paperwork. If there are too many reminders on the board, some will eventually get ignored.   My pea-sized brain doesn’t fit too much, remember?

I know, I know. Cork boards are so 70’s!  This is why I opted for the rich, dark brown tiles because it look a bit more modern (humor me).  I painted the old frame an antique white and love the contrast between the two.  I got lucky since 2 cork squares fit in the frame perfectly without having to cut them to size.  I covered the back with heavy duty 4-ply poster board and taped it in place. So, you ask,  why do I own such a hideous picture? I didn’t buy it for the “art”, but for the fabulous frame.  I knew I would do something with it one day.  If you find a handsome frame in a color you’re not too fond of at a yard sale, snatch it up and paint it!

With the little ones around, I opted for the giant push pins-easy to see if it just so happens to fall on the floor.

I also love these Cube Clips by Staples for hanging rather than pinning things up.

Easy To Make Ornament Wreath

I saw ornament wreaths for sale at a local store and thought they looked so fun.   I wanted a wreath ornament to match our stockings but couldn’t find any so I figured I can make them myself and for the fraction of the price.  I’ve seen some on the web for over $100! This project was $30. If you have left over round ornaments, use them and save your $$.   You’ll get plenty of positive comments and people are very impressed that it’s homemade.  Don’t tell them how easy it was to make .  BTW-these make great gifts too!

All you need is a wire hanger, pliers, glue gun, wide ribbon and round ornaments in different sizes-I like to use shatterproof ornaments.    My wire hanger was approx. 11 inches in diameter and I used 56 ornaments in varying sizes.

Untwist wire hanger and shape into a circle.  Cut off the squiggly end with your pliers. This makes it easier to string the ornaments through if the opening in the cap is not very wide.  Keep the hook end. This is what you will use to hang the wreath.

Before you string the ornaments through, glue the ornament caps in place.  As you string ornaments on, shape the wreath by shifting them in place. You’ll notice that the ornaments fit better if you alternate them left to right.

Once you’ve filled the hanger, bend the cut side of the wire with pliers as shown above. You want this to be a small narrow hook.

Hook the bent end on to the neck of the hanger.  To cover the bare top and hook, use fresh cut juniper or other greenery in your garden.  Lastly tie the ribbon around the greenery to keep then in place.  If you’re making this for someone, use faux greenery and glue on with a glue gun. Make a bow and glue in place to further hide the hook and to complete.

My 3 year old loved this project so it’s fun for the entire family.    Enjoy!