Protect The Camera
Yesterday was my first Thursday off now that I have started working four ten hour days and taking Thursdays off. It was a busy day and I think I may have worked harder at home that I do during a work day in my office! But, this means my house is sparkling and I even finished a few projects. Once simple one that I finally tackled was making a camera pouch! My camera travels with me almost all the time. You never know when you are going to see something blog-worthy! 🙂 This means that my camera has acquired a few scratches and dings along the way, though. To prevent this I could have bought a fancy (and probably expensive) camera bag, yes. But, other than not wanting to fork over that much cash, I think they tend to be a bit too big to lug around in my purse all the time. So, enter my simple DIY camera bag! (I’m not a very good seamstress, so believe me, this is a very simple DIY!)
I used a rectangular strip of some soft leftover leopard fabric that I had lying around the house. I folded it in half with one end a few inches longer than the other, with the leopard print facing each other (inside out). I sewed the sides together next. Then sewed a seam on the extra top flap of material. Once the sewing was done I flipped it inside out and added a bit of Velcro to keep the top flap closed. That simple!
The material and my little sewing kit (I did this little project by hand).
Finished camera pouch:
No more scratches!
Cube Redo
I have had this little storage cube since I was a kid. When new, it had a unicorn and a rainbow on it. Recently I redid the look of the cube so that it could be used in our home. I forgot all about the cube project until yesterday. There was a question posed on Apartment Therapy about recommendations for redoing a similar cube. I thought that I would let you all know how I did the project, and although I do not have any before or durring pictures, I can show you how it turned out. Here was the process:
1. I started by covering the picture areas of the cube with white contact paper. I was lucky that the sides were the same width as the paper, but I did run short of paper at the top and had to piece two pieces together. For a bigger box this is what you would have to do. Not to worry, the seem barely shows once you get the paint on the paper. Just try to line them up as exactly as possible.
2. Once the paper was on, I used an Exact-O knife to cut the contact paper around any hardware or latches. This worked well and really didn’t cause any problems as long as you work slowly and patiently.
3. After the paper was laid and cut, I painted it. I picked a dark red, and simply used wall paint from the hardware store and applied with a regular brush. I recommend this, as it was easy and inexpensive. I personally wanted an antiqued look to go with the worn metal hardware, so I only applied one coat and left it a bit streaky. If you want a smooth, more flawless finish, I think two coats would do the trick just fine.
4. To add a personal touch I used a foam stamp. I found this stamp at the hardware store on sale for about 50 cents. While the paint was still wet I pressed the dry stamp into it in a pattern I liked. When you raise the stamp it takes some of the paint off, leaving a lighter area for the design. I used a circular design that went with the antiqued look.
Viola! Finished! It really was that simple. Now this cube serves as storage for blankets in our living room. And, this has stood up to some use and abuse and even relocating a few times. It has a few small scratches in it now, but that seems to add to it’s antiqued character. If you want yours to stay looking new try using a protective clear coat on top. Here’s what ours looks like:
Some foam stamps similar to mine can be find at http://www.makingmemories.com and other scrap-booking websites.
Have fun!
Little Coaster Project
Tony has Dallas Cowboys coasters. I have Chicago Bears coasters. Neither were going to be displayed in our nice living room. I love football as much as anybody, but the football paraphernalia is reserved for the basement game room/bar. So, we needed some nice coasters to protect our living room tables. I change my mind frequently, so I wanted something inexpensive or changeable. That’s when I found these. The Dollar Store had a pack of four glass coaster for a couple bucks! Not only are they cheap, but they are changeable. They are the kind of coasters meant for inserting a picture under the glass. I decided to put a piece of black and silver damask wrapping paper in the picture slot. Here was my process:
My supplies. All I used was a scissors and the material (wrapping paper).
I used the blank piece of paper that came in the frame as a guide to cut a rectangle out of the wrapping paper. It then slides into a clear picket in the coaster frame. It was really THAT simple.
This is what it looked like slid into the coaster frame.
Here they all are with the wrapping paper inserted.
They even have their own little wooden holder.
It was so simple and I can change what is in the frames any time I want to. The glass is also very easy to clean off. I wish they were all black, as I am not so fond of the different colors, but it does make it easier to keep track of your drink. And, for a few dollars, who can complain?
Rain Lamp
After some research I quickly learned that the lamp I recieved from my grandparents (posted the other day) is called a Rain Lamp. The lamp uses mineral oil and was invented by Darrell H. Johnson. Once I figured out what exactly the lamp did, how to clean it, and what to put in it, I started in on the daunting task of cleaning the mess.
The lamp had sat for years and years in my grandparents’ garage. They got sick of it in their house, but couldn’t completely part with it. Being sticky with oil, the lamp collected a thick layer of dirt and grass being in a garage for so long. So…
I started by wiping the entire lamp off with a wet cloth. It cleaned the dirt, but nothing really removed the grease. I used a small amount of soap next. I also used both wet and dry Q-tips to reach the statue indside. Overall, the cleaning alone took a few hours.
But, after putting some elbow grease into the project, it was ready to hang! We finished hanging the lamp last night. The lamp looks good in the space, but everything else in that area is starting to look a bit cluttered. I will have to do some moving there. But, check out the lamp!
If you have any suggestions on rearranging so it isn’t so cluttered over there, just let me know!
eHow To The Rescue
My grandmother gave me a tiny cast iron skillet the other day. I know that these pans are much sought after, but have never owned one. Although this one is just a baby she said you could use it for an egg or just to hang on the wall. So, I was going to do both. But, the skillet has some rust problems. I know that you can removed rust from other metals using steel wool, but how to remove it from cast iron? I looked it up on eHow. I haven’t tried it yet, but they do have instrucitons for rust removal:
A Stumper
We have a question for any of you creative minds out there. Our dog bowl and food situation is currently in need of fixing. I am one of those hiders. Everything should have a place and be kept out of site. So, this is, of course, driving me nuts.Â
Currently, there is a gap between our refrigerator and our stove. The landlord would like to someday add another cupboard in between, which I can’t argue with because it would also give us more counter space (always good). But, for the time being, we are using the gap as a space for a mat and the dog’s food and water bowls. This I don’t mind too much; the bowls are out of the way and accessible. The real problem is what to do with the food bag. We have a little drawer specifically for the dog, which holds his bones, treats, and brushes, etc. We were buying small bags of food that would fit in the drawer, but they are a waste of money. Now that we have upgraded to the large bag, we do not know where to keep it.Â
Not so funny story: I thought I would smartly store it behind the door to the basement steps. Then last night it came crashing down, and what sounded like loud rain was the entire giant bag of dog food pouring down the stairs!
Here is the current situation:
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Does anyone out there have a better looking solution? I can’t wait to get the ugliness hidden! 🙂
Romeo says hi and thanks for any help!
New Little Project
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I love finding odds and ends to fix up, remodel, or work on that I can then add to our home. These little projetcs are fun for me and keep me busy. This new task is a stool from my grandmother. Its not new, not antique, not anything special really. I almost truned it down. But, she said that it opened up. That caught my interest. Then, she suggested that maybe I could keep some interesting photos in it. BINGO! I snatched it up in a hurry. I love a bit of unexpected, and her idea of putting snapshots in the stool was perfect. I plan to recover the top with some funky material. I’m not sure if I will paint it yet. Then I will add some old, random photos to the inside for company to explore. Cute! Any suggestions on print or paint? Let me know what you think!Â
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So much potential...
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Vintage photos tucked away in here would be perfect!
The Little Red Stool
Being cooped up in the warm house yesterday as the snow blew outside, I had time to finish up a few projects. One was the stool that I posted about yesterday. It started out green and dirty, but now is a beautiful red. I’m not sure where I’m going to use it yet. I thought it would look cute in the kitchen, but when Tony brought it up the stairs for me, it struck me that it might make the perfect odd edition in our bedroom. Hmmm…
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It looks perfect in red.
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Here it sits in the kitchen, but might not stay there for long...
A New Project
The other night Tony’s mom offered us a little metal stool that she had in her garage. Knowing my love for all things vintage and all things industrial, Tony snatched it up. The current stool is painted green and very dirty and dinged up. But, we have already started cleaning it and preping to paint. I think it will be red. Our kitchen is mostly black and white, but has some punches of red. I think it will look adorable in there. Here are the before photos. After photos soon to come!
Littl metal stool before.
I think it will look so cute red.
One Little Project At A Time
When I get excited about something I lose all patience. Tony tells me constantly, “Calm down Jess, one thing at a time.” I’m trying, but just can’t control myself. Here is one small project we have completed. Just before we moved in here we went to an auction. We found this old little kitchen cupboard and scored in for $10. It’s back was burned and the sides were wrinkled, and paint was falling off. People probably thought we were crazy for even taking it home. But, a new back, a few dollars, and a lot of work later, we have a cute vintage kitchen island. The kitchen was too big not to have a table for more counter space, and this little guy solved our problem. Take a look! (I need to get better at remembering to take before photos of our projects! oops!)
I love those old tin tops! It does have one chip we would like to fix, but overall... Cute! What do you think?
Make Mine Eclectic 