A Gift Basket
I work for a non-profit agency and part of our yearly activity is to do a bit of fundraising to help out. This year we decided to make gift baskets and then auction them off. I volunteered to make a gift basket and then of course panicked, not knowing what to put in it!
So, I decided to make a basket of hot cocoa and coffees and all the fixins. I got this idea because a while back in a magazine I saw some antique spoons coated with chocolate and given as a gift with some drinks as stirers. I started off with some vintage silver spoons and some chocolate…
Then I wrapped these cuties up. I added some cute vintage mason jars and a tag for the cocoa…
I think it turned out pretty well, and it was super easy! Hope it raises some money! 🙂
An Addiction To My “Dressing Room”
I am absolutely loving my new closet, or “dressing room,” in the new house! I am getting used to having all of my clothes, shoes, and jewelry out on display where I can easily pick outfits and use things I haven’t in a while. With the new arrangment comes, well, arranging, however. As I get settled I am slowly making changes and getting ready to paint. So, with that said, that means that I have been making some changes to my organization. If you remember my pictures of my older house, you will remember that I kept a lot of jewelry and items in an old antique metal medicine chest hung above my dresser. There was nowhere to hang it up in the closet and sitting on top of a dresser did not allow the door to open… so…
I had gotten an old flower-y frame at a garage sale that just so happens to match the colors I want to use in the closet. I also happened to have some chicken wire in the barn. A staple gun and some elbow grease later…
I think it turned out super cute. It will probaby be going on the one wall shortly. So far its been handy too!
Desk Chair Redo
I was in an office chair conundrum at the new house. The office is large enough to hold the futon, DVD rack, desk, book shelf, and even file cabinet. But, its just not very comfortable. I loved using the comfy and gorgeous blue wingback chair in my last home office, but in this office there just isn’t enough space for a nice layout with the chair. So, the blue wingback moved to our bedroom. More pictures of that to come. Then there was no office chair. What to do?
During a recent (and quick) trip down to the creepy basement to store a few boxes I noticed a computer chair with wheels! It was ugly. No other way to put it. But, it was sturdy and heavy duty, and in good shape other than the abused crudiness of it.
The before:
First step? Remove the ugly arms. Then it was some paint and fabric…
Not too bad, eh?
So, what do you think? I think for being a completely free project it turned out super cute and will work for us for a while, while we have zero money. Oh, and don’t worry about the BRIGHT red walls. Come winter they will no longer be so obnoxious. It is especially strong paired with a big red filing cabinet and on the other wall is a red futon and ottoman! lol.
No-Sew Curtains
Every room of my new house has needed curtains. But, wow! Curtains are expensive! I always see other people’s fun curtains and think, “I can do that!” But then I get started and realize, oh yea, I can’t sew. At all. My mom suggested using iron-on fabric hem tape and making faux roman shades. Light bulb!
I have a little mud room, where the dog kennels and laundry live. These blinds were broken and grimy. I thought this was the perfect place to try this experiment out on. Its a small room, so it can take a bright punch, plus we aren’t in there all the time, so if they aren’t prefect on the first try its no big deal.
So, after reminding myself that the situation couldn’t get much worse, I set forth. I bought a few yards of a fun, floral fabric for each window. I used tension rods, and used these to mark the width of each window. Once I had the width I used the hem tape and ironed a hem onto each side. Then ironed a hem to the bottom and a pocket at the top. I hung the curtains, rolled them up, and tied in place with matching ribbon. Viola!
The bright fabric ties in the red antique table I use for folding laundry, and the fun towels I bought for next to the sink. You can see here that the whole little room needs some work, but for now at least the curtains are fun!
What a simple technique with big impact, no?
I love this big old sink, even though it needs some work too. Here you can see the little purple and yellow picture that I hung too. You can also see the antique expandable mirror.
I think this experiment turned out pretty well and will definitely use this to make me braver for my next curtain project!
Sheet Music Table
I have had this little vintage fold-up table sitting in the closet for a while now. My grandma had given it to me, cracked green paint and all. I would stare at it now and then, uninspired, but I knew an idea would eventually come to me.
Finally one day last week the idea did come to me! Sheet music! I happened to have some old sheet music, some Mod Podge, and even some ribbon and scrap book supplies. I, of course, forgot the before picture. And this was one of those that would have been good to have! But, after working on this project all weekend, I am finally finished and I really like the results.
I later read somewhere that in order to keep the ripples and bubbles from occurring you can dampen your paper before adding Mod Podge. I will definitely try that next! But for a first try, I think it turned out super cute! What do you all think?
Our New Buffet
Our new buffet is actually what was once a very old and icky buffet. I saw it at a garage sale for a few dollars and couldn’t resist. I thought it would be fun to see if I could bring life back to this old gem. It was a lot of hard work getting the old veneer top all off and fixing some chunks that were missing from the detailing on the front. Then I sanded, filled, sanded some more and painted with a glossy black paint. It still has some areas that have small flaws, but I am probably the only one who notices now. But, it is sturdy and I have plans for this to one day become a baby changing table once I inherit a piece for the dining room from my grandmother. Here it was before:
And after:
No too bad, eh?
An Awesome DIY Project
This chandelier is completely awesome! I drool everytime I look at this picture. Someday I hope I can work up the courage to attempt this DIY project. For now I call it inspiration and stare longingly at the photo each day.
Old Chair Becomes New Chair Love
About a year ago I was given this kind of ugly old chair by a friend who knew I had a thing for chairs and also a thing for redoing ugly vintage pieces. The chair sat in my garage just waiting for me to be inspired. And finally… I have a new dining chair!
Here is the funky chair before:
This baby was probably gorgeous is its day, but the orange had to go. And the finish on the wood had also seen better days. So, I got to work. I first unscrewed the cushion from the chair from underneath. Then I had to pry off about a million staples. But, this step proved to be quite inspiring. You see, I am a beginner reupholster-er. This chair gave me a bit of creative insight. Once I started prying off the staples I realized that not only was the fabric cover itself tacked down, but also the piping around the bottom of the cushion was a separate piece. This was a strip of fabric folded in half and stapled around the edge. Easy!
Here is a look at the cushion and staples. You can also see the strip of piping.
And here is my new dining chair, including my take on this simple piping idea!
I love how the piping contrasts with the leather fabric. The color ties in with the dining room so well. And here’s the new beauty in its place at the dining table:
The fabric on the table is another project to be coming soon! I am working on a fun table runner to brighten the place up for summer!
My 50 Cent Table
Last weekend I found the sweetest little antique table and a garage sale. For 50 cents. Yes, 50 cents. Here she is:
I saw the potential. It was a bit wobbly, but with the tap of a hammer, the leg was put back into its slot, and viola! No more wobble. Next, I lightly sanded the entire table. Then I applied about 4 coats of a turquoise pant with a sponge brush to the entire table. Once the final coat was completely dry, I used a fine sandpaper and roughed up the edges of the table and legs for an antiqued look. Here she is now:
I love it! And I really like the way it fits in the living room, but I think this could be one of those pieces that travels easily from room to room. I’m completely satisfied, and all for a total of 50 cents!
A Rustic Glam Light Fixture
I love the idea of mixing some glamour with rustic elements. Maybe this isn’t a new idea, but definitely my style! I recently came accross this gorgeous room. Particularly, I loved the light fixture and think this could be an easy, yet stunning project.
I found this lovely photo on decor8’s blog, originally from housetweaking.com. What do you think? I think I might have to give this a try myself!
see it here: www.housetweaking.com
Make Mine Eclectic 