Time-Out Stool

A few weeks ago our ward had a "Swap Meet". Members dropped off stuff they no longer had a need for and you could go and pick up whatever you wanted, FREE OF CHARGE!!! It started at 8:00 am, so I made sure to be there at 8 SHARP!!! I got some pretty good stuff, I will do another post about that later today :), One of my finds was a little wooden stool. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I would use it for.

I have no idea what happened to the before pic :( but it wasn't anything fabulous. The wood was in good shape, I just needed to recover the cushion with some new fabric. Once I took the old fabric off, I noticed the cushion was in good shape so I just added a new layer of batting, for a bit more cush. Once again, I have no idea where the pics are!!! It's pretty easy though :)

I wanted the stool to be as boring looking to Bucket as possible. I didn't want him to think it was a new toy, but I still wanted it to be cohesive with the decor in the house ... I went through my fabric and settled on burlap. What kid thinks burlap is cool? It's unfortunate really, because this momma LOVES it!!!


I laid it out under the cushion and cut it about 3 inches wider all the way around. Then I found the center and marked it with a pin.


I made the cover using the same technique I used for my silhouette pillows, click here to check it out!!! I used some scrap duck cloth and cut it down to size then pressed under the edges to give a nice clean seam.


Using my Cricut and SCAL I cut out "TIME OUT" using freezer paper. Then I adhered the paper to the duck cloth ***directions are on the box*** then I used a stencil brush and brown paint. Once the paint was dry I centered the duck cloth over the center (make sure to remove the pin) and then sewed it on using a 1/4" seam allowance on all four sides.



I used my staple gun to attach the burlap to the cushion, reattached it and VOILA!!! Super easy and FREE!!!

And in case you were wondering, I haven't used it yet, and I'm not sure when I will. I know he is probably still a bit too young to start the whole time out thing, I don't know, maybe he isn't. What are your feelings/suggestions about it?

Once again, sorry for the lack of pics ... I am clueless as to where they disappeared too ... Let me know if you have any questions!!!

P.S. Meg, over at A Little Knick Knack, is hosting her first ever linky party, Everything But The Kitchen Sink!!! I'm linking up over there, and you should all go over there and show her some love!!!

Show Us What You're Workin' With Wednesday #6!!

Once again, another Wednesday is upon me ... and once again I'm wondering where the last week went!! I'm excited to show you my little project for today!! It is very inexpensive and very easy, here it is:


I picked these cuties up at Dollar Tree, as soon as I saw them I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with them. The only other supplies needed are:

Paint
2 x 4 cut into squares, 1 for each frame
Wooden dowels

You don't need many supplies and if you are like me and have everything on hand, except for the frames, you are going to make all 3 of these for only $3!!!


Cut your 2 x 4 into a square, sand all edges. A 2 x 4 isn't actually 4 inches (it's more like 3.5), so make sure you measure before you cut. Mark the center of each square and drill a hole about half way through, make sure you don't put the hole the entire way through. The size of your dowel will determine what width to make the hole, my dowels were about 1/3". After you drill the holes, be sure to sand the hole down a bit so it's smooth. My dowels came 6 in a package and were cut at 12". I chose to glue the dowels to the bases first so I could paint them easier. I used the glue gun and squirt a bunch of glue down in the hole and stuck the dowel in. Now it's time to paint the base and dowel in whichever color you choose.


Now it's time to get to work on the frames. The frames have those stands on the back so you can set it on a table, but I didn't want them or need them so I pulled them off. When I pulled the bar code stickers off the back it pulled off some of the cardboard, as you can see in the picture. GRRRR!!


Now, paint your frames and let them dry. The paint soaked into the wood a bit, so it made it look kinda weathered and old ... which I LOVED!! But, if you don't want that look, then put a few extra coats on it. Once the paint is dry, attach the dowel with more hot glue. I cut the dowel down to make the frame sit at the height that I wanted. Once the glue is dry, put a picture and the glass back in the frame. I turned the little cardboard insert around so the missing cardboard wasn't showing, you can see what I mean in the picture.


Here is the finished product!! I made these 2 for the bedroom. I made them different heights and added a bird from Dollar Tree that I painted and a bit of moss to look like a nest.

This one I made for the bathroom, it's my FAVORITE!!! I didn't put pictures in any of the frames, because at this moment I can't find all my pictures ... still haven't unpacked them. So, for now, cute scrapbook paper is going to have to do.

Didn't they turn out super cute??!!! I just sorta realized that I didn't take a lot of pictures of the "how-to" steps, hopefully I explained it well enough, but if I didn't and you have any questions, please let me know!!

I liked the way these turned out so much, that I've decided to link up to these parties:

Whatever Works Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Ok, now on to the PARTY!!!

Burlap Silhouette Throw Pillows

*** THIS IF MY FIRST TIME LINKING UP WITH THE CSI PROJECT . . . WISH ME LUCK!!! ***

We've all seen the AWESOME hand cut silhouettes and we all know that they aren't cheap and it isn't like there are people that cut them on every corner. So, I decided to give it a go all by myself. I did one of Bucket and it's now in his room, that he doesn't even sleep in, but that's not what this post is about. I recently re-vamped our bedroom a bit and decided I needed some throw pillows. I got the gears a-turnin' and thought it would be cute to make them with mine and my husbands silhouettes on them. And that way when I make the bed I would put the one with his face on his side of the bed and mine on my side. TOTALLY FABULOUS right??!! Yeah, I was pretty excited about it. Ok, so let's get to it.

First thing I had to do was take the silhouette shots of me and the hubs. Let me say that was a CHORE!! Mostly because I couldn't keep a straight face for the life of me, and that I absolutely HATED each one we took. Normally I would choose to just print the silhouettes off with the printer, but I was out of ink so I just went with the next best thing. I got out my freezer paper and taped 'er up to the computer screen and traced it with a sharpie, just make sure you write on the paper side and not the shiny side.

Using the same tape I just used, I taped the paper down to my cutting mat. Then cut it out with an exacto knife. Be careful to stay on the line and not tear the paper since this will be your stencil. Put it aside, they will come into play in a minute.

I only had 20 inch pillow forms, and since I wanted to keep the cost down it was going to have to work. That being said, I would have liked to use a bit smaller next time. Adding 1 inch for seam allowance on 2 sides and 1 1/2" for the other 2 sides *** YOU WILL SEE WHY IN A MINUTE *** I cut the Burlap at 21" x 21 1/2", 2 pieces per pillow. This was my first time working with Burlap, I'm a late bloomer I know, so I measured it 15 3 times before I cut it :).

I originally was going to stencil right on the burlap but I decided I wanted more of a contrast, so I dug out some canvas from the fabric stash and cut (2) 12 inch squares. Then using my iron I folded and ironed under 1/2" to make sure I had clean edges.

Center your image stencil on the canvas and iron it, shiny side down, with a HOT iron. *** The freezer paper box has the instructions, so don't worry you can't mess it up. ***

I chose a blue-ish paint that compliments the accents in the bedroom and using my stenciling brush I dry brushed (dabbed most of the paint off leaving a tiny amount on the brush) the paint on. I did the outline first, then worked towards the center.

Since I didn't use a lot of paint, it dried very quickly. I pulled the stencil off and this is what I was left with. I wasn't totally happy with the way my mouth and chin looked so, using a fine paintbrush I added a bit to the lips to offset the chin ... heehee :) I swear I don't have Jay Leno chin!!

Now it's time to pin and sew the canvas down. *** MAKE SURE THE 21 1/2 INCHES ARE RUNNING LONG WAYS AND THE 21 INCHES IS LEFT TO RIGHT *** Pin the canvas 5" from the bottom and 5" from each side. You will have 5 1/2 inches from the top.

Sew the canvas to the burlap using a 1/4" seam, being sure to back-stitch at the beginning and the end.

Now it's time to close 'er up. Put the other piece of burlap on top of the piece you just finished, once again remembering to pin all around the edges. Sew a 1/2" seam on 3 sides, back-stitching at the beginning and end. Then do a zig zag stitch to help keep the burlap from unraveling, you could also use a serger if you have one.

Snip the corners and then turn right-side out. Use a pencil, scissors or some other skinny-ish tool to push the corners out. Put your pillow form in your new case to make sure everything fits nice and tight. Take the form out and get ready for some more ironing and sewing.

Now it's time to fold and hem the opening. Fold over 1/2" and iron, then fold it over one more 1/2" and iron again. Using a straight stitch sew a 1/4" seam all around the opening. Cut (10) 6 inch pieces of ribbon that coordinate with your pillow and burn the ends with a lighter or use fray check to help keep them from fraying. Find the center of your opening and pin one piece to the front and one piece to the back. Then do the same 1" from both sides. Then once more, on each side, in the middle of the side and the original center. HOPE THAT'S NOT TOO CONFUSING. Make sure they all line up and then sew them down, going back and forth a few times to ensure they don't come loose. Put your pillow form back in and tie the ribbons.

I opted to just tie the ribbons in a knot because I like the look better than a bow, but you can do whatever you like. I also chose to add a little bow to my hair to tie the ribbon back into the pillow.

And a little bow tie for the hubs, I think it's cute :)

Here they are on the bed. I LOVE the punch of blue against the neutrals in the pillows behind it.

Let's get to the price:

I used about 1 1/2 yrds of Burlap and it was $2.99 yard with my 40% off coupon

I already had the ribbon, paint, canvas and pillow forms so BOTH of these beauties were less than $5.00. YAY!!! Personalized, custom made throw pillows for practically free, I LOVE LOVE LOVE practically free!!

I hope you like my newest idea, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!

OH AND YOU KNOW I HAVE TO LINK UP TO MY PARTIES ... THANKS LADIES!!

Chalkboard Coasters & a GIVEAWAY!!!

*** I'VE DECIDED IT WOULD BE FUN TO DO A LITTLE GIVEAWAY!! I'VE LINKED THIS PROJECT UP TO MY FAVORITE SITES AND ONE OF YOU LUCKY GALS WILL WIN THIS SET OF 4 COASTERS!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST AND ON SUNDAY 2/28 AT MIDNIGHT I WILL CHOOSE  A WINNER!!! TELL YOUR FRIENDS :) ***

**** DUE TO THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH WORDPRESS :( I'VE DECIDED TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE FOR A SECOND ENTRY, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BECOME A FOLLOWER. AND TO MAKE IT EVEN SWEETER I WILL THROW IN A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA TO THE LUCKY WINNER!!! ****

I'm not gonna lie ... I LOVE HOME DEPOT!! Ever since I started this blog I honestly love going there.  I will say it's sort of empowering being one of the FEW ladies in there. Yes, I still have to ask some questions, but for the most part I know where the ESSENTIALS are and I totally DIG it!! Anyway, I was there the other day and I decided to finally jump on the chalkboard craze and by myself a can of the magical stuff (I really do consider it magical).  So many different applications for it were running through my head and one of the quickest and cheapest was chalkboard coasters.  I thought they could serve a few purposes ... obviously the most important function is to prevent water rings on your coffee table and other surfaces, but I also thought they would be RAD as funky Place Cards (MY FAVORITE FUNCTION). And then the party guest could take it home after ... SO 3 TOTALLY PRACTICAL AND TOTALLY FAB FUNCTIONS!!! Oh, my hearts a flutter just thinking about these beauties. Ok, now for the supah dupah easy tute ...

*** Oh first let me say that I am missing 2 of the "during process" pictures.  Luckily, they aren't crucial but it's still rather annoying!! ***

SUPPLIES

- Cheap-o ceramic tiles from the Depot $.16/each

- ChalkBoard paint, I got plain black but you can get it tinted to a variety of colors ... I'm trying that next!!

- Large paintbrush

- Glossy Accents or Diamond Glaze, I use Glossy Accents only because it's all I can find in the stores

- Acrylic Paints, in color(S) of your choice

- Patterned scrapbook paper or some other printed image/design you like

- Sticky back stiff black felt or plain black felt will work too

The supply list is super small and SUPER cheap. The only investment ($11.00) is the paint and it will last forEVAH!! Ok grills, let's do this!!

Super Cheap $.16 white tiles from the Depot. They come in other colors, but they are more expensive and it doesn't matter anyway since you are painting them.  Its hard to see in this picture, but there are 2 bumpy things on each of the 4 sides of the tiles.  I first tried handsanding them off and that didn't work, so I busted out the orbital sander and used the roughest grit sandpaper I had to get rid of 'em. It only took a few minutes total.

Paint the front and sides of the tiles ... I did about 3 coats, letting each dry for about 15-30 minutes before moving on to the next.

Paint the back a bit too, you don't have to worry about the middle because it will be covered with the felt.

I looked online for paisley and scroll patterns that I liked, but they were all too ornate so I turned to my trusty scrapbook paper stash and found a pretty leaf paper that I liked. I didn't have any graphite paper so I just rubbed my pencil on the back of the paper and it works just as well. *** Here is where picture #1 that I am missing  would come in .... GRRR!! *** Turn the paper over and position it on the tile where you want it. Hold it down tight and using a pen or stylus, trace over the design making sure to apply enough pressure.

This is what you will be left with. This isn't actually the design I used, but you get the idea!! Then I used a fine tip paintbrush and traced over the lines, you could also use a paint pen. *** missing picture #2 alert ... *** After my painted design was dry I decided that they weren't shiny and protected enough for my liking.  Normally, I would just spray a glossy finish but since it's chalkboard I used my Glossy Accents and went over the design. It was nice because the fine tip of the bottle allowed me to keep the gloss on the design and not on the chalkboard part. Follow the directions on the bottle as far as how long to let the stuff dry.

I wanted the coaster to look as finished as possible, and so nobody would every know it was a cheapy tile, so I added some felt to the back. And this way it protects your table or other surface.  I opted to go with the sticky back felt for 2 reasons. 1. It's already sticky so I don't have to glue anything and 2. It is much stiffer than regular felt.

Here they are in all their glory!! Super cute right?

Here it is as a Place Card.

These are so STINKING cute and fun to make!! And once again, super cheap. REMEMBER TO COMMENT ON THIS POST SO YOU CAN BE ENTERED TO WIN ALL 4 OF THESE CUTIES!!! Thanks for reading!!

And as always, check out my ladies ... they sure know how to part-ay!!

Simple Velvet Rose

We've all seen the ladies with the pretty fabric roses in their hair or on their sweaters, and we've all seen the price tags for those same pretty little beauties.  Well, I don't know about you but I'm not down for dropping $15 on a tiny piece of a fabric with a pin on the back when I can make one for FREE or next to nothing.  So, I dug threw my fabric looking for some suitable fabric that would make a nice rose. I first started with some SUPER CUTE polka-dot cotton fabric, but it didn't work out.  So, I dug a bit deeper in the stash and found some black velvet.  It worked perfectly!! I know this isn't the first time someone has made one of these, so I'm sure you all already know how to make one, but in case you don't ....

I started by cutting the velvet into a 3 x 30 ish piece.

[caption id="attachment_104" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Step 2"][/caption]

Now I folded it in half, wrong sides together, I didn't want to iron it because I didn't want to mess up the texture of the velvet.  Using a needle and thread I did a simple gathering stitch, on the raw edges.  It's hard to see in this picture, but you don't have to do anything fancy.  Once you are done sewing the whole strip start pulling the thread and the fabric will gather and start turning rolling up on itself.

** Sorry, but I forgot to take a picture of this next step.  I'm totally lame, I know.  If you don't understand the directions, let me know and I will get you a pic ASAP **

Roll the fabric up and sew through the layers with each roll.  It will start looking like a rose immediately.  After it's all rolled up, sew through the layers a few more times and knot it off so the thread doesn't break.

I wanted to make this rose so I could wear it on my shirt, or in my hair, or on my purse (that would be cute!!).  So, I chose to attach a piece of ribbon so I Could just slip a clip or safety pin through it and attach it.  I sewed each end of the ribbon the back, making sure to make the ribbon as taught as possible, so the rose would lay flat.

Here it is all put together.

On my shirt!! It's kinda hard to see because it's such a dark fabric, but I LOVE how it turned out!!

And in my hair!! This would even look cute on a necklace or one of those cute little scrunchy belts on Disney's cute blog Ruffles and Stuff. Maybe if I was a skinny little thing like her I could actually pull one of those belt's off ... Maybe someday :)

I decided to link this up too!!