A Pinteresting Nursery: More Seating

Since Maddie's room isn't very big, I tried to find pieces of furniture that would double up either in storage or in function.  I really wanted a built in window seat area, but since our windows come down so low, I knew it would be rather pricey for a built in since it would involve a window remodel.  So, off I went to my ever faithful Pinterest and started rooting around for ideas.  Here's what I found:

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I loved the idea of a toy storage bench/seat!  And, luckily, I already had the perfect piece to go there.  Once upon a time, when this room was my scrapbooking area, I had purchased a Billy wall unit from Ikea and we had taken it down since we were moving my stuff out.  It was the perfect dimensions for the space.  The height of the bench is perfect for little ones without being too short for an adult to sit on.  I shopped around and found that the Closet Maid storage boxes were a good fit for the cubbies.

To make the bench pads, I purchased a 22"x22" chair pad from JoAnn's and cut it down the middle.  It made two pads that fit the top really well.  Now by the time I was working on the bench pads, I was tired of sewing and quickly running out of patience, so instead of making a box cushion cover and adding the cute piping I had envisioned, I decided to wrap the foam in the fabric and use a simple blind stitch seam on the ends.

Lessons learned: the bench pads will slide around, use a small piece of non-skid rug pad under each one to keep them from moving; when pre-ordering fabric from Etsy, count on it being delayed at least 6 weeks!!

Cost Breakdown:
Storage Unit - Ikea - $0 (already had on hand)
Chair Pad Foam - JoAnn's (with coupon - $16.77
Fabric - Etsy - $7.25 (1 yd @ $7.25/yd)
Bins - Target - $17.97

Thanks for stopping by!

A Pinteresting Nursery: Seating

Hi, I've got another Pinteresting nursery project to show you today, our refinished glider.  Our sweet friend sold us her glider for a great price but warned us that the cushions would need some reupholstering since her son had taken at red Sharpie to them.  To me, it was the perfect opportunity to try out a Pinterest project!! :)

The glider was finished in a natural wood color with cream colored upholstery.  Since all the furniture in the nursery was white, I knew some spray painting was in order.  We took the glider outside on a sunny day, cleaned it with a degreasing agent (don't remember which one), and wiped it down really well.  Then, we primed it with two coats of Zinsser's Cover Stain primer.

After letting it dry for a couple of days, we lightly sanded it down and sprayed it with several light coats of Rustoleum's Ultra Cover Spray in Gloss White.

With the painting complete, I started on the reupholstering process.  I used this and this pin from Pinterest to help me get started.  The sides were really easy to make and were done fairly quickly.  For the bottom cushion, I decided to buy a thicker pad and had to cut it to shape, my kitchen electric knife made that job fairly easy.  Since the bottom pad was thicker, I had to cut the back portion to make it fit.  During the process I completely forgot about the snaps at the back but the cushion is snug enough to stay in place on it's own so I'm not worried.  The gray zebra fabric is the same one I used on the crib bumper.

 

Next, I covered a small pillow using this envelope tutorial.  It was so quick and easy to make, I almost wish I had more pillows to cover!  The butterfly fabric is the same as the curtains.

Finally, I made a double sided blanket using this tutorial.  I actually remembered to wash my fabrics first which was a good thing since both of them shrunk significantly!  The hardest part was how much the fluffy fabric shifted!!  I used tons of pins and safety pins and it still shifted quite a bit.  I also used a quilted fluffy fabric instead of the minky fabric the tutorial recommends, that may have affected it.

 Overall, this was probably the most involved DIY project we did for the nursery.  It did take quite a bit of time and materials, but in the end it was worth it.  The glider fits in with the room perfectly and it's a super comfy place to just sit and relax (hmm, maybe I should move into MY bedroom!!)

Cost Breakdown
Gilder - purchased from friend - $50
Primer - Home Depot - $11.16
Spray Paint - Home Depot - $11.61
Chair Pad Foam - Hobby Lobby (with coupon) - $7.79
Zebra Fabric - JoAnn's (on sale) - $12 (3yd @ $4/yd)
Rectangle PillowForm - Hobby Lobby (with coupon) - $4.79
Butterfly Fabric - Hobby Lobby (on sale) - $2.10 (1/2yd @ $4.20/yd)
Total Cost: $99.45

Have you reupholstered a glider?  Link up your pics in the comments!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello, hello, is anybody out there?  My poor blog has been so neglected and abandoned.  But, I'm back today and, hopefully the next several days, with some Valentine's Day cards that I put together this weekend.  I apologize in advance for the terrible lighting in the photos, I took them at work with a borrowed camera.

Today's card is a quick and simple card that I cased out of one of my own creations.  I find that it helps to look back at my own stuff when I've been away from my papercrafting room for a while.  It helps get the creativity flowing again. 

I love the simplicity and clean lines of this layout.  The hearts were die cut out of PTI's true black and raspberry fizz felt and book pages from an old book.  I attached them to the card base using a straight stitch line from my sewing machine.  The sentiment is from Verve's Heart on Fire stamp set and topped of with a single pink rhinestone.  The bottom border was made using PTI's raspberry fizz cardstock and a Fiskar's border punch.  The ink on the paper hearts is Memento's Rosebud.

Thanks for stopping by today, I'll be back with another card later this week.

Prickley Pear Rubber Release

PPRS has a fun new red rubber release in store for you, packed with vintage images & images that are great for fathers day or just for him. Be sure to visit the whole PPRS design team today team for great card ideas as we all have something to show off today. Be sure to leave comments on each blog, as three random winners will be chosen to to receive awesome rubber stamps from this release party! Winners will be chosen and announced Monday the 23rd!

Ready to see what I've got for you today?  Here it is!

I used the same layout from last week's CASE study card just because I love it so much! I used several new toys for this card, the doily die, the stamp, and the ribbons are all new to me and I was just itching use them on a card.

To make the raspberry rosette, I folded the ribbon in half, stitched it along the edges and pulled it tight.  I then slipped the rhinestone brad in the center.  I used the doily die from Dies Direct to make a doily using PTI's raspberry fizz cardstock and then I misted it with beige color mist.

Don't forget to leave a comment on all the blogs for a chance to win some rubber!  Thanks for stopping by!



Paper: Bo Bunny; DCWV - Luxury Stack; PTI - raspberry fizz; Neenah - cream cardstock
Stamps: PPRS - Geranium Flower Seeds
Ink: Memento - Rosebud; Distress - Antique Linen, Tea Dye
Accessories: Dies Direct - doily die; scrunched seam binding; The Paper Studio - crochet trim, brads; Prima - paper flowers; May Arts - ribbon

Another Case Study

Hi guys, I'm back with another Case Study card today.  This month's featured guest is Sarah Martina Parker.  I love her cards and have followed her for a while now.  I made the card a few days ago and completely forgot to post it! 

I chose to keep the layout and the shabby chic feeling of the card and several of the elements Sarah used in her card, but I changed the color scheme.  I used some paper from Cosmo Cricket for the background and added stitching to the middle panel.  I used a library card, like the CASE card.  I stamped mine out using PTI's library card stamp and then rounded out the edges.  The cute fairy with the dandelion is from The Craft's Meow and I absolutely love her!  I stamped her in red on cream cardstock and added a touch of sponging with Antique Linen.  The metal brads are from Hobby Lobby and the crochet rosette was made out of a scrap piece of trim.  Lots of elements went into this card, but I like it.

Prickley Pear will be releasing new rubber stamps on May 21, be sure to stop for the release!


Paper: cardbase - Neenah cream cardstock; Cosmo Cricket - Circa 1934, Social Club
Stamps: Butterfly Kisses - The Craft's Meow; Library Card - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black - Memento; Red Barn, Antique Linen, Tea Dye - Distress
Accessories: wrinkled seam binding; pearls - Pizzazz Aplenty; brads, crochet trim - The Paper Studio; burlap string - May Arts

Prickley Pear Release Day 2

Welcome back to the second day of Prickley Pear's new releases.  Today we're featuring a new butterfly set that coordinates with the previously released butterfly die.  This set coordinates perfectly with the first butterfly set that was released earlier last year.

For today's card I went for a softer vintagey look.  The background papers are from Basic Grey's Capella line.  For the library card, I created my own on the computer and printed it out on cardstock; I rounded the corners and distressed the edges for a very aged look.  I stamped my butterfly onto the die cut using green distress ink and then sponged the edges with tea dye.  I adhered it to the double bow using Aleene's tacky glue for a good hold.  The sentiment is also from the new stamp set, you can see the all the clear sets here.  I added several embellishments to the card: two pearl stick pins from Maya Road, a small pearl flourish, a metal flower brad, and a crochet flower with a brad.

Be sure to stop by the Prickley Pear blog for more details on the new sets.  Thanks!

Little Star

I really enjoy participating with the weekly Viva La Verve sketches!!  I decided to go with a baby boy theme for this card so I could use one of my favorite Pain Janes.  I stamped a very subtle musical background on aqua mist using white canvas ink.  The musical background stamp is from Papertrey Ink.  I used my new circle scallop die from Prickley Pear to mat my sentiment on.  I finished off the card with a few crystal swirls and some distressed tickets.  Despite the sewing, this card came together quite quickly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbooking Again

Well, wouldn't you know it, I made two more scrapbook pages!  Weird right?  Well, these two pages are due to finding the GORGEOUS new line of MME paper, Lost & Found.  Swoon!  They are absolutely beautiful and are just perfect for scrapbooking.  

While I was browsing through the paper at Scrapper's Boutique, I came across this paper and it immediately reminded me of the time my mom tried to show Jessica (my sister) how to sew.  The looks on my sister's face were so funny, I pulled out my camera to record them.  So, I pulled out the pictures, purchased a few embellishments and here's what I came up with:

I made one for my mom and one for Jess so they could always remember their mother-daughter time together.  I apologize for the glare, but I didn't remember to photograph them until they were in their shadowboxes.  There's lots of different elements on these pages, so this might be a long post. :) 

The glittery titles were made using Making Memories alphabet stickers and crystal swirls by Prima Marketing were added to both pages.  The small spools at the bottom right were made using small wooden spools from Hobby Lobby painted with white acrylic paint and spooled with ivory and pink embroidery thread.  Both pages have clear acrylic brackets that were painted with alcohol inks and pearl hat pins attached to the ribbon ruffle.  Tiny scissor and thimble charms finished off the pages. 

I plan on giving them to my mom when we meet in San Marcos, I really hope they like them! 

Happy Birthday WTG

I made this card a while back but am just now getting around to posting it.  I made it as soon as my Who's That Birthday Girl stamp set arrived at my door.  This set just begs for some paper piecing and along the way I also added some sewing, ribbon, and pearl swirls.  I used my favorite BG paper, Nook & Pantry for just about everything on this card (note to self: buy another Nook and Pantry paper pad ASAP, lol).  The two background panels were inked up with vintage photo and tea dye disress inks for an aged look and some cute crochet lace was added to the bottom of the card.  I love how the papers make it look like I'm taking a peek into my grandma's young adult life.

That's all I got for today.  See ya mañana, I've got a card that I CASE'd that I'm very pleased with :) now I just have to photoshop it and post it here.  Keep an eye out for it tomorrow.  Byee.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you got to spend it with your loved ones.  I've got another Prickley Pear card to show off today.  This one was made using a new stamp from their spring collection, Flourished Birdcage.  As soon as I saw this stamp, I knew I would want to emboss it with a pretty metallic color.  So, I stamped it with copper pigment ink and embossed it with clear detail powder.  I kept the layout simple and added some stitching around the panels using cream thread.  The flower embellishment was lightly sponged with copper ink and the petals were molded upwards. 

That's it for today.  I hope you have a wonderful week!

Velvet Stamping and Tutorial

I know I’d seen it before and the bold images from Prickley Pear are just perfect for it, so after a little Googling, I decided to go for it. I purchased some velvet, pulled out some stamps, and held my breath. Here’s the final results:

Not too bad, huh? And it was so super easy to do. Here’s a breakdown of how I did it:

First, I cut my velvet down to the size I would need for my sachet.

Then I made sure my iron had a spot on the plate that did not have any holes and I emptied out the water from the reservoir. I turned it up to high and let it heat up.

I placed my stamp rubber side up on the ironing board and positioned my velvet, pile side down on top of it.

I lightly sprayed the velvet with water from a water bottle. Hint: try to concentrate the spray only on the area on top of the stamp.

You take the iron and firmly place it over the velvet on top of the stamp. If your iron has holes, make sure you position your iron so that the area that has no holes is directly on top of your stamp.

Hold the iron in place for 15-20 seconds and then lift the iron straight off the velvet. Gently peel back the velvet and take a look at your impression.

If it’s too light, you can carefully lay the fabric right back over the stamp and heat it with the iron for another 10 seconds.

And voila, you are done. Now you can take your fabric and make it into sachets, drawstring bags, scarves, etc.

Now, this works with most high quality rubber stamps as they can withstand the brief heat of the iron. However, I cannot attest to the durability of any particular stamp. Please do not try this with acrylic stamps as they are more delicate to heat.

The bolder the image, the better your results will be. Although I was pleasantly surprised at how well the detail of the stamp appeared on the velvet.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please leave me a comment and I’ll try to respond within 1-2 days.

Now that I know how easy it is, I’d love to try this with some large background stamps and make some cute throw pillows. What project will you make?

Spring Time and Cheer Up

Hi guys, I'm back with two cards today.  The first one is based on this week's Mercy sketch.  I used my new Kioshi pad from Basic Grey and an image from Prickley Pear that I had previously watercolored using twinkling H2O's.  I stamped and embossed the image onto watercolor paper and used my twinkling H2O's like watercolors to color the image.  I love how they give just the right amount of shimmer to give the image some pizazz without making it overwhelming.  Anyways, here's the card:

And a closeup of the stamped panel:

The paper did warp a bit from the watercoloring and embossing, but not enough to bother me.

Supplies:
papers: Kioshi Basic Grey, watercolor paper, green cardstock
stamp: Prickley Pear
other: ribbon, button, twine, brads

I also made another card for a friend who's been having a hard time lately.  I'm hoping to give it to her paired with a little box of candies to help cheer her up.  It's hard to be sad when you're eating some chocolate! :) 

I used a previous Mojo Monday sketch and some new SEI paper I picked up recently.  I only bought one sheet, but I can already tell I'll be back for more.  When I first saw this stamp at Verve, it just called to me.  I loved what the verse was saying, to me it seems like a hopeful message.

Supplies:
papers: SEI, BoBunny, DCWV, black and white cardstock
stamp: Verve - Plain Jane
other: black ribbon, pink rhinestones

I'm experimenting with a fun project this weekend and I'm hoping for good results so I can share with ya'll (yes, I'm a Texas girl!) on Monday.  Wish me luck!

Enjoy your weekend.

Snuggle Bunnies

Hi guys!  I did make another baby card, but while I was at it, I also went ahead and participated in MFT's Wednesday's Stamp Club challenge.  This week it's a sketch challenge, which I just love.  Lately, I haven't had too much time to do any of the challenges, so it was fun to be able to play along.  I made this card, CASEing this card by Melody.  I just love the stuff she creates!  So here's my rendition of it using this week's sketch:

I only wish my sewing was a good as hers!  It's my first time sewing zig zags and there sure is a learning curve to it.  I used Jody's sewing tutorial to get my bearings and then went from there.  Note to self: practice on scrap paper first! Lol,  I had to do a couple of panels before I figured it out.  The image is colored with copics and their tails are puffed up with liquid applique. 

Supplies:
Stamps: MFT - Snuggle Bunnies
Paper: BG - Nook & Pantry, MFT - hot fudge
Ink: Memento, copics
Other goodies: Nestabilities, Kenmore sewing machine, liquid applique, crochet lace

Enjoy!

Prayer Box

Late last year I decided to make a prayer box for myself similar to the one Patter made on her blog.  Take a second to visit her site and admire her box, it's AWESOME!!  So on New Year's, I started making this box.  I finished it about a week later, but I've procrastinated on the pictures.  And here's why: I sewed on the panels!!  Although I'm really excited that I tried and for the most part accomplished a new technique, my skills are no where near as good as others!  So, I've built up my courage and I'm posting my prayer box today.  Here it is:

The box is a recipe box from the dollar section at Michael's.  I painted the box with pink acrylic paint and set it aside while I made the individual panels.  The panels are layers of Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey paper, and Bo Bunny cardstock.  The verses are from Verve and are stamped out in Tuxedo Black on white cardstock.  The letter's spelling out "Prayer Box" are made using MFT's bling bet and hot fix crystals.  I stamped the letters out in Brilliance Chocolate ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder.  Once I attached the crystals, I cut the individual letters out and attached them to the box with dimensionals.  I also made some dividers for the inside using postcard sized chipboard.  I covered the rectangles with colored paper, added the titles with stickers, and added a decorative sticker to each one.  These will help keep my box nice and organized.

I sewed the panels using my little Kenmore sewing machine that has been collecting dust since I purchased it several years ago.  Once I got the tension right, the process was fairly easy, but I had to go really slow to make sure that I was sewing in a straight line (which I didn't most of the time!).  I had a great time learing how to sew with paper and will continue to try some more.

Supplies: recipe box, bazzill cardstock - brown, Basic Grey paper - Eva, Bo Bunny Cardstock - swiss dots, nestabilities, Verve Stamps, paper piercer, sewing machine, white thread, silver brads (to hide uneven corners), MFT 'bling bet, hot fix crystals - pink

Thanks for stopping by!