Category Archives: DIY and Upcycling

Teen Room Make-Over Update: Slowly, but Surely

Quick Update:

July has come and gone in a flurry of activity. The kids took two weeks of swimming lessons, Eden and I worked on her bedroom make-over and I spent endless hours planning our 2015 summer road trip. Today, we hit the road at 5:37 a.m.!  I have 13 hours in the van with wi-fi (tethering) and I hope to knock of a few posts! One of the goals of this trip is to “unplug”, but I’m beginning the trip by breaking my own rules because I’ve hardly had the time to breathe, let alone blog and really miss it. We will be in Alberta until Monday, so I want to take advantage of my data plan before we leave the country for 3 weeks. Of course the kids weren’t the least bit disappointed when I told them they could tether as well! Let’s face it, the prairies don’t exactly captivate your attention. There will be plently of time to connect in the remaining 90 hours we plan to spend on the road!  Once our “official” road trip begins, I will try to do regular posts, but I’m guessing they will be mostly pictorial. We are so excited about this vacation and all that we have planned. Hopefully you’ll enjoy following our journey.

Bedroom Update: Slowly, but Surely

I recently posted some pictures of Eden’s bedroom. The make-over was a huge amount of work because it wasn’t just a matter of changing the paint colours. The large mural wall had to be completely sanded to remove all of the ridges that were formed from the application of so many different colours. Eden and I spent about 10 hours hand sanding the ridges of the mural and the painted border in the little alcove. She wanted her new room to have white walls. Of course, white couldn’t be more different than the previous explosion of colours that basked her walls. I should have known better, but made a judgement error. We used Benjamin Moore “simply white”. The paint says its “paint and primer in one”. I should have went with my gut and primed anyway, but didn’t. The result was 4 coats of “simply white”. You can imagine the frustration. Hours of sanding and 4 coats of paint all of which required extra dry time due to the humidity. Remember, we live in a 2300 square foot 1920’s house with nothing more than a window air conditioner. It was hot and sticky to say the least!

When all was said and done, I must say white seemed a bit blah! White is actually one of my very favourite colours, but it just seemed so plain going from the colourful mural. Of course, Eden was quick to remind me that it “wasn’t my room” and she knew exactly what she wanted. To off set the white, she wanted the wall with the closet door and entry to the alcove painted in black chalkboard paint. Although she hasn’t taken much time to personalize/decorate the wall, it has already been a hit with friend’s signatures and little notes!

The only colour on the walls is found on the back wall and angled ceiling of the alcove. The palette Eden chose is black, white and red. I must say its very contemporary and even some what sophisticated. We still have lots to do, but she is already thrilled with the progress we’ve made.

Here is a picture of the mural mid sanding.
I already knew we were in trouble after the first coat of paint.
Here you can see the black and red walls.
Here is the red wall and ceiling in the alcove.

I loved the black and red with the plain white walls! However, in order to make the black wall “chalk friendly”, we had to prime it by covering the entire surface with chalk.

With the walls done, it was time to tackle the furniture. Eden had been asking for a bedroom make-over for about 2 years, but I think I had been putting it off knowing what a huge job it would be. Her original room had everything colour cooridinated…from shelves to upholstered chairs. Pretty much everything in the room was painted or made to fit the old colour palette. It was nice, but makes the change that much harder. Of course, not everything is getting done right now, but if you want to see some of the projects we’ve completed check out tomorrow’s post!

“Turn The Page” ~ Eden’s Room Make-Over

I was so looking forward to the summer and couldn’t wait to finally have the time and energy to put up some regular posts. Baseball season is over, school has been finished for 3 weeks and yet, this is only the second time I’ve sat down at the computer to post. Why is that you might ask? Well, so far, we have been super busy! We did 2 weeks of swimming lessons at the outdoor pool in our neighborhood which was fabulous, but meant at we were tied up from 8:45 am until about 12:30 everyday. Aside from that, I have been busy planning out our 2015 Road Trip to Southern California. This is a huge undertaking and has consumed every spare moment. Between swimming lessons and vacation planning, Eden and I have been plugging away at re-designing her bedroom. I must say this is exciting and sad all at the same time. I chose the colour scheme for her room when I was pregnant with her (14 years ago). Since then, we have lived in 3 places and although the layout changed and the room evolved, the palette remained the same. Eden turned 13 about 6 months ago and is more than ready for a new look that is more “grown-up”.  After lots of planning and discussion, it was time to “turn the page”.

Eden's Nursery

Fabric Swatches

These are the fabric swatches from the original nursery design. So lovely!

This is a terrible picture, but the only one I have of Eden’s nursery. It was a real “labour of love”. Most fo the accessories were white, with aqua and apple green accents. I had found a whole whack of colour coordinated fabrics that I absolutely loved and went to town. You can tell how dated it all is with the homemade bumper pads (that are no longer deemed safe) and a photo so old it’s not in digital format and had to be scanned! This room was a huge project because aside from painting the walls, I had made pretty much everything from the fabric I had found ~ roman blinds, the sheers and canopy, the bumper pads and quilt, as well as a re-upholstered chair and the cushion for the rocking chair. Fortunately, when we moved (when Eden was 4), the blinds, sheers and chair still worked in her new room. We decided to go with the same colour scheme, but update the look by adding a hand painted mural. When we moved again only 2 years later, Eden was not yet ready to give up her mural and thus I did it all over again in our current home. This was Eden’s room just a few weeks ago, but it is now taking on a whole new look. Stay tuned as we begin to reveal the total room make-over. I know this will be a process and it won’t be completely finished for months, but were finally getting close!

Hand Painted Mural
BEFORE: At some point, the left corner got stained and we camouflaged it with a butterfly (not really done by choice, but rather necessity).
Antique Vanity
BEFORE: Old Slipper Chair
AFTER: Refinished Slipper Chair

Staff Room Coffee Bar

Well, after many months of planning and working to get this pulled together, we finally got our new coffee station up and running. We still haven’t figured out exactly how we’ll set-up the sugar, spoons, guest cups, etc, but at least we can say it’s up and running. You may remember a few previous posts that highlighted an ugly thrift store painting and old buffet in dire need of some TLC. Here are the before and afters!

Before and After Frame

I loved this oversized frame and the detail in it was awesome. A simple coat of paint takes it from yuck to wow!

Before and After Frame

Antique BuffetAntique Buffet Before and After

The completed station turned out well and seems to function much better for our large staff. Instead of having the counter tops cluttered with numerous coffee machines, we were able to develop a separate coffee station that is set apart from the busy “kitchen area”.

coffee bar

To learn how to create your own chalkboard art click on the picture and it will take you to a previous post with helpful links to follow.

coffee bar

We ended up having a piece of glass cut to size to rest on top of the painted cabinet. We knew this would be a high traffic area with lots of drips and spills, so although expensive, I think we’ll be glad we purchased the glass top.

You can probably see the heavy metal wire below. We had to have an electrician in to place a plug on the wall. We carefully measured it out and gave explicit directions, but because we all have a jobs to do and didn’t actually supervise the installation, we ended up with an ugly plug installed on the outside of the wall. Silly me, I just assumed it would be set into the wall just like any other plug. Oh well, it isn’t really that noticable (except when your standing back to take a picture)!!

Stay tuned…..Eden and I have been super busy re-doing her bedroom. It is a huge undertaking and is taking up all of my spare time. I have a feeling it will “evolve” and not be completely finished for some time, but I will start posting as soon as we have made a little more progress.

Doll Tights in under five minutes: Emily Rose has Pantyhose

Thanks to Kelli Stewart for this great guest post on a creative way to may tights for a worn out doll. She is amazingly creative and works wonders with a sewing machine. Finally a use for those odd socks that mysteriously lose their partner in the wash!

Caring for the ones you love

IMG_3445My Daughter Emily has a baby doll that she says is her sister that she named after herself. The doll is much loved and was starting to show how loved she was. Embarrassed of how ratty she was looking, I would tell Emily that her doll would have to stay in the car instead of coming with us, “so she wouldn’t get lost when we were out”. But nothing gets past her.

A sales clerk asked my Emily the typical questions you ask a three year old. “What’s your name, sweety? How old are you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Emily answered them all.
“Emily”
“Three”
“Yes, I have a big brother named Nathan and a little sister named Emily.”
Puzzled, the clerk asks, “Emily? isn’t your name Emily?”
Quick as a whip, Emily replies, “Yes, it is. Her name is Emily too. She’s one. But Mom thinks she’s too dirty looking to take out, so we left her in the car.”
Horrified, the sales lady shot me a look.
“It’s a doll!” I mouthed. With no uncertainty, I realized I was indeed a neglectful parent to Emily, my doll daughter. She needed a going out outfit ASAP. I sewed her a dress and made the real Emily shorts to match her sister.

My Emily is five now, and still loves Emily Rose (the Rose addition came later after many confusing conversations!). Emily Rose is looking pretty good for a favourite toy, but I thought it’s time to sew her some tights to keep the fabric part of her body from wearing out sooner rather than later.
One bobby sock later, Emily Rose has Pantyhose!

Here’s how…

  • Iron a crease in the sock so you have a 1/2 way guideline.
  • Turn the sock inside out.
  • Put the heal of the sock where the bum is.
  • Pinch where you want the crotch (I made Emily Rose’s lower so it was at the top of her legs… the bean bag stuffing isn’t what it used to be, and this hides it a bit). Mark it with a dot.
  • Flatten out the sock as shown.
  • Draw equal sized legs.
  • Make a curve part at the toe line. The toe of the sock will become the toe of the dolls socks.
  • Sew with a stretch stitch.
  • Cut close to the stitch.
  • Sew again with a zigzag stitch over the cut edge to keep it together.
  • Reinforce the crotch.
  • Turn right side out.
  • Done!

DIY Tacky Vintage Painting Upcycle

Vintage Thrift Store Painting

I picked up this oversized painting for $25 at the MCC Thrift store last week. (Have I mentioned MCC is one of my favourite stores?) I’m always pumped when my day off lands on a Tuesday because they restock on Mondays! Anyway, I had seen this a few days prior and couldn’t get it out of my mind. I got lots of “looks” as I proudly left with this baby under my arm.  Not sure why….it’s a real beaut!  Remember, when you’re “thrift shopping” it’s not about what you see, but all about the potential you see and the vision you have for a piece.

We have been making over our staff room at school (for the last 3 years) and our current project is the creation of a staff Coffee Bar. It’s actually almost finished, but not yet set up. We just finished painting a beautiful antique buffet and are now planning how to pull it all together. We thought it would be cool to have a chalkboard sign above the coffee station. The buffet is very large, so when I saw this frame (54″ X 21″), I figured the size was perfect. I loved the detail in the ornate frame and the upcycle was simple.  All it took was some TSP to clean off any residue and scuff up the gloss finish a bit, a coat of primer and a coat of paint. I’m not a big fan of gold, so paint was must. I was going to purchase a piece of wood for the chalkboard, but quickly realized that I could probably get away with sanding down the original oil painting. (I know someone out there is cringing at the idea that I ruined this piece of art…so sorry!) I used my mouse sander to smooth out the surface and then primed and painted overtop with spray paint. For this project I used chalkboard spray paint, but often just make my own homemade chalkboard paint.Screen Shot 2015-04-12 at 1.28.11 PM

 

Screen Shot 2015-04-12 at 1.26.08 PM

I’m just in the planning stages for the chalkboard word art that will be applied. It will be something simple, but the intention is for it to be a permanent sign, not a message board. Here’s to hoping the coffee station all comes together nicely and proves to be more functional for our large staff at school.

Antique Buffet Upcycle

Antique Buffet Before and AfterAbout 3 years ago, a small group of staff members at my school started up a little committee to work on the asthetics of our school and more specifically our staff room. None of us really know anything about Feng Shui, so as a joke, we call our committee, Feng Shui Our Way.  We began chipping away at the new look about 3 years ago, when we purchased paint and spent several hours repainting the entire staff room. Slowly we began replacing furniture and upgrading other elements, but it is definitely a work in progress.

A few months ago, we removed our commercial coffee maker from our staff room and replaced it with a couple of Tassimos and a Keurig. I think everyone is pretty happy with the new system. You bring your own pods and prepare a fresh cup of coffee with the touch of a button, whenever you wish. No more coin operated machines. The downside is that all of the new coffee makers take up much more counter space than the single commercial unit.

The solution …. a coffee station. Our committee decided to create a coffee station that would be set aside from the main counter space and allow staff to access the machines without so much congestion in the main part of the staff kitchen. We spent several weeks searching kijiji for something used and resonably priced that could serve as our new coffee station. Although I was excited about the concept, I was not finding a furniture piece that really “spoke to me”. We actually narrowed it down and decided to go and take a look at what we deemed to be the best option. I contacted the owner, but unfortantely was not getting a response. I tried several times and then decided to check-out the kijiji site for another look. It was then that I found exactly what I had been envisioning.

I found this antique dining buffet and the man was asking $200 for it. It seemed like a reasonable price and I loved the curves and detailed workmanship and was happy that it was taller and thus more of a bar or counter-top height than that of the dresser we were looking at. When I called, he was excited that I was making a serious inquiry and really just wanted it gone. He said that if I’d take it that day, he’d give it to us for $100. It was the perfect piece and I didn’t even need to negotiate. I would have happily paid the $200, but was certainly not going to argue with the $100 offer. I used the “stow and go” feature in our van to make the seats disappear into the floor and a colleage and I went to check it out. For the most part it was in good shape. It needed to be sanded, a broken piece glued back on the foot of one leg and a I had to cut a small piece off one of the drawer to match the broken part on the other side of the drawer. (See the detailed carving on the bottom of the middle front left drawer and how it is missing on the right side ~ too bad.) We also cut a circular hole in the top (that was hard) for the cords. We wanted the finished coffee station to have a nice clean look and that meant trying to hide the cords, if possible. They will feed down the top and out the back and hopefully be virtually out of sight when its all pulled together. All of the preparation and repairs were quite simple and almost a non-issue because we planned to paint the piece out black.Antique Buffet

I sanded and repaired the buffet at home and then just before spring break we spent a few lunch hours and evenings priming and painting. Overall it turned out quite beautiful, but I must admit that the top surface did not cover that well. I have painted many pieces of furniture over the years and have never had this problem, but we just couldn’t seem to get a perfectly smooth finish. I’m not sure if there was some kind of permanent damage to the wood or what, but it just kept coming out a bit “pebbly”. After much sanding and re-application, we decided it would just have to do. The plan is to purchase a piece of plexiglass to cover the surface, as there will be lots of wear and tear and spills and we want it to hold up long term. With the plexiglass top as well as the coffee makers sitting on top, I hope it won’t be that noticable.

Although we don’t have it set-up yet and the plexiglass is yet to be ordered, we are getting close. Ideally it takes about 20 days for paint to cure properly. We had used an oil based primer followed by a latex paint. We decided that we would give it the full 20 days to cure.  We are really hoping the finished piece will be durable and won’t chip easily. Here is where we are at so far!Painted Antique Buffet

Painted Antique Buffet

 

Upcycled Homework Caddy

Ever since Eden started grade 7 and homework became a daily event in our life, it seems like she is constantly “borrowing” my supplies and not returning them and leaving scads of tools around the house. I decided to build her a homework caddy stocked with everything she’d need to complete her assignments. The caddy can easily be transported, so she can choose to do her homework in her room or at the table ~ whatever suits her best. This project was all about the 4 R’s ~ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and of course, Repurpose.

Here’s What I Used:

The basis for this design came from these items that I had in my project bin. (Remember to click on the images to enlarge them.)

Part of an old mug holder.
You can see the mug stand without its original base.
Mug holder, base from a “lazy susan” type platter, old lamp, and tin cans.

Of course, as I began to brainstorm and pull my ideas together, I needed additional items such as burlap, string, saw, drill and screws, wood glue, magnets and paint.

Here’s What I Did:

1. I removed the cord from the broken lamp and cut the shaft to create a nice pedestal-like base.

2. I attached the pedestal, circular “lazy susan” wooden base and the center post from the mug stand together with a long screw. homework caddy

3. I spray primed and painted the structure.

4. I then took the clean cans (of varying sizes) and wrapped burlap or string around them to give them a bit of a finished look.

5. I then wrapped some string around the center post as well.

6. I used a nail to punch holes in the bottom of each can near the center. I then screwed each to the wooden base.

7. Finally, I glued on a couple of strong magnets to hold paper clips and a mini-stapler.

8. The top pegs from the mug stand act as handles for the caddy.

Eden’s homework caddy contains an assortment of pencils, pens, markers, pencil crayons, scissors, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, a ruler, a stapler and a few paper clips ~ everything she needs, all in one place! Generally, my daughter prefers to do her homework in her own room, but when she needs help, she likes to work at the kitchen or dining room table. The caddy allows her to bring everything she needs with her.

If making something like this seems like too much work, don’t sweat it….pick-up a plastic caddy or something made out of wood or metal with dividers already in it….maybe something like a cutlery storage caddy. You can find many different styles and at a wide range of prices depending on the look you are going for.  The important thing is to have everything in one place and make it easy to transport.  Here are some of the options I found available:

I personally love this one the best!!

DIY Industrial Style Kitchen Table and Stools

A few months back, we removed our table and chairs from the kitchen and replaced the table with an industrial style table that Tim made specifically for our space. Our kitchen is long and narrow and although there is room for a table, it had to be something that was quite narrow. The table we had was worn and the stools were beginning to wobble, so it was time for an upgrade. I had always found that our old table was too small for all four of us to sit comfortably. It was perfect for two and could accommodate 3 without too much discomfort, but four was simply too many with one side being against the wall. In designing the new table, we were able to extend the length to take up most of the wall opposite our cupboards. We weren’t sure what we were going to do about stools, but after lots of looking and nothing seeming to “fit” with the look, Tim decided to pick-up extra pipe and build stools to match.

I was so excited when he decided to use old tongue and groove boards that were previously installed on one of our basement walls. They needed to be sanded, but I loved how we were able to use the old boards for the stool seats. Although Tim finished making these months ago, it was only this week, that I finally applied the stain and urethane to complete them. I must say they are much nicer to sit on with the smooth finished surface and I am so happy with the look.

Now all I need is something for that wall!
The stools were made with old boards from a basement wall. Tim was sad to see them stained as the wood was so beautiful as is.

 

Easter Projects Revisited

Burlap Bunny Service Jar

I added a few cotton balls to show you how it will look as it is filled up.

Easter Snacks

wool wrapped plastic eggs

Sharpie Easter Eggs

Bingo Dabber Easter Eggs

 

I can’t say I’ve really done any Easter projects this year, but here are a few from last year! Click the picture to follow the links.

Industrial Style Kitchen Table

Our kitchen isn’t exactly a galley style kitchen, but there is a portion of it that is definitely more long and narrow than square in design. When we moved in, we bought an inexpensive narrow table and stools, so that we had some place to sit for breakfast and lunch. The table was okay at best. It was too small to sit all four of us comfortably and was starting to show signs of wear and tear. The stool joints were loosening and hardly safe to sit in any longer. We had been looking for something new to fit in our space, and having lived in our home for 6 1/2 years now, knew exactly what we wanted. Of course, we were unable to find anything that met our criteria. This got us thinking about something custom. For us, that generally means custom built for us, by us and such was the case with our new “industrial decor” style table. We decided to go with same look as the canister shelf Tim belt a few years ago.industrial decor

Industrial Style Kitchen Table:

We measured out the space and decided that our new table would extend most of the wall and measure 78″ X 22″. This newer and bigger table would certainly meet our needs better as our previous table was quite a bit smaller at  39″ X 18 1/2″. We priced out black steel pipe and fittings from the plumbing departments at both Rona and Home Depot. The pipe isn’t cheap, but it was quite easy to work with, stable and gave us the look we were striving to achieve.  The prices were comparable at both stores and we ended up having to shop at both to find all the pieces we needed.

Steps:

1. Measure out the size of the finished table top and allow for the extra inch that the flanges extend out from the pipe.  That is, the table top will need to over lap the pipes by at least 1 inch or more to compensate for the flanges that attached the poles to the bottom of the table top. At this point, you will also need to decide on the height of the table. We wanted ours to be “bar” height, so our table legs are 38 3/4″ plus the 1 1/2″ table top. It is high, but it is what we wanted.

2. Calculate the piping and fittings you’ll need to achieve the desired height. The pipes come in various lengths, so you have to play with the numbers a bit to figure out what combinations will work for you. You also need to add in horizontal support bars to make the table stable and keep it squared.

3. Shop. You’ll need to pick-up the pipe/fittings and wood for your table top. We wanted an industrial/rustic sort of a look, so we bought plain old 2″ X 8″ planks for the top.

4.  Once you get all of the black steel pieces home, you will need to wash off the oil finish and dry them thoroughly to avoid rusting. (I think Tim actually sprayed them with WD-40 once they were assembled (and then wiped it off with a paper towel) to keep them from rusting.)

5. Assemble the legs and horizontal supports.

6. Prepare the table top. This will depend on what you are using and the look you are going for. It could be anything from an old door to painted wood or stained planks like we used. Because we used planks, Tim had to brace them together on the underside with three pieces of wood (one at each end and one in the middle). He simply attached the wood pieces across the planks to hold them securely together. He then proceeded to do a combination of sanding and beating of the wood (literally). He placed old nuts, nails and bolts in an old sock and beat the wood so that it appeared aged and worn. He also applies some random burn marks with a blow torch and left it coated in a homemade concoction of coffee grounds for several hours. Once it was cleaned up and the rough edges sanded for safety, he applied a few coats of stain. We chose to make ours quite dark to match the existing shelf and the colour of our cupboards. I think it would look awesome with a lighter stain, but it wouldn’t really be great in our space.

Here you can see the flange on the underside of the table. Allow for its width when calculating the size of the table top.
This is a shot of the underside of the table. You can see the 4 boards he used to brace the planks together.
Here is a shot of the top when it was covered in coffee grounds. You can also see the burn marks.

7. Urethane the table top with at least 3 coats for protection and durability.

8. Attach the top to legs.

Tim and I decided not to exchange gifts this year, but having this table done is better than any I might have received. This industrial decor style table looks great and after spending several hours hunting for the perfect bar stools, he is now in the midst of putting the finishing touches on bar stools. Thanks honey!