Category Archives: Projects

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!

“Thinking of You” Gift Ideas

I love the elegant design on the pans!
This was a simple way to wrap the loaves up to send with the kids.
The ribbon and label certainly weren’t fancy, but added a hint of colour to the package.

My friend Michelle told me that she often makes “loaves” as gifts for teachers. Evidently Michael’s sells miniature loaf pans throughout the Christmas season and if you watch for them to go on sale after Christmas, you can pick them up for very little cost. She stocks up each year after Christmas for the following year. I think it is a brilliant idea, but I haven’t yet “cashed” in on the great after Christmas loaf pan sales, so I was pretty excited when I found a set of 6 cardboard loaf pans for sale at Dollarama. I figured I would pick some up and make some zucchini bread with the huge zucchini my neighbour gave me…thanks Kelli! I made a double batch of the recipe and it made 7 pans. The loaves are quite small, but cute. The pans seemed to work well, but I did find the cardboard had enough”give” that the loaves expanded slightly in width, as well as height (when they rose). No big deal, but perhaps not a perfectly formed domed-top and symmetrical shape.

To dress up the loaves for delivery, I just used scalloped scissors to trim the edges of freezer paper (like parchment). I then put a ribbon, cover wire tie and tag on to finish it off. This was super easy and quick to do. The tag was simply a stamped apple that I cut out. The kids took them to their teachers. Of course, baking is always a great gift. My neighbour Jen brought a loaf over the other day and it was such a treat to have fresh baking in the house during my first week back to school! So thoughtful.

If you like to bake, I would suggest picking up some of these next time your at the dollar store. I think I’ll always keep some on hand. I can’t wait to share the awesome pumpkin loaf I discovered last year! If you find yourself down about the cold weather and the end of summer, beat the blues by doing something kind for someone else!

Stained White T-shirt Upcycle: Sharpie Tie-Dye

My daughter has an older white t-shirt that still fits her, but she obviously spilled something down the front and it’s now stained. I saw this cute idea on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to do. I had done “Sharpie Tie-Dyed” t-shirt scarves with the girls at one of Eden’s birthday parties and they turned out pretty cool. I loved the idea of using the Sharpies to draw a simple picture instead of making random marks. What better time to try it out, than on an otherwise useless t-shirt with stains down the front. Of course, I strategically placed the flowers to mask the stains.

Sharpie Tie-Dye T-shirt
Step 1: Get an old t-shirt.
Step 2: Collect the Sharpies you’ll need.
Step 3: Get out some rubbing alcohol.
Step 4: Lay a plastic bag between the layers of your t-shirt before drawing your picture or design.
Step 5: Carefully add drops of rubbing alcohol to the Sharpie.
Step 6: Let your design dry completely.
Step 7: Once it is dry, set your iron on the highest setting and iron for about 5 minutes to set the ink.

I got the idea from the link above, but in the tutorial it suggests using Hydrogen Peroxide. I’m not suggesting it doesn’t work, but I used rubbing alcohol for this project. I’m certainly no chemist, but I went with the alcohol because I knew it would work well from other projects I’ve done. The alcohol takes a bit of time to absorb into the fabric and the colours will continue to spread long after you finish dropping the alcohol. I suggest using an “eye dropper” if you have one. You also want to make sure you do a bit at a time or it will spread like crazy. Second Chances By Susan also has some really cute examples. This is a great craft to do with kids, but it can be smelly. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area or better yet….outside. I worked so fast that the smell wasn’t an issue, but the girls at the party spent a long time using the markers and then the rubbing alcohol. I was feeling a bit concerned about the fumes, so just be aware.

Some suggest that you can also set the design/dye, by throwing your garment in the dryer for 15 minutes on your highest heat setting. I would still wash it separately the first time…. just to be safe.

Blue Jean Upcycle: Funky Lined Denim Lunch Bag

Have you ever had one of those pairs of jeans that you just can’t let go of?

Well, I have this one pair of jeans that I bought about 10 years ago and I just can’t seem to let them go. They were a snug fit at the top with a flared leg. I loved those jeans so much, but like many of the jeans that I’ve owned, it didn’t take long before the bottoms started to get tattered. I wore those suckers until the bottom seams actually tore away from the leg and formed a loop that caused me to trip if I wasn’t careful. It came to the point where I simply could not wear them without risking falling on my face or at the very least looking like I was in dire need of a shopping trip. Not being one to give up easily, I decided that I could continue to wear my favourite jeans if I cut them into shorts. Needless to say, they soon became my “go to” shorts. As my favourite shorts, I got lots of wear out of them, but they too began to show signs of wearing.  The denim in the upper thigh area began to thin and once again, I feared the worst. As the denim weakened and the threads began to break, a small hole developed. At first I was worried about the wearing denim, but I actually grew to consider myself pretty lucky since others were now paying top dollar to purchase torn jeans from the store. I figured these suckers had to be pretty valuable, as this hole was not machine made, but rather worn through the natural process of wear and tear. I sported that hole with pride until the day it caught on something as I walked by. In an instant, the funky worn look was replaced with an “L” shaped rip. I’m embarrassed to say that I was really upset when it happened. It’s bad enough when you get a stain or ruin any article of clothing, but these jeans and I….we had a history. I was so disappointed and mad at myself for not being more careful. I know that sounds totally ridiculous, but I just didn’t have another pair of jeans that fit like those ones. Feeling defeated, I decided I had to try to do something to restore what was left of my poor old jeans. I decided to cut out a heart shaped patch to sew over the hole. Certainly not ideal, but this would allow me to hide my thigh that now seemed way too exposed for my comfort. I think that was about 2 or three years ago and I’m happy to say, my jean shorts live on. Obviously, I wear them at home more than anywhere else, but I continue to love the comfort they deliver each time I slip them on. (I also love the reliable feedback they never fail to give me ~ somedays its like they are screaming at me “EAT SALAD!”)

blue jean shorts

You may be thinking this is where this love story ends, but not so. Of course, years ago, when I cut the legs off those jeans, I packed them away in my fabric tub. So this fall when I wanted to make myself a funky denim lunch bag….guess what I dug out? You got it….I upcylced those cut-off legs into a new lunch bag!

blue jean lunch bag
blue jean lunch bagYou will notice that the bag has one of the chalkboard tags from yesterday’s post. (Also, when doing my final edit, I realized I missed a step. I finished the bottom of the floral bag in the same way I did the denim bag in steps 5 to 7.)

Counter Top Swatch Upcycle: Chalkboard Tags

counter top samplesI’ve had a string of counter top swatches hanging in my storage room at school for what seems like forever. I want to say I was given these (or picked them up from a home store – don’t remember how I got them) about 20 years ago. I’ve only used a couple of them over the years, but could never part with them because I was certain there was a project they’d be perfect for ….I just couldn’t seem to figure out what it was. Well, I finally did!

When I was preparing for back to school this year, I was making some little pots to hold my “leader of the day” sticks. I wanted to put a tag on each of the pots to distinguish between my morning and afternoon classes, and it suddenly dawned on me that the samples I’d been hoarding (I mean saving) for all these years would be perfect.

Counter Top Swatch Upcycle:

This has got to be the simplest project in the history of upcyles! Here’s what you need:

  • formica/arborite counter top swatches (smooth finish)
  • black chalkboard spray paint
  • spray paint (optional)
  1. Lay the swatches down in a “spray safe zone”. (You don’t want dust floating around or off spray ruining anything. I do all of my spray painting in my DIY spray tent which was made from a garage sale garment storage bag.)
  2. Paint one side of the swatch.
  3. Let them dry and then flip them over and spray the other side. (I used chalkboard paint on both sides, but of course, you could leave the original formica colour as is and just paint the back with your chalkboard paint, or use a colour of your choice to paint the reverse side.)

Marvy Garden MarkerAfter the swatches are dry, you can use chalk or something more permanent to write on your chalkboard tag. Depending on the project and how much the label will be handled, I often use my White Marvy Garden Marker for projects in which I want a “chalk look”, but the durability of paint/marker. These garden markers come in different sizes and colours, but I generally use the 6mm white marker. It goes on like paint, but has a chalk kind of look.  (I bought my Marvy at Michael’s, but I found something similar on Amazon called the Bistro Chalk Marker.)

You could also use acrylic paint to decorate the edges of your tag(s) with dots or swirls. The uses for these durable chalkboard tags are endless:  lunch bags, backpacks, basket tags, gift tags, etc. I honestly have at least 60 of these hanging on a string in my classroom storage area. I’m so glad I hang on to them! I’m going to bring them all home to paint.

If you’d like to find some counter top samples for yourself, I would suggest contacting home stores. They often have new lines of product and are getting rid of their old samples. If they don’t have anything available at that time, they might be willing to hang on to old samples for you. If you find a little “mom and pop” type store, they might even call you when they have some. Companies are constantly providing their retail outlets with new product/colour samples, so even after all these years, I think you should be able to get your hands on some.

I’m so excited about this simple project. I’m sure you’ll be seeing these chalkboard tags in many of my upcoming projects!

Over-sized T-shirt Upcycle

I finally took the time to order business cards for my blog, as I was really wishing I had some earlier in the summer when I started my Manitoba Stay-Cation theme. I’m really happy with the finished look of the cards and when I ordered, Vista Print offered t-shirts with the same logo for a mere $6.50. I couldn’t resist ordering myself a top as well. I can’t stand a t-shirt that is too small and wasn’t really sure about the sizes, so ended up ordering one that is way too big for me. Although I could have just kept it and made it a t-shirt nighty, I decided to make a few minor adjustments and try to upcycle it into something I might wear.

Before
Before

T-shirt Upcylce:

I found this super simple t-shirt tutorial from Recycled Lovelies and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to try it out. I figured there was no time like the present and used the ribbon gathering idea on my new t-shirt. Basically, you just add a small piece of fabric to the inside of the shirt and sew three single lines to create a channel for the ribbon. You can then cinch the ribbon as tight as you want and it gathers the shirt in nicely. For the detailed tutorial, follow the link above. I also added a piece of ribbon to the inside of each shoulder seam with a button hole in the end. This allowed me to roll up the “way too big” sleeves. Of course, I had to add buttons as well. This was a pretty simple make-over and although its not fabulous, it does make it fun and more wearable.

DIY Birthday Lawn Greetings

I looked into renting lawn signs for my husband’s 50th birthday and quickly realized that this will cost you a minimum of $100, but easily up to $200 depending on the package you get. I’m not opposed to spending the money, but I really wasn’t that impressed with some of the themes and/or the quality of the signs. If I was going to put out the cash for a day of fun at the expense of my husband, I would like the theme to at least reflect his personality or something. In the end, I thought I would much rather do something simple like birthday candles and just make them myself.

Do It Yourself Birthday Lawn Greetings:

I figured candles would be quite simple as there really wouldn’t be much to the cutting out other than around the flame. Here’s what I did:

  1. The first thing I did was purchase 8 sheets of large tag board (28″ X 22″) from the dollar store (I think they were 50 cents each).
  2. I then divided the sheet by measuring and marking it every 4″ all the way across the 28″ width. So, I ended up with 7 four inch columns per page (I only needed to make one from the 8th sheet).
  3. I also measured 6″ down from the top of the page and drew a line across the 28″ width, so each “column” consisted of a 6″ rectangle at the top and a larger 16″ candle at the bottom. (16 + 6 = 22″) The top 6″ would later be cut into a flame. If you look carefully, you be able to see my little ticks every 4″ across near the bottom and the line across the top. (Click to enlarge the picture.)DIY birthday lawn greetings
  4. I then used a combination of tape, paint and markers to make a simple design that ran across the whole page. This meant I only had to decorate 7 full sheets (+1 one more on the 8th sheet) instead of 50 individual candles.DIY birthday lawn greetings
  5. Once the sheets were decorated and the paint dried (if applicable), I placed 2 sheets together and cut through both layers to make 7 individual rectangles (candles) per sheet. When this step was complete, I randomly cut the tops of the candles into flames. I didn’t worry too much about the exact flame shape as I figured the finished look would be nothing more than a quick look as you drove by. You can see the cut out candles below.DIY birthday lawn greetings
  6. The next step was to paint the flame (with dollar store acrylics). I originally started with red, yellow and orange, but quickly realized I didn’t need the yellow at all. It was super simple. All I did was squeeze a few dots of each colour (red and orange) onto the flame and then drag a 2″ sponge brush through the colours to blend them. Again, no planning or special technique, just smudged the colours together. DIY birthday lawn greetings
  7. The final step was to add a wooden skewer to the back of each candle to help them stand in the ground. These were 30″ long and had a point on one end already (for piercing the marshmallows they were designed to cook). I had to buy four packages of 12 to have enough. I  duct taped the skewers to the back. This helped to give the candles support and stability as well as providing the means for staking them in the ground. The skewers are not overly strong, but not one broke while sticking them into the grass. Obviously, the candles are one-sided and the effect is one most enjoyed from the street, not our front porch!DIY birthday lawn greetings
  8. Here is a close up of a finished candle.DIY birthday lawn greetings

Signs:

For the sign, I taped two pieces of black foam board together at the top with duct tape. I then folded them down into a triangular shape and taped the bottom edges to a cardboard water bottle flat for stability. It worked like a charm! I bought two packages of lettering and a sheet of letter stickers from the dollar store as well. I made the oversized “50” free hand.

Flame Streamers:

The flame look was created by cutting sheets of tissue into a circular pattern that began large and then continued to follow a circular path until the center of the circle was reached. I was able to cut several sheets at a time, so this was very quick. I did make a few different sizes of circles to vary the length. The circular cut forces the tissue to curl and gives it more of a wild flame look. To hang the streamers, I curled a few pieces of duct tape and stuck them above the steps along the top of my front porch (to the backs of the pillar tops). I then took a very long piece of duct tape (that extended the whole width of the stairs) and stuck the back of it to the curled pieces. This left the sticky side of the duct tape exposed. I then just randomly stuck lengths of the tissue streamers to the sticky tape.

Summary:

I’m not sure how long this took me as I was puttering away at it when I had my concussion and could only do small bits at a time. It seemed relatively easy and for the most part mindless (that’s why I was able to do it!). The most time consuming was probably cutting out the flames, but I don’t think it took me much more than an hour. Although I don’t know the exact cost, I estimate it cost me about $12 – $15. I did have the paint and tape on hand already. Aside from the savings, it was fun to sneak around working on my secret project and felt good to do something special to show Tim how much we love him! If you missed the original post, here’s how it looked when it was all set up.

If you look at the top of the streamers, you’ll see the orange and red duct tape is exposed because I mounted it to the pillars on both sides. I did add a couple of pieces of tape along the top to keep it from sagging.

 

Clever Lazy Play Pants

Thanks so much to my dedicated followers. I am finally starting to feel better and am hoping to be getting back to regular posting very soon. I have been suffering from post concussion symptoms since my fall over a week ago and unfortunately, despite feeling much better, screen time and reading still seem to trigger symptoms. I am struggling to be patient, but know that rushing it only sets the recovery back. I am so thankful that Kelli Stewart has once again joined my blog as a guest writer. The little play pants she made her daughter are adorable and what a great way to upcycle her dad’s shirt! Thanks for helping me out Kelli!

Upcycle Men’s Dress Shirt into Play Pants

I used the sleeves off my husband’s old dress shirt to make a pair of play pants for my four year old. The best part about it is that half the sewing was done for me!

Here’s how:

  • Cut the sleeves free from the shirt and lay then on top of one another with the sewn edge on the same side.
  • Measure your kid from the ankle to the waste. Add an inch and a bit to the measurement for the waist band (the width of your elastic and the hem edge).
    Use this measurement to measure up from the edge of the cuff of your sleeves and cut the sleeves straight across.
  • Use a comfortable pair of your kids pants to make a pattern for the crotch cut, leaving a bit of room for the seam. Copy the crotch cut from the backside (the bum), so there’s room for your little one’s derrière. Normally, the front and back are different, so the pants are closer fitting. My girl has a bit of a toddler tummy and since they’re just play pants after all, I didn’t worry about making the front and back different!

    By the look of things, my girl is enjoying the extra room in the crotch! Try doing that in a pair of pants from Old Navy!

    By the look of things, my girl is enjoying the extra room in the crotch! Try doing that in a pair of pants from Old Navy!

  • The crotch should be cut from the side of the sleeve without the seam. Before you cut, make sure you leave extra room at top of the pants for the elastic and the hem. If I am sewing pants, I like to add a little more to the top to make a higher waisted pant to save me time pulling pants up in the future!
  • With the pants cut, all you have to do now is sew the crotch together, sew the hem for the elastic and thread the elastic in… done! Instant play pants!

The cuffs at the bottom can be worn down as a longer pant or rolled up with the button done up on the outside as flood pants. How cute is that?

 

Note that the sewn edge of the shirt is on the outside edge of the pants. Sew the crotch and the elastic and you’re done! The legs are already sewn for you!
The cuffs can be rolled up with the button done up on the outside as flood pants.
The cuffs at the bottom can be worn down as a longer pant.