Rocking Chair Redo

We've had this little rocking chair kicking around here.  It was once used for photo shoots but lately, it's just been collecting dust.   I apologize for not getting a good 'before' picture but it was in pretty rough shape.  It had no seat so we wove some heavy cording together to make a seat.  The original paint was chipped and very rustic and vintage looking.  I sanded all the old paint off, took of the make shift seat, painted it a lacquer black, re-made the seat etc.  Well, here are the pictures of the process after painting.

 

 

I love black lacquer!

I cut out a new seat for it out of birch wood, then a piece of foam and I wrapped it all in three layers of Warm and Natural batting and stapled it to the wood.

 

For the skirt, I used Osnaburg and traced the pattern of the seat.  I sewed the gathered skirt onto the base before upholstering.

 

 

After the seat was upholstered, I added the detail.  I love the covered button nestled in ruffled black ribbon and an osnaburg yo yo.  I tufted that to the seat cushion.  I took ribbon and gathered it up and tacked that to the gathered edge. 

I love the way it turned out!  What do you think?

Cutting Clutter

I like to believe that every home, no matter how pristine the owners have a clutter zone!  I have one, maybe two.  It's the craft/school supplies/everything cupboard.

At least 4 times a year, I pull everything out, toss out a garbage bag worth of nonsense and it stays clean for about two days or until the next big 'project'.  It's awful really.  I don't usually consider myself a pack rat but I know there are old, old calendars somewhere in the back I keep saving 'Just in case' I want to frame the pictures or something.

This is on my list of things to do this weekend maybe.  I have a long list of projects to start and honestly, this one isn't the most exciting so we'll see how motivated I am to tackle it.  Here are some ideas I am thinking of doing to tame this mess once again.

I need a paper organizer as shown in this picture. I think boxes and baskets are a good idea too. 

This idea intrigues me...

I love the all the different ways you can utilize the space on the inside of a door. This is a cool idea from Martha but I also love these little bags below made out of embroidery hoops and hung on a small rod.  

 There are so many little things that just get tossed in where ever and that wouldn't be horrible but they are things we reach for everyday so we end up digging and there is nothing worse than digging.    This might just be the inspiration I need to tackle this.  Where is your clutter zone?

Design Surprises

I love a surprise, who doesn't love being surprised?  I guess it depends on the kind of surprise; money is always good, flowers, clothes.  Have you ever thought about the little things in your home that add a little whimsy and surprise your family and friends?  I love the idea, it can reflect so much of who you are, the things you value and the love of a family.  Here are some of my favorite little surprises!

 

Bet your guests wouldn't expect to shower under a that!  Love the corrugated shower walls too!

So, so cool!  I love that she put it at floor level.  Fun!

 

I have seen this idea before but can be a hard thing for people to pull off, this is great!

 

Here is a little whimsy of my own.  This 3' fork hangs in my kitchen with a quote from our family's favorite story.  It's a big part of our family 'Fork-lore' get it? 

 

So, look around your house, any design surprises?

DIY Floral Vase

This was a quick and fun little project, a frosted flower vase.  You see them all over, home decor shops and especially on Pinterest.  This is a variation on the rubber band method you may have seen.

 

It was so easy.  I have a few of these cylinder flower vases around and they look pretty old and stained so I was happy to give them a bit of a pick-me-up.

 

I picked up some cheap stickers at the store and chose a simple flower.

                                  I arranged the stickers on the vase in an assymetrical pattern then sprayed it with Rust-Oleums Frosted Glass spray paint.  I love this stuff, I have used it on actual windows that needed just a bit of privacy.  It's easy to apply and dries quickly.  This project took a grand total of 15 min. from beginning to end.  I sprayed a couple of coats, let it dry for 10 then using an exacto knife, peeled off the stickers.  It's so cute and just like the ones you find in home decor stores only you can do it for pennies!

For the second one, I had this piece of lace with a swirly flower and wanted to see how that would work.  I just wanted to create a band of design so I covered up the rest of the vase to prevent overspray. 

 

It turned out cute as well!  Easy.  Think of the fun designs you can do with this technique.  Using Christmas stickers as the 'stencil' you could create a holiday jar and fill with candy and treats to use as a neighbor gift.  This Frosted Glass spray could even be applied to the underside of a glass plate for a nice presentation of goodies.

 

If you decide to try it, post your finished project over on my Facebook Page so we can all see your talent!  Happy crafting!