Blog Share: Dry-Erase Glass Calendar from Somewhat Simple

I just thought this dry-erase calendar was so cute, affordable, and fairly easy I had to share it with you! This comes from "Somewhat Simple". To see the tutorial on how to make this chic Calendar visit their blog here. I'm so gonna make this!

Thrift Store Find- Mini Dresser Refurbished

I love taking something ugly and turning it into something fabulous, and just this last weekend I had the opportunity to exercise my creative muscles. We have company coming to stay with us for the next ten days, and we I decided that we needed to have some kind of small dresser for storage, so our guests don't have to live out of their suitcases the entire time. Thus began the hunt! Maybe, I was just looking for an excuse to buy something to play with, but nevertheless, it worked. For a whopping $19.50, we found an old Ethan Allen three-drawer dresser. The piece was actually in great shape overall. The drawers pulled out nicely, and the finish was in good shape. Aside from the molding around the top, it wasn't very beat-up; it was just a little homely. The top had white plastic molding that was broken with pieces missing. Yuck. Why would you put plastic on a wood piece?! Shame on you, Ethan Allen! But, nevertheless, it was the perfect size and had potential. Here she be in all her whiteness..... 



The plastic molding has already been pulled off the edges in this pic. See below.



This is the plastic molding that was coming off

We pried the rest of the plastic crap off the sides, and then purchased at Lowe's some decorative molding in the lumber area to put around it. My husband used wood glue to attach it, followed by a few small nails.


Here is the unfinished wood molding replacing the plastic garbage

Now, you'll notice that the piece is an off-white color. Not horrible, but boring. The hardware just looked dated on it in that drab color. So, I purchased a can of spray paint in a creamy yellow color and went postal on that beezy. It took a couple coats to fully cover over the white, but there it was....yellow. Next came the fun part-Glazing. Using a single bottle of dark brown Americana paint (from Michael's for about $1) and a cheapo brush from Lowe's (for about $1.70), I got to work.


Painting sections of moulding with the brown

Using your brush, paint on the dark color, making sure to get it in all of the grooves. You want to glaze in small sections so the paint doesn't dry before you get a chance to wipe it off. Then take a large rag and wipe, wipe, wipe. You may want a dry rag and a damp one, to make sure you can get as much off as you want. I just played with it, wiping in various directions until I was happy.



Trim, painted in yellow and glazed

Once, I had the trim done, I started working on the drawer faces.

Going in the direction of the grain, I brushed on a few strokes of the brown. Then I wiped with my dry rag back and forth and in a circular motion.

Notice the color difference on this now, from the lighter yellow on the picture above. This is called "'I'm a woman now' Yellow".

Then I concentrated on the edges of the dresser, where I imagined their would be more "wear" and put more paint there, wiping it off. I did this all over the dresser until I was happy ;). Once the glazing was done, I added a couple thin coats of glaze in a semi-gloss from Minwax with a sponge brush (also from Lowe's).
And here she is in all her lovely, lady yellowness!



I ended up keeping the original hardware. It wasn't so bad once the color was different.



Side frofile, notice the glazing



Top- there were a couple spots I would have changed, but it dried too quickly. Gives it character though right?



Ta da! I'm uber happy with this dresser! I think it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture now. It's amazing how a $1 bottle of paint can make such a big difference too. I hope I've inspired you! 
 


Sewing Project-How to make a Versatile Pillowcase Summer Top

The title of this post is a tad misleading, but it’s not dishonest, honest ;).  The reason I say that is because I called this a “pillowcase top”, but I didn’t make this out of a pillowcase. I titled it that because, as you’ll see, you could easily make this top for yourself out of a pillowcase. Initially that’s what I set out to do, but I couldn’t find any pillowcases in my house I liked enough to wear, so I used some fabric I had laying around. This fabric is something I’d been given and had been saving initially for my daughter. I figured I’d use it to make her something, but my daughter has TON of clothes, so me spending time making her yet, one more article of clothing she may or may not get a chance to wear seemed silly.  But me, well, I could always use another clothing item! So, here’s what I came up with. If you don’t know a thing about sewing, or don’t have access to a sewing machine, this is probably not something you’ll be able to do. If, however, you do have some basic sewing skills down, this should be fairly easy to follow.  

Here’s what you need: a pillowcase or about the same amount of fabric, a sewing machine and sewing accessories, elastic (I used ½”) , and lace or ribbon (optional)

1) Take your pillowcase, and open up all of the seams, cutting off the bottom "fold" portion. If you don't have a pillowcase like me, take your fabric (folded in half) and cut (2) rectangles similar in size to a pillowcase. You can use a t-shirt or top that fits you already as a basic guide for the length you need. Make sure to go a couple inches wider and longer for seam-allowance and the elastic, as well as just having some adjustment room. 



Rectangle of fabric cut (2)

  Step 2) Take both pieces of fabric and put them together with the wrong sides (printed side) facing each other and pin one side. This will be one of the side seams to your top. Then sew that side together. Take your half-sewn rectangle and put it on to get an idea of how much (if any) fabric needs to be cut from the other side. I personally didn't need to take any off, as I wanted mine to be a little bunchy. If it's too tight, you'll have a difficult time putting it on, and you'll have elastic pulling it all in later as well. If it's not gigantic on you, then go ahead and repeat this step on the other side, pinning and sewing that side together.

Side 1, pinned together

 Step 3) Start working on a hem on the top of your rectangle, all the way around by folding over the fabric a little bit (ironing helps this process), and then folding it over again (this time wide enough for your elastic to pass through). I used a seam gauge, but you can just eyeball it too. See step 4 and this will make more sense. You don't want the channel your elastic will pass through to have an unfinished end of fabric sticking out. It just wouldn't be as nice or hold up as well.

Measuring the first fold that will get folded under

 Step 4) This is continued from step 3. So after you folded it over about 1/4"-1/2" or so, fold it over again, closer to an inch this time (or wider than your elastic), and pin. That gap between the edge of the folded fabric and the pinned edge is going to be where your elastic will go. After you've pinned it all the way around, pick one side seam and leave a pin out of that one spot. You'll need an unsewn section to put your elastic in. I like to put a pin there sticking out a different direction to remind me as I'm sewing, so I don't accidentally sew there.

Channel for elastic pinned

 Step 5) After you've sewn your top seam, take your elastic and measure around your chest, just over your bust. Give yourself an extra inch or so, and cut it. Place a safety pin on the edge, and thread it through the gap on the side seam you left open. Make sure you secure the other end of the elastic to that seam of the top, so you don't accidentally pull it in too. Push the elastic all the way through the channel until you reach the other end you pinned outside. Safety pin the ends together and try your top on, adjusting how tight you want it by moving the safety pin around. When you get it to the desired fit (tight enough so you don't accidentally show off your girls to everyone), sew the elastic ends together, and then finish the gap in the seam you left open.

Seam sewn, elastic ready to be threaded through

 Step 6) Repeat this process (steps 3-5) for the bottom of your top. Try on your top, and play with the elastic length, and then sew it. Another great thing to do, is sew an additional couple of stitches over the elastic on both seams. This will help anchor down your elastic, so it doesn't twist on you later. That can be frustrating to fix!



Short stitch over the fabric & elastic to anchor the elastic on both side seams

  This is what your top should look like. Pardon the light exposure on this. I need a new camera.

 Step 7) This step is optional, but in my case it added a lot to my top. It's in the details! I had some lace that was vintagey that I just love, and some grosgrain ribbon-boy, do I have ribbon! Since this fabric was very sweet, and a little vintage, I thought it'd be nice to dress it up and showcase my lace! Starting at the top, and using a ruler, I secured (with pins) my lace and ribbon and played around with it, until I was happy with the spacing (also a good idea to try the top on while you're deciding where to put your trim). Then I sewed it down. I sewed the ribbon down on both sides, and the lace just down the middle of each.

 And Voila! Here is my finished project. This is a great top, because it's multi-functional. In the summer, it can be worn by itself, and in the fall and spring you can layer it with a cardigan, sweater or jacket.

Crafts for You: Make Your Guy a Bow Tie! by Make It and Love It

Aside from food, I rarely make my hubby anything, and I bet you're the same way. Well, here's a super cute tutorial from "Make It and Love It" on turning an old neck Tie into a Bow Tie.

What do you think? Would your man rock a Bow Tie? It's pretty cute. Mine just might....or you could surprise him by pulling a "Pretty Woman" and wearing it yourself (just the Bow Tie). *Wink, wink*. How's that for re-purposing!?

Crafts for You: Pretty Corkboard

About a week or so ago I found this corkboard at a thrift store for a couple dollars. No one in our family is named "Alicia", so obviously that has to go. It was a good sized board though and with all of my crafting and office stuff everywhere, some organization-that is also pleasing to the eye would be nice, so this is what I came up with. For two years now I have had some fabric sitting around the house that I bought because I loved it, but until this didn't know what to do with it, so this solved two problems! You can use store bought fabric or pretty patterned sheet or tablecloth that you no longer use, whatever. If you want to do this on the cheap, check out a thrift store for your supplies. You'll probably still need to get the ribbon from the craft store though-unless you already have some on hand. Twine or yarn would work too, but it would give you a different look.

What you'll need: Any size cork board, enough fabric to cover your board with just a little bit of extra, batting (or something similiar that is on the fluffy side for filler), ribbon (I used Grosgrain, but you can use anything) a couple yards depending on how big your corkboard, thumb tacks, staple gun, hot glue gun, scissors, optional: buttons

1) Cork board-look for a used one if you can, often you can get these for free also because...well, they're just not exciting in their resting state.

 2) Take your batting, or filler fabric, and cut it to fit over your board. Stretch it to fit over the whole board and folded over to the back of the board. Secure it by stapling it on all sides in the back or the front. I stapled mine to the front because the filler fabric I had wasn't quite wide enough to reach the back. That's ok because it's not going to be seen.

Front

 3). Cut your chosen fabric to fit your board leaving enough extra on all sides to be folded to the back of the board like your batting.

Front

Back

4). Fold the corners in the back to keep the front looking nice and neat. Staple to secure it.

This is what is should basically look like in the back after stapling all the sides.

5). Next grab your ribbon, and cut several different pieces all about the same length to run across your board. I cut six pieces. You can do whatever pattern you'd like with your ribbon, but this is my suggestion.



6) Take some tacks and secure your ribbons in the pattern you want until you get them spaced out the way you want to. This allows you to play around with them before you secure them. Then take your glue gun and glue the ends of the ribbon to the back of the board.

7) Finally, take your thumb tacks and place them in the center of your "x's" to secure them. You can also just glue the centers down if you want. For some extra color I glued some buttons onto the tops of my thumb tacks and then put them in. It gives it a more vintage look. You can place pictures and notes under the ribbons or hang them with additional tacks.

Ta da!

Now you have a pretty cork board for organizing your notes and brainstorming treasures that doesn't make you want to hurl every time you look at it.