KIM'S CRAFT COTTAGE aka paper rocks scissors are cool too!

RECLAIMED COFFEE TABLE

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 09:00:00 +0000

When we tore our old deck down I thought it would such a waste not to reuse the wood that was left. I finally decided that I wanted to try to make a hybrid coffee table out of an old table I found at the junk store ($10) and the deck wood. The table had nice legs but a cheap looking top.

This is a picture of the table after I had cleaned it up and given a couple coats of Java gel stain.

The wood was in pretty bad shape but I cleaned it up with a power washer. If you have never used one of those things let me tell you they are awesome! It took off dirt I didn't even realize was there. The wood looked great after it had dried. I wanted an authentic rustic look so I left the nails in the boards and cut them off on the back side.

I used the table as a guide and cut the wood a few inches longer on both ends for an over hang and about an inch on the long sides. I made the cuts so the nails were staggered along each board.

I tried two different stains, Dark Walnut and Java. I decided I like the Dark Walnut the best. It is at the top of the wood.

After the stain, I gave the boards three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. I should have tried that along with the stain because it is just a bit too shiny for my taste. My husband helped me attach the boards to the table with wood screws.

It isn't too bad for something that I just wanted to try out. I will probably end up using it in the new garage rec room.

SHABBY FOOTSTOOL

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:00:00 +0000

I had a drawer left over from my TV stand project. I though I would make a tray out of it but wasn't sure.

I got a new camera for Christmas and I now cannot find the pics of the drawer makeover but it was a simple coat or two of Annie Sloan Old White Chalk paint, a coat of dark wax and some distressing.

It sat in the basement that way for a while, a looong while, till I decided it would make a great foot stool for my reading nook instead of a tray.

I found some adorable, chunky feet at Lowes and gave them the same treatment as the drawer.

I figured out a general idea of where I wanted to place the legs and made a 2 inch square out of paper to make it easy to mark the area to drill the holes. I placed the square in the corner and made a mark at the corner. I repeated this all the way around for all four feet.

The screws on the feet had to be unwound a bit so they would be long enough to fit through the drawer with enough room for a washer and bolt.

That was pretty much it for the stool. I then went to JoAnns and bought a square of polyfill stuff. I don't really know how to define it but it was less expensive than foam and had a nice stiffness I thought would be good for a stool. I had to trim a bit off one side so that it would fit inside the drawer. It was pretty easy with a pair of large, sharp scissors.

I had some cotton batting on hand so I decided to give it an extra layer of softness. I draped it over the block and pinned the edges as shown on the left side then trimmed off the excess as shown on the right side. I then took it off and sewed up the corners.

I pressed it, flipped it and put it over the block.

I repeated the process with some fabric I had left over from some pillows I had previously made.I didn't finish it off on the bottom because I am not sure I want to keep that fabric. It all got tucked into the drawer and ta da, a cute little foot stool.

How sweet are those chubby little feet? It not only looks cool but I use it all the time. In fact my feet are propped up on it right now as I right this blog post!

Hope you have an awesome week!

KIM

CUPCAKE SATURDAY

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES

Have you ever watched Cupcake wars on Food Network? I love all the drool-worthy cupcakes and am always wanting to try out the recipes. I asked my son if he would like to help me try out some recipes and he was happy to be my assistant. I have never made a cupcake from scratch and it turned out to be a fun activity with my son. Not to mention we got a tasty treat when we were done.

Our maiden journey into cupcakes began with a recipe for CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES I found at the ANNIE EATS BLOG.

There were three parts, the cake itself;

the peanut butter filling;

and the frosting;

The cake batter was used as a base, the filling was placed in the center and covered with more batter.

The cake batter seemed kind of thick, but I am no expert so we just went with it.

They turned out pretty well but the tops of the cake was a little hard (maybe the batter was a little dense) and my husband (our flavor tester) thought the center which was a bit dry, maybe sucked the moistness out of the cake.

The best part was the peanut butter frosting, yum! Overall, everyone liked this one, but agreed it needs some modification to address the dryness issue.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

KIM

SCIENCE NERD FUN

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

Howdy!
Since I am a complete science nerd, I am always on the look out for fun, science related stuff. I usually just hoard it and never use it. At the end of the Fall semester, I wanted to give the teaching assistants a thank you for all their hard work so I decided to make use of my nerd-ware and make them a little something.

From my hoard, I pulled out my lab ware cookie cutters from Think Geek. And made these cute cookies. I found some neon food coloring at the grocery store that was perfect for the icing and some decorative sprinkles for the fizzy effect.

None of my experiments ever looked this tasty.

Next up was a thank you card in the form of a lab coat. It was made from a half sheet of white card stock, scored on either end at three inches and notched edges that were folded back to look like the collar.

I used the periodic table to make a little thanks tag that would be attached to a test tube (clean/new) that held Hershey Kisses.

The stamps are from a chemistry set made by There She Goes clear stamps. I don't know if they are still available but I am sure there are other sets like this.

This was the envelope.

I punched a little hole in the upper corner of the envelope and used a ribbon to attach the test tube and thanks tag.

It was a fun little gift and it was nice to be able to share some of my stash of nerdiness.

KIM

FITTING COMMERCIAL SEWING PATTERNS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

Hi there!

I have a classic apple shaped body (thanks mom...) which makes fitting commercial sewing patterns a challenge, particularly since I don't have a lot of free time. And even when I did make some time to alter patterns, the garment still didn't seem to fit properly. I had pretty much given up sewing for myself until I found a great fitting book in my web travels. It has pretty much solved all of the challenges that have kept me from making clothes for myself except for the lack of free time of course.

I have tried most of the traditional pattern alteration techniques like cut and slash but this one is different and has worked out really well for me.

The technique is based on the premise that no matter how much your bust, waist and hip measurements change, your arm to arm chest measurement never does. Therefore, this one measurement should be used when determining your pattern size. Mind. Blown.

I had been buying patterns in a size 14 or 16. When I took this measurement using Nancy's instructions, it indicated that I should be buying a 4-6. I have a very small neck area and have always had problems with gaps and loose necklines in both pattern fitting and ready to wear. This technique seemed to make so much sense to me.

I chose a simple pattern to try out the technique and this was the result. A perfectly fitted top for the first time since the olden days when I drafted my own patterns. Holy cow was I happy! It still took a bit of alteration of the pattern but the difference is that I ended up with a wearable piece of clothing.

I have several tops I have made hanging in my closet. Even though I like them, I never wear them because the fit isn't quite right. I wear this one all the time. I made it out of a nice quality, comfy cotton knit in a style that is good for apple shapes.

The pattern is New Look 6784 view A.

The three quarter length sleeves turned out a little wide at the bottom. Instead of taking them in I made a little tuck on the edge to make them a bit narrower and added a decorative button.

I checked the book out from the library to try it out before I bought it. Once I saw how well it worked I immediately ordered it from Amazon and and have been thrilled with it.

If you have been thinking about learning to sew or getting back to it after an absence run as fast as you can to your library and check it out to see if it works for you too. If you do let me know I would love another sewists perspective!

If you want a little preview, check out Nancy's intro video HERE.

KIM

CROCHET BOOT CUFFS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:56:00 +0000

I have been trying to teach myself to crochet. I started quite a while ago in an attempt to make my son a crobot. They are these cute little crocheted robots that took a lot more crochet talent than I had at the time. I started that little bot about 50 times and ripped it out 50 times. Needles to say, it never got made. I found renewed interest when I saw these cute boot cuffs on (where else) pinterest.

They looked kind of simple so I found some basic tutorials on youtube and bought the book "I TAUGHT MYSELF TO CROCHET" at Walmart. It is a pretty good book and helped as much or more than the tutorials on youtube. After a bit of practice on the all the basic stitches I attempted the boot cuffs. They are certainly not perfect but they came out pretty well. The instructions for the cuffs are really great too and you can find it HERE.

I used Vanna White's yarn in oatmeal (bought at JoAnns) and I chose to put on a flower instead of a button. The tutorial for the flower is reeeally easy, very detailed and can be found HERE. They look great with my calf high boots.

My daughter liked them so I made her a pair too. It took about 2-3 evenings while watching tv to finish a pair.

I still want to make that crobot but I think I need a little more practice first. Click HERE if you want to check out my crochet board. So many amazing projects! So not enough time!

Have a great week!

KIM

MUSIC MAN

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

I really love this gift I made for both my nephew and my son. They are both into music big time and I thought the bags would make a nice carrying bag for music books, drum sticks, etc.

I used a bag my son had as a pattern and the fabric is a nice quality sweatshirt fleece I purchased at Joanns. I bought the embroidery music font from an etsy store HERE. How cute are those letters?

I also made my other nephew a bag reflecting his interests. He loves to hunt so I mad him a bag that I thought he would like. I bought this design at Embroiderydesigns.com. I can pretty much purchase designs from anywhere for use with my machine.

I can't believe i thought I could never have much use for an embroidery machine. Boy was I wrong!

Happy crafting!

KIM

PERSONALIZED GIFTS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday!
I made use of my new embroidery machine for Christmas gifts. I made this make up bag for my niece.

I got the fabric in the quilting department at Joanns and used a make up bag that I have as a pattern template. My machine allows me to use any regular computer font for lettering so I used the curls font for the name.

I used the same fabric for a purse for my other niece. I made the purse using Simplicity 2396. I had to extend the pink section about 2 inches to make room for the name but the pattern was pretty easy.

I love the colors in the print fabric.

After seeing the make up bag, my daughter wanted one so after Christmas I made her one also.

I will have a couple more embroidery gifts in upcoming posts. I have also been teaching myself how to crochet. My mom is a wizard at it but I have been limping along so I may (or may not) post a couple things I have done.

Hope you have a crafty week!

KIM

Linky Parties

VWORP VWORP

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Unless your a Dr. Who fan you may not be interested in this post. I love the Doctor so I made a TARDIS wall hanging (more like a wall covering) as a Christmas decoration for my door at work. I used a lot of blue felt and my embroidery machine to make the lettering.

I was surprised by how many Whovians there are in my workplace.

I took a picture off the internet and used that as a guide for cutting out the pieces. It was mostly squares and rectangles so it wasn't too difficult. I am so lovin' this embroidery machine.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the new Doctor fits in.

Any of you fans?

LINKY PARTIES

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:00:00 +0000

My new embroidery machine is coming in pretty handy for gifts. My niece got married recentlyI wanted to give the couple something personal. I decided to do a monogram wall hanging and found an elegant split script alphabet on etsy.

I embroidered the monogram in black on a piece of light beige linen. I figured that color combo would be neutral enough to fit most home decor schemes. In case your wondering about the white edges, I had to leave the cardboard on the edges for the pic because we were travelling and I didn't want the frame to get damaged.

THE PROJECT

I used a beige linen blend and black Sulky embroidery thread from Joann's. I backed the linen with a layer of easy knit interfacing in addition to using two layers of iron on stabilizer. Once embroidered the lined was wrapped around a piece of cardboard and placed in the frame.

The wedding and couple were elegantly gorgeous. It was held at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC and it was the most beautiful setting imaginable.

Wishing a lifetime of happiness to the happy couple!

This is the card I made for the happy couple. I was in a hurry so it is a little blurry but you get the idea.

Thanks for stopping by! LINKY PARTIES

PINTEREST ENVY

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:24:00 +0000

Do you jump on pinterest for just a minute then look up and realize you have been there for an hour (or two)? Yep, me too.

Do you spend hours on pinterest and then complain that you never have time do any of the projects you have pinned? Yep, me too. Think about that for a minute...

Do you look at all the amazing projects and think jeez I wish I had that creativity? Yep, me too.

Do you flit from crochet to woodworking to home improvement till your head spins? Yep, me too.

I love pinterest but I have to admit it sometimes makes me feel extremely envious that I didn't think of all that awesomeness myself and that I don't have time to stay home 24/7 and make ALL of it. Then I get over it and run out to buy supplies for projects I will probably never get around to making.

I have been working on stuff but instead of posting the projects I have been spending these cold, snowy winter evenings pinning future projects. I finally decided it was time to either get back to posting or stop blogging altogether. I went with posting cause I kinda like this blogging stuff.

Also, I finally got my husband to help me finish this reclaimed shutter wall hanging I have been working on since last summer and I wanted to share cause I thought it turned out pretty cool.

THE PROJECT
The shutter was purchased at Construction Junction in Pittsburgh for a couple dollars, the shelf is from Joann's, the knob from Hobby Lobby and the clock from Target.

I painted the shutters with Maison Blanche chalk paint in Sugar Cane. The shelf was stained with Dark Walnut.and given a coat of poly. Please ignore the nail hole in the wall, it will probably take me another year to patch it...

My wonderful husband (he did not make me say that) attached the shelf to the shutters, attached the knob and hung it on the wall. He also bought me the beautiful roses for Valentine's Day. Yes, I know I am very lucky to have him. The little flower on the left is temporary till I find just the right "thing" to put there.

THE PINSPIRATION
There are some amazing projects using old shutters. Here are a couple. My shutter board is HERE.

LINKY PARTIES

GARAGE ADDITION

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday!
If your not into home construction stuff you may want to skip this post. I mostly put it up for my mom and sister. My sister and brother in law asked if I had any new pics of the progress of our garage addition while I was visiting at Christmas and I said we didn't really have much done except stuff you couldn't see like wiring and plumbing. When I went back home, I realized we had made some visible progress so I decided to post these pictures.

The garage is huge. It dwarfs our house right now but we will be adding a raised roof to the center of the house. Hopefully soon.

This is the top of the garage. It will provide a much needed rec/music room for my kids and husband. I think it is pretty amazing that you can get this much space out of a roof.

This is the little dormer window. I think it will make a great reading nook.

This will eventually be the hallway into the rest of the House. I can't wait till it is all finished...

Have a great week!

Kim

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:44:00 +0000

I am still alive and crafting, just not blogging much. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I wish you nothing but health and happiness in the New Year!

I saw this on a couple of blogs and though it would be cute as a Happy New Year/ thank you card for our Christmas gifts. You can go to the Lego site and customize it. It can be sent as an e-card but I save mine and printed it out on photo paper, mounted it on card stock and printed out a thank you for the inside.

This was my Christmas card. Pretty simple and easy to make. The deer is a Silhouette design from the online store.

I also made some tags/gift card holders from print and cut designs from Silhouette. I made them 3D by printing a couple of the same design,cutting out the head and popping it up with pop dots.

The exciting thing (for me at least) was my early Christmas present. An Embroidery/sewing machine. I was flippin through the channels a few weeks before Christmas and saw it on HSN. Most good embroidery machines are about $4000 but this one was waaaaay cheaper. I thought it must be a crappy machine and kept flippin. But....I kept going back to it to see what the happy HSN ladies were making. Then they said the magic words, I had till the end of January to return it if I didn't like it. So, the conversation with my husband went something like this -
me: can I get a new sewing machine as my Christmas present?
husband: didn't you just get one?
me: uh, about 5 years ago and it was an $80 kenmore
silence...
me: so, can I?
husband: sure (he says this for everything i ask for though no matter how outrageous)
me: OK, It costs $800
husband: it better make us breakfast for that price
me: ha. ha. seriously, can it be my present?
husband: sure
Don't know if he thought I was serious but I got it. I was worried about the quality because the Singer brand isn't the same high quality as it used to be. But I thought, what the heck, I have two months to try it out and send it back if I hate it. I usually check out reviews before I buy stuff but this was a brand new type so I couldn't do that. I was shocked when it came, the box was huge!
Well, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, it! I made several Christmas gifts for my family and am very happy with the quality of work. I have no idea how it compares to more expensive machines because I have never done embroidery but for my purposes it is great! I will be posting some of the gifts I made soon (I promise).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THANKSGIVING PUMPKIN

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 16:09:00 +0000

Wow, the older I get the faster time flies! Thanksgiving is next week and I wanted to make something for the table. I used a cupcake box template to make a pumpkin. I have a tutorial on how it was made at THE HYBRID CHICK.

SLINKY SEWING

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:19:00 +0000

This is from a pattern that I drafted a looooong time ago. Like two kids, 25 years and 30 pounds ago. I was cleaning out my closet a while ago and found my "mini me" size and decided to make a new one for my current, mature, fluffy body (its so fluffffffeeeee). What prompted this is a contest that is going on at PatternReview.com. It is a sewing site that I have been following for a while and it is about reviewing one's experiences with sewing patterns. It is a nice source of sewing info.

It turned out pretty well. The elastic is comfortable and the leg ruffles do a nice job of camouflaging certain hind areas if you know what I mean.

It never really occurred to me to post some of the stuff I did when I was designing but my renewed interest in sewing may just prompt me to find some old pics to post.

Hope you have a great week!

Kim

HALLOWEEN TREATS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 17:53:00 +0000

I know, long time no post... What can I say life happens. New job, kids busy in school and activities and I want to start sewing again. I have taken a new position where I am interacting with people a lot more so I need new clothes but that is a story for another day. In the mean time, I made this cute little pop up match box for use as a Halloween treat container. I have a tutorial on how it was made at THE HYBRID CHICK

Have a super week!
Kim

MR AND MRS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I made this wedding card for a friend/employee of my husband. They are without a doubt the cutest couple ever. They are both in their seventies and have been together for 15 years. A. dor. a. ble.

I am in a circle rut... I can't seem to find my way out;)

Kim

SOME THANKS

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 09:00:00 +0000

A couple of thank you cards which are long overdo. I keep wanting to just sit down and make a whole bunch of thank you and birthday cards but I never seem to have the time to do it. Both of these cards are Pinterest inspired so I can't take credit for the designs.

Thank you for stopping by!
Kim

MUSTACHE GIFT BAG

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Sep 2013 09:00:00 +0000

If you are into the mustache craze I have a really cute gift bag and straw tutorial up at THE HYBRID CHICK.

MUSICAL WALL HANGING

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I made this for my son who is obsessed with anything musical. I have a tutorial on how it was made over at THE HYBRID CHICK.

A PAINTED BUFFET

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 01:31:00 +0000

I found this sweet little wooden buffet at an estate sale. It was priced $45.00 but we got there late and it was marked half off. I thought it might make a nice TV stand for the bedroom so my husband and I brought it home. It sat a while till I decided what I wanted to do with it.

The top wasn't in very good condition and there were some chips but I added a bit of wood filler.

And sanded the top. I decided I would paint the entire piece.

I first gave the entire piece a good cleaning with my trusty Krud Kutter. The door on the left is the cleaned piece and on the right was how it looked when I got it. The Krud Kutter takes the dirt and grime off but also removes some of the stain so if you don't want that you might want to choose another cleaner.

I used Behr Pecan Sandie and Stealth. I purchased a small sample size and added some Webster's Chalk Paint Powder. For the white trim I used some Annie Sloan chalk paint in old white. On the left is before using some antiquing wax and on the left is with two coats of Maison Blanche light antique wax.

I found that the latex paint with the Webster's paint powder doesn't really behave the same as the chalk paints. The wax doesn't absorb as well as with the Annie Sloan or Maison Blanche paint.

I am hoping to do a comparison of all the types I have used in a future post.

Not sure what I was drinking when I took this picture but it is a bit fuzzy. The area that I used wood filler on came out a little bumpy so I decided to camouflage it with a decorative wood piece I found at Lowes.

I liked how it pulled the darker color in to the bottom half of the piece.

I distressed the edges of the top and a little around the doors.

I thought about leaving the doors off and I tried a few different types of baskets but decided I liked the doors on better.

I bought the knobs at Lowes. They were a dark oil rubbed bronze look.

I am not sure I want to keep it in the bedroom but I really like how it turned out so if it doesn't stay there I will find somewhere else for it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Kim

LINKY PARTIES

A SHABBY CARD OR TWO

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Just popping in to share a couple of shabby cards I made.

Hope your having a good week so far!

QUILTING FOR CHARITY

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Hey there! Just wanted to show you what I have been working on and maybe entice you to get involved. If you can use a machine to sew a straight line you can probably complete this little quilt.

I found out about this charity from the blog MAKE IT AND LOVE IT. The charity is called QUILTS FOR KIDS and they donate quilts made by volunteers to children in hospitals with life threatening illnesses. I have been wanting to do something like this for a long time and never got around to actually participating. This organization made it really easy to jump in.

They provide the fabric already cut out and an instruction sheet. For someone like me (and maybe you) who has the desire but limited time it was a perfect opportunity. You do have to pay for the shipping (about $6) but the fabric is free. You also have to provide the batting and pay to return the quilt to the organization. All in all I spent about $25 for everything and finished the quilt in about 5 weeks-they request it be returned in 4-6 weeks. I used a 40% off coupon from Joanns and got a baby quilt size of warm and natural all cotton batting. It was just the right size. It was such a good feeling to send the quilt back and know that it may comfort a child who really needs it.

If you can sew even a little and you have been looking for a way to contribute, please check them out. Although I am a fairly experienced seamstress I have almost no quilting experience and I managed to do a decent (definitely not above average) job on the quilting. I don't really think the kids will care when they are snuggling it. I also don't have a fancy quilting machine. I have a regular, old, basic kenmore sewing machine and it worked perfectly well making this small quilt.

LINKY PARTIES

TINY WRITING TABLE REDO

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:31:00 +0000

Still melting here.... just a couple more days.

I found this sweet little writing/telephone table at my favorite junk store.
I saw it and didn't buy it at first. But, I kept thinking how cute it would be
with a paint job and new fabric. I was sure when I went back it
would be gone but there it was calling my name.

Do you ever watch Mike and Frank on American Pickers? They always say bundle things to get a good price. Well, this little table cost a bit more than I wanted to spend so I found a couple other things, made an offer and got a great price on everything. This is what she looked like before. Dig that groovey green , wool fabric.

I gave it a good cleaning with my trusty krud Kutter (love that stuff) it removes all kinds of gunk and acts a little bit like a de-glosser.

I knew I wanted to paint it with the same chalk paint I used on my bathroom stand so I got out my Maison Blanche Sugar Cane and got to work.

First up was to strip and sand the top as I wanted to keep it a dark wood tone. It had some nicks but I left them. Adds character right?

Once stripped and cleaned, I first used Minwax Dark Walnut for the first coat. It wasn't quite as dark as I wanted so the next coat was Rsutoleum Kona. A couple coats of Dark wax and it was just right.

I removed the seat and painted the entire base with two coats of Sugar Cane. I distressed it a little and added a couple coats of light brown wax.

Here is a better pic of the top with the wax added.

I took off all that lovely fabric from the seat. All I can say is ick. The board was in pretty bad shape so I used it as a template to cut a new one out of plywood.

I had some Warm and Natural batting left over from a quilt project so I used that for the cushion of the seat. I cut 3 layers the exact shape of the seat and one layer to wrap around. I used a staple gun to attach everything to the wood.

I then covered it in this cotton fabric. I found it at Joanns and it was perfect with just a touch of the soft aqua color that was used to paint the base of the table.

I stapled the wrap around piece to the back, then added a piece on top to hide all the mess.

Lastly, I added some decorative scrapbook paper with a writing theme to the inside of the desk. It looked too bare to me with just the paint.

This is residing in my bedroom for now but I am moving things around to find a better place for it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Linky Parties

KITCHEN STOOL MAKEOVER

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 19:27:00 +0000

Hey there, howz it goin' I have been both busy and hot beyond belief.
We are adding a garage on to our house and we had to remove the ac.
Of course it is the hottest week of the year and we are melting. This is a pic of the house mid-construction. Can't wait to get it done. I will never again have to chant-while scraping a foot of snow off my car- I hate snow, I hate snow, I hate snow.

The good news is that I have spent a lot of time in the basement working on a bunch of projects. This is a stool and corner shelf makeover quickie. I tried out a new paint from the Plaster Paint Company. I will have a review of it along with some other chalk type paints in a future post. The color is called Ivory Lace and it is a very slight off white color.

This is how the two pieces started out. One light and one dark wood. Both are thrift store purchases.

They both got three coats of paint and a couple coats of light brown antiquing wax.

I also distressed the edges a bit and tried a new technique I found in blogland. I wanted the distressed edges to be dark so I used a Minwax Wood Finish stain marker in dark walnut. It is a flat tipped pen that is used to touch up stained wood but it makes a great antiquing tool.

We have had a boat load of hydrangea flowers in our garden and thankfully they are just about the only flower that doesn't make my husband sneeze.

I need to find a cool old-timey clock to put on the top shelf.

I have lots more to post, I just have to get around to organizing my photos and actually getting them on here.
Stay cool!