Side Chair Makeover

Back in March I made Micheal trudge out in the rain to pick up this free chair from of course, craigslist.

I originally emailed about it because the lines of the arms seemed to fit the mid-century look; however, when we got there it was clear that wasn't mid-century, probably more like late 70s. BUT it was cute and free and dangit we went in the rain! So I carted it home.

This is where a person has to decide between painting and refinishing (staining.) My mama taught me never to paint wood and I've tried to stick by that... However, in this case staining would have not dealt with the outdated look. With the blessing of my mom, I painted it Dove white (Behr) and recovered the cushions in a bright, fun print!

Steps:

1. Clean and rough up with sandpaper
   
2. Prime with Kilz new odorless oil-based primer due to stain bleed-through
   
3. Spray with Behr Dove white paint with my new HVLP paint sprayer
   
4. Recover cushions
   
5. Replace seat webbing

I'm very happy with the finished product!! It transformed into such a fun and bright piece of furniture. It'll be on the truck to Delaware next week!

Shared on the DIY Showoff

DIY Sofa Reupholstery - Day 1

I'm going to be honest; I pretty much figured when I bought this sofa with the intention of reupholstering it that it would stay red thatch for quite a while. Mostly because I have a lot of great big ideas, but sometimes the follow through is lacking.

HOWEVER! Not this time folks, I broke out my tools, my gloves, my Dr Pepper and started this Herculean project. I'm going to try and take you along the journey with me rather than amass a week of photos and try to remember all the steps I took along the way. :)

Choosing Fabric


Things I considered when choosing fabric:

1. Color - be able to match apartment but also transition back to our house when I'm done.
   
2. Texture of fabric - I like the look of basket weave, however the kitties really do too (scratch scratch).
   
3. Price - upholstery fabric is expensive! And you'll need a lot.

Couch Disassembly

The tools I used and found to be the most helpful so far are a set of dykes, gloves, and a small flat head screwdriver. (Also Advil and your carbonated beverage of choice!) Now - GET BRAVE!! Grab an edge and pull and cry pry! One of the internet tutorials I read suggested starting at the back so that's what I did. Start by inserting your flat head screwdriver and try to pry yourself out an edge to start working on.

The top came off pretty easily but I couldn't get the whole back panel off. The fabric appeared to be inside the arms instead of a full back panel. When I looked inside this is what I saw:

It appeared that the sofa was made and upholstered in several different pieces and then put together. Good for construction and aesthetic, bad for Kari.

Taking apart the sofa by myself was going to be tough so I decided to start removing the fabric in another area. This time, the front of the arm.

I'll get some better pics of how I used the tools to remove the fabric since I'm noticing now I don't have any photos of those. But this photo series shows the importance of documenting how the sofa is constructed as you take it apart. You have to put it back together the same way!

The construction of the arm is very important to recreate so I get the same finished look. When you finally get a full piece off make sure to save it label it - I used a sticky note and put where it came from and any specifics on how it was attached. You will use these as templates to cut new pieces out of your pretty fabric!

About this time I took a break, bought a Mani-Pedi on Groupon for when I'm done, and went to get some emergency DP. Then Micheal-gyver got home and it was GAME ON!

My final note for today is to make sure to take pictures of all the complex corners, again so you know what to do with that funky corner you cut out using the old fabric pieces as a template.

Things I learned today

• When working on a 60 year old sofa, make sure your tetanus shots are up to date
  
• If you husband asks you "what are you doing" when he gets home and you've got your arm elbow deep in the sofa...he's probably really just interested and not trying to annoy the crap out of you. So be nice.
  
• Wear gloves, nails, staples, all that stuff is sharp! (And rusty, see the first "thing")
  
• Dykes work better for pulling staples than needle nose pliers - thanks babe!
  
• Make sure you have more than one Dr Pepper when starting a project like this :)

Cute, Fun and Easy Lantern Makeover!

After a week of laundry and closet organization I definitely needed to add something cute, fun, and easy to give me a little DIY pep. When I saw that pyrex dish at the thrift store last week there were two other little guys that had caught my attention and I just couldn't get them outta my mind. So I went back hoping they were still around.

Yay!!

As you can see from the pics, they were a lovely brass color. Which of course called for a nice coat of spray paint to update these guys. I disassembled them and used some Bar Keeper's Friend to scrub them down because they had a few oxidized and rusty areas.

I primed with Rustoleum's gray primer, painted with Rustoleum's turquoise and then finished with their matte finish clear coat. I also ran the glass covers through the dishwasher to get them cleaned up. I'm in love!





I think they're so fun and summery! I used paint I already had, so my only cost was the 10 bucks I paid for the lanterns.

Painting Note: I did run into a problem while spraying with the turquoise, some bubbling in the paint - I think it had to do with the heat index and humidity, but I was tired of waiting! So I sanded it down and painted again with a lighter hand and it was fine.

In other news, the fabric I ordered for the sofa reupholstery project is due to arrive tomorrow.



I'm only slightly terrified as that means I'll have no excuse to delay this monster of a project...

Lastly, Kali approves of the cushion I recovered for the outdoor furniture. Too bad it's gonna have a divot now from her chunky butt!



Until tomorrow! - Kari

A How To: Easy Sew Couch Pillows

Let's start this off with the caveat that I am NOT a professional seamstress, so if you're looking for a fancy "how to" on making couch pillows with things like zippers or piping you're in the wrong place. :) If you are a sewing novice (like me) and are looking for an easy pillow that takes about 30 minutes - look no further, you're here!!

Cost breakdown:
1 yard fabric for the front $8.99
1 yard fabric for the back $7.00
2 pillow inserts (free, reused old ones!)
Thread $1.79 (on sale)

Total cost: $17.78 for two pillows, could have been much cheaper too if hadn't paid quite as much for my fabric. :)


Step 1: Get some fabric. Go crazy!! These are couch pillows, one of the best places to add that extra pop of color or pattern if you're a bit too nervous to throw down a zebra print rug or paint your walls orange. I literally got lost in Hancock Fabric this weekend looking at all their new summer prints (my mom can vouch for this since I had her on the phone for the hour I was wandering the store.) Some prints that caught my eye:




I ended up using a pattern on the front and a more subtle accent fabric for the back. For two 20" pillows I would suggest getting 1 yard of each type of fabric. You'll have some extra but it allows for mistakes! Also get some thread that will blend in and if you don't have any extra pillow forms laying around (I used two from old pillows we don't use anymore) grab two pillow forms. Make sure to bring at least one coupon, all of the fabric stores accept each other's coupons!

Step 2 - Cutting out your fabric. Most instructions will tell you to cut 21 inches for a 20 inch pillow, however I like my pillows "fuller" looking and don't use as much of the edge so I cut mine at 20 inches square. So if you're making two pillows, fold your fabric in half and measure a 20 by 20 inch square to get two squares (if only making one then just cut and measure one 20x20 square.) Repeat with the back fabric.

I a tip from Cottage Magpie to use a glass to draw and cut rounded edges which makes sewing the corners much easier!

Step 3 - Pin the wrong sides of the fabric together leaving a gap on one of the sides to later stuff the pillow into.




Step 4 - Sew the edges together.



(This also gives a good shot of the rounded edge.)

I used a zigzag stitch with my length knob (the numbered one) set at about 1.5. I set the fabric so it would be sewing right at the edge, it was essentially riiiiight outside the edge of the viewing hole on the presser foot. Remember to sew all the corners but leave one side open!

Step 5 - Flip it inside out and fill out the corners.




Use your fingers to even everything out and then iron the edges flat.

Step 6 - Iron a crease on the fabric in the opening.




Essentially you're folding it over enough so it matches the rest of the pillow, it's only about 1/4 inch if that. Do the same to the other side making sure they match up.




The ultimate goal when ironing is to keep the other side from showing. So when you look at the back you should see no pattern from the front and vice versa.

Step 7 - Sewing your edge. Head back over to your sewing machine and use the straight stitch function, again I had it set at 1.5 on the number knob (so technical I know). And stitch all the way around from opening to opening right at the edge of the fabric.




See what I mean about right outside the viewing window of the presser foot? And you'll only be on one of the feeders as well so make sure to help feed the fabric through. I didn't do any backstitching when I reached the openings because that would be visible and we're going to sew over them anyway.

Step 8 - STUFF STUFF STUFF! :) So you've got the pillow sewn all around the edges with your opening left, jam that pillow in!




I use the roll and stuff method. Roll the pillow up, have someone hold the hole open and push it in.

Step 9: Finishing the edges. Now you're going to sew the opening shut to match the rest of the edge of the pillow. To make it easier to get your full pillow into your sewing machine squish your pillow down and put either safety pins or stick pins through the fabric to keep the pillow down like this:




Then match the edges of your opening up and pin them closed. Take your pillow to the sewing machine, drop the needle about 1/2 inch back on the already sewn line (to help lock in the other stitching) and then slowly sew the opening closed. I had Micheal help hold the pillow while I guided it through the machine.




Step 10: The haircut. Now your pillow looks like Cousin It - don't just give it a regular haircut! The beauty of this pillow is you can tie off the ends so they're strong and invisible. Grab a regular ol'needle and pick up and thread through one piece of "hair" if you will :) - then insert your needle into the gap left by sewing the opening shut, like so...




Do this for each "set" of threads if you will (the top and bottom stitch) and then tie them in a double knot inside the crease and trim! You're DONE!! The first one took me a bit longer, but once you get the hang of it, it's a quick 20-30 min project.

Please ask any questions or suggestions for making the project easier to follow are welcome. Have fun!

Pantry Party!

I'm almost ashamed to share these before and after pictures with you, simply because it means I have to admit I actually stored FOOD in this pantry before I made it pretty. (Hangs head in shame...)

It's clean and happy now!! It's AMAZING what a coat of paint can do!

Dirty ashamed pantry:



Ick...


Double Ick!

New happy pantry!

I need to work on straightening my camera shots!





I am SO happy with the bright clean look! The wall paint is "Celery Sticks" by Behr and the shelf paint is the same as our cabinet paint, Glidden's Swiss Mocha color matched with Behr Premium paint.

Micheal also caulked in the corners to make the shelves solid and so no crummies can fall down in the cracks! We've got the trim ready to cut and paint and the famous door is being given new life.

If you're still receiving my blog entries, thanks for hanging in with me during the off and on posting! My dissertation defense is scheduled for Wednesday which is a HUGE life moment for me. Maybe after that I'll have some free time. That is..until I start internship. ;)

Home Depot Paint Options: Behr Versus Glidden

Behr Wins!

Glidden:
Pro - Cheaper
Pro - Had my color

Neutral - Acceptable coverage

Con - Sticky when dry: BAD for furniture
Con - Funky sweet smell

Behr:
Pro - NO sticking!!
Pro - Acceptable/good coverage

Neutral - Better smell than Glidden, but still stinky

Con - Used color match but color wasn't exactly the same
Con - A little more costly (although not much)

I didn't have any paint allegiances before starting the kitchen. We ended up selecting Glidden because they had the color I wanted for the cabinets, Swiss Mocha. It was cheaper than Behr too, bonus! However, after a few coats of paint on the cabinet doors I began to get run into a major problem - "sticky" paint.

I was painting 15+ cabinet doors and cabinets so I needed lots of room but quickly learned I couldn't lean the doors against ANYTHING (even when dry) without the painted surface sticking to the other surface. This resulted in a TON of touch up painting, cursing, and some more touch up painting. In hindsight we realized that we also used Glidden on the buffet we refinished (Here) and had the same "sticking" problem. We couldn't put anything on it without having it damage the paint even after waiting the suggested 48 hours.

I decided mid project to switch to Behr to see if it would make a difference and boy did it! I'm happy to say that our cabinets and cabinet doors no longer stick to everything! We did a color match and it didn't come out exactly the same, BUT since everything needed a new top coat anyway it wasn't a big deal.

We will be going with Behr (when shopping at Home Depot) from now on.

I said we were busy last weekend right?

Well I wasn't lying! And since this weekend is creeping up on us I decided to lump the rest into one post. :) Mega-productivity post!! (And avoiding my dissertation post...)

1. Put in the new cabinet Micheal built to fit the old refrigerator hole. This will give me 34" of additional counter space and was build specifically to house my amazing Green Apple Kitchenaid Mixer.

Before


Middle


After


2. Built our own roll out cabinet shelf

The cabinet under the wall oven is one of those deep buggers where you stick long lost small appliances and then curse when you want to get out the mini-chopper and you have to unload the hand mixer, the crock pot, AND the rice cooker to get it. Also you look glamorous laying on your side reaching all the way to the back hoping there are no vicious dust bunnies.

We visited The Container Store and drooled over cabinet systems like these:

But $60?! For a drawer??

So we used one $13 set of drawer pulls and about $8 worth of wood to create our own. Yay DIY!


We put in 2x4 on the side to attach the drawer pulls.


One on each side - we went for the fancier "ball-bearing" slides. If you wanted to be even MORE frugal you can go for the $6 drawer slides.


To build the drawer we measured and cut a piece of plywood panel with our handy dandy finishing saw and cut four pieces of 1x4 for the sides. Next wood glue and nail gun!

3. Install above microwave cabinet, microwave, and signed our work. :)

This process was intimidating...we purchased our amazing Kenmore Elite microwave from Sears Scratch and Dent so it did not come with destructions (as my dad would say.) So we downloaded what we could and used the holes and screws available to try and figure out to hang this mammoth piece of cooking equipment.



Micheal build this upper cabinet that would attach to the top of the microwave and we hung the metal backing that the microwave slides onto.


Then we put on the F2F signature and left a note for any future homeowners who might remodel our kitchen in the future.


It was a very tense 10 minutes when we were holding and screwing this guy in but it was SO worth it. I love it...


And there you have it! Big plans for the weekend too! It's so close I can smell the cookies, can you?!