From Waterbed Drawer to Shabby Chic Shelf!

Time to "upcycle" again! This shelf/bulletin board used to be a drawer under a waterbed. Really! Isn't it adorable? I think this one is going to go live with a young lady I know, but there are five more drawers in my garage, lots of fabric in my scrap room, and still about 40 election signs waiting for their chance to live a purposeful life!

Let me show you what I did. Even if you don't have any old drawers lying around, or you don't have any interest in making a bulletin board shelf, maybe something I do will trigger a different idea for you. 

I started with the drawer, some acrylic paints, fabric, quilt batting, ribbon, some brads that very conveniently resemble upholstery tacks, the hot glue gun, and an election sign.

Maybe you remember what waterbed drawers look like. Pretty plain. Very 80's. I slopped on some nearly neon green acrylic paint, added a layer of crackle medium, and topped it off with a little white here, a little cream there, all kind of smooshed together. This is definitely NOT a project where neatness counts. 

The whole point of using something like a crackle medium is to make the piece look used and worn, and old paint doesn't crack evenly across the entire surface. Some areas will be smooth while some will have tiny checks and others will have huge cracks. So don't stress out trying to make it look "perfect!"

I sanded a little around the edges of the drawer where paint would naturally wear away then used some old acrylic antiquing gel that I watered down a bit and swiped across the surface just to bring out the cracks and bare wood a little more.

Now on to the inside....

I cut the sign just a bit smaller than the inside of the drawer and covered it with quilt batting, using hot glue to secure the edges.

Next, I wrapped the fabric over the batting, pulled it snug, and hot glued the edges. I divided the left and right sides into halves and the top and bottom into thirds to determine where to start and end the ribbon. 

The back of this will never show, so don't worry about mitering corners or making the edges even. You can even leave all the hot glue stringies all over the back!

These brads were all different colors when I started. I pushed them into a piece of foam and brushed on a coat of Vintage White acrylic paint. 

When that dried, I very lightly brushed the tops and edges with some shimmery pink puff paint. That's what I had on hand. I love to wear pink, but to be honest, with two boys, I've never had a lot of use for pink paint of any kind!

I pierced a hole through all the layers at each ribbon intersection and pushed the brads through. Then I squirted some hot glue on the back of the sign and pushed it down to the bottom of the drawer. With all the fabric and batting it was pretty snug. Now it's ready to load.

There you go! It can hang on the wall or sit just about anywhere. 

I can't wait to see my friend's reaction! Then I'll have to get busy and put together a few more to sell at the flea market!

So.... Did inspiration pay a visit? What did it say?

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Free Bright & Cheery February Calendar

What?! But it's only the 25th of January! I know, I know.... I won't have access to my desktop computer for a few days and I don't want you to be without your pretty, perky, playful calendar. So here you go! 

I apologize for being stuck on the same basic color scheme as one of the December calendars, but it's that ribbon! And it's winter, so a little extra burst of high-energy, happy colors couldn't hurt.

Feel free to download this calendar to your iWhatever or desktop. HERE are step-by-step instructions if you've never done that before. If you would like to use your free Coolibah app to make a calendar of your own design, you can find those instructions HERE. 

The days and dates on my calendar are in a font called Crushed Out Girl. I thought it had the same playful feel as the rest of the page. Here is a copy that you can use if you are creating your own calendar.

Sorry to post and run, but I have a ton of things to do before tomorrow morning! Have a great week!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Party!!!

Surprise! I'm back already! 

Just a quickie though. I wanted to submit this cute card to a Linky Party over at Crafty Secrets. They have a blog at heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com that I like to visit for inspiration. I ordered several postcard kits from their online store a couple of months ago, and the image of the little girls was included in one called Best Buds.

This card was really easy to put together. The base of the card uses a very simple trick that produces great results. I just ran a single layer of Bazzill Bling Bankroll cardstock through the BigShot with a Nesties Grand Labels Four, about 4.5 x 7 inches, to get the top layer of green. (Yes, some of the Nesties Grand dies will fit through a BigShot! Just check the measurements before you buy.) Then I cut a piece of plain green cardstock to 9x7--the shimmer of the Bling won't show on this piece-- folded it in half to 4.5x7, and ran it through using the same die. But this time I lined everything up so that  the fold stayed intact.

See how there is just a tiny gap between the edge of the fold and the die? When you run that through your die cutter, you end up with this:

The top edge is straight right now, but that's why we cut the Bling, too. We'll come back to that in just a second.

I folded some pleats into the middle of a doily to make it more oval than round.

Then I lined up the bottom and sides of the green pieces and adhered the Bling to the base, layered the doily on top, and added the little girls with a nice little bow. Quick and easy!

I'll stay out of your mailbox for a few days now.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Totally Trash to Treasure!

In my Andy's garage is a stack of about 40 corrugated plastic campaign signs. You know--the kind that you might order if you lost touch with reality and decided to run for the school board. They come in really handy sometimes.  I used a couple of them when I upcycled an old foot locker. (I was told that the term "upcycle" is much cooler than "recycle" or "repurpose." So there you go!) The signs are about as thick as a good piece of corrugated cardboard, but being plastic, they are much more durable. I have a  plethora of projects for them knocking around in my brain! One is ready to share with you today.

We spend most of our vacations on a beach, reading, dozing, enjoying the local beverages. I read almost exclusively on my iPod. Yes, iPod, not iPad. I enjoy my iPad, but I like the size of the iPod for reading. It probably sounds strange, but it's kind of like water skiing on one ski instead of two. No one believes it's easier until they do it. But I digress.... The one drawback to the iPod is the glare on the screen when you are in the sun. Since we will be on a beach again very soon, I decided to eliminate that problem by purchasing a Nook Simple Touch. It has an e-ink screen that looks like a printed page, even in direct sun. I chose it over a Kindle partly because it will open library books, while Kindles need a program to convert library books to their format, and partly because I already have 30 or 40 books in my Barnes & Noble library, as opposed to 4 or 5 in my Amazon library.

Of course it needs a cute protective cover, so before I even loaded it with books, I came up with a plan.

I've made covers for iPads and other tablets before, but they've always had three sections. Two sections fold around the tablet and the third works kind of like a flap on a purse or satchel to hold everything closed. 

This one really only needs two sections--a front and a back. 

I traced the shape of the Nook onto a sign two times and cut out both pieces. 

Then I dug out an old ripped out pair of jeans that one of the boys thought I could salvage (could or would?) and cut pieces big enough to wrap around the plastic. 

I basically sewed two pockets with a one inch wide strip of fabric between them. The plastic slips into the pockets to protect the Nook, but can be removed easily so the cover can go through the washer and dryer.

I used strips of clear vinyl sewn into the corners to hold the Nook in place. Some covers have fabric corners, some have elastic, and I've even seen some made with ponytail holders, but I like how the clear vinyl almost disappears. I used the same vinyl on the iPad cover I made over a year ago and it has held up very well. 

Next I got to "cute-ify" the outside. I didn't want to make it too foo-foo-ey because Andy will probably want to use it, too, so on the front I used an iron-on "P" that's been hanging around my craft room for years...

 and I made a pocket for the back. It's just the right size for a room key so we don't get locked out of the room. Or some cash to tip the housekeeper that lets us in if we do get locked out. In the rain. At night.

Not that that has ever happened....

I've been told that I should try making some video tutorials to put on YouTube. I think one of these covers might be a good project for that. They can get pretty complicated if you try to do silly things like have the hem of the jeans line up at the edges of the cover, but I think I can simplify it so it's not so confusing. If I decide to give it a shot, I'll let you know. In the meantime, if you would like to have a go at making your own cover (for any device) and want some nice sturdy plastic to slip inside it, leave a comment or send me an email. I'd be happy to share!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

Free January 2013 Calendar and Desktop

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We're down to having just one day left in 2012. Can you believe it?! What? You can't believe it? Well, here's proof. January's calendar is ready to put on your iWhatever, other device, or desktop. Or you can even print it, like my grandmother does, to hang on your refrigerator. 

Enough chit-chat! Here you go....

I really liked having the desktop version for December on my computer, so I made a new one for January. I apologize in advance if you have to move all your desktop icons to the other side of the screen. The little snowman just didn't look right gazing off the edge of the page when I put him on the left side. I think most people probably have their icons on the left side of the monitor anyway. For some reason I like mine on the right side. Maybe because I'm right-brained? 

I made both of these with Coolibah on my iPad. If you would like to make your own, feel free to use the January calendar below. You can find help for making your own here, or get instructions for saving one of my calendars to your device in this post.

I made the calendar, too, with a program called Micrografix. I know--you've never heard of it. But I love it. Mostly because I'm familiar with it and know my way around. I'm perfectly capable of learning new things, but why fill my head with multiple programs that do the same thing? Isn't that redundant? Repetetive? Doing the same thing over and over? (Hee hee! One of my favorite lines from "Cheers!") 

Besides, I need all the space I can get up there for my new job. Yes, I got an honest-to-goodness J-O-B! On December 4 I started working at a locally owned bank, opening new accounts and trying to help with whatever comes in the door. I think the left side of my brain effectively shut down the right side for a few days at first.  I know that sounds crazy, but after four days of dealing with numbers, I couldn't solve a single puzzle on Wheel of Fortune, and I usually beat everyone on the show! Fortunately everything seems to be working normally again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year, and I'll see you in 2013! 

I'm Kind of Obsessed With This Ribbon!

Yes, I am aware that this ^ is not a photograph of ribbons. The ribbons to which I refer in the title of tonight's post are the same ribbons that inspired the brightly colored version of my December calendar and desktop. Mom and I saw them at Michael's a few weeks ago and I couldn't leave until I had a cart-full! Here's a peek:

The colors and designs are just so fun and cheerful, how could I resist?! Don't be surprised if they show up in at least one more post!

Ok. Back to the card....

Each year at "Stamp Club" we have a Christmas card swap. It's really fun to see what everyone comes up with. It's also nice to know that each recipient appreciates the effort that goes into every card.

You know where I got my color scheme. The design came from a card Andy's Aunt Sharon sent us. (Thanks for the inspiration, Sharon!) She used stockings instead of ornaments and her card stands vertically, but other than that I flat out stole scraplifted it!

To make my card I used the following: 

green glitter cardstock (Recollections Leaf from Michael's)

bright green cardstock (I used Paper Accents Sour Apple but SU! Wild Wasabi would work)

dark pink cardstock (SU! Rose Red)

bright blue cardstock (SU! Pacific Point)

white cardstock

white pigment ink

holographic embossing powder

SU! Ornament Keepsakes stamp set

SU! Holiday Ornaments Framelits dies

blue glitter embossing powder

"Happy Holidays" stamp

brick embossing folder

When I make several cards of the same design, I use a bit of an assembly line. 

First I stamped and embossed all the ornaments I would need, then I ran them through the Cuttlebug with the matching dies to cut them out.

Next I ran the white background pieces -- 5.25 x 4 inches --through the Cuttlebug with the brick embossing folder. I left about an inch of the paper out of the folder so I could stamp "Happy Holidays" across the top and emboss it with the blue glitter embossing powder.

I cut strips of the green glitter paper half an inch wide and 5.25 inches long.

 I cut, scored, and folded the cardstock for the base of each card. I made some from the blue cardstock, some from the green, and some from the pink.

Almost there.... 

I adhered the white brick background to the base, layered the strip of glitter paper across the top row of  brick, and placed the ornaments on the brick. 

There are a lot of steps, but each one is pretty easy. 

Now I need to get busy on the rest of our Christmas cards! These have WAAAAY too many steps and pieces to make forty of them! I'm still using the ornament stamps and dies, and there is an embossing folder, but the design is much simpler. I'll share that one with you once they're all in the mail!

Do you have your Christmas/holiday cards finished? NO? Then why are you sitting there reading about mine?! Get to work!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!

The Grand Tour

Whew! After several weeks of moving and reorganizing, my new room is finally (insert loud screeching sound here)!

******************************************************************* 

One week later....

OK! Let's try this again! My new room is finally ready for me to use! WooHoo!

I thought it was ready about a week ago, but there was a glitch with the computer. We had to move the biggest piece in the room away from the wall so Andy could redo the wiring. Ugh! 

But now we're up and running and I'm ready to make something! I have several pictures to share, so here we go!

This is what you see when you step into my room. Do you Stampin' Up folks notice that color on the top of the walls looks a lot like Baja Breeze? The bottom of the walls was already black, and I just really didn't feel like painting that much, so the black stayed! The wall to the left faces north and has a window. The wall to the right faces east and lets in great light. The desk in the corner holds the computer, scanner, and printer. To the right of the sewing machine is a tall narrow chest of drawers that holds fabric. Several jars of buttons and sewing notions sit on top. The old library table in the center of the room makes a great work surface since we had a new piece of glass cut for it. The original piece of glass met an untimely demise when it found itself at the wrong end of a shotgun in Andy's childhood home. That's all I have to say about that. 

Moving on....

This little storage cart fits between the chest of drawers and the cabinet perfectly and can be rolled out of the way if I need to reach deep into the corner of the cabinet. Before the move I had border punches on a shallow wall shelf, but I added the top two boxes so now all my punches fit here. Each box has Sharpie drawings on the front to show what kinds of punches are inside. Nothing fancy or elaborate--just practical.

This cabinet is eight feet long, twenty-one inches deep, and thirty-six inches tall. It was headed for the trash when I found it at our old high school. It's had three different homes in the last five years. Do you know how difficult it is to move an eight foot long cabinet?! Of course this is the piece we had to move when the internet went out! It's staying put for a while. Andy raised it about 6 inches so my work surfaces would have different heights and maybe my neck and shoulders wouldn't get so stiff from always looking down at the same angle. Isn't he awesome?! Just wait--you still haven't seen the closet!

An old Coke crate is the perfect size to hold Starbucks bottles. I really need to clean out some of my embellishments. Am I ever going to use thirty spice bottles full of brads and eyelets?!

Inside the cabinet is still a little messy, but the top is ready and waiting! We've worked our way around to the door (on the far right of the photo ^), so we're almost done.

Here, behind the door, is my curtain rod full of ribbon. 

I bought cheap shower curtain rings, added badge clips, 

and clipped the ribbon on by color. I think that's the 

best cheap storage I've come up with so far. 

Here's a close-up:

The shelves to the right of the ribbon hold my stamps, 
and to the right of those shelves are some shallow 
shelves that hold ink pads, re-inkers, and embossing 
powders. The small table below is actually a sewing 
table. Andy added an outlet to this wall, so it's a good 
place for the heat gun.

To the right of the "stamping station" is the closet. When you open the doors, sometimes you can actually hear a choir of angels singing! lol

It's so well lit that in person, it looks like a store display! The switch is wired in like a refrigerator switch. The closet in our bedroom is wired that way, too, and we've always said that if we ever build again we will put those switches in all the closets. (I really think Andy just did that so that I will keep the closet picked up. If I let stuff pile up in the floor, I won't be able to close the doors and the lights would always be on! He knows me so well!)

Last stop on the tour, around the corner from the closet, is what I have dubbed the work table. Andy built this for me several years ago when I was crammed into a 30 by 40 inch alcove in the corner of our bedroom. There's a pull-out under the table top, mounted on drawer guides, kind of like a giant keyboard tray. I can have things laid out on the pull-out but still have room to work on top. Nifty, right?!

The shelves to the left hold envelopes, card samples, and lots of tools and dies. I plan to leave the BigShot out because I use it quite a bit. The Silhouette has a nice home there, too, with the computer just to the right of  the shelves that hold paint, glue, and brushes.

So there it is! Now maybe I can get back to making! I HAVE to get my Christmas cards started!

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time!