Project File: Easy, Beachy Grommeted Drapes

I had mentioned this dining room project about a week ago...and I had completed two of the three window panels at that time. I was patiently waiting for an order of fabric to come in so I could share this quick fix project with you! Here's how they came out...

and here's my original inspiration for the panels- I picked up the June 2011 issue of House Beautiful and fell in love with this simple, classic, uncluttered house in one of it's features.  While I wouldn't want my whole house to be this streamlined- I loved the idea of these easy, laid-back window treatments.  The home owners said they put them up as temporary window treatments when they first moved into their home- and they just sort of stayed- and I love it! I knew they would work for our transitional dining space (a MAJOR work in progress:)

Check out the spread...

House Beautiful, June 2011, pg. 89. Interior by Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, Photographs by Francesco Lagnese

Oh- and now that I'm looking at it- I'm realizing I was also inspired by the grain sack chair covers in the shot above (for the design I made on the panels)- I really like classic linen with the clean stripes...

they also look pretty fabulous in the image below in pinstripe fabric against the gorgeous grass cloth wallpaper in the home office...

House Beautiful, June 2011, pg 90. Interior by Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, Photographs by Francesco Lagnese

So- here's what I did.  I had a couple yards of this fabric- by Premier Prints laying around (I had bought it at least a year ago and never got around to using it- I unfortunately have A LOT of fabric like that...) but it wasn't enough for all three panels- hence the secondary order.

I hemmed all four sides of each panel after measuring to the desired size.

Here are the grommeting tools- I had purchased a similar kit back in my teaching days- and it was thankfully as simple as I had remembered:)

find it here

This is the device that is included in the kit- purpose: to cut the circular hole in the fabric for the grommet to fit through- not sure if the linen was too thick- but it did not work...

so I resorted to scissors (not the safest bet- but it worked fine- if you opt for this method- go SLOW and CAREFUL)

then- I placed the main part of the grommet through the backside of the hole...

then put the ring on the front side- and laid it down on the metal circular guide

then placed the metal pounder-thingy through the hole and hammered away (I used a regular hammer- which worked just fine- the package recommends a ball pein hammer, $30, and not necessary)

and there you have it!

 After ironing each panel- I laid them down- and applied masking tape in various lines across the fabric,  both width and length-wise.

I used my stencil brush for this- the stiffer bristles helped control paint leakage under the tape lines.

Then I applied the paint (acrylic, mixture of white and cream)

I totally eye-balled the lines- I didn't want the panels to be totally matchy-matchy or symmetrical- and I am an instant-gratification-ADD type of gal who is not patient in projects like this....oh- and I attached brass hook eyes on the window frame to hang them from.  I like the privacy that it provides in the room now, and that there is still plenty of light coming through the top panes that are exposed.

and to take them down- you simply unhook one side- I love the laid-back feel.

Now to design the rest of the room...D and I are headed on a Brimfield antiquing-date next weekend!!!!! WHOO WHOO!!!

#1 item I'll be searching for is a refurbishable banquet/bench to go along one side of the table- wish us luck!

Project File: Refurbished Kids Table and Chairs

Here' s the latest project that I finished today.

We recently received this fabulous handmade kids table and chair set from some friends with an older child.  The bones and lines were good- but it had seen better days for sure...

I did my best with sandpaper (although an electric sander would have been better- but, I'm impatient- and it's a kids table...not to say they don't deserve a perfectly sanded table, but I know it's going to get grubby again soon!)

Then I primed it with an oil based primer.

Then I applied 3 coats of interior semi-gloss in a creamy white color (same color as our kitchen cabinets.)

After much deliberation- I decided to make an owl stencil and do some decorative painting on the backs of the chairs.  I measured and taped a 1" boarder around the back panel, and centered the owl design.

Then, I took some remnants from the oil cloth bench project and cut rectangles of foam to fit the chair seats, and wrapped a piece of the oil cloth over the top and around the sides-then stapled the ends on the underside of the chair.  So now my little angels have some cushy- wipe-able seats:)

While the owls were drying I took a quick snack break and was flipping through the recent West Elm catalog that came yesterday.  I was inspired immediately by the zebra print rug- and applied the idea to the owls:)

Before                                                    After

I have been on a serious hunt for new fabric to make these fabric amazing roller shades for the kitchen windows.  The color scheme in the kitchen is a tough one (due to the pink ceramic tile floor, pink laminate counter tops, and pink backsplash).  We went with off white cabinets (which are also in rough shape and need to be replaced, and chocolate brown walls).  The old curtains are made out of this Premiere Print fabric-

which is a little too similar to the oil cloth bench fabric-

and the kitchen has thus become a little too monochromatic for my taste.  So- after weeks of searching fabric sites- I stumbled upon this, here a fabulous little Etsy fabric shop with TONS of fabric choices.

(Mod Charm by Anthology)

and ordered it.  I'll keep you posted on the roller shade progress (I'm going to use fusible lining to give this quilting cotton fabric some heft). 

What do you think of the fabric???

I liked it because it has a retro feel to the design, it has lots of colors (pink included)- but more importantly yellow and turquoise which are all over the rest of the house.  I think it's a really fun fabric too! 

We will eventually do a total kitchen/dining room renovation- but this is perfect for the meantime!

What The Cha Cha?! and a Pair of Pillows

So- you know the saying March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb....
last time I checked the calendar it was March 23rd- the END of March- and the weather people are calling for 4-7 inches of SNOW tonight into tomorrow!?  What the heck! What in the world?! (I'm trying to correct my bad speech habits because Zella recently said "what the heck" out of frustration....bad Mommy)- anyway- I DO love snow- but not in March- it's very un-lamb-like:)
On the subject of Zella's speech- her latest speech phase is adding "Cha Cha" into otherwise normal phrases...examples from the past 24 hours:
"Daddy, that's not Cha Cha music!"...said during our after dinner dance party last night.
"Watch this great Cha Cha dance move Mommy"...said same time as above.
"This is the best Cha Cha soup I've ever had"... in regards to the lentil soup I made last night.
"Let's go under the nice Cha Cha blanket"...while getting into our nightly "igloo" before bed.
I'm not quit sure if Cha Cha means "awesome", or maybe "delicious", or maybe "warm and fluffy"???? Whatever it means- it's something good and is always said with enthusiasm- you should give it a try!  I'm thinking I may start substituting it in my common frustration induced phrase...What the Cha Cha?:)

Onto the project of the day- I finally got around to making the pillow covers for the big inserts I mentioned here., for my newish living room design.
I have been slacking big time in the project department- between last weeks stressful event and working the past 4 days- today was a much welcomed rest...and it gave me a little time to sew:)

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a seamstress.  I sew because I'm cheap, and out of necessity.  I sew things like curtains, pillow covers, chair covers, quilts- etc.  My sewing attention span is very short- hence the simple projects with fairly straight seams. I consider myself an abstract sewer- I do not have the patience to follow a pattern- hence me not attempting any clothing:)
So- I came across this amazing tutorial on the design blog Casa Brasi- on sewing zippers into pillow covers- and I knew at once I had to give it whirl...and I'm SO glad I did!!!!
Advantages to zippered pillow covers:

1. less fabric is used
2. looks more professional
3. less bulky

that's enough reasons for me!  and it didn't take that much longer (it will be even faster the more I do!)

Here's the fabric I used- I LOVE it. 

I found it at this Etsy shop, and here's how the pillows came out- I'm still playing with the arrangement of all of my toss pillows between the 2 couches.  I ended up putting a linen back on the pillows to reserve the remaining velvet for more pillows (possibly for the smaller couch)?

It needs to be ironed- but you get the idea;) Not too shabby right?

Thank you Amanda from Casa Brasi for the fabulous tutorial!

Project File: Oil Cloth Bench

So- if you remember my previous post- about this old bench....you might be impressed by the results (I know I certainly am!)

AFTER...

and BEFORE....

Here are the tools I employed.

The first step was to remove all of the old fabric- it was really gross.  This was the most tedious part- there were MANY staples that needed to be pulled out!!!

The legs are a whole other story- and they probably took up the most time in the entire project.  Basically- they were poorly assembled/attached in the first place- so over the years we  D, has reattached them more securely- so after all of the re-upholstering was done, there was more than one HD trip spent getting supplies for the final leg repair:)

I decided to leave the old batting on- which wasn't in too bad of shape- and add an extra layer.  I ended up getting a twin size egg crate ($8) and cutting it to fit width wise over the 3 sides (I left the ends alone).

I used this to hold it in place while I stapled it around the bench.

Once that was done I headed downstairs to the sewing room to begin the cover!

I cut 5 panels of the oilcloth, leaving 1" seam allowance. Then I pinned them into place.

I'll admit- I was a little nervous about the sewing (having never used the oil cloth before)- but it was super-easy!  The hardest part was probably handling the inflexibility of the fabric- especially since I was sewing such a large item- but other than that- it was great!

I found some tips on the process here.

Oh- and I had this lovely little helper boy in tow during the process.  He's my professional pin-sticker.  Dangerous???? perhaps- but I look at it as a dexterity building exercise, great for fine motor coordination:) He was happy as can be!

After sewing  together the 3 side panels, I pinned the edges on while the sewn panels were inside out on the bench, slid off the pined cover- and finished stitching.

It fits pretty good!

Then we reattached all the legs- and put it in it's resting place at the kitchen table.

It reminds me of vinyl furniture covers that would be in a grandparents house...but classier;)

Perfect for a house with little ones, I can literally just wipe it right off!

The oil cloth came from here, fabulous service by the way;) and a great selection of oil cloth!

This weeks Project List :

#1: pillow covers (1 for a little bolster for Mosie's bed, and 2 for the living room pillows here- wait till you see the fabric I got for these- it's awesome!!!)

#2: paint the kids dining set and cover the table top with the matching oil cloth I used on the bench.