Canvas Slipcovered Stool

I've finished another project for my multi-purpose room.  I bought this stool from a second-hand store for 12.00 a couple of years ago and decided to finally give it a new, fresh look and I think it will work well in my room.  (It's been living in my crawl space... hence the white fluff on the front.)

I had enough canvas on hand to sew a slipcover for the stool, but I needed some cording.  Remember what I said...I can only use what I have available in the house.  Therefore, I had to make my own cording out of this satiny rope cording.  (I don't know the actual name of this stuff.) 

Anyway, I just ripped strips of canvas and sewed the strips together to make enough for the length of the cording that would outline the top of the stool.

I won't try to explain how to make the slipcover because most of you are much better at sewing than I am...and there are many great tutorials out there if you are unsure.  I usually just "wing it" when it comes to sewing.  I think it turned out not-to-bad and it looks much better than the chocolate brown velour, but I'll let you be the judge!

Here's someone who likes it.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look...have a great day!

Lesa

Burlap Bulletin Board

I've been working on my "multi-purpose" room, which is a small room that houses my exercise equipment which consists of an eliptical machine and a gazelle, as well, my sewing machine.  I decided to fix this room up to make it somewhat presentable, however, I decided that I was not going to purchase anything new for this room and only use what I had around my house, that is, "leftovers" that I had stored in my crawl space.  You know, that "unwanted stuff" that you just haven't thrown out yet!  Its not going to be a room that will make the front cover of any decorating magazine, but it will be functional for my needs.  Once I'm done, I will share pictures of the completed room with you. 
Anyway, I have been working on different projects for this room (one of them was my Old Crate) and my newest project is my bulletin board. 

I already had an existing frame which I painted in a buttermilk color.  I had a piece of foam core which I cut to fit inside the frame.  I then covered it with a piece of batting and then a piece of burlap.  Again, all items I had on hand. 

I made three pockets using burlap and trimmed the edges with muslin.  I attached the burlap and batting to the back of the foam core using a staple gun.  I then inserted the board into the frame and secured it.  Now, to dress it up a bit, I decided to make numbers for each of the pockets. 

I had blocks that were modge podged from a project I never did complete, so I traced numbers onto each of the blocks and cut them out using my scroll saw.  Drilled a 1/8" hole at the top of each number and used natural linen to tie to the front of the burlap pockets.  That's it! 

Another simple project using ONLY what I had available in the house.  Hope you like it.
Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!
Lesa

Old Crate

I've been working on my "multi-purpose" room and needed storage for magazines, etc.  I had this old crate and decided to spruce it up a bit.

 I sanded it to remove the "roughness" and then dry-brushed the surface with a buttermilk-colored paint.  When it was dry, I applied dark walnut danish oil to the surface to darken the exposed wood areas. 

I wanted to add handles so I braided some jute and then drilled two holes on each side of the crate for the handles to be attached.  I also made a liner for the inside of the crate using burlap.  I added a strip of muslin for the trim and a fabric rose for a feminine touch. 

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!
Lesa

Bird Print on Burlap

Hi all!
Another project to share with you.  I love the look of burlap and I love the look of printed fabric, therefore, I thought I would try printing on burlap using my computer printer.  I know, this isn't new...many of you have already tried this technique, but I had to give it a go.

I cut a piece of freezer paper the same size as a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 in. paper and ironed it to a piece of fabric.  I trimmed the burlap to the freezer paper, so it would go through my printer.  I found the image I wanted to use (which turned out to be a bird silhouette) and printed it onto my burlap.  (remove the freezer paper)  I then cut two mats to enhance the silhouette and made the frame out of mdf board.  I painted the frame with dark walnut, rubbed it with candle wax and then added a french grey blue top coat.  When dry, I used 220 grit sandpaper to remove some of the paint.  I then assembled the glass, mats and print inside the frame.  Another easy project.  I plan to hang it in my laundry room.
Just a note...is anybody else having troubles uploading pictures to blogger?  I would have added step by step photos, but I keep getting error messages and can't seem to upload photos - very frustrating and very time consuming uploading just one photo!  If you have any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for stopping by...and a BIG THANKYOU to my 11 Followers!!!

Lesa

Bird Silhouette Plaque

I was inspired by Kim of Too Much Time on My Hands when I came across here "Little Birdies" plaque.  I loved it so much that I thought I would create my own version and this is what I came up with...

I simply found a scrap piece of wood and basecoated it with a chocolate brown color.  When it dried, I rubbed it with candle wax and then applied a light buttermilk paint color.  Again, when it dried I then sanded it to removed some of the paint to let the basecoat show through.  I drew my bird silhouette and then scanned it into my computer, enlarged it to the desired size and then printed it.  Using transfer paper, I traced the pattern onto the wood and then used black to fill in the birds and the branches.  Again, I sanded it to remove a bit more paint and then applied dark walnut Danish Oil to give it an aged look.  That was it.  Very simple. 

I haven't decided where I'll hang it...just can't decide if I like it on a neutral wall or my cinnamon-colored wall. 

Thanks for stopping by...have a great day!

Lesa

Bargain Chairs are Slipcovered

I finally found fabric to sew slipcovers for my bargain chairs.  However, I'm still undecided if I should add a ruffle to the bottom of the slipcover or just leave them with the cream cording on the edge. 

I guess I'll make my final decision once I finish the legs on the chairs.  They are in rough shape so I have to sand them.  Then I'll probably stain them a dark walnut colour. 

After the chairs are done,  I need to finish my table - again, I will sand the entire table and stain it a dark walnut to match the chair legs. (I think.)  Next, I have to finish the existing chairs - one step at a time, though.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!
Lesa

I've Been Given My First Award!

I would like to thank Suz at Inspiring Creativeness for honoring me with the "Versatile Blogger Award".  It's a bit intimidating being the "new kid on the blog", so to be recognized with an award is very exciting.  So, again, thankyou Suz!

Now, its my turn to pass this award on to 7 other blogs, but before doing so, the rules state that I must answer 10 questions.  Here is goes:

1.  Why did you create your blog?
I thought it would be fun to be able to share crafts and decorating projects with others who share the same interests. 

2.  What kind of blogs do you follow?
Decorating and crafting blogs.  Anything that inspires creativity and DIY projects.

3.  Favorite brand of make-up.
L'oreal

4.  Favorite brand of clothing.
I have no particular favorite.  Basically, anything that fits well, looks good and doesn't need to be drycleaned!  However, I must say that I have a couple of "dressy" outfits by Joseph Ribkoff - absolutely love!

5.  Indispensible make-up product.
Cover-up

6.  Favorite color.
I love neutrals, browns, beiges and creams.  (My daughter says I'm beige and boring!)

7.  Favorite perfume.
Again, I have no particular favorite, but Vera Wang and Chanel are a couple I like - just to give you an idea.

8.  Favorite movie.
Tough question to answer...I love comedy-romance movies.  Now, if you asked me what my favorite tv mini series is,  my answer is "|Thorn Birds".

9.  What country would you like to visit and why?
Honestly, I would like to explore more of my own country, Canada.  All the vacations we plan are out of country and it would be nice to see more of Canada.  I'm in the West, so it would be wonderful to travel to the East coast and Maritimes.
(For a more "exotic" answer, Italy and/or Germany as my Mom is of Italian decent and my Dad of German decent.)

10. Would you rather forget to put on mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?
I would rather forget blush, as my cheeks are usually pretty "rosy" without using any blush.

Okay, now its time to pass this award on to the following talented women and their inspiring blogs. 

1.  Cecily at Lavender and Pumpkins
2.  Dana at House Tweaking
3.  Stacy at The Project Shoppe
4.  Lori at Our Forever House
5.  Charlie at Attempting Aloha
6.  Meghan at Simply Stoked
7. Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl

Here are the rules:
1.  Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2.  Answer the 10 questions above.
3.  Pass the award along to 7 blogs you recently discovered and enjoy.
4.  Leave your recipients a note telling them about the award.

Thank you for stopping by,
Lesa