Transfer Images Using Freezer Paper

It was purely by accident that I figured out this method of transferring a printed image.  It is simple to do and you don't need any special paper or products!  If you can print it from your computer then you can transfer it to a fabric or wood surface.

Now, this project I am about to show you is not very exciting, but it will give you the idea of how the transfer is done...so here it goes.

I decided to cover my old and dirty mouse pad that looked like this:

I used canvas and cut a piece a bit larger that than the mouse pad. 

Then I cut a piece of "Heat n Bond" the same size as the canvas and, following the instructions, adhered it to the back of my fabric.  When it cooled, I removed the paper backing. 

I then centered the mouse pad onto the back of the canvas and, again, using my iron, adhered the canvas to the top of the mouse pad.  I then wrapped the excess canvas to the back of the pad and used my iron to attach the edges.

I cut a piece of macramae jute and secured it to the edge of the pad using hot glue.

So, now you know how I covered the mouse pad...onto how to do the transfer.

You will need freezer paper, 8 1/2" x 11" paper, spray adhesive, ink jet printer and your imagination.

Cut a piece of freezer paper a bit larger than your standard-sized paper.  Spray your paper with spray adhesive and lay on the "paper side" of your freezer paper leaving the waxy side exposed.

Trim the excess freezer paper using sissors.  You now have a "reusable" sheet of transfer paper for all your projects. 

I found the italian postage image from "The Graphics Fairy" and set my printer to "mirror image".  You will need to print the image on the "waxy" side of your paper.  (be careful not to smudge the image)

Now, wet the surface you are transferring too, however, your only want to "slightly" dampen the surface, not soak it!  I dampened the top of the mouse pad with a sponge.  Place your image on the surface and "burnish" using the back of a spoon until you have rubbed the entire image surface.   Carefully lift the paper off and there you have it...an image transfer!

I kinda rushed through this project because I was excited to share it with you so, as you can see, I didn't quite center my image onto mouse pad.  Also, my pictures are not very good...very dark and they don't show the true colors.  Sorry, but I hope you get the idea!  Oh...and before I forget I mentioned that the paper is "reusable"... once you transfer your image you can simply wipe the "waxy" side with a damp cloth to remove any remaining ink.  You now have a clean surface to print a new image for a new project.

As I mentioned, this method works well on wood as well, so I will be sharing a wood transfer project in the next day or two.  Until then, thank you for stopping for a visit! 

Lesa

It's Hard to say Goodbye

Today, we had to say "goodbye" to our beloved "Allie".  She was not your typical lab...she hated water and she was much smaller in size than normal labs.  But, she was such a good-natured girl.  Always happy and wagging her tail.  Allie brought alot of joy to our family and she will be sadly missed. 

Allie
June 10, 1996 - August 3, 2011

Best Friends!

 We will miss you, Allie!

Would You Buy It Wednesday?

It's time for Would You Buy It Wednesday over at Junker Newbie and I thought I'd share this item with you. 

I bought it a couple of months ago at a garage sale for .50 cents.   I don't really know why I bought it...I don't have a thing for wooden rulers nor do I collect them.  I guess I just thought it was unique and the price was right! 

Anyway, it's been hanging in my husband's shop every since I brought it home and I actually forgot about it until I saw one for sale at Pottery Barn. 

Source:  Pottery Barn

I was checking out their catalogue, online, and found one that they had for $166.00!!!  Now, I'm sure that there are differences between my ruler and the one they have, but really?!!  Of course, it peaked my interest, so I did some further investigating and found that the same ruler I bought for .50 cents, sold on Ebay for $58.00.  It's just a ruler, isn't it? 

Would you have bought it and, if so, what would you do with it?

Thanks for stopping by...
Lesa

Kitchen Island

I'm giving you a bit of a break from my outdoor projects and thought I'd show you what I was up to on the weekend.  My husband was away on an overnight trip, so I had a couple of projects in mind that I wanted to complete.  The first project I completed was on Saturday and, well, it was an outdoor project which I will share with you tomorrow.  My Sunday project was this:

A new island for my kitchen.  I had a small butcher block, but found that there just wasn't enough space to work on.  As well, it only had one shelf for storage, so I decided to build myself a new, larger island!  I found a plan over at "ana-white.com", however, I had to modify it because it was too large for my space.  I had to cut mine down to size, which measures 44".  I basically "winged it" from looking at a picture just because all my measurements didn't jive with hers.  The total cost for the island came to $47.39.  I could have saved a bit more money because I didn't use all the wood that I bought - again, I bought what Ana's plan suggested for the size of island she built - I wasn't thinking that mine was going to be smaller.  Oh well, I will find some use for the leftover wood. 

I stained the entire island with Watco's Danish Oil in dark walnut, but felt it blended too much with my floor.

Sorry, lights were on in both the pics...so was flash. 
Also, top of island is missing as I was waiting for the varnish to dry.

So, I painted the legs and sides with a cream-colored "Sandbar" paint and left the shelves and top stained.  I applied two coats of a satin varnish to only the top, just to help protect it from any spills, etc. 

I love my new island and it has lots of storage for my pottery!

Thank you for stopping by and having a visit.  Have a great day!
Lesa

Outdoor Floorcloth

Are you getting tired of my outdoor projects?  Well, here's another one to add to the list...my outdoor floorcloth.

There's nothing new about the idea, just alot of fun to make and you can design them to any size you want and to go with any decor, inside or outside!  Mine measures approximately 3 1/2 feet x 5 1/2 feet.  I used a vinyl floor covering remnant which I picked up for $21.00.  I would have liked one much bigger, however, the remnants were running anywhere from 80.00 to over 100.00 and I just didn't want to pay that price. 

Back of the vinyl flooring

Front of the vinyl flooring

I trimmed the ends to make them square and then applied a coat of primer to the back of the vinyl.  When dry, I applied that great blue paint as a basecoat.  (I love that color!) 

I didn't want to spend alot of time on this project so I didn't put alot of thought into the design.  I knew I wanted stripes, so I used painter's tape and, well, made different width stripes.  I just "eyeballed" it to make sure they were straight.  Hopefully, they are straight!  I painted on dark brown stripes, white stripes and beige stripes. 

I thought I was done, but it was looking a bit boring so I found a can of orange paint (have no idea where the orange came from!) and added three small orange stripes to give the floorcloth a bit of a "punch".  I think it did the trick.  After everything completely dried, I added an exterior varathane in a satin finish to seal it.  That's it!

Thank you for stopping by and taking a look.  Hope you have a great day!
Lesa

Candleplace

I needed something as a centerpiece for my outdoor coffee table and I knew I wanted something with candles.  Therefore, I came up with this idea for a "candleplace". 

It was very simple to construct and it works well for what I wanted on the table.  The glass helps to shelter the flame and gives it a nice glow, especially in the evening!
 To build the box, I used scrap wood left over from building the outdoor furniture.  

Bottom of box - 13 1/2" x 5" (pine)
Sides - 13 1/2" (cut from 1x4 pine)
Ends - 6 1/2" (cut from 1x4 pine)

Assemble the box using wood glue and wood screws.

Next, I took the inside measurement of the box and cut my glass to fit (on the inside).  I cut the glass to measure 8" high.  I assembled the glass box using hot glue, but I'm sure there are products out there specifically used for glass.  I was only using what I had on hand at the time. 

The box was a little boring, as is, so I decided to make some "chunky" handles for the ends.  Just a note...the handles are decorative only!    Using more scrap 1x4 pine, I made the handles to look like this...

I spray painted the handles with Krylon's Oil Rubbed Bronze and painted the box with my new favorite blue paint.  When dry, I used an old chip brush to apply a dark brown paint over the blue paint.  I lightly sanded all surfaces with 220-grit sandpaper.

I attached the handles with a bit of wood glue and wood screws.  Make sure to pre-drill so the wood does not split.  Insert the glass, add some river rocks and candles and there you have it, a "candleplace".

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit!  Have a great day.

Lesa

Patio Decor...Pretty Up a Fence

A few posts ago, I refinished a cabinet.  I replaced the glass in the doors with chicken wire...well, here is what I did with the leftover glass...

I started with the two pieces of glass and then using 1X4 pine,  I built two frames.  It was a very simple construction with no mitred corners.  I used the table saw to incorporate a 1/4" groove in the back so that the glass would lay flat/flush in the back of the wood frame. 



I stained the frames using Dark Walnut Danish Oil.  When dry, I applied two coats of "Ice Blue" by DecoArt.  The color was just a bit too light, so I repainted them with my new favorite paint color that I had mixed to match my fabric used for the patio furniture pillows. 

Once that coat dried, I lightly sanded each frame with 220-grit sandpaper revealing the lighter shade of Ice Blue.  I also sanded a little heavier around the inside and outside edges to reveal the dark stain.

Once everything was dry, I inserted the glass panels and secured them to the frame.  Using the same "great" blue paint, I painted the diamond in the middle of each glass panel...two coats on the front and two coats on the back.

I secured screw eyes to the top of each frame and then attached gold chain to the screw eyes.  I used gold chain to bring out the gold leading in the window panels.  I secured the window frames to my fence with more screw eyes.  I think the windows help "dress up" this old, weathered privacy fence.  It's a grey and gloomy day, so the colors aren't as vibrant as they should be, but I hope you can get an idea.

Here is a picture of all the the furniture pieces together.  I had alot of fun building everything...thanks to the great plans from Ana White! 

I still have a few more projects to go and will share them with you as I complete them.  Thank you for stopping by and taking a look.  I enjoy your visits and your great comments!  Have a great weekend!!

Lesa