Custom Art for the Master Bedroom

One of the things I knew I had to incorporate into my bedroom renovation was custom artwork. Since Prince Charming is a photographer, I picked out two prints that matched my pink and green scheme.

Now, I just needed to get some custom framing, cheap.

I found these two at Goodwill for $5 each. I loved the detail on the frame, and they were in great condition.

First, I took the paper off the back and lifted all the little tabs holding the original artwork in place.

Once everything was out, I spray painted the frames silver.

Now it was time to reassemble my art!

I had mats cut at Hobby Lobby to fit my prints and my frames.

Then, to reassemble:

Put the frame face down on a clean surface.

Put the cleaned glass in, making sure not to get fingerprints all over it.

Then put your mat in.

Now, put your picture in, securing it if needed with acid free tape.

Now for the fun part. Putting all those tabby things back down. I recommend a flat head screwdriver as the tool of choice. Be gentle, the metal is thin and it will break on you! ( not that I know from experience or anything)

To finish the back, I took kraft paper and cut it slightly larger than my frame. I put tape all around the outside edge of the back, then stuck the paper on. Spray lightly with water. As the paper dries, it will draw up and create a tight back.

Hang your finished art!

I love how it looks in my room. Original designer art at the fraction of the cost!

Progress on the Stairs

If you remember, back in Feburary I  pulled up all the carpet on the stairs in my house. I'm finally getting around to finishing that project, starting with painting all the railings.

Before, they were stained and painted, and drove me nuts! I'm big on things matching, and this stain didn't go with ANY of the other wood tones in the house- furniture or hardwood floors!

I washed everything down to begin, then used my sanding sealer to rough the surface and prepare it for paint. 

After it dried, two coats of Zinnzer primer

Then two coats of  Semi gloss white paint (the color straight from the can)


A HUGE improvement!

Now, on to the rest of the stairs and the stairwell walls!

Sewing Project- Lap protector

When I was a baby, I wore cloth diapers. My mom often tells the story of how she kept cuts of rubber sheeting for people to put on their laps so my wet diaper wouldn't stain their outfits. And how my Aunt didn't pay any attention, so I got a big ol' stain on her pink linen pants.


Now many people I know are having babies and choosing to use cloth diapers. Sometimes you just need something waterproof to put between the baby and whatever they happen to be laying on.  To protect your pretty outfit from all those baby fluids. And why shouldn't it be pretty too?

You will need:
Rubber Sheeting cut to 13x18
Fabric cut to 13x18
Double Fold Bias Tape- 1 package
Thread to match
no-sew hem tape.

I used hem tape to attach my fabric to the rubber sheeting- I didn't want this stuff to move around! 

Then, I used a zig-zag stitch to sew around all four edges of the sheeting+ fabric.

Then, I attached the bias tape to finish the edge. I found a great tutorial  here on MADE  for how to attach bias tape.  I used the cheater way, but you are welcome to do it however you want.

Ta-da! A pretty lap protector! Very inexpensive, a great baby shower gift as well.

Obviously, please use caution and supervise your infant. Never leave your baby unattended!

Linking up to:

Bedroom Makeover: Floors

 

The carpet in my bedroom is in rough shape. Has been since I moved in. And I keep meaning to do something about it.

So while we were doing the makeover,  I decided to rip out the carpet and paint my subfloors.

I can’t afford to put in hardwood flooring like I so dearly want yet, but this is a good temporary solution.

First step was to remove the carpet. I cut it into sections with a utility knife so I could get it downstairs by myself.

Then, pull up all the tack strip, pad, and staples.

Once you have a smooth floor, you can fill in any imperfections with wood filler and sand. Or not.  I chose not.

Sweep, Vacuum, and Wash the floor really well to get a good clean surface to paint on.

 

Following the method I used for the walls, I cut in around the edges with my favorite Zinsser 123 primer, which seals the bare wood.

I then rolled on a thin and even coat. Let it dry!

Next were two coats of chocolate brown flat paint. The color is Sherwin Williams Turkish Coffee, mixed into Valspar flat paint.

Then came three coats of water-based polyurethane. Follow the directions on the can! DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN, or you will have air bubbles everywhere, ruining your pretty floors.

I used a synthetic pad applicator, overlapping the wet edge to ensure a smooth finish. Let dry for two hours, or until not tacky. Then sand with the grain using 220 grit sandpaper. Get all the dust up and make sure the floor is clean before you put on the second coat. Repeat for a total of three coats. 

The hardest part is letting the final coat dry for 72 hours before putting furniture back in!

Scraping the crud off the ceilings

 

Our first project in the bedroom makeover was to take all the lovely 1980’s popcorn off the ceiling. As a designer, popcorn is one of my pet peeves. I hate it.

Luckily, Mom has a lot of experience getting this stuff off the ceiling.

You  need:

A Spray bottle filled with really hot water

and a scraper of some sort. I prefer the 8” taping knife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The texture is going to get everywhere, so protect the furniture and floor with drop cloths.

Spray a portion liberally with hot water, then scrape the texture off.

I found long smooth strokes work best, with the knife at an angle. If you have a stubborn spot, spray with more hot water, and let it sit for a minute before scraping at it again.

It’s not easy work, but it is easier than putting up new drywall.   A lot of times the texture is never painted, so it comes right off.

Once all the texture is off, you will need to fill any cracks or imperfections with a coat of drywall joint compound, let dry, then sand smooth.

I had a few places the texture had been patched I couldn’t get out, so I just put compound over them to feather it out.

Once sanded and pretty, you’re ready to paint!

I have the best boyfriend ever

 

I really do have the best boyfriend ever.  I’ve lived in my house four years now. And for four years, I’ve only been able to use one side of my double kitchen sink. The other side  had this weird pipe configuration that liked to leak if any water ran through it, not to mention draining slower than molasses in winter.

Yeah, isn’t that weird? I really really don’t recommend flex drains AT ALL!  Seriously, if you have to force something to fit, it shouldn’t be that way!

So this weekend, Prince Charming, also known as best boyfriend ever, fixed it for me.  And it took him all of like thirty minutes.  It took me longer to plant my daffodils.  (Yeah, I’m a procrastinator like that)

Isn’t it pretty?

Well, maybe not pretty in a traditional sense. But useful! And just in time too, since Sissy is coming this weekend to break in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  She seems to think using it once a year for royal icing is not good enough.

So now I have plenty of room to wash measuring cups and bowls.

What have you been procrastinating?

A crafty misadventure

 

I  wanted to make placemats inspired by these I saw on One King’s Lane:

I loved the placemats, but not the $79 price tag. And since I thought you would too, I set out to make a tutorial.

However,  what resulted was this:

Something I’m not even happy enough with to finish.  Wrong shape, too small, too thick. Not to mention I’m having problems with straight lines.

Back to the drawing board- I’m determined to come up with something!

Desk Blotter

In my guestroom/ office, I have my grandparent's beautiful mahogany bedroom set. Part of that set is a great vanity that I use as my desk. But I would hate to ruin the finish with  the heat from my laptop. So for months, I've had two pieces of cork as a "blotter" and coaster.

I decided I needed to upgrade the look a little bit, and hopefully make it match the black/ white/ silver/ red scheme of the rest of the room. (It's a work in progress)

I have a 17" laptop, so I needed a pretty honkin big piece of whatever. And since I was snowed in the day I did this, I was forced to see what I had around the house.  And look what measures 13x20, the Wii Fit box.

So I cut one side off.

I used a thin cotton fabric to cover this, so I lined things with a bit of white muslin I had from an old project.

I secured everything using hot glue.

First the muslin

Then the pretty fabric

Then two cork squares.

And here's how she looks installed!

I love how the black and white print coordinates with my made-over chair,but isn't too matchy matchy.
To finish this room, boy she needs a lot of work. New coverlet, drapery, paint, fix up the en-suite bathroom, new flooring. I've got a lot on my to-do list.  But first, I need to finish my bedroom!

Tissue paper wreath

When I was making my burlap wreath, I decided to try to do my own take on the coffee filter wreath that's so popular all over blogaritaville. Like Nester's or Middle Mama's .

But I LOVE coffee and was not about to sacrifice coffee filters to the cause. However, I did have a jumbo pack of white tissue paper I'd picked up for Christmas half off.

I used the outer hoop from my 12" embroidery hoop- the other half from the burlap wreath.
I cut several (like 10???) sheets of  tissue paper into 2" strips. Don't measure. You don't have to be precise. We are not preforming brain surgery here people.

So you will have a pile like this:

Using the same technique from my burlap wreath,  I pinched and glued lots of little strips until my wreath was nice and full.

Then, I flipped it over and used more glue to secure the strips over the hoop frame

I fluffed and trimmed the tissue paper to be full and pretty.


And then I hung her over my mantle with a pink ribbon.

But looking at the inspiration posts again, I may have to try Nester's coffee filter tree.