1.13.2013

Phew! Vinegar smells!


Ew. What a mess in our hallway! More scraping news...


We got most of the paint chips off the wall by scraping. Now to get the rest of the glue/paper mess, we used good ol' distilled white vinegar and mixed it with equal parts hot water. The trick is to work in small areas and really get it wet. It comes off super easy that way. I also found that you have to clean your scraper off often or it gets covered with glue and doesn't work very well.


In an hours time, here's what we are left with. Yes, it feels as smooth as it looks!



So a quick before and after: 

                                         Before..                                                       After..


 Still a ways to go but progress nonetheless.

1.12.2013

Paper Wreath

West Elm had a great sale after the holidays...and with free shipping! Can't beat that. I went ahead a purchased this paper wreath for $14.00 and free shipping.


It's quite lovely and sturdy. I love making paper crafts but this is something I wouldn't do myself.




The wreath's home is currently on our basement door. It fits perfectly with the colors in our dining room. I just adore it!





Definitely worth the wait.

1.06.2013

Cozy for Coffee

Introducing the coffee cozy!


My hubs received a coffee thermos from a student for Christmas. It's the ceramic kind and when filled with a hot beverage, the outside also becomes very hot. So he kindly asked for a coffee cozy to keep his hands from burning yet still warm & cozy.

I decided to use what I had in stock for this easy project.

I used:
  • leftover linen fabric from another project (which is actually a linen napkin from West Elm)
  • leftover fusible fleece for the lining
  • white thread
  • a button from my stash
  • embroidery floss from my stash
  • a hair tie from my wrist
I first cut my piece of fabric by using a Starbucks sleeve from one of our previous purchases. I then cut out a piece of fleece for the back side of the fabric using the Starbucks sleeve again as the pattern.

I used an iron to fuse the pieces together. Then I simply stitched around the perimeter. 





Next, I took my hair tie (I wasn't about to go out and purchase elastic for one cozy) and lined it up in the center of one side and did a zig zag stitch to keep it in place. I actually did two rows of zig zags just for security.


Last, I wrapped the cozy around the cup and pulled the elastic where I think it would be so I could mark where my button should go. Then I used the embroidery thread to sew a button.


 And bazinga! An instant cozy!



If I were to make more and give them as gifts, I would make the cozy a bit wider so that I could hem a seam around the entire cozy to avoid fraying. Maybe I'd even double the fabric to make a front and back of the same material with the fleece in the middle. The possibilities are endless. For now, I'm just satisfied that my hubs can drink his coffee in peace.







1.05.2013

Chalkin' it up to a Saturday.

Just a quick weekend upgrade & update.


This was a chalkboard my dad had made for my wedding seating chart. I finally had the time to hang it up which took all of 10 minutes. I added some paper bunting banners for the cute factor. She's a little "bowed" from sitting in a damp basement so she sort of hangs off the wall a little. But I figure I can just add a small block of wood on the back to even her out.


For now, she's holding my upcoming project lists. One being a recipe book for my stash-of-paper- clippings-I-call-a-recipe-book. I completed a simple cozy for the hubs which I'll display tomorrow. Number three will be a long work in progress and will really test my sewing skills. The last project is just another linen pillow for our wonderful collection downstairs. 


I really enjoy writing with chalk - must be the teacher in me.