27
Feb

It’s Not Your Fault, Pink – Recovering a Dutailier Glider

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, DIY, Sew Ridiculous|9 Comments

Self-identifying as a “non-girly girl” girl, I’ve never been a big fan of pink.

But with a daughter I’ve learned to tolerate it. Damn near say embrace it. Because with a baby as adorable as mine, not that I’m biased, and friends and family who are ever so generous with gifts and hand-me-downs, it’s inevitable, and it really isn’t pink’s fault anyway.

It’s not the color, it’s what the color represents. Sweet, innocent, girly. I always thought of it as a color of weakness, not a color of power. Which is ridiculous.

So it’s kinda crazy that I did this.

bam-in-your-face

That chair was dying for a switch. It used to be a really lovely shade of forest green. Uhh huh.

So after getting my sparkly new sewing machine for Christmas, and breaking it in with some cloth wipes, I knew it was time.

I could make this post REALLY simple, and just say that I mostly used this tutorial, with some tweaks because my chair is slightly different.

But instead lets recap, and I try to pick up what the other tutorial left out.

So firstly, for all pieces of the chair, I simply laid my cushion out and cut 1″ on all sides, and 1.5″ on the bottom.

the-beginning-back

I sewed the cut pieces inside out on three sides — not sewing closed the bottom, only hemming. Then flipped them out right side, and added snaps to the bottom to secure the cushion inside it’s new home.

As for the footstool, I laid out the cushion and cut only one piece, leaving 2″ on each side.

cut-all-around

Next, I cut triangles on all corners so that it would fold over nicely.

cut-your-corners

Then, to sew them together, I simply aligned the edges on top of one another and sewed straight.

fold-together

And, when flipped back right side, gives you this nice little pointy corner.

lovely-corners

Once all four corners were done it fit quite nicely!

oo-it-fits

Then I cut two more pieces of fabric and hemmed them on one side. These covered the bottom, like an envelope pillow.

like-a-pillow

Sew all edges together…

inside-out-sewn-together

Flip it inside out, add velcro (which is how mine attached to the wooden foot stool), and bam, done.

and-done

Of course, the chair usually looks like this:

usually-looks-like-this

And more often, like this:

lil-bear-approves

I’m glad someone around here appreciates all my hard work.

Linking up today to the Pinterest Challenge with Michelle [Decor and the Dog], Sherry [Young House Love], Katie [Bower Power], and Megan [The Remodeled Life]!

05
Feb

Gracefully Turning Into “That Mom” aka, How to Make Cloth Wipes

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, DIY

Let me start off by saying I very happily cloth diaper. It’s not for everyone but it works well in our family. It’s a mix of Earth and wallet friendly that sits well with us, but I also know it has its limits, and thus far we’ve had no problem occasionally reaching for a disposable diaper and disposable wipes. I am all about convenience.

At first I thought disposable wipes were much more convenient but as time wore on I found it more and more annoying when I had to extract poop-covered disposable wipes from my cloth diapers, either at home or while on the go. Not that I’m particularly grossed out by my lovely lady’s poop – for all the child-free people out there – you love everything about your child. Everything. At least a disposable diaper folds nicely over itself – wipes, not so much. I admit, thought, I always thought the women using cloth wipes were crazy, completely over the top, but the more I went fishing for poop-wipes, the more attractive cloth wipes became.

So after getting a shiny new sewing machine for Christmas (the motor in my old Singer broke not long before Norah was born) I took off my judging hat and decided to make and start using cloth wipes. I figured if I hated them I’d just end up with a whole bunch of pocket-sized burp cloths.

Before I got started I watched this video, which was wildly helpful. I was also really sad to find out to serge you need a serger. Whompwhomp.

First, I started to cut out rectangles from cheap-ish flannel receiving blankets.

trim-em-up

You can always enlist a little help while you do this.

get-a-little-help

The next day I broke out my sewing machine for the first time, and I was ecstatic to have threaded it correctly on the first try. I also cried tears of joy when I threaded the needle in two seconds using their handy needle threader. I love technology.

break-out-the-workhorse

It’s best to do these steps with an audience.

don't-forget-the-onlookers

Later that night, I got to actual sewing. First, I laid out two pieces of flannel, inside out.

lay-it-out

Then sewed around the edges, leaving about an inch and a half unsewed.

sew-most-of-it

Trim around the edges, so you get nice square corners.

trim-the-corners

Don’t forget to have a snack. (Disclaimer, I did not eat all of these! #savingmydiginity #thatsalotofcalories)

have-a-snack

Then flip right-side out.

flip-it-good

And sew!

sew-the-outside

Then get a little giddy while admiring your stack of cloth wipes!

and-you-dont-stop

And for those of you wondering, I store about 8-10 of them at a time in a leftover wipes container, filled with about a cup of water, a dash of Dr. Bronners and a few drops of essential oils, then happily throw them into the wetbags and wash with the rest of the cloth diapers.

20
Dec

New Stuff Gray Stuff

By Elisa|DIY, Hizouse|7 Comments

First, I’m updating the kitchen in our House Tour page, FINALLY. You know this time last year I painted the cabinets in a fit of crazy?

And these photos? Taken January 20, 2012.

morning-light-kitchen

morning-light-kitchen-floor

And for fun, you wanna see the listing photo? Of COURSE you do.

seamill-den-listing

The kitchen was so innocent and unknowing then.

Anywho, since the last photos above, we’ve I’ve painted the toe kicks, added hardware, switched around accessories, and finally, finally, added glass-fronted doors.

kitchen2-dec-2012

kitchen-new-doors

kitchen-dec-2012

And since I’m on a roll, let me spin on my heel and show you what’s been going down on the other side of the house.

paintpaint

Painting in the dark – the #newmom life. After my little squish went to bed, I started the job that is painting the ENTIRE downstairs. It’s gray, and it’s glorious!

gray-stuff

moar-gray-stuff

Guilty, I’m only about half done – it’s a doozy of a job, but here’s to hoping I get another wind in the next few weeks. Because so far I am loving it — and it doesn’t hurt that I’m finally covering the old, grimy, flat-builder paint that made it look like our house was the home to 10+ children.

And now our tree as a pretty gray backdrop.

treee

Yay.

Gray.

05
Sep

I Joined A Cult!

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, DIY|10 Comments

Yep. Because, for the first time in my life, I bought this:

mod-podge

And used it in all it’s glue-glory to make this simple simple oh so simple tissue paper art for the nursery:

mod-podge-in-action

It didn’t take long to dry and I snuck it upstairs and hung it back in its place.

curtains-and-art-nighttime

Love. And so easy. Sara from Mr.Handsomeface goes into more detail, but pretty simply: cut out tissue squares, artfully arrange on canvas. Remove tissue paper, layer a light dressing of Mod Podge, then gently press tissue paper back onto canvas. Smooth out with another layer of glue Mod Podge. Rejoice.

Then, of course, notice the rest of your gallery wall needs color.

arrt-nighttime

I’m thinking of giving the ol’ switcharoo to the top left frame and the one on the bottom – they’re honeymoon/wedding photos and would make more sense in our room anyway! And for those, I’m sure it will now involve Mod Podge.

I’m a convert.

18
Jul

More Awesome Stuff From A Few Months Ago

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, DIY|1 Comment

Pretty straightforward title, right?! I had perused through the last last Pinterest Challenge that took part in the spring and had bookmarked/pinned some of my favorites. Enjoy the awesomeness..

Capiz Chandelier
I know, there are a ton of these out there, but for some reason I just really liked this tutorial – it looks niice and fluffy without too much fuss. I can’t help but think, can I pull a modified version of this off for our stairwell lights?

 
Dyed Pillow Case
She calls it a semi-fail, I call it a win. Love the look and super easy. Plus, I’ve never dyed anything. At least, not since girl scouts.

 
Dog Teepee!
Teepee’s seemed to be pretty big in the most recent challenge, but this one was the first of its kind months ago. Plus, everyone is making them for their kid. Homegirl made it for her dog, which is why I instantly love her.

 
Yellow Wreath
Okay, so I didn’t quite make this one for spring. Or Summer. But I intended to. Wreaths always look like they take for.ever. and this one seems pretty easy. Plus. Mmm. Symmetry.

12
Jul

So Many Awesome Things

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, DIY|7 Comments

Welp, the one thing I love about participating in YHL’s Pinterest Challenge (other than all the fancy ideas) is that I always feel like I come out of it with a few new blogger connections. Because there are a crazy amount of talented people out there. With over 550 people (!!) who linked up to the challenge I couldn’t see ‘em all, but I did look at a ton of projects and found a handful that were seriously awesome. And by seriously awesome = the bloggers seemed cool, AND they did I project I might actually attempt one day.

Homemade Bread
I love carbs. Bread and fruit fo’ life.
Brandi made bread, in a bowl. No bread maker in site and no fancy ingredients. Imagine me rubbing my hands together like an evil genius weirdo.


 

Lace Bowls
How awesome are these! I’m always on the lookout for places to ditch my jewelry, and in fact, most of my crap, and knowing that you can paint these any color or any type of glossy or matte finish totally sold me.


 

Trix Treats
Because I’m pregnant, people. These things look fucking amazing and hands down I’ll be making them within the week. //homer drool


 

Map-Lined Drawers
I’m in the midst of painting our nursery dresser and noodling drawer inserts. Imagine me clapping with glee when I saw this cute tutorial. Maybe.. my kid will actually appreciate something like this when they’re older? Now.. where to get a ton of cheap maps?


 

Yarn Pom-Pom Balls
These are adorable, and dare a say rival the awesomeness that is billy balls. In fact, I already told my sister I’m making these for her wedding whether she liked it or not. And perhaps a few for the nursery? Oh my yes…

Pstt – Hey, I found a draft like this post from the LAST Pinterest Challenge. For the love of pinning, look out for it next week..

10
Jul

The Best Laid Nursery Plans and DIY Fabric

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, Baby, DIY|21 Comments

Yes! 28 weeks after the fact, the nursery progress has begun.

That’s progress, right?

If you had told me it would have taken two more months after my folk’s visit (in which we needed our guest room) to actually start the nursery, I would have laughed in your face. I was going to rush back up those stairs the second my teary-eyed waving commenced!

The plans were there. They’ve been there all along.

CMYK, baby.

I considered doing all this lovely DIY art for our newly art-worthy ledge wall in the office this week, but since I’ve been on a nursery roll lately (there are a few pieces of furniture waiting patiently to fill the room!) I’m shoving all my chips in.

Homegirl is going to design her own fabric.

I scoured fabric.com and a few others places for the perfect curtains to adorn our sweet baby human’s nursery. I hemmed, I hawed, I got cross-eyed, then slightly headache-y. So many options, but not quite one that I was totally into. I first pinned a bunch of yellow-striped curtain images and thought I could paint my own curtains. And an extra bonus that I could match it to the yellow in the closet.

But then I stumbled upon another nursery reveal and I knew the time for a prettier curtain was nigh. Instant love for the more flow-y mismatched pattern in a white room, especially since it seemed a bit softer on the eyes — otherwise the curtains would be all BAM! HELLO! as you walk down he hallway upstairs.

So when I found out you can design your own fabric on Spoonflower for the same price as buying someone ELSES fabric on Spoonflower…

Since I’m not art teacher, I’ll explain what I did simply.

First — Inspiration. It’s key, dude. Even the greatest of greats don’t pull stuff out of thin air. I looked at an ass-load of pictures and saved a bunch to my computer — that way I got a general feeling for how I wanted the fabric to look, and if I was feeling stuck I could eyeball a design and work to create my own version of it, which usually led me to create something similar but different.

Second – Drawing designs by hand, a bit willy-nilly. I knew it would be easier to draw the main designs on paper, ink and scan them, then color and move around and repeat in Illustrator.

drawing

Third – Inking, scanning, Adobe. Hah. I brought my designs into Adobe Illustrator, Live Trace’d em, then started coloring, tweaking, copying, reflecting until just so. I even made a new element to the pattern because I was on a roll – this was definitely the fun part because you can see your design coming together so quickly.

Fourth – upload to the almighty Spoonflower. I used their specs from the FAQ page, and the beauty of Spoonflower is you can upload a perfectly symmetrical design and have them flip it, mirror it, or brick it so your fabric looks like actual fabric, not just a piece of paper that you drew on. Awesome.

Spoonflower Screenshot

Then I did a little dance, showed Husband, took a deep breath, and ordered. I couldn’t get the full shot but I threw down for 5 yards – 42″ x 180″.

Since turn-around time is 10 or so days I won’t have this loveliness in my hands for about two weeks, but I am totally okay with that. Still a handful to do before the hanging curtain stage. So now I will happily spew pictures of the nursery (it’s far enough along I feel I can stop calling the old guestroom) all over your computer screen. ‘Welcome.

Look! The Crib!

the-mother-fn-crib

Hahah. It’s still in a box (sad face) because the walls will be painted white, and despite my insane excitement I just can’t quite justify putting the crib together and THEN painting. Soon. Soon.

As for other little things, I have what I fondly refer to as my stash. Small but equally as awesome. And bonus, a stash of cloth diapers are hidden away in the trunk.

the-stash

And here. is. the. money shot.

hallelujah

It’s like freakin’ Christmas Vacation in this house. Yooou know. The Hallelujah scene.

Not to deter from the holiness that is the dandelion, the ladder isn’t there to stay, and the CD rack soon-to-be-something-else rack will be in the closet. Wanna see what’s gonna go there instead?

dresser-before

Glorious, right?

Gloriously gold. Hah. Don’t worry, home boy is getting sanded, primed, and painted. White, probably. White cleean white.

So that’s how far I’ve come. No more or no less. Still kinda shocked at the fact that I’m staring into a mostly empty nursery as I pat my third-trimester belly. But even though it’s empty, it’s still awesome to sit in the middle of the room and envision all that this room will contain – materialistic and otherwise.

Ooh yeah, I’m linking this post up to the ol’ Pinterest Challenge on YHL, Centsational Girl, and Ten June.

13
Jun

The Guest Bathroom Is Purty. And Complete!

By Elisa|Belly, DIY, Hizouse|7 Comments

You guuuuuuys! Guest bathroom!

guest-bathroom-complete

It’s been a long time coming and has actually been *complete* for the past few weeks – which is good because this past weekend is the only weekend in a two-month span that Ryan and I haven’t had guests or will be out of town. Not that we’re complaining.

In fact, it lit the necessary fire under our asses.

guest-bathroom-hello

I’m pretty pleased with the fact that we got to re-use a LOT of what we already had in the house – the shadow boxes on the wall, the stuff *in* the shadow boxes. In fact, most of the decorative stuff came from various places around the casa.

butcher-block-countertop

And the butcher block has been good. REAL good. I’ve kept it happy with a deck-strength water sealer and Ikea’s own butcher block oil stuff. Seems to like it, seems to be holding up well.

bathroom-knobs

billy-baaalls

eye-see-you

Boo. Haha. I took a picture of my make-up bag because it’s a) awesome, and b) super important. Since our master is a bit on the small side I use the guest bath almost every day — my various womanly accoutrements don’t get it Ryan’s way, and Ryan’s ability to fling baby powder over everything in a small space doesn’t get in my way. Win win.

And while we’re looking in the mirror…

me-pregnant-me-eat-camera

Rawr. I am pregnant lady. I eat cam-er-a.* //In my fat Jenna Maroney voice

*Apparently people, aka, my friends, love to joke that pregnant people eat all the time. Except it’s kinda true. Because, you guys, you have to eat a billionidy small meals in one day because you’re once bombastic stomach is now rather petite and squished up under the ol’ rib cage. The whole thing is kinda impressive, actually. My intestines? They’re like, over THERE.

Thrifty Decor Chick

31
May

Some Walls Get Dressed Up and Some Walls Get Nekkid

By Elisa|Clean It Up, DIY, Hizouse|10 Comments

Hello, all three of my blog readers! You may have noticed my sudden and prolonged disappearance. Nothing happened of note, simply life – I wouldn’t even have called it busy, but we had a ton of guests in May (yay!) which kept me pretty clear away from the computer other then dedicated paid work time.

But that doesn’t mean I was slacking. Oh no. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter I keep pretty up to date on the haps, if you call posting pictures of my dogs and cat the latest happenings.. so if you already follow, either your welcome or I’m sorry.

Anywho.

The times – they are a’changing! Happy changing!

So here’s where our heroine’s story left off. Some weeks ago Michelle at Decor and the Dog gracefully let me spew my words and pictures on her blog, and I talked about the state of our office.

Damn I love that orange color.

We finally added the floating shelves to the wall! Good ol’ Ana White inspired these shelves, and at $50 for three I’d say it was a smashing success.

all-dressed-up

So far I’m filling them up willy-nilly and I’m totally looking forward to adding random tchotchkes and actual photographs as I see fit.

straight-up-dressed-up

I also love thinking about how these shelves will evolve, too. In about a year and a half I’m sure that bottom shelf will be no stranger to kids’ books and random toys plunked down in passing, while mamma’s things will slowly but surely move closer to the top. <3

That kinda stuff is super fun to think about it and gets me through all the (literal) growing pains that come with incubating a tiny human.

Hello, tiny human!

Speaking of which, as the office gets dressed up, it’s neighbor, the almost-former-guest-room, is getting dressed down. In a fit of crazy I took down most of the wall hangings and patched holes.

nekkid-walls

Not quite ready to take the curtains down because, ah, bittersweet (maybe new pillows to be sewn from the curtains? It’s a delicious jersey fabric) and hopefully in the next week the ooool’ Salvation Army can come by a pick up the bed.

Then? Game on baby room, game on.

27
Apr

Art Start

By Elisa|Arts and Crafts, Belly, DIY, Olive|3 Comments

It’s a point in my now-more-sedentary-life (bah) that I need to get on a few things.

So a couple weeks ago I loudly proclaimed to no-one, ART!

I need more ART IN MY LIFE.

I’m on a mission to create my art and fill my house with said art.

Sooo I began in the laundry room with some almost comically simple illustrations.

kitten-art2

kitten-art1

And hung them up together with frames we already had, resulting in some sweet kitten-related art that was f-r-e-e.

kitten-art

We also got another little toy in the room – Ryan and I finally took the plunge and bought a dust buster at the ol’ Target. I may or may not have squealed with joy when I vacuumed up the drywall dust from the anchors for the dust buster. Ahh, full circle house projects.

And speaking of which, belly is becoming well acquainted with power tools.

belly-likes-power-tools

And while I was snapping pictures this little nugget waited patiently at the open door. Sorry, no goggies allowed.

no-googies-allowed

Fine then, I’M OUT.

fine-see-ya

1 2 3 … 5