Fabric Art

Ok so this is so simple I feel almost silly posting a "how to" for it. Nevertheless I wish to prove a point with this mini tutorial:

You don't have to spend mucho-bucks to have fabulous customized wall art... not only that but it is so simple to make anyone could do this. I made mine while eating lunch!

Remember the recovered ironing board from this post in all it's yummy fabric glory? Well I had a bit of fabric left over that I know would be just perfect for something, I just didn't know what yet.

Save the scraps! You never know when they'll come in handy.

So today as I sat at the dining room table eating my quesadilla it dawned on me: why not take a few portions of this fantastic fabric and frame them. Instant color plus it helps carry the pattern from the ironing board up to the walls without being too overwhelming.

See, I really was eating lunch!

My first thought was, "I need to buy a few frames, Dollar Tree here I come!" Then I remembered a gorgeous frame my sister-in-law had given me for Christmas several years ago. It was a deep chocolate {perfect!} with a cuter than life bow. I have always loved the frame, but had grown tired of the photos I had placed in them. This was the perfect chance to spruce the inside up and hang once again.

I laid the fabric out on the table and played around with the placement of the frame in between munches of quesadilla. Here are some of my faves:

Here's the one I decided on:

Now came the tricky part - cutting this piece out while making minimal damage to the remaining fabric. I want to do at least one more frame and am not sure which portion of the pattern I will choose.

So I got some painters tape and put a bit on each of the four sides on the inside of the mat. That way when I cut it out, I would remember where I had placed my mat and get it centered.

Once taped off, I cut 1/2 inch away from the tape, leaving plenty of room to attach to the back of the mat and not damaging a nearby flower that might make it into the next frame.

Then I took one more piece of painters tape,  placed it sticky side up, and laid the top portion of the fabric on it.

Using the tape to center fabric in mat.

That way when I used the other pieces of tape as my centering guide all I had to do was press down from the front and the top portion was adhered.

All that was left to do was remove the tape from the front and use it to secure the other sides on the back.

Stepped back, admired my work, washed down the quesadilla with fruit punch {nutritious, I know} and put the frame back together.

Easy-Peasy!

Place in frame, clean glass {wow there were a lot of finger prints!} and enjoy my instant art!

Have you used fabric scraps to fill your frames?

EDITED TO ADD: I have had a few inquires as to where the fabric came from . It was from Walmart and I spent all of $1.49 to recover an ironing board and make some art.. and there is still more left! Can I get a happy dance? :)

All photos taken by yours truly.

Iron Away

So there was a major bummer with the awesome chandelier from this previous post… It was painted and looking all snazzy when dark clouds started to roll in. It really looked like a sudden down pour was on its way. So I moved it under the canopy and that’s when it happened…. The swing bumped up against it taking off a whole chunk of paint. I probably would have left it but it was a really noticeable spot. So I touched it up. Waited….. and then the bag it was drying on top of somehow got pushed up against it and tore off a BIG chunk of paint. Grrrrrr. I was not a happy camper. So there is currently no light fixture in that room and I now need to sand and repaint several spots. Bummer.

But on a happier DIY note, I have a fun project to show you. I recently decided that my ironing board cover needed an update from faded/stained stripes. There were no ready made covers that really matched the new colors in the laundry room, so I decided to make one myself.

Now before I jump into this mini tutorial please note:


~I am not a champion seam seamstress. Basic strait lines on a machine are a challenge for me. If you can sew for real – you may just want to look away. :)

Here is the yummy fabric I chose. Dark chocolate background, light and hot pinks, and creams. Isn’t it just lovely? I love it!

My ironing board is just over 2 ½ long, a little table top kind. Under the cover it had a thin but sturdy piece of foam and then just a piece of plywood. Fancy schmancy… oh, and it was from the Boutique. $3.99, yippee!

Here’s evidence of it’s tiny size - yep, that’s my kitchen counter. All full of junk… hmmm…..Guess I know what my next project is!

After ironing my fabric, I took the old cover and stretched it out flat on top of the fabric. Both were face down.

Then I cut out the basic shape of the cover leaving about 3 inches on every side.

The spray paint on my hands did not come off for several days!

Now here comes the not so technical part that I just made up as I want along. After folding the fabric within ¼ inch of the original cover I pinned it all the way around.

{Other side}

The ¼ inch became the pocket to feed the elastic through.

At the corners, I made sure to fold over one side flat and then the other on top of it.

That way when the pocket was sewn it would still be open to push the elastic through.

At this point I was ready to sew all the way around, making sure to leave a 1 inch gap at the bottom {short end}. That became the entrance and exit point for the elastic.

Once sewn, all I needed to do was attach a tiny safety pin to one end of the elastic and feed it through the little pocket all the way around. I did this, of course, while watching a previous episode of Design Star. hee hee!


All that was left was to trim the excess fabric and put it on. Tada!

By the way, there will be a laundry room reveal by the end of the week… I am just bursting at the seams, ready to show you! Stay tuned!


All photos taken by yours truly.

why?

Blogger, oh blogger why won't you let me post? Hang in there everyone. Several awesome reveals that won't load pics! Will post as soon as blogger decides to cooperate... anyone else struggling this week?

Watch Out

When this crazed housewife get this in her hands:

And has a cuter than life crafting companion by her side:

{one of several photos trying to get her to hold still!}

That's better! Look at that CUTE face :)

WATCH OUT! You may just get a brand new coat of paint.

It all started this morning when I gave the front door a second coat of paint. {Hopefully it will dry soon so that it can get a coat or two more and then a reveal - squeal!} So I figured since I was already covered in paint {yes, I really am the worlds messiest painter}, why not tackle a chandelier project that has been sitting on the entryway floor for about 2 weeks now.

So it's not the most attractive but not that bad either. The brown was kinda a deep-reddish-like-copper color - fine, just not the look I was going for in this room. And since it was $3.50 at the Boutique {Goodwill}, I felt no remorse attacking it with a coat of cheapo paint from the cabinet of mystery paint in the garage.

So it was off to the garage to get the necessary tools to set up an outdoor chandelier painting station:
~flat white paint
~ladder
~sturdy dowel
~stool {cause I am a wimp crouching/kneeling.}

After taping up the sockets,

I needed to tape off the wires sticking out on the top{which someone had clipped off! thank goodness hubby is handy.} 

All I needed to do was unscrew the circle-hook thing on top, tape and then screw back on.

Then I strung it on the dowel across the ladder. This is really the way to go when painting something hanging. I could see all the nooks and crannies as I rotated around the ladder.

Even strokes, a bit of patience and what do ya get?

A totally new {to you} chandelier that will look fantastic in....

oh my goodness, I am dying to show you, but it is still not quite dry... and hubby has to hang it for me. I am a total chicken up a ladder. Stay tuned, reveal coming real soon!

All photos taken by yours truly.

Swirly-Circle-Decor-Ball

Ok. So that may be a silly title, but it accomplishes two things:
1. Informs you of the craft to come
2. It's best I can think of in this heat. My goodness, even the outdoors is miserable... So ready for the AC to be fixed... *sigh*

Anyhow, despite the stickyness of a sauna that is now our home, I was able to muster up the energy for a few crafts this weekend. I know, what a sacrifice :)

Isn't that little black and white beauty too cute?

I made it using the same technique described in this post.

Only this time instead of using baseballs, I used a wiffle ball... wait...is that what this is? It was from a set at the dollar store...

The paper I chose was two sided.

Don't ya just LOVE that pattern!

Anyhow, for full instructions click on the link above. And if you are going to use a wiffle ball for the circle punches technique here are a few tips.

Use a candle holder with a stake/poker thing still on it to keep the ball upright.

Much easier than having to pick it up every time it rolls off the table. Ask me how I know. :)

When you get to a hole, just place some glue on the top two circles already glued on and place one circle right between them, like this:

 Don't worry about the empty spot below the circle you are about to place. When you come around on the next row, the next two circles will overlap the one over the hole and that will keep it in place. Does that make sense? Hope so! If not message me and I will try to explain better.

It is really just a mater of patience with these. No perfection needed. And it's super easy to make. One episode of Design Star and ta-da! All done!

Have you made any new decor balls? I'd love to see!

All photos taken by yours truly.