Time for a Change

If you're expecting a heartfelt post about ways I want my life to change, I hate to disappoint. I have been reading some really good books, but I'm not going to share about those now. I'm just planning to bombard you with tons of photos of the projects I've been working on. There is something about the summer, and the lack of school schedule, that makes me want to get things done. Every one of the projects you will see is cheap, super cheap. So don't let a lack of money hinder you from fixing stuff up around the house! First, here's a lamp I made for Wendy. I found a clear vase from Tuesday Morning and Gorilla-glued a bottle lamp kit to the top. (Lamp kits like this cost $5 at Walmart and can be put into the top of a narrow-necked vase to turn it into a lamp!) I also made a cute lamp for myself from a little vase, but don't have a picture of that.


Next project: a child-sized chair recovered for my Laney-pooh! This chair was Luke's when he was little and was NASTY! Thankfully, I already had this linen-blend fabric that I bought on clearance, so the project was free!


Notice that I didn't hem any of it! I cut strips of linen for the ruffle, then washed the fabric so that it would fray. Then I just cut off the stray threads and ironed it into pleats. I sewed the strip of fabric onto a piece of elastic I had, and then attached it to the rest of the slipcover. Here's the cute, frayed ruffle:

Doesn't it look precious in it's spot in the living room? Laney loves having a chair that is just her size. She sits in it and climbs on it all the time!

Now for a project that took a lot longer to finish and was almost the death of me! I was unhappy with the shiny, flaky layers of polyurethane on my kitchen island table. I also disliked the orangy finish and wanted something lighter and grayer. Here's the before:

Ouch! Please excuse the glare from the sun! My neighbors were probably thinking I was totally crazy when I did this project. I began the stipping process early one Saturday morning before the kids got up, wearing my P.J.'s and huge orange gloves, in my driveway! Sorry, no pic of how ridiculous I looked. But here's a close-up of the finish before, so you can appreciate the many layers of poly that I had to scrape off:

And now the after! Yay!

I love how the finish turned out!

My easiest project was a coffee-table redo in my sitting room. This coffee table is constructed of lovely particle-board, complete with grandma-ish veneers. Michael and I bought it at Ashley furniture soon after we were married. I had the idea to make an ottoman out of it because I think that the room is too "leggy" anyway, and an ottoman might make it plush and cozy. I was going to attempt to make a tufted linen ottoman, but Lyndsay suggested a burlap slipcover instead. I'm so glad I listened to Lyndsay, because it was so much easier! Here's the before:

If it looks a bit odd, it's because I forgot to take the picture before I put spray adhesive on it. After the spray adhesive, I spread on some batting and stapled it to the underside. It'll be easy to remove should someone want use the table in it's former glory one day. Here's step two:

Lastly, I cut a circle of burlap for the top and pinned on a strip of burlap in pleats around the circle. I did this right on the table (I think slipcovers are most easily made this way, though mine are never perfect:). I didn't iron my pleats, and again, I didn't hem. Really, the only aggravating part of this project is how much burlap sheds when you're working with it. I'm really beginning to love the ease of raw edges! I think it turned out fabulous!


You can see that the only sewing I did was one straight stitch around the circle - so easy! Should you want to recover something cheaply, consider burlap. I think I only paid $3.99 a yard for it. I do love a good deal!

And on a side note, I think these pots from Walmart are the bomb-diggity! They are only $1.25, and are a nice earthy brown, instead of that orangy terra cotta. I watered down some white paint and slapped it on them, then wiped the paint right off. I think it gives them an aged finish, like those costly pots in the downtown stores. I bought the succulents at Walmart, too.

Whew! Are you tired? Cause I am! I did just finish another table that I stripped and restained, but I don't have "after" pictures yet. It was a bear of a job! I do think I'll stick to just spray painting stuff for a while now:). Hope ya'll are having a great summer!