Topping it Off

It's time to dress my kitchen window. I figured a simple valance would be best.

I am quite proud to say that every thing I used for this project were scraps or leftovers (I *knew* being a packrat would pay off someday). It took me less than an hour to whip this up, but it makes a HUGE difference.

I started by cutting the fabric I'd need, just a simple rectangle, I added extra so it would have a swag effect. I highly recommend a rotary cutter if you plan to do any sewing projects, they make quick work of cutting fabric. I lined the orange fabric with a funky quilted remnant I've had for years (in a previous life, this fabric was used on bedroom toss cushions). I didnt have to line this valance, but I figured I may as well...while I was at it. I pinned the fabrics together along each edge, with the right sides together. On the bottom edge I used some cording, on the top I used loops of ribbon - make sure to pin this *between* the fabrics.

I sewed around each edge, leaving a small part open at the top so I would be able to turn this piece right-side-out, then you can sew it closed.

If you don't want to sew the trim/edging on, go ahead and grab the glue gun...it works like a charm!

To hang it, I evenly spaced 4 nails on the wall. Then I hot glued decorative buttons onto the heads of the nails. Voila!

Total cost = zilch!

Painting Without a Plan

After getting opinions on what I should do with my new-to-me coffee table, I finally got going on this one! Mr. Mel had some objections to the black (sorry folks), and I was so undecided that I figured I'd just start and figure it out as I went.

Here's the table before I got my hands on it:

I started by taping off the top of the table, I wanted to have a different finish here.

Then applied a coat of Kilz primer.

I lucked out and managed to get green and cream mistints from Home Depot. At $3 a quart, the price was right so I scooped them up.

Once the primer was dry on the table, I gave it a coat of the green paint.

Hmmm, the green isn't exactly what I was looking for so I mixed up some silver craft paint and glaze, and dry brushed it over the table.

Ahhhh, that's better. Subtle, but much improved.

I wanted to have some sort of pattern or design on the top of the table. I have an aversion to stencils after the hassle of making one for my mirror project, so I decided that I'd wallpaper it...WHY NOT?! I found this great damask pattered paper at Rona...on sale.

I roughed up the top with a sanding block to take the sheen off the table and to make sure that the wallpaper would adhere to the top nice and sticky like, and then simply applied the paper to the table as I would to a wall. Easy peasy! I trimmed around the edge of the top with a utility knife while the paper was still damp to get a nice clean edge.

I gave the paper and table 24 hours to dry, then used a sponge brush to do a couple of coats of Varathane on the paper to protect it. The finishing touch was nail head trim around the edge that I picked up from a local fabric store. Love this stuff, I wanna use it on *everything*!

Now it's in my (still a work in progress) living room! Uh, yeh, it's pretty hard to take a photo around here without a  cat popping in.

Here is the breakdown of costs for this project:
$85 for the table
$0 primer (leftovers from our condo reno)
$0 for glaze (leftovers)
$3 for paint
$35 for wallpaper
$0 for polyurethane (leftovers from our condo reno)
$10 for nail head trim
Total Cost = $ 133

Third time's the charm

After shelling out for the living room drapes, sewing the bottom panels on for additional length, and hanging them I decided that I was going to take a break from curtain selection for awhile. The idea of stressing out for one more minute about window coverings was going to drive me bananas, moreso (wink wink).

Unfortunately, the time has come to select drapes for the dining room. I needed to buy something that, at the very least, co-ordinated with the curtains hung in the rest of the main floor. Off I went to Pier 1 to see what they had. On the first trip I hit gold (or so I thought). I picked up two of these babies and brought them home.

They. Looked. Terrible. Even Mr. Mel whose taste, to borrow one of my dad's favourite phrases, is all in his mouth *hated* them. He cocked his head to the side, mumbled of something I couldn't make out, and I knew that they wouldn't be staying. Off I went to make an exchange...and picked up a pair of these:

I was so sure, so cocky about my selection that I didn't even entertain the idea that Mr. Mel wouldn't go for these...until he took a look at them and said simply, "Terrible". Yep, back to Pier 1 (and this time made sure to bring the opinionated husband with me)...and finally found a winner. I decided to sew additional length onto these panels in this fun fabric my nephew picked out.

I am really pleased with how they turned out, and Mr. Mel is finally happy too!

Here is the breakdown of costs for this project:

$79 for curtains

$54 for curtain rod

$13 for fabric

Total Cost = $ 146

Look Ma!

Check it out...I was featured at The DIY Showoff! Roeshel's blog is awesome, and is a daily indulgence of mine. Thanks for the shout out!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

I have been searching for a large mirror for our foyer since *before* we moved into the house. Much to my dismay, Mr. Mel hates mirrors (say wha?!) so he was zero help, and many of the ones I found were way beyond my budget or too glammy for Mr. Mel's taste.

Then, just when I had given up, my dad offered me a rather, uhm, interesting bronze-y, gothic-y, filigree-y mirror my parents received as a wedding gift 35 YEARS AGO! It's been collecting dust in their basement for years. My response to him was a very enthousiastic, "Yeh, I'd love to take it off your hands!". Followed by a hesitant, "…that is, if you don’t mind me going at it with a can of spray paint”. Thankfully, my dad has always been a fan of my rather *creative* decorating solutions and didn’t have a problem with the mirror getting a facelift.

Here’s the mirror before (a tad too Liberace for my taste):

I used Rust-Oleum Paint for Plastics in Shell White for this project. Because it's meant for outdoor patio furniture, I got to skip the primer step...it's an all-in-one product that has great coverage. I also did some glazing on it to bring out some of the details.

Next I made myself a monogram (inspired by this post at The DIY Showoff). To create a stencil, I printed off the letters I wanted on plain paper, traced it onto sheets of window cling I had hanging around,  and cut the letters out with an exacto knife. I placed the stencil on the mirror and sprayed them with Krylon Frosted Glass Finish. My first attempt = epic fail. The window cling shrunk when the frosting touched it, smearing the frosting spray across the surface. Not. Good. The second time around I made a stencil from cardstock, sprayed it with readjustable stencil spray and placed it on the mirror. This, too, was a miserable failure, the frosting seemed to pool around the edges and formed this yucky crust and the adhesive spray left a sticky mess all over the mirror which I had to attempt to remove using nail polish remover and a q-tip...not fun. Finally, I made a stencil from, of all things, shelf contact paper and it worked like a charm! SUCCESS!

I am so happy to be able to use this mirror in my foyer. It's a great connection to my parents and I can't wait for them to see it.

Isn’t it fantastic?!

Here is the breakdown of costs for this project:
$ 0 for the mirror
$ 7 for spray paint
$ 0 for frosting (leftovers I found in my craft cart - go figure)
$ 11 for stencil adhesive
$ 0 for glaze
$ 1 for contact paper (gotta love the dollar store!)
Total Cost = $19

This project was featured at:

Standing up to 'The Man"

As someone who recently discovered the joy and sheer satisfaction of DIY, I was overjoyed to stumble on Ana White's blog 'Knock Off Wood' a few months back. Ana is just like the rest of us who drool over the wares of Pottery Barn, West Elm, Crate and Barrel but can’t (or won’t) pay their exorbitant prices…only she actually did something about it. Ana isn’t just a pretty face, she’s a genius. She set to work developing FREE woodworking plans for all of us to re-create those pricey catalog looks at a fraction, and I do mean a fraction, of the cost of retail!

Turns out her blog has caught the attention of big, bad corporate America and she has received an extremely comical, very official letter from the attorney (hilariously named ‘Pami’) for William Somona to cease and desist using their images and threatening her with copyright infringement.

I, for one, hope that Ana is able to continue her great work and not be intimidated by these corporate giants. It’s not about money, it’s about principle.

See Ana’s blog here, and take a gander, maybe offer a few words of support as well.

I, for one, vow here and now to never, ever shop at a William Sonoma affiliate…ever. I have zero respect for bullies.

In the Immortal Words of the Beastie Boys...

IT'S A SABOTAGE! That's right. Mr. Mel, who claims to want me to decorate the house on a strict budget, has been casually suggesting that I start buying my furniture items from a *gulp* furniture store! For full retail price, no less!

You know what? A year ago I would have jumped at that idea. Now? Not so much. I am so enjoying the DIY-ness of it all, the dickering for used items, inspiration I am finding online, and satisfaction from doing things that are a bit out of my comfort zone that I told Mr. Mel..."NO WAY, JOSE!".

I may regret making Mr. Mel put away his credit card. For now, though, I am enjoying creating a space uniquely "us". That is not to say that I may not have the hubs buy me a new pair of shoes, instead of a kitchen table.....