Simple Chairback Covers Made From Placemats

When we first moved into our house, I was not sure if I wanted bar stools at the little bar area of the counter. But a friend of mine was having a yard sale and selling these chairs that were her mom's...

I knew  I could breathe some new life in them and decided to paint them white.  I would have left the seats alone but I have too many things already that have that white and wood look so I committed and made them all white.

These chairs are really sturdy but the country look of the back of them is not really the look I am going for.  Since power tools are out, I decided to cover them up a bit.  My first thought was using a kitchen towel or cloth napkin because I was looking for a no sew project.  But they proved to be kind of big until I realized a placemat was a good size to work with.

 I found these at Pier 1 on clearance and since they had the color of my kitchen in them, I grabbed them up.  I also figure I can make a few sets of these if I grow tired of this one.

 I needed to fold it over to give it a clean look and to fit the back of the chair. 

I stitched it closed on the bottom.

 They had this cute ball fringe on them but I had to cut them off on one side for this to work.

Velcro is a delightful invention, is it not?  I used it for my closure since I wanted to be able to remove these easily. I also used it to secure the one side I folded down. I used super duper, stickier than sticky Velcro too. 

At first, I was going to do it like this but I wanted the look to fold over so I changed it to this...

It was fun.  Hope you might be inspired to do something similar.  I will let you know what else I come up.  I have another idea to do this but I have not found the perfect placemat or material yet.
I want to do one like this pillow from Pottery Barn... 

 So ridiculously cute!  

I promise to post it when I do it. I am totally inspired.

Let me know what you think!  Your comments make me happy.  Really.  They do.

Linking to:

A Week of Loooooove

I decided that this whole week will have a Valentine's Day Theme as part of the post. Monday through Sunday.  That is seven days of craftiness my friends!  It might be about  food, kiddie stuff, ideas that you can use at other times of the year rather than just Love Day (hint, hint) so stay tuned this week for some fun stuff.
I love getting craft inspired and this week it is is all about the L.O.V.E. 

OK.  I 'll stop.

Today is...A Valentine Flower Ball...

 

These pretty flower balls hang from the ceiling in Cati's room.  They were really simple to make.  

You just need:

 styrofoam balls of varying sizes

silk flowers of your choice ( I used 4 different kinds)

strong wire or cord

glue gun

wire cutters

straight pins

I decided to do this project again but with more Valentine flair and share it with all you wonderful friends who visit me here. I was convinced that all I needed to do was go to the dollar tree for my simple valentine decor but to my crafty dismay...the balls were gone.   

But when handed lemons I make a mean lemonade.  

So I shifted gears to plan B and bought two styrofoam discs and a styrofoam wreath figuring I would come up with something after I get started.  This is what I came up with...

I shall call this a Hanging Flower Ring. 
(what should I call it?) 

I can't think of it as a wreath because it is suspended from a ceiling or hook.  By the way, making this and the flower balls are exactly the same, you just use different shapes.

 

You will need all the supplies listed above above but replace the balls with the ring and 2 discs as pictured here.

First I cut the flowers off with a wire cutter leaving about a 1/2 inch of stem to stick into the foam. After pushing the flower into the foam, I removed it and filled the hole with little glue from the glue gun and then re-inserted the flower back in. I did this all the way around the front.  It looked liked this...

It takes about 3 or 4 rows to fill up the ring (depending on the type of flower you choose).

Next, I glued flowers to one of the round discs. 

 

With this one, I put a different type of flower (hydrangea) and did the exact same trimming of the stem.  I put another flower in the center for contrast. I glued flowers around the edge as well.

For the other disc, I used a cookie cutter to make a heart shape.

Then I chose green flowers for the heart and did the same as the ring and the disc shapes.

Finally I used this plastic cording (have no clue what it is called but it is fun since it has a tiny bit of glitter and cost .79 at Joann's). Sorry for the dark pictures.  I took these at night.

I secured a straight pin through the cord with a little hot glue to secure it.

Here I have it hanging on a front door as an alternative to suspending it from the ceiling or hook.I like that is is not too Valentine looking except for the little green heart at the bottom.  But I think only I know that is a heart.  And it's green.  So that's good. 
Did you also notice I used TWO SHADES OF PINK?  Huh? Huh? 


You love that I am a geek.  You know you do.

Do you have a crafty Valentine crafts you have done or posted?  If so let me know!  I would love to come visit you and leave a comment.

My Shabby Chairs

Today is a cold, chilly Saturday and I am feeling crafty.

Waking up to 38 degrees in Florida is just crazy... and if it is this cold...we Floridians are allllll inside acting like it s a blizzard out there. And since we are indoors, I wanted to work with felt since it is such a warm and cozy material.

While doing this, I realized that I have not done a creative, craftyish type post in a long while so I thought I would share one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world that literally went from trash to treasure.

And no, it is not felt but whatever. I can be random like that and I wanted to share what I was thinking.


A few years ago (oh my word, it looks like it was over 4 years ago...PRE-KIDS!) I found this old chair on the side of the road waiting for the trash pick up. It was pretty beat up and the torn, dried out leather seat had seen better days. But all I saw was its potential at no cost to me and I jumped at this opportunity! I snagged the chair and got to work.


This was the final result!

I had picked up this fabric in different colors but in the same pattern in an antique store (though it was not vintage, it looked it and loved it) and I put it away for a rainy day. I was so excited to use it for a project like this.
I sanded the entire chair, painted it, and sanded it over and over resulting in a texture that is incredibly smooth. I used a very light green with some brick color reds thrown in to add depth to the staining while still revealing the grain of the wood. This is probably some type of painting technique called something which I have no idea about. I am all about winging it.

How fun that it ended up looking great. I absolutely love this chair! I am always drawn to something that looks worn, old, and distressed but with a feminine touch.


Another trash find was this chair that was really not salvageable. The back of the chair was broken with the wood splintered and cracked in the seat.

So I took the back of the chair off, had it sanded completely and added batting and used the same fabric (in blue) to make this into a stool of sorts. When we had a guest room, I placed it in there for additional seating or to lay a suitcase on.


I get incredibly excited to take something that no longer seems salvageable and not only make it useful but find a NEW use while making it pretty too!

Do any of you do stuff like this? Have you posted it? I want to see! I want to see!

I Truly Call You Friends

It astounds me how I let go of all my blog worry to focus on the important things just to end up with so many comments on my delurking post.

You all are amazing and I wish I could let you walk around in my heart for a little while so you can know what you did by encouraging me with sweeter words than I could wish for.

No need to comment on this post. Just wanted to say you are truly wonderful people I can call friends. I am so happy to have you a part of my life as I write about it here.

You are beyond precious to me.

International De-lurker Week?

Huh.

Now this puts me in a quandary. First of all, I was perplexed by this because I had no idea what it was. International De-lurker Week? Being new to the bloggy world and following, I am still a tad rough around the edges regarding etiquette, lingo, and overall being "Blog Seasoned." But for those of you who are still riding training wheels with me, I have discovered that this is a week for lurkers (people who read and do not comment on blogs) to come out and show all! You know. Leave a comment. Become a follower. Etc.

But I have a question... Isn't it just nice for some people to maintain a bit of anonymity? I mean, I looooooove comments and get giddy when a new friend decides to follow my blog. But what about those who just want to keep their distance? Because I think we can all lurk a blog every once in awhile.

Can I get an Amen?

Anyone?

Do I hear crickets?

And to be honest, I personally never want to force a comment. From myself or someone else to me. It should be genuine and encouraging.

Yet I actually am digging this de-lurking business since it lets bloggers know who reads their posts and appreciates their writing. I have discovered a number of blogs that are incredible by just clicking on someone's link when they follow or comment.

Speaking of which , I have clicked on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR BLOGS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS! You people are talented and I am in awe of so many of you! A few of my favorites have just a few followers yet they ooze with creativity, fresh writing, and incredible info. Amazing.

So in light of this, I am not asking any of you to come out of your lurking closet if you do not want to. But I am wanting to say a ginormous THANK YOU for those of you who do take the time to read my blog, leave me a friendly comment, and visit often. I can not tell you what this has meant to me since I have prayed so much for this blog to be a place where I can let down my hair, be transparent about my nutty life as a Christian, a frazzled mom, a challenged decorator, an amateur crafter, whatever. Ya'll have come along for the ride with incredible encouragement and words that have literally changed the course of my day or given me joy where I was lacking.

And I will confess something I feel silly about. But if I put it out there, I know I will feel better and see it for what it is...no big deal. Ever since I reached 100 followers, I was excited but felt no need to do anything celebratory. Is that odd? Not a give away, a little celebration...nothing. I don't know why. Yet I think it is so cute when others do it. Then, this week I noticed that I lost 2 people, 2 days in a row from following. Now I must tell you that I can imagine this to be really normal in blog world (remember, I am new). But I am so sensitive at times because I fear I will offend someone, disappoint someone, anger someone. It is funny when I realize how many of you let me know your thoughts or laugh with me but here I focus on two people who may have made this decision and it has NOTHING to do with me.

Yet I obsess.

But I write this post tonight to remind myself that my worth is not tied up in the way I write a blog. Whether I disappoint someone in a post. I know I am not perfect but I can not imagine writing about a $1.99 frame that I Magic Erased into oblivion was really all that offensive. And so many of you rallied with me to figure out what to do with the darn thing. (If you are wondering, it is still chillin' on my wall with that worn tear. Mocking me. Daily.

I also am not writing this post to sacrifice my dignity by smooching up to my bloggy friends still hanging in there with me so that no one leaves me ever, ever, ever again. It will happen. I know this.

I say all this to remember that I have no need to worry because some things are far more important and truly make me feel like a person of worth. Liiiiiiike...

• I'm the daughter of the King. My Jesus. My Savior. My all in all.
• I'm a wife to a man who looks at me the same way he did on our first date, does romantic things like cooks me breakfast every morning, and makes sure I do girlfriend nights to get a break once in awhile.
• My daughters seek me out each day to hug or cuddle with me, sit on my lap, or spend time with me. They let me know I make them feel safe, loved, and important.
  
• My precious friendships with women who make me laugh, validate me as a mother and a wife when I feel vulnerable, and add substance and kinship to my daily life which enriches me beyond my expectations.
• Parents who visit often, tell me they are still proud of my accomplishments, and tell me I am a good mom.
• A church family that is large but is service minded, servant hearted, and seeks to grow in Christ.

Seriously, when I look at this list, my petty disappointments compare to what truly gives me genuine worth.

Thank you friends, for bringing a smile to my face each and every day. You have no idea what a few words from you does to lift my spirit with validation. I can be so vulnerable in the area of writing. So know from the bottom of my heart how I appreciate you.

Hugs!

Friends, I Need Decor Assistance

Oh. My. Word. I stress over the most non-emergency things.

Let me start from the beginning before I launch into the reasoning of why I need your help.

I am what you would call a non-conformist. I'm like Phoebe on Friends where she was anti- Pottery Barn because everyone's homes looked the same and they copied off of actual antiques and mass produced their stuff. Is anyone with me remembering this episode? Yet I was ALSO her when she joined the dark side of all things PB because she coveted a lamp that totally went with the stuff Rachel had already smuggled in from PB and lied about it.

Can you tell I have not had cable in almost 3 years, never watch TV, and quote from episodes of a TV series that ended like 6 years ago?

I digress. Because I really need to.

But sadly, I do not have a Pottery Barn budget. I have a "please send me a check so I can buy stuff" kind of budget. And alas, Christmas came and that very budget became a reality. Now please understand that I always have intentions to show restraint. But I am a retail girl and I am drawn to sales, deals, and all things cute like a moth to it proverbial flame.

Well, I have been itchin to go to IKEA.

And everyone seems to have a crush on IKEA. So the non-conformist in me rebels. Plus, I go for more of a cottagy, shabby, rustic like look. So I went thinking I would get a bookcase or two to satisfy this annual, New Year purge urge I tend to manifest when I try to get organized. Out with the old and in with the new, I say. And I assumed IKEA was pretty contemporary and modern which is not really me. So I figured some cute things for storage was all this visit required. But as I entered those doors it was like a homing device had suddenly been activated in my brain and I was drawn with an intense desire for whatever I laid my eyes upon. I began piling things in the cart or on my children while serving up lollipops to quiet them in my decor frenzy.

How much fun is that store?

I got a gazillion things and ideas kept forming and one was to have a collage of frames over my couch. I know. Eeeeeeveryone does it. BFF did a great job with it on her stairs and I always admired it. So I sold out. Sue me.

We are in the process of doing it tonight. Please do not look closely at ugly, unidentifiable color of paint. As renters, we have little options and are hoping to convince property managers to let us paint whole house in a nicer color. Oh, and incidentally, those 2 pics of the girls on the left are the products of the heinous picture taking adventure I shared with you. Not bad, right?

Anyhoo, I decided to do the whole black and white unifying thing over the couch. I also hit Kohl's the other week because I had some free money to spend and I wisely chose a waffle maker to enhance my attempt at a diet to whittle down my recent and immense caloric intake. While buying the hip expander, I came across some frames on clearance that would work with this collage idea I had...


I like that it says "Family" and I got it for $3.99! It was originally $19.99. Gotta love a deal. And yes, that is the picture it came with. A work in progress, people.

This one was a $1.99. Yippee! It had some smudges on it that I knew I could just wipe off. But then I had a moment that lacked clarity. Actually, it was sheer stupidity to be honest. I went to go wipe the smudge and thought, why don't I use this here Magic Eraser. It works on anything. I'll just do it really lightly.

No, no temporarily simple minded girl. Magic Eraser can erase entire objects. STOOOOP!

Nonsense. I shall pursue my foolery...

And did this.

Dang it!

I tore the canvas part of the frame with the wet magic eraser. IDIOT! I am sooooo glad I paid 2 bucks for this. Because as stupid as this move was, paying full price for it would add insult to injury.

But I really like it. What do I do? Can I fix it? This will bug me immensely if I leave it. I am rather detail oriented like that. Clearly, since this is a long, detailed post over nothing but a dumb thing I did.

Can I embellish it somehow? I mean, BFF came over today and we laughed over putting a random button or something on it. Not an option. I don't want it to look cheesy and teenagerish. I just want it to look nice with all the other frames. A big ole' flower? Paint it? What on earth can you do here?

Any suggestions?

Highlights from my Christmas Week

Well I must say that this past week has culminated into a level of exhaustion I did not know possible. Are any of you just down and out tired? Yet this baffles me since we did not travel (which we usually do every year) and we just kind of hung out with our friends. But there was gift buying, wrapping, and giving, last minute shopping, baking, cooking, entertaining, cleaning, etc. And I find myself wasted yet incredibly blessed to have this time. But let me recap the most memorable moments of the last week. I will include some creative, crafty things along with family stuff. All made for a fabulous week leading up to Christmas. With funny moments too...

Annual Christmas Glee with BFF & Family

BFF and I get together each year with our families and celebrate Christmas with dinner, gifts, and goodies. We did this last Saturday. This year we did a dessert fondue while watching Elf and it was so fun. Any of you who can quote at least 3 lines from that movie will receive a Christmasgram from me next year. :)

BFF and family with our girls

The kiddos together...so cute, right?

Fondue it up. My kids are so retro cultured.

I got this fun little bag for BFF and she seemed to dig it.

BFF's boys and my girls

BFF Ring

Now most of you know I refer to Kelly as BFF. Because she is soooo my BFF that just her name won't do. We have this weird, co-dependent, mutually in-like with each other relationship where we are one another's biggest fan. It looks weird to people on the outside of this glorious union but we don't care. On the 23rd, we met a 6 am to do last minute shopping equipped with coffee and sans the kiddos. It was like heaven on earth. While shopping we stumbled across these fun rings and decided to purchase identical ones to signify our (questionably normal) devotion to one another. Our husbands just stare at us like we are the freaks we are when we tell them the stuff we do. Last year, BFF purchased matching heart tube socks for us at Valentine's Day. We have yet to wear them in public but us gifting this kind of stuff to each other just cracks us up. We are the only ones who think we are funny but that is what makes us special. Really special.

Cute ring, though. I love it.
But I am alarmed that this picture gives me the appearance of man hands. Look at my knuckles!
I'll tell you a secret, though. Sometimes, when no one is looking, we join our rings together and cry out, "BFF POWER...ACTIVATE!!!!" Lightening crackles. The power blinks on and off. Dogs howl in the distance. It's exciting.

Sack Lunches for Pinellas Hope

On Christmas Eve, my Lifegroup at church (Small group, Sunday school class) made over 300 sack lunches for the homeless. What a wonderful collaborative effort and something so terrific to involve our kids and teach them about the love of Christ at Christmas.

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas Eve night with friends packed with a great lasagna dinner (and a salad my friend made that was so good I miss it now that it is gone), cookie decorating and gift exchange. Fun, fun.

Family pic after church

Our fabulous friends who celebrated Christmas Eve with us.

Cute little place cards I made for dinner with our friends. Glitter birds on almost dead branches of mistletoe. This is called..."Use What You Have" entertaining.

The gift I made for my friends. It is a fabric wrapped "P" since their last name begins with "P." They were excited because my friend James said he always wanted a giant P so he could walk in the house and say, "Awwww....someone P'd on the wall." I really have weird friends.

The Joy of Christmas Morning

So sweet...girls paying with new doll house. Buuuuut...

...joy was lacking the rest of the day. Clothing was also optional.

Just thought I'd share in this past week's crafty, Christmasy, friend and family goodness. Hope you enjoy the update.

Yard Sale Chic

It has been awhile since I did a post with some creativity flair and this is one that may inspire some of you. As I have mentioned before, I have the bestest BFF ever. And being the cool, thrifty girl that she is, she picked up this memo board for me last Saturday for $5.

Five buckaroonies! I have to say this was a nice find. She found for herself one of those pottery barn wall racks to hold books for $10 because there was a microscopic section of chipped paint. I just love that other people's trash can be our treasure for next to nothing.


The memo board had some wear on it but fortunately I buy new furniture that looks like that. So all I really had to do was clean it and put some fun fabric on the bulletin board part since it was scratched and had some marker on it.



Now it looks fabulous and I even used material I already had. The littlest things get me so giddy! Can you even see the material?

Well, just thought I would share my fun little find. Sadly, I have no place to really put it now but I am way excited about having his adorable and updated memo board. Hmmmm...may have to rearrange a bit...