DIY: Girls Needs a Desk Chair

I have been on a scramble for a desk chair for my new cabin, as my online productivity has been VERY low when all I can do it get cozy in bed with my laptop...which leads to me putting on Clone High, or catching up on some of my guilty pleasure television shows before falling asleep. Falling asleep does NOT equal new blog posts or Teal Tub Vintage updates, surprisingly.

Well, the other day I cam across a simply metal chair at the Transfer site, and decided to make it mine. So here, I present, the simple transformation:

BEFORE and AFTER. (ohhhh, ahhhhhh)


Supplies needed:
*Any old Chair that you can remove the cushion easily to reupholster
*Screwdriver
*Spray Paint
*Fabric of your liking
*Scissors
*Staple Gun

Alright. So Kids, this is an easy, easy upgrade. First, remove the chair seat from the actual metal Chair. It should be as simply as turning the chair over and removing screws from underneath. Set Chair seat/cushion aside, and move into the great outdoors, or a well ventilated area. now you are ready to spray paint!

Coat One and Coat two. Let it be known, I am terrible at spray painting. My coats are never even, and I have lots of drip marks. Every time, without fail.

While Your spray paint is drying, and in between coats, you can move your focus back to your seat cushion. I am a fabric hoarder, and had this fabric laying around from when I Originally found it at the transfer site back last September. I simply spread the fabric out face down, placed my cushion down on top of it, also face down and simply cut out the shape of the cushion leaving about a 2-3 inch boarder. 

Now you can simply make your way around the cushion, pulling the fabric taunt, and stapling it to teh underside of the seat. (Staple gun. Best Purchase of... 2010? yeah. Best purchase, by FAR.)

Images help to explain where words can't. I am both terrible at using my words AND taking instructional photos...

Once you finish stapling, and your spray paint has dried adequately (now really, make sure to let it dry. No impatience here kids!) You can reattach the seat cushion to the main chair frame by simply using the same screws and holes that were already there. and TADA! Chair complete!


This would be the chair in it's natural habitat, and I can say I am pretty happy with the results...next project? Tackle that desk you see there. I have lots of ideas folks, lots of ideas...

Fancy Favorites #7

ANNNNDDD Fancy Favorite time again, folks! Alright, this week....

Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits. Really, how could these be bad?

This J.D. Salinger Art Print from the good Folks at The Half and Half. You can check out their Etsy Store as well Here.

RON SWANSON MUG. Enough Said.

This Honey Clover Dress From Modcloth, Worn ever so wonderfully By Orchid Grey.

These ADORABLE posts called My Better Half by Amanda Jane Jones.

 *************And Finally this MARVELOUS post from Delightfully Tacky on her love/hate relationship with the internet, blogging, motivation, and all things that people in our generation go through... well, a lot of us, at least.etc.*************

A little bit O' Patchwork

I love patchwork. Something about all the randomness of it....the colors, patterns, different fabrics... I just think it is great. I have a bit of a problem with collecting (AHEM Hoarding) scraps of fabrics I find at stores, the dump, etc. 

With my move back to Fairbanks coming up super soon, I have been trying to use a bunch of the fabric scraps in some sort of useful fashion so that I am not hauling trash bags of random scraps back with me.  Below a little showing of all the fabric scrap projects I have done over the last year, and am still currently working on.

So I originally found this scrappy quilt at the dump, washed it, and have slowly added more random patches to it to keep it sewn together.  It is the centerpiece of my bedroom, and I cannot imagine a room of mine without it at this moment.

This white dress is uber comfy, but the silhouette and style always seemed a bit on the fancier side to me. And I don't often have to wear anything even remotely fancy... so I decided to lighten it up (aka make it more everyday-able) with some fabric scrappy pockets. I already know i want to add MORE fabric to this dress...at the hem, or in the neckline, I just haven't decided exactly how yet...

 
This monstrosity is a very random patchwork blanket I am working on. obviously it will be rough, awkwardly sewn, and VERY ugly. All things that endear me to it Immediately. I am hoping to finish this in the next two weeks before I move!



And finally, I decided to follow the trend of multiple tutorials I have seen online (one here at A Beautiful Mess) and give a plain grey jumper I have some sweet heart elbow patches. Once again, I think I may eventually add the same fabric to the from kangaroo pocket, but I wanted to test drive the patches first...

Stationery 2.0

I have a lot of scraps of things laying around my apartment; Scraps of fabric, yarn, paper, threads, every type of glue you can think of, photos, etc. When I received this bright set of stationery from my mom, I decided to put some of my scraps to use, and personalize the note-cards a bit!

Supplies: 
*A set of note cards/stationery (mine where a gift, thanks mom!)
*Scraps of fabric (I literally have  brown shopping bag full of scraps in bigger than a coaster. Most just in shreds....)
*Glue (I used tacky glue, but you can really use most types I would think)
*Scissors
*Bright colored or fun patterned paper (I actually used paint samples that I found at a large home supply store. They were too bright to pass up!)
*Embroidery thread and needles


Steps:
*Decide what image/shape you want to add to your note cards. I went with a 'K' for my name, and just free hand cut it out. I like things when they aren't uniform, so the differences of freehand didn't bother me. You could do initials, any shape, a silhouette, anything!
*I don't own a sewing machine, so I simply hand sewed all my 'K's to my note cards. I just did it at night while watching some TV with Nick, not time consuming at all!
*To spruce up the envelopes, I traced the shape of the inside flap onto one of my paint chips and used that as the template for all the rest of the envelopes
*After I simply glue the paint samples to the envelopes, making sure not to cover up the adhesive strip to seal the letter when finished!

TADA! So Simple, and adds a little flare to generic stationery! What do you guys think!?

             PAINT YOUR OWN PATTERNED RUG

I came across a lovely tutorial quite a while ago at Design Sponge for painting your own rug design, and thought what a wonderful idea! I mean, have you ever tried to purchase any sort of patterned rug? RIDICULOUS. So expensive. 


So I decided, I must try this.  I was going to make some modifications though. First off, No buying a new rug at IKEA, when I was sure I could find SOMETHING at a local thrift store (and I did....though, frankly, I realize it is basically a table runner....but, this was only my first go...)


Second, I knew I had some old paint already laying around, and when i decided to do more than one color, I simply went to a few home improvement stores and looked for the cheap 'one off color' or 'already mixed, but wrong' paints, and SCORE, second color achieved. 


The only purchases I had to make were some fabric medium at a local art store, and a role of painters tape, which I went with frog tape (green) and it worked fine...and I have at least half a roll left, so plenty for my next endeavor!



First, I taped off what pattern I wanted. Now, I didn't think ahead about this at all...I just started taping, knowing I would be happy with something 'Geometric'.



I then Mixed my fabric paint in with the paint I would be using, at a ratio of about 1:3. 


Finally, I simply started painting! I used a smaller brush since I was doing multiple color blocks, but if you wanted all one color, you could just use a roller for simplicity!




and final result?

A painted rug! (Erhm.....table runner?) Oh man, next time I am gonna step up my game, but am I glad to know it works!

Currently Working On...

Some items I am creating for TealTub to sell, that I will share as a DIY post...

Another DIY that I am creating for just myself, based around an awesome glass octopus pendent Nick got me for Christmas...

My bi-weekly art journaling pages (in progress) that I will be sharing with you along the way...I am taking the Red Velvet Art Journal E-Course!

Shares: I Want Them All!

Can we talk about how great this Etsy Shop is? I discovered it today, and it is just wonderful! All of these items...edible candy! YES YES Y'ALL!

Andiespecialtysweets

Ramblings: Getting in the Kitchen!

I don't know why I never thought of it before...convience I suppose...but here we go: I LOVE Tasty Bites. A LOT. As I heated up my Bombay Potatoes at work today, it hit me that I spend a lot on these...even though I usually only buy them when they are on sale at Freddie's, I still put down $2-$3 a pouch. that is one delicious meal. (at work, I admit, I dont add rice or anything...i don't feel like dealing with it, basically)

And at home, I don't usually eat Tasty Bites, b/c I don't own a microwave, and am lazy and don't feel like heating them on teh stove (though, they are oh so scrumptious cold). What is all this rambling leading to you may ask? Well here it is...I am going to start simply making my own huge pots of tasty bites.

I mean, one of the main reason I love tasty bites is that I can read every ingredient on the package it comes in. And most the ones I eat don't contain sugar. and I only buy the vegan ones. So why NOT make these on my own?

So I'm going to. Here are the ones I am going to make, b/c I already consume them in mass quantities: Bengal Lentils, Bombay Potatoes, Kerala Vegetables, Punjab Eggplant, and I am going to try this one: Malaysian Lodeh

Now on the same accord, I have said to myself for a time now that I was going to make my own salad dressings as well...b/c I am really picky, and there are only two that I REALLY dig right now, as in could lift the bottle and swollow down with ease: Annie's Goddess Dressing and Annie's Lite Gingerly Vinaigrette . I may even try a new one like: Annie's Lemon and Chive Dressing!

Ramblings: I feel Crafty.

In Fall 2003, I started an amateur craft club called The Crafty Beavers. I'm the club president and we meet on a weekly basis. Felt is our medium of choice, and it's largely an excuse to smoke pot. --Amy Sedaris

I really am feeling crafty. It has been a while since I have done any redecorating, random crafts that usually don't work out, pack-ratting of things that I feel would MAKE good crafts, or plotting of crafts. I believe the last thing I made was the 'Chicka Chicka Boom Boom' cover art painting that I bestowed upon my neighbor, Mr. Gillie. (it was great, really. Looked just like the cover...except didnt have that annoying little magical lamp in the corner.)

So now, what is a girl to do? I think I am going to scour the internet (imagine, me having time to do that while at work...never...) and find magical ideas, and re create them, or tweak and re create them as gifts for people. Yes, I am suggesting, that once again, I shall create all the gifts for christmas...who needs to buy things, gesh. I figure, if I begin now, I can actually put time/thought into them...

Let the games begin.