2011 - Page 17 of 24 - Crap I've Made

Guest Post: Meet Neighbor Jami & Her Nursery Walls

March 24, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 16 Comments

This is my insane(ly awesome) neighbor Jami, aka the person I’m most likely to get arrested with:

I’ve gotten A LOT of emails about her nursery since posting the name art.

You’re in luck, because she’s agreed to do a couple of posts to share the details with us! So, here’s Neighbor Jami!

Well, as some of you are already fully aware (and those who aren’t, surprise!!!) I am expecting! After having 3 boys and vowing to my husband, myself, and family and friends that I would NEVER be having more children. I gave in and am happy to be carrying the first, last and only daughter I will ever know!!! You can imagine my joy on finding out I was having a girl! Immediately I thought of all the wonderful things that will accompany having a girl: the shopping that will be taking place, money spent, hair bows, shoes, leggings, jewelry, dresses, lace, dolls, everything pink, just to name a few… and of course, let’s not forget the NURSERY!

Ahhh the blessed nursery. Within 2 days of finding out it was indeed a girl, my mind already conjured up brilliant plans for baby Lucy’s nursery. It has become quite the undertaking, but I must admit I love it! And of course I would never be able to produce my desired outcome without some major help from my talented friends and loved ones.

First, my amazing (and dead sexy) husband, James. He is my go to guy. I find I start a “simple” project that ends up being way more work than I had anticipated and then he lovingly steps in and finishes it for me. He is also amazing at building things I think of, that don’t exist, and “jimmy-rigging” thrift store finds so they are workable again. Besides all of these amazing things…he is a great husband and dad. I love him.

My husband, James (told ya he was dead-sexy)

Next, my pal, Char. Oh where would I be without this girl in my life? For how many times I call her for advice, opinions, directions, instructions, and to borrow just about everything, including her amazing input on craft ideas, I feel like I should be paying her a monthly fee! She has become my crafting comrade. Not only is she talented in all crafting areas, but she also provides some great comic relief to any scenario. We have had our fair share of fun crafting adventures, and fun “non-crafting” adventures. (Like the time we packed my van full of 6 boys all under the age of 6 so that I could double check a faulty pregnancy test with my doctor. But, hey…that is another story for another time).

She has been kind enough to help me out with Lucy’s nursery by helping me with some decor and also by taking on the huge project of sewing all her bedding and window dressings. I can’t wait to see them all finished and adorning Lucy’s room. It will be great!

Char and me, I feel, make a pretty good team. I feel confident enough to say that I can conjure up some pretty crafty ideas, but then to back it with brains… I am pretty much screwed.

Enter, Char.

The woman can figure anything out. Half the time she is explaining things to me I just have to nod my head and pretend to understand what she is saying just so I don’t look like a complete fool. What can I say? I am blonde, and I am a hairdresser, not a brilliant person like, Char. (no offense to hairdressers) we have our place in this world too. After all, we make people pretty! Can you imagine what an ugly place this world would be without us?

Okay, moving on…

I decided to use Jett’s old room for the nursery, because it already had bead board hanging on the lower half of the walls. I chose to re-paint the bead board using paint by Valspar called, “Craft-White”. Next, I rubbed a glaze in the creases to accent them using a tintable glaze by, Valspar. I cannot remember the color of paint I used to tint the glaze. I bought a light tan in a sample can that you can get for around $3.00 at Lowe’s.

DSC_0962-2 You can kind of see the bead board in this picture

Next came the upper half of the walls. I originally wanted this wallpaper by Amy Butler, since I love everything Amy Butler (I’d probably lick her toe jam, I love her so much) but then realized this was not going to be very practical considering the price! I’ll let you research that yourself, I don’t want to have you pass out in the middle of my post!

Bummed about the wallpaper, I called, Char and she mentioned these cool stencils. I liked the damask one myself, and I almost bought it even though it was a bit more than I’d like to spend. Then, on an outing to Hobby Lobby, I came across some wall stencils there and found a worthy comparison for only $16.99!!! I could handle that! So, I bought it. We primed and painted the upper wall using, “Baby Blush” by Valspar and then began stenciling, once the pink had dried.

For the stenciling, I wanted it very subtle, because it was a “busy” design. So I took the left over pink (1/4 gallon, give or take a few) and added the left over, “Craft-White” paint (1/2 gallon, give or take a few) to lighten it up. Next we followed the directions on the stencil and painted away. Over all the stenciling wasn’t too hard to do, just some prep work, and a lot of time, but fairly easy.

The stenciled wall. Remember, it is subtle, so look closely.

And here’s a digitally enhanced version of the same pic. The color is not that crazy in real life, I just wanted you to see the detail.

That’s it for the walls. Next up? Refinishing the furniture!

-Jami

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: DIY, guest post, home decor, Lucy's Nursery, paint

Office Door Makeover

March 23, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 11 Comments

***Don’t forget to enter to win Shelley’s awesome How to Slipcover DVD here!***

BC’s office is the only one in the building that has a window in the door. Nice, right? Not so much when EVERYONE in the place has to pass his office on their way to the bathroom. And they all like to peek in. I have it on good authority that he occasionally falls asleep at work, so he asked me to come up with some sort of window covering solution. Here’s what we came up with:

First, we “frosted” the glass on the inside of his office door using clear contact paper and Windex. There are a bunch of instructions floating around out there, so no tutorial on that, but the gist of it is that you spray both the window and the contact paper with Windex and then you smooth out the bubbles with a credit card and trim the edges with a razor blade.

The main limitation of this technique is that you can only “frost” stuff narrower than your contact paper. We had to make a seam. You can see it in this picture:

We put his name directly over the seam to camouflage that a bit.

Next, I imported the company logo into my Silhouette software and used the trace function. I found a copycat font and retyped the smaller lettering, because it did NOT trace well.

I used Silhouette premium vinyl and applied the logo on the outside of the glass.

And now he can sleep in peace!

MARCH SILHOUETTE PROMOTION:

Silhouette SD, one of each fabric interfacing (clean cut & sewable) and a roll of white flocked heat transfer material for $229.

If you already have a Silhouette and want to try out the interfacing, you can get 25% off.

The March promotion will run from the 21st through the 27th.

Code “CRAP” will let you take advantage of either of the deals.

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: DIY, makeovers, Silhouette, vinyl

Giveaway: How to Slipcover DVD

March 22, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 200 Comments

Once upon a time, when I had my 4th kid, I decided that I had some insane sewing skillz and that I was going to slipcover a chair for the nursery I bought a Jennylund chair from IKEA and a plain white slipcover ($29) to rip apart and use for pattern purposes. Then I spent approximately 5 hours carefully seam rippering (totally a word) the sucker apart and taking copious amounts of notes and pictures as I went so I could get it all back together correctly.

Disaster in the making? Eh…it actually turned out pretty great, probably because my mom was helping and talking me down from the crazy.

But when I posted about it, I said I probably wouldn’t do it again. And I didn’t. IKEA did. See?

What’s my point?

I suspect the experience wouldn’t have been nearly as traumatizing if I were Shelley.

Or even if I was still just me but I had put my cash towards her DVD instead of a slipcover to rip up and Happy Meals for the kids because I spent 5 hours with a seam ripper instead of cooking dinner for them.

Let’s take a look at some of Shelley’s awesomeness, shall we?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Have you got some ugly furniture that needs covering?

Great news, because Shelley is giving one lucky Crap I’ve Made reader a copy of her How to Slipcover DVD!

We’re going to keep this simple…

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment ON THIS POST (not on Facebook or in response to your email subscription) telling me which piece of furniture in your house needs a slipcover makeover the worst!

ADDITIONAL ENTRY:

Post a picture of said piece of furniture on the Crap I’ve Made Facebook page. Come back and leave an additional comment on this post saying that you did. I want to see just how badly you need this DVD! Winking smile

Giveaway will run until whenever I get up on Saturday morning.

Shelley is also giving away a copy of the DVD. Check out this post on her blog for details on that.

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Name Art + March Silhouette Promo

March 21, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 71 Comments

You’ve heard me talk about my insane neighbor Jami before, right? Hint: The Smelly Barn Adventure™. After 3 boys, Jami’s expecting her first girl, and I’m lucky enough to be sewing the bedding and helping her execute the awesome ideas she comes up with. (We joke that we’re going to buy land with a barn in the country and have sleep over craft retreats. She’ll come up with the ideas because she’s WAY more creative than me and I’ll figure out how to make them happen.)

Do you see that freaking amazing wall treatment? We’ll talk about that in a few days. After I posted the preview of this project on Facebook, I received several emails asking about how she painted the furniture. We’ll talk about that, too. Be patient. Today’s just the name art. Winking smile

Jami picked up a framed picture at the DI (thrift store) for a couple of dollars. She picked it based on the fact that the shape was good for spelling out a name. We pried the print out of the frame using butter knives and then flipped it over so that you couldn’t see the print through our white on white backing fabric. If your frame doesn’t have a print in it, you could cut some foam core or cardboard and accomplish the same thing. We applied the fabric to the print using spray adhesive.

We figured out what size we wanted our letters and cut a test run with the Silhouette on notebook paper. You could ABSOLUTELY do this project without a Silhouette, you’d just have to cut the letters by hand. And unless you named your kids something long (like Charlotte…thanks mom), it won’t take long.

Because I know people will ask, the fonts are:

L – Big Top
U – Mixed Up, it’s the capital U
C – Oliver
Y – BoyzRGross

Once we were happy with the size, we got out Silhouette’s new fabric interfacing. We used the clean cut (stronger adhesive, not machine sew-able) because this project isn’t going to need to be washed or handled and we wanted the stronger adhesive.

We applied it following the package directions and got cutting.

We had the Silhouette double cut the letters, just to be safe. Look how nicely it cut!

After we had all the letters cut, we positioned them on the backing fabric

and ironed them in place.

Then we folded the edges of the backing fabric around to the back and secured them in place (more spray adhesive).

Jami hot glued some jumbo ric rac along the groove in the frame.

And…

Then she called me back to say she’d hung it, so I went back for a couple more pictures.

(Thanks to our other fabulous neighbor, Decorator Wendy, this is where it’ll stay.)

MARCH SILHOUETTE PROMOTION:

Silhouette SD, one of each fabric interfacing (clean cut & sewable) and a roll of white flocked heat transfer material for $229.

If you already have a Silhouette and want to try out the interfacing, you can get 25% off.

The March promotion will run from the 21st through the 27th.

Code “CRAP” will let you take advantage of either of the deals.

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: fabric, home decor, Lucy's Nursery, Silhouette

Easter Mantel, with the Epic Letterpress

March 20, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 25 Comments

Remember how I mentioned that my Epic came without a cutting mat? One call to the folks at Lifestyle Crafts and they got one out to me ASAP! I decided to use the die cut feature to make this Easter banner. I printed the damask background that I showed you here on several squares. Then, I used a square die with rounded corners to fancy them up.

I used a circle die to cut pieces of white cardstock. The lettering is black vinyl I cut with my Silhouette. I only did this because my printer was out of ink. My initial plan was to print directly on the cardstock and then die cut around each letter.

The letters circles are attached to the damask backgrounds with glue dots. I punched holes and tied the squares together with ribbons. And then I used thumb tacks to attach them to the mantel. I’m classy like that.

The grass came from Hobby Lobby in sheets like this:

I cut them in half and laid them on top of the mantel. I used a little bit of that white tacky stuff that I cannot think of the name of right now to keep them from moving around.

The wreath details are here and the chick came from Pier 1. The carrots are from Shopko. The plastic white eggs are also from Hobby Lobby.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to pick up your own Epic 6 (letterpress/die cut machine from Lifestyle Crafts for 25% off. Use code “BLOGCRAP” to take advantage of the deal!

Check back tomorrow to see a fun project using Silhouette’s new fabric interfacing and to get the details on this month’s Silhouette promotion!

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: Epic, home decor, letterpress, mantel, paper, Pier1

I’ve created a monster

March 17, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 16 Comments

I was out with some friends last night. I got home well after bed time. Campbell was still up. “I need you to make me a shirt for Leprechaun Day.”

“Um, can’t you just wear something green from your closet?”

“No. I need you to make me one like for Valentine’s Day…with leaves on it.”

And since I’m a sucker…

I think I’m single handedly keeping the Tulip Soft Fabric Paint division in business.

Don’t even get me started on the part where I had to go to 2 stores this morning to find corned beef since it’s suddenly everyone’s favorite meal of the whole year. Winking smile

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: fabric paint, freezer paper, holiday, kids

More on the Epic Letterpress

March 16, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 12 Comments

I wanted to try something else (i.e. not a thank you card) with my letterpress. The printing plates that Lifestyle Crafts sent me were this set

and a wedding set, which I cannot find anywhere on their site.

I’m not actually getting married again, so I don’t need any “save the date” cards. I decided I’d rather print some stuff I could enjoy, even if that meant spending a little money (just keeping it real). My pal Lara (who also has the Epic) mentioned that Hobby Lobby had supplies, so I went to check them out with my 40% off coupon in hand.

The heavens parted and angels sang when I found ONE of this set on clearance:

I’m not sure what that was all about, because none of the other identical sets were marked down. SCORE! All the letterpress papers were 40% off, too. SCORE! So, I picked up a couple of different ink colors and came home to play.

There’s the plate all inked up and ready to go. It doesn’t look like it has enough ink, but it totally does. Putting much more than that will give you a design that bleeds.

I’m not sure if there’s a learning curve and I’m getting better or if the bigger plate is easier to work with (although way way WAY harder to crank through the machine). Maybe it’s a combination of the two? Look how awesome the damask pattern prints!

If you look really closely you can see how the printed part is actually indented. LOVE that.

And I did the same thing in a couple more colors:

I took this shot to show you that the ink color on the label is a very accurate representation of the print color. You can also mix ink colors to get a custom shade. I haven’t gotten brave enough for that yet…

So, what am I going to do with all that damask-y goodness?

Stay tuned.

And remember that if you’re interested in picking up your own Epic and/or supplies, Lifestyle Crafts is offering all Crap I’ve Made readers 25% off through March 20th using code “BLOGCRAP”.

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: Epic, letterpress

Spring Wreath

March 15, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 12 Comments

This week is a little post heavy, I know. If you hate posts, I apologize. Winking smile

In addition to 3 posts here yesterday (Epic letterpress, Spring at Pier 1, and winner of the GiftCardRescue giveaway), I also did a guest post on the blog for Abode, a local consignment store. I talk about my love affair with shutters. I know a bunch of you have asked about the ones above my fireplace, so head on over to the Abode blog to check that out, if you’re so inclined.

****************

So, I mentioned that I got a couple of things for myself at Pier 1. I could not resist these mossy bunnies:

I picked up a grapevine wreath at the craft store along with some faux forsythia. That’s fun to say, no? And, I already had some hilariously awesome fake carrots. I don’t know what they’re made out of, but I got them at Shopko in a bundle.

I put it all together and came up with this:

I also found this chick at Pier 1:

The current state of my spring mantel:

It still needs a little somethin’ somethin’, but I’ve got time. Spring doesn’t start until Saturday, right?

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: home decor, mantel, Pier1

GiftCardRescue Winner

March 14, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 1 Comment

First up, this is the LAST CALL For Lisa and Kelly to claim their LUCKY pillow patterns. I’m drawing new winners tomorrow (Tuesday).

The winner of the $50 credit to GiftCardRescue is:

#82, aka Ms Mae!

Shoot me an email to [email protected] to claim your prize.

Thanks to GiftCardRescue for the giveaway!

Please follow and like us:

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Is it Spring yet?

March 14, 2011 By Char @ Crap I've Made 13 Comments

This post brought to you by Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know that the official first day of Spring is next weekend? Does it feel like it in your neck of the woods? We had more snow last week. I’m over it. I’m ready for Spring.

So, I put on some Spring-y shoes

and I headed to Pier 1.

See that ice melt residue on the sidewalk? Told you it’s still yucky here! It’s definitely Spring in Pier 1, though.

See?

Let’s take a closer look at that pillow (on another chair):

THAT, my friends, is outdoor fabric. And because I didn’t believe the tag, I manhandled it just to make sure. Awesome. Put it on your couch so you can enjoy it all the time and then take it outside when you’re barbecuing to show the neighbors just how fancy you are! Plus, it’ll smell like meat when you bring it back indoors!

The other indoor/outdoor thing that blew my mind? This rug:

It’s so pretty I don’t think I could stand to take it outside.

Are you ready to celebrate the official start of Spring next weekend? Pier 1’s got a special in-store offer to help you do just that. Sign up for the Pier 1 Outdoor newsletter to get the scoop.