Goodwill Stools Makeover

I love finding a hidden gem among the trash.  That's why I love browsing at Goodwill stores and thrift stores.  You never know what you might find.  We had been looking for a new set of stools for our kitchen counter.  We were looking for backless stools because our space is kind of limited.

However, when I saw these beauties, I couldn't pass them up.  Ok, so they needed some work, but you could tell they were well made by just the weight and feel of them.  The wood was in good shape, they rotated well, and they were very sturdy.  For just $10 each, it was a deal I couldn't resist.

The seat cushions had definitely seen better days though.  There was quite a variety of paint colors and dirt.  Someone may have taken a marker to them as well.  The wood was easily cleaned with a magic eraser sponge, but we decided to just recover the seats.

I found our material at JoAnn's in the home decor section.  It's from the HGTV Home collection, called Turtle Shell.  I love the bright colors and geometric print.  I was able to get enough fabric by purchasing 3/4 of a yard.  With my coupon, I was able to get the fabric for around $15.  This brought our project total to $35 for two stools.  This is less than half the price you would pay for just one new stool.  After unscrewing the stool cushions from the stools, I unattached the black back fabric.  Position your fabric in place on the top of your stool cushion.  Be sure to center any design if your fabric has one.

Fold your fabric under on one side and staple in place around the edge.  Stretch the fabric to the opposite side of the stool and staple in place.  Now staple the other two sides, stapling a few staples on what would be the four sides.  Now pull and position your fabric evenly between these four "sides" and staple the rest of the fabric in place on the bottom of the stool seat.

Trim the excess material.  Replace your black cover fabric and attach it in place with staples around the outside edge.  Screw the seat back to your stool base.

I was very pleased with how these stools turned out.  They are the perfect pop of color for our kitchen.  Off to do a little more treasure hunting!

Linking to:

Tatertots and Jello

No Sew Fabric Covered Stool

We had spent many trips to all the different fabric stores hunting for peacock themed fabric.  Even before that, we had already searched all the department stores, discount stores, and everywhere else we could think of for anything peacock.  We were able to find pictures for the walls and a couple of pillows, but no blankets or comforters or other accessories for a bedroom.  For my daughter's tenth birthday, we had promised her she could have her own room.  She chose a peacock theme based on her favorite colors.  I didn't realized peacock items would be so hard to find since they seemed to be gaining popularity.  What we decided to do was go with a solid color teal comforter and add peacock details.  I finally found this blue and teal peacock feather fabric at my local fabric store.  It just happened to be 50% off too!  I bought a yard of the home décor fabric for these Fabric Covered Stools and a couple of yards in the regular fabric to make some other coordinating projects. I'll share those with you soon!

We have two of these faux leather stools and they have been in our house for some time.  They started off in our family room as ottomans.  After they started to show some wear, we moved them into the girls' playroom for them to use as stools and for storage.  Now they are even more worn and could really use an update. You can see that they are missing some buttons and there are some cracks in the material.  The bottom pieces of the stools were okay, so we decided to just cover the stool lids.

The bottom of our stool lid had a fabric cover.  I removed this carefully so that I could reuse it after I changed the top fabric. I also cut off the remaining buttons on the top of the stool lid.  The rest looked okay, so I decided to just add my fabric over the existing leather cover.  I was hoping this would make the lid more durable and protect my fabric from rubbing on the rough wood edges of the lid base.

Lay your fabric with right side down.  Lay a piece of batting on top of your fabric and then place your stool lid on top.  Your fabric should be large enough that the sides can be folded around the edges of your lid and stapled in place.

Starting in the middle of one side, fold up your fabric and batting, and staple in place.  Continue stapling, moving to the sides.  Next you will do the same on the opposite side of your lid.  Be sure to pull your fabric tight and again start stapling in the middle and work your way out. 

Do the same thing for each of the other two sides, being sure to pull the fabric tight and always starting in the middle and working your way out. 

 

I left my corners for the end.  Trim any extra material.  Fold your fabric, so that you can get it the flattest.  I stapled my edges almost all the way to the corner and then pulled the very corner piece straight in, stapling it in place. Trim the excess fabric all the way around.

 

Reattach your fabric covering to the bottom.  If yours isn't usable, you can leave it without one.  If you would like, you can cut a piece of fabric the same size as your lid.  Fold under the edges all the way around and iron them back.  Now use this piece to cover your lid bottom by stapling in place.

The peacock fabric covered lids gave these stools new life.  They are perfect for seating or storage at the end of our daughter's bed.  I love that we got to recycle, renew, and save money with these Fabric Covered Stools!

Placemat Colored Pencil Roll Up

Does anyone else decide to start a birthday gift craft 30 minutes before heading out the door for the party?  I hope not, because it is not a good idea!  That's me though.  My daughter was invited to a birthday party for her friend.  We knew she liked art since they were in the same art club together after school.  Plus the party was going to be at a pot painting studio.  We decided to get her a tote filled with a journal, photo album, and lots of art supplies.  We picked out some crayons with a case to keep them in, a box of markers, and a box of colored pencils.  I liked that the crayons had their own decorative box, but at the last minute I decided that the pencil and marker case were just too boring to send in their cardboard boxes.  I started to raid my craft supplies to see what we could create.

I had created a Vera Bradley Marker Roll Up from a Vera Bradley placemat for a teacher gift in the past.  I had a blue polka dot placemat that I had picked up from the dollar store.  It was perfect to create a roll up for the colored pencils.  Check out my tutorial on how to make this easy roll up.  So cute and easy.  Good thing it was quick too!  Definitely cuter than the cardboard box.

I figured I had about two more minutes until it was time to go, so I had plenty of time to whip up this felt marker holder.  I used two rectangles of felt.  Make your first rectangle shorter than your markers and your second piece the same width, but long enough to fold a flap over the front.  I really wished I had time to sew on a piece of ribbon and a button to create a closure, but we were late enough as it was.  Next time I will be sure to give myself more time and start at least 45 minutes before it's time to go!

Embroidered Felt Bookmark Teacher's Gift

If your kids are in school, you probably know that this is Teacher Appreciation Week.  I'm always trying to think of cute and easy gift ideas to make that teacher's may actually use.  I usually do a little gift during this week and look for something bigger for the end of the year.  The class typically puts together a gift basket from the whole class, but it is nice to have something little for my daughters to present themselves along with their homemade cards.  This year we decided to make our favorite teachers embroidered felt bookmarks!

If you are good at that kind of thing, you can hand embroider whatever design you would like.  I decided to take advantage of my sewing machine's under used specialty stitch feature and machine embroidered our teachers' names.  I really want to find more uses for these specialty stitches.  They can be so much fun!

I then cut out the embroidered section with pinking shears to give it a more decorative look.  I cut out a second piece of felt that was slightly larger than the first piece in a contrasting color.

I slipped in a folded piece of matching ribbon to one end of my bookmark and pinned it in place.  Finally I stitched around the edge of my smaller felt piece, sewing the two pieces together and securing the ribbon in place.  Your embroidered felt bookmark is ready to hold your place.  These felt bookmarks are great for package toppers or as party favors.  Show your favorite teacher just how much you appreciate her with this Embroidered Felt Bookmark!

 

 

 

 

Bling your own Cell Phone Case

I recently got a new phone.  It was way overdue.  The rollerball on my old Blackberry only worked half the time and I've definitely had it way over two years.  So the hubby and I both picked out the iPhone.  He got the black one and I got white.  I've loved it!  Now I'm just nervous to have anything happen to it!  My hubby is pretty tough on his phone, so he got a Lifeproof case.  I wanted something a bit cuter.  I think I'm going to pick out one of the Otterbox cases that you can get personalized.  Until I make up my mind on one of the cute patterns, I had to find a case to use in the meantime.

I found this plain white case at Ross for only $5.  I wanted a white case since I got the white phone.  But it was a bit too plain and boring.  I found this cute pendant in the jewelry section of JoAnn's for just a few dollars. 

The pendant had a small little loop on it to attach it to a necklace.  It was easily trimmed off with scissors.  Then I simply used e6000 adhesive to glue the pendant to the back of my phone case.  Hold in place until it is set.  I set a heavy book on top of it until it dried.  Be sure to take your phone out of the case if you do this.  After your case is dry, it is ready to protect your phone. 

There are a ton of items you can use to decorate your case.  Just to name a few: pendants, buttons, beads, lace, doilies, burlap or other material, scrapbook paper, jewels, peacock or any feathers, ribbon, washi tape, beads, glitter, or even photos.  What inspires you?  I may have to pick up a few more cheap cases just to try out some of these ideas!  Different cases for different outfits of course.  Have fun!

Spring Flower Pens

I love these Flower Pens.  Aren't they just so cute and whimsical?  Writing is just more fun if you have a flower pen. 

Pair it with a custom journal and you have the perfect gift!  It's great for Mother's Day or for your favorite teacher.

You will need an artificial flower with a stem, floral stem tape, and pens.  You will want to have the pens with caps since they are much easier to add a flower to. 

Cut your flower stem so that it is about 2-3 inches long.  Starting at the writing tip of the pen, wrap your floral tape around your pen.  Pull the tape slightly as you wrap so that it will adhere to itself.  Overlap the edges of your tape, turning your pen as you move the tape.  I held the tape roll between my knees, leaving my hands free to turn the pen. 

After wrapping up the pen a bit you will line your flower stem up next to your pen, placing your flower even with the top edge.  Keep twisting the tape around your pen, now incorporating your stem so that it gets taped in place.  Continue until you have wrapped the entire length.  Trim your tape.

Your tape may make your pen feel sticky.  To help with this, pour a small amount of baby powder in your hand.  It's best to do this over a sink.  Turn the pen in your hand coating it with the powder.  Rub the extra powder off with a towel.

Your pen is now ready to write with.  Whether you're writing a letter or just jotting down a list of groceries, this Flower Pen will make any task more fun!