Wednesday, December 12, 2012

You've got a hold on me


Hi.  I’m Katie and I’m addicted to pinterest….and painting….and decorating…and chocolate…and all things Christmas….and…wait, what was this post about?  Oh yeah, pinterest.  Have I mentioned I love it?  Well on one of my recent binges I spied a front door that had me at “hello.” I know what you’re thinking…didn’t she just paint her front doors and mailbox yellow?  Why yes, yes I did.  It was a year ago.  Sure, that's long enough to wait before repainting, right? I’ll admit, I change paint colors in my home as often as most women change nail polish, hair color, pocket books…yes, we all have our own guilty pleasures, don’t we?   So without further ado, here is a “before” picture of our front doors and mailbox:


And here are a few snaps now, with Benjamin Moore’s “Wythe blue” 




Swoon. I might be in love.  Have you been on any pinterest binges lately?  Did you get inspired to make any changes in your home?  I’d love to hear what you’re doing!  Let’s chat.  

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tufted Table and ebay

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve been a busy bee over here the last few weeks…and the “awkward entry” is coming right along. The first project I’m going to share is the coffee table makeover. Anyone with kids will probably agree, coffee tables and corners are big “no-no’s” when you have toddling heads….a perfect excuse opportunity for me to give “tufting” a try.
  


Here is the coffee table before the makeover:







And here it is now:





If you'd like to give this a try, here are the tools you’ll need:

1. Drill
2. Button kit
3. Yarn
4. Long needle
5. Duct tape
6. Fabric
7. Batting, foam, or just an old puff you have laying around (which is what I used!)
8. Staple gun
9. Paint (optional)
 
 
First, choose where you want the buttons to go to make each tuft. For this project I decided to make five buttons and evenly spaced them out.  I marked an “x” with pencil on the top of the table, then had my hubby drill each hole. (If you’re going to paint your piece, now would be a good time to do it).  I decided to paint the base white and give it a tone on tone look with a soft gray (Behr's silver screen left over from the painted wallpaper project)on the drawers.

 
 
 
Now place your stuffing (I used an old blanket that my Grammy thrifted—thanks GiGi!) over the table and cut it so it doesn’t overhang.




Find where the holes are under the stuffing and cut holes through the blanket/stuffing/foam whathaveyou. I cut five long pieces of yarn and tied knots through the holes to easily find them when putting the buttons on through the fabric.

 
Now, take your button kit, cut out circles of fabric and follow the instructions on the kit to make each button...like so:








 
Cut a long piece of yarn, and thread it with a long needle through the button, top of the fabric, batting, and all the way down through the hole. (I used yarn that I already had, but you can buy specific tufting thread if you prefer.) Now, tie a knot, and I used duct tape to secure the yarn under the table. You will want to tie the other buttons to this later. Repeat this step until you’ve got all of your buttons secure. 



 
Now take your staple gun and staple the fabric all around the table. I used a little pillow stuffing around the edges and corners just to be extra careful. (I’ve passed a klutzy gene on to my daughter and probably my son too). 
 
I wanted to give this table a little glitz so I shopped around for glass knobs. I quickly discovered that they aren’t cheap, and I really wanted to keep cost down on this remake. So, when I stumbled upon a batch of 10 for $8.99 on ebay I was sold. I'd never purchased anything on ebay before, but boy would I do it again in a heartbeat!  What a great experience!  It was one of those “buy it now” options with free shipping to boot!  10 days or so later they arrived on my doorstep...and they were totally worth the wait! I love them. They add just a touch of sparkle:

I’m in love. I hope this post inspires you to give an old piece of furniture new life somehow…and if it does, I’d love to hear what you’re doing! As for now, I’m off to make cookies with my little goobers…’tis the season! Check back in to see what else got a makeover in the awkward space!