DIY: Vintage Step Stool Chair

Almost a year ago, I found this chair on the side of the road. I swiftly turned around and stuffed the dirty thing in my trunk. I set it in the garage for a few months and kept debating whether or not it was worth fixing up because it was so dirty and rusted. While working on another project, we used a palm sander to sand the top of the chair and it came out so nicely that I knew we had to keep it! So I went and got paint and a butt load of painters tape and this beauty was born!

The first two pictures are from before we did anything but wipe it down a little bit. Then we used a wire brush attachment on the end of a power drill to get all the rust off the chair. This took some time, because there was a lot of rust! Then we used some enamel primer to paint a few coats on top of the seat because it was the most damaged part of the chair.

I spent probably an hour putting tape on this thing, it was so aggravating! But I wanted to make this thing beautiful, so I made sure to do a good job taping it up. Afterward, I took it outside and put two coats of red glossy spray paint, letting it dry between coats. I think it looks perfect in Levi's room!

DIY: Quilt Rack Makeover

Months before I even found out I was pregnant, I found this dingy little quilt rack at a thrift store for five dollars. It was rusted and beat up, but I just knew it had potential. When I found out I was pregnant and was reminded of my purchase, I knew it was time for the makeover! This project cost me a total of $9.

 before

First, I easily took it apart and sanded the rust off.

Then I put it back together, and made sure to tape off the feet with painters tape.

Then I used glossy white enamel spray paint, which was four dollars at Lowe's. I left it in the garage to dry overnight. Actually, it was left to dry for about two weeks until I finally took the tape off and got the final result pictures! Haha. 

I love how it turned out! My mom also made the quilt that is sitting on the rack for Levi's nursery! It's super awesome and I'm in love with the bold red border on it. I'll get a better picture of the quilt and show it off real soon! ;)

DIY: Painted Baby Onesies

I bought a 4-pack of onesies a few weeks ago and recently got a chance to put some color on them and thought I would share! This was such a simple project to complete.

You will need:

Onesies

Paint

Cardboard or thick material

Optional:

Stencils

Circular sponges

I used a tie stencil on one of them and a circular sponge for one. For the triangle print, I freehanded the triangles with an angled paintbrush.

So easy! These took just a few minutes to complete and I think they're super adorable.

DIY: Heart String Garland w/ Paint Samples

Since Valentine's Day is only a week away, I thought I'd share a cute and simple DIY tutorial on making a cheap heart garland! The cost to me was absolutely free, because I already had the paint samples and scrapbook paper. :) I'm pissed though, 'cause I took these pictures of the setup afterward and really enjoyed them, but Blogger is doing that stupid thing where the pictures show up really low-res and look awful! So we'll just have to deal with that... 

1// Gather your supplies. I used some leftover paint samples and scrapbook paper.

2// Make a stencil and trace it onto your paper.

3// Cut out your shapes and line them up to sew.

4// Sew them up!

Such a simple project that took about 20 minutes, and it was adorable! I plan on making a bigger one for when we have a housewarming party sometime in the near future! :)

DIY: Rockabilly Wire Headband

** I seem to be getting a ton of page views from Pinterest for this DIY tutorial. I just wanted to put it out there that I also post other DIY tutorials on my blog, along with my adventures in thrifting, crafting, and style! If you're interested in seeing this, just follow my blog by clicking "Join this site" on the right hand side of the page or clicking the "f" button under my picture to see my posts on your Facebook feed! :) **

You will need:

measuring tape

1/4 yard of fabric (cotton works best)

scissors and/or rotary cutter

craft wire

needle and thread (sewing machine optional!)

______________

1// Measure around your head. My head measured 21", and I added an extra 8" for the ends of the headband.

2// Cut your fabric. My length was 29" (see above) and I cut mine to be 6" wide.

3// Fold your fabric in half, hot dog style, to be 3" wide. The first picture shows the bright blue side, but make sure that the wrong sides are facing each other as they are in picture two.

4// Cut off the corners on each end. I rounded mine a bit.

5// Now start at one end, and sew the headband up. Make sure to leave about 1.5" opening to pull your fabric though! You can see in the third picture that there's a little gap left open.

6// Now gather up the fabric and turn right side out. I did it kinda like you would a long, skinny sock!

7// Cut your craft wire to be 1.5" longer than your fabric. Mine was 30.5" long. Bend a loop on each end.

8// Now stick the wire all the way through the fabric. I used a pin to keep the loop in place. Do this!

9// Sew the opening closed. I was lazy and didn't use matching thread. :)

10// From step 8, take a needle and thread and sew a few stitches to keep your wire loop in its place so that it doesn't come loose after multiple wears. This trick really helps!

This was so easy to make; it literally took me 10 minutes! I will definitely be making more!

DIY: Textured Vases

Today I'm sharing a really simple tutorial on making over plain vases! These would look great in any color, but I love the look of white milk glass so that's what I was going for here. I went to the thrift store and bought four vases for about $2. This DIY costs less than $10!

You will need:

Vases

Puffy paint

Matte spray paint

You can google search vase designs, but I just don't have a very steady hand so I went with simple patterns! Use your paint bottle and carefully apply your design.

Wait for it to dry completely, then take them outside and spray them.

We had an unusually sunny day, so I let them sit outside for a few hours. And you're done! I planned on this being a two step process, adding in some real branches with leaves made out of various colored paint chips but I've been a real slacker lately. Maybe that will be my next tutorial!

I've had a hard time blogging this week, because I really haven't been in the best state of mind. Things are getting a lot harder than I had imagined, and there's really not much I could have done to prepare for it. I still haven't fully started my job and that's another thing bothering me, but I'm trying to stay positive and find things to look forward to... Such as Riot Fest in Chicago! I'd like to get some people together and make a trip out of it, but we'll see how that goes. If you're interested in being picked up, send me an email!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

DIY Kindle Case

Today I have a tutorial for you guys! Last week, I made a felt case for my Kindle and I love it. I already had a hard cover for it, but I thought I'd make something a little prettier in an attempt to pick it up more often. This tutorial is very simple and doesn't require a sewing machine.

Materials needed:

Piece of felt 14'' long and 8.5" wide

Needle and thread

Two buttons

Embroidery floss

Scissors

First, you're going to lay your Kindle on top of the felt, and make sure that you have about 2 inches of leftover material after folding felt over the Kindle.

You can use a pin to hold the felt in place, but I didn't. I sewed by hand up the sides of the felt.

After completing the other side, your case should look like this:

Sew your buttons on. I was going to use matching buttons but since my case was black, I decided to tacky it up a bit and use mismatching ones! After sewing them in place, take your embroidery floss and tie a double knot to the top button.

Then wrap the floss around the buttons until secure. And you're done!

*This post was inspired by a DIY iPad case from Oh So Lovely, but adapted to my own style and measurements.*

If you decide to make one, I'd love to see! Just link to your post/pictures in the comments. :)