Love it! One night, WAY less than $20, easy-peasy, and so fun to customize. Of course, you can put your letters in any room and color them in any way. What a great gift idea, too! Where have you used monograms in home decor or gift giving?
Showing posts with label Home Decor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home Decor. Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
Project #16: Make a Monogram Wall Hanging
Perhaps you noticed back in this post another living room accessory lurking in the wings. Well, maybe not lurking. After all, it is dead center in my new series of pictures on my living room wall.
It's my new monogram wall hanging. Of course, monograms in home decorating is nothing new, and perhaps scattering words or letters in the midst of wall art isn't either. But this is a thrifty monogram. I picked up this letter for a mere dollar (thanks, Hobby Lobby!), and then I used my collection of acrylic craft paints to customize it. Of course, I wanted it to match/blend in with my wall o' frames, so I went black, but then I mixed up a custom gold color to add accents and then brush on an "antiquing" layer to give it a slightly aged look. This one's pretty simple, guys, so there's no step-by-step instructions, except for these: purchase, paint, hang. Done. But in case you're wanting to see close-ups of how I got there, here are some more pictures.
Love it! One night, WAY less than $20, easy-peasy, and so fun to customize. Of course, you can put your letters in any room and color them in any way. What a great gift idea, too! Where have you used monograms in home decor or gift giving?
Love it! One night, WAY less than $20, easy-peasy, and so fun to customize. Of course, you can put your letters in any room and color them in any way. What a great gift idea, too! Where have you used monograms in home decor or gift giving?
Friday, February 4, 2011
Project #15: Sew Decorative Pillow Covers
If you looked carefully in this previous post, you may have spied a new addition to my living room. There are more, and they were so easy! My $5 Kirkland's clearance pillows had seen their better days and were desperately needing replacement. I was looking for something that matched the rest of my decor a little better and was a little more trendy than just a solid color. I really wanted a print. So when Jo-Ann's recently had all of their home decor fabric on sale for 50% off, I jumped at the opportunity to peruse their fabric selection. Luckily, I found some great stripe and floral prints that worked just perfectly with my colors.
And that was no easy feat, considering I didn't have any swatches with me. In fact, this decision took a long time because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to go with--duo tones, tone on tones, or multi-tone prints. In the end, I'm quite satisfied with my multi-colored choices, and even happier with the prices. The material came in at $5 per yard on sale, and each yard made TWO pillows. I also had an extra percent-off coupon on top of this, so I was practically giddy over my deal.
Here's how I made FOUR new pillow covers for under $10!
Materials:
Level: Easy
Time: One Night
Instructions:
There are no buttons or "sealers" on this project, so it's extremely easy to construct. I got on a roll and made all four pillows in just under an hour. My husband was even impressed with my time! Find a good deal on your fabric, and I promise you'll start thinking about having pillow covers for different seasons. Don't pillows make all the difference when changing the mood of a room?
And that was no easy feat, considering I didn't have any swatches with me. In fact, this decision took a long time because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to go with--duo tones, tone on tones, or multi-tone prints. In the end, I'm quite satisfied with my multi-colored choices, and even happier with the prices. The material came in at $5 per yard on sale, and each yard made TWO pillows. I also had an extra percent-off coupon on top of this, so I was practically giddy over my deal.
Here's how I made FOUR new pillow covers for under $10!
Sew Easy Pillow Covers
Materials:
- 1/2 yard 45"-wide fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Sewing machine
- Iron and board
Level: Easy
Time: One Night
Instructions:
- Cut the fabric into an even 18" strip.
- Cut the strip of fabric into one 18" square (pillow cover front), and two 15"x18" rectangles (pillow cover back. If you are a few inches short on your fabric, you could make 14"- or 13"-wide rectangles, too.
- Fold back approximately 4" of fabric along one edge of each cover back, so that you end up with two 11"x18" rectangles.
- Place pillow cover front on flat surface, with right side of fabric up.
- Place each cover back on the front, with right side of fabric down. Note that the backs will overlap so as to create a pocket for your pillow form.
- Pin around edges.
- Stitch a 1/2" seam around all edges.
- Turn cover inside out and press seams out, especially in corners.
- Finish by inserting an old pillow or pillow form (18").
There are no buttons or "sealers" on this project, so it's extremely easy to construct. I got on a roll and made all four pillows in just under an hour. My husband was even impressed with my time! Find a good deal on your fabric, and I promise you'll start thinking about having pillow covers for different seasons. Don't pillows make all the difference when changing the mood of a room?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Project #14: Hang a Wall of Frames
When we moved into this house, I wasn't really blessed with a lot of time to decorate. Strike that. I didn't take the time to strategize how to decorate or to buy things that necessarily fit the house. (Comes with the territory when your on a tight money and time budget!)
So last year, I decided that the blank wall above the overstuffed chair in the den would be a great place to display some family photos. We really don't have a good place in our home, like a table top or other sort of display, to show off our darling dear ones, so this seemed like a sensible solution. I looked into getting some shelving to go along the wall but was overwhelmed by the high prices. It's just a strip of wood attached to the wall, right? Why on earth should it cost so much? Plus, I didn't have a lot of frames, so add in the cost of uniformly colored and matted frames, and this was going to be a budget drainer. Back to the drawing board.
I went through the small collection of frames we already had and found all the black ones. That was a start. Then I received a couple of frames for Christmas. After finding all the pictures I wanted to display, I finished off my framing at Walmart, where you can buy a matted 8x10 frame (for a 5x7 photo) or a matted 5x7 frame (for a 3x5 photo) for $3 each. Not bad. I wasn't as concerned about the frames not being the same style, so long as they were black with white mats.
After creating a general layout on the floor, I began hanging the frames with common picture-hanging hooks one by one, and I came up with this:
The problem now is that it's a little hard to expand the collection easily. Sure, you can just branch out and add another frame, but after a few additions, I realized that you have to be strategic in each of your placements. The other problem is that I scraped up the wall when hanging the frames, so there are lots of black scuffs on the wall surrounding the pictures and in between them. I also decided that I would have liked them spaced a little farther apart. And also, I noticed that when people walked by heavy-footed or bumped a chair against the wall, some of the pictures would shift. I was constantly having to adjust the frames so that it didn't look like we lived in the Haunted Mansion at Disney World:
Well, the other day, my husband came home and asked if I'd seen the 3M Picture Hanging Strips, and he wondered if they'd be a good option for remounting our picture wall. With a few newly acquired pictures to hang, I was in!
I checked out the strips at the store and found that they were rated for different sizes/weights of frames. I purchased several "value" packs of size small and medium because our frames are rather light and fairly small. This was really the only cost, because I had all the other supplies on hand. It took me two nights because I had to let the paint dry, but it was very easy. Here's how I dismantled the old wall of frames and put up the new one:
(There are two other projects in this picture...stay tuned for details!)
What's especially handy about this is that I can easily remove these frames and rearrange them without damaging the wall. So essentially I could have a different pattern every week if I wanted to! (I'm sure the 3M company would love me buying all those refill strips!) But, if I ever decide I want to do something completely different with the decor here, I can easily do so without disrupting any of the wall. Lesson learned! Plus, there's still plenty of room for more frames. I like it.
What about you? How have you creatively displayed your familiy photos? Have you ever used these 3M strips? Got any creative suggestions for making your arrangement truly unique?
So last year, I decided that the blank wall above the overstuffed chair in the den would be a great place to display some family photos. We really don't have a good place in our home, like a table top or other sort of display, to show off our darling dear ones, so this seemed like a sensible solution. I looked into getting some shelving to go along the wall but was overwhelmed by the high prices. It's just a strip of wood attached to the wall, right? Why on earth should it cost so much? Plus, I didn't have a lot of frames, so add in the cost of uniformly colored and matted frames, and this was going to be a budget drainer. Back to the drawing board.
I went through the small collection of frames we already had and found all the black ones. That was a start. Then I received a couple of frames for Christmas. After finding all the pictures I wanted to display, I finished off my framing at Walmart, where you can buy a matted 8x10 frame (for a 5x7 photo) or a matted 5x7 frame (for a 3x5 photo) for $3 each. Not bad. I wasn't as concerned about the frames not being the same style, so long as they were black with white mats.
After creating a general layout on the floor, I began hanging the frames with common picture-hanging hooks one by one, and I came up with this:
The problem now is that it's a little hard to expand the collection easily. Sure, you can just branch out and add another frame, but after a few additions, I realized that you have to be strategic in each of your placements. The other problem is that I scraped up the wall when hanging the frames, so there are lots of black scuffs on the wall surrounding the pictures and in between them. I also decided that I would have liked them spaced a little farther apart. And also, I noticed that when people walked by heavy-footed or bumped a chair against the wall, some of the pictures would shift. I was constantly having to adjust the frames so that it didn't look like we lived in the Haunted Mansion at Disney World:
Well, the other day, my husband came home and asked if I'd seen the 3M Picture Hanging Strips, and he wondered if they'd be a good option for remounting our picture wall. With a few newly acquired pictures to hang, I was in!
I checked out the strips at the store and found that they were rated for different sizes/weights of frames. I purchased several "value" packs of size small and medium because our frames are rather light and fairly small. This was really the only cost, because I had all the other supplies on hand. It took me two nights because I had to let the paint dry, but it was very easy. Here's how I dismantled the old wall of frames and put up the new one:
Hang a Wall of Frames
Materials:
- Framed pictures or memorabilia
- Fine finishing sanding block
- Drywall repair tools and supplies (if needed)
- Paint and supplies (if needed)
- 3M Picture Hanging Strips (sized appropriate to your hangings)
Cost: Under $20
Time: Two Nights
Skill Level: Easy
Instructions:
- Remove all items from the wall. I found lots of scrapes, scuffs, and holes!
- Patch the holes with drywall tools. I could only find my wood putty at the time and not my drywall patch (which would have worked better), but I decided to go with what I had. Allow to dry/set.
- After filling the holes, use the sanding blocks to even out the wall surface.
- Using a paint roller, reapply paint to the repaired area. Allow to dry.
- Choose the appropriate 3M Picture Hanging Strips for each picture and afix to the back of each frame. Note that different size strips are rated for different frame weights. For instance, there are small strips that seem to be weighted for about 1 lb. each. Add two strips to hold a 2-lb. picture, etc. Medium strips seem to be weighted for 3 lbs. Check the back of your package for quantity and configuration suggestions. We got away with 1-2 small or large strips per frame. Not bad!
- Lay out the frames on a table or the floor to create a pattern for your hangings. I tried to align two edges of every picture frame with another frame. This gave me an organized, but not an overly symmetrical, matchy-matchy layout. I think it was a good strategy to adopt.
- One by one, afix the frames to the wall using the 3M strips according to manufacturer's instructions. I will say that you need to separate EACH STRIP before afixing it to the frame. If you just fold a pair of strips along the perforated line, then you won't be able to easily pull the frame off the wall once it's mounted.
Here's what I ended up with:
(There are two other projects in this picture...stay tuned for details!)
What's especially handy about this is that I can easily remove these frames and rearrange them without damaging the wall. So essentially I could have a different pattern every week if I wanted to! (I'm sure the 3M company would love me buying all those refill strips!) But, if I ever decide I want to do something completely different with the decor here, I can easily do so without disrupting any of the wall. Lesson learned! Plus, there's still plenty of room for more frames. I like it.
What about you? How have you creatively displayed your familiy photos? Have you ever used these 3M strips? Got any creative suggestions for making your arrangement truly unique?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Project #12: Sew Christmas Stockings
Whew! It's been a while! I nearly panicked when I saw how long it had been since my last post. Luckily, I've been busy working, working, working over the holidays and have plenty of ideas to share with you over the next few weeks. Once Christmas passes, there should be a few more home improvement and building projects, but with all the gift-giving and holiday home decorating going on, I figured you'd want that stuff pronto!
Last week I finally got around to decorating my mantel. I felt inspired by a few left-over blue glass balls from an old crafts project, so I decided to go with a blue, silver, and white theme this year. I'm really liking it, but my stockings aren't so coordinated. I have a couple of Dollar Store green ones, a couple of red furry clearance ones from Macy's (which aren't big enough to hold anything it seems), and a single white one that served as a gift wrap at one time. Not exactly cream of the crop when coodinating with my new mantel scheme.
I've always thought that one day I'd have personalized stockings for our family, but there was no point in investing in them before I had children or a more "permanent" home. Well, now that we have one little one and another on the way, the time has come to finally get Christmas stockings, I decided. Plus, JoAnn's was having one heck of a sale this past weekend (including an extra 20% off my entire purchse). So I snagged plenty of fabric, some fur, some beaded trim, and went to it. I do believe that this is the fastest turnaround any of my sewing projects has ever seen: I actually bought fabric one afternoon and finished the project that night. Unbelievable! Here's how easy it was.
Last week I finally got around to decorating my mantel. I felt inspired by a few left-over blue glass balls from an old crafts project, so I decided to go with a blue, silver, and white theme this year. I'm really liking it, but my stockings aren't so coordinated. I have a couple of Dollar Store green ones, a couple of red furry clearance ones from Macy's (which aren't big enough to hold anything it seems), and a single white one that served as a gift wrap at one time. Not exactly cream of the crop when coodinating with my new mantel scheme.
I've always thought that one day I'd have personalized stockings for our family, but there was no point in investing in them before I had children or a more "permanent" home. Well, now that we have one little one and another on the way, the time has come to finally get Christmas stockings, I decided. Plus, JoAnn's was having one heck of a sale this past weekend (including an extra 20% off my entire purchse). So I snagged plenty of fabric, some fur, some beaded trim, and went to it. I do believe that this is the fastest turnaround any of my sewing projects has ever seen: I actually bought fabric one afternoon and finished the project that night. Unbelievable! Here's how easy it was.
Sew a Christmas Stocking
Materials:
- old stocking (optional)
- large piece of paper for creating stocking pattern (or 4 pieces of copy paper taped together)
- 1/3 yard fabric for outside of stocking
- 1/3 yard fabric for stocking lining (optional)
- 1/2 yard 4" fur trim for stocking top
- 1/2 yard beaded trim (optional)
- 1" x 8" strip of scrap fabric or ribbon for stocking hanger
Equipment:
- sewing machine
- iron
- glue gun
- basic sewing supplies
Time: One night
Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Under $20 per stocking
Instructions:
- Using an old stocking that you like the shape of (or just your imagination), draw a pattern for your stocking on the piece of paper. Be sure to make it wide enough to fit gifts and treats inside, and allow for seam allowances all around. I made mine a little longer than my existing stocking because it seemed a little short.
- With fabric double-folded, pin pattern and cut stocking front and back out of outer material.
- If lining stockings (my outer material was especially thin, so I picked up some fleece to give the stocking body and increase opacity), repeat step #2 with lining fabric.
- With right sides together, sew (I serged) outer stocking together using a 1/4" seam allowance. Turn right side out and press.
- With right sides together, sew (I serged) stocking lining together using a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim excess fabric close to seam. DO NOT turn right side out.
- Cut stocking topper (fur) to size of opening (going all the way around the front and back of stocking), plus 1" for seam allowances.
- With right sides together, sew ends of topper (fur) together, using a 1/2" seam allowance. Turn right-side out.
- Fold stocking hanger in half and insert on heel side along seam, with fold pointed down.
- Insert stocking topper (fur) into stocking, matching seam to heel seam.
- Pin through all thicknesses.
- Stitch around stocking opening, using a 1/2 seam allowance.
- Fold out stocking topper and hot glue beaded trim to the wrong side of the fur.
- Turn down stocking topper.
I'm so happy with how my stockings turned out. I actually made four in just a couple of hours, and because my lovely, generous mom was in town with her embroidery machine, she helped me embroider our names across the top of each one. I love them! Because each stocking didn't use the entire 1/3 yard of fabric, I could squeeze more stockings out of my scraps, making this a very economical project. Could I have bought them for less? Maybe on clearance after the holidays. But there's no way that they'd be exactly what I was looking for or handmade with love by my mom and me. What a fun evening of sewing, and what a beautiful addition to my Christmas mantel!
What about you? Have you ever made Christmas stockings? How have you personalized them?
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