Bedside table "slip-covers"

When we moved to our new house, my mom donated to us her old bedside tables since we didn't have any.  This is what they look like.... sad face...there's a matching one on the other side of the bed.I didn't leave them like that...I had a grey sheet tossed over each one which really wasn't much better.

After browsing through some new fun blogs, I came across a tutorial  from Ana White showing how to make a gorgeous, knife-pleated slip cover for a parson's chair.  I repeat....gorgeous.  And then it hit me,

I could make gorgeous little knife-pleated slip covers for my night tables!

Now as you may know...I have this habit of dreaming beautiful things...starting beautiful things....and then finding them semi-finished in the back of the closet three years later.   Not this project! I was determined to get'er done...and get'er done I did!

I had been eye'ing up this beautiful black idon'tknowwhat material at Fabricland on the upholstery/tabling/drapery shelf.  Low and behold, it was on sale when I came to get it! Wooooo sale!

A bunch of math, pinning, cutting and sewing later....this is how my first one turned out! Isn't she beautiful?! I gave the legs a lovely coat of silver spray paint to give them some class too!





EDIT: This picture is way better than the one I had up! Now you can actually see all my beautiful knife pleats!

 Here's a close up so you can see the gorgous material and the pleats I so carefully measured eye-balled....

Here's how I did it: (I didn't take too many pictures of the process 'cause the lighting in my house is lame so you'll just have to imagine as we go)

WRITE ALL OF THESE MEASUREMENTS DOWN SO YOU CAN REFER TO THEM LATER. 
This was the most complicated part - getting it all planned out.  Bear with me and feel free to ask if my directions make no sense!

1.  Measure the diameter of the tabletop and add 1 inch (1/2 inch seam allowance on either side)
2.  Measure the circumference of the tabletop and add 1 inch for seam allowances
3.  Measure how long you want the skirt of your cover to be, including pleat.

• Decide how long you want the pleated section to be and subtract that from the total length of skirt.

4.  Take the length of skirt without pleat and add 1 inch for seam allowances
5.  Take the length of pleat and double it - add 1 inch for seam allowances

For example: My table stands 25 inches high.  The length of my finished skirt with pleat is 9 inches.  The finished pleat is 3 inches and the finished skirt is 6 inches. Therefore, my unfinished skirt measured 7 inches with seam allowance and my unfinished pleat also measured 7 inches with allowances (you fold this piece in half).

Once you've got all your measurements:

1.  Cut out a circle using the diameter of the tabletop plus 1 inch.
2.  Cut a long rectangle for the skirt.  The long edge should equal the measurement calculated in point 2 above (diameter multiplied by 3.14).  The short edge will be the length of skirt in point 4.
3.  For the knife pleat pieces, double the circumference length and add a foot or so (piece it together if need be...the seams won't show).  The length  should be twice your finished length plus 1 inch for seam allowances.

Mark all your pieces so you don't mistake skirt pieces for pleat pieces!

To make the pleat:

I referred to an awesome tutorial by Pink and Polka Dot on how to make knife pleats.  She lays it out really clearly.  I will emphasize one thing though. Do not underestimate the length of material you need. You will definitely need twice as much plus a foot.  I eyeballed my pleats as she did...I'm not that picky..or patient. 

To make the cover:

1. Pin your finished pleat to the skirt piece, right sides together and sew.
2. Iron seams up.
3. Match and pin the ends of your skirt/pleat together, right sides together and sew.  You should now have a complete circle.
4. Take your tabletop circle and pin to your skirting, right sides together. Use lots of pins and do an inch or so at a time keeping the edges lined up (this is not an exact science..) 
5. Sew!
6.  Put your finished cover on the table to make sure everything looks good.
7.  Fix it if it doesn't!
8.  Iron the seam down toward the skirt (use the narrow end of your ironing board for this)
9.  Put your pretty new table cover on and admire!!! (I ironed it again while it was on)

Rustic Christmas Wall Art

Here's a project I saw made on CityLine the other day.  I'm trying not to buy any Christmas decorations this year....so being creative...here I come.

First I used my hubbies circular saw.  How.brave.am.I? Seriously people. This is a big step for me.

Ok, so I used his saw to square up a piece of particle board we had kickin around in the basement...gave it a quick coat of Zinsser Bulls-eye Primer....followed by a couple coats of some shiny silver spray paint...just 'cause that's what I have.  Silver and flat black. That is all.

Next step.  Draw a Christmassy picture on your board....or...for those less artistically inclined - print out an outline.

Place your diagram on your board and hammer finishing nails along the outline of your picture.  You can get all sorts of nice finishing nails according to what colors you want in your diagram (or you can use plain ol' ones and color them with markers!)

 I found you want to space the nails about an inch apart.  On straight lines you can set them further and on areas with lots of curves you want them closer together.

When you've got all your nails hammered in, take some twine or yarn and outline the diagram.  Tie a loose end around one nail and start winding the yarn around each consecutive nail (hope that makes sense!)  Check the diagram if it doesn't.  Just do enough yarn to ensure you've put enough nails in.  If you don't have enough, your picture will look shapeless....so put in more nails!  Next, take your yarn back off and tear off the paper (if you've used a print out).  Redo your yarn outline.  You can leave just the outline or fill it in by randomly going back and forth across the middle as I have done.

The olive branch on mine looked messy and shapeless so I used a green permanent marker to color the nail heads and twine so you can tell what it is!

I love the way it turned out but I'm really thinking it needs a frame of some sort....something to make it stand out against our wall color.  I think I'm going to make another one too...maybe a taller Christmas tree one?  On CityLine, the lady used a board 2 ft by 4 ft and made a landscape with snow drifts and a tree!

TWO painted pails and some burnt carpet

Yikes, it has been a craaaaaazy busy Thanksgiving holiday for us up here in Canada.  It was more like Thanksgiving two weeks.  We spent over 18 hours on the road!

Anyway, I haven't had much time to do anything but pack and unpack my suitcase over and over again.  We got back on Monday with just enough time to throw on dress clothes and make it to Thanksgiving dinner with our Bible study, my in-laws came on Thursday (yesterday) for the night, and now I'm supposed to be packing again for a youth retreat at Clearwater Bible camp this weekend.  Needless to say, I am NOT prepared for sleeping in a cabin with screaming teenage girls.

On the upside, I got my "ash" pail painted!  On the downside, it burned a nice patch on my living room carpet.  Guess we gotta make sure it stays on the hearth from now on!  Maybe now I can get the hardwood flooring of my dreams! For now the fireplace tools cover it very nicely. You can check out what I used to make them here.

I was over at My Repurposed Life and I found Gail's fireplace makeover which I LOVE.  Now that you've seen the beast of a fireplace that we have, here's the question - can you picture a white or antique white facade in my living room? I think it would really brighten up our space!

Gail's beautiful new fireplace

My dark, old fireplace

Painted pail

We heat our home solely by wood heat - looooooove - wouldn't trade it for anything. The only downside being the perpetual trail of bark and sawdust that runs from our backdoor through the kitchen and into the living room.  That and the ash that seems to get everywhere. Still wouldn't trade it for anything.

For the last year we've been using old plastic pails to hold our kindling and ash.  Ugh.  Double ugh.  What made them worse is that they're old Kirkland washing detergent pails....not just plain white ones.  I've been dying to find an inexpensive replacement for them...and STAT.  Unfortunately, in our area of town gorgeous antique metal pails are few and far between.  The Horse Barn (store) didn't even have any!  I finally found some galvanized pails at Wholesale sports for a whopping $13 each.  Call me cheap but that is waaay more than I was hoping to pay but I just couldn't look at those plastic pails for another season.  Soooo I splurged.

Ugggggggly plastic pail :(

Shiny new pail!

For the record, it took me longer to get the huge label off of them than it did to finish painting them.  Pain in the you-know-where.

Anywho, I noticed my can of Rustoleum flat black said NO GALVANIZED STEEL. Bummer.  My can of Zinnser Bulls-Eye primer did not. Sooooo  after a quick scuff with some 220 grit sandpaper  I did a light coat of primer followed by a couple light coats of my loverly flat black. 

I'm somewhat new to the spraypaint biz, so I guess I'll wait and find out why I'm not supposed to use Rustoleum on galvanized steel....unless someone already knows and would be willing to share!

Unfortunately I ran out of black before I got around to the other pail.....possibly 'cause I was painting some cute little lamps I found.....

Then I got out my awesome Silhouette machine and made some gorgeous lettering .....IN MY DREAMS.

Um, actually I took a pencil and roughed in some lettering...so not cool...or perfect.  Then I got my trusty paintbrush and filled them in with some antique white acrylic...from the doller store...woo.

I think it dresses things up a bit, don't you? Just try and imagine one on the left hand side that says "ash"!



I'm linkin up to Gail's Catch-as-Catch-Can party at My Repurposed Life!

12 New (ish) Things

I often venture over to Like a Warm Cup of Coffee and this month Sarah Mae is challenging herself and us to learn/do twelve new things - one per month.  How cool is that?  Check out her list and check out mine too! I'm gonna make September my first month since I'm starting a little late!

September

Goodwill transformation! I am always green with envy at the things some ladies find and transform SOOOOO - my hubby found a little side table someone was giving away for FREE so I am going to give it a make-over!
COMPLETED - check it out!

October

I stole this from Sarah Mae and a few others but I too, want to learn to quilt!

What better to make on a chilly fall day!

November

Maybe this belongs in December too, but this year I want to send out Christmas cards with pictures and letters to update all our friends and family! I figure I'd better start in November!

December

Make homemade gifts for friends and family. 

 I'm going to try making spice and baking mixes!

January

Learn to make candles! My favorite scent is pumpkin spice.

February

Actually register for an online course in Medical Transcription....eeeeek!

March

Take the time to research and plan the layout of my flower beds.  I want plants that are easy to care for and are drought-tolerant for our desert climate.

April

Start my garden inside so the little guys are ready to transplant in May!

May

Plant my first REAL garden! No more pots for me, yo!

June

ummmm, ok I got pretty far.  Summer is a hard one for us 'cause we're usually gone more than we're home.  I'll tell you a secret though.  Lord willing, by this time next year my summer "new things" will include reno'ing our spare room for.....a nursery!

Fancy'in up some Cork Board

Oooooeeee! Look at me go.

Remember how I said drawing makes me skeeeeeeeerd.....well it still does....but I'd like to announce that I have been drawing allllllll day. AND IT LOOKS GOOD people.

I've been working on the cork board project that I told ya'll about. FOR REAL. Haha, I still had doubts I would actually follow through on it even after I posted it.  But I did! Go me!  Anyway, I decided to use this pretty little..um...thing...that you put a pillar candle in...as my inspiration, and I took hints from Maryann @ Domestically Speaking and the damask cork board she made.

(Pillar candle thingy)

First, I laid on my belly in front of the TV and copied the cute vine and bird design from my ....thing....on to paper. Use tissue paper or something that a permanent marker will bleed through easily.  This will save you a few hours!

My second step involved tracing my pattern from printer paper on to tissue paper :( Sadface.

Use push pins to secure your pattern on to your cork board.  I bought a set of four squares of cork from Wal-mart for $10 bucks! Probably could've taken apart an old one buuuuut I wasn't feelin all the work that would've been involved with that. 

Using a fine-tipped permanent marker, I traced over my pattern slowly so that the ink bled through to the cork. Then I went removed the pattern and went over the cork board to fill in all the areas that didn't bleed through enough....which was most of it.  I even went over it a second time just to make it a little blacker...more black...I mean.

And VOILA! It's soooooo pretty!

This picture really doesn't do it justice...soooo I'll post a close up!

CLOSE UP!

I can't believe it actually turned out. Seriously.  It rarely happens like this.  Usually I get half way through a project, realize that it's just realllllly not turning out how I imagined and it gets banished to the closet of project doom....which is in my basement.

One panel down, three to go! But I think that's enough drawing for today. I gotta do something productive to trick hubby into thinking I've been working like a good little housewife *wink wink*

My only question now IS......should I color it all in black? or leave it just outlined? Eeeeek what to do what to do?????