Upcycling DIY home decor, woodworking and Crafts
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A great way to update and refresh a room is through accent pillows. Even if you sewing isn’t your thing, you can make a easy pillow cover. There are even several no sew tutorials that will have you with some beautiful places to land. Check out this weeks 50+ roundup for tons of inspiration to get you going.
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You all loved this DIY Rustic Hand Painted Sign Tutorial from Pam at The Little Red Porch so much, that she has decided to love you back with a sign giveaway! The lucky winner gets to pick their favorite from five of these fantastic distressed signs made from reclaimed wood.
Click the thumbnail if you missed the DIY. It is detailed and pretty dang awesome, I must say. I learned some great tips and tricks tagging along with Pam for a day.
These are the 5 signs from which the winner gets to choose. You will be notified by email on Aug. 25th and happy mail will come your way!
U.S. Residents Only
Aug. 17-24th
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UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER! Do you love the look of soldered jewelry, but feel totally intimidated by that hot freaking iron and molten metal? My creative friend Hope is here to break it down for us in a detailed How to Solder Jewelry video that demystifies the process and will have you making jaw dropping pieces lickity split! As if that isn’t enough, Hope has teamed up with Saved By Love Creations to give you lovely readers a chance to win your choice of 3 gorgeous pendants!
Hope invited me in to record her process! Before jumping into the video, I want to let you know the supplies you see will being used are from GlassSupplies on Etsy, a shop owned by Robin Ramsden.
This tape used in the video is 3/8 inch wide copper backed foil tape, which you can get at the linked store and probably elsewhere. Hope recommends black backed foil tape for most simple projects since it holds the pieces together better and is just strong/less frustrating for us newbies! She was out of it or we would have been using it for sure. It is available in the linked shop above (GlassSupplies on Etsy).
Obviously if you are using thicker glass pieces than we did, you may need wider tape. You will have to experiment.
More info on supplies is found below and in the video tutorial.
I did a soldered pendant experiment and shared it with you here:
I took my pendants to Hope’s with me and she helped me figure out how to make them more what I was going for. I learned so much from hanging out with her that I haven’t seen elsewhere. It turns out I wasn’t using near enough solder, and oh yeah, my soldering iron tip is disintegrating. There is a solution for that, and many soldering woes. This woman solders A LOT and is a wonderful resource! She is also super sweet, so if something isn’t covered that you want to know about, you can find her on Facebook: Hope Ellington. She even takes custom orders, although she is pretty swamped with them right now from what I have seen so hurry if you are interested.
There were so many tips and tricks that I had to break the video up into 2 parts, and they are still long. You will learn a ton, and if you are like me, your soldering will be vastly improved. I made a pendant this morning and love it! Don’t worry, you will see it soon.
Now for the best part. You get a chance to win a free handmade soldered pendant from Hope’s Bloomington Indiana Shop, Girlfriends on the Farm!
Pendant 1 – A fancy pants, blinged out vintage ephemeral piece
Pendant 2 – A message in a bottle “LOVE”
Pendant 3 – Vintage Lace under beveled glass
I have another reclaimed wood DIY project for you today. I got a truck load (it probably should have been two truckloads, but we squeezed it into one) of 4×8 plywood sheets, 2×6 and 2×8 boards from a craigslist ad. It was salvaged from a home that these folks tore down and they were happy to have it hauled off and out of their yard. This project is made mainly from that wood. The panels that back the bookshelf were milled by a friend of mine who passed them along to me, where they have patiently waited for me to put them to use. I came up with this cool bookshelf that i finished with homemade chalkboard paint and sand distressed. CeCe caldwell Clear Wax then Aging Wax sealed the deal and added just the amount of antiquing to suit my vision. You can finish this project in a day if you are committed, over a weekend if you have some distractions.
This fine Kentwood Bookshelf by Shanty2Chic that I spied at AnaWhite.com was my inspiration. I had just taken a woodworking DIY class by Whitney and Ashley of Shanty2Chic at Haven Conference, and I came home on fire to build. These girls are amazing! They shared their journey coming from zero knowledge of building or power tools, to being able to build some amazing furniture for their homes. I have been building since April, and before I started, I was totally intimidated. I still am by lots of projects, but I am so glad that I broke into the power tool world. It is way easier than I thought, and not much is more gratifying than building custom pieces, from reclaimed wood no less. Go check out Shanty2Chic, walk through some of their detailed tutorials and you can build awesome stuff too! You really can.
One thing they taught me at Haven was to measure as I go instead of cutting all of my pieces called for in the plan. I hadn’t been doing that, and my pieces would be off almost every time. Wood is going to curve and bow and do funky things, especially reclaimed lumber and shipping pallets. I am so glad they emphasized measuring and cutting based on reality and not on the perfect plan. I decided to scrap the plan entirely for this shelf, and just go with my own dimensions based on what pieces I had on hand, and the measurements as I built.
I made my own 2×2 pieces by ripping the 2×6 boards from the house demolition that I scored. This is what I used to frame the side planks, which I cut 11.5 x60 inches from the 4×8 sheets of 5/8 inch plywood also from the house demo. Shanty2Chic used 1×12 boards for the side panels. I went with plywood since I had it on hand, and I knew I was going to paint the final piece.
You can see the Kreg pocket holes in the plywood side planks that I drilled to attach 2×2 framing. Attach shelves and top.
I used 3 pieces of the wood my friend milled for the backing. They were different thicknesses, but since that would only be visible from the back, I didn’t much care. I just measured and cut to length the center piece, and ripped what I needed off the 2 side pieces so that they didn’t stick out over the edge. I counter sank 2 inch wood screws to attach the back panels.
I love the larger panels for the backing, and that I didn’t have to buy any wood for this piece! Fill Kreg holes with wood putty, liquid nail or caulking. It doesn’t need to be something that takes stain if you are painting the piece anyway.
I sanded the unfinished bookshelf with medium grit paper and painted a base coat of CeCe Caldwell Paint in Vintage White (You can see my other CeCe Caldwell Chalk and Clay Paint projects by clicking the thumbnails below). After that was dry (about 1 hour indoors) I made a gray DIY Chalk finish Paint using the Make Your Own ChalkBoard Paint Recipe I showed you in an earlier post.
For a little more aging, I added a coat of CeCe Caldwell Clear wax, then Aging Wax. I buffed with a soft cloth an hour later and that was that.
LOVE! Thank you Whitney and Ashley. Can’t wait to see you again!!
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I have been dying to share this project with you for-like-ever! I had this table I wanted to paint with fabulous paint. So, I contacted my good friend Debi from Debi’s Design Diary and ordered CeCe Caldwell Paints. Nothing else was going to do for this table. The stuff is wonderful.
One of the big things that sets CeCe Caldwell paint apart from other brands is that is is non-toxic, containing no VOC and all ingredients are listed on the label. Many low volatile organic compound paint brands don’t list their ingredients because they are not required to do so. Many low voc brands still contain lots of harsh chemicals. You aren’t washing anything harmful down the drain and you don’t have to worry about paint fumes or using gloves when waxing. That is a plus!
Remember when I revamped this little junky table? It was the first time I had used CeCe’s product, and it was love at first brush stroke. You can read all about it by clicking the image or link, but basically I had zero experience and getting the look I wanted was super simple.
I found this thing roadside, brought it home and painted it with a quatrefoil design on top:
You can click the image or go to Martha Stewart Coffee Table Revamp to read about that project.
Not only did I want to paint the table, but I wanted it to fit in a spot that it turns out was about 5 inches to small for it. See how it sticks over to the carpeted area where the arrow is pointing? No good. That is when John and I decided to cut the table in half, remove 5 inches, and put it back together using the Kreg Jig. Whaaaat? I know.
We took the top off the table then marked a 2.5 inches on either side of the center.
I used a circular saw and cut along the lines to remove the 5 inch segment.
I drilled pocket holes with my Kreg Jig (love you, Kreg Jig) and attached the two shortened table halves together with Kreg screws.
Here is the top of the table joined with pocket holes and screws. You can see the segment I removed in this photo.
I used the Kreg mini, clamping it onto the sides of the table on the inside to make pocket holes to attach the top of the table.
You can see the seam, just a little. O.k., a lot. I sanded the table with my Ryobi sander next. You totally don’t need to sand or prime when using CeCe Caldwell paint. I did this to try and even out the seam area. For the first project linked above, I didn’t prep much at all. That is my kind of paint!!
After I sanded and wiped away the debris, it was time to get painting. I am all about orange, and this Kissimmee Orange is beeeaauuutiful!
It goes on smoothly, with great coverage.
This photo shows the seam at the blue arrow, which still needs some work. It also shows wet paint vs. dry. In the sunlight, the paint dries enough to do the top coat in 30 minutes.
Before doing the next coat, I filled in the seam with wood putty. When that dried, I sanded it down with the Ryobi sander.
I did one more coat of the Kissimmee Orange to cover the wood putty and seam, then one coat of the Vintage White. When that dried, I added tiles that I created from recycled gift cards and painted with Tim Holtz Distress Paint. I showed you how I made and adhered the tiles in this Mosaic Frame from Recycled Gift Cards Tutorial.
Once the tiles were all in place, I used the sander to distress and bring out the orange under coat.
I went at it pretty aggressively. You can sand a little or a lot for the look you want.
I applied the clear wax with the wax brush. It is easy. Just a light, even layer does the trick.
I applied CeCe Caldwell aging cream over the clear wax to grunge it up a bit. It is a subtle, nice antiquing effect. I buffed with a soft cloth after an hour or so. That makes a shiny, more durable finish.
This is the final piece. I adore it. I am off to order more paint! I can’t get enough.
To find a CeCe Caldwell distributor near you, visit this Map of Retailers page.
For loads of inspiration on the amazing things you can do with this paint, visit Debi’s Design Diary the blog, Debi’s awesome YouTube channel, Facebook page and Pinterest!
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How excited was I to discover that Unity Stamp Company has a new line of stamps designed by Stephanie Ackerman?! The answer is very… much… tons. I ordered several from this line and others. They are full of inspiring words and I couldn’t wait to get creating with them. Today I am sharing the easiest project out there. Just stamp, scan, enlarge, print, cut out and frame!
You can color with copic markers if you want, or scan and open in Photoshop to color digitally.
For this one, I added shading in Photoshop with the drop shadow function. Stephanie has a great class (several great classes, actually) teaching you how to shade the letters. I told you all about it my Marker Art post over the winter:
This was my first class from Stephanie, and I would take them all if I had time! She has a wonderful way of explaining her techniques so that about anyone can create lovely art in no time.
I love the Mother Teresa quote! I colored the heart with red copic markers in 3 shades before scanning and enlarging.
This one I scanned in without color and added the yellow/blue-green in Photoshop. Pretty cool because I can just change it if I don’t like the outcome. That is the biggest perk of digital art in my opinion!
I think next I will go the other way with these designs and shrink them down for creating a soldered pendant, or shrink film jewelry!
This is not a paid post! I just wanted to share Unity Stamps and Stephanie’s new line because I love them.
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I had the pleasure of attending a DIY blogger conference, Haven, in Atlanta over this past weekend. I could write for days about the awesomeness of that whole experience, but that is not what this post is about. While there, my friend Jessica from Mom4Real was sporting a cool necklace that I photographed and knocked off. This is a super fast and easy project. I used a sewing machine, but I will tell you how to make it the no sew way.
SUPPLIES:
Fabric Scraps
Fabric Scissors
Wooden Beads 2 Sizes
Beacon Fabri-Tac
You can use old t-shirts, old sheets, any fabric piece you can think of, really. I used fat quarters and the above picture shows a headband I found at Dollar Tree. The cool thing about using that is it is already a tube, so I didn’t have to sew or use liquid stitch. If you use fabric not already in a tube, just cut a rectangle about 14-16 inches (depending on how long you want your necklace or bracelet). Sew into a tube inside out, then flip right side out.
Tie a knot like above, put bead, tie another knot and continue until it is as long as you like. I use an odd number of beads so there is a central one.
Pick out coordinating ribbon and cut to length you want.
Sew on ribbon to each end or adhere with Fabri-tac. I use clothespins to apply pressure. Fabri-Tac dries super fast and is basically hot glue in a bottle, but not hot 🙂
For some of the bracelets, I just used the end fabric to tie them instead of adding ribbon.
SUPER EASY, and adorable, I must say.
There are tons of cool things you can make from recycled plastic bottles, and let’s face it, they are one of the biggest components of our landfills today. One of my favorite projects using them is this adorable DIY apple treat cup pictured above that Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday shared with us last year. I wanted to bring it back in case you missed it since it would be a fantastic back to school teacher gift, or party favor for you fall flings.
I am crazy about wood pallet projects. If you have been here long, you know already know that, and you also know I am equally gaga for creating with recycled aluminum cans. Today’s project combines those two eco-friendly obsessions into a lovely aluminum can recycle bin made with reclaimed wood pallets! The piece is topped off with a cool knob and chalkboard sign. Come see how you can create your own…
table saw
miter saw
Ryobi Air Strike Nailer
tape measure
pencil
square
knob (optional)
2 hinges
broken down shipping pallets or other scrap wood (I use a circular saw to do mine)
HERE IS A GREAT VIDEO DEMONSTRATING HOW TO BREAK DOWN PALLETS (By Ryan Schmitz):
I got the idea for this wood pallet recycle bin from this post at My Carpentry: Wood Waste Basket. I followed the instructions there, using pallet wood instead of fence board. You may have to adjust measurements based on the wood you have on hand.
When I got done, I wasn’t in love with it like I should be for a DIY aluminum can recycle bin hand made from discarded shipping pallets… you know? So I decided to take it up a notch.
That is when I came up with the idea to add a knob, and a framed chalkboard label to seal the deal.
I used these Tim Holtz rub ons to add a vintage grunge number to a white knob I picked up at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore.
I just drilled a hole and screwed into the knob with a flat top screw just long enough to go through the wood and grab the knob.
For the sign, I spray painted a dollar tree frame and glued chalkboardpaper to the back. Then I glued jute to the back of that to form a loop for hanging. LOVE my new storage for cans!
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Is it just me, or do you all love paper to bits too? I switch mediums and techniques all the time, but paper is a constant. I don’t scrapbook, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at my studio. Piles and piles of decorative paper adorn the shelves, and don’t get me started on the stacks of magazines, newspapers and vintage sheet music. You don’t have to spend any money to make gorgeous jewelry and home decor if you go the recycled paper route. Check out some of my favorite diy paper projects, and share with me some of yours!
