I am collector of throw-away” stuff”.  Not junk, but honest to goodness – discards.  My friends and family know to give me  their throw-aways, which are different than cast-offs. Cast-offs are unwanted items like furniture and lamps.  Throw-aways are bits and pieces of packaging, parts of items – stuff that seems useless once it’s original purpose is complete.  Throw-aways are what I can’t seem to say “no” to.  I love the challenge of coming up with some new use for these discards that will be Ohhh… la la worthy. 

Recently, when I saw a bag filled with film canisters at a local camera store being thrown away – I had to speak up.  I couldn’t bear to see it tossed and asked the salesman, if I could please have them.  He handed the bag right over to me and asked what I was going to do with them.  I told him, I didn’t have a clue, but I will come up with something sooner or later. 

These plastic film canisters are becoming obsolete, but can still be found at camera stores and where film is processed.  Here are my rescued throw-aways.

Before

After

 Prest-O Change-O !  Add some decorative paper, buttons, an earring, tulle, some sheet music, along with some hot glue and you have-

 Pretty mini- gift containers. 

They make giving something little-extra special. 

Gifts that will fit:

Anything small – earrings, rings, and other jewelry (if the jewelry is on a hanging card, discard the card and place the jewelry into a piece of tissue paper), rolled up dollar bills,  a key to something big, like a car.   

Top: Vintage clip-on earring with the clip removed.   Canister Cover: A piece of a Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog cover.

 Top:  A gold and pearl button on top of a larger black button.  Canister Cover:  Scrapbook paper

 Top:  Mother of pearl button with a tulle rosette and rhinestone button glued on.  Canister Cover:  Gift-wrap

Top:  Vintage button  Canister Cover:  Sheet music

Top: Square button with a silver pearl button glued on top.  Canister cover:  Wallpaper scrap.

Aren’t they pretty?  They were practically free – only the cost of the materials I used to decorate them with – most of which were throw-aways, too. 

 How would you add your style to a  film canister and what would you put in it?   I would love to hear your ideas?

I am linking this post to:

The Blackberry Vine

Tatertots & Jello

Funky Junk Interiors

Southern Hospitality

Sumos Sweet Stuff

The Girl Creative

Making The World Cuter

Today’s Creative Blog

Crafts Keep Me Sane

Tools Are For Women Too

C.R.A.F.T.

Reinvented

All Thingz Related

Blue Cricket Design

On another note:  It is time to show-off your holiday style.

I am starting Christmas in July here at IMOS.  Click on the link below or up in my nav bar to link up your Chirstmas decorating and craft project and ideas. They can be old or new posts.  If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment or e-mail me a photo and I will add it to the page.  It will be on-going to use as a reference when you need some creative inspiration in the upcoming months – as the 2010 holiday season will be here before we know it. 

I have been trying to get all my overdue outdoor projects done this past week.  I have been pretty successful.  I wish I could tell you that I just love to do these projects, but that would be lying.  The biggest reason this project is complete in a timely manner is because friends are coming to stay with us for a few days.  This was the motivating factor in my sudden burst of energy to give this swing that hangs from the pergola on our deck a makeover.  I don’t think  there is anything more motivating to get DIY projects done than having guests to your home whether it be for over night or a party.  

This swing is very comfortable, but I wanted to add a cushion to it,  not only for comfort, but to add a pop of color as well.    I love the upholstered look of cushions, but also love instant gratification and being able to easily make something with fabric without sewing  a stitch.   

Before

Here is my swing in my garage waiting for it’s makeover.  It was covered in a greyish cast of worn off  stain and mildew

I washed it with detergent and mildew remover, then rinsed and let it dry out in the sun.  Look at the arm, do you see how it is worn.  I won’t have to sand this – it is very smooth.   I didn’t paint this it, I used solid color stain that just wears away over time.  This was after 3 years outside, except when it stored in the basement during the winter months.

 I have found Behr House and Fence Stain the best product for outdoor wood. It  holds up beautifully, is easy to apply, and best of all, easy to clean up with soap and water – my kind of product.  You can see from this beaten and battered can – that it  has been used many times.    If you have ever painted with oil based outdoor paint, you know it smells and can take days to dry.  When it gets old, it gets chippy and needs to be sanded before painting, not so when you use a solid color stain.

I set the swing up on a table in my garage and gave it 2 coats.  I let it dry for 1 hour between each coat. 

I then hung it back on the deck under the pergola.  This is my favorite place to sit in the evening, especially in the fall when it starts to get cold. I bring out a blanket, some hot tea,  and get all snugly and gaze at all the stars in the night sky. 

For the cushion:  I went to my local Joann’s Fabrics on a day when all the foam was 50% off.  I had no idea that it was on sale and was happy to get such a great deal!  I needed about 5 feet.  Cost was $24.00.  It is 2″ thick foam and very dense.  To cut it to the exact size I needed, I grabbed the electric knife from my kitchen drawer. (The only other time this knife gets used is to carve the turkey on Thanksgiving.)  I have a T-square and measured and marked where I needed to cut.

Super easy to cut foam with an electric knife.  If you don’t have one, take your exact measurements to the fabric store and have them cut both width and length for you.   Take the excess home to use for another project.

To make the no-sew cushion cover:   pretend the foam is a gift box and wrap it as you would a gift, using fabric instead of wrapping paper.

Use large 2- inch safety pins instead of tape.  I got mine at the dollar store.

Fold over the raw edge of the fabric and pin every few inches along this no-sew seam to hold the fabric onto the cushion.

Wrap the corners neatly and pull taut and then pin.  The width of my foam was almost the width of the fabric. Normally I would like to have a bit more fabric to pull over the side edges, but this works.  No one will see the pins.

Flip it over and then it is ready.  I placed it on my freshly stained swing.  I wanted this cushion to be easy to take on and off.  I didn’t want any ties to deal with, so I made sure the foam fit very snugly, so it stays put when I sit on it and easy to grab to take inside when it suddenly starts to rain. 

After

I am linking this post to:

Tatertots and Jello

Under The Table and Dreaming

Finding Fabulous

Just a Girl

Funky Junk Interiors

Frugal and Fabulous Design

It’s A Blog Party

Blue Cricket Design

Somewhat Simple

The Thrifty Home

I am one of those people who is not afraid to stop my car on the side of the road to pick up other peoples cast-offs.   I find it very adventuresome and love transforming my finds into functional pieces.  Best of all – it doesn’t cost me a thing.  I found this hollowed out dresser in a field on the way to the supermarket.   Lovely, isn’t she?  She has nice lines.  I saw potential.

Before

The transformation begins with a trip to the dollar store for 17 white plastic baskets.  I would have loved wicker baskets, but 17 of them would be a bit pricey for my budget.

Also needed:   my computer, printer, and card-stock to make some labels.  I  chose a font size that would fit in the label holders I found years ago.  I cut out a piece of acetate from a transparency sheet to use as my see-thru cutting template.

Vintage looking label holders and labels I made.  If you don’t have any label holders you can see my post on how-to make wipe-off labels.

I used a pair of pliers to attach a label holder to the front of each basket.

I cut plywood to fit into the hollow dresser to create shelves.  There were 8 sections and a small lip where the drawers used to be that I screwed each piece of plywood into.  I then gave it a coat of white paint.  This is a rough piece.  Even after sanding and buffing the front edges still looked raw with the plywood and screws showing.

I cleaned it up as best I could and figured it is going to go in my mudroom so it doesn’t have to look perfect, just functional.  Lots of sanding needed.

After

I also bought white thumb tacks at the Dollar Store and used two different colors of ribbon from my stash to hide the  ugly front edge of the dresser.   I measured the ribbon and placed the purple on top of a wider white grosgrain.  I attached the ribbon to the dresser with the thumb tacks.  I think I am going to add more tacks, so it looks like nail-head trim, but I ran out.  I will need to take another trip to the Dollar Store to get more. 

This dresser sees a lot of action as it is right in the door from our garage where we enter the house.   It is where we place keys, mail, library books, handbags, backpacks, etc.  I have the baskets labeled – Sunglasses, Goggles, Sunscreen, Mittens, Hats…the things we use on a daily basis that I want easily accessible, but I don’t want to see laying around.

I love how it came out.  Not too bad for something I found on the side of the road.

I am linking this post to:

Before

This dresser is a classic – you probably have one in your family  -  the classic  hand-me down that keeps getting handed-down one generation to the next.  It is not an antique, but so well made even after it takes a licking, it still functions perfectly.  Before it gets handed down once again to my daughter Mandy, I am going to tweak it to her specifcations.  She is going to be a junior at the University of Vermont and is moving into a house with 4 of her friends.   She needs furniture + we had this + I can paint = DIY INEXPENSIVE TRANSFORMATION  TIME.   She was not into the brown and brass.  I can’t blame her, so I got to work. 

This is how the brass drawer pulls looked after I cleaned them to prepare for spray painting.  You can see the one at the bottom has a bit of silver on it.  I tried using Rub and Buff on that one, but I could not get it into the detail of the pull so I opted to use Spray Paint.

Here is the desk that was currently in my daughters room at home.  She wanted it to match the dresser, so even though it looks pretty nice, I painted it.    I set up the two pieces in my garage, lightly sanded them and put two coats of Oil-Based Kilz on each piece. 

Decorative Brass Pull on desk drawer.

Ready to unload  my daughters “stuff” into her house.  It has 5 bedrooms and she is in one that is tiny, tiny, tiny, but very bright and cheery. 

If you have never been to Burlington Vermont it is definitely a destination to experience and explore.  It is right on Lake Champlain.  Gorgeous views everywhere. 

Unique Shops

And plenty of delicious restaurants that have outside seating in the summer months along Church Street.  This is my favorite place to eat.  

And a great place to study.

After

The color of the Valspar paint Mandy picked was  Seafarer.

I used Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Spray Paint in Silver for the drawer pulls.  I applied 3 light coats, letting each coat dry thoroughly before spraying on the next coat.  They came out so much better than I expected.  I just love this brand of spray paint.

It is amazing how modern the pulls look now.  

Her desk came out great as well. 

Here  is the dresser in it’s new home. 

The desk is across the room, which is only about 2 steps away.  I found a beach towel at WalMart  to cover her Ikea chair with.  If you decide to do this make sure you wash the towel first – or you will end up with a butt covered in lint.   I took these photos right before we left for the 7 hour drive home to Pennsylvania. 

She was having fun orgainzing and setting up all of her stuff.  I wished I could have stayed longer and helped her more, but I think she has my “decorating” gene and was figuring it out on her own. 

I did fashion a sheer window scarf for her that I found at WalMart.  I didn’t use a rod.  There were two plant hooks on the ceiling that if we removed would have left huge holes. 

I painted the hooks white and draped the scarf on them.  Then on each side I tied ribbons in all the colors used in the room around the scarf and hooked the ribbon on a nail on each side of the window trim.  I had to play with the folds to get each side even.  She was very happy with the results.  

I am linking this post to:

Life In My PJ’s

Thrifty Decor Chick

Finding Fabulous

Tidy Mom

Funky Junk Interiors

Under the Table and Dreaming

Miss Mustard Seed

Frugal and Fabulous Design

Chic on a Shoestring

My daughter is moving into her own apartment tomorrow and I made this modern looking canvas for her to hang in her room.  I call it a  Tissue Paper Picasso.  I hung it on a wall in my family room just so I could get a photo of it in it’s finished state, before it goes to its new home. 

It was very easy to make –  you will need an artist’s canvas, tissue paper, Mod Podge, Ribbon, and Furniture Nails/Tacks. 

 I found the colorful circle tissue paper at Michael’s.  They have so many fun patterns to choose from, so your options are endless.  I started out with an old canvas I found at a yard sale.  I actually got two.  The other one is still in production – I will post next week on that one.  I am doing it a little differently.  I cleaned the canvas and added two coats of Gesso and let it dry.

My canvas measured 24 x 29.  I needed 2 sheets of tissue paper to cover  the top and to wrap around the sides. I used  Matte Mod Podge, as I didn’t want too much shine.

I had to trim the tissue paper and match the circles.  I centered the largest piece on the canvas.

The other two pieces went to the left and right sides.  Don’t worry too much about keeping your cuts straight.  It won’t matter once you Mod Podge it to the canvas

Pour Mod Podge onto the canvas and spread it around on the entire canvas surface and sides with a paint brush.

Lay the center piece onto the canvas and then brush more Mod Podge on top of the tissue paper.  Move your brush in all directions- this will create a brush stroke look to the canvas once the Mod Podge dries.  Apply the left and right sides in  the same manner.  Wrap excess around to back and adhere with Mod Podge.  Cut excess tissue paper with scissors.

Let dry over night. If you have any large airbubbles, you can press a pin into the bubble and press the air out with your fingers.

You will need ribbon and furniture nails to finish the edge of the canvas.

Starting at one corner, place one end of ribbon and press the furniture nail into the ribbon and frame.  Don’t hammer all the way in yet, as you will have to place the opposite end of the ribbon under this end and them place the nail in permanently.  Wrap the ribbon around the frame and place a nail in every few inches.  I used 5 nails on each side.  Cover the nails with a towel or fabric so you don’t ruin the decorative nail witht he hammer.

When you reach the begining corner, remove that first nail and then place the other end of the ribbon under the existing ribbon.  Tack the nail down again.

Hang on the wall.

A Tissue Paper Picasso

I am linking this post to:

Thrifty Decor Chick

I Heart Naptime

Funky Junk Interiors

Somewhat Simple

Just a Girl

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Skip To My Lou

The Girl Creative

The DIY Showoff

Between Naps On The Porch

Tools Are For Women Too

Reinvented

Making the World Cuter

Blue Cricket Design

I’m melting, I’m melting…It was 92 degrees here today in the suburban Philadelphia area.  HOT HOT HOT.  3 HOT strikes for me today -

 1.  The temperature     2. My camera is burning up, it is getting old and overheated when I took these photos which it has never done before.   3.  My car’s cooling fan would not shut off.  My hubby and his buddy tried to figure out why – they finally had to un-plug a fuse just so it would not run all night.   HOT HOT HOT. 

If you are a follower of my blog you know that since my husband lost his job when the economy tanked went downhill, that we are trying not to spend too much and save where we can -  that includes not putting the AC on.  I don’t mind it hot, but I usually cave in to closing the house up and cooling it down when the thermometer hits 90.  So, when I got home from work today and went up to my bedroom to change into something cool, it was HOT.  I decided I needed to do a little” tweaking” to summerize the bed since I am sure it is going to be HOT sleeping tonight.

 Here is my inspiration photo:  I think what I love most about this room is the view.

Image: Coastal Living

Before

This photo was taken a long time ago. It was the only one I could find that showed how the furniture looked. 

After

 This is what I did to make mine sort of resemble my inspiration photo.   Lightweight curtains to have an airy effect so I can  pretend I can see the ocean out my window.  A neutral color palate with a barely-there feeling. 

I cut up a white sheet set and stapled it onto the wall behind the bed and under the wood crown molding valance.  I had two twin matelasse coverlets from when my daughter’s room had twin beds and used them on either side to frame the bed.  I bought the Matalesse spread on the bed and the pilllows at TJ Maxx. The sand colored lampshades are from Walmart.  The hotel style cover was a clearance purchase at the store where I work.

I used a staple gun and hand pleated as I staped the white cotton sheet under the wood valance.  I made the valance a few years ago when I painted the furniture.  It is simply a box mounted to the ceiling with crown molding added. 

I then covered the staples with white grosgrain ribbon. 

To hang the two twin spreads I made loops from the ribbon and sewed about 8 loops on one short end of each spread.  I figure this way if I ever want to re-use them for bedspreads I can just take the loops off- and the spreads are as good as new.

I work in display and our motto is – what you can’t see can easily be faked.  This isn’t pretty, but it is functional.  I screwed some nails to the underside of the valance to hang the loops on.  I also stapled the front fabric valance to the underside of the wood.  I ran out of sheet, so I am going to re-do the fabric along the front of the valance to make it fuller.

This is the furniture in the “before” photo  after I painted it.  The pieces were all hand me downs from my in-laws and were very, very, dark.  I painted all the pieces a light green/beige with a white-wash finish a few years ago.

Now, I just need an ocean.   Tonight, I am just hoping for a breeze.

To see how I made the window treatments for this room you can click, here.

I am linking this post to:

Between Naps On The Porch

All Thingz Related

Somewhat Simple

the Shabby Chic Cottage

Blue Cricket Design

Domestically Speaking

Fireflies and Jellybeans

Just a Girl

Finding Fabulous

Frugal and Fabulous Design

Funky Junk Interiors

Poppies at Play

Miss Mustard Seed

Open Your Windows

Why settle for a plain window valance when with a little extra handy-work you can create a truly unique window treatment with DIY beaded trim.  

A fabric window valance is a very cost effective treatment for a window as it requires only a small bit of fabric.  The most expensive part of creating this valance for me was the cost of the pattern.  I found the fabric in the $1.oo a yard bins at my local fabric store, the rod at a yard sale.  I white washed it with watered down paint.  I have a stash of beads that I picked up inexpensively at flea markets over the years.  I spent about $7.00 on the materials and about $10.00 on the pattern.

After sewing the valance, I added the beaded trim and then simply stapled the whole thing onto the wooden rod.  If you find it gets heavy and the rod rolls around in the rod holders, place some velcro in the rod holders and the opposite side of the velcro onto the area where the rod covered with fabric meets the holder to keep it from rolling.  You may not run into this problem depending on what kind of window treamtent you sew the beaded trim on.
  
   
 
 
The trim is basically a long strand of beads, like a necklace that I sewed onto the edge.  I made this valance, but you can add the beaded trim to a store bought window treatment, too.

To make the trim:

1. Measure the length of the finished edge on the window treatment.

2.  Cut a piece of clear nylon thread or Streen(fishing line) to edge measurement, plus about 6″ extra.

3.  Knot one end of thread and string beads on until you reach the desired length.  Knot other end. 

4.  Starting at one end the window treatment edge, hand-sew on the strand onto the edge.  Bring the needle up between each bead and back down into the fabric. ( This is a good project to do while watching television.)

5.  When you reach the end, create a few locking stitches and knot.  Cut excess. 

You may remember this photo from my Kitchen cabinet post.  You can see the valance over the sink.

I am linking this post to:

Perfectly Imperfect

Maybe you have or haven’t noticed, but I haven’t been able to post any home decorating projects lately.  Most of what I have posted are smaller decorative or craft projects.  The reason is because I have to watch my spending.  A year ago my husband’s job was cut, thanks to the economy.  We have been living off of his severance package ever since, but that soon goes away.  We still have one daughter in college, so her tuition is our priority right now.  I work in retail display and if anyone works in retail you know the pay scale sucks is VERY LOW.  I basically work full-time for the health benefits.

  When I get home all I want to do is connect with you, but I am pretty tired as I am climbing up and down ladders, moving and dressing mannequins, and running around the store all day.  It is a very physical job.  When I was a stay at home mom, I did so many projects while my daughters were at school.   Now, that I work full-time, I realize how I took that life for granted.  I was very lucky to be at home for 20 years, while my husband’s position provided  us with a very nice lifestyle.   Until we know what is in store for us, using my creativity in thrifty ways is how I am coping with living in limbo. 

Over the past few months I have become thrifty, thrifty, and even thriftier than my usual thrifty self.  I have been re-thinking everything, even down to creating delicious, yet cost effect meals for my husband and I.  When I was going through cookbooks for ideas, I wanted to have something pretty to mark the recipes I plan to try.  Since I am trying not to spend $$$, I decided to create cookbook markers myself.   They look so much prettier than scraps of ripped paper I normally would use.  Using them also makes my daily chore of cooking visually more appealing.

I have included them for you to download and & print onto card-stock.

Download Cookbook Marker’s here

Print out a few sets.  One for you and another set to give to a foodie friend.  I printed this set on ridged paper and wrapped a paper strip around the set.

To create the wrapping strip:

Cut a  3/4″  x  6″  strip out of card-stock. 

 Cut a 1/2″ slit on the bottom edge  3/4″ from the end.

Cut another 1/2″ slit on the other end, but this time from the top edge.

Wrap around the cut-out markers and place the slits into each other to close.
 
 
  

Tip: 

When you have a favorite recipe in a cookbook, create a card for your recipe box with the name of the recipe, the book, and the page.  It will save you lots of time trying to find which cookbook the recipe was in when you need it. 

Bon Appetite’

I am linking this post to:

Motivate Me Monday – Keeping It Simple

 On Sunday night I wrote about Oscar inspired fashion cut-outs to dress your fridge.  I told you I would show you how to make an easy gift-bag to give them in.  So here ya go - 

What makes this gift bag so unique is that is it a breeze to make, yet oh! so chic.  It is constructed from a file folder, the kind you buy at office supply stores with a center tab.  Target, WalMart and Home Goods also have some colorful and patterned ones that would look very hip, so let your imagination run wild.  The bottom of the bag is already made for you where the file folder is scored on it’s spine.   This bag is small, but still perfect for holding a gift card,  a lipstick, a book, or a piece of jewelry.  The brass-plated chain I used is called #250 Hobby Twist Chain, but any chain sold at a hardware store by the foot will do.  You can also use an old beaded necklace found at a flea market to coordinate with the color of the file folder or even a strand of old pearls that have a jump ring attached to each end so that you can attach it to the bag.

  Who ever is the receiver of this bag will squeal,  Ooh-la-la! with delight.

Gather:

1 File Folder, with center tab

1 Ft Chain

2 Brass Fasteners

1 Flat Gold Button (without shank)

Ruler

Craft Knife Pencil

Glue

1 Small Circle of Velcro (hook & loop)

Download template pattern  
 

1.  When printing out pdf. of template pattern make sure it is 100%.  Look at the top of the pdf. file, you will see a box with the percentage.  If printed larger it may be too big for the file folder.  Cut out.  Center template on folders score lines and trace onto the folder.  Make sure to mark placement for handle and all score lines you will add.  I made my template from an old file to re-use when ever I want to make a gift-bag.  I used it to show you the first few steps in this tutorial.

2.      Using a straight edge and an open scissors, line up ruler along the score line and run scissor tip along ruler to score.  Do not cut. You can also score the folder with the opened tip of a paperclip.  Fold.  Repeat this for all score line that are marked.

3.   Fold ready-made score lines in file folder to create bottom of the bag.

4.      Glue side tabs to front.  Use paper-clips to hold in place until it dry or use a thin line of hot glue.

5.   Fold over top and punch holes were marked.

6.      Place a brass fastener through end link on chain and put through punched hole.  Spread fastener to attach.  Repeat to attach handle to other side.

7.  To cover fasteners, glue ¾” strip that is on the bottom right of the pdf. to underside of top.

8.      Stick Velcro dot on the front flap bottom center; close and stick other side of Velcro on the   body of the bag.

9.    Glue button on outside of flap to resemble a real handbag closure.

I am linking this post to:

Strut Your Stuff Thursday – Somewhat Simple 

Transformation Thursday – The Shabby Chic Cottage

Let’s Get Your Craft On Thursday – Life As Lori

Friday Follow – Simply Sweet Home

Frugalicious Friday – Finding Fabulous

FridayFun Finds – Kojo Designs

100 Ideas Under $100 Dollars – Beyond The Picket Fence

The Romantic Home