I’m sure you’ve seen some of our very own ModHomeEcTeacher‘s delicious upholstery posts by now. She’s a wiz to be sure, but if the idea of ripping fabric off that sad side-chair or lumpy love seat leaves you with a case of clammy hands, take a deep breath and check out BHG’s Common Upholstery Techniques. […]
It’s cherry blossom time in D.C., but for those of us who don’t live there, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the flowery fecundity. To do that, we just have to get a little crafty and make our own blossoms.  Â
It seems refrigerator magnets are all the rage. Personally, I don’t like the confusing look of lots of magnets and papers on the fridge, it goes against my hopeless quest for order. Happily, I discovered a line of products called HAPPEEZ by Lulalu (previously the company was called Mayfair Lane).  Cute, eh? What’s so special about these? They stick to […]
One thing leads to another when you travel through blogrolls and then you find coffee filter wall decor from Jennifer Jafarzadeh, a former lifestyle editor for Redbook Magazine.  As with the plate arrangement here, the trick with the filters is to tack them to the wall in a way that looks artistic and airy, not contrived. See
Hard, plastic tool boxes are hardly easy to carry around, let alone convenient to hang on a doorknob. Canvas bags have been my choice up to now, but they always lack enough pockets to keep tools orderly. ThisÂ
O.K. folks, I’m pulling out some of my best archived projects for you to SAVE $$$ by semi-creating your own decor. Often it’s more frugal to combine store-bought products with some sewing finesse’ to make your own one-of-kind home designs.
Look in any decorating magazine and there will be a room with baggy, white or natural slipcovers. It’s the perfect canvas for all sorts of eclectic decor. I don’t do slipcovers. I never learned how because I’ve always had neutral upholstery fabrics on my furniture. However, seasonal slipcover changes seem like the ultimate luxury. Light and fresh in the Spring […]
Little House in the Suburbs has a nice little tutorial showing us how to make our very own no-sew braided rugs. It’s a perfect project for the re-user/re-cycler, but if the idea of making a big ol’ rug seems daunting, a trivet might be a great way to practice the technique.
This weekend I finally decided to try my hand at making a light box. I liked a tutorial I found over at DPS where the maker used a box as his structure. It’s a great, inexpensive way to make your own light box. Its downside, however, is that it’s not collapsible. There was only one […]
photos by Rob Edwards Having created many a flopped DIY furniture projects, I’m intrigued with this wood veneer, acrylic and light strip lamp made by Rob Edwards.  Honestly, I’d be proud to give this as a house warming gift if it looked this good.
Slipcovers can be a lifesaver – until you see what happens at the dry cleaners. Unfortunately, not all slipcovers have neat, finished, serged seams inside. If the seams have been stitched with a very skimpy seam allowance, a tumble at the dry cleaners will likely leave you frowning when you get them back.  Here is a quick little […]
With a handy drill bit/door lock bit, you can make your own cute-as-a-button button tray for about $1.99 (not including the drill bit). I was inspired by
If you’ve never dug for potatoes, you don’t know what you’re missing. Finding spuds hiding in dirt is sort of like uncovering buried treasure. That is until your garden fork impales one of the darlings.
I think more people would cross-stitch if it were called ‘pixelated thread art’, which, in 21st century parlance, is exactly what it is. A series of X’s made over woven cloth to create pictures and words. Sound familiar? Three centuries or so ago, young woman did counted cross stitch as a means to become proficient […]
So they’re not big enough to actually hold a pair of drawers, but they’d be perfect for storing postage stamps and other tiny treasures. To make a mini matchbox chest of drawers, you’ll need:
Until I spotted Diane’s post on Craftstylish, I had no idea you could actually make porcelain. Sure, you can do the polymer clay route, but this DIY method is so much more awesome. Diane says cold porcelain is the perfect medium to make small objects and jewelry bobbles. To make cold porcelain, you’ll need: 3/4 cup white […]
These exquisite flowers come to us by way of Folding Trees. In this tutorial, we’re introduced the art of Japanese kusudama, which, traditionally, are used to make balls into which are deposited incense or potpourri. I actually prefer the look of the individual flowers, but if you’re interested in assembling them into a ball, Folding Trees […]
What is double welt cord, you ask? It’s the nifty side-by-side cord covered with fabric and attached to cover the cut edge of fabric and staples. Furniture often has wood trim where the upholstery comes right up on a lip of wood and is stapled in place. The staples and cut fabric edge need to be covered.
Vane Becidyan, the Brooklyn Bride, in collaboration with Etsy’s How-Tuesday, offers this video tutorial for making fabric drawstring bags for big impact for party/wedding/shower favors. And when they’ve pulled the string and discovered their goodies, the wrapping still remains part of the gift: a reusable, handmade, colorful gift. Â Â
Inspired by nature, Hanna Nunn‘s paper cut lamps are as beautiful as their inspiration. Designed and handmade in her workshop, the lamps are available in the table variety as well as wall, pendant (lampshades) and fairy. Pictured above is ‘Allium’ and below is ‘Goldenrod’. Â
