Cottonseed

One Man's Trash...

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Can be a clever crafter's treasure! A few weeks ago, I saw a set of dining room chairs in the dumpster near the back of the Meganplex. Someone had fun smashing them to pieces, but one of them was pretty much intact, and another was just missing the leg dowels. You can see from the "before" picture that they had really good bones.

And of course, I can't be expected to leave a project like that sitting out for the garbage collector. So, I hauled those puppies home and set to gluing, screwing, puttying, sanding, painting, and new-seat-constructing. I ordered the Waverly "Lovely Lattice" fabric from Joanns.com when they were having a 60% off sale. It took a full two weeks to get to me, but it was totally worth the wait (and the discount).

Once they were done, I realized I couldn't have such lovely chairs paired with my boring black Ikea dining room table (I have standards, you know). So I had to make that over too. Stay tuned for the results!

Afters

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:39:00 +0000

Remember these Befores, from approximately one million years ago? Well, I've finally gotten around to taking the After photos. Forgive the quality, I took them in the very yellow Tungsten light of my apartment.

The chair was an easy fix - a little paint and strategically placed glue and screws, an inch of foam and some pretty fabric, and Bob's your Uncle.

The desk took a LOT more work. That thing had four layers of paint that I had to chip, scrape, and sand my way through - I even burned out the motor on my old belt sander (giving me an excuse to finally upgrade to a sleek new orbital). After three new coats of of hard-wearing exterior black paint, polished nickel cup pulls, and a bonus coat of spray paint on the under side of the glass top (gives it a high gloss, lacquered look), Fanny was FINALLY my Aunt.

Put them together, and they make a cute little vignette!

Due to the extremely limited amount of space in the Meganplex, the desk (and silver dome light shown in the last pic) are going up for sale on Seedling. Happy shopping!

End Table Before & After

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:34:00 +0000

If you read this blog, you should know by now that I am no stranger to flea markets and a borderline hoarder when it comes to ratty furniture with big possibilities. Years ago, I picked up this little end table at the Melrose Flea Market, and always intended to re-finish it.

You can see how beat up the finish is, and it's hard to tell, but the side was also pretty badly gauged. But underneath that, the parquetry just begged to be brought back to life. This weekend, I kindly obliged.

With the amount of puttying I had to do on the damaged side, I wasn't able to stain the entire thing. Instead I painted both sides and hind legs black, and then did the same to the ornate front feet (just because I'm lazy and didn't want to sand all those curves and crannies). But I think the two-toned effect really works with all the different hues in the wood.

What a dramatic difference, eh?

Costume Jewelry Revival

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:44:00 +0000

I was at my favorite flea market a couple of weeks ago, and came across a vendor selling bins of mis-matched costume jewelry. I couldn't find any pairs in the earring tubs, so I just picked three of my favorites (and believe me, it was hard to narrow down).

Now here's the fun part: I pulled off the backs with some jewelry pliers and used heavy duty epoxy to affix the former earrings to some ring blanks that I ordered from nearby Hong Kong (less than $5 for 10, on ebay!).

Now I have three totally unique vintage rings, sure to spice up any outfit. And just in time for National Talk Like Mae West Day!

Vintage Window Headboard

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 05:27:00 +0000

After stripping all the rattan off my nightstand and dresser set, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do about the matching headboard. If I removed the rattan, there would be nothing left but a rickety frame.

Luckily, it was about this time that my friend's apartment building decided to replace all their vintage panes with something more energy efficient. They left about a dozen of these gorgeous, perfectly intact windows out with the garbage - totally up for grabs. I snagged a couple of them and hung them lengthwise over my bed.

They're the perfect width for a queen-sized mattress, and are way more visually appealing than a web of rattan circa 1998. AND they were totally free! Everybody wins (and by everybody, I mean me)!

But How Would You Thread the Needle?

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:14:00 +0000

Perusing the aisles at Joann's today, I noticed there have been some significant improvements in the clear thread market.

Now that's some transparent thread!

Craft Night: Easter Edition

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:56:00 +0000

After a long Craft Night hiatus, Lisa and Adele came over on Friday to take part in some Easter-themed crafty fun-having. Of course you know that when it comes to decorating eggs, food coloring tablets and vinegar are a little simple for my tastes. Instead I broke out the Dremel and got to drilling.

It took a little cajoling, but I managed to convince my friends to blow the contents out of the eggs. Tip: it helps if you insert a bamboo skewer in the drilled hole, and wiggle it around to break up the yolk.

Once our eggshells were prepared, we settled in with a little paint, glitter, pipe-cleaners and creativity. You can tell by Lisa's enthusiastic expression that she was having a blast.

The finished product:

Clockwise from the top: Adele's Nolan Tuxedo Egg, My Glitter Egg, and Lisa's "I'm Not That Into This" Egg.

My New Couch!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:00:00 +0000

After searching high and low for a retro-style sofa that was both attractive and affordable, I finally ordered my new couch from Macy's way back in January. Last week I finally welcomed it into my home. Check it out!

Gorgeous, right? I heartily recommend Macy's for furniture of quality and style, at a reasonable price.

Vintage Chair Before & After

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:28:00 +0000

After downsizing my living room furnishings from a couch and a love seat to a couch and an overstuffed chair, I found myself in need of some supplementary seating. I picked up a vintage Danish Modern chair at my favorite flea market for a bargain $75! Of course, at that price you know it required some TLC. The wood was dingy brown and the original 1970 fabric was worn and dirty. Observe:

With a little help from my wood-refinishing-zealot friend Adele, we stripped the old stain and varnish off and resealed with a lovely warm pecan color. As a nice contrast to the rich wood tone (and a much-needed neutral addition to my room), I chose a cream chenille fabric for the seat and back. I tried to maintain the chair's original charm by repeating the 5 1/2" squares of fabric that comprise the seat cushion, but vetoed the tufting.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out, this is totally my new favorite piece of furniture!

An Old Bracelet is New Again

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Like most girls (women) my age, I have a drawer full of jewelry that I once loved and lived in, that has now become a bit passé. Remember this Tiffany bracelet that was so popular about seven years ago? No one is wearing them anymore, but it's nice heavy silver, and charm bracelets are so in right now! So I decided to give mine a new life.

Of course, I don't have a bunch of charms lying around, but I did have a surplus of foreign coins from various trips, just gathering dust in a closet.

Using the jewelry attachment on my fancy new Dremel, I buffed the coins to give them a little shine.

Then I laid everything out, making sure the size distribution seemed right. I decided to mix my metals, so I'd be able to wear the bracelet with a variety of other accessories. Then I let the drilling and linking commence! Word to the wise, stick with the Dremel for drilling holes in the coins - I broke two bits when I tried to use my regular wood drill.

Ta da! An old bracelet is new again. Special thanks to my hand model, Jen!

Parasol Lighting Fixture

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:36:00 +0000

Part of the problem with rental apartments is that there is a limit to what you can customize. For instance, my landlady has a very unfortunate (for me) aversion to painting. However, I've found that one of the easiest and most effective ways to change a room is by updating the lighting fixtures.

I wanted a bright but diffused light in my bedroom that wouldn't blind me in the mornings. This parasol casts a lovely glow, and was incredibly easy to hang. And not including the trip to Chinatown, it only cost about $5!

I merely sawed off the bamboo handle to about 6 inches long, and drilled a screw into the newly cut end. Then I inserted the screw into the hole that was left when I removed the existing glass bowl-style shade.

Bada Bing! Done!

Sew Mama Sew

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:17:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed that stores like Anthropologie use the funnest, most unique fabrics? And that those bold, colorful patterns are almost impossible to find in the retail sector? Why is it that stores like Joann's only seem to cater to the stodgy quilters and scrapbookers of the world? No offense to my stodgy quilting / scrapbooking readership, but I am about 30 years too young for the Christopher Lowell Collection.

For those who are looking for a place to buy unique fabrics at a reasonable price, I suggest SewMamaSew.com. Check out the kitchen valance I made from this fun Mendocino squid fabric by Heather for Free Spirit.

I also just ordered five yards of Sprays by Kaffe Fassett to make new living room curtains.

I'm thoroughly addicted! Anyone else have a hot fabric shop to share?

Befores

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:19:00 +0000

I've had some good luck junking in the last few weeks! Check out these two little diamonds in the rough that people had left out for the garbage collector:

And this little beauty was only $15 at a local flea market:

As my place gets more and more packed with "projects" I am beginning to feel a little bit like one of TLC's Hoarders. So I might have to put these items up for sale in the shop once they're done. Keep an eye out for the "Afters" post!

Easy Candles

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Is anyone else sick of using tea lights for ambiance? They burn out so darn quickly! How about a really simple, reusable, and decorative alternative?

For this project, all you need are some jars (I used spice jars from Ikea, only $2.99 for a 4 pack), melting wax (soy wax is said to burn cleaner than paraffin wax), wicks (try to get them without the wire), and a little tacky glue.

The instructions on the wax said to use some special kind of tacky wax to stick the metal plate of the wick in the jar. I didn't have any, so I used tacky glue, and it seems to work out pretty well. Just make sure the glue is dry before you pour in the hot wax.

You can melt the wax 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, but doing this tripped the 1939 electrical circuit in my duplex, so I had to resort to the old-fashioned method - melting on the stove top. Don't put the wax directly in your saucepan, use a double broiler method instead.

When the wax is clear, without any chunks, pour it carefully into your jar, avoiding the wick. It will turn opaque as it cools.

When you're done, you'll have a tidy little set of spice jar candles, which you can keep refilling with new wicks and wax as needed.

I am thinking of tying wire around the top lip of the jars, and using them as hanging candles outside.

Gigantic Photo Strip!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:45:00 +0000

I've been looking for an easy, innovative way to fill a skinny patch of wallspace, and today I hit on it: an oversized version of my favorite strip of photos from last year's County Fair.

First, I bought some 5/8" square poplar dowels from my local hardware store, with which to make a frame to stretch my canvas. They only came in 36" lengths, so I had to add 8" to the ends to get my desired 44" length.

My mother helped me glue and staple together a 44x10 frame, with crossbars to stablize it. We also puttied the joints, just to make sure the staples didn't create any bumps.

Then I printed my four black and white 8x10 photos on iron-on transfer paper, and cut a 14" wide piece of canvas cloth...

Ironed them on per the instructions on the packaging...

Let them cool...

Stapled the fabric on the frame, and done! Personalized art, perfect for my bedroom! If I had it to do over again, I would probably look for a prefab frame, so I didn't have to go through all the pain of sawing, gluing, stapling, puttying... ugh. My arms ache just thinking about it. But the result is pretty satisfactory, so it was worth the effort.

More Desk Organization!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:33:00 +0000

You can't say I didn't warn you! My boss was going to get rid of his Ikea Mackis desktop drawer unit thingy, so of course I snapped it up. This time I left it with the natural finish, and I quite like it.

It's a nice contrast to the white unit, and looks a little less formal. Plus, not painting the inside makes the drawers open a lot more easily!

Desktop Storage

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:23:00 +0000

The first day I arrived at my current job, I was greeted with this blue-washed Ikea drawer unit.

It was a storage solution that I never questioned, until I successfully completed an awesome Design*Sponge tutorial. I loved the outcome so much, I immediately wanted to make over every set of drawers I could get my hands on.

Since the unit was already blue, I couldn't stain and varnish it, the way I did with the last unit. Instead, I painted the whole shebang white, and added simple $6 acrylic drawer pulls for a whole new look.

I think this is a perfectly elegant office storage solution, especially with the added accordion filing system I added to the inside (thanks to tacky glue and craft paper).

Watch out for lots more storage solutions that take advantage of this technique. I just can't get enough!

Salvaged Chandelier

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:56:00 +0000

During a recent rummage mission at St. Vincent de Paul, I came across this diamond-in-the-rough:

Didn't look like much at the time, but after a coat of primer...

Then a hefty dose of blue paint, new cap nuts, and $5 worth of acrylic "crystals" from Michaels, and bada bing!

Not too shabby! All told, it was $20 for the chandelier (talked them down from $30, since I wasn't sure the lamp would work), about $15 for paint, cap nuts, and light blubs, and $5 for the faux crystals. So for about $40, I got to dress up my small hallway with a much needed punch of color and sparkle. And I just can't stop gazing at it!

Anthropologie Hack

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Design*Sponge recently posted a tutorial for a diy version of Anthropologie's (ridiculously overpriced) Curator Table, and I immediately fell in love with it. I do have to admit, though, that I was pretty convinced that I could do better than the venerable Britt, when it came time to emulate her tables - not to deny her just desserts... she had the idea, I was just capitalizing on it. And I also had a miter saw, which she was apparently lacking.

Britt's table:

My table:

Really not that different, I just continued the trim all the way around the top and bottom of the table, and stained instead of painted. One word of advice though: make sure you line the molding up, so that it doesn't overlap with the drawer above or below it. Makes for a pretty difficult time opening the drawers. :/

Fun with Mod Podge!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:59:00 +0000

This photo I took at Luna Park in Syndney Harbour always evokes a warm fuzzy feeling in me, possibly having something to do with fond memories of my sweet nephew. But I've never been sure of how best to display it. Of course, when life hands you a dilemma, the answer is usually Mod Podge.

The supplies:
- Painter's canvas (I chose 4"x5" with 1 1/2" strechers)
- An image printed centered, with enough of a border to wrap fully around the edges
- Scissors for the cuttin'
- Mod Podge for the stickin'
- A foam brush for the applyin'

I put on a pretty thick coat of the 'Podge for the initial stick, then put the whole thing under a phone book for about 20 minutes in hopes that it would dry flat. That never really works, and I don't know why. Maybe it needs to sit longer? I'm sort of too impatient for that.

After the painful anticipation of waiting 20 minutes, I slapped on a couple of top coats and let the thing sit overnight. Magically, it dried perfectly flat, and awesome-looking:

The final product:

Kind of looks like a real painting on canvas. Cool!

Dover Sampler Platter, please!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Have you signed up for your free Dover sampler yet? WHY NOT?

They send you a newsletter every Friday with free scans from all kinds of different art books. Lots of vintage labels, advertisements, sketches, I even downloaded an Elvis paper doll (complete with change of rhinestone jumpsuit).

I also framed this little lovely for my bedroom wall:

So go sign up! You won't regret it!

Craft Night: Owls!

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Last night was the first craft night in a few weeks... well, the first craft night where we actually make things. Lately it's been our intention to craft, but we somehow devolve into eating hot Krispy Kremes while singing along to mid-nineties Christian Bale musicals, followed by a long nap.

Aaaaanyway, this tutorial from Moonstiches (via Indiefixx) was too good to snooze through. Once you figure out the pattern (Moonstiches doesn't provide it, out of respect for something called "copyright infringement." But I say infringement, schminfringement... ripping off patterns is why God made interns -- thanks Jane!), it's really just a few easy steps to full adorability.

My owl is on the right, Lisa's is on the left. I love hers, he totally reminds me of the Tootsie Roll pop owl.

Nightstand Before & After

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Okay, don't judge me too harshly, as I bought this bedroom set more than 10 yrs ago. Rattan was big back then! It was from Pier One! The height of sophistication!

Before: A rattan monstrosity

After: A decoupage dream!

The hardest part of this project was prying off that darn rattan -- each piece was individually stapled down! But once I got it all off, all I had to do was cut pieces of fabric about an inch and a half bigger than the drawer fronts, and apply them with (what else?) Mod Podge. Then sand, prime, and paint the rest of the nightstand with white flat paint. Once that was dry, I decoupaged the fabric on to the top and side panels. After adding a couple of pretty drawer pulls (from Anthropologie, naturally), and a piece of custom-cut plexi for the top, I was done!

Looking back, I would have used a semi gloss paint for the night stand. It makes dusting so much easier (not that I do a lot of dusting, mind you). But overall, I love the splash of color this lends to my bedroom. Next project: making over the matching dresser!

Buttercup Purse

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:28:00 +0000

I love purses, I love free, and I love to sew. Lucky for me, Made by Rae has combined my three favorite things by offering this free purse pattern! Woot!

Not feeling like trekking all the way to Joanns to get a magnetic snap, I deviated a bit and used a botton loop closure. I think it works fine, and allows me a little more room on the inside for putting my phone in the interior pocket. I also vetoed the bulky strap included in the pattern. So far it's working as a clutch, but I might add a different type of strap sometime soon. The pattern and tutorial are pretty easy to follow too!

I think it's a pretty cute little spring / summer lightweight clutch, and I am considering enlarging the pattern to make a tote bag. I also think it could be made smaller, and modified to include a zipper, to be used as a cosmetic bag. How multi-functional! Love!

Chair Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (MadMegan) — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:02:00 +0000

As I was walking my dog last November, I came across this little beauty sitting on the street corner. Don't worry, it had only been out there a few minutes before I snagged it (not long enough for the hobos to pee on it).

I had been hankering to try a tailored slipcover like the kind they're always making on Trading Spaces, and this free chair was the perfect way to break in my new staple gun. A few yards of Lena fabric from Ikea, and some high gloss brown paint for the legs, and I was in business!

Mimicking what I had seen on TV, I cut largish pieces of fabric, and pinned them directly to the chair. Then I put pins all along where the seams were in the current design. The curved back created some difficulties that I had to improvise around, and fitting the cover back on the chair after it had been sewn was a bit of a problem. Since the top of the chair is wider than the base, I ended up hand-sewing the final seam to make it fit. Overall, the process was trial by error, but I think the results are pretty satisfactory!

Right?