DIY Chalkboard Ragamuffin Banner

My sweet baby girl recently celebrated her first birthday, and we had a small party in her honor with our extended family. Since my daughter hasn't yet discovered Elmo, Nemo, or Frodo, I had free reign to pick a theme. I decided to go with a vintage theme so I could decorate with some vintage toys that I already had at home. I'll share pictures of some of the vintage items in a later post.

The party decor pièce de résistance was this rag garland/chalkboard "Happy Birthday" banner. The ragamuffin garland element was inspired by one that I saw here made by blogger Kimba. I added removable chalkboard letters so I can customize the message for future celebrations.















Here's a close up of a few of the fabrics. I selected fabrics for their bright colors more than their patterns:























Tutorials for the garland portion can be found all over the blogosphere, so I won't reinvent the wheel here (besides, the instructions are basically: "Tie strips of fabric onto a long piece of string"). I will share a few details though:

1. I used regular garden twine as the basis for the garland
2. My fabric strips were 2" by 8"
3. The finished garland is comically long. Too long, in fact, to fit comfortably in a photo unless you hang it at a funny angle. Plan ahead in case you need to buy a bigger house:










4. This project is much easier if you have a rotary cutter, a ruler, and a cutting mat (pictured below)

















It also helps if you have your mom visiting from California to help you tie on the endless strips of fabric. It is her job to groan halfway through the project, "You know, most people would just buy a banner!" To this, if you're like me, you will respond, "But what fun would that be?" The truth is that I have a pathological need to make things by hand to celebrate special occasions. When I got married, I made my own veil and bouquet, and I strung the pearls to make my necklace. I don't like to outsource the fun projects, and in my opinion, they're all fun projects, which explains why I am the World's Worst Delegator.

Plastic coated poster boards from Sherwin Williams formed the backing for the chalkboard letters. The boards are designed for testing faux paint finishes and retail for less than $2 each. They don't buckle--even under multiple coats of paint--and they can be cut with scissors.

This project required two poster boards, but I ended up with extra pieces. To make the chalkboard squares, I painted 2 coats of chalkboard paint on the boards, then cut out pieces that were 5"wide x 5.5"high. A regular 3 hole punch was strong enough to punch holes in the pieces for hanging on the garland. I used 1" x 8" fabric ties to tie the letters onto the banner.

I made this sign for the front porch with left over materials from the banner. To make the garland portion of the sign, I just ran a needle and thread through small fabric scraps, which I kind of bunched up or loosely folded to about 1" x 1". It only took a few minutes.

In my next post, I'll share some images of the vintage toys, as well as a gratuitous mini cupcake photo.

Happy Birthday, Baby Bear!

This post has been linked to other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land, Today's Creative Blog, and Reinvented.

Presto, You're a Fabric Designer!

I'm so excited to have discovered Spoonflower, a fantastic site that allows users to design their own fabric. I'm not talking send in a photo of your pet salamander and they'll print it on a t-shirt for you. I'm talking today you wake up and you're a textile designer, and you can order yards and yards of your own unique custom fabric from which you can make fabulous throw pillows.

You can draw or paint your design by hand and then scan it into the computer, or design it directly on your computer (using Photoshop, for example). The site is very user-friendly (and a little bit addictive, I might add). Uploading your design is a snap. Prices start at $18.00 per yard, and swatches are available for $5.00. The most challenging part is creating a design that works in a repeat pattern. Design Sponge offers an excellent tutorial for drawing a repeat pattern (by hand) here.
















Don't the possibilities make your head spin?! Beyond just the general coolness of DIY fabric as a concept, a few specific applications come to mind:

You can design a themed fabric for a nursery or a child's room:





















Or incorporate a child's original artwork into a fabric:














You can design a fabric that showcases your own personal obsessions, be they Scottie dogs, cupcakes, or...cuckoo clocks:





















Or design a fabric that includes custom colors that you can't find at the fabric store:



While we're on the subject of color, a great resource to have in your graphic design toolbox is Instant Eyedropper. This tool is freeware, and it allows you to find the color code for any color on your computer screen just by rolling your mouse over the text or image. It was created for web designers, but I think that it could also come in handy in all of your computer-related design escapades.

See a paint or fabric swatch that you like online? Roll over it, write down the color code, and incorporate that color into your custom fabric. Yes, computer monitors will alter your perception of the color a bit, but at least you'll be in the ballpark. And with Spoonflower offering $5.00 swatches, you can afford to tinker until you get the color just right. Cool, no?

The Spoonflower fabric images shown here are (listed from top to bottom) :
Fleur de Cuillere by Heather Dutton
Alphabet Red Lime by Deanna
Jam Tart Baby Fabric 2 by Christina Romeo
Ferocious Jungle 2 by Emily Burger
Max Miaow/Woof by Lisa Kingston
Cuk3 by Heidi Kenney
Green and Blue Flowers by Susanne Karlsson

This post has been linked to Works for Me Wednesday @ We Are THAT Family and Hooked on Fridays @ Hooked on Houses.

Easy DIY No Sew Pillow Tutorial

What do you get when you combine old towels, rubber bands, a paper towel tube, and a piece of fabric? Ladies and gentleman of the Blogosphere, I give you The DIY 5 Minute, No Sew, No Glue, No Batting, No Stuffing, No Ribbons, No-Talent-Required Neck Roll Pillow. To the best of my knowledge, this is my own invention, but for all I know this could be old news to seasoned blogophiles.

Most no-sew bolster pillows require that you tie the ends off with ribbon, creating a pillow that is shaped like a long piece of wrapped candy. This can be a pretty look in the right room, but sometimes you just need something a little more tailored. This is it!

Materials

• Two old bath towels (one towel might suffice if it's a really fluffy one)
  
• One cardboard paper towel tube
• Two rubber bands
• A piece of fabric--lightweight works best (I used part of a sun dress for this tutorial. The dimensions of the piece that I cut were approximately 23" x 35", but I ended up with a bit more fabric than I needed!)
  

Instructions

Step 1:
Fold your bath towels in half the long way to make two long, skinny rectangles. Stack one towel on top of the other. Place the paper towel tube at one end and roll as you would a rug. Set aside.















Step 2:
I used paper in place of fabric to illustrate this next step because the fabric edges were not clear enough to see in the photos. Fold your fabric into a tube shape so that the front side of the fabric is on the inside of the tube and the back of the fabric is on the outside of the tube. Be sure to fold your raw edges and overlap them as shown.





















Step 3:
Gather the ends of your fabric in the rubber bands. The more evenly spaced you can make your gathers, the better the end result will look.

Optional Note: if you would like covered buttons on the ends of your pillow, add them during this step. To add a covered button, you would need to thread yarn or a fabric strip through the back of the button to make a "tail"and then thread this "tail" through the hole at the end of your fabric tube so that your button is on the inside of the tube during this step and the "tail" of yarn or fabric sticks out through the end where your fabric is gathered. The rubber band would then hold the button in place. If these instructions didn't make any sense, take a nap and/or drink a cup of coffee and then read them again.

Step 4:
Turn your fabric right side out so that the rubber bands are on the inside. Note: if you added buttons, they should now be on the outside.














Step 5:
Insert your towel roll into the cover, tucking the gathered fabric ends into the open center of the cardboard paper towel tube.















Step 6:
Tuck one side of your fabric opening into the other so that your towel roll is completely covered and the fabric cover is snug. (Green paper is used in the photo so that the fabric edge is visible.)















You're finished! My example pillow has a few funny seams because this fabric is recycled from a dress, but you get the idea. This is about as eco-friendly as a DIY project can get--if you ever tire of this pillow, simply disassemble it and repurpose or recycle the components! It's just my kind of DIY project: cheap, green, and easy to make! Come to think of it, that description also applies to frozen peas, but peas aren't nearly as versatile as a decor element.















A few final thoughts:

1. This project yields a pillow that is heavier than the average pillow. If a "normal" pillow is Wonder Bread, your pillow will be Granny Ethel's fruitcake.

2. You can adapt this project to make a long bolster pillow by substituting a gift wrap tube for the paper towel tube and by rolling your towel(s) starting at the short end without folding them.

This project has been posted with lots of other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land and at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Copy Cat: Look-Alikes For Less

No, you're not seeing double, you've just spotted another great "copy cat"! If you like the look of Pottery Barn's Metropolitan Console Table (left photo $299.00 sale price), have a look at JC Penney's Evan Sofa Table (right photo $179.00). With almost identical dimensions (the Pottery Barn table is 1/2 inch wider and 1/2 inch longer), both tables offer simple, clean lines and a great way to complete your foyer or dress the back of your sofa!

DIY Storage For "Transient" Items

Blogger's Note: This post was originally published in September of 2009 and was updated in November of 2015. Some of the links in the updated post are affiliate links.

Clients often ask me how to organize items that are "just passing through" their homes. You may have seen "transients" like these in your home: the library books that need to be returned, the sweater that you need to mail to Great Aunt Myrtle for her birthday, the DVD that you borrowed from a friend and need to return, or that pair of Goodwill-bound go-go boots.

Here's a simple, cost-effective storage solution. It won't win any awards for good looks--just keep it tucked in a closet or storage area--but it gets the job done.

Start with a set of 4 wire storage cubes. The ones pictured here were purchased in 2006 for around $15 at Target. Amazon currently sells this similar set made by Whitmor for around $22.50.  Most discount retailers offer some version of this product.

Add some economy weight banker's boxes (these are one of my favorite organizing tools). When I originally published this post in 2009, Staples was selling these economy weight boxes in a 6 pack, but Staples currently only offers them in a 10 pack.  Amazon currently sells this similar product in a 4 pack for around $11.  The Staples boxes offer the advantage of plain, white sides, though this feature may be irrelevant if you are tucking this shelving into a closet.

Next, add labels. A fun idea would be to use chalkboard contact paper. If you want to keep things simple, copy the labels that I made here. I just used 8.5 x 11 paper with a 6 point page border and a 150 point "Courier" font.

Finally, use the boxes to store stuff! In my home, the "Library" box holds library books to return and also magazines to be donated to the library. The "Gifts" box holds gifts earmarked for a specific recipient in addition to generic "hostessy" gifts like candles. "Deliver" is for post office items, store returns/exchanges, and items that I need to deliver to friends. "Donate" is pretty self-explanatory; when the box gets full, items in the box get donated.

Given that "out of sight" items can be "out of mind", I'd recommend that any time-sensitive items be noted on your to-do list. Examples would be a store return that must be made within 30 days, library books with a looming due date, or a gift that must be mailed by a certain date.

Need more storage? Use chrome shelving and labeled laundry baskets!

Since this tip works for me, this post has been linked to lots of other organizing posts at Works for Me Wednesday. This DIY project has also been linked to other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land.

Bargains in Black and White

If you're jumping on the black and white bandwagon, here are 5 hand-picked finds--each is priced under $20.


















At $12.99, this black and white ticking stripe pillow cover from Pottery Barn is an affordable classic.















This set of 4 vintage sheet music coasters from Etsy seller A Happy Home would make a fun and unique gift for a music lover. The set is priced at $13.95.















Cling to summer with this set of two white wooden birds from the JC Penney Online Outlet. The pair is on sale for just $16.99.











You can cover a lot of decorating ground with 15 yards of black and white checked ribbon from Ballard Designs, which is on sale now for $4.99. One idea: use this ribbon as a mat for black and white pictures.
















This set of 4 black and white medallion napkins from World Market is $11.96. Matching place mats are available.

Happy shopping!

Wallpaper Alternatives

I've noticed a trend recently in design magazines and on the Internet: wallpaper is making a comeback. Now, I don't want to be a wet blanket, a party pooper, a killjoy, or any other uncool idiom, but I have to throw my opinion into the mix. I think wallpaper has lots of great decorative uses...but gluing it to the wall is not one of them!

There; I've said it. Now you may be thinking that I'm very uncool. You may be thinking, "She doesn't like wallpaper?! No wonder she was always picked last for P.E. teams in school! It's because she's so uncool." But you're wrong there. The reason I was always picked last for P.E. teams was actually because I once accidentally scored a goal for the opposing team in floor hockey. Plus, I was a pretty slow runner. And I had a tendency to duck whenever a ball was kicked, batted, or thrown in my general direction. Even a ping-pong ball. So, you see, it had nothing whatsoever to do with my views on wallpaper.

And the truth is that I do like wallpaper--in smaller doses. You can frame it, collage with it, decoupage it to the front of a dresser, use it to line drawers, cover storage boxes with it, line the back of a cabinet or a bookcase with it, or make cards with it. There are so many great things to do with wallpaper. Just don't glue it to your wall!

The thinking behind the recent resurgence in wallpaper's popularity goes something like this: "Today's wallpaper is different: it's pretty!"

Oh dear. This is dangerous thinking. Dangerous. Need I remind you...

What was "pretty" in the 60's?

















What was "pretty" in the 70's?






















What was "pretty" in the 80's?
















My biggest beef with wallpaper is that it can be so hard to remove. Just ask anyone. I think a great icebreaker activity at a boring corporate training would be to have people discuss their traumatic experiences involving wallpaper removal. That would really get people talking.

I once helped a client remove this wallpaper: (Note: this particular client is also a good friend, which explains why I would sacrifice my sanity in this way.)



















May I tell you how tiny each piece of wallpaper was when it peeled off of the wall? Confetti-sized. The size of a Post-It-Note designed for dwarf hamster. Maddeningly minuscule.

Now, you may be thinking, "I don't care if trends change! I will always love this beautiful wallpaper." That may be true, but unless you are 100% sure that you will never, ever have to sell your home, installing wallpaper is a risky move at best. Because wallpaper can be very intimidating to buyers, many of whom will have had negative experiences with wallpaper removal in the past. Even if you have impeccable taste and chose the loveliest, most expensive wallpaper on Earth, there's a good chance that your buyer's taste will be different from yours.

So what are you to do if you want to give your walls some pizazz without gluing wallpaper to them? Here are some wallpaper alternatives...or "wallternatives".

How about using a paint technique? One of my favorite faux finishes is this linen look (called strie) which is created by dragging a dry brush through a glaze mixture. You can find an instructional video here.















You can also use stencils. Cool stencils, not the corny country apples and mama ducks that you remember from the 80's. Have a look at this lovely room by Patty Henning of Fabulous Finishes. Patty used both a strie technique and stencils on the walls. The fun stencil on the ceiling is a nice touch. I also love the use of beadboard on the ceiling.





















You can paint your own wallpaper freehand like the patient and talented Britt at A Penny Saved.














Or use glaze (over a painted base coat) to create bold stripes. You can find simple DIY instructions here. (Image below is from Barbara Dalton's website).
















If you feel hopelessly compelled to adhere something to your wall, why not experiment with wall decals? There are a number of larger companies offering wall decals, but did you know that Etsy sellers also offer close to 14,000 unique wall decals in their virtual shops? Here are just a few of many fun (and removable) options. (Click on the images to be taken to each Etsy store.)

















































If you just have to hang something wallpaper-like on the wall, Wallbands may be for you. Wallbands just need to be dipped into water and applied to the wall in any direction. The manufacturer promises that these can be removed without steam or fuss--just grab a corner and gently pull the whole band off of the wall. I'm skeptical--these give me flashbacks to wallpaper border removal--but I think that the vertical application is an interesting idea.
















This post has been shared at Hooked on Houses, since I'm hooked on wallpaper alternatives.

Do you have any wallpaper stories--positive or negative--to share? Do tell!

DIY Old Book Photo Frame

Here's a unique way to display special photos. I would love to be able to say that this is a simple project, but in reality I found the concept to be a wee bit simpler than the process.

I saw this idea several years ago in a decorating magazine. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "These old book photo frames would make fabulous gifts! I'll just whip up a bunch of them for friends and family!" Please note that I had that thought before I attempted to actually make one. Now this was a few years back, so the details are a little bit hazy, but I do have a vague memory of almost setting our garage on fire with the Dremel. Almost.

If you would like to attempt one of these book frames, you'll have two main challenges to overcome:

Challenge #1: Finding an Appropriate Book to Carve Up. This is a challenge because you want to use a book that is attractive enough to display, but not one that is a priceless collector's item. I don't want to receive blog hate mail when you watch "Antiques Roadshow" and learn that the book you just diced up was worth more than your convertible. Also, if you value books and reading, as I do, you may have some qualms about chopping into a book. I was lucky to find a copy of The Prince and the Pauper that was lovely and old...but already ruined. When I found the book, many of the pages were covered in "scribble scrabble", so I felt OK about reinventing this book as a frame.

If you plan to make these as gifts, you can have fun selecting titles to match your gift recipients' hobbies, interests...and neuroses. Or you might want to match the title of the book with the theme of the photo (pair a love story with a wedding photo, for example).

Challenge #2: Completing the Rest of the Project
Make paper templates of your "mats" to trace onto the book's cover, endpages, and text pages. The endpages are the decorative papers on the inside cover of the book before the title page, and they make for a really nice "mat" if you don't goof up when you cut them...as did a certain blogger who shall remain nameless. (Hint: The name of her blog rhymes with "The Sled Bear Frog".)

Play with the layout to make sure that you'll see words all around your photo "mat"...and not just on 3 sides. (Another error made by aforementioned unnamed blogger.)

Remember that your largest opening will be on the book cover and the openings will get smaller as they move through the book pages toward your photo.

Use a craft knife with a really, really sharp blade...and extreme caution.

Cut the cover before you cut the pages, as the latter will be more forgiving of mistakes.

When cutting book pages, don't try to cut too many at once.

You may want to save the timeworn book pages that you cut out for card making and other craft projects.

Secure your photo into the book with double sided tape. You may want to use a color copy of your photo so you don't damage the original photo with the tape.

Have fun, and don't burn down your garage!

This project has been posted with other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land. Since I'm hooked on this project--whether it endangers my garage or not--it has also been posted at Hooked on Houses. Finally, since I made it myself, this project has also been posted for Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered and the "I Can Make That" party at Just a Girl.