DIY Projects
Upcoming Projects:
- Upholster a Malm headboard from the As-Is section of Ikea with a pretty linen fabric and nailhead trim!
- Get rid of that ugly pine on the coffee table and paint/stain it somethin’ pretty!
- Try out a fun and graphic treatment on the living room walls.
- Put some curtains up!
DIY Project: Bookcase Curtains
Last modified on 2009-10-01 17:59:41 GMT. 6 comments. Top.
A couple weeks ago, I did an inspiration post on bookcases, with the intention of fueling my creativity, and perhaps yours, for an upcoming project I have been scheming for awhile. This project involved purchasing a Billy bookcase, with glass doors on the bottom, and attaching fabric, in some way, to the inside to create a hidden storage area. It was brought up during my thinking that I could just as easily purchase the bookcase with the solid doors and have the hidden storage, but I really wanted the little bit of fabric, like small pieces of art, showing through.
Once I had the bookcase completely together and secured to the wall (don’t need it falling on kitty during the day!), I cut my fabric to the correct dimensions. This included 2.5″ extra on each end for the wrap around for the dowels. Once I cut my fabric, I broke out the drill and placed the holes for the eye-hooks.
The hooks I used with 5/8″ hooks that were just big enough to allow for a dowel to slide through. I did not want them too big because I was afraid the screw would go too far into the wood of the door and either show through the other side or crack the wood. I picked these up in the ‘screw’ department at Home Deport for only a couple dollars.
Because the shelves on the bookcase hit about an inch into the door when it’s closed, I didn’t want the dowels or the hooks to get in the way of it closing properly. Thus, I decided to place them about 1/2″ to the side of the corners of the glass. Once I finished, I realized I could have gotten away with placing them about an inch down, so you can’t see the final gather of the fabric through the glass. Oh well, lesson learned!
After drilling all eight holes (four on each door), I moved on to the fabric I had cut at the beginning. Ikea offers a product that I know you can get at any craft or fabric store, but also comes with curtains and is sold over in their textile department as well, that allows you to just fold and heat to create a seam. So the boyfriend had some from his curtains that he let me use…
All you have to do is cut it to size, then iron the fabric to create a hem, place the mesh and iron over it.
Once you do this, you should have a nice strong seam. I found that it takes a couple heat-and-cool runs to ensure that it will stick, so have a little patience. :)
After you finish all of the loops, run the rod through the fabric and hook them in place on the bookcase doors. I tend to be an eyeballer when it comes to measurements, so mine where a little tricky and were very taught, but I am faithful that they will stay secure. Oh! The little dowels? I just picked those up at the hardware store as well, where you can cut your own size. I needed two dowels, which were like 60-80 cents a piece and just cut them myself. (Note: you will get looks if you are a female with a saw in hand, a large purse and flip flops on, just FYI. ;)
You’ll notice I left my edges raw. Because I am not going to see the edges except when I open the door to get something, I was not worried about the edges being raw. I also did not have fabric shears, they would have been better than the office scissors I used, but regardless, the final product was not effected by the rough edges or the cheap scissors.
Once the panels were in place, I attached the doors and walah!
A few items on the shelves above, and you have a finished product!
It adds a nice little pop of pattern and whimsy to the space. And because the rods are removable, I can change the fabric out whenever I want to! As you can see from the photos, I change my mind a lot (the layout of things on the shelves) so it’s a super sweet bonus to have the panels removable.
And yes, there are a lot of hidden items in the cabinet. Files, weights, external harddrives — there’s a reason I wanted hidden storage!
Hope I’ve inspired you, what sort of DIY projects do you have on your plate?
Do-It-Yourself Lamp Project
Last modified on 2010-06-05 12:36:21 GMT. 23 comments. Top.
So I completed my first DIY project since last summer, when I re-did my dining room chairs. They used to be an ugly grey blue with some blue-pink plaid upholstery, and I re-did them to make them look a bit more modern, though a temporary fix.
My second DIY attempt happened on this past rainy Friday afternoon. I got out of work early and decided to head to the local Salvation Army to see if I could procure an ugly lamp for cheap. I managed to get an interesting, though ugly gold lamp for about 17 dollars, then headed across the street to the conveniently located Home Depot for some paint and polyurethane.
It did have an interesting tarnished finish on it, probably from years of use, but I decided that I wanted a modern color on it, instead opting for a robin’s egg blue mixed with a bit of turquoise. To start, I cleaned off the lamp of all dust and debris and tape off the top and the cord.
Afterwards I set up my workstation out on my balcony. I had a drop cloth from a previously attempted project and just laid it out and taped it up on the balcony rail to prevent too much wind from blowing paint around. I also made the mistake of doing this project with a storm system going through our area. Luckily, my balcony is covered pretty well and though the humidity was high, my project area stayed dry.
After setting up I sprayed the first layer of paint on and let it dry about 20 minutes. Now I have to admit, I’m impatient with spray paint. I like to see the color covering the surface completely after the first coat. So naturally, I kept spraying, and I did have a small area that dripped and bubbled. Luckily, it’s towards the back of the lamp, so you can’t see it too bad. Lesson learned: Take your time.
And one more lesson learned before I show the final product…
Don’t wear your nice, every day sandals while painting. Believe it or not, the paint does in fact spray everywhere. *sigh* Any way, for the final product, I had a lamp shade that I had picked up at Target for about 29.99$, but was using it on another lamp base. I decided that I need to find a different shade for that lamp, and am using the shade on the new lamp. After some drying time, though not nearly enough (it was raining, so the lamp had to come inside), I placed it in the corner where I thought it would work nicely. Tada!
Personally I think the pale aqua and crisp linen shade work wonderfully with the green walls I have in my current apartment. It definitely puts a modern twist on an old piece. Here is a break-down of costs:
- Lamp plus original shade (which I did not use) – 17.64
- Paint and polyurethane at Home Depot – 6.78
- Drop cloth and shade were already in my possession – 0
So for a total of 24.42, I completed this project in a few hours on a rainy Friday afternoon.
Do you have any suggestions for me as far as DIY goes?
Guest DIY Projects:
DIY Inspiration: Amanda’s Birdcage Planter
Last modified on 2009-07-29 00:10:53 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
I am always up for a good DIY project, as should be obvious by my lamp project that recently popped up again over at YoungHouseLove. Not to mention the list of DIYs I have set up for once I move: repaint coffee table, create an upholster headboard out of a 8$ Malm headboard… The list goes on!
So when I noticed a close friend of mine, Amanda, who is also an avid DIYer, had posted some photos of her most recent project, I had to share it with everyone!
This is what she had to say:
“I’ve always loved birdcages. I came up with the idea of repurposing an old one and using it as a plant holder. I just hate the way that basic hanging plant holders look, and I thought doing it this way would add some charm to it. It took me months to find just the right birdcage. Most of the thrift stores I looked at had huge standing ones, and were a little more than what I was looking for. I decided to give it one last shot, and went to a fabulous shop in Houston, TX, called The Guild. I saw it as soon as I walked in and snatched it up! It was the most expensive piece of this project, costing me $18.00. I then stopped by a local garden center and purchased a small potted plant ($2.00).
The first step I took was sanding down the birdcage to remove the finish on it. I then spray painted it white, I already had the paint from a previous project. It took several coats to get the shade I wanted. Once the paint was dry, I placed the potted plant inside, and filled in around it with some fake moss (also something I had left over from another project). The last step was purchasing about two feet of chain from Home Depot, and hanging the cage outside of my apartment!”
Isn’t it super cute and shabby chic? What a great way to create a non-traditional plant holder! And just think — when it’s super windy, the plant is in place, no need to worry about it getting blown to pieces!! Great job, Amanda!
Do you have a DIY project that is inspirational? Send it my way, and I’ll post it for everyone to see!
