I Built an Ottoman, Man!

Hello Friends.

I busted out my carpentry skills on this DIY project, baby. And while I was mildly concerned about my woodworking abilities, this project ended up being surprisingly easy. Think about it...an ottoman is a cube with legs covered in fabric. With simplicity in mind, lets get started.

What you need to be working with...

1. Wood (specifications to come) 2. Wood Glue 3. Sand Paper 4. Cotton Batting 5. 2" Foam 6. Staple Gun 7. Fabric

Here's what you do...

Step 1. Get Some Wood.
At your favorite hardware store, purchase (2) 8-foot 1x3 pieces of plywood and (1) 8-foot 2x2 piece of plywood.

Step 2. Cut It.
You need to cut, or you need to ask your friendly saw-possessing friend, family member or hardware store employee to cut your wood into the following pieces:
(7)1x3 pieces at 15.5"
(4)2x2 pieces at 16"
(4)1x3 pieces at 15"
Sand rough edges with you sandpaper and get your wood glue ready.

Step 3. Glue!
Visualize your cube. This entire project was held together with wood glue, yes wood glue. Elmer's Wood Glue boasts a bond stronger than wood itself. Trust your Glue. Use your Glue. For one side, use 2 of your 2x2 pieces as your base, attach a 15.5" pieces along the top edge of the 2x2's. Attach another 15.5" one inch from the bottom. Repeat this process to complete a second side.

Then attach these two pieces using a 16" piece on each side along the top edge. While this was setting, I also attached the seat slats made from the remaining 3 15.5" pieces spaced evenly.

 

Use your last 16" pieces to secure your legs one inch from the bottom of your 2x2 pieces aligning with the pieces already attached.

And taa-daa! Your base is complete! You do have the option to add additional security to your seat slates by hammering a finishing nails into each side of the slat. I also painted the  1" legs of my ottoman in black spray paint, this helps make the end product more finished (see the painted legs in upcoming photos). Time to add the cush!


Step 4. Pad and Cushion.
Using a roll of cotton batting, wrap your ottoman base with with the batting and attach it with your staple gun. I used Farfield Family of Cottons 45x60-80x20 Quilters Cotton Batting.

I suggest stapling the batting on the top of upper edge so that the edges are soft and you avoid banging body parts into them when sitting on them later. You really only need to to staple on the top and bottom as the fabric covering will hold the rest secure. Top with a 2" thick heavy duty foam slab cut into a 16x16 square.

Step 5. Cut your Cover.
To cover your cube, all you need is 5 squares sewn together into a bottomless cube and then you just slip the baby on. I used a thick, utility fabric (Imagine canvas combined with upholstery fabric). Cut your squares into 17x17' squares. For those who are inexperienced sewers, though it is a 16x16" cube, the extra inch allows a half inch seam allowance on each side.

Step 7. Sew your Cover.
Sew four of your squares together edge to edge with a half inch seam allowance. Then attach the remaining piece to the top edges of these pieces to complete your cover. It should look like a bottomless cube as I mentioned earlier, but failed to take a picture of it. Sorry!

Step 8. Wrap It!
Slip on that cover. Shimmy it on, it should be snug so it will hold on the foam cushion and batting. Flip it over and use your staple gun to attach your fabric to the underneath bottom edge.

 

 

Step 9. Flip it!
You're Done. This is what the final outcome was. I made one in pink and loved it so much, I made one in purple!

Don't they look great? They were so easy to make I could barely believe that I built a piece of furniture. Either could my roommate who watched in disbelief during the entire process but she was pleased with the way they turned out so she agreed to keep them. 

Lined up with a previously owned piece, we now have a lovely row of ottomans that occupy the main wall in our living room. I added an accent pillow for a little flair. I have been collecting vintage trays lately and think they add some versatility to soft furniture since that can safely add a surface for displaying frames, candles, books or knick-knacks, so I threw one on. Of course, ottomans are light weight pieces that can be moved and used as a foot rest or to accommodate guests with a place to sit or set their drinks. Love it!

One of several projects to revamp the living room down, more to come.

Until next time...
Keep your eyes on the sky...
<3 ray


Igot-it@: Wood, Lowes. Elmer's Wood Glue, Joann Fabrics. Farfield Family of Cottons 45x60-80x20 Quilters Cotton Batting, Joann Fabrics. 2" Heavy Duty Foam, Joann Fabrics. Staple Gun, Ace Hardware. Utility Fabric, Joann Fabrics.

ClickIt!:
http://www.lowes.com/
http://www.joann.com/
www.acehardware.com/

Projects @ Home

Hello Friends.

It's been some time since my last post, and though I do have a few projects in the works, none are quite ready for posting. So in the meanwhile, here are a free projects I have completed for or with my parents (they have all the good tools).

Lantern Rekindled...

 Mom decided she needed to re-decorate the mantel over the fireplace for fall(this is done with every new season, how tedious, I know).

 

 

So we had these four crazy rusty lanterns sitting in the garage for years, they had belonged to my PopPop when he worked on the railroad. They had awesome red glass and we thought they were worth revamping, so after the 20 minutes it took for me to free the glass, I promptly washed off what seemed like 20 years of dirt and my mother promptly started to spray paint three of the four lanterns bases brown and one red. The lanterns were so rusted it was impossible to tell what they were originally made of (probably some sort of metal, duh) but she liked the brown paint because it matched the rust (go figure) and the one was painted red because we ran out of the brown(my mother is a hasty woman, you see). And in case you couldn't tell, they came in two sizes, lets call them big and small.

 

 

And yes, we are country so we do our crafting on tree trunks in the drive way...

Here's how they turned out...

 

 

The mantel re-decoration is complete. The lantern colors looked great with the exposed red brick wall and she accented the lanterns with fall leaves, antique bottles and yes, those are antlers(my brother collected for her but lets not discuss his methods of acquiring them) and a little sparkle of twinkle lights hidden amongst the folliage. Looks pretty fall to me. Way to go Mom. Next...

 

 

Pet Cameos...

 

 

Mom is an animal lover. She is a vet-tech and a pet groomer. Needless to say she has acquired quite the collection of pets. As a Christmas present one year, I came up with a crafty gift to showcase her collection of pets with a collection of cameos. All it took was some cheap Ikea Kvill frames, some craft paper and a little bit of creativity. Check it out...

 

 

 

Hopefully you are able to correctly identify these animals. We have a dog, a cockatiel, a hamster, a bunny and a cat in that order. I did generalized profiles of each one cut out of black cardstock and placed them on fun patterned backgrounds that match the general color scheme of Mom's livingroom. I found these awesome oval frames at Ikea that seemed antiqued inspired. They were originally horrible, white plastic, but spray painting them black made them look more natural, or wood-like shall we say. There are lined up as a group above the entry way to the next room (I hope you will forgive me but I forgot to take a photo of the entire group together, I know I am trying hard to get over it). Here is a closer look at the cockatiel which has the most detail:

 





 

He looks pretty handsome with his plumage don't you think? And I gave him a background with a feather pattern just to be cute. You may have noticed that all of my animals have antlers... so what?! It was sort of an inside family joke as most of my relatives are hunting enthusiasts and we have our fair share of deer heads on the walls. They memorialize the animals they hunt so why not memorialize the animals they keep as pets? Plus it adds a little bit of whimsy don't you think? No? Well too bad, it's not for your mom, make yours without antlers, or make them of people instead of pets, what the hell do I care?!

Well beyond that little rant, I hope you enjoyed this project. It was very simple but meant alot to my Mother Dearest and was certainly very afforable (which is nice because I am often broke). More fun with paper art to come, so stay tuned...

 

Until next time...

Keep your eyes on the sky...

<3 ray

 

 

Igot-it@: Kvill frame, Ikea. All other craft supplies previously owned.

 

Clickit!: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/



DIY Jewelry Display

Hello Friends.

For all of you who have tangles of necklaces and piles of earrings stored messily in boxes and drawers, it is time to liberate your jewelry! With a few simple tricks and a quick trip to the hardware store you can create a customizable jewelry display of your own. A lovely place to show off your favorite pieces with flair and a little organization. Lets get started shall we?

What I'm Working with:

I found this baby at an antique store in Bucks County. I was meant to display small tea plates? Old People are weird that way. I spent $20 on this since it was in great condition. Of course you can find anything of the sort to use as your base and make it your own!

What You Need to be Working with:

1. Hammer  2. Finishing (Picture Hanging) Nail  3. Cup Hooks (of various sizes) 4. Needle Nose Pliers (Not pictured)

Here is a close up of the Cup Hooks I bought. I used 1/2 in. and 1/4 in. hooks for my project, adjust the projection length to the base your using. If you get ones that are too long, they will poke through the other side of your base.

 Step 1: Paint

Pick your spray paint color and paint that B****. I painted mine gray to match my furniture. Do 2 coats and let dry.

Step 2: Measure

Decide how far apart you want your hooks to be. These hooks are attached at the bottom to hang necklaces or other long jewelry.

Step 3: Prep your Hole (that sounds naughty)

In order to make the attachment of your hooks easier, get them started my hammering your finishing nail at the intervals you want your hooks attached. Obviously don't hammer it all the way through, just the tip works fine (also naughty).

Step 4: Screw It!
 

Screw in those hooks. You can attempt to do this by hand, but half way through screwing in the first hook my little fingers started to hurt so I grabbed my pliers and went to work with those. They get into tighter spaces and have better grip anyway.

Repeat Steps 1-3 for the rest of your hooks.

Step 5: Hang Out.

Put that baby on the wall and hang your jewelry, necklaces and rings. I also set out my favorite nail polish colors so they were easy to grab. Add any other accessories and small knick-knacks you may have.

  
You're Done!

Isn't that freaking adorable?! You may have noticed I added some gold trim to the top edge of my display. Classy right? Of course you can add whatever you want, choose what every color combination you desire, you could even paint the hooks before attaching them. Go crazy and make it your own.

Jewelry displays are a great way to add decoration and function to your walls or dresser tops. Here is another one I made last year and still love. Using a vintage frame (the more worn, the better I always say) and some old lace curtains you can easily fashion an earring display that you can hang on your wall or sit on your dresser as I have done here. Why can't jewelry be art?

If you would like to view a tutorial on how to make this jewelry display, check out my best friend Filiz on her blog Light & Sweet. You can click on her link under my Favs tab.

Until next time...

Keep your eyes on the sky....

<3 ray

Igot-it@: Plate display, Carousel Village, Indian Walk Bucks County. Cup Hooks, Ace Hardware. Vintage Frame and Lace, Inherited.

Clickit!:

www.carouselvillage.com