Urban Comfort

A New Cover for an Old Book

 
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I keep a journal together, which (fortunately) has had a lot of handling. As a result, the cover started looking dingy and dull, and I thought something so important to us deserved a better cover. I envisioned a fabric book cover, but I wanted the ease of a folded paper book cover - like the ones I used to make in school. In the end, I got the best of both. 

First, I cut a rectangle of muslin to size, used a disappearing fabric ink pen to mark out my design, and embroidered a simple heart and initials using a basic backstitch for the initials. I was going for something almost primitive (like the carving on a tree), which is about the level of my embroidery skills. (In case you're wondering, the initials stand for "Howard and Wanda," our nicknames for each other. Who can explain how these things happen?) After that, I used iron-on adhesive to attach the fabric rectangle to a piece of heavy brown kraft paper, then trimmed the paper to size. Lastly, I folded the book cover together and used fabric glue to secure the folded flaps together. 

I was inspired by how easy the entire process was, and I think it's a great way to make covers for books. You don't even need to embroider. Instead, use a fun, printed fabric to cover any book that's seen better days, needs extra protection, or just needs a little personalization. 

Off the Wall

When it comes to walls, I'm more of a paint person than a wallpaper person. But I'm still interested in the great prints that are available, so I'm always on the lookout for different ways to use it. Using wallpaper off the wall (or just on parts of the wall) is hardly a new idea, but I've compiled a few of my favorites to inspire you:

 

I think this is a stunning example of what you can do with wallpaper remnants. Much of the effect comes from the chosen wallpaper, but this technique definitely makes an impact. {Photo from Country Home}
 

 

I'm not usually drawn to patchwork design, but I think it works well in this room. {photo from DIYideas.com}
 

 
This is a great project for the truly commitment phobic (or renters).  {Photo from Country Home}
 

 

The unifying effect of wallpaper makes this set-up feel like a built-in at first glance. It creates more of a focal point than the individual pieces would on their own.  {Photo from Country Home}
 

 

You can cover an ugly (or just plain) headboard with wallpaper to create an entirely new effect. If you don't have a headboard, you can create one from wallpaper and paste it directly to the wall. {Photo from DIYideas.com}
 

 
I love the clever use of wallpaper on stair risers - which tend to get scuffed easily anyway. {photo from Wallpaper Projects by Derek Fagerstrom and Lauren Smith}
 

 
Using wallpaper on the insets of doors and cabinets is an easy way to add detail and focus to a generally overlooked area.  {Photo from Martha Stewart Living}

Lacy Etched Glasses

    

I've been using etching cream on plain glassware for years, usually with strong graphic elements like numbers or letters. This time, inspired by delicate, floral etched French glasses I saw recently, I decided to go the softer route. I created stencils from a variety of decorative edge punches and etched a border along the rims of small glasses found at various thrift stores. 

I think the etchings manage to unite a disparate group of glassware, but I like that the designs don't match. I'll use these to serve various cellos or aperitifs over the summer, but I think they'd make sweet votive candle holders for a summer table or could be utilized in casual wedding or bridal shower decor.  You could also implement the same technique and punches to decorate the edges of mirrors, panels of a lantern, around a window pane, or on the glass in a picture frame.

A couple of things worth mentioning - I usually make my stencils from Con-Tact brand vinyl self-adhesive paper. However, I found that I couldn't get clean cuts from it when using more intricate punches. You can try putting a piece of paper under it (which works when you're punching washi tape), but I found a better solution for myself. I had some scraps of Loomtack left over from my decal projects, and I found it to be a great vinyl to use with these punches. I got very clean designs, it held well, and was easily removed.  It's more expensive than regular Con-Tact paper, but you only need small amounts for the etching and then you can use the rest for other projects (See Inkbloom for project ideas).  

As for glassware, straight sides are easiest to work with, though I've worked with tapered sides as well. The key to success with tapered sides is using a bone folder to make sure gaps are flattened out. You can also cut your stencil into pieces to make it fit properly, but it takes a little practice. Skip rounded glass, it'll be too difficult to get good results. Lastly, you can utilize double-sided tape to mask small areas, like the very rim of the glass. It's also good when you want to create thin lines. I tend to use 1/8-inch tape for delicate designs such as these. 

 
 

Supplies:

Glassware 
Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream
Decorative Edge Paper Punches (see below) 
Loomtack or other self-adhesive vinyl paper  
Double-sided tape (optional)
Bone folder
Scissors
Small paintbrush
Scrap paper
Goggles 
Plastic gloves

 

Directions:

 

1. Prep glassware by cleaning off any grease, dirt, or fingerprints.

2. Cut a strip of self-adhesive vinyl paper and carefully punch along the entire edge. Remove the paper backing and apply the stencil to your glass. Rub a bone folder over the edges to make sure there are no gaps or air bubbles. In addition, mask off the area under or over the edges of your design with extra pieces of vinyl paper (in case your etching cream should stray a bit). 

3. Apply a thick coat of etching cream over the stencil, making sure all open areas are covered. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then rinse it off under running water. Remove the vinyl stencil, then wash and dry your glass before using.  

 
 

Souped Up Bookcase

  
My son will be four in August, and we've begun the delicate process of transitioning his toddler room to a "big boy" room. Delicate, because my son sees it simply as an effort to move him from the family bed we'd never intended to have (palms in the air, "but Mom, who will hug me if I sleep alone?!!"). So, a slow and subtle transition it will be.

I don't want to buy all new furniture, but I admit there's a lot of white, so I thought I'd see what I could revamp. A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me a box of Chartpak charting and graphic art tape that had been rescued from a university bookstore dumpster. I have red, white, blue, yellow, and a little green, in multiple widths. Since my son has declared red as his favorite color, it seemed like a good tape to work with. I used two packs of 1/8-inch tape to outline his bookcase. According to the price tags, I would have spent approximately $8 for this little transformation.  

What do you think? Did I succeed in making this bookcase less babyish? (I think I'll also cover the knobs with a patterned paper or paint them.) The jury's still out with my son. He kind of shrugged at me, not willing to give an inch...yet. All he can think about is the BIG BOY BED.  Poor kid.

BEFORE:

 

 AFTER:

 
  

Iron-on Appliqué

 
I've been waiting months to see this feature in the March issue of Family Circle and share it with you.  This was one of my all- time favorite stories to work on and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of iron-on appliqué.  If you're a purist, you'll argue that this isn't really appliqué since there's no sewing involved, but who cares? This was so much easier, and if you can handle an iron and a pair of scissors, you can handle all the projects shown. 

You can find a template for the lampshade and how-tos for all the projects on the magazine's website. 

Kitchen Makeover Part II

  
This was a new design dilemma for me - a non-working fireplace in the kitchen and SO MUCH SPACE above it.  It wasn't even practical space because it was too difficult to reach and didn't seem suitable for storage. What it seemed to need was something very, very large, something way outside of my budget. Instead, I used some chalkboard paint I had left from another project and painted it directly onto the wall. It took about three coats to get the coverage I wanted, but it was easy to do.  Then I bought stock molding from Lowe's and took it to a frame shop to have it trimmed and mitered. Then it was on to painting. I primed it, applied one coat of gray paint, and followed it with a coat of white paint that matched the fireplace.  After it was dry, I sanded the edges a bit to give it a slightly distressed feel.  Then I used finishing nails to attach each piece of molding to the wall. 

Since it's basically decorative space, it seemed like the right place to write out a menu, albeit one that doesn't change. If lettering isn't your thing, you can type out letters in your chosen font and transfer it to the chalkboard using graphite transfer paper and a ball point pen. (Transfer paper is available at art supply stores.  Just follow the manufacturer's directions.)  After you transfer the letters, trace over them with chalk.  Voila!  Instant "art" for less than $60.

 

Repurposing the Nut Pick

 
I have a small collection of nut picks, not that I knew I was buying nut picks a decade ago, when I made my first purchase in Savannah, Georgia.  I thought they were simply wonderful Southern cocktail picks - and so that's how I used them.  I later found out that they were actually vintage nut picks, but I didn't care. Who needs a nut pick anymore?  And since it's one of the lesser used utensils, they tend to be available for a song, even the sterling silver ones. It's not hard to find them in sets, but I prefer to buy them individually. I've always been more of a mix and match person, anyway.  And if you really want to make them your own, buy picks that have an area for engraving.  Later, when you have a full set, you can take them to be engraved with your monogram.  Instant heirloom! 

*One thing to note:  Nut picks vary in how much curvature they have at the bottom.  Less curved nut picks make better cocktail picks.

 

 

It's a Bargain!

 

Like most people I know, the current recession has changed my shopping habits. When you hear about magazines closing shop or ad sales being down, people like me are losing jobs.  We're the self-employed who are sometimes gainfully employed and sometimes unemployed, without the benefits. But it hasn't been all bad. Being thrifty has, quite simply, forced me to be more creative and to look for bargains, in a way that I might not have thought of before.  

Take thrift stores, for example. Short-sighted though it may have been, I can't say that I've spent much time in them.  Antique stores, sure, but actual, honest to God thrift stores such as Goodwill or Salvation Army, not so much.  But this past year, I've stopped off and made donations and then ventured inside to check out the wares.  I started small - interesting glassware to use as props, the perfect cake plates, that type of thing. Now I've moved on to furniture and larger items, looking for diamonds in the rough (I have an entire living room that needs to be furnished, as almost everything that worked in our New York apartment is all wrong in our New Orleans home).  Today's haul is pictured above.  A few props, glass bowls that I'll try to create compotes out of (or float gardenias in during the summer), a pretty set of glasses, a couple of jelly glasses and a chemistry breaker to add to existing collections, glassware to practice etching on, and the mirror - worth more than what I paid for everything, which was a grand total of  $30.  I'll take that over retail any day!  

 

Stenciled Dresser

   

I created a stenciling feature for Family Circle this past summer and was so inspired by the process that I decided to give a castoff a makeover. Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" photo of this particular project, but trust me, it felt like nothing more than a drab, brown dresser with ugly hardware. Though it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, the drawers were stable and I thought the dresser had good bones and therefore, potential.  (Storage is always in short supply in my household, so decorative pieces of furniture also have to be workhorses).  I painted the dresser, then I reused the stencil I had used on the pillows, to make patterned drawer fronts.  It wasn't at all difficult, though it does require some patience and drying time, since you need to place the stencil over already painted areas in order to create the pattern.  I love the results! The hardware was a score, too.  Each drawer pull cost about a buck at my local Lowe's Hardware. You can't beat that.

 

 

For more ideas and stenciling tips, Download the feature.  For this project, however, there are a couple of tips that aren't covered in the feature.  Make sure that you remove the hardware from the drawers before stenciling, and line up the drawers in the correct order.  This will allow you to keep the pattern consistent from drawer to drawer.  I also found it helpful to stencil from the middle of the drawer, outwards.  This keeps the pattern properly centered and creates visual balance.

 

  

I first used the stencil on these pillows, featured in Family Circle.   

Kitchen Makeover Part I

 
My husband and I are renters, struggling to get into the mindset of owning our own home.  Perhaps it's the result of so many years living in Los Angeles and New York, where home ownership isn't a priority for the masses, or maybe it's because we're never quite sure we want to settle down just yet.  The flip side of our peripatetic existence is that we truly cherish each home we live in and generally work to make it the best it can be before we move on.  Great for the landlords - not so great for us.

When we first saw our home in New Orleans, we knew by the second doorway that this was the house we wanted to rent.  We also knew, the second we saw the kitchen, that it was the first room we would have to tackle.  It had promise - new appliances, 14 foot ceilings, an airy spaciousness, light, and a long window that opened onto the outdoor gallery (a narrow porch).  It's drawbacks - cheap looking cabinetry, hardwood floors that weren't in great shape, dull countertops, and a hunter green color that didn't fit our sensibilities. The paint was the easy part and our landlord graciously did the work for us.  The cabinets were another story.

We desperately wanted to redo the kitchen without spending a fortune (because what renter in their right mind spends a fortune on something they'll be leaving behind).  But it still needed to be a vast improvement and something that the next tenants would be able to appreciate.  We finally settled on open shelving, but even that gets very expensive.  The kitchen sat, neglected, and for the first six months, we barely spent a moment in there.  Then things started coming together.

We have a LOT of glassware and dishes - and even with the cabinets, not much storage space.  I pulled my bottle tree from my office, liberating it from all of its spools of ribbon, and put glasses on it.  I thought it looked good on the counter, warmed up the space a little.  Then I happened upon an industrial pan of some sort, for $20, and used it to corral all of our everyday dishes.  My husband unpacked a vintage restaurant sign and propped it against the wall.  Suddenly, it felt like we had a look - a place we could start from.  I LOVE when that happens - a flash of inspiration from the smallest, unlikeliest find.  

We got lucky on the shelving - Broder shelves from IKEA.  They're inexpensive and meant to be used in the garage or other heavy duty, storage areas.  This meant that they could handle heavy dishes and pots and be truly useful, not just decorative.  My husband removed the upper cabinets himself, painted, and installed the shelving.  Total cost for 2 walls of shelves - $160!  There are still other things for us to do - like paint the lower cabinets and change out the hardware.  But what a great start.  It's changed the entire look and feel of our kitchen and we spend a plenty of time in there!  

Stay tuned for other kitchen projects (those cabinets!)  I'll post them as we complete them.