DIY

My Vintage Chairs Get a Makeover

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One the easiest ways to update a pair of vintage chairs is to recover the seat. I watched my mom recover the chairs in our dining room every time she wanted to update the look with out breaking the bank. Today I did just that with a pair of vintage chairs.  I use them as side chairs next to the fireplace to add symmetry to a rather odd space to decorate.

This project was very budget friendly. Luckily, I had enough fabric left over from another project to cover the elegant vintage chairs.  I wanted something bold and colorful that would pop. The fabric I replaced on the seats was dull and lacked any sort of style. They were boring to say the least.

I opted for a really bold jewel toned paisley.  Crazy as it sounds, I’m not the only one to love the pattern. Pier One turned it into melamine plates. I kid you not. Back to the chairs.

Originally, these chairs went with a dining set I inherited from my grandparents. Since we don’t use the dining table or for that matter the dining room, the chairs were an excellent target for this project. My goal was to add color and bold pattern to the living room.

Step by Step Directions to Updating Vintage Chairs

  • Start by unscrewing the seat from the chair frame, setting aside the hardware.
  • Remove the fabric from the seat using a flat head screw driver to pop out the staples.
  • Lay out the fabric you want to use and place the seat over it to make a template. Leave about an 1 inch. More if the cushion is thicker.
  • Cut out the fabric and place the seat on the wrong side of the fabric.
  • Gather the sides and staple to the seat.  I had to play with the gathers to get it to look perfect and clear of the screw holes.
  • Place the seat back on the frame and screw it onto the chair.

It looks fabulous, don’t you think?

DIY Easter Floral Arrangement

Easy DIY Easter Floral Arrangement.

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I love decorating for the Easter holiday and each year I look for something new to add to the collection, usually it’s an easy DIY project. This year I found two darling bunny planters at Target and at $3 bucks a piece they were a steal.  At first I wasn’t sure if I would simply pick up two African violet plants or find another bloom to plant. Instead, I opted to use them both for an easy DIY Easter floral arrangements.

I had some oasis left from a previous project and picked up a couple of bunches of baby’s breath.  I loved the idea of using the only baby’s breath. It’s delicate and resembles snow. I thought it would look elegant peeking up from behind their ears. I wasn’t wrong.

Check out the video below to see how I put it all together.

 

 

how to make a pumpkin vase

Pumpkin Vase DIY

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Today, I’m showing you how to make a pumpkin vase.  I am always on the hunt for fun and unusual items to double as vases for fresh flowers. Last summer I watched Camilla over at Effortless Style turn a pineapple into a gorgeous vase for some pretty amazing summer flowers. Taking that as a cue, I thought why couldn’t I turn a pumpkin in to a vase as well.

how to make a pumpkin vase

Choosing the pumpkin

This time of year pumpkin patches can be hard to find in Florida, but I knew our local church hosts a pumpkin patch fundraiser. I stopped by one Sunday afternoon and had my friend’s son Carter help me pick out the right pumpkin. It was just right for my pumpkin vase or so I thought.  It’s almost perfectly rounded, with few blemishes.

selecting a pumpkin

 

Selecting the flowers 

This time of year is perfect for fall colored mums and daisies. I grabbed a couple of bunches in red, maroon, orange and yellow.  I’m thankful that my local grocery store has a wide selection for very reasonable prices. I can grab 3 bunches for $12.  I wanted something that would last a bit and not be too overly fussy.  Admittedly, I am a novice at flower arranging and tend to stick to simple designs like the snowball. If you have a bit more experience with flowers and arranging them, go ahead and pick out bigger blooms.

Creating the pumpkin vase

It was very easy to open the top of the pumpkin up to remove the seeds and guts.  I cut off the top directly round the stem, as if I were going to carve a jack o lantern. In retrospect, it would have better to cut the top off from the side toward the top. It would have given me more of an opening for the water container.

how to make a pumpkin vase

Arranging the flowers 

I used an empty plastic ice cream container, but using a coffee tin would have been a better option.  I filled it about 2/3 of the way and then placed it in the center of the cleaned out pumpkin.  Next I started to arrange the flowers inside the pumpkin. I honestly didn’t do anything fancy or with much thought. I only wanted to cover the opening with a bunch of flowers in a snowball fashion. The outer ring of flowers hung over the edge ever so slightly. The scale looked a bit off though.

The prototype 

Before I started on the larger pumpkin vase I did a run through with a smaller pumpkin. I think the smaller pumpkin vase was more true to scale and looked quite adorable, where as the larger one was missing something.  Scale! Scale is what was missing.  In the end it all worked out though.  I have the smaller one on the mantel above the fireplace and the larger one in the entry way.  I do love them both even with the imperfections of one.

If you have an idea, try it out. If it doesn’t work, you will at least learn something. The fun for me is in trying.

dixie bell painted chair

An Easy Painted Chair Project

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The other day I was looking for an easy project to do and realized I had left over Dixie Belle paint. I also had a lone dining chair in need of a make over.  Together they were an easy painted chair project.  Revamping a chair really is one of the easiest projects one can undertake.  All you need is a can paint, brushes and some fun fabric.

dixie bell paint

The story behind the chair is that it goes with a set I inherited from my grandparents. It sat in storage for a while and the matching arm chair was infested with bugs. Unfortunately, I had to toss it out leaving me with only one arm chair.  The remaining chair was a dull boring stained brown, and honestly, I thought it cold use a face lift. In an afternoon I was able to transform the chair into the perfect piece for my office.

I love using Dixie Bell Paint, as I don’t have to sand down the pieces I intend to paint. I cleaned it up with a damp cloth to remove any dust on it. Then I took off the seat and set the chair on a drop cloth to start painting. It took a couple of coats of paint to cover it well.

painted chair DIY fabric choices

Painting the chair was the easy part. The struggle was finding the right fabric for the seat. I must have considered about ten different patterns before opting for the pink paisley.  Everything from a cute black spotted fabric, to a cream and gray Parisian style print, and a few other patterns were in contention.  Since I struggled to pick a pattern, Kevin helped me rule out a few of them.  He’s got a great eye and will tell me if something looks a bit funky and not in a good way.  The thing is, I usually agree with him.  I settled on a pink and green paisley print.

easy painted chair project

So, what do you think? It came out pretty well, didn’t it?

 

how to make a floral wreath

How to Make a Spring Floral Wreath

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The other day we were outside doing some yard work when Kevin looked up at the front door and said it needed a bigger wreath.  It sure did. Rather than hang nothing there I hung a simple wreath that lacked that certain character. To be honest it was an unfinished piece that desperately needed switching out.  My solution was a new bright spring floral wreath.  It was an idea I had been toying with for a while and when Hobby Lobby put their florals on sale for 50% off I knew I had to act.

To make my spring floral wreath you will need :

  • Six bunches of 12 flowers, or 72 flowers of your choosing.
  • Floral wire cut into 1-2 inch sections
  • A hot glue gun
  • Wire wreath form

how to make a spring floral wreath

Start by stripping the flowers from the stems and the hot glue the wire to the inside of where the stem was. This will allow you to attach the flower to the wreath form by wire wrapping the flower to the form.  I twisted the wire around two of the wires of the wreath form as tightly as I could get it.  After each flower was attached, I simply hung the wreath on a hook on my front door.

I opted to use green, pink and white daisies to tie my front entry together.  Our door is a light shade of green and I’m using the same color for pots that hold pink geraniums. Our wicker chairs have a another shade of green to round out the entryway.

 

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