No Sew Cord Cover DIY

January 23, 2015 by Jessica 4 Comments

I have one more home decor project to share with you this week before I kick off a needed sewing week (my first blogging love). One of my good friends, Ashley, was blessed to move into an awesome new house last year. It’s been so fun watching her decorate and make (her dining room table, shelves, etc) many things for her home. A few weeks ago she was talking about figuring out how to cover up these cords and I told her to let me come up with something. It would give me an idea to blog about and she would get a free cord cover from the deal. She more than gladly accepted.

I went looking for some inspiration and was happy when I found this Pottery Barn burlap cord cover. My friend loves Pottery Barn style so I knew she would like this.

Here is a picture from the Pottery Barn site of their cord cover in use on a hanging light.
Supplies needed to make this project:

Large Burlap Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Snap Fasteners (amount needed depends on length of cover; find them in the sewing section)
Hammer

I first went to find some burlap that I wouldn’t need to sew at all. I couldn’t find a plain burlap ribbon that didn’t have such an open weave, but I did find this printed one. I looked on the other side of the burlap and you can’t see the print, so I knew this was the winner.

Once you find your choice of covering material, cut a piece that is longer than what you need to allow for some gathering. I think I added something like two extra feet to this one. Then fold both ends in towards the inside and hot glue in place.

Next, use your fasteners kit to add snaps to both sides.

The kit should tell you all this, but you push the pointed piece through,

then add the snap on top of it correctly. Place the blue tool on the bottom, matching up the piece into the hole.

Then close it, matching up the snap into the other hold. Place on ground and gently hammer. It pushes the sharp ends into the snap so it will be secure. Continue to do the same side of the snap desired down on side of the burlap. I kept them a few inches apart, but I would add even more if I did this again.

Add the opposite part of the snap to the other side. Just make sure that you put them on in the way that when they close they overlap the fabric.

Like in this picture above.

Go over your cords and make sure there are no unnecessary ones there. Their setup had two extra cords that we just rolled up and put in the basket. Then snap your cord cover in place. {Take not that the weave on burlap isn’t super strong, so when taking the snaps apart to remove the cover be careful. You could rip or distort the burlap if not careful.}

The good thing with this is that when I got to the place where the cords meet from all different things behind that table, I was able to snap around them to make it work. It doesn’t take long at all to make and can be used to cover many different types of cords. My friend is very happy with how it turned out, so it’s a win over here! Then to add even more cover up, I grabbed one of the toy baskets, added a blanket and some pillows on top, and put it in front of the outlet. It can be moved when the kids need their toys or quickly put back in place when desired.

-Jess

Marquee Letters and Succulents Frame DIY

January 23, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

I love marquee lights and succulents. Need I say more? I received these awesome marquee letters by Heidi Swapp c/o Michaels last week to create something with them and this is what I made.

These letters are so fun and it was nice to not have to make marquee letters by hand for once. They are on the smaller side, but they are very perfect for decor and table top decorations. Each letter comes with an extra cut out paper that you can cover in glitter, paint, etc. and just slip it right in. Or of course, you can also trace it and add in some new paper. I wanted to make something to go in my bedroom using my husbands and my name’s first initial, hence the W (for Will) and J (for Jess). I wanted to add some more greenery to our room and new that adding real succulents to this project might be hard to keep up. Fortunately, there are so many faux succulent plants that look very real now a days.

Here are the basic supplies you will need to make a similar project:

Marquee Letters
Frame big enough for your letters to fit in
Chicken Wire
Staple Gun and Staples
Wire Cutters
A Piece of Felt
Scissors
Faux Succulents
Moss (kind from craft store)
Hot Glue Gun and Glue

I first started by stapling on chicken wire to the back of the frame. I then cut off the excess wire on the edges, pushed down the exposed ends, and hot glued a small piece of felt over every sharp end. It helps prevent the wall from getting scratched and hurting yourself on the wire.

My frame was originally white, but I chose to spray paint it gold (I used Krylon Premium Metallic 18 KT Gold).

Now put your marquee letters together. Decide if you want to decorate them or not before adding the lights. I tried adding glitter, paint, and different papers, but I felt it kind of hid the letter when surrounded by all the plants. So I kept mine just plain white. Determine how you want to arrange your letters and then hot glue them to the chicken wire. I glued every wire that touched the outer sides of the letters. It really holds well but also comes off easily if you make a mistake. Like I did. I reglued this W three times. Sigh…..But, I finally got it on right haha. Also, make sure the battery pack is sticking out so you can get to it easily to add/replace batteries and turn off and on easily. Don’t worry, they tuck right into the wires at the end.

Gather many faux succulents/greenery and a big bag of moss.

I first played around with the bigger plants to see where I wanted them to be. Then I hot glued them in place. I tried for a natural “things are growing crazy everywhere” kind of look. Keep a few of the smaller succulents out if you like to add as fillers after you put the moss on. Tip: Work with frame sitting up. It allows things to sit as they will once on a wall and the ends can stick through the back until it’s time to cut them off.

Now just add the moss on. I literally just stuck it on. I made it as flat as possible and tried to use the pieces instead of the very loose stuff. It stayed in place very well. Make sure to fill in all the extra areas like inside the letters and all.

Flip the frame over and hot glue over the wires where the moss is. I felt like the moss was in pretty well since this won’t be a moving piece, but the extra hold is good. Use your wire cutters to trim off extra ends of the plants that stick out too far. I tried to stick some plant ends back through the wires where possible too.

Clean all your mess up.

Add the batteries and see how it all looks. It truly has a glamourous feel to it. It makes me think of those fabulous hotels in California I see in pictures on instagram. This would be great for a wedding decoration that would later be perfect as home decor. Would be great for a party as well. What would you make with these marquee letters?

-Jess

This post was created in partnership with Michaels. All opinions stated are my own. Affiliate links have been used. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

DIY Chicken Wire Display Door

January 20, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

One of my favorite types of DIY are the kind where you take something that might not look of value to many and turn it into something new and useable. So I was super excited when DecoArt challenged me to use their Multi-Surface Acrylics on something that could easily be found at places like flea markets, etc.

I had a friend offer me some old doors a few weeks ago and there was one that I knew would be perfect for this project. Look at how beat up this door was!

It looks like it should go to the dump, but I saw that there was still some life left in it. In fact, I plan on using this as a garden door one day. I wiped down the door real good and took off the tape to prepare it for painting.

Here are all the supplies I used for this project:

Door with large opening
Chicken Wire
Americana Multi-Surface Satin acrylic paint(s) of choice. I needed almost 6 ounces to coat each side of the door twice. Amount needed will depend on how large your surface is.
Paint Brush and other supplies needed to paint (drop cloth, cup for paint, paint cleaner, etc)
Staple Gun and Staples
Wire Cutters
Pliers
Optional: Wood for inside of door, Glue, Clamps

I chose to paint each side of the door a different color. I used the soft jade on one side and coastal waters on the other.

The directions suggest at least two coats of paint, so I did two coats on each side. It has very good coverage. If this was a door that I would actually be using as my front door, I would have done one more coat just to really cover it well. I let it dry overnight. The good thing is this paint is self sealing so there’s no need for primer or separate sealer. And the paint is for indoor and outdoor use. Awesome right?

My hubby cut out four pieces of wood that I glued on the inside opening. This door’s middle was foam and I didn’t want that showing. I used a strong glue to glue the wood on and used some clamps to keep them in place while it dried. I let that glue dry overnight as well. Then I stained the wood with a natural stain according to instructions on the can. After that dried, I stapled on the chicken wire using a staple gun. Then I used wire cutters to cut off the extra wire. If you want, you can use pliers to twist the ends so they don’t poke out. I’m even thinking of going back and putting thin wood strips all around the back side to completely enclose the wire ends.

I love how it turned out! I’m still waiting to find the perfect vintage hardware to go on it (that is also in my price range!). I know that will add to this project even more.

And of course, once I have a garden area that I can make all my own, we will fix the side door crack and add this to the garden fencing. For now we plan on keeping it in the kitchen and putting photos and our children’s artwork on it. Always look for the possibility in things. They just might surprise you! See more Multi-Surface Acrylic crafting ideas and inspirations here. -Jess

I parterned with DecoArt for this post and received compensation for doing so. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting businesses that support Happy Together.

Michaels Makers: Craft Room Organization and Makeover

January 15, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

Our very first Michaels Makers challenge for this new year was to organize our craft area and make something in it we have wanted to but haven’t gotten around to doing yet. I’m very blessed to have a little office that I get to use for my craft area. Here is a little background on this space: The owner of this house (we rent) said this used to be the laundry room. That is why you notice some of the outlets in high places and a board on the wall that I’m assuming covers where the dryer vents used to go out or something. He is an engineer and needed an office so it was a good idea. It worked out good for us too because it ended up being a good little spot for me. I was more than happy to give it some more organization after living here for almost three years now. Everything in the cabinet is really organized, I just have a bad habit of throwing things on the table and shutting the door haha. So I first started by just taking everything out of the room that was on the tables and give the space a good cleaning.

Then I rearranged a few items for better use. I found a nice spot for my fabric shelf in another room so this room wouldn’t be too crammed with stuff. I raised my desk with some wood scraps so I could fit the filing cabinet under it. The height really helps the room feel larger and I like that I can now stand and craft if needed. I added these awesome metal slats with peg hooks, j hooks, ribbon bar, metal basket, and pencil baskets on the wall. This is so much better than all the cups I had on my desk holding these things. It’s much easier to see where things are. Why didn’t I do this sooner?

I also took down a lot of the wall decorations. It just felt too cluttered. I used to have more items up and it felt more like a gallery wall, but some pieces are now in other places leaving this wall looking not quite right. The bulletin board hasn’t made it’s way back in the room yet, but it might later. I just liked the clean feeling of the back wall for now. I tidied up my threads even more by buying another thread holder. I didn’t want to make any holes in this wood cabinet, so I used picture hanging strips to keep them up. I added two picture hanging hooks to hold some of my embroidery hoop stash as well.

And maybe you noticed the lights? I first of all changed the main light bulbs. They were very warm so I bought some daytime light bulbs to brighten things up. Then to add even more light, I added two hanging fixtures also with daytime bulbs. The light alone makes such a big difference! Now I can take pictures in my craft room, which has no windows, when I need to for craft posts.

Easy fixes on the other side of the room with just cleaning up and putting things away. I did redo our mouse pad though. I just used some heat n’ bond to add fabric to the top. An easy project I had been wanting to do for a veryyyyyyy long time.

I didn’t really mess with the back door either. I have a shoe holder on it to hold random supplies so I can see them good. It’s not perfect, but I can see everything and everything has a place.

And this Ipad holder is my project! I know it really isn’t a big project, but I have really wanted an Ipad holder for this space for a long time. I wanted to be able to have it so I could watch shows, etc. while sewing. I debated a few different options and whether it should go on the wall or not. But after playing around with it, placing a crate (similar one here) on top of books was the perfect thing for me. Now I can move it to where I need it where as if it was on the wall that is the only place it would be. It also saves me from filling in a few more nail holes when we move. I’m so excited to start working in this room now! It is much more inviting. In fact, my kids run in and hop on the stool whenever they can now.

-Jess

See what all the other Michaels Makers did for their projects below:

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This post was created in partnership with Michaels. All opinions stated are my own. Affiliate links have been used. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

Painting A Vintage Scale

January 9, 2015 by Jessica 2 Comments

As renters, we live in a world of brown and beige. Every time the Coast Guard has moved us I really look hard to try and find a rental that matches my desires in terms of design, but I have yet for that to work out. In the meantime, I am always on the search to add some brightness and color on a budget to said brown/beige covered houses. I was cleaning up Christmas stuff the other day when I looked at this vintage scale I had sitting on my kitchen counter. I had always liked the scale but it added to the blahness of the counters/back splash. It was time for some paint to liven it up and add some color.

I simply wiped down the scale really good with a wet paper towel and let it dry. Then I used the Americana Chalky Finish Paint to paint it with a regular paintbrush. I started with a small amount (probably like 3 tablespoons) of the paint in Everlasting. Then I added a few drops of Treasure and mixed it up. It was too blue for me, so I added some Refreshing until I got this light blueish with a hint of aqua in it. I painted on a really thin coat at first and let it dry. I liked how some of the rust still popped through but wanted a little more coverage so I added another thin coat. I liked the coverage and yet could still see just a tad bit of rust through so it still had an old appearance (hard to see in this photo). I left the face of the scale alone and didn’t worry about painting the places that were too hard to get to and weren’t seen. I also didn’t add a sealer because this will be inside and the chances of it getting wet are very little. I have to say that I have really come to adore the Chalky Finish Paint because there’s no sanding, no priming needed, it can paint just about anything, and dries really fast.

I’m so happy with how it turned out and I’m happy to have been able to add some more color to my kitchen.

-Jess