DIY Chevron Wall Art

I am currently working on re decorating my master bedroom. I decided to start with an item I love, a beautiful silver quilt. Also, my husband brought the bed and I had two other pieces I knew I would be refinishing. Specifically, I had plans to paint them. There have been so many fabulous Pins on Pinterest, so I looked to use a Chevron theme based on some of the pictures I have seen. Today's Blog is all about the art I created and hung above the bedroom. I will continue sharing other projects in the coming weeks and then a full room tour at the conclusion. Here is a picture of its current progress:

Today I am going to show you how to make the art. Here is a picture of the original panels:

Materials Needed:

• 1 yard of fabric ($10/yard)
• 2 poster frames ($8/each x 2 = $16)
• Duct tape ($3)
• Painter's tape ($6 for a roll)
• Craft paint ($1 for both colors) 
• Paint brush ($1 from dollar store

Total Time: 1 hour

I used about a yard of fabric. These two fabric panels have been a part of my life for about 5 years now. I bought them back in college and used as a floating headboard. Below is a picture of the contemporary fabric. The fabric was found in the Home Decor fabric section of Hobby Lobby and cost about $10/yard. The frames were purchased at Target. They are poster frames and cost be less than $20 for both of them.

After framing the fabric by securing the backside with duct tape Duck Brand Color Duck Tape Black, 1.88" x 20 yd., 1/pk. (Google Affiliate Ad). I flipped it over and used painter's tape Scotch Blue Painter's Tape, 1" W (Google Affiliate Ad) to protect the edges of the frame. Then I carefully cut strips of painter's tape and laid them into a chevron detail. I eye balled the design, but you are welcome to use a ruler and actually measure off the points to make them more even.

I painted two rows of a sunny yolk yellow and one row a pale pastel yellow. I let one coat dry and then went back to give it a second coat.

Once the paint was dry, I slowly peeled off the tape and voila! Art!

Bedrooms have many lateral surfaces, so I hung the frames above the bed to create a vertical focal point and take advantage of 10 ft walls. 

To keep me motivating through all of my crafty projects, I love to drink Keurig K-Cup Green Mountain Dark Magic Extra Bold Coffee, Regular, 18- (Google Affiliate Ad) out of my Keurig Special Edition Coffee Brewer (Google Affiliate Ad) that my sister-in-law bought us for Christmas. One of the best gifts I have ever received. Using a Keurig makes my life simpler and I noticed my kitchen is more tidy.

Laundry Room Makeover

Do you happen to have a room in your house where you simply shut the door instead of dealing with the disorder? Well, sad to say for me it was the laundry room. Below is a before picture. You will see in the picture the complete disarray of items! The shelving contained light bulbs, cleaner, hardware, laundry detergent and a hanger with swimsuits and underwear to air dry. Obviously, this wasn't working.

The tricky part about this room is that it's basically a closet with a washer and dryer on the bottom with the water heater suspended above the dryer on the right hand side. There are only two shelves to store everything and not much wall space.

The total time this project took me was about 30 minutes.

Step 1: Remove Everything - To get a really good idea of what needs to be put back in the laundry room, let's just start with a blank slate. In the picture below you can see I have taken everything off the shelves above the washer. Also, I removed items randomly strewn on top of the dryer. I gave everything a good vacuum and wiped all of the surfaces down with a damp rag.

Step 2: Sort and Organize - I bought these four containers from the dollar store. I highly recommend purchasing one color and buy labels from an office supply store. Make sure each container is labeled, that way you (and family members) know exactly where to locate an item. My containers are labeled with four categories

• Cleaning - Windex, wipes, new sponges and a scrub brush are located here.
• Lighting - For light bulbs
• Towels - Hand towels, washcloths and cleaning rags
• Washing - Detergent, oxyclean, stain removers, and dryer sheets live here.

Step 3: Label - I bought Avery Labels from CVS. They are about $2 and I use them on everything.

Step 4: Change Jar - I took an old tomato sauce jar, wrapped a piece of scrapbook paper around (secured with double sided tape) and then added another label.

 

Step 5: Hooks - I also added a hook for the dustpan. I figured this would be a good idea for quick and easy access.

Step 6: Decorate - I used decorative plates in the same color scheme to create order and cohesiveness. I love this cobalt blue color, so I hung three to the left and then, placed one above the dryer (in picture above).

There were a few items I removed and found a new home for to include, my drill and hardware, additional storage containers, a wicker basket and TV cables. I also put away all of the miscellaneous laundry items. This is now the perfect apartment laundry room!

Which room do you keep avoiding because you need to organize?

DIY Bookcase Makeover

If I could recommend a particular furniture piece that would benefit almost every type of lifestyle, it would be to buy inexpensive bookcases. Over the last 10 years, I have lugged four bookcases around to fit into houses and apartments. I used them for everything from storing books to kitchen items to shoes!

Let's take a quick look down memory lane...

These bookcases originally cost about $20 each and were purchased from Wal-mart.

Sometimes, I have used all four in one room, other times I broke them up and used them in pairs or individually. In the pictures above, they are in their original condition. The picture on the left has the bookcases storing kitchen ware. The picture on the right uses one in a living room. Another trick for adding storage is to use storage boxes for small items like the light blue ones here. These were both taken in a 500 square foot duplex located in Houston's Historic Woodland Heights. Let's just say, with 500 square feet, there was not room for even a desk! I used the coffee table for crafting and the bookcases to store all of my supplies!

Here is another way I used two of the bookcases in a different house. This house was over 2400 square feet and let's just say I didn't have enough furniture to fill every single room. I had to spread things out and float items in the middle of the room to fill the space! For this example, I used two bookcases and placed a large mirror in between to take up the entire wall.

Well, now the four bookshelves live in my dining room. They line an entire wall and I decided it was time for them to make a bigger impact. About 2 hours later I had a whole new look! Just in time to host my daughter's 3rd birthday party!

Materials Needed:

• Elmer's glue ($2)
• Empty bottle with a lid/jar (Free)
• Paint brush (from $1 store)
• Scissors
• Wrapping paper of your choice ($4 per roll)

Directions:

1. First cut the wrapping paper to fit the inside of the back each bookcase.
2. Mix up your paste - 1 part glue to 1 part water. Shake the mixture.
3. Using a paintbrush, lightly brush the glue mixture onto the backside of the paper.
4. Then, starting at one corner, start applying the paper to the backside of the shelf. 
5. Go around the edges by painting more glue to ensure corners are attached to the back of the bookcase.
6. Let it dry for 24 hours, before putting items back and add more adhesive if needed!

DIY No Sew Pillows

Today I am posting a project that took about an hour. I found this dress at a place in Austin, TX called The Blue Hanger. It's a place to buy Goodwill items for $1.25. The zipper was made out of plastic and malfunctioned. What I liked the most about the dress was the adorable floral print. Instead of replacing the zipper, I decided it was time to re purpose this dress into pillows. I used minimal items to create these and it took about an hour for both of them from start to finish!

Materials Needed:

• Dress (This one is a size 3 I think) $1.25
• Scissors 
• Needle and Thread
• Stitch Witch: $5
• Fabric of your choice (1/2 yard per pillow) 
• Pillow stuffing (About $4 for a bag at Wal-mart) or two old throw pillows

This dress had seams.

 Before I started cutting, I decided that I wanted the seam to be the center of the pillow. 

I started at the back of the dress where the zipper was and cut the dress up the back seam.

 Then I cut the top of the dress off.

Now I folded the dress so that I could see the inside of the fabric or the wrong side.

I had an old pillow case from Ikea so I used it as a pattern and traced the shape onto the fabric.

Cut the two squares out.

Then, cut a piece of fabric for the backside of the pillow. 

I chose to use scraps from a piece I bought years ago. 

You need about 1/2 yard for each pillow.

Use the original piece you cut for the front side of the pillows as a template to cut the back side.

Now, here's the fun part. Starting with one of the sides of the pillow, carefully lay the Stitch Witch along the top side.

Carefully, pull off the paper.

Then, line the floral piece of fabric and iron! 

(I held mine for about 20 seconds, but read the package of the bonding element)

Repeat on two more sides

For the final side, you are going to need to finish the edges. I folded the end over about the width of the stitch witch to form a hem.

Sandwich the Stitch Witch inside and iron!

Repeat with the other side of the pillow.

Below is a close up after I folded the top of the fabric over the Stitch Witch and pressed.

We are almost done.... Now you have to flip the pillow cover right side out!

Stuff the pillow and carefully sew the fourth side with a simple needle and thread. 

There you have it! New pillows in just a few minutes!

Heights Home on Larkin Street

5122 Larkin - Houston, TX

Located between the historic Heights and up-and-coming Midtown lies a house just south of the Bayou. On the corner of Larkin Street is a house with history. My husband, baby and dog moved there a few years ago. This house was appealing with it's natural light, updated finishings, and convenient location. I work in the Galleria/Uptown Park area and could drive to work in the heat of traffic in just 15 minutes. Yes, this is possible in Houston! Live near you where you work.

So, here we are in 1000 sq feet of house. With a yard for the 70 lb dog named Paws. It felt like heaven. We later found out, that the house came with its own set of history. None the less, although it was a beautiful place, we soon out grew its accommodations. Here are a few pictures of the living room.

Meet the living room. We will start from the far left and work our way clockwise.

Tan Window Shade- Came with the house. It's a simple tan roman shade.

Tan Art- Future tutorial coming soon! Tan frame contemporary fabric! (Frame from Target)

Red art- Freehanded using acrylic paints

Sofa and arm chairs- Ikea

Coffee table- Ikea with a smoke grey glass top (bought from a glass/window shop)

Mirror - Ikea

Small wall mirrors - Ikea

Red scroll painting - Freehand

Slipcover - Ikea

Mirrors - Ikea

Painting - Free hand, red acrylic paint

Here is the desk I created. The entire house was 2 bedroom and only 100 square feet. I made a desk by taking a wood shelf (belonging to an armoire) laid on top of the sewing table. The table's sewing ledge was extended and supported by a bookshelf (from Walmart).

The art was done by me! It's a watercolor with black ink!

Chair and lamp - Ikea

Vase - Target

Round lava rock - Brought home from Hawaii-yes, my bag was filled with rocks. 

Try explaining that to the boyfriend!!!

White coral - Cozumel

Cup (used to hold Prisma Colored Pencils)- Libby glass, Target

Desk- Sewing Table (opened)

with a piece of wood (formerly a shelf) 

to cover where a sewing machine would be placed.

Vases - Ikea

One filled with unity sand from the wedding

One filled with Nagchampa incense

One filled with champagne corks

Shelving unit - Ikea

DVDs - my own collection

Bowl - Ikea

Small wicker accent balls - Target

Lampshade - Target

Zebra accent pillow - Target

White Pitcher - Hobby Lobby

One of the strangest but coolest parts of this cottage was the random hexagonal window. Anytime someone knocked on the door, you could peek out!

Oh, in this shot you can see the base of the end table. It's actually a light blue leather square ottoman (from Target) with an Ikea end table topper.

Pillows were from target.

Tips for small space:

1. Use small furniture - By taking advantage of Ikea, I could easily sit 5 people with 2 chairs and one sofa. Bulky furniture would probably allow only 3-4 seats. Also, I could pull chairs from other rooms and comfortable sit 8 people (5 on couch, arm chairs and 3 in dining room chairs).

2. Keep accessories minimum - Table tops and surfaces must be kept tidy. Also, choose 1-3 items per surface. Any more than that looks cluttered in small spaces.

3. Work with what you have - Yes, there is a hexagonal window and beautiful antique yellow pine flooring, but I wasn't afraid to keep it modern. The deep low profile espresso leather, white canvas slip covered barrel back chairs and hand painted red swirls are juxtaposed with the same light colored wood flooring. It works because it was edited and specifically placed. 

4. Don't be afraid to paint - I'll be honest, I like wine. When I drink wine, I paint... on the walls. Yes, I am no better than my daughter, just a little more skilled with the hand eye coordination thing! If you are going to make a change, paint is always easy. Whether you use craft paint, acrylic paint or actually buy canvases and just paint them, you need to first draw the design. No, I do not actually use pencil, because I have been painting for years. However, for those of you who are less experienced, use a pencil. After you lightly draw onto the wall, start painting. 

5. Pick 4 colors for a small setting - I used espresso - on the couch, lamp bases, and mirrors. Red- on the wall as an accent. White- Side chairs and Tan on the window shades, accessories and floors.

6. Pick a shape - You will see that I repeat the idea of a square. Look at the pillows, couch, end table, vases, shelving units and wall decor with mirrors.

7. Use multiples - I duplicated lampshades, lamps, chairs, wall mirrors and vases.

9. No curtains - Roman shades are a good choice for a small room.

10. TV - You may be wondering about TV. We have a huge Dell plasma screen mounted onto the wall. It's very heavy, but the mounting equipment allows the TV to be pivoted. The TV was mounted above the lateral shelving with square vases and DVD collection.

Well, there you have it! The little cottage house on Larkin Street. Hope this inspires you!

Beginnings

Hi, my name is Crystal and I love to make things!

I grew up with a very crafty grand-mother and a detailed mother who sewed. From a very early age, I was put in a very creative environment. I spent years sitting around my grandmother's dining room table coloring, pinning and cutting to everything from ornaments to hang on the tree to stuffed animals. In fact, I think I was somewhere around nine years old the first time I used my grandmother's antique sewing machine. My own mother used to make dresses for us for all sorts of occasions like princess costumes for Halloween or floral church dresses for Easter.

As I entered elementary and middles school, I learned everything from basket-weaving from a class I took in 5th grade to watercolor painting which quickly followed. I discovered as I grew into young adulthood, that with a sewing machine I had the capability of designing my own things. So, in college I spent the weekends feverishly making garments. Yes, in an actual weekend I made a white coat! I would scour the fabric isles of the three stores who had crafts in town waiting for new materials to manipulate.

Then, I decided to put this passion to application by majoring in interior design. Soon, I was building my own house and picking materials to install. It was a full building project. My first attempt at designing with new construction. I will post pictures at a later time, but for now the only preview I can give was that I used a very transitional style and looked at designing the entire house to have the same feel.

Well, somehow between then and now, normal life got in the way. I graduated college in the middle of a recession! Can you believe that? All this crafty work was getting very difficult to find a stable job. So what does a girl do? I entered outside business to business sales. I'll be honest, I never really imagined that I would sell infrastructure, technology and communications. But, there I was! As my work career progressed I realized, that although creativity makes a difference in the way a person approaches problem solving, I needed something more. Well, right into my lap it fell! I was given the task to help our company migrate all of it's training curriculum to a virtual environment. This required tons of Powerpoint design, storyboards and new documents. I even shot videos! After the migration to a virtual training atmosphere, I realized just how much I really missed "creating" things.

So, this is my attempt (hopefully it will turn into a success), to follow my passion and teach others just how to "create" inexpensive and simple items. I want the working woman (or homemaking man) to have enough time to decorate, bake and make things that add quality to their life. Essentially, I am looking to impact the environment others live in. Also, I want to inspire people who do not have large amounts of time, but still want to stretch a dollar.

As we begin this journey together, I ask that you share your experiences with me along the way. Feel free to respond to any of my posts, ask questions or just reach out to me via email! I can't wait to hear the things you have to say. Bon voyage as we travel to a very crafty place!

-Crystal Sherard