UA-59651954-28 Crafty Allie: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

DIY Curb-Side Cane Back Chair Flip


Greetings Monday Moaners! It's that time of the week again, time for my Monday Guest Blogger! Applause...Yay! So grab another cup of coffee, get cozy because this is a must read makeover!

Please Welcome
Meredith from

 Hello to Allie’s lovely readers!


I am so happy to writing to you all today! 


My name is Meredith from Arts and Classy. At Arts and Classy I believe that no one should have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on quality furniture, art, or home décor. I love finding DIY projects to inspire others to get out to their local thrift stores or yard sales to find treasures. I am a huge fan of finding furniture on a dime and flipping it into                                           something fabulous. 

Today I am going to show you this cane back chair I found on the side of the road. HELLO CURB ALERT!



 J  The cane had been torn, so someone was just chucking it. Um…hello? The bones of this chair are great! This is a sturdy piece of furniture that can live to see another day. I wanted to revive it!

I will show you my journey in transforming this piece. I hope you enjoy.


First off, I needed some tools to help me disassemble this chair.

1.      Screwdriver - flathead
2.      Sidecutters or needlenose pliers
3.      A Hammer
4.      Screwgun – I use a Makita and I love it!
5.      Sandpaper and orbital sander 
         (if you have one, otherwise just sanding by hand will work)
6.      Primer spray paint
7.      Color of choice spray paint
8.      Fabric – I purchased about 2 yds, at $12.99 a yd.
9.      Staplegun and staples
10.  Hot Glue Gun and glue sticks
11.  Needle and thread
12.  Gemp or cord (for decorative accent to cover the staples)
13.  Batting (this can be found at JoAnn’s)
14. Scissors


Step 1 – Disassemble the chair

This was relatively easy, but I found a couple of spider friends in this process. Note to self: spray with bug spray before disassembling curbside furniture. I am not a spider person and I shrieked upon seeing one run out of one of the screw holes. EEkkkk!






Step 2 – Remove the Cane from the back of the chair.

I have had zero experience in removing cane from furniture. So I did what any do it yourselfer does…I googled it. Lol. I came across a few helpful videos on good techniques to remove the cane faster. I needed a hammer and flathead screwdriver for this step. I essentially hammered the end of the screwdriver as I dug into the cane border. You will also need your side cutters or pliers to remove staples as you go on this. This part of the entire process took the longest for me.




Step 3 – Sanding TIME!

Once I removed every staple and all of the cane. I got out my sandpaper and sanded the heck out of this chair. I used an 80 grade for the entire chair. Not much sanding was really required for it.





Step 4 – Priming the chair

I normally pick a paint and primer in one, but this time I chose to do 2 different steps with some better quality spray paint.  I just needed to apply 2 coats and everything was covered.




Step 5 – Let’s start painting!

I chose this really beautiful teal blue color for the chair in a matte finish. I wanted to give it some glam! I thought a modern fun spring color would give this old chair the pizazz it needed.







Step 6 – Time to re-upholster the cushion and the back

The cushion was a little difficult to take apart because it had be very professionally upholstered prior to getting my hands on it.  I was not trying to salvage the fabric or the gemp so I literally cut it off. I also added some new batting to cover the foam before putting the new fabric on it.



Now to re-upholster the back I had to lay out my fabric the way I wanted it to appear from the back. Then I stapled it into place and added a couple layers of batting (cut into the shape of the chair back) to lay on top of the fabric.







After the back fabric and batting were secured, I added the same fabric to the front. Essentially, sandwiching the batting in between the fabric and stapled into place.




Step 7 – Sewing the Gemp

For this project I did not use “gemp.” I got creative and used an everyday rope cord that my step dad had in his garage. I was trying to stay thrifty on this project. I think this solution worked just fine. I wrapped the fabric around the cord and sewed it into place.





Step 8 – Glue the Gemp into place

Break out your hot glue gun and get crazy! Well… not too crazy. No burns anyone!! This part was relatively easy and fast. It really finished off this chair nicely.





Step 9 – Re-assemble the chair seat and Viola! DONE!

This part was so exciting because I was able to see this chair back together again in  a fun new way!

This is always my favorite part. It is truly is the most rewarding!



Step 10 – ENJOY!


This chair was such a fun project. It came at the perfect time in my life to tackle it and share with you all! Thanks Allie for letting me post on your fabulous blog! I hope you enjoyed this project and if you want to see more, please head over to Arts and Classy for more fun projects, decorating tips, furniture reveals, and tutorials.


Thank you so very much Meredith for this amazing makeover tutorial. I saw a similar chair like this on a curb but didn't pick it up because of its broken cane. Now I wish I had snagged it. Oh well, I am sure there will be other abused chairs to rescue!

Thank you Meredith for guest blogging today!

Would you like to guest blog? If so, please contact me here.

Thanks again Meredith, 
and thank you all for tuning in! 
Until next time...
This post was featured on:
The Chicken ChickThe Dedicated House


Come by tomorrow to see my 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Crafting with Scrapbook Paper



Does anyone still scrapbook? I'd like to say that I did, but these days I only do digital scrapbooking. It's a little cheaper, and it seems to be much quicker. If you're not into scrapbooking anymore, then what did you do with all your left over paper?

I hope the answer to that question is that you hoarded it for a future project. Scrapbook paper can be very expensive, and it seems a shame to just  give it away or sale it in a garage sale for pennies.

I hung onto mine, and thank God I did because I have been finding more and more uses for it. I finally used up all of my old papers, and now I am finding myself buying more. But now that so many people have given up the hobby, its quite easy to buy it cheap.

I'll get to the chase and share some of my ideas.

CARDS
Nothing says "Your're Special to Me" like a homemade card; and this card literally took, 5 minutes!
The balloons, text and cupcake are all from scrapbook paper.



Pencil or Utensil Holder

It can be for you, or a kid or a teacher. It's so quick and easy
Simply keep a used tin can, wash it out with a little soap and bleach (to get the smell out), paint the tops and bottom, and then apply your scrapbook paper. Easy, peasy, mac and cheesy!


Light Switch Covers
This is one of my favorite crafts, I even sell them
 on Ebay & Etsy. 
Simply make a cardboard template of your light switch. 
Then trace and cut it out from your scrapbook paper. 
Glue it down with some tacky glue,and make sure to 
get all of the bubbles out. 
On the back side where the light switch goes, cut an X with an 
x acto knife, fold and glue each piece to the back of the cover. 

On the back  side with your x acto knife  punch a tiny hole where the screws go, turn it over and push the screws in and then take them back out. Do this step very carefully 
so you don't rip the paper.
Then turn it back over and decoupage the front.  I usually do at least 2 layers, but often 3. 
If needed paint the screws to match the main color in the paper.


Jewelry or Accessories Gift Box

Save an old cardboard toilet paper roll, cut a piece of scrapbook paper out and use a glue stick to tack it down to the roll.

 Then fold the sides in, with the top facing the side of the scrapbook paper seam, and place some tape over the folds to keep it from coming up. Then add some twine or ribbon to your package and wha-la! Its super quick and easy, and a great solution when you don't have a box for your gift.

Barbie House Wallpaper

I saved the best for last. I loved, loved, loved this project.
This barbie house is handmade. It is a 9 cubicle bookshelf organizer, purchased at Target. My dad added the roof, and roof details. But on the back of each square is scrapbook paper. My dad actually mounted the each 12x12 paper onto one large piece of wood and attached it to the back, but it could also be stapled or glued to each square. I tried coordinate to each room. One room has bubble looking circles, that I thought would look great as a bathroom. Another one has ducks for the nursery. My daughter has so much fun, and her friends are always so envious of her huge, finely decorated house.
The ideas are endless for what you can make with  scrapbook paper! When you run out and need to get more, check at thrift stores, garage sales, Craigslist, or your city's Facebook Buy, Sell and Trade page. I even look at Michel's; they sometimes discontinue their pages and sell sheets for 10 cents a piece, or a whole package for $3.

Thanks for tuning in! Until Next time...
             

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Worthwhile Wednesdays #10


Welcome, Welcome all to the 10th
Worthwhile Wednesdays Blog Hop!
I am so glad you could join me today!


First things first... I'd like to thank 

Kelli @


For guest blogging this Monday!


Would you like to Guest Blog???

If your interested please contact me via email. It can be found on the contact page.



Thank you to everyone who was able to link up last Wednesday!
I loved everyone's post, and I picked 3 of my favorite's.







If you've been featured, please grab your button and place it at the end of your featured post.
Crafty Allie


Now onto the party!
You can pretty much link up anything, except for nudity or vulgar content.

Link up crafts, recipes, blog articles, DIY Decor, Blog hops, shops, and more. 
By adding your link you give permission to pin your post on Pinterest. 
In addition, I will also email a weekly reminder when the party is Live.

Please grab a button and add it to your linked post or side bar.
                                                             Crafty Allie


Please show some love to the other bloggers by visiting some of the other links at this party!

Want to Party some more? Link up with my social media party! Link up your twitter, facebook, pinterest, and blog site!

Don't forget to check out the latest posts. 






and...



Thank you again! I look forward to seeing what everyone links up. 
Click here to pin this link party!






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