Real Inspired: DIY

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

How to Make No-Sew, Knock-Off IKEA Curtains

How to Make navy striped, No-Sew, Knock-Off Ikea Marmorblad Curtains diy no sew

I put up my boys' vintage modern nursery reveal last fall and I just realized that I never told you all about the curtains! I hinted at a curtain tutorial and then never did it. Whoops!

Well, here it is now and it's super easy!

19 Ideas for Reusing Old Shutters

I love it when everything is organized. No really, I do. Unfortunately, I need a little help sometimes to get there.

Like this shutter jewelry organizer.

I was desperate for a jewelry storage solution and this little shutter upcycle works perfectly for me. I haven't had any issues and it's held up great. I even remember to put my jewelry back on it most of the time. Like I said, I need a little help sometimes.

Not too long ago, I put together a board of recycled pillow ideas on Hometalk. Hometalk is similar to Pinterest but it's solely for the home and garden. Perfect for house nerds like me! Well, I've also recently put together a shutter upcycle board!

DIY Chalkboard Canvas

*this post contains affiliate links

Chalkboard stuff is totally in right now. Or maybe it's on its way out and I'm just behind. That's a good possibility since I've been seeing chalkboard all around for a while now. Chalkboard walls, framed chalkboards, chalkboard jars...all super cute! It's very easy to make anything into a chalkboard with a little bit of $3 chalkboard paint!

DIY Winter Mason Jar Terrarium

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season! I am! Can you believe it's already only 9 days until Christmas? I like that Thanksgiving and Christmas are close but it can be hard to get all the decorations up in between. After all of us being sick the last couple weeks, I needed some quick, simple, and cheap Christmas decorations. This DIY winter Mason jar terrarium came together in 5 minutes!

Thanks to Pinterest, Mason jar crafts are the big thing. To be honest, I have never been a fan of the Mason jar fad. I love jars and all, but I just wasn't into it. BUT, I think the Mason jar snow globes and terrariums are adorable! So I made one.

DIY Christmas Ornament Craft

Welcome to the Blogger Christmas Series! For the next four weeks, I am teaming up with some other fabulous bloggers to bring you a variety of posts about Christmas stuff. Lights, decor, recipes, ideas...anything and everything related to Christmas! You can find the links to the other bloggers posts at the end of this post. Check them out when you get a chance!

Let the Christmas posts begin! I have a no Christmas anything before Thanksgiving rule. I've been ignoring the peppermint mochas at Starbucks for three weeks now. That's how hardcore I am. Since it is the week of Thanksgiving, I shall bend it ever so slightly and go ahead and post this Christmas ornament craft. You'll need a week or so of drinking frozen orange juice to be able to make it anyway!

20 Recycled Pillow Ideas

I've posted many small do-it-yourself(DIY) projects here on the blog over the last year and a half. The key word here being small. I'm not a DIY kind of person, believe it or not. Creative and a little crafty? Sure, but I'm just not into big DIY projects.

I'm quite happy letting someone else install my new floors, thanks.

I do love DIY projects if I can do it cheaply and I know what I am doing OR I can google it and figure it out in 15 minutes. Time is money. Many times I don't have either, but I figure it would take me just as much money to build a dresser as it would to buy one. And I wouldn't have a life until it was finished.

DIY No-Sew Zippered Pillow Cover

You read that right. A completely no-sew zippered pillow cover for fall. Made out of napkins I found at the thrift store!

I recently bought a bottle of permanent fabric glue to use for another project that, ultimately, the glue didn't work for. I loved the idea of it though so I wracked my brain to try and come up with something else I could try it on. And then it hit me: pillows. And why not attempt a zipper?

Usually I sew pillows because I really want them to hold up. We use them a lot! We sit on them, eat on them, the kids wipe their snot on them, spit-up...yes, we know how to be rough on our pillows. I wasn't sure if the fabric glue method would work or not, but I wanted some new fall pillows and I wanted them fast!

I picked up three Dwell Studio for Target napkins at the thrift store specifically for turning into pillows. I couldn't pass on that print even if there were only three! But I only needed two of them for this pillow. For this project you'll need:

DIY Framed Jewelry {Revisited}

A while back wrote a post on how I made a display for some of my special jewelry. It's one of my absolute favorite projects! Everyday I get to see heirlooms and special jewelry from my wedding day. It was super cheap and easy too and you know that's right up my alley!

I updated the pictures a bit and I figured, why not revisit that post today? I'll give you the super simple step-by-step process so you can display your special jewelry too. If you don't have any, you may want to go out and by some! Ebay and Etsy are great for it!

Continue reading...DIY Framed Jewelry.

Nautical Summer Mantel

Since tomorrow is the first day of summer, it just seemed right to show you all my nautical summer mantel. Actually, it might just turn into my all-the-time mantel! And it all started with some super cheapo, thrifted art.

I love the beachy feel and I love being out on the water. There's not much better for a hot, southern summer day than lazing around in a pontoon on the lake and catching some fish. Or renting a beach house on the ocean for a week...it just makes me relaxed thinking about it. The smell of sunscreen, midnight walks on the beach just because you can, sand everywhere, and just the whole casual atmosphere is wonderful! I am thinking that living near the coast makes it acceptable for me to decorate our place like a beach house. I want to evoke that relaxed feeling everyday!

This ship "painting" that I picked up at the thrift store really isn't one. The frame isn't exactly a real frame either. The whole thing is basically cardboard. I could pick it up and chunk it somewhere pretty easily. I managed to get it for a little over $3, which is great because it's really not worth more than that!

There was some damage to the picture and the frame where a sticker or something had pulled off the top layer of cardboard/paper/whatever-this-is-made-of. The best cure for that is paint of course! The part I really liked was the area around the picture that was gold and something that looks kinda like grasscloth or burlap. I wanted to keep that part showing so I taped it off. I gave the frame a coat of primer and 3 coats of white paint, leftover from the boys' room.

Now it's gone all cottage chic on me!

To create my mantel, I did what I always do: shop the house. It took me a week or so to finally get it here. I kept changing it and then leaving it for a few days to see what I thought. I've decided that this is the end result simply because I'm tired of redoing it. Honest confessions found here!

I do think that the end result is a very beach cottage feel. And I love that. Come back next week and I'll show you the entire nautical summer living room!

Super Easy and Cheap DIY Seashell Art

Today is just a super easy craft that you can do in 10 minutes, tops. You really don't have to go out and look for new art all the time. You can actually make your own custom art using everyday things from your everyday stores!

I happened to have all of these supplies on hand already so I didn't even have to go shopping.

You'll need:

wrapping paper
scissors
mounting squares{mine are removable but they have permanent ones too}
a seashell
a small frame{I found this little 4x6" frame at the thrift store and it makes me think of driftwood}

To put together, I simply removed the backing from the frame, cut a piece of wrapping paper to the same size as the back and put it all back in the frame like I would a picture. My frame didn't have any glass in it already but if yours has glass, you will want to take it out since this project requires no glass in the frame.

Then I took a few mounting squares and put them on the back of the shell.

This just shows one but I would put at least three. I put two and I already had to fix it once because of the weight of the shell. I would think that using the permanent mounting squares might solve that problem better since they are quite a bit stickier than the removable ones.

Then you just place your shell wherever you want it in your frame.

I put my shell at an angle so that I could place my art either horizontally or vertically and have it look good both ways.

Super easy peasy right?

DIY Floor Pillows for Kids

Back almost a year ago when I started planning the new nursery, I knew I wanted some child-size floor pillows. Kids are always playing on the floor and it just seemed right to give them some big comfy pillows to lounge on.

Since navy and green was the decided upon color scheme, I kept my eyes out for some cool solid or patterned material that I could make into pillow covers. I found a great green tablecloth at the thrift store that was perfect! I used some of the material for a Christmas pillow and, after the floor pillow, I still have enough for one more for around the house. For a second floor pillow, I chose a cadet blue chevron stripe that I found at Hancock Fabric.

Because children will be laying on them and making them flat, I decided to buy feather inserts for my covers so I could fluff them. And if I decide that I'm finding way too many little feathers that little hands have pulled out, I can just switch out the inserts. Because I bought them cheap at Ikea. I think both 26"x 26" feather euro pillows were about $15 each.

To make my little kiddie floor pillows, I followed this great tutorial from Vintage Revivals. I only cut my material an inch bigger than my inserts to allow for a seam. I didn't want my covers too roomy.

Just ignore my not matched up pattern at the seams. I'm pretty sure that's a feat of magic, lining up prints when you sew. I doubt I will master it anytime soon. But, if I'm not analyzing other people's pillows at their houses, they must not be analyzing mine when they're at my house. There is beauty in imperfection and they are made with love.

At least that's my rationale.

In reality, I struggle to sew a straight seam. I'm hoping I'll get better with practice but I think I'm a hopeless case of impatience.

Little Man approved.

I can't wait until this nursery is completely finished and I can show it to you! We're working on purchasing a storage system for toy organization, hanging a gallery wall, and finishing up the curtains. Once those are checked off the list, just you wait! It's gonna be awesome!

All the Christmas Pillows!

Last week I finally got my Christmas "Tour" up for everyone to see. There are several reasons that I finished that post after Christmas. One, I had an eliptical machine sitting in front of the fireplace. Two, I drenched my laptop with water. And three, I hadn't finished my mountain of pillows.

Here is my couch with a few of the finished masses. The Christmas tree pillow in the center was my decor inspiration. I bought a couple of these a few years ago at JC Penny's. Every other pillow was made by me in a mad frenzy of Christmas spirit. Took me a few weeks to knock them all out, mostly working on them at night after Little Man went to bed.

On the far left is the sweater pillow from my fall decor. You can read about that one here.

The solid green pillow used to be a tablecloth. Thrift store fabric for the win! On the far right is one of two white pillows that I made from a thrift store curtain. I used this tutorial I found at Vintage Revivals. I love her zipper trick! But, unlike the tutorial, I wanted my covers to fit the inserts trimly so I cut the material only an inch larger than my inserts.

All the inserts are old feather pillows bought at the thrift store. The cheap way to buy feather pillows! Best thing!

This is definitely my favorite pillow of the bunch. My shirt pillow. Or, technically, Poor Hubby's Shirt Pillow. You can read more about it here.

This is my second shirt pillow. I didn't have enough shirt material for one complete rectangle on the back so I cut out two squares, lined up the pattern and sewed them together to make a complete rectangle. For the front I used a leftover square of dropcloth from this project. The original plan included stenciling the front, but it was way too close to Christmas and, really, who needs that extra stress? Wrapping leather cording around it was way easier, still fit with my decor, and it was free.

After making the Christmas tree skirt, I had 1/2 yard of faux fur left over. Soooo...another pillow. That I stuffed with leftover stuffing from when I shortened my King-size pillows. Good thing I hung on to that! The snowflake pillow was in the dollar section at Target for $3.

We really had a pillow-palooza at our house! You can never have enough pillows in my opinion. An opinion that, unfortunately, Hubby does not share. I should have remembered that before I cut up his shirt.

I may be linking up here.

On Turning Shirts Into Pillows

I bought a shirt for Hubby at the thrift store that didn't fit. I shouldn't have been surprised since it sported the very vague size Large tag. I should know by now that I have to buy size specific shirts for him with his long arms and broad shoulders. This particular shirt hit his wrists about 3 inches higher than it was supposed to.

Unfortunately, it was one of his very favorite colors and prints.

I guess he could have rolled up the sleeves, but I figured that would get old after a while. And so I got the idea into my head that it would become Christmas pillows. I did not get permission before I did this. Note to self: do that next time.

By the time Hubby found me, I had already started cutting.

Sorry, Love.

But the material was sooo perfect.

The front of the shirt was about 18" across from armhole to armhole so the finished pillow cover would fit a 16" insert. Since I planned on using the placket as the opening, I just measured a 17" square(to make room for seam allowances), making sure the buttons were centered in the square, and then cut it out. And because of the stripes, it was totally easy to get straight lines. I lined my scissors up with a line and cut.

I made sure I got the front pocket too.

I then pinned it all around, making sure the pocket was far enough away from where the side seam would be, centering the placket the best I could, and lining up the pattern. Then I sewed a 1/2" seam all the way around, clipped the corners, unbuttoned it, turned it inside out, and stuffed it with a pillow insert. My insert ended up being 18" to my cover's 16" so it's a very full pillow but I don't mind.

I did not pay attention to the back seam that goes across the shoulders when I cut it. It wouldn't lay right until I put in the insert. Now it looks fine but if I was doing it again I'd probably cut out the front first, then lay that piece further down on the back, lining up the pattern and then cutting out the back piece.

But it's all good.

And I think Hubby likes them after all.

Merry Christmas everybody!

DIY Furry Christmas Tree Skirt

I did it. I made a tree skirt. It didn't turn out quite like I expected. Actually, I didn't set out to make a tree skirt at all. It...happened.

All because Jo-Ann Fabric didn't have what I wanted.

I originally wanted to make a few faux sheepskin rugs to lay under the tree. I figured I could use them throughout the year anywhere that needed a little sheepskin love. Which if you remember this post, is EVERYWHERE!

Well, when I got to Jo-Ann's, they had white grizzly bear fur and this stuff. The bear fur was pretty and I liked the fur length, but no matter how I looked at it, it definitely still looked like a bear. Or a wolf. Which is great but wasn't what I wanted. So I went with the shorter and cheaper fur.

I had no idea when I went in, but all the fake fur was on sale 40% or 50% off. I can't remember which. I just know I was a happy camper when I saw how much I saved.

I followed this tutorial for cutting out the tree skirt shape. Basically, fold your material in fourths, inside out. Hold one end of your measuring tape at the corner and swing the other end from one side to the other, marking a semi-circle with your fabric chalk or marker for the width, and then a smaller semi-circle for the tree hole. Unfold it and cut one line all the way up to the small hole so you can wrap it around your tree.

I made the semi-circle 27" from the corner and the semi-circle for the tree opening 3.5". I used a yard and a half of material and 27" was as big as I could get it. You could get two yards of fabric if you wanted a wider skirt.

I'd try to give you better directions, but I couldn't take many pictures as Little Man kept trying to shuffle across the material on the floor. And he does not distract well. I know he gets that one-track mind from somewhere...

A quick warning: this stuff sheds. I bought this stuff wearing a black wool coat and I was covered with white fluff before I even left the store. It was worse at home. Anyone beside me watch British dramas? Those cotton factory scenes in North and South? White fluff floating everywhere?

Imagine me in those scenes. Except in my maternity yoga pants and Hubby's large t-shirt. And way worse lighting.

To stop the shedding madness, I sewed a zig-zag type stitch around the very edge. As I went, I pulled the fur back from the edge, hoping that the fur would be long enough to cover the stitch when was I was done.

It wasn't.

I tried turning the edge under to make a small hem but I only sewed about four inches when I realized that it looked a whole lot sillier that way. So I called it a day, ripped out that stitch, and deemed this project done.

When I put it under the tree, I casually fold it under a bit to hide the edge. Even so, the edge really isn't that noticeable. The fur kinda falls over it in some places and when you're walking around you're not looking at it anyway.

Way easier than I expected it would be. And now we have our first Christmas tree skirt! I love it. Even if I hadn't originally planned it. And so much furry texture!

I have most of my Christmas decorations up now. I started late so I still have a few more things to make. How about you?

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