Dinning Room Chair Reupholstering

Guess what I did this weekend??? I finally reupholstered my dinning room chairs....well two of them anyways. I ran out of fabric, so I will finish this week. They were a lot easier than I thought, and even a novice could knock this project out in no time.

First my chairs looked like this...not bad, but not exciting, and you can't see all of the muted stains that grace the current covering.


So to start your project, you first want to take the seat off of the base of the chair

Then lay your fabric out right side down and lay it align with the pattern that you want to show on the seat. Next, get out your staple gun and pull the fabric over the front end of the seat. Pull tight and put in a few staples to secure.

Make sure you don't cover the holes like I did the first time. It's a pain to take out all of those staples. Learn from my mistake!

So after I got all the staples out, I then cut the fabric down, which I should have done in the first place, and then re stapled.Next do the back of the seat, followed by the sides. Be careful when doing the sides and check to make sure that your corners are neat and clean. (sorry, I didn't take pics after I cut the fabric down...probably because I was too frustrated from having to take out all of the staples.) Then here is what your seat should look like after your finished.

After you are satisfied then simply screw your seat back in place and now you have an (almost) brand new chair.

My dinning room chair remodel cost me about $20.00 ($9.98 a yard and I will use two yards to complete four chairs). Your project could be even cheaper if you use old curtains, or an old table cloth, or just some fabric that you happen to find on clearance.

I'll show you the finished room later whenever I get around to it;-)

Do you have any reupholstering projects you completed or plan to tackle? I'd love to see them!

Blessings,
Stacey

Afordable, Creative, Easy Wall Art

Remember those blank walls in my girls' play room? Well this weekend, I finally had time to make some fun art to fill up those spaces!

This is a really easy and affordable way to liven up any blank space, and there are so many variations that you can use to make it your own. This was the inspiration for my project. I can't remember where I saw this at, so if you know, let me know so I can link to them:-)

What you will need:

Styrofoam boards (Mine were 12x36x 1 inch thick, but you can use the thicker ones if you chose)
utility knife, or just a sharp knife
cement glue
scissors
pins
scrapbook paper
pictures or photos
coordinating ribbon (thick enough to cover the edges of your squares)
any extra accessories you want to use on your art

I began by cutting my Styrofoam boards into thirds. Three sheets of 12x12 scrapbook paper fits perfectly onto one board, so you can use this as your guide for cutting equal squares.

Use your utility knife to mark a straight line, and then cut your Styrofoam down the line.

After you have your squares all cut out, you will need to glue your scrapbook paper to the Styrofoam squares. I used Elmers cement glue because it doesn't make the paper wrinkle when its applied.

Next you become the artist and glue on your photos, mementos, jewels, buttons, or whatever you want to use for your masterpiece. I just had some pics off the internet printed out of the girls' favorite cartoon characters and used them along with some accessories I had around the house.

After you are satisfied with your layout and everything is secured, then pull out your coordinating ribbon. Take your ribbon and cut a piece that will overlap all the way around your square. Wrap it around and use a pin to hold one end in place. Then overlap the other end and secure it with two pins (I forgot to take a picture of the overlapping part so make sure you so this). I pinned mine at the bottom, so it wasn't as noticeable.

Now all you have to do it hang it. There are a variety of ways that you could do this, but I found this way to be the easiest and most cost effective. I simply cut a piece of ribbon and attached it to the back of the square with two pins on each end. Then I just used a thumbtack in the wall and hung the ribbon over it. You could use nails and picture hooks, or something fancier, but this is just a play room, and I didn't care that much.

And there you have it....your own work of art! Like I said before, you can do so many variations of this. You could use fabric, or 12x12 photos instead of scrapbook paper, or hang them all together like my inspiration pic above.
I have one more project to complete in this room and then I will show you the final results.
If you decide to try this, let me know....I would love to see how yours turns out. I think I might be extending this project into other areas of my house now.

I am submitting this project to Kimba's DIY day at A Soft Place to Land. Go and visit her party and get great some great DIY ideas!

Blessings
Stacey

Decorating Dilemmas Party

Today I am participating in my first "Blog Party! Amanda@ Serenity Now has a great blog that I follow and she is throwing a Decorating Dilemmas Party. You can post about any room in your home that you might have a decorating dilemma about and fellow bloggers will give you advice about it!

So I think the room that I have put off the longest in my house is my half bath. It's a tiny little room in my basement that has loads of potential, but I just haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet. I tried to camouflage the hideous turquoise toilet and sink with these fun accessories, which did help a little but I'm over it now.

We plan to get a neutral colored toilet and sink in the near future, and I think I like the floral accessories, but besides that, the rest can go! The walls were once wallpapered and then painted over several times ( by a previous owner), so now any paint attempts just get absorbed in the mix and I am wayyyyyyyyy to lazy to try to take all of that down. I am NOT a fan of wallpaper, but in this case, I feel its the best solution and they do make some pretty patterns and textures these days. So I welcome the suggestions and maybe you all will inspire me to make this room into something purty!

Blessings
Stacey

Playroom Revamp

So I told you that I would post about my revamp of the girls' playroom, and then I realized that I didn't take any before pictures:-( So picture this room with a BUNCH of toys with no home or organization, as well as floral curtains that used to match the bedspread that once was on the bed that once was in this room, that once was the guest room..............did you get all that? So my mission was to organize and create a fun environment that the girls would never want to leave...or at least never want to leave when I need them to stay occupied;-) The blue carpet in this room is not as neutral as I would like it to be, but since new carpet was not in the budget, the next best thing was to work with it and create something that would make one forget about it. Sooooo with that in mind, I found these fabo curtains and matching rug at Walmart. I was so excited that the people around me were probably wondering why I had such a silly grin on my face staring at rugs and curtains. I could just picture the excitement on the girls face when they entered their new room.

So here are some pics with the newly added curtains and rug, as well as a new bookcase my hubby and I put up. Everything else was already there and just needed some organizing.


Now my next mission with this room is to do something with the blank walls, but I already have an idea up my sleeve for that which I will share with you later when I finish. I might be a little excited just thinking about it!

Blessings,
Stacey

Over the Holidays

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I pray that you all had a great holiday season and that you are ready to begin a new year filled with endless possibilities and great things to come! I have personally set a few goals for myself, but I never set too many because then I get overwhelmed and don't follow through with any of them:-( So this year I am starting with the potty training that I should have done about 5 months ago. My girls are now 27 months old, but they have been ready for quite some time. I on the other hand have been dreading the process and keep putting it off, but this is the year of no excuses for me, so we are in potty training boot camp as we speak! My health resolution is to continue with my healthier eating habits and to continue my exercise routine consistently. I always strive for a closer relationship with God, but this year, for my spiritual resolution I want to really grow and listen for my purpose in life and for what he would have me to do with it. My career resolution is to work hard and believe that my career in Event Decorating will prosper and come to life this year. My goals are all achievable and I know that with work and faith they will all become a way of life sooner than later. So now that I have bored you with my resolutions, I will show you a few things I have worked on around the house over the holidays.

I have been in, "completely change my house around" mode for while now, so every time I find something new to do with a room, I get all giddy and overly excited about it.....the little things in life make me happy:-) The first room I did was my bedroom. It is ABSOLUTELY freezing in there, so I had been wanting some longer drapes to help with the draft that comes in through our windows, as well as to add some privacy. I found some great panels at my favorite thrift store for get this....$12.95 for all four panels!!! I told you that it doesn't take much to make me happy, so I put them up and just draped the old ones back over top for now until I get new rods. I just love them! It makes me want to put a chandelier up now and create a whole romantic room theme or something.

Here are the before curtains. I liked them, but like I said not much privacy and it was cold! There are two windows, but I didn't get the before of the other one.


Then here is the after with my thrift store finds!
The other window.

Now I just need to get the proper rods and I'm all set! After putting up these curtains, I was inspired to add some crystal candle holders that were wedding gifts about 4 years ago, along with a beautiful vase (also a wedding gift) with a Stacey's Creations floral arrangement, and some votive candles. I already owned all these things, so this makeover cost me $12.95! Can't beat that, and even better, I now enjoy our bedroom and strive even harder to keep it clean and kid free:-)


After my bedroom makeover, I tackled the girls' playroom which I will post about later. I hope that you all have a great week and are inspired to do your own room redecorating!

Blessings
Stacey