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Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Getting Ready for Fall: Simple Decor Ideas
With fall approaching, I started to think about spending a little more time indoors. A quick look around our main living areas caused me to sigh a little. We needed a few updates around here! Here are some simple, inexpensive decor ideas you can try!
Stenciled Curtains
I couldn't find any fabric I liked to make new curtains, so I purchased plain white curtains at Ikea and stenciled them. I found a stencil I liked at www.cuttingedgestencils.com after I searched local stores and didn't see anything of the style and scale I liked. I just used acrylic paint, but you could use any kind of paint. The paint went on best when I used a foam roller, also available from Cutting Edge Stencils. You need to lay the curtains out on a large, flat surface with something underneath as the paint will leak through.
New Pillows
If you sew, this is an easy project for sure! I've just started adding zippers to my pillows, making it easier to change the covers. Her's a great tutorial on sewing pillow covers with zippers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMio9wFePc8
Refinished Table and Chairs
I know, this is a big project. And it requires patience, which I often lack. But it was totally worth it! Our table was in pretty rough shape (3 kids, need I say more?). I didn't want to put forth the full effort of sanding the whole thing (lots of slats on the six chairs and table) so I did some research and came across these products, which I would highly recommend from Sherwin Williams:
Adhesion Primer requires no or very minimal sanding (1 coat, applied by roller and brush)
ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex (at least 3 coats, applied by roller and foam brush)
Minwax Polyurethane (best applied with a good brush - not foam, which I figured out after several coats)
The seat cushions were easily recovered by unscrewing the pads from underneath the chair, cutting fabric about three inches bigger on each side, and using a staple gun to attach the new fabric. I put it right over the old fabric (and the fabric before that)! I bought patio furniture fabric because it's the only fabric I found that I really liked. I'm thinking it might resist spills a little bit and be easy to wipe up, but I'm not sure on that just yet....
Subway Art
I've been making these for all sorts of things lately. They make a great gift and can be customized for a specific occasion. They can be done in different sizes and a variety of sayings.
There you go, we're ready for hibernation - just not quite yet!!!!
Stenciled Curtains
I couldn't find any fabric I liked to make new curtains, so I purchased plain white curtains at Ikea and stenciled them. I found a stencil I liked at www.cuttingedgestencils.com after I searched local stores and didn't see anything of the style and scale I liked. I just used acrylic paint, but you could use any kind of paint. The paint went on best when I used a foam roller, also available from Cutting Edge Stencils. You need to lay the curtains out on a large, flat surface with something underneath as the paint will leak through.
New Pillows
If you sew, this is an easy project for sure! I've just started adding zippers to my pillows, making it easier to change the covers. Her's a great tutorial on sewing pillow covers with zippers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMio9wFePc8
Refinished Table and Chairs
I know, this is a big project. And it requires patience, which I often lack. But it was totally worth it! Our table was in pretty rough shape (3 kids, need I say more?). I didn't want to put forth the full effort of sanding the whole thing (lots of slats on the six chairs and table) so I did some research and came across these products, which I would highly recommend from Sherwin Williams:
Adhesion Primer requires no or very minimal sanding (1 coat, applied by roller and brush)
ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex (at least 3 coats, applied by roller and foam brush)
Minwax Polyurethane (best applied with a good brush - not foam, which I figured out after several coats)
The seat cushions were easily recovered by unscrewing the pads from underneath the chair, cutting fabric about three inches bigger on each side, and using a staple gun to attach the new fabric. I put it right over the old fabric (and the fabric before that)! I bought patio furniture fabric because it's the only fabric I found that I really liked. I'm thinking it might resist spills a little bit and be easy to wipe up, but I'm not sure on that just yet....
Table before....
Table and chair before....
After refinishing and recovering...
After....
Turned out pretty smooth and shiny, we'll see how it holds up!
I've been making these for all sorts of things lately. They make a great gift and can be customized for a specific occasion. They can be done in different sizes and a variety of sayings.
There you go, we're ready for hibernation - just not quite yet!!!!
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