Pedestal Bowl

I have a really beautiful red pedestal bowl in my kitchen that mostly sits as display, with the occasional use for a party (but it sure looks pretty in the open shelving). Since I like the look, when I ran across the DIY Pedestal Bowl from the blog, The Speckled Dog I thought I had to try it.

First, I don't think I'd use gorilla glue again, instead, I'd screw through the bowl and countersink the screw and fill the hole with wood putty--BUT, since this bowl is for decoration, it will be fine.

I sanded the original finish a bit to help the paint stick, but I don't think I'd do that again next time either (hmmm, this is turning into a "what not to do" post)--since I wanted to create an antique-y worn look, it probably would have been better to leave the slick finish and paint right over it, it would have sanded off better.


I painted it some left over green paint from the TV cabinet (Dutch Boy Bullfrog Green), let it dry then did a light coat of Oatmeal (Ralph Lauren) paint. Some sanding to make it look old and a coat of poly.

I picked up a few possible bowls at the DI for future projects too (although big chunky candle sticks were in short supply, so I'll have to keep an eye out for the right base).

Ruffle T-Shirt Re-do

I love ruffle-y tops. I bought one last year that was expensive, but it was my birthday and I really wanted it. But anyone who knows me, knows I do love clothes, so one top was not enough. A couple months ago at a craft night where we were all learning about recycling the things we have into new things, one neighbor showed how she took 2 matching t-shirts and cannabalized one to add embellishments to the other. Nice. I've been thinking about that for a while and finally decided to do something about it.

I started out with a long sleeve, 100% cotton t-shirt. This shirt had cuffs at the sleeves, rather than just a hemmed edge.
























Next, I cut off the sleeves (no going back now).


















I cut off the cuff about 1/4" above the seam.


















I pinned the cuff back on to what was left of the sleeve (remember, right sides together) and then sewed it back on right along the cuff's original seam.


















Next, I used the leftover fabric from the sleeve to cut 2" wide strips. I created the ruffles by running each strip through the sewing machine on a basting stitch, right down the center of each strip. (Use a backstitch on one end of the strip but NOT the other). To make the ruffles, pull one of the threads from the non-backstitched end to gather it up (pull more thread to make a tighter ruffle).


















Now, one strip at a time pin the ruffle along the edge of the neckline (I played around a lot with how I wanted to do this first. I thought about going around the whole neckline, making flowers instead of ruffles, etc...).



















Once you've pinned on a row of ruffles, sew it on with the sewing machine by sewing right over the top of the center seam. Then repeat the pinning and sewing process for each row. I spaced each row of ruffles about 1/2" apart. I ended up using 4 rows of ruffles.

























Ta-Da! New shirt from old shirt :)

Faux Canvas Pictures

Picture from Raymond Designs

Have you been to Costco here in Utah and seen the big displays of temple and landscape pictures? I like them, but even at Costco prices they are a bit pricey. I visited my aunt in Idaho and she had one on her wall, but they had done them at a craft night, where someone from Utah came with all the supplies, but wouldn't tell them what the liquid was that they used on the project. Hmmm, I did some searching and it appears that the secret is....Mod Podge.

I found a really great tutorial here at Shot by Megs--and if you are going big or really custom, it is the way to go! If you are a bit more lazy (busy), here's a few short cuts that I came up with.

Get a picture that you want to texturize (I spent some time playing in Photoshop elements with one that I had to give it that "antique" look, but I think any type of pic would be fun...black and white, cute pics of kids, whatever). I had it printed at Coscto in 8x10 since this was an experiment (in Luster finish)--now that I've tried it, I'll be looking for the right frame at the DI for a larger picture.

Find a frame (I had a thrift store one that I sprayed black).

You will need a backer-board for the photo. You could use hardboard that you get cut at Home Depot, but if your frame had that "pressboard" insert, you could use that OR do what I did, use the glass from the frame! Brilliant huh? You don't need the glass to go over the top of the finished picture, so why not use it?

Use spray adhesive on the insert or glass, then smooth the picture on (I happen to have a J-roller for installing countertop or floor, but it worked great for this too).

Pour some Mod Podge on top of the picture and roll it out with a paint roller. Careful not to leave "edges" or lines as you roll. Let it dry and put on another coat. This gives the subtle pebbled texture that makes the picture look like more than just a photo (the texture is REALLY hard to photograph).

Now you can pop it back into the frame! I guess I need to scuff up the frame a bit to help it match the "antique-y" photo.

Lamp Refurb

I really love the funky acrylic lamps that have become quite popular. I've checked them out at Target, Home Goods, even Walmart and they are pricey (and of course, the ones I like best are the most expensive!) I was at the DI (looking for some pots and pans for my brother who had borrowed one of mine that I for sure didn't want to lose forever) when a lamp with potential caught my eye!

Yup, this lamp could help me get the look of the expensive acrylic one.

It had a slightly bent frame and the lightbulb socket was completely skiwampus, but I just knew it needed a bit of love.

Materials you need:

Small flat head screwdriver

Spray-on primer

Metallic spray paint (I used Krylon)

Forlorn lamp looking for a new lease on life

First thing I did was take a picture so that I would remember the order of all the parts (yup, I'm a thinker...sometimes). Then I disassembled it--pretty easy, there's a tiny set screw on the lightbulb socket, then just unscrew the socket, then all the parts just slid right off the interior pole.

I took the glass balls and washed them up and then used spray primer and silver spray paint on all the metal parts. The base of the lamp was a white/green marble and it also got painted (I thought about leaving it, but it just looked a bit dingy compared to all the new shiny silver parts).

There is a small electrical component that you have to take out (don't spray paint it), but it was really easy to disconnect and then reconnect when I was all done. Just take a picture and use a Sharpie to mark which wire connects to which screw.

Now, put back together it adds a fun bit of sparkle to the bedroom for way less than $10 :) I am going to keep an eye out for a more cylindrical shade and maybe pick up small ball to glue on the finial, but for now, I'm pretty happy!