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DIY: Reupholstering chairs

Reupholstering Chairs

There's nothing like reupholstering drab and dingy dining room chairs.

My sister and I had an impromptu chair reupholstering party today. It took just over three hours from start to finish. Unfortunate for us, she made sure the last time she had upholstered the chairs, to use every single staple made in 2009. Literally, every chair had at least 130 staples.

 First we unscrewed the cushions from the chair frames.

Then we stripped the chairs of all the staples and 4 different fabrics (from previous reupholstering jobs). We were then able to cut and staple on our new prints. Since her kids are still young, we covered the fabric in plastic seat covers for a little more protection.

And that was it! The final part of the project was to screw the cushions back to the chair frame. :)

Tipsy Stackable Planter

Tipsy Planter

With Mother's Day around the corner and two moms to impress this year, I really had to show my A game and come up with an awesome gift. Once again Pinterest wins in finding the perfect craft!

I haven't crafted anything special in the last couple of months, so I was okay with spending a tad bit over the budget to create these flower pots. 

First, I purchased these patent-pending rods and support beams online, only to find that they required bigger terracotta pots than I intended on buying. That's when things started getting a little more pricey than I initially planned for. I ended up going with a base pot of 12 inches, which was still smaller than the beams would hold, so what does one do when something doesn't fit as intended? Saw off the edges. :)

Supply List:
 -2 12 inch terracotta pots
 -2 12 inch terracotta platters
 -4 10  inch terracotta pots
 -4  8  inch terracotta pots
 -2      rods and cross beams

Painting:

First coat on the terracotta pots was a polyurethane base, to keep the paint from seeping into the pots.

I volunteered my boyfriend to help paint, which I didn't think was too much to ask for, considering were making one for his mom too. :)

Once we started painting with this lovely Blue Ocean Breeze Krylon Spray Paint (Gloss), the pots finally started to look whole. (We were kind of nervous after the second coat still looked pretty unfinished). Phew!

 Ready for the a coat of polyurethane.

after first coat, quiet a bit of work left!

A little sanding, and a final coat of polyurethane and we have a final product!

Potting soil and flowers:

A final trip to Lowe's for flowers and potting soil and we are ready to sneak over to our parents homes and set up these Tipsy Stackable Flower Pots for Mother's Day!

I couldn't be more pleased!  :)

Final product:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 2013 :)

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

{Pink}Champagne Cupcakes

May 3, 2013

Best friend days always involve crafting of some sort, this time around we decided to make champagne cupcakes, with none other than our favorite champagne, Martini and Rossi.

We had found several half recipes on pinterest, and several recipes that involved starting with flour and making the cupcakes from scratch. Being that we were in a time crunch, we didn't have enough time to take on that big of a task.

Luckily, I was able to find a Betty Crocker Recipe which complied with our busy schedules. :)

champagne, cake mix, eggs, food coloring, powdered sugar, vanilla extract

stir stir stir! (cupcake batter)

waiting for the cupcakes to bake for 19 minutes, quick champagne break! :)

frosting: powder sugar, vanilla extract, champagne

easiest way to apply frosting: put it in a ziplock bag, cut a hole on the corner, and squeeze!

ta-da! final product!

showing off our baking skills while wearing DIY aprons (refer to: latest project: apron making )

sprinkles, champagne and my bff= ideal day

best time of the year: christmas (2012)

This year, I put my Christmas tree up on Halloween, I couldn't wait any longer to start the season. I listen to Christmas music year round, that shouldn't come as a shock to those who know me, and I absolutely watch Christmas movies whenever I can find time. :)

Things I love about the Christmas season:

Christmas Trees

Holiday joy

Happiness of others

Pretty lights

Snow

Adopt-a-family

Christmas themed movies, music and decorations

Christmas Eve church service 

Starbucks Red Cups (and seasonal flavors)

The feeling you get during the first snow fall :)

cookie baking parties

wrapping presents 

gingerbread houses

singing Christmas songs at the top of my lungs with my nieces

festive, light-up Christmas earrings

Bell ringers

the first sighting of the 'it's coming' sign at 90th and dodge (referring to the huge Christmas tree)

window displays 

spending time with others 

Christmas crafts 

Homemade gifts  

Here are just a few of my favorite memories from this 2012 holiday season: 

Homemade presents for my nieces 

(see Sleepover pillow: DIY for more details)

cookie bake-off

first snow

It's the most wonderful time of the year..