DIY Ottoman from coffee table.

So after staring at DIY ottomans and headboards on Pinterest (follow me here), and searching for the perfect coffee table to makeover, I finally snagged this one at Goodwill.

It had lots of potential and was good and sturdy.  Plus, for $15 you can't go wrong!  It had a glass insert, which I took out.  This is where I got a bit creative.  I combined these 2 tutorials, both from Jenny at Little Green Notebook:


Ottoman from Coffee Table
DIY Tufted Headboard


The first one outlines the basics for covering a coffee table, but the headboard one uses the pegboard idea (sheer brilliance), plus has deeper tufts.


I had a piece of pegboard cut at Home Depot to fit where the glass insert used to be, then got to work measuring the distance that I wanted the tufts to be.  So happy I didn't have to fuss with drilling my own holes!  Oh, and I should mention that I painted the legs first...

I marked the holes with chalk, then laid the buttons over top just to visualize what it might look like.  Took some math, but I finally narrowed it down.

Covered with some foam I had laying around (although it's not outrageously expensive at Len's Mill if you need to buy new).

Then, like in Jenny's tutorial, I laid the pegboard on top and marked the holes with a sharpie, so I knew where to dig out some foam.  This part is what allows you to get those nice deep tufts.

Covered everything with a layer or 2 of quilt batting.

This is the part that took FOREVER...covering the buttons.  Even though I had a button covering kit, the fabric was too thick for them.  After over an hour of pushing, I barely got them all squished in.  If you've covered buttons before and understand this process, you know how my thumbs were throbbing. In the end, I still had to crazy glue some tops back on the buttons, because they popped off in the tufting process.  Lesson learned - if your upholstery project requires button covering, make sure you don't pick a fabric too thick!


Here's the tufting process:  Put the pegboard back in place, lay the foam and batting on top.  Make sure the pegboard is facing out so you can see what holes you chose.  Take a thick needle, thread with twine, then go up through the proper hole in the pegboard, through the foam, batting and fabric.  Then through the button, and back down, being careful to line it up so you come out the hole again.  Then, grab and pull the pieces of twine as tight as you want (I made them nice and deep).  Pull across the hole and staple it in randomly so that it holds.

Repeat with each marked hole in the pegboard.  Make sure you start from the middle of the row and work your way out so that everything is pulled nice and tight.  If you work the fabric a bit, it's easy to get the diamond shape happening.

Then, put the pegboard on the table (you may have to drill it in to the table top to make sure it doesn't move around at all).  I should also mention that we cut the legs down 3 inches once the foam was on and we realized it was taller than the couch.  Make sure it's a comfy height!  Now, you're ready to pull the edges taut, and staple them underneath.  Voila!

So nice to put our feet up at the end of the day.  My plan is to finish the corners with a nail head trim and add a flat tray to the top so that at least a bit of it still functions as a coffee table.  


So there you have it!  Definitely check out those above tutorials for an even better step-by-step process. Happy DIY-ing!

a little DIY...

Time for a little update!  I've been very busy, and made lots of changes to our house which I'm excited to share in the near future.  First up though, a couple DIY projects I've completed recently, just for fun.


I found this idea on Pinterest (where else?) and had the perfect pair of shorts to transform.  

I know I've already worn them more times than I would have if they were plain!  So fun for summer :)


Then Bryce found this almost vintage garbage can at church - it was on it's way to the garbage but he wondered if we might be able to paint it?  I thought, why not?  So I grabbed a light blue spray can and went to town.  Love the colour it adds to our mostly grey living room.

Up next, the DIY Ottoman!

garden makeover.

This weekend was packed full!  I worked my final shift as a restaurant server - my longest running job to date (7 years!)  I'll miss everyone, but I'm excited to have my Saturdays free for more projects like this....


We decided to yank out the 4 huge bushes in our tiny front garden, and start over.  I was nervous/excited about the thought of a total overhaul, and in the end I'm so glad we went for it!


Here's the before:

And after!

I was covered in dirt, but totally satisfied!  I planted a boxwood, another shrub (the green one on the left...I can't remember the name), 3 hosts, 10 geraniums (coral & pink), and some petunias that were on sale and matched perfectly.  All in a (long) days work!

I love that it's so much more colourful, open, and inviting!  I also planted a couple of window boxes that I got on sale.  And I purchased a little cilantro plant!  I'm so excited about the delicious thai dishes I have lined up to use it in.  Any suggestions?

Neon & Neutral

To wrap up the colour combos I'd like to try - here's the brightest of them all: neon yellow!

1. Maxi skirt
2. Neon Shirt
3. Living Room
4. Nails
5. Purse
6. Gladiators
7. Macarons

Embracing Colour: Fuchsia & Aquamarine

Here's another pretty colour combo I would love to try!  I especially love the tablescape with the gold details...

1. cardigan and sweater
2. tablescape
3. shirt/skirt
4. party decor
5. home decor

Embracing Colour: Pink & Orange

Do bright colours make anyone else a little nervous?  I absolutely love colour and would not want to live in a world without it - but this crazy thing happens in my mind when I see something I like in a bright colour.  It's like a battle between my left and right brain.  My right brain is all about the vibrant, go-get-em, boldness of everything bright.  But it doesn't take long for my practical, you-can't-pull-that-off, downer of a left brain to kick in.  What's up with that??  Part of the problem is that I don't pay attention to what crazy colour combinations work well together, so I tend to stick to one at a time.  

Until recently, when I bought this $10 shirt from Garage Clothing Co...

 

There were other colour options that were more "safe", and easier for ol' left brain to swallow.  But you only live once right!  So I took the plunge into the pink/orange-ness of it all.  (Side note: My sister was there and pep-talked me through it - she wouldn't steer me wrong)  I'm really glad I did, and now I'm caught up admiring all the other bright colour combos out there!  I've decided to dedicate my next few posts to random inspiring combos that work - in fashion, at home, anywhere; from crazy and bold to simple and subtle.

Here's to throwing caution to the wind and embracing all the bright, vibrant colours the world has to offer!

1. Striped Dress by H&M 
2. Couch and Pillows
3. Pink Skirt, Orange shoes
4. Decorative Pillows
5. Macarons
6. Balloons

Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes.

Here's my dessert for "Guess Who's Bringing Dessert?"!  Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling and topped with raspberry cream cheese icing - DELICIOUS. I honestly loved them because they were super light, not too heavy/sweet.  Just right enough that I could have eaten multiple (or is that a bad thing?)  I love the rich, butter based icings as well - but after one bite of those my head gets swirly.  Not with these super moist cupcakes and extra light (but still sturdy!) icing.  I just used the Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix, and dug out a little hole in each one.  I spoon-filled them with raspberry filling (ED Smith).  Then, I used this recipe for the icing.  I added 2 tablespoons of raspberry filling for some extra flavour (and to use up more filling - and I still have more left over!  Gotta get creative...)

I don't have an official set of icing tips - but I managed to find one of my mom's old ones and I stuck it in the corner of a freezer bag - worked like a charm!  I probably should have used raspberries as a garnish, but I had fresh strawberries so I couldn't resist using them. I'd love to know if you give them a try!

Shorts with tights.

I've been loving this trend for a while now, so it's about time I posted a few pics for inspiration.  I may even pull out my shorts & tights sometime this weekend!  (ps how cute is the little girl with the pink tights?) 

photo credits are here.

600 cupcakes.

Last weekend on the agenda was the baking and decorating of 50 dozen cupcakes - yep, that's 600 cupcakes!  We pre-sold the cupcakes to raise money for our upcoming mission trip to South Africa (Jody, Kaitlyn, and myself).  Thanks so much to everyone for supporting us!  And to Kathryn and Ariana for helping us decorate :)

Chocolate Dream:

Raspberry Coconut:

Vanilla Dream:

Triple Chocolate:

All packaged up and ready to be enjoyed!

...and a picture of the big mess we made...