China hutch reveal

Edited to participate in ASPtL's DIY day -

Since I had moved the pie safe to the craft room, I needed replacement storage in our kitchen. A new store opened near my home, which is where I found this girl in need of some lovin'.

The inside shelves were waterstained and dried out, the outside had some kind of shellac that had dripped and then dried. I had a vision of her rich and deep on the outside and Tiffany blue on the inside.

After several attempts at stripping (3M Safe Stripper didn't cut it, so I had to pull out the big stinky guns)and the first coat of Miniwax Dark Walnut, I had to put her makeover on hold. Seems humid mid-July weather was not conducive to drying. At. All. Over Labor Day weekend, I applied the second coat of stain and primed the inside with BIN. For the Tiffany blue, I mixed 1) Slate Blue, 1) Fairfax Green, and 1/3rd)Feather Blue Paint Pod from Ace Hardware. It was the perfect amount without a ton of paint left over.
Total cost of the project:
Hutch: $101.00 (95.00 and tax)
Stain and paint: $20.00
Stripper: $7.00
Primer and tools: already had.
The inside of the hutch is an accumulation of things from all different times and locations of my life. It's a mish-mash - but hey, isn't that a reflection of real life? Quirky, fun, and sometimes not making a whole lotta sense!

Give a girl a sewing machine

Edited to participate in ASPtL's DIY day -

And look at all the trouble she can get into! I've wanted a sewing machine for a while, and this past birthday was the time to fulfill my wish (thanks Mom!) I got a Singer Simple - nothing too fancy, but it does a few creative stitches and ...wait for it...buttonholes! The CatMan didn't quite achieve the level of awe I felt necessary when I finished my first one.

Here are a couple of 'getting to know Martha' projects. Yes, I named my machine Martha - appropriate on several levels.

Project 1: A kitty mattress. Simply a flannel baby blankie ($1.50 at Goodwill) sandwiched around a layer of cotton batting. I tried out a couple of zig-zag stitches (it doesn't look nearly as pucker-y in person). The kittehs love it.

Project 2: A 'dress' for Martha. The material is the same stuff I used on my thrifted bulletin board. I love the blowsy floral print, but must use it in moderation or the CatMan's head will explode. Cost? About $2.00 of material.

I have a few other sewing projects underway - reveals will be forthcoming. And yes, there will be buttonholes!

Speaking of birthday gifts: the CatMan surprised me with an orange iPod Nano. Which totally makes up for his lack of buttonhole adoration. Woot! It's all 80's all the time now! I love it so much and knew it needed it's own special home. Presenting the curiously strong mod-podge tin.

I mod-podged some scrapbook paper to the top and lined it with some remnant felt. Perfectly protected and easily found in my purse. Cost? Nuttin' honey.

Finally, here's a sneak peek of a big project which I'm hoping to wrap up this weekend.

Can't beat free...

Today's post is part of ASPtL's DIY day.

This is the free stool I picked up along a street near my office. Mmmm...vinyl impersonating leather. One of the legs was cracked where it joined to the base of the stool, but other than that, it was in great condition.

Here she is after a little wood glue, muslin, and grosgrain ribbon. So much happier!

Cost- Stool: free, Muslin: $3.00, Green and brown striped grosgrain ribbon: $1.29.

And here's a glimpse of a Christmas wrister (just in case you thought this had turned into a DIY blog) -