Red chair re-do

It was in great condition, but it was oh-so-very-RED. Screaming fire engine red. For $20, though, I could deal with it.

After a lot of searching, I found some heavy weight lavender fabric (it wasn't actually upholstery fabric) on ebay. I used most of it for the chair upholstery, and I'll use what's left for the bedskirt on LMS's bed since this chair is going into her room.

Because this chair is going into LMS's room, it won't be seen by many people, so it was the ideal first-time reupholstering project  :)

There are definitely some things I'll be more aware of on the other chairs I need to do (I have 3 more waiting to be given new life), but I'm very happy with how this chair turned out.

I thought the red incarnation of the chair was very stiff and hard, so I softened the lines on the arms and didn't use as much piping. I think it looks much more suited for a little girl's room.

My favorite detail? (and LMS's too!)

Aren't these rosettes the perfect girly touch? Love them!

I read reupholstering and piping tutorials here, here, and here, took lots of pictures as I took it all apart (for reference when putting it back together), then just winged it from there. I did have to replace the foam seat cushion because the original one was all hard and petrified and crumbling to dust (sooo gross!), but other than that, it was a pretty straight forward project.

I really enjoyed the process- thinking through where to put the seams, what order to do the panels, etc. It was a creative process that was a lot of fun for me. Ten years of mental fog made it extremely difficult to be creative, so I am just loving the opportunity to be creative and to feel creative. I missed that part of me and it's so nice to have it back.

Altogether, I spent about $60 for a custom upholstered chair for LMS's room. If I'd bought a coordinating chair at PBK, I would have spent at least $300.  I'm very happy I found a fabric that coordinates with her room, and once I finish decorating her room I'll post pictures of her room. I've got the biggest project done, so it shouldn't take me too much longer to finish.

Toy drawers

Remember the stacks of wood I posted awhile ago?

They've finally taken form!

These are the two cubbie bases. I'll be building some organizational cubbies to go on top of the bases.

They have drawers! With real slides!

Puttied and caulked, waiting to dry so I can sand them down prior to painting them.

I'm happy with how they turned out, and can't wait to try out the paint attachment for our air compressor :)

Cubby progress

I've made progress on the storage cubbies for LMS

I finally finished cutting the wood:

Each stack is the wood for one cubbie and the drawer to go in it.

I intended to start putting them together Monday, but after spending several hours mowing the lawn and trimming grossly overgrown shrubs (they really need to be ripped out, but since we're renting, I can't do it), my Sweating-in-the-Hot-and-Humid-Outdoors quota for the day was more than filled.

Homemade Travelmate

About a year and a half ago I made my own travelmate. I'd seen them online, but didn't want to pay the $80+ price tag, which didn't include shipping. I also didn't think their method of securing the carrier to the car seat (two screws that screw into the back of the car seat) looked really secure.

Why would I need one in the first place? Ever try carting a heavy car seat through the airport, along with whatever suitcases you have and the child that needs said car seat? It quickly becomes too much to handle. By adding wheels to the car seat, you can easily pull it through the airport. You can even strap your child into the seat before heading off to the far reaches of the airport.

It wasn't that hard to make- two pieces of wood screwed together, with corner supports on the inside for added suport. I cut holes in the wood for the straps that would hold it to the carseat. Then I added an axle and wheels.

The finished product wasn't very pretty, so I covered it all with some denim fabric (sewn and hot glued), then added the straps.

The car seat rests on the small ledge, and is held to the travelmate by two sets of straps- one goes through the LATCH straps that hook into the car seat when not in use, and the other follows the path of a regular seatbelt (under the armrests and around to the back). Once strapped in, the car seat isn't going anywhere.

I've used it on a couple occasions, and have only come up with one thing I'd change. I used some webbing as a handle for dragging the whole contraption, but it really needs a rigid handle for added stability. I think some metal tubing from the hardware store should work, but I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. 

Even with the non-rigid handle it worked quite well and cost a fraction of the original. The wood was scraps my dad had laying around, as was the metal rod I used for the axle. I did pay a dollar or two for the 'hub caps' (I don't remember what they're really called), and the wheels were about $12 on ebay. I also paid about $5 for the straps and buckles, and I had the fabric in my stash. All together, I paid less than $20 for something that costs more than $80 (not including shipping), and if I only use it a few times, I don't feel guilty about wasting lots of money :)

Doctor's jacket and a chef's hat

Today I finished the two sewing projects I was working on. One is a chef's hat, and one is a doctor's jacket.

LMS received a doctor's bag this summer as a late birthday present. She loves playing with it! Since she's enjoyed it so much, I wanted to make her a doctor's jacket to go with it. I used her little Army uniform to get an idea of shape and size, and just made it up from there.

The collar didn't turn out quite how I was intending, but it looks ok, so I'm not going to re-do it. I wanted her to be able to wear it for awhile, so I made it long in the body with extra long sleeves. I sewed pockets on either side for putting syringes, thermometers, and extra band aids in (which she promptly did as soon as the photo shoot was over). I hate sewing button holes if it's not really necessary, so I sewed three squares of velcro down the front instead.
LMS also loves playing with her kitchen and play dishes and play food. I made an apron quite awhile ago, but I decided she needed a chef's hat as well. The hat was simple enough: a band around her head, sewed to a circle that's been gathered to fit the band. The band ended up being 4 thicknesses of fabric to give it more body, but the puffy part is just one thickness. I then hot glued purple ribbon over the seam to add some color (it was quicker and easier than sewing it would have been). Some day if I'm feeling really motivated I'll sew a cuter apron. For now, this one works.

LMS liked both the jacket and the hat, and since they didn't take much time and were super cheap to make, they're a great addition to her dress up box.

Costs:
Fabric for jacket and hat: leftover from the $4 sheet I used for her angel outfit (and there's still a small piece of the sheet left)
Velcro for jacket: leftover from some other project (don't remember which)
Ribbon for hat: leftover from the purple hooded bath towel I made awhile ago
Thread and hot glue: sitting around in my supplies

Twine letter- fixed

I sat down, pulled off the offending twine, and re-did my 'S'. And I'm glad I did. I can look at it without cringing now. My OCD feels so much better. And didn't it turn out nice?

Quick and easy jacket fix

I bought this jacket on sale at Kohl's not too long ago, and I really like it, except for the fact that it only has 3 buttons. I'm really a 4 button girl.

Luckily for me, the manufacturer was nice enough to include a baggie of spare buttons. I used the large one to add a 4th button to my jacket.
I measured the buttons and the button holes to get the right spacing, then sewed the button on and made a button hole. Voila! I've got a 4 button jacket!