Finish Pinterest Project- Check!

Hello my name is Amy and I'm addicted to Pinterest. 

But who isn't. The humor section can keep boredom at bay for a long time. I'm also addicted to annoying my sister and BFF by sending them pins they probably aren't interested in. 

You know how it goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Don't tell anyone, but I don't do everything I pin. Lots of the food ones, less of the DIY ones. Good intentions.

This, though, piece of cake.

Undeniably, the original is better. Possibly because mine took 10 minutes. 

Supply list: unfinished wood board ($2.99 at Hobby Lobby)

hook (that one came from TJ Maxx.)

Lantern (which you can get just about anywhere)

Spray paint in bronze and/or metallic black

To be efficient, I painted the first coat on the wood in bronze and then unloaded the groceries. Tip- use a box in your garage to save from overspray. Before the first coat was dry, I added the black metallic in a light spray. It blended nicely and looks like a lot more work. That night, while watching TV, I got to use my drill to screw the hook on, and hung it up. Seriously. 10 minutes. 

Tools of the Trade

I'm suffering through the Super Bowl waiting for funny commercials. Is it just me, or are you wondering why companies are spending that much for dullsville content. All this heart warming stuff is just plain ridiculous. This is America! We like funny! We like competition! A competition to be the funniest is America at it's finest. Blah.

Today, I bring you my list of must have tools and why I love them. 

First, my glue gun, without which I might never be tardy. I mean be in business. After going through other styles, this is the best because it can be cordless. It charges in its holster which has a drip pad. Warning: when you use it fast over a large surface, it can get clogged. If it starts to get hard to push the stick through, pull the stick out and make sure there isn't any backed up. Warning part II: the trigger will probably snap. Why do I keep buying it? I don't! Which is why I linked you to Joann's. Keep your receipt and they will take it back when it breaks. 

Get it here.

Saves your table because glue doesn't stick to it. The end.

Get it here.

Sorry, no link. They are available in the Joann's store, but not online. Saves your fingers. Best $4 you will spend. It takes a bit to get used to it. But when you do, you'll feel naked without them.

Last November I was over trying to get through two layers of burlap. I wanted something that had a little Home Improvement behind it. More power!! No go. These are in the tool department and are made to cut thin metal and leather. Burlap didn't even put up a fight. Warning: What is leather? Animal skin. They will cut you. I almost required stitches when I cut the tip of my finger. 

Get it here.

Finally, if you don't have this, you aren't a real crafter/designer/artist. You think it's not, but it's really a multi use tool. Cleans out glue guns of debris, cleans the crack of my desk for burlap shards (they will stick in your skin, you can't see them and they do hurt.), gets the paint from under my finger nail, just to name a few. Oh! And you can stab someone if they break into your house. My new office is at the back of the house. I fear intruders daily.

Get it here.

There you have it boys and girls. There are always new must haves, but I'm pretty sure those are going to stay around for quite some time. Have fun!

P.S.- I did like the Heinz commercial, Tim Tebow and the obscurity of the Bruce Willis Honda one. 

A Tale of Two Chairs

There has been a strange blank space in my living room for about 2 years. Our tree went there this year and when it came down, it was clearly my first job. I was sick of looking at that area and adored my tree. Since there is an end table next to the sectional, I didn't really want a console table or book shelf. 

Just for fun, I moved a lightweight chair there, but it bounces, and I didn't want to hit the wall and old window frame behind it. So, the search began. After not loving anything because of their size, I stumbled on the genius idea of a dining chair. That led to an upholstered dining chair. 

In a perfect world, I'd show you all kinds of chairs, but in reality, the first place I went won. World Market. At the time, the furniture was 50% off, and that is music to my cheapskate ears. 

Because honestly, $180 for a chair? That comes in a box? 

No. 

Without further ado, meet my new chair!

Get it here

So many things make this work. Because it's made to sit up straight instead of relax back, it fits wonderfully. Yes, the pattern is a little bold, but if I stick with it for two years, it will be worth it. 

Onto the next chair project (you can see it a little in the picture above).

After 7 years of not having matching chairs at our dining table, I discovered these last year. There are several choices of metal cafe chairs out there, but these are the best priced. By a lot. They are wonderful all on their own and usually they would be left alone. But why do that when this is so simple?!

I asked an Etsy shop owner, called Vinyl is Your Friend, to add a No.4 to her set of 1-3 and less than $10 and a couple days later (really fast shipping) and they were ready to add. Which if you know anything about vinyl, takes about 10 whole seconds. 

Since it's 15 degrees in the garage, thanks to this horrific winter, no power tool projects for a bit. These will have to do!

What simple and inexpensive changes are you making while stuck inside?

Pillow Talk

I feel like I've told you this before.

I adore fabric.

The way it smells, how smooth it is on the bolt, all the colors and how it can quickly invoke a whole new plan. As I write, I'm under a quilt made from bits of fabric left over from my clothes when I was a little made by my Grams. All the piles that woman has (that she says she's going to give away but won't) is a museum to her past. My personal favorite is when my mom and her sister Ellen argue over who had what. Fine, I argue about fabric my sister and I had. With my mom. 

Last year, I bought a massive green pillow to go on our couch. It was one massive mistake. Too big for me. The rest of the family liked it. Too bad for them. Needless to say, I'm in the market for new pillows. Thanks to removable forms, changing the covers is entirely too easy not to.

Here are a few contenders:

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These are all from OnlineFabricStore.net and are printed quilting fabric. I'm going with the light weight since I change my mind a lot, I don't want to pay a lot.  All my tree skirt burlap comes from there and so far so good. Whatever I decide, I can just about promise that the woodgrain will be in my house. And how awesome is the comic?