Fine Craft Guild .com » Furniture

DIY: Shutters as Magazine Racks

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:15:00 +0000

: Shutter-love! Fancy owning this recycled shutter cum magazine rack. I want to own one. Teal, aqua, or Robin Egg’s blue happen to be some of my favorite paint colors, so this shutter caught my eye.

Note: this kind of aqua blue / teal always makes me feel like I’m on a tropical island. Love that color, particularly now that it’s snowing here…

Easy Step-by-step Instructions How To Make This Yourself

Yes, it’s easy, but there is a bit of work involved here:

1. Remove every other slate by using a dremmel (*: see below) which is a tool that does flat cuts on either side of the shutter frame.

2. Sand, prime and spray-paint.

3. Add whirl at the top.

Materials & Tools Used for this Project

An old shutter

* Dremmel Multi-Max

Note 1: You can remove the shutter slates by either snapping the ones to be removed with the claw end of a hammer, or by using a dremmel.

The dremmel – method leaves you with neat slates which can be re-used in another project. The hammer-method leaves you with a pile of firewood.

Note 2: the dremmel also includes a sanding component, so you can use it to sand down the frame.

Primer & spray paint in desired color

A Silhouette Cameo to create gorgeous vignettes in a snap. Gorgeous and professional, like the one here in black at the top of the shutter.

Source of this wonderful idea: Gail, from ‘My Repurposed Life’ (BTW. This is a great blog. You’ll love it. Lots of home decorating project ideas).

Craft Storage Tips

Fine Craft Guild — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Hiding your creative tools where you need them is not always so easy. As I do art, craft and decorating projects in almost any room of the house, I decided to go around and create creative storage zones in every room.

Creative Living Room Storage

Knitting and crochet I most definitely do most in the living room. The problem with that is 1/4 of the living room floor space and the sofa is usually ‘occupied’ by a creative project or two, or three.

That is of course aside from the fact that my stash of wool, cotton and other yarn take up an enormous amount of space in the general craft closet.

So, the ‘Aha’ arrived and ALL went into this handy dandy rather large storage cube, including all my current knitting and crochet projects.

How did it all fit? Some rewinding… See that over-sized ball of delightful baby pink cotton? Well, it’s all air on the inside of its inner spool. Doing that for several balls of yarn was enough to condense its size to befit this nifty cube. As my yarn is now more easily available where I need it, I HOPE to actually FINISH more projects in the near future. Yes, the patterns I’ll share with you, albeit that I do a lot of inventing these days. Most patterns are my own, so it will cost me some time to recount and chart them.

Perfect Craft Storage

When I close the lid and put a plant on top of my nifty knitting storage, none would know just how many work-in-progress projects are in there. A calm and tidy living room space for everyone in the household to enjoy.

Many More Basket Storage Ideas & Solutions

Organizing with Baskets: 10 Styles You Can Make Own

French Design Inspiration from Paris

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Sharing my secret: I’m in Paris!!!!

Instead of craft & DIY tutorials, you’ll find world-class creative inspirational photos to help you develop your own DIY and craft ideas… for the next 2 weeks!

Some of the articles will be a single brilliant idea (I’ll be calling these articles ‘Creative Ideas from France’, while others are a complete collection of fashion, styles, designs and details (organized in ‘themes’). I’ll update this overview during the next 2-3 weeks as I’ll come across wonderful designs and creative ideas. I’ll make each idea/theme page into clickable links so all you have to do is bookmark this page and come back every day for the next few weeks.

FRENCH DESIGN, DIY AND HOME DECORATION IDEAS FROM PARIS

Theme 1: World-famous Patisserie houses in Paris:
Laduree

Theme 2: French, Fun & Fashion Bags:
Fruity Lunch & Picnic Bags

Theme3: Fashion in Paris 2011 – Galerie Lafayette, Le Marait & Versailles:
Parisian Shoe Fashion 2011

Theme 4: Antiques: Bedroom sets, Desks, Chandeliers & More: Porte de Cliquot:
Italian Antique Bedroom Set (Venice)
French Chandeliers from Baccarat

Theme 5: French Café & Bistro: Montmartre & beyond :
French Cafes in Paris

Theme 6: Table Settings in Paris:
Simple place setting with Ivy

Theme 7: The most Exquisite Parisian taste:

Caviar anyone? (introducing Odiot)

Theme 8: French Garden Designs & Flowers:
Shell-bejeweled Pots

Theme 9: Colors in Paris (French Style Ideas):
Colorful Zafu Medititation Poofs
Unique & Unimaginable Lamps

Theme 10: Some of my Favorite Things in Paris:
Funky Bejeweled Coat Hangers
French Country Farm Lamps

(Links will become active when articles will be published; not in order of theme number)

While I’m working out my longer, more involved themed Paris articles, tomorrow I’ll start with a simple place setting that you can pull of within 2 minutes for a table of 4! Easy and stylish.

DIY Sofa Make-Over

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Have to share this ‘Craigslist find’–makeover by Aimee from Wonderfully Domestic: a beautiful contemporary bench, that I guess we would all want to have in the sun room. Amazing !

The Bench – AFTER picture

Here’s her girl sitting like a princess on her new throne.

The Bench - BEFORE picture

Hard to imagine it was a disgusting smelling 70’s ‘thing’ before. In short, a fantastic DIY bench redo.

Aimee describes every step on the way on her blog: repainting the bench, ripping off the yucky smelling seat, creating a brand new seat from foam and batting, upholstering the brand new contemporary fabric and pitting the bench together.

The full story here: Wonderfully Domestic

Well done.

DIY Inspiration

Hopefully this article leaves you ‘all inspired’ for the weekend. So that, when not prepping for Fathers Day, make something creative.

Every Creative Girl’s Dream

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 12:54:00 +0000

This guy just has to be every creative girl’s dream: tall and good looking, organized, and best of all: he helps you find stuff as he remembers where you’ve put your things…!! May I introduce you to: …

… Mr. ‘Craftbox’ !

This wonderful guy (.. ahem, Craft Storage Furniture) may perhaps be the answer to all your craft storage prayers, hopes and dreams too.

For my art, jewelry, scrapbooking & other craft supplies, this ‘craft box’ is a storage dream come true for me! It comes 6” tall and stores EVERYTHING. In this storage Everything will have a spot and I’ll work so efficiently, I’ll make more. Yoohoo. No time wasted with trying to find ‘what-ya-might-call-it’. It’s all there. (Ahhh…. What a difference from my current reality where I literally looked for my bag of zippers over 2 hours today to make some contemporary jewelry piece with some zippers for an upcoming article. I haven’t found it yet. )

So, I dream of an efficient work room…..and this craft box could be the ideal solution. Are you having similar cravings for a guy like this???

Craftbox’ Inside: Organized Craft Storage

If you are like me and prefer it when you can instantly find things instead of having to look for things for hours….., I can see how this cabinet will save me lots of time.

I can make a dedicated ‘knitting project in progress’ drawer, and a ‘art journal in progress’ drawing and i will be able to easily progress on a wide range of projects without having to ‘pull out all the supplies that relate to that craft’ and having to look for things in case I want to create mixed-media pieces. It’s all right there, organized. In fact, I can see that this cabinet will be a great inspiration to do more mixed media…

Craftbox’ Outside: Quality Cabinet

On the outside, this craft box looks like exactly like other high-end handsome storage cabinets. But on the inside… oh la la!!! It opens up as a box, and inside is actually both a workplace and a storage solution. On the bottom, it sits on castors, so you can roll it to wherever you need it.

Made with all high-end materials. The one I am showing you here is made with knotty alder wood, but there are other wood types (I quite fancy the black oak), different shapes, sizes and formats. Prices vary from $595 to $1499.

Craftbox: The Verdict

This craft storage is a major purchase for anyone, no doubt. But it all depends a bit on how you look at it whether it’s a good investment. This ‘craft-room in a box’, which is what it is in my opinion, is like the equivalent of an extra room in your house dedicated to your art & craft adventures. Saves you from having to have the kids share a bedroom or move to another house or convert the garage or the basement. And even then… would you really like to work in that space?! My favorite space of working is right in the kitchen where there’s most light….

I can see how this cabinet will both save you money, and you get to work in your favorite room of the house. No more in the dungeon basement, where it’s always just a tat too dark to do your better work and for you to feel really great while working.

If you, like me, are on the lookout for better storage furniture for your art, jewelry, scrapbooking, sewing or other craft supplies, this is a ‘MUST LOOK AT’, if not a ‘must purchase’. For more details and purchase information, check here.

I’m going to see if they ship to Italy!

… or check out the Vanilla Beadboard Craft Storage version. Beautiful.

Upholstered Headboards: Make Your Own

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:25:00 +0000

Comfortable bed headboards are easy to make and transform ordinary bedroom furniture.

Actually good bed headboards have to follow certain design criteria:

1. Decorative items on (or above) the headboard should not be able to fall onto my head.

2. It should be high enough to support my back when having breakfast in bed.

3. My head should be able to lean back, i.e. the headboard should not be too high

4. It should be padded so that it will feel like a chair when leaning against it

5. it should be beautiful, and not too loud in color or design that it overpowers other design elements in the house

6. it should be large & attention grabbing enough that it makes a significant design statement.

I like to see all this in a headboard, please, if it’s not too much to ask.

While this seems like a long list of ‘must have’s, actually many headboards actually meet these criteria. Those that qualify, tend to be neutral-toned, with textures and patterns that accent other elements in the bedroom. Have a look at these examples that I picked as the best from the headboards currently on bhg.com:

Top 3 Bed Headboard Ideas / Designs

1. My favorite headboard is this shabby chic cottage headboard. Essentially it’s a padded pillow hung above the bed on hooks from a strip of molding. I like the cottage style. Plus, this can be an easy DIY project.

The base idea is also flexible: I can also see how this can be adapted into say a nautical theme when molding would be replaced with an old rowing ore with hooks.

2. Classy neutral-toned linen headboard that you might find in a 5 star hotel.

3. ‘Gorgeous’ is what came to mind when I saw this headboard. A professional seamstress could pull it off as a DIY project, but I ??!!

Fabric covered buttons, rounded corners lift this headboard from boring to sophisticated.

Pairing it with the ultra-modern mirrored night stand plus glass lampshade makes me want to crawl into this picture.

Upholstered Headboards

How to Make Your Own Upholstered Headboard

Headboard DIY

This DIY video shows how you can make this over-sized upholstered headboard.

It explains everything, from how to cut the wooden frame, how to make the headboard padded, and more.

The ‘DIY headboards’- video teaches you how to create this beautiful upholstered headboard.

The fabric pattern is made using the stencils out of this book: Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens.

DIY Stenciling for Your Headboard & Other Bedroom Furniture

By stenciling the fabric of your headboard you will be able to create a wonderful symmetrical design that might be more difficult & costly to achieve with ready-bought printed fabric.

Purchase simple calico, sturdy cotton or linen fabric .

Use the stencils from this project or buy the book here.

Use fabric paint to complete the project.

Other Bedroom Designs, Projects & Ideas

Child Bedroom Furniture w/ Stencils

Kids Furniture

Home Decor Kids Wall Painting Designs

Yellow-pink Color Combination/

Make Your Own Lampshade

Anthropologie for Less, Decorating Craft Ideas/

Italian Bedroom Furniture/

Cool Outdoor Shower

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 13 May 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Here’s a simply DIY solution you can prep this afternoon, to let you cool down in style and ease when the summer heat is smoldering:

By snaking this garden hose around tree branches, it transforms into a little crazy outdoor shower, which will become the oasis in your garden.

(Images: Studio Dreyer Hensley, Design: Sweet Paul).

How to Make This Outdoor Shower

1. Fasten a large shower head to a long hose.

2. Fastened the shower head on a big tree branch.

3. Turn on the tap.

It works like a dream come true….,

all summer long.

Want a bit more….

… privacy? .. a shower curtain, as a minumum? … more comfort, storage, seclusion or being closer to the house ?

Check out these other whimsical patio & garden showers ideas.

Your solution: add a colorful shower curtain on a spunky wrap- around rail.

(Image: bhg.com)

(Image above & below: Coastalliving.com)
Create an inviting atmosphere in your outdoor shower with fresh flowers and convenient storage.

Research & Order Materials

Outdoor Shower Hardware
, eg.
Drench Shower

Outdoor Solar Shower,
Curved Shower Curtain Rail

Fun Storage
Crab Net, for Funky Storage,
Rope Ladder, or
Barnwood Ladder with Carrying Caddies

Seating
Outdoor Shower Seats,
Wooden Panels

Spacial Definition

Garden Trellis & Arbors

Other Garden Craft & DIY Ideas

Reversible Garden Blanket

Adirondack Deck Chairs

Lawn or Beach Chairs

Garden Bench

Recycled Tire Swing

Hammock & Garden Umbrella

Beach in a Pot

Craft for Earth Day

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:04:00 +0000

This year, 2011, as every year, Earth Day is April 22.

Last year around this time, I made a huge effort to find 50+ environment-friendly craft and DIY projects. All these projects look stunningly great and are made of 100% recycled materials.

If you are interested in featuring this list on your own blog, please link to this page, using this button and code:

Click in the textbox, select all, copy & paste.

Eco-Green Crafts Overview

Here they are, in 7 parts / categories.

In each part, you will find having a handful or more recycled | upcycled | refashioned creative project tutorials.

	PART 1 Recycled Craft Ideas for Desk Accessories (image: recycled magazine coasters in box)
	PART 2 - Unique Furniture and Home Decorations Made from Recycled Materials (image: direct recycled dresses as cafe curtains)
	PART 3 - Recycled Crafts for Kids (image: restyled hair crunchie)
	PART 4 – Personal Accessories Made with Recyclables (image: recycled magazines basket)
	PART 5 – Recycling Crafts for the Garden. (image: birdnest reused bottle & bark)
	FINAL PART – Great Recycling Tutorials for Eco Artists (image: recycled paper yarn)

Sorry, I’m only showing you 7 photos… there are soo many lovely, interesting projects to be made. Click on each link to discover them all.

DIY Luxury Stairs

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Some people just do things very well. Miriam & Daniel, i.e. the couple who are the proud owners of this stairs make-over, did things* very well, and the results is a luxury stair case, that’s a jewel in their home.

(*Even their tutorial is done very well, and concludes with a list of tips befitting all home renovators, including tips to transform your stairs into an oak staircase. )

BEFORE

Definitely Undesirable Stairs

* Old worn OSB treads to be ripped out.

* Old OSB risers to be covered.

AFTER

An amazing transformation to designer stairs!

This staircase belongs to a luxury home.

Features of the Staircase Transformation

* Choose MFD pre-fabricated stair treads with rounded edge

* Treads received 3 coats of a very dark chocolate brown paint

* Each tread was measured and cut length of each tread to size with a table saw

* Glued each thread in position, with ‘Hard as nails’-glue, and screws were added & masked

* Next came the bead board, glued and nailed onto the old risers.

* Recommended to now add the trim on either side at this stage.

* Extra paint & chaulking finished this project off to a PRO result.

Tutorial Source & DIY Stairs Tips: Prudent Projects

How to Make Cafe Curtains

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:49:00 +0000

Shabby or chic, cafe curtains have made a come-back. Or did they never leave the kitchen??? Either way, I’m sure you’ll be happy to find a pattern and step-by-step instructions how to make your own cafe curtains.

Cafe curtains offer an easy & inexpensive way to create an informal cozy atmosphere. They let the light in while maintaining a certain degree of privacy. In terms of decoration value, they offer a great way to add a dash of color and so can help tie your overall kitchen color scheme together. Cafe curtains are ideal window treatments to do all of these.

Types of Cafe Curtains

There are essentially two types of textile cafe curtains: those hung with clips and rings, and those that are directly covering the curtain rods. I am showing you both types of curtains, and am offering a few additional options for you. Actually, there are no limits to your options: you can use just about anything as a cafe curtain.

Cafe Curtain Variations

Choose your style

	1.Retro Tea-towel Cafe Curtains These say ‘Cowboy America’ to me. Note the personalization with buttons and fabric jewels ~ really cool! I love the look of this style. source: Susan Beal, West Coast Crafty Tip 1: get map tea towels here Tip 2: other map crafts
2. Nice Tea towel Cafe Curtains These say ‘privacy’ to me. image: bhg Tip 3: Ikea sells a set of blue/white sheer tea towels for just a few dollars that would be perfect to create these curtains, or patchwork versions of these. And I would want my bistro cafe curtains to be a bit sheerer than these one pictures here.
	3. Napkin Cafe Curtains These say ‘Hip Vancouver’ to me… … or Hip California for that matter… as Southern Living is based in CA. image: southern living
4. Chicken, Layered Cafe Curtain These say ‘Elegant England’ to me. I bet you love these as much as I do: mama chicken with baby chicks embroidered, two-tiered cafe curtains. They have the cheer of happy yellow stripes, the sheer to let the light in, and while they say ‘Easter’ they are good year round. Tip 4: No sewing or craftiness required as you can order these ready-made, all the way from England. Price tag is attractive too, at about US$10. To order, click here: CHICKEN CAFE CURTAINS source: Amazon.uk Just discovered: Also available in the US here
	5. Striped Linen Cafe Curtains These curtains actually are made with pure white linen. The orange lines are created by applying twill tape. Decorating Tip 5: note how the lines of the curtains and the lines of the wood trim on the wall and the lines of the cubby holes all reinforce an expansive horizontal look that make rooms look larger and less cluttered. image: marthastewart.com

Suggestions for Cafe Curtains Made from Recycled Materials

Before you go out and buy fabric for your own cafe curtains, look around the house and in the garage first. Great alternatives to expensive fabric include recyclables that have a creative, personal touch:

Off-white flour sacks, rice sacks or even coffee or potato sacks. (If your sacks are made of really ruff fabric, pull out lots of strands of the fabric to create a open-lace look and let more light in. As well, these kinds of sacks look fantastic when paired up with other fabric remnants, ribbons, buttons and/or embroidery.
Vintage Lacey Handkerchiefs. If you have a stack of these, stitch them together in a patchwork design, and hang them up. These make for nice and light curtains.
Recycle old curtains, hides, doilies, crochet pieces and anything made with yarn or fabric. …. having said this, I dare you to make them out of plastic netting that your oranges come in. I am currently fascinated by that stuff….

Other recycling ideas: shop for vintage pillow cases, doilies or other vintage fabrics at your local second hand store, shop for remnants departments at IKEA or your local fabric shop might also hold treasures.

How to Make your own Handmade Cafe Curtains

Materials

1. Measure your window first: you’ll need 2 pieces of fabric that are 1.5” wider and 5” longer than your window section to cover. On the pattern below, I’m assuming 44 cm wide.

Tip: This is if you want to pieces to lay ‘flat’. However, if you want there to be a lot of ruffling, do add extra fabric accordingly. You can easily test how much fabric in each piece by pinning the fabric around the rod and see how it shapes. The thickness of the fabric matters: thin fabrics can ruffle, thick fabrics should not.
2. You’ll need a curtain rod of that fits snug within your window, and two socket brackets or whatever comes with the rod to hang the rod. Usually you buy these as a package. Go here for US Cafe Curtain rods , or here for UK (Europe) Cafe Curtain rods

Tip: if you are working with a print, measure & pin your curtains before sewing to see that it all lines up as you hope for.

3. Triple fold both side-edges and machine stitch with a simple straight stitch. Then, sew a hem along the edges, and fold over a few inches to create a channel for the rod. If you prefer to work with button holes, stitch them at 15 cm (about 8 inches) intervals, beginning 1.5 cm (about 3/4 inch) in from side. Style of curtain ring may vary placement of button hole height.

4. Before hanging, press the curtain, and slide the curtain rod through the channel. Use socket brackets for hanging.

Cafe Curtains Diagram

This pattern is to help you determine the relative measures. This is not an exact project, other than lining up any bold print or large design you might be applying. The width of the rod determines the size of the channel, but as a guide, 3 cm (see diagram) (1.5-2 inches) will do.