Sunburst Mirror Tutorial

I've seen these mirrors all over the internet and magazines, I'm just not willing to shell out $300-$700 for one of these beauties. If you saw my guest bedroom inspiration post, you would remember that I really wanted a sunburst mirror to bring the sunny element of the beach to our home.

Supplies:

• bamboo skewers - $0.99 at local supermarket
• 7" diameter round mirror - approx. $3 at Michael's
• 7" diameter metal craft circles - approx. $4 at Michael's (for three)
• craft glue suitable for use on metal - $2 from Michael's
• picture hanger for the back of the mirror - $0.99 from Michael's
• cardboard (FREE from my recycle bin)
• glue sticks and glue gun (already had)
• spray paint in color of your choice (already had)
• ruler, or other straight edge
• scissors

This only cost me around $10 to make since I had some basics on hand.  By all means, use coupons!  Michael's will also accept competitor coupons (read: JoAnn fabric) so this should be a steal.

I used some elementary math for this project.  I knew that I wanted the rays of "sun" to be close together, so I needed the maximum number of skewers that would fit in the circle.  I settled on dividing my circle into 36ths.  For your ease, I created this template for you.  I had to do everything by hand.  Oh how your life changes after discovering Photoshop.

Download and print.  (This is a PNG file.  If you need a different format, let me know in the comments and I'll hook you up.)

Trace your mirror onto your cardboard for its base and cut the cardboard.  The cardboard circle will be the base for your skewers.  Glue the printable onto the cardboard.

Next, you will need to create a guide for gluing the skewers.

Number 1 is the marker for the tip of the first skewer.
Number 2 is the line marker for the tips of the two skewers on either side of the first.
Number 3 is the line marker for the tips of the skewers on either side of the first three.
Number 4 is the marker line for the tips of the skewers on either side of the first five.

I decided on these measurements after playing around with the shape I wanted.  You may want less measurements depending on the shape you want.  There is no right or wrong here, so be creative.

You get a shape that fans out like this.  I measured the distance from the center and plotted the measurements of each number.  I connected the dots and formed smaller circles.  Time consuming but so worth it.

You will repeat this pattern around the circle.  To make it visually easier, I alternated the shading of each "set" of seven skewers.  In case you're wondering, I used every single skewer in the pack.  The outer two skewers are shared between each set.

To make it easier, I first hot glued all of the "number ones" around the circle.

Using the glue gun to adhere the skewers, work your way around the circle using the pattern described.  Important: too much hot glue will create an uneven base for the skewers when it spreads.  Use it as sparingly as possible while ensuring a good adhesion. Also, some skewers may not be perfectly straight and may put a strain on the pattern.  If this bothers you buy a second set of skewers and weed out the bent/bowed ones.

(I apologize for the lack of pictures for the next few steps.)

 While it dries, spray paint the metal craft circle.  Let it dry thoroughly before spray painting the other side.  (If you only do one side the reflection will give away your laziness).

Spray paint the skewers.  Let dry.  Flip over and repeat.

Gluing the painted metal craft circle onto the mirror was the hardest part. They are both exactly 7" in diameter. If the craft circle was just 1/4" bigger, it would hug the mirror perfectly, but we don't live in a perfect world guys.

Using the craft glue (I used a Scotch brand, and no, hot glue won't do the trick so don't skimp) glue the craft circle onto the mirror.  If any craft glue spreads out, use a box cutter blade to scrape off.

I also used the craft glue to adhere the picture hanger on the back.

Ta-da.  Gorgeous sunburst mirror for about $10 versus a triple-digit price tag.  Score!

Hang and enjoy!

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How to add a Signature or In-post ad in Blogger

Have you ever looked at a blog and thought, "I wonder how they got that nice signature inside their blog post?"  Or, how they got an in-post ad through Passion Fruit Ads rotating underneath that signature (like me).

Wonder no more.  Homegirl here is gonna show you how it's done.  Just because. 

You're gonna have to mess with your Template's HTML.  Breathe.  You can do it (it's really easy!)  Just make sure you have your signature image hosted somewhere like Photobucket.

1. YOU MUST back up your template.  Please do not contact me saying you went ahead and did this without backing up your template.  I will not be able to help you.  Seriously.  I won't.  I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH.  BACK IT UP!

First, go to your "Template" section on Blogger.

Under the top right section of your screen, there should be a "Backup/Restore" button.  Click on it.

Click 'Download full template,' and save the file on your computer.  Then back it up on your USB flash drive.  Then upload it into Dropbox (ok, I kid, but seriously save it somewhere safe).

Don't even think about proceeding if you haven't done this.  I'm serious.

2. Click on 'Edit HTML.'  Again, you'll be warned on the danger of this.  But because you're a good little cookie and have done as I instructed, you will be OK.  Because even if you do something disastrous as erase your entire blog (unlikely), you'll have it backed up and all you have to do is upload it again.  See?  Easy. 

3.  Click 'Proceed.'  The following screen will open up:

Click image to enlarge

4. Check the box to Expand Widget Templates

5. Press Ctrl + F to open the search box. (I can't tell you how long I searched for the next phrase without this trick!)

6. Type 'post-footer' into the search box and hit the Enter key.  Every time this snippet appears in your template it will be highlighted.  The specific one you are looking for looks like:

<div class='post-footer'>.

7.  After this code (you can hit the enter button to create an extra line if necessary) you are going to enter the Image URL of your image in a code that looks like this:

<img src='http://www.somewebsite.com/signature.png'/>

Make sure your URL is surrounded by the single quotation marks and the other symbols in blue.

8. You can also paste the Passion Fruit Ads HTML for your in-post ad under the code you just inserted.  (Make sure you know the width of the body of your blog first! I recommend no wider than 500px in your Passion Fruit ad setup.)

9. Hit 'Preview' and look at your blog in the window that opens.  If you are happy, save your new template (and backup once more). 

I hope this was straightforward.  

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.  I will try to reply directly to your comment in the comments section so that others can benefit from further clarifications!

How To Iron a Dress Shirt

When I was in college, I had several friends ask me to iron one article of clothing or another. Whether it was her pants or her shirt (or a last minute formal date's dress shirt!) I was there for the rescue.

My husband is going out of town on business tomorrow, and we realized he didn't have any dry-cleaned shirts. We didn't have time to run to the dry cleaners, so I washed and ironed several shirts for him.

I think I iron shirts better than the dry cleaners. I put my love into them. And I kinda have to, haha. My work is scrutinized by the highest standards...my husband!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I thought I'd post a tutorial on here. I hope you find this helpful!

You'll need:
a sturdy ironing board with sufficient padding
iron with steam capability
heavy spray starch

I used: 

Step 1:

Spray the inside of the collar.  Iron BOTH sides (don't cheat!).

Step 2:

Grab one of the sleeves and lay flat on the ironing board.  Decide whether you want the seam to be on top (facing the front of the shirt) or below (facing the back of the shirt).  Fix accordingly.  Starch and iron.  Carefully flip over; starch and iron.  Repeat on other sleeve.

Step 3:

Starch and iron the shoulders of the shirt.  Any minimal wrinkling that arises can be easily fixed at the end.

Step 4:

Starting with the breast pocket area, carefully starch and iron the rest of the shirt.  Make sure shirt is taut so as to not create unwanted creases.  Fix any minor wrinkles that may have formed in the process (see Step 3, above).

Step 5:

Carefully hang the shirt.  You're done!

Simple Ocean Artwork

In my ongoing efforts to make a welcoming guest bedroom, I have completed major and minor projects, and have many others in the works.  I picked a beach theme for the guest bedroom, as listening to the ocean always relaxes me. This was a simple project that only took me about 20 minutes from start to finish.

What you'll need:

• dollar store frames with matting
• assortment of starfish and large seashells
• burlap
• glue gun and glue sticks

First, make sure that your starfish and seashells fit inside the frame (and matting, if you're using it).  Also, make sure that the glass is NOT glued to the frame (that happened to me once with a frame from Michael's and I was not a happy camper!).  The glass will go between the burlap and the rear of the frame.

Carefully remove the glass from the frame.  Take your burlap and cut it to the size of the glass.

Hot glue your burlap onto the glass by squeezing small amounts evenly spaced around the perimeter and the center of the glass (not pictured). Hot glue on the matting will not work, as the burlap will "billow" out through the matting opening and your seashells will not have a sturdy base.

Once the burlap is securely glued to the glass, return the matting into the frame and place glass and burlap face down.  Secure the frame rear.  Turn the frame it over and glue the seashells and starfish to the burlap inside the matting as pictured below:

Repeat this process for all the frames and seashells at hand.

Voila! Simple and inexpensive artwork that looks great together in small groupings.

Now I just have to hang them!

Submitted to:

Submitted to:

Kirkland-worthy Homemade Wall Art

Don't you just love a well-decorated house? It's warm and inviting and cozy having an esthetically pleasing space around you. Unfortunately sometimes that comes with a price. Fortunately you can do this on a budget.

I found the idea on this lovely lady's site: Dream Home DIY. I have been wanting to complete this project for over a month now but haven't found the time. It honestly only took less than 20 minutes so I could have had this on the wall a long time ago.

What you'll need:

Ribbon ($2)

Key from Hobby Lobby ($9)

14x18 or 16x20 frame with matting ($18)

Upholstery spray adhesive ($5)

Burlap ($2)

Total cost: under $40. I already had some of these items so it truly did not cost me as much money.

First, carefully remove the glass from the frame and set aside.

Have the upholstery spray adhesive, burlap, and a pair of scissors handy. Look at what is hidden underneath the glass. Chances are you have a piece of cardboard to glue your burlap onto. Burlap has an open weave, so you don't want to glue it onto a light-colored background.

Cut your burlap to a size larger than the matting's opening, preferably to the size of the backing. Lay it on the cardboard backing making sure it covers the area completely. Glue one-half of the fabric to the cardboard. Smooth out any wrinkles and reposition as necessary. Work quickly so the glue does not dry and the fabric adheres incorrectly.

Glue the other half down and allow to dry for a few minutes.

Lay the matting, burlap and any other paper included in the frame. Top off with the glass for support, and finish by reinserting the back of the frame.

Play around with the position of the key so that it's to your liking. I didn't want the bottom of the key hanging below the edge of the matting so I positioned it a bit higher.

Use the spray adhesive and spray the underside of the key on the sections that touch the burlap. (I would do this over the sink or outside). Set the key on the frame on the desired location and let set for about 10 minutes. Take about 15" of ribbon and insert through the loop at the top of the key.

Carefully flip the frame over and securely tie the ribbon through the frame hanger. Careful not to tie too tightly or else the adhesive pulls away from the burlap.

Cut off any extra ribbon that would interfere with hanging. I placed a dab of toothpaste on the hook and pressed it onto the wall to have the exact location for the hook.

There you have it! The easiest project ever that goes nicely in a living room or dining room. About 20 minutes start to finish. I love it!!

Reupholstering Chairs Completed

Sorry for the delay in posting the completed pictures! I have been done for a week or so now, but with everything going on I haven't gotten a chance for a final 'after' picture. But before I reveal that, let me remind you of the 'before' shot:

And here is the after:

I love it! I love the brown richness of the metal now after spray painting it. I like both the before and after looks but now this also reflects a little of me in it.

This is so easy anyone could do it. Don't be discouraged. The first seat I reupholstered coincidentally was also the most beat up one, but the rest were relatively a breeze. View the process here:

Reupholstering Chair Seats Part 1 and Reupholstering Chair Seats Part 2.

Removing Set-In Oil Stains

Have you ever sat down to fold laundry fresh out of the dryer only to find this?

Oils stains: the bane of my existence.

Aggravating, isn't it?

I've been looking for natural ways to clean around the house (and save money at the same time).  While I don't think I'm brave enough yet to use homemade laundry detergent, I found myself without a stain pre-treater or spot remover today after doing some laundry.  I've read that baking soda is great at just about 1,000,000 different things.

I love my husband.  I do, really.  Don't get me wrong.  But the man has this uncanny ability of defying the laws of physics when it comes to spills and making messes.  Yesterday he managed to spill the entire contents of his coffee mug onto the floor, but didn't drop either his cell phones (yes, two) or his coffee mug.  Please explain that one to me.  Also, I have watched him be motionless with a drink in his hand and in a split second the drink is spilled everywhere.  He defies the law of physics.  Please don't try to convince me otherwise.

So as you can imagine, I was upset at the sight of those oil stains.  More so because he gets upset with ME when there are oil stains on his clean clothes.  Please don't bother to understand that one.  Seriously...don't.

So in searching ways to remove oil stains, I remember I read somewhere that you can "revive" old oil by adding a little more oil.  Makes sense when I think of my cast iron skillets looking a tad dull before I add oil or butter on them.  There's still a slight sheen of oil there even when bone dry after cleaning with soap (which you're not supposed to do, I know).

Here's what I did today that will remove even the oldest, most stubborn oil stains from clothes.  I've only tried this on cotton so far, but I'll let you know what other fabrics it will work on (because I can always trust on my husband to give me fresh material).

Here's what you'll need:

oil (I found some generic WD-40 under the kitchen sink)

baking soda

scrap of cardboard (optional)

Dawn liquid dish detergent

an old toothbrush

your regular laundry routine after stain removal

** UPDATE: I tried this with extra virgin olive oil and forgot to use Dawn. Oil stains were STILL THERE!***

I started off with my generic WD-40. I always buy generic when I can on everyday things. I have come back to Tide and Downy after straying, though. WD-40 might be a tad extreme, but since I had already WASHED and DRIED these oil stains on high heat, I didn't want to take any chances. (You could always use corn or vegetable oil of some sort.) I placed my scrap of cardboard underneath the stains (between the front and back of the t-shirt) and sprayed each oil stain...

...only to see that the oil spread while I gathered my other materials:

At this point I hoped my little project would work. Otherwise I'd be in bigger trouble than I started. Bring in the baking soda (see?...generic sodium bicarbonate...same chemical as the big brands). I poured a pile of baking soda on the oil stain.

I brought out the toothbrush (I didn't have an old one so I used a new one) and spread the baking soda around and brushed it INTO the oil-stained area. I didn't really let it sit there. I continued brushing and brushing and brushing...until I ended up with chunks of soda all over. The baking soda absorbed all of the oil in the fabric.

I dusted off the baking soda into the sink. Look at the oil stain and the cardboard scrap. Boy was I glad I didn't have to do this on the back of the t-shirt as well!

I wasn't done. I poured more baking soda on the oil stains and, again, brushed the soda into the fabric. Look at those little lumps. I repeated this process once more until I had next to no lumps of baking soda.



I thought to myself, at this point, Dawn wouldn't hurt this, right? I poured the detergent on there (as a pre-wash treatment) and used the toothbrush again.



I then had something that looked like this. Notice the fine powdery soda every where. This is what your soda should look like when you've taken out most of the oils.


This sat on my kitchen counter while I waited for the existing load to finish. I threw this in with other darks with my usual Tide and Downy. NO extra wash time. NO heavy wash cycle. NO extra rinse cycle.

Voila!

YAY! Go ahead. Find the stains. I dare ya! Cost? $0 as I already had all these items around the house. Try it! Also, look at my Dryer Efficiency post for a tutorial on how to remove a film from the lint catcher that can be making you spend a longer time (and more money) drying your clothes!

Living room artwork

This is a really quick post.  I have been pondering and pondering what I could purchase to make artwork for our living room.  I'm not sure I wanted a picture of Tuscany landscape (that's more for my kitchen to accompany future canvases featuring wine) or any other landscape for that matter.  I've seen that countless times and wanted to truly mix modern + traditional decorating.

I came across a pin on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) with a conglomeration of different images in one.  It looked interesting so I opened it.  I never thought that I could find inspiration for our living room in that pin.  EVER.

I came across this picture from Hannah's blog:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="385"] Isn't it gorgeous?[/caption]

Hannah and her friends made this for her dining room.  Since the paint on her walls is identical (almost) to that in my living room, and I've been on a bronze metallic constant daydream recently, this really piqued my imagination.  Why couldn't I recreate this (with help) for our living room?  We have a big empty space above our sofa only emphasized by a vaulted ceiling.  It looks pretty bare (I'll post a picture when I have finished painting).

I can't wait to invite my artistic sister-in-law from Maryland and force entice her into doing this with me.  I LOVE it!  Amanda could even use this in her art portfolio.  She just came back from a month in Florence studying art.  I have the PERFECT person to do this for help me!

Hannah did it with canvas for $60, but if I get cheap particle board from Lowe's this would cost even less.  I can't WAIT to have this up!

Reupholstering Chair Seats part 2

This was a much more productive run!  Amazing what can happen when you have all the right materials at your disposal! Last time I sat down to reupholster a seat for my dinette I had a chair pad (foam) that was several inches too narrow on all fronts.  How frustrating!  I went back to JoAnn a few days ago and swapped those chair pads for squares ones that were 22" on each side.  They only had three 1" high density foam pads, so I had to get 2" thickness, praying that I had enough fabric (I did).

 

These covered the widest part of my seats (20").  My seats taper towards the back, so I will have to do some extra cutting.

These were my tools: a permanent marker and my bread knife.  You can be fancy and use an electric meat carver, but I don't have one.

Trace your seat with the permanent marker.

 

(This picture was taken at an angle so the seat looks square. It is not).

When you are cutting, MAKE SURE YOU MAINTAIN AN UP-AND-DOWN MOTION.  Do NOT cut at an angle.  I learned this the hard way.  Your seat will be lopsided and you will have to conjure up a way fill in what you've cut out.  (This high density foam is NOT easy to cut, so cutting small pieces to make up for mistakes won't happen).

 

Using an upholstery adhesive, you will glue the foam to your wooden seat for easier upholstery.  Trust me, you're gonna want to go outside for this.  This stuff sprayed out  like Spiderman's webbing shooting from his wrists. ( I wish my "spidey" sense had forewarned me). It was white, sticky, and came out in a vertical line as opposed to the usual conical sprays.  Do this on cement or anything you don't want to preserve, like grass.  It can get messy quick, if you're not careful.

Follow the instructions EXACTLY as printed.  I sprayed both foam and wood and waited about 30 seconds (under the hot Georgia sun) for it to dry to a "tack."  To me that meant no longer translucent.  Then I placed the foam onto the seat.  Note: this WILL be permanent so proceed carefully.  If you feel like you might have to reposition your foam for whatever reason, DO NOT spray both sides.  When they say "it is a permanent bond" they MEAN IT!  Once I set it down it would not budge.

Once you have your foam glued (should take less than 30 seconds--really) you lay your seat (foam side down) on cotton batting.

Staple the center edge on the first side.  Pull the batting tightly; and wrinkles or folds in the batting will create an uneven base for your fabric.  Work your way around and staple the center edge of the remaining 3 sides.  If it's not as snug as you need it to be you can always remove that one staple and re-tighten.  The cotton batting will smooth out  the transition from the foam's edge to the wooden seat.  In my case, the batting also provided padding for the uneven cutting of the foam.  I had to cut extra snippets and place them in the gaps to make up for my mistake.  Live and learn.

Work your way around the seat and staple the batting to the seat.  I used my permanent marker and circled the nail holes underneath the seat to remind me of the space I needed to have clear.

 

I played around with different folds until I settled for this one. I found this the least bulky under the fabric.  Trim off excess batting once you've stapled it all the way around, and staple your corners.

Then placed your seat base under your fabric so you can see exactly how you want the fabric's pattern to lay across your seat.  I was worried about the extra height of each seat and the 2.5 yards that I purchased.  I thought I would not have enough.  Thankfully I was able to take some time and carefully plan how I would maneuver my fabric so that the design would be centered on each seat.  I found that I could make two seats using the 54" of width of the fabric as opposed to picking a location along the 2.5 yards where the pattern looked nice and end up wasting fabric.  Smart, I know.

 

This ended up being a few degrees crooked (in my opinion) but, since the print is so busy, it hides well and I can live with it.

 

My faithful companion, Chip. I just love him!

Carefully lifting your seat with the fabric, staple the fabric onto the wood with one staple in the center of the seat's side.  Once I knew I had it where I wanted it, I stapled one on either side of that center staple.  I had not cut out my fabric yet so I wanted to be careful.

 

Work your way around the fabric, stapling and trimming until you get a rough square shape that's easier to work with.  While you're at it, take a tape measure and measure the width of the fabric so you have a general idea of how much fabric you'll need for each seat.

This was my first time reupholstering ANYTHING.  I know I could have measured the length + width of the seat, added 3" to each side (2 for the height and then 1 more to fold over), and then cut a square of fabric for that measurement.  However, I did not want to mess up the pretty damask pattern for the sake of simple arithmetic.  I also did not know if I estimated the correct yardage.  I ALSO was hoping to have enough fabric left over for a window valance for the kitchen and perhaps a scrap for an idea I have for an oven door towel.

 

I gathered the corner like the original seat's corners were. This lends to a nice rounded corner. If you want a square corner you would have to do a simple fold like I did with the cotton batting.

You can see that my fabric is not even around the seat--this is deliberate.  It was more important to me that the print was centered on the seat.  Once you have stapled the fabric snugly (but not too tightly) around each side, make sure your screw holes are exposed.  If not (see below, bottom right corner) you will have to trim back some fabric and/or batting to expose them.  You don't want the layers of batting, fabric and then the dust cover getting wound around the screw.  That would be a nightmare.

I brought the dust cover back out and lined up the holes from the screws in the wood to their corresponding parts on the dust cover.  As you can see, this dust cover is pretty see-through.  Remember, no one sees this side of the seat except maybe your dogs (and an extremely nosy relative).  If it bothers you, you can always buy black dust cover material at Joann.  I think it's $7.99 for 5 yards.  That was an additional $8 I didn't care to spend money on, so I reused what I already had at my disposal.

After all my work was done, I screwed the seat back onto the chair and admired my work.  Note that I already spray-painted the chair brown.  Might as well get that done while the seat was off, right?