Hi All Helpful Hank Here. Today I would like to share with you some simple things you can do to spruce up some of your living spaces that won’t cost you a fortune.
My husband comes home once a month for seven to ten days , then it’s back to the airport and back to work for him. While he is Home though we try to get as many projects done as possible. There are projects we work on together and others we work on separately. As I have mentioned in earlier blogs we like to haunt the thrift shops and even go dumpster diving behind hi end resale shops (after they are closed for the day they frown on you looking through their dumpsters when they are open.) I thought I would share with you some of the simple fixes that we worked on the week he was home as well as some other easy projects.
I have a love hate relationship with Wall Mart or as many call it Sprawl Mart. I don’t like crowds or rude people and Sprawl Mart seems to have plenty in spades most of the time. Those poor clerks. How they stay so friendly is a wonder. Anywho I digress as I say I have a love Hate relationship with the place as I am sure many do. They do have great prices which is great for the budget and a wide selection. Now I like to head straight to the fabric department and there 1.50 table ( was a 1.00 but with this economy things change) I am fortunate enough just to have a Wall Mart that still has a fabric department.
We decided to spruce up our patio area a bit so we decide on what simply changes we could make to achieve this. And sense we have a lot of Patio furniture ( our patio is very long and has four distinct areas that are covered.) I thought sprucing up the cushions and pillows would be one thing to give it a fresher look. Pillows we use outside can fad and get dingy after a time so this is an easy fix even if you don’t sew. For this project you will need small to medium size pillows, about 2 to 2 ½ yards of fabric(covers four pillows), No Sew or fusible webbing I prefer the fusible webbing as you just iron your seems shut with it easy squeezy) and stick backed Velcro (it can be had for a few dollars at a craft store or fabric store.), and scissors.
I tend to by fabric I like or feel I can use at Wall Marts 1.50 table when I see it. I may not use it for sometime but eventually I will. I went to my fabric trunk (another dumpster dive find. It is an old steamer trunk. In excellent condition even had the hangers and the key to the top drawer. Someone put it curbside years ago and I snagged it.) I started looking through what I had. I wanted to see if I had anything that would go well with the bright Blue and Green cushion we have on our wicker couches. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything that would work well. Off to Sprawl Mart. I found fabric that was perfect so I bought two yards of bright blue and two yards of bright green. I took four pillows I had on a day bed outside that were looking rather shabby (and not in a chic way either)
I unfolded my fabric and lay it out placing the pillows on the fabric then I cut the fabric to size leaving enough space on all sides of the fabric to close it up. Depending on they fabric you by you may want to embellish it. The fabric I bought was a solid color. I had decided I wanted to use fabric paint on it.
What you will need to do first is to wash your fabric. I wash mine in the sink with detergent and hot water (this is mostly for shrinkage and putting it in the washer can sometimes make the fabric fray.) then I run it through the dryer or, in this case, since the weather has been so warm, I hung it out to dry. Once I have painted the design I want on my pillows and they are dry, (leave enough boarder to fold sides of fabric under) I fold one side over running a length of fusible webbing underneath it (the fabric should be folded inward so the edge of the fabric is on the inside of the pillow.). and the run the Iron over it thus bonding the fabric together. I do this on all four sides. This creates a seamed edge all the way around. Then on opposite ends (top and bottom of pillow cover) I place the Velcro. (This will allow me to take the new pillow cover off for washing) Then I fold the fabric in half again running a piece of the fusible webbing now between the folded fabric sides and Iron. Give the fusible webbing a chance to cool and run your Iron on high no steam. Once you have done this slip, your pillow inside through the end that has the Velcro closure and you have a new pillow. Keep your lines as straight and as even as possible when using the fusible webbing as it will show if you don’t. I made four pillow covers in no time and just put existing pillows in them.
While my husband was home, he went over to one of our local thrift shops and found a medium size chandelier that just needed some TLC. As he put it to me, I only paid ten dollars for it I couldn’t pass it up.
We decided to hang it above the board table on the patio.
The tools we used for this project were wire strippers, spray paint (both primer and topcoat of color) and wire nuts.
I used a combination of black primer spray paint hammered bronze spray paint and, green spray paint. I gave it a couple of primer coats let it dry. I gave it a third coat of black primer and while it was still wet, gave it a coat of hammered bronze. After that had dried, I took the green spray paint and applied it lightly to different spots to create a patina. I then went over it lightly again, with the hammered bronze while it was still a bit tacky, softening the edges of the green so that it blended better.
Once the lamp was dry it was time to fix the cord, it wasn’t long enough for the chain we had. I took an old extension cord cut the female end off and using wire stripers, I stripped the plastic coating away from both sets of wires. I did the same on the light fixture end. I twisted the wires from each side of the cut extension cord to the wires from the light fixture. I capped the wires with wire nuts then used black electrical tape wrapping it around each of the wire nuts to seal them off, using more electrical tape I taped the wire nuts together. I wove the cord through the chain and since we were replacing an existing hanging lamp, we hung it in the same spot.
In warm weather the spray paint dries fast. You can have this project done in about an hour to two hours depending on drying time.
The third project we worked on, were new curtain rods. We had priced them and they were expensive for new ones. The ones we had were bowing and sagging from the weight of the curtains we had on them. To replace them with sturdier rod was going to cost a lot. We found a cheaper alternative. What we bought was 1 inch metal conduit pipe ( the come in 8 to 10 foot lengths) it was only $6.49 per ten foot pipe as opposed to a curtain rod at $23.00 to $43.00 We got some primer spray paint and a top color coat. We chose hammered bronze. (You will need a surface long enough and big enough to spray paint them.) Wash your poles with soapy warm water removing all labels. Let dry then give it two coats of your primer letting thoroughly dry between coats. Then to coats of your top color coat. (I like using a satin sheen for the op coat) Once it is all dry, you just replace your existing rods with the new ones.
If you want to add, fancy end caps to your curtain rod just get the end caps you want. Get a wooden dowel that fits snug in your conduit ends. Cut off about two inches of dowel for each end screw your end caps in to dowel and put your end in the conduit so that only the decorative end caps show. (You may need to pre drill the end of the dowel but not much because you just want to start the hole this way the end cap stay firmly in place. You can also put a little wood glue down the pre-drilled hole. This will secure the end cap to the dowel even better and you’ll be less likely to have it come undone.
Small home improvement projects don’t have to be daunting. They can unleash your creative side and if you have kids there are small home improvement projects (Pillow covers) that the can participate in and feel as if they made a difference in make the place you call home just a bit brighter and better.
Well that’s all for today Have a super Easter Weekend. Keep an eye out for my next blog spot column and you can send any hints tips or deals you have and I’ll be happy to post them.
Happy Easter,
Hank
Helpful Hanks Handy Hints: Using a Stencil to create your designs on your pillow covers easy an easy way to create fabulous designs, you can use a stencil brush or even cut up an old dish sponge (wash it first then dry it for about a minute or so in your microwave and it is good to go) Remember not to get to much paint on your sponge or brush, you’ll want it rather dry, this way you end up with a more uniform design. You can also use this same technique on old lampshades as well. You can also incorporate ribbons and beads on lampshades by tacking them down with a glue. (Remember the tip of a glue gun is very hot so don’t touch it with your hands.)
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.
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