Chest of Drawer Handles

This has been the sad front of the chest of drawers we rescued from freecycle nearly a couple of years ago, sanded down, and left handle-less after I successfully rusted all the orignal brass drawer pulls...eeek.

I had spotted the idea of using an old belt as handles so scouted some used leather belts on ebay for a couple of pounds each.

I cut them into identical lengthed strips and made holes where I wanted the nuts and bolts to go once the strips were positioned in a bent handle shape on the drawers: 

Using these industrial "machine screws" I attached the leather handles to the drawers through the original handle screw holes and tightened the nights on the inside of the drawers:

Handles at last!

Carpe Diem fabric painted jumper

I spotted this cute jumper in Banana Republic a few weeks ago, but only thought about recreating my own version when I rediscovered an old Gap jumper I had at the back of the wardrobe, which hadn't been worn for a while, and it made sense to spruce it up and give it a new lease of life taking inspiration from the Banana Republic one.

I bought some Dylon fabric paint pots in black and white, thinking I could use the white for a design on a navy Gap jumper I have in the same style, and so went with the black for the orange jumper.

I also bought some "iron-on" wax paper (similar to greaseproof paper but waxed on one side) to use as my template.

Using the Banana Republic logo as a guide, I drew my own version of the text straight onto the non-waxed side of the paper:

I then cut out the letters (making sure I left a little paper link to the insides of the D, a, p etc). This would have been much less fiddly with a sharp pen knife!

Next, I ironed the wax paper (wax side down) onto the jumper:

Using a foam stencil brush (found on ebay) I dabbed several layers of the fabric paint onto the jumper, and following the paint's instructions I ironed over the paint between each layer:

And with a little suspense and teasing of the paper off the jumper when the last layer of paint was thoroughly dry, this was the final result:

Woohoo!

Cork plant markers

For these handy little herb markers you all need is:

Some unidentified herbs

Corks

Kebab sticks or other skewery instrument

Permanent pen

 

Glittered Converse

I love Converse trainers. I live in them. But my old black pair are getting a little tired, so I decided to give them a new lease of life by attacking them with some slightly watered-down PVA glue, and glitter...

...after removing the laces and covering the rubber sole and toe-cap with sellotape...

When the first layer of glitter and glue was thoroughly dry I did a second layer...

...and when that was dry, I did one final coat of PVA and water mix and left them to dry with the following result...

Jazzy!

Upcycled Ottoman

About a year ago, neighbours of ours over the road were getting rid of the table and mirror below:

I played it fairly safe with the rejuvination of the table, and just went for a neutral white paint look (for the full details click here):

However, as Jim fully knows, and I am beginning to accept a) I am messy and clumsy and nothing in the flat stays plain white for long, and b) I am a crafting project addict and nothing in the flat stays plain white for long!

In the meantime I also became addicted to Pinterest and saw several inspiring pins about how simple and easy it can be to transform a dull, basic coffee table into a lovely, comfortable and interesting ottoman.

I began by measuring the table for the amount of foam I would need to sit neatly on top:

I found a great seller on ebay who provides different thicknesses of foam in the exact dimensions you require. I went for three inches thick, and used a spray mount glue to fix it to the table top:



I then took a trip to the lovely Fabrics Galore on Wandsworth Road and got myself some cheapety-cheap wadding. I went for at least double the area than of the foam so that it would comfortably wrap around the edges and underneath the table:

Using a nifty staple gun (how I lived without one before now I'll never know) I pulled the wadding gently around the foam and stapled it to the underside of the table:

Next came the material. I picked this grey and white striped number up quite cheaply at an antiques stall in East Dulwich thinking I would use it for some cushion covers. But, to be frank, we already have too many cushions, and it was the perfect size for the ottoman - it found its calling! Pulling the material taught, but not too tightly so that the foam and wadding were squashed down, I evenly worked my way from the centre of each side, stapling the material to the underside of the table:

When it came to the corners I found it easier to neatly pin the fabric in place first making sure the folds were crisp, before stapling.

The final detail were some buttons I found on ebay that allow you to cover them in any fabric...

...which I sewed evenly onto the top of the ottoman, using a long needle so that they attached onto the foam to give it a dimpled effect:

Et voila! A super-easy ottoman from a sad, abandoned table!