DIY: Bulletin Board 2.0

Okay. Bulletin boards. Functional? Yes. Pretty? Not-so-much. In the never-ending saga to improve the home gym, it is clear a bulletin board is a much needed accessory. I like ripping new exercises, tips, bits and bobs out of magazines and keeping them for reference. (I get bored easily). But the thought of throwing an ugly grade-school bulletin board up on the wall, makes me wanna cringe. And cover up that pretty paint colour (which isn’t there yet) ?? No way!

What if the bulletin board could be like it’s own piece of artwork? That, I can handle!

I found this board at Wal-Mart for about $12. I ripped it out of the frame, and mounted it onto a fibre board so I could wrap and staple fabric onto it.

I added some construction glue, and clamped the bulletin board and fibre board together…

After cutting some fabric to size, I placed the board, bulletin board side down, onto the fabric and stapled it on in the back.

Atop of some plywood cut to the finished size, I used some plastic edging from the hardware store, to mark out where the bulletin board will sit within the planned mosaic. That way, it keeps the edges sharp and the fabric on the bulletin board clean and safe from the work to come…

Staples are used to hold the edging in place.

I had spare tile left over from our fireplace project, and busted it into various sized pieces using a hammer. (Don’t forget your gloves and goggles! Breaking tile can be dangerous work — be careful!)

Next, using a toothed trowel, I applied the tile adhesive, and began laying out my tile.

Here it is with all the tiles in place:

With all the tile in place, it’s time to grout!

Once the grout is levelled and dried, I place the fabric bulletin board into position, and screwed it on from the underside with my trusty drill.

I hot-glue gunned some ribbon along the outside edge to hide the plywood. And, there you have it! Once the home gym is ready… I’ll add some hanging hardware to the back and add it to it’s new home!

What do you think??

DIY: Purse Organizer!

If you’re like me, maybe you have a purse or two of the slouchy variety? You know, that bag that seemed so casual, and fun in the store — and then you get it home, start using it, and realize that it is a deep dark abyss of a pit, that seems to enjoy consuming keys and cell phones?

Do you ever hear your phone ringing while you’re out and about, and say to yourself, “Ah, what’s the point, I’ll never find it in time anyway.” … Me too. I think this little DIY experiment might be made for you…

So here are the contents of my bag regularly tossed around, and difficult to locate:

A cereal box will come to the rescue as the support for my new organizer. The short side of the box will be the base of the organizer, and the front and back of the box will fold upwards to create the sides of the organizer, and will hold the pockets. I’ve cut the box to size, and planned how the contents might fit here.

Next, 2 equal square pieces of fabric are needed for the interior and exterior of the organizer.

I’ve determined the height for the pockets from averaging out the size needed to contain the most common items I carry around in my bag daily. I’ve chosen to make my pockets from the same fabric as above, but you might want to use a complimentary fabric instead. I first cut strips of the fabric in my desired height, and then hemmed the top and bottom.

I then took the strips of fabric for the pockets and sized the pockets by actually wrapping the fabric around the item, and pinning it in place. These pockets are pinned atop the first square fabric piece I cut earlier.

Here are the first row of pockets sewn. Next, repeat the steps above on the second side of the organizer.

Now for that second square piece we prepared earlier. Take that piece of fabric, and join it right-side to right-side with the piece that has the pockets attached. Sew 3 of the 4 sides closed, as shown here:

Next turn the organizer right-side-out, and through the one open side, insert the cereal box cardboard, and sew closed.

Done! Time to load up with all your much needed, and not-so-needed stuff! The interior side will keep a wide open space, in my case, for my wallet…

And, the exterior edges of the organizer contains the oh-so-needed pockets!!

And, inside the purse?? Organization at its best!! Just look at everything in its place. Love. It.

I think this project could be easily modified to hang off the arm of your couch for your remote-controls, or perhaps slid between your mattress and box spring for magazines, books, lip balm or anything else that’s getting in your way.

The best part is, this project cost next to nothing to complete, as the fabric was scraps of fabric I already had, and the cereal was long gone, and the box needed recycling anyway. Give yourself an afternoon to get your own purse, bag, briefcase, or tote in order! You won’t be disappointed!

Have your own go-to organizational tools? Share with the rest of the class in the comments, or on our facebook page!

For those of you who like my choice of fabric, it is Heather Bailey’s Nicey Jane in Blue. Look for it on Quilt Home!

Pot(ted) Calla Lillies

Time for a little recycling, or some may call this project, upcycling. We’re all trying to do a little more for the environment, I think anytime we can keep something from ending up in a landfill, we’re on the right track. You may remember this cutie from a garage sale shopping trip, last month. Well, now for it’s next life… as a planter.

It was found lonely, on a table, with a sticker marked $1 stuck on it’s lid. I knew it still had life, and, like many items under a dollar at garage sales, was likely to end up in the trash bin at the end of the day. Here it is as found:

Cute right? A little damage to the inside was keeping it from reliving it’s original glory… enter, the Calla Lilly. By-the-way, it’s a great time for deals at your local garden centre. I picked this large pot up at Home Depot for under $10.

I added a little gravel to the pot for drainage…

Plant the lilly in fresh soil…

And, topped with a little cedar mulch, for a little more interest (free from our front garden ;))

There you have it. A super cute potted plant, at next to no cost to me. We all know it’s easy to fall in love with new pots at your garden centre, costing us at least $20… This was $10, all in, for this arrangement, and no waste for the landfill.

Keep in mind, a lot of garden centres will take back your plastic plant pots from your original purchase for recycling and reuse. It’s worth asking at your local garden centre for some guilt free planting, all season long!

Happy planting, and repurposing everyone!

Before and After: Rain Barrel

There has been a lot of rain in our neck of the woods this summer. It’s wonderful for keeping everything nice and green, and the air fresh. We’ve taken the opportunity of harnessing some of that fresh water with a couple of rain barrels. A free resource, rain barrel water is wonderful for the environment, and your summer water bill too!

This project was aaaaaalll Steven (the hubby). But don’t think this job is all utilitarian… Steven let his creative side shine with this project, and you can too! He was kind enough to snap photos of all his steps along the way… maybe you’ll find a little inspiration to get your own rain barrel going at home!

First step, find a Barrel! We got our hands on an empty barrel, previously used for bulk, non-toxic, RV anti-freeze.

Next, map out your cuts to contain your eavestrough, drain and spout. Steven wrapped the drain and spout with a plumber’s tape which acts like a silicon seal, when screwed into position.

Here is the drain in place. Steven positioned the drain on the bottom, back-side of the barrel, out of sight.

Next, prepare the spot for your rain barrel. We had to remove a little grass to level the ground, and then Steven built a platform with spare lumber for the barrel to sit on.

Now for the fun part. Steven wanted a two-tone design, so he began by sanding, and then painting the first colour on the barrel with a paint designed for plastic.

Let the paint dry throughly, and then map out your design. Be creative! Anything is possible at this stage. Steven used green painter’s tape to customize his design.

And then refined his design with a exacto-knife…

Now, to add the second paint colour over top of the stencil.

Peel off the stencil…

Position the barrel on the stand, insert the eavestrough, and take a moment to step back and enjoy your hard work!

Pretty cute right?

Do you have a project you’re proud of? Email some (under 500kb each) images here!