Crafting Fun – Renewal and Refuge

I really wanted to share my latest “Make It” project, especially since it was actually a shared project.

My sweet daughter and my son-in-law moved into their home last year. Since then, they have been working to do little things that would make it more of their own.

One of their first purchases was a cute little table for their dining room. They also received a set of upholstered benches to use with it. They are using a lot of blues in their new home and, while shopping recently, daughter and I found the perfect blue cloth to reupholster the benches!

Last week we finally had time to get together and do the project.

Here is a side view and top view of one of the benches before:

The hardest part of the whole thing was getting the staples out that were holding the fabric to the wooden seat. They were a bit rusty and they were the same color as the brown tones in the fabric, so it was rather difficult to see them.

Here is a side view and top view of one of the benches after our transformation:

The corners were not perfect, but the benches sure were more comfortable and they looked SO MUCH better!

The best part of the project was actually sharing it with my daughter. She has definitely inherited my love of re-doing things! I was also a bit surprised to see how handy she was with power tools. She did not hesitate to reach for her hubby’s electric drill to screw and unscrew the bench tops from the supporting legs. I always just use the plain old screwdriver!

While watching her work I managed to snap this photo.

FAEEFAC0-66B6-417B-8976-5B0F7589CF44

While working on this part of the project she said, “Papaw would be proud of me, using these power tools.” Yes, he would my dear! I am proud of you too. You are becoming a handy young woman who is not afraid to tackle new projects to put her own special touch on her home! I cannot wait to see what project she comes up with next for us to make together!

Crafting Fun

A New Hutch- ALMOST…

November 25, 2019 renewalandrefugewithstella

For this week’s Make It Monday, I share with you something that I did NOT totally “make”. Instead I “remade” it.

I had been wanting an open hutch type storage piece to put in our new living room to hold family photos. I searched stores, peddler malls, and Restores. Then I spotted one on Facebook Marketplace. For only $100 I got this two piece maple hutch.

04FEBA9F-E3F0-4FEE-B4D9-BE26FBE899D5

The first thing I did was remove the doors on top, as well as the center panel. I wanted to leave the shelves on top as open as possible in order to display several photos. While I was at it, I went ahead and removed the handles on the bottom doors, as well as the drawers.

The toughest part for me was deciding which parts to paint and which to leave as stained wood. I really wanted it to fit in with the furniture we had already purchased for the living room, so I decided to paint the majority of the cabinet with a white chalk paint.

I had seen some ads on Facebook for Heirloom Traditions Paint, a company in Louisville, Kentucky and decided that I would give their products a try.

The first thing I used was their all in one deglosser/degreaser. It is the perfect first step to clean the surface and get it ready to accept the chalk paint.

The second step was to use their all in one chalk style paint. I used the white cashmere color.

D496DA65-7E59-4B38-B080-E1BCBB59C7C0

Here is the hutch after a couple of thin coats. (Notice that I was not too careful about the back of the hutch. That is because of my next step.)

I wanted something to add a bit of color and to tie the cabinet in with the turquoise color of our adjoining dining space, so I took a trip to JoAnn’s Fabric and found this perfect fabric. It even has the letter B in the design if you look carefully!

19944731-2218-42FE-9BBC-CE82A4DD493C

I used Mod Podge to attach the fabric to the inside back of the hutch and then added a coat of Mod Podge to seal it down.

A trip to Hobby Lobby for hardware and my hutch was all ready to be dressed out with photos and memorabilia.

33DFF881-984F-4FE1-94E1-D4EB4395D1F0

Not too bad for my first big redo- huh? I am very proud of the results and I am sure it will grace our home for many years to come. It has also inspired me to “make” or “remake” some other pieces in the future!

I have to give a couple of “thank yous” to a couple of people.

First of all a HUGE thank you to Heirloom Traditions for providing the products that made this turn out so well. Also, a BIG thank you to Tara Chadwell Roberts who inspired me to give this project a try. I have been looking at her great restoration work on Facebook for a while now and just waiting to give it a try on my own. If you live in the area and you need some great Farmhouse type furniture look her up on Facebook at Tara’s Salvaged Bliss.

Crafting Fun, Faith

Crafting a Purpose

December 8, 2018 renewalandrefugewithstella

I have been taking part in the 100 Days of Grace and Gratitude since November 1 and it has been a true blessing! Here is today’s entry:

It focused on the fact that God has a purpose for each one of us. Over the years I have come to realize that part of my purpose is to use my crafting skills to bless others. I crochet, quilt, stitch, and paint items for those who request them. When they ask my price and I tell them, they are often surprised. My husband and family tell me that I underprice things, but I feel that as long as I am making a small profit, that is enough.

My biggest craft item in recent years has probably been the memory bear. Several years ago someone posted on Facebook asking if anyone knew where they could get a bear made from clothing from a loved one. At that point I had never made one, but I had sewn a lot of other things. I decided that I would give it a try.

As I cut into that first shirt I said a prayer that I would serve the memory of the owner and represent their love to the loved ones left behind.

Bear 1

Since then I have made many bears. Each one is a blessing. If there is a stain, a ruffle, a special piece of lace or embroidery, I try to keep it and use it as a part of the finished bear because it is part of the special memories for the family.

What many people don’t realize is that the bears as also a blessing for me. When I deliver a bear to the owner and I see the look of love on their face, it touches my heart. I am so thankful that God blessed me with this talent and helped me to realize that I could do this as a blessing for others.

I truly believe that this is part of God’s purpose for me!

Crafting Fun

DIY Barbie House

September 27, 2018 renewalandrefugewithstella

Recently I was given the opportunity to try my hand at building my own Barbie house. I had seen several posts on Pinterest of Barbie houses that were created using a bookshelf as the base. I knew that I had to give it a try!

Here are the results:

0545FA11-66C0-41DC-A4F7-0878BF85323E

This is the full house. It was created using a 6 cube shelf I purchased at Walmart for around $25 and a three shelf unit that my daughter had left behind in her recent move. All of the “floors” and “wallpaper” are just sheets from my extensive scrapbook paper stash. The photos on the wall were cut from magazines and framed using cardboard frames, also from my scrapbook stash.

The hardest thing to locate was furniture. I wanted to get it as economically as possible. Some of the sets came from Walmart for only $8.88, some came from Peddler Malls in the area, and some were purchased from EBay.

I purchased a bed but discovered that it was too long to fit in the bedroom so I ended up creating my own. The bed is actually a box of envelopes and two pieces of foam core board. I sewed a small “mattress”, quilt, and pillow to complete the ensemble. I also built the picnic table on top using popsicle sticks. Many of the rugs were just small crochet pieces I made.

Below are some better close up shots so you can see each room.