Back Together Again

This chair has been sitting in my garage so long I can't  remember putting it there. When cleaning and clearing out the garage, I had to make tough decisions about what was staying and what was being donated and/or sold. Having made the cut,  I was also adamant about not allowing it to sit around any longer.

As I began deconstructing it, little did I know how bad it was going to be. Layers and layers of fabrics and webbing  and a ridiculous amount of staples and tacks.I spent  hours removing them, and, as usual, some  blood was drawn along the way.

Originally, it was professionally upholstered; however, somewhere down the line a novice attempted to recover it.

Nails were used to reinforce the joints. This is the worst infraction anyone can do to furniture. It's counterintuitive and weakens the joint instead.. DIY upholsterers, repeat after me,   "no more nails in dowel joints", Some of them were very reluctant to come out. 

The only way to fix a weakened joint is to take it apart, remove the old glue and glue it back together again. 

As I reassembled the chair, I kept thinking of Humpty Dumpty. "all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. I think they should have called me because I have a thing for putting things back together. I enjoy the challenge. It's restorative and reinforces my resolve that anything can be fixed and restored  maybe not in the exact same way, but in a "new normal" kind or way. Excuse me for getting a little more deep in thought, but that's how DIY works for me. It allows me to challenge, reach and persevere just as I do in the everyday.

I had clamps on the seat joints. I removed them  before I took this pic.  Down below, I had to improvise because one, I didn't have enough large clamps and two, clamps are bulky so you can't always clamp front to back and side to side simultaneously.

Now that this chair is back together again, it's time to spring forward (pun intended) and attempt to reinstate these springs. The last and only time I tied springs, I was taking an upholstery class and partially tore a ligament in my thumb. After that I went straight into retirement:) Upholstery is hard on the hands!

I sure hope I remember how to do the eight way hand tied process. Successful or not, I will let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

Handmade Journal Love

I made this special journal for a very special girl, my niece Jaden. 

The cover is a gessoed canvas, made from recycled cereal boxes and cardboard mailing envelopes. Although I used rubber stamps to embellish it, I hope she will redesign it and make it into whatever she wants it to be.  

Inside, is filled with all different paper types and sizes

and embellishments too!

I think I love the tab details the most. It gives it that extra little pizazz.

Positive messages, a must!

and prompts to stimulate thought. 

Most importantly, this journal is a place where she can write down her thoughts, get lost in her imagination, forgo perfection, color outside the lines and express who she is.

"Let your heart come out and play" as you "dwell in possibility" dear Jaden.


How about you? When, where and/or how do you come out and play?

DIY for B2B

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat stressful At the last minute I was given the task of putting together a company table for a B2B event.

I had 10 days to scramble around and design a brochure, find and a company to rush order personalized pens and USB flash drives, order a tablecloth, and table overlay (with logo). 

Doesn't sound or look like much, but there were a lot of details that factored into everything including delivery time, file formats, assembly time etc. The last delivery arrived the night before.

As for the overlay, I couldn't find one that could be ordered and arrive in time, so I went to Joann's Fabric, found suitable fabric and made one myself. I found  a local embroidery/screen printing shop to screen print our logo on it. I lost some days sending the wrong file formats. I finally enlisted my son to use Adobe Illustrator to trace the files I had to create the vector files needed. What an ordeal! The logo placement was a little off (my mistake) but I made it work. I will alter it for future events. I liked how it turned out, because it was different from the kind you normally see. All in all, I was happy with the look. I thought the candy dish was going to be a unique touch, but many had the same idea. 

Now that I know what goes into this kind of event, I will be better prepared for the next time. I learned a lot. Live and learn, right? So glad it was on Friday. Afterward, I went home and literally crashed. I think it will take most of the weekend to recover and restore order to my home, in slow mode of course. No marathon cleaning sessions for me this weekend. 

Opening a Drawer to Thankfulness

Nothing gives me more pleasure than making with whatever you find lying around. And so an orphaned drawer turned Thanksgiving centerpiece remains on the table because like many simple things, it makes me smile.

I was planning to construct a box from leftover pieces of wood, however,  in my search for suitable pieces of wood, I found  this drawer and thought, why not?

Found some old hardware and wooden knobs and well. 

Removed the drawer front and decided on the round pull. Cleaned it up just enough to retain it's old world charm.

Reinforced the bottom and added the knobs for feet.

Made some chalkboard paint using some leftover unsanded grout and flat paint.

So simple and quick. Using what you have makes for the best kind of crafting.

Yep,  our official day of giving thanks is over, however, this drawer will remain open as a reminder to bask in thankfulness all year long.

Tiny Living

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I am in love with tiny homes. How about you? Although not for everyone, I finally realized why I am in awe of them; they require you to live consciously and with intention. 

The limited space forces you to make hard decisions about all of your possessions, choosing the ones that matter most. Each choice has to be necessary and everything has to have a purpose. 

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I am drawn to tiny house living because it reminder to rid my home of the needless stuff that is not serving a real purpose so that I live life with only the possessions that reflect my intentions as well.

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I’m thrilled that HGTV has tiny house programming. Multi-function design ideas are necessary for the small space footprint, DIY construction, solar panel technology and mortgage free lifestyle is so engaging.  

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I know it looks cozy and wonderful on the big screen. In reality, it will most likely remain a fantasy I will forever entertain in my head. Just the same, tiny house living is a great source of ideas for anyone that lives in a space challenged home where square footage is almost as precious.

How do you feel about the tiny house living? Fad or here to stay? 

A Tangled Mess Take Away

Oh this tangled mess required a lot of time and energy to straighten out. Im guessing  20+ hours over several days to get the connections right.

These wires belong to our stove hood.

Who knew this stove hood contained a mother board that shorted out after 5 years of extremely light use?  Who knew that the parts would be unavailable in the U.S. and had to be shipped from Canada? Who knew that the motherboard replacement that arrived sans instructions would not be larger causing a whole lot of additional aggravation? 

Can you tell where I am going with this? It was a disaster in the making. The black capacitor box you see dangling in the first picture could no longer fit in next to the motherboard.

This started out to as a family affair but frustration set in and my husband and son had enough at about hour 6 or 7. 

In desperation, I called the company and was assured it was safe to leave the capacitor outside the black housing box. Capacitor aside, I was still at a loss as to how all those wires were supposed to fit in that little box on top of the motherboard especially because I wasn’t there when it was taken apart.

 

The wires had been connected and reconnected so many times that a couple of the wire connectors detached from the wires and two of connections fell off the mother board as well. So off to Radio Shack I went for replacement connectors, soldering iron and solder. Yes, I soldered the connectors back onto the motherboard.

Honestly, I wanted to give up so many times, but I refused. After a number of emails and phone calls to the company, finally,  I was able to get it all back together. I have to say I was proud of myself for not giving up and jumping for joy when I finished. However, this is one DIY episode I hope never to star in it again.The family and I celebrated with takeout because the last place I wanted to be was near that stove hood. I needed my space, at least for one night. LOL

So what is my take away from all of this?  Even when we don’t know how to proceed or can’t see a way out, sometimes just walking away helps tremendously.  I walked away several times. I covered the hood opening with tinfoil as this repair was spread over a three week period. 

         

This tangled mess was a reminder that perseverance prevails!

Have you had a problem, DIY or otherwise, you thought you would never solve?

  

Where Do You Find Joy?

Where do you find joy?

It's really easy to find joy in the big and the wow parts of life, don't you think?
But can you find joy in the insignificant? Inside your head? In the everyday?

I find joy in the unfinished - an unfinished written piece, book or project (a reminder of my life's journey evolving.

I find joy in the hope that possibility brings. "Dwell in possibility"..... Emily Dickerson is a usual forethought.
I find joy in the different - design aesthetics, points of view, self-expression, etc.

I find joy lost in the doing, especially creating.

I find joy out on location - a bookstore, craft fair, nature, anyplace that sparks the creativity within.

I find joy in a suggestion, conversation or human connection.

More important, I find joy in being still and quiet, lost inside my thoughts. I find joy listening to my inner cheerleader voice rooting me on - an internal pep talk so to speak - "YES YOU CAN! KEEP GOING, YOU CAN DO IT!" - the antithesis of the negative voices that used to consume me, robbing me of my best self.

On a good day, and sometimes on a not so good day, I can even find tiny bits of joy in the midst of the plain, ordinary moments that have little or no wow factor. That's joy at it's best and when I am most thankful and happy.

How about you? Where do you find joy?