From Granny Classic to Modern Graphic: Ottoman UpDo 2

Upholster Something I Just Bought? Say What Now?

So a few days back I posted Ken's Bachelor's Pad which showed those awesome ottomans covered in a modern graphic fabric. Well here is a little secret, they looked nothing like that when I purchased them. You heard me right, purchased them!!

They actually looked like this! YIKES...OUCH...Can you say Grandmaaaaaa!!!!!! And I'm talking Grandma from back in the day folks (when furniture was covered in plastic and you couldn't sit on it because it was in the fancy living room that no one was allowed to go in), not like the little hot grandmas of today! =))

Now typically I don't mind DIY projects if it's something old or something that needs a little TLC, but to modify something completely brand new... GASP!!!! I have never been a - buy new and then do some work to it type of girl.

Side Note...nothing drives my husband more crazy than DIY projects and DIY projects of items I just bought from the store - that's just something he can't fathom, and ummm...I can't either sometimes.

But he knows by now when I'm determined, I'm determined. He also knows that the end result is going to be great (or at least that's what he tells me). So he takes a back seat to my madness and waits for the finale. =)) Love you hun if you are reading this.

With these ottomans I thought, how awesome would they be had they been done like this (use imagination). So this time, I stepped outside of my rationale self, thought nothing of the head shaking I knew I would receive from my husband (even though I was spending Ken's money and not ours), and I went with my gut...which never fails me folks, NEVER!

I purchased these babies at a big box store for a few reasons: 1. The scale, shape, and style were all perfect for this space. 2. They were built pretty solid. 3. I knew with a little imagination they would be beyond awesome.

Recovering the Ottomans To liven up these soon to be beauties, I removed the tufted buttons and the granny fabric.

Because Ken's space was grays and golds, I knew I wanted to warm the space up a little with some natural tones. I had a side table I scored for $5 years ago (that I knew would work in somebody's space one day) that was a nice walnut color and I wanted to bring that warmth to these ottomans, especially since they would reside in the center of the space. As you can see the legs were painted a pale, blond color originally. So I sanded them to remove the top coat of sheen and pulled out my paint brush. I painted the legs with a nutty brown color. Believe it or not, I did not prime the legs at all. The pale, blond color worked in my favor helping me achieve the look I was after. The original color created the highlights you see below. The result was nothing short of magnificent (at least in my opinion =)). The legs look like they have really been stained!! YESSSS!!!!!

Next I had to fill the holes made by the tufting since the tops would be completely flat. I had some foam left over from a previous project, so I cut little pieces from it and stuck them in the ottoman holes. I then wrapped the whole ottoman in batting to smooth out the tops and add a little extra cushion. Sorry I don't have a pic of this step. I was too excited and eager about wrapping them in the fabric. Lastly, I wrapped them in a citrusy, modern graphic fabric centering the print on both ottomans. I made sure the edges were as smooth as I could them and then worked my way around the bottom of the cushion stapling the fabric in place.Now check these babies out!! My husband could not believe how great they turned out. He is now a believer of As for my lucky apartment dweller Ken, he saw a picture of the ottomans when I purchased them, but I kept the fabric and the final look of the ottomans top secret until installation day. I wanted to surprise him. He could not believe they were the same ottomans.

Pay no attention to the shreds folks!! =))

Just goes to show you that with a little imagination and elbow grease, you really can make new even better. Now get out there and find you some almost awesome ottomans and get busy turning them into something magnificent.

Making Home, Home!

Kathleen

DIY: Spruce Up Your Cardboard Letters

Previously I posted Project: Children's Playroom which showcased a DIY project using paper mache' (cardboard) letters. Some of you may have already seen the DIY letters around the blogs or on Pinterest. But just in case you haven't and you are interested in creating these for one of your spaces, below is my take on how to turn these basic little letters into something special and it is super easy to do!

For this project you will need:

1. Letters (obviously =)) 2. Some crochet yarn (of your choice) 3. Hot glue gun 4. And a couple of hours (as easy as it is, wrapping these big ol' letters takes time)

Of course I headed to JoAnn Fabrics with my 50% coupons in tow to pick up my letters and yarn. And an FYI, JoAnn's will take multiple coupons in one exchange and they accept competitors coupons also. Saving some dollars! Isn't that just awesome?!! Another great thing is that JoAnn's carries these letters in different sizes. I have not found this at any other crafting store.

So to begin, I opted for the largest size letters because of the high ceiling height in the space. These letters are 23.5" tall, so they vertically fill up wall space nicely.

Next, I began to wrap the letters from the top down to the corner, color blocking my yarn. I started with the purple yarn. Because of the shape of the N and because I was color blocking, I had to overlap the purple yarn. I found the inner curves and the corners to be the trickiest because I had to keep everything nice and tight. The curves on this N were challenging because it met with an inner corner. I had to almost squeeze the two sides of yarn into the same tight little area.

I'm not sure how I would do this differently if I had to do it again, especially if working with another N or an M (or a letter similar in shape). If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

When wrapping the yarn around the letters I did not hot glue each yarn wrap. I placed a bead of hot glue at the beginning of each color block of yarn and at the end of the color block. I made certain to firmly pull the yarn around the letter and adjust each yarn wrap to tightly sit under the previous wrap.

In the case of the J - since the it was rounded on the end and not square like the N, closing the yarn wrap required me to loop it around like a swirl. Sorry the pic isn't as clear as the others. Not sure what happened here! =/ Hopefully you all can see exactly what I'm talking about!

That's about it! A super easy DIY project for you to try! The finished letters!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome weekend!

Making Home, Home! Kathleen

DIY: Ottoman UpDo

A few days back I revealed my latest design, Project: Children's Playroom, that had the little storage ottomans shown above. What you may not know, is that when I purchased those little babies they were not made with storage at all. When I first saw them, I knew they were the perfect size and shape for the playroom, but they needed to be overhauled just a bit.They had a pretty solid body, but when I flipped them over I noticed they were hollow on the inside. I thought...hmmm, what a waste. So Instantly my mind ran with the idea to not only reupholster them, but to knock off the legs, turn them over, make new tops and wala...new storage ottomans. So...that's just what I did!

Before Ottomans

Tools you will possibly need to do something like this yourself.

I began by knocking off the little peg legs and removing the existing fabric. The fabric was attached by nailheads all around the bottom of the ottomans (such a waste of nailheads, but I knew I could use them for another project). After removing a gajillion nailheads, the fabric (for the most part) easily pulled off leaving what you see below - a super thin layer of batting and a fabric covered top.

So what is batting? Thanks for asking...Basically batting is a thin layer of cotton, polyester, or wool that goes between layers of fabric. It can come in different thicknesses and is usually sold by the yard. Most fabric stores or shops that specialize in upholstery products carry batting you can purchase.

Next, I cut off the aztec fabric to expose the perfectly shaped foam you see below glued to the top. I used a butter knife - a great household tool =)) - to score around the edges to loosen up the foam topper for removal.

I then used the foam topper to trace out the exact size the new wooden tops needed to be. I knew that the little kiddies and their friends would be pouncing on these tops so I selected two small squares of a pretty sturdy wood (ohhh....I can't remember) to cut from. After tracing the shape onto the wood, I used my handy jigsaw to cut the wood into rounds. I then glued the foam toppers onto the new wooden tops and wrapped batting around them (sorry, I forgot to take a pic).

 After adding the batting to the tops and sides of the ottomans, I stapled a canvas dropcloth to the tops to create a super smooth surface for my fabric. You would be amazed with what you can do with regular old painting dropcloths from the hardware store.

Notice also that the batting here is much thicker than what was originally on the ottoman. I selected a thicker batting because little kiddies would be running around and I wanted it to be a little more plush and soft just in case one of them bumped their little noggins against it while playing ultimate warrior or something. =)) You'd be surprised!!

Lastly, I wrapped the toppers and the sides with my fabric. I stapled the heck out of it to make sure that all fabric was secure enough to stand up to the wear and tear of little kids and then glued the little peg legs back onto the bottom with gorilla glue. That glue holds up like a champ!

So there you have it folks!! This is something that you can easily do yourself! It doesn't have to be perfect, just perfect enough for you!! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to drop me a line in the comments section below!! Until next time, happy decorating!!

Making Home,

Kathleen

The Beginning...

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to HOME by Kaydehim created by me...Kathleen Mapson!

I am new to the blogging world, but in the never ending land of blogs I am ready to niche out my little corner of blogger heaven. Because I love interior design and can never really stop talking about it - I can really go on, and on, and on *shrugs shoulders* - I decided to use this platform for a few reasons...

1. To chronicle my thoughts about design and art (Art, my first love!) 2. To organize and share my own design projects 3. To demonstrate how to create and save money through easy-to-do DIY projects (you too can do it!) 4. To display the beautiful works of others that I am constantly (and a little obsessively) inspired by 5. To be inspired by you (the readers), your creations, and your thoughts, questions, and comments

(SN) - I love lists, so you will probably see a lot of these in my posts. =) It just makes life a little bit easier especially since I can ramble on about design!! =)) 

I believe that your house should be a direct reflection of you (your family) and the life that you live...AND...it doesn't or shouldn't have to cost a fortune! *such a myth, but if you have a fortune I'm all for that too!* So my goal is to bring you great design solutions that will be inspiring, simple to complete (I hope), and just plain ol' awesome! With every picture and every post, I would love for you to be a part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts or posting links to your ideas or that of others. We are all in this together right? =)

So I leave you with this (which is the reason for everything I will ever post)...It is my hope that you will feel encouraged enough to create a space that is a beautiful reflection of you - all while keeping it fresh and functional.