Beautiful Spring Inspired Mantle by 33 Shades of Green

.
As always, thank you Cassity for having back to guest post again! You will find me at my blog, 33 Shades of Green, designing, crafting, cooking, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.
.
Spring is almost here and my mantel was in need of a new look.  I decided on yellow and green as a theme (because what's more Spring than that?!) and went form there.

Please Read More >>

Read more...

Subway Art Tutorial! 33 Shades of Green

.

Thank you Cassity for having me over to guest post today.  You will find me at my blog, 33 Shades of Green, crafting, cooking, decorating, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.

.

I made this sign as a Christmas gift for my sister who lives in Chicago.  The inspiration for this project comes from a tutorial posted on Lil Blue Boo.

Please Read More >>

Read more...

Full Operational Roman Shade Tutorial by 33 Shades of Green

.
A big thanks to Cassity for having me over again to guest post.  You will find me at my blog, 33 Shades of Green, crafting, cooking, decorating, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.

.

Today I am sharing with you how I sewed a Roman Shade for my laundry room.  I've lived in my house for 5 years now and never had a blind in the laundry room - I thought it was about time I got busy and sewed one up.  I procrastinated for A LONG time because I thought it was going to be a hard project.  It really wasn't - I wish I hadn't waited so long!

.

.

Supplies:

.

- fabric (I used an upholstery weight)

- drapery lining (there will be several to choose from - light all the way to blackout; if your shade is going in a bedroom, you will most likely want to use blackout lining)

- 5/16" d. wood dowels (number will depend on the height of your shade; I use four)

- wood board for bottom of shade (1" w x 1/8" thick)

- header board for mounting your shade (1-1/2" x 1/2" or something similar)

- nylon cord (length of cording you need will be somewhere around 5 times the length of your shade)

- eye screws
- small plastic rings (you will find these in the drapery section of the craft or sewing store)

- angle brackets for mounting
- cord cleat
- staple gun and other misc. tools

.
1.  Determine what size to cut your fabric.  Measure your window and add 4" to the width and 8-1/2" to the length.  Cut fabric and lining to the same size.  For example, I wanted my blind to be mounted on the outside of my window and wanted it to cover the wood trim.  I also wanted it mounted 6" above the window to add a little height.  That dimension was 46" h. x 33" w.  So, I needed to cut my fabric 54-1/2" h. x 37" w.
.
2.  Use an iron and press a 2" hem on the sides and bottom edge of your fabric.
.

.
3.  Make mitered corners.  Unfold the hems you just ironed.  Fold up each corner and iron.  See photo below.
.

.
Refold hems.
.

.
4.  Now repeat hems on your lining except make hems 2-1/2" on each side.
.
5.  Lay out fabric, right side down.  Place liner on fabric, right side up, and pin together.  Place lining 2" above bottom edge of fabric.  Sew lining and fabric together.  You only need to sew along the two side and bottom edges.  You do not need to sew at the top edge.
.

.

.
6.  Now you need to determine how many dowels you need and how far apart you want them.  Dowels should be 8 - 12" apart.  According to directions I followed from marthastewart.com, the position of the bottom dowel can be determined by dividing the distance of the dowel intervals by 2, and then add 1.  For example, if your dowels are placed 12" apart, the bottom pocket should be 7" from the bottom.  The top dowel should be at least 10" from the top.  The total length of my shade is 46" and I space the dowels 9" apart.  Once you determine location for the dowels, mark with a pencil.
.

.

7.  Now it's time to sew pockets for the dowels.  For each dowel you have, cut a strip of fabric 3" w. x the width of your lining.  Iron in half and then on the side opposite to the fold, fold down 1/2" and iron.  Sorry if that is confusing - see the pictures below!

.

.

.
8.  Lay the dowel pockets on the liner at each spot you made a pencil mark and pin.  Place the strips with the 1/2" folded side toward the bottom of the shade.
.

.
9.  Sew along the bottom edge of each dowel pocket.
.
The sewing is finished!
.
10.  Cut dowels and bottom board to size.  Insert each dowel into pocket and place bottom board at the bottom of the shade.  See photo below.
.

.
11.  Sew on plastic rings.  At each dowel sew, by hand, three plastic rings.  One in the center and one about two inches in from each end.  When you finish, you will have 3  vertical columns of rings.
.

.
12.  Divide your cord by three parts and cut.  Tie one end of a cord to the lowest ring and thread up through the vertical line of rings to the top of the shade.  Repeat with the other two ring columns and cord.
.

.
13.  Cut the header board to size (about 1/2" shorter than the finished width of your shade).  Wrap the header board with leftover fabric or lining fabric and attach with staple gun.  Now you need to determine the location of screw eyes on the header board.  Lay the board next to your shade and make a mark at each of the three ring locations.  Insert eye screw at each mark.
.

.
14.  Attach angle brackets to header board and then mount header board to wall.
.

.
15.  Hold your blind up to header board to check the length.  You may need to trim the top edge a little.  Leave enough so that you can fold over about 1/2 inch, like this:
.

.
16.  Use a staple gun to attach the shade to the top of the header board.
.

.
17.  Thread the cords through the eyes on the header board.  The first cord will need to go through all three eyes.  The second cord through two, and the last one only through one.
.
The underside of the shade looks like this:
.

.
18.  Attach a cord cleat on window frame so that you have something to wrap the cords around.  If you want, you can also buy a cord connector with will join all three cords together.
. 

.
Your shade is finished!
.

Here are a few photos of my finished shade
.

.
Here it is shut:
.

.
And open:
.

.

.

.
* The fabric I used can be found right here.
.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - hopefully it was helpful!  If you have any questions, come visit me at 33 Shades of Green.
.

Read more...

No Sew Way to Recover an Ottoman!

.

A big thank you to Cassity for having me over again today.  You can find me at my blog, 33 Shades of Green, trying out all sorts of creative projects.

.

I recently recovered an ottoman with new fabric with a completely no-sew method!  It was so simple and easy and I love how it turned out.  The key to this project if finding an ottoman with separate legs.  The one I bought is no longer available but here is a similar ottoman I found at online at Target.

.

Supplies Needed:

- ottoman

- upholstery fabric

- staple gun & staples

- button covering kit

- upholstery needle

- tape measure

- upholstery thread

- buttons

- water soluble marking pen

.

The ottoman arrived needing assembly which was perfect for what I wanted to do.

.

 .

See that leopard print?  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but I liked the style and I especially liked the button tufting.

.

.
You can find the upholstery I used here.
.

After deciding on fabric, you will need to cut it to size.  Make sure to leave enough overlap on each side to staple securely to the back of your ottoman.

.

.

If you are using a geometric pattern like I did, make sure you are careful about how the pattern will lay on the ottoman.  With my pattern, I thought it would be best to center the pattern.

.

Now, use a staple gun to attach the fabric. 
.

.
When doing this, I start with one staple on each of the four sides and then continue around.

.

.

.

Continue stapling all around but don't staple near the corners.

.

Here's my trick for clean, neat, corners. 

.

.

Pull fabric up tight to corner and staple as shown in photo above.

.

.

Then, fold fabric in until a straight edge is created. 

.

.

Pull tight and staple.  I know that sounds confusing, but I promise that it's not!

.

Once you are finished with all four corners, your ottoman will look like this:

.

.

You will want to trim the fabric so that it doesn't hang down when your ottoman is finished.

.

Here's how the front will look:

.

.

See, that was easy!

.

Now it's time to use the fabric button kit and cover the buttons.

.

.
Button kits like this are such an easy way to add a professional detail to a project.
.

.

 Now it's time to attach the buttons to the ottoman.  The first step is to determine where you want your buttons to be.  Use a tape measure and a water soluble marking pen to marl the locations.
.
Cut a long length of upholstery thread and tie to button.  Thread both ends through upholstery needle.
.

.
Push needle through from the front to the back.  Pull tightly.  At the back of the ottoman use a button to thread through.  Using a button allows you to secure the thread.  There is probably a better way to do this, but I sort of figured it out as I went along!
.
Sorry for the poor picture, but here's the button on the back side:
.

.
Continue until all buttons have been secured.
.
I think the buttons really make this project!
.

.

.
Attach the legs and you are finished!
.
Here's the finished product:
.

.

.

.

.
If you have any questions, please stop by and visit me at 33 Shades of Green.
.

Read more...

DIY Golf Club Art Display Project; 33 Shades of Green

Thank you Cassity for having me over to guest post again! Come visit me at my blog 33 Shades of Green where you will find me crafting, cooking, decorating, and trying out all sorts of creative projects.

.
I have three golf clubs that once belonged to my Grandpa.  They aren't especially valuable or antique, but because they are meaningful to me, I wanted a special way to display them.  They leaned up against a wall in my lower level until I finally came up with a simple idea to show them off a little better.
.

.
Supplies you will need:
- Plywood board cut to desired size (Mine is 22" x 47")
- 1/2" x 1-1/2" moulding strips
- miter box
- nails
- mending brace
- fabric to cover board
- staple gun & staples
- nail head trim
- cup hooks
- picture hanging supplies
.

.

.
Measure moulding strips and miter corners.  This is not hard but requires a little bit of thinking to ensure that your measurements for the mitered corners are correct.  As the old saying goes - measure twice - cut once!
.

.
Once your moulding strips are cut & mitered, and the fit is good, you will need to attach them to your board. Use wood glue to attach them to the back of the board. Once dry, turn over and nail along all edges to secure from the front side of the board.
.

.
Attach a mending brace at each corner to ensure a sturdy finished piece.
.

.
Now it's time for the fun part!  Use a staple gun to attach fabric to board.
.

.

.
I decided to add a little nail head trim at each corner for a decorative accent.
.

.

.

You will need a way to hang your new wall art.  Attach "D-ring" hangers to each side and then attach picture hanging wire.
.

.

.

.
Next, determine where you want your golf clubs to lay on the board.
.

.
Use a pencil to mark where you need to install the cup hooks.
.

.
Attach cup hooks and your project is finished and ready to hang!
.

.

.

.
This project could easily be modified to for many sports - I think tennis rackets, hockey
sticks, or baseball bats would be fun.
.
The fabric I used is by Waverly and is called Cross Section, color: green.  You can purchase it here.
.
I hope you enjoyed this project!  If you have any questions or would like to know more, visit me at 33 Shades of Green.
.

Read more...