switch-a-roo

In Texas I was invited to a clothing swap by a bunch of girls I had never met.  Since I had a ton of clothes that didn’t fit anymore, I jumped on the opportunity to get rid of what I couldn’t use.  Not to mention I got to meet new people and essentially get free clothes.  All it cost me was a little time.

Believe it or not a year later(or has it been 2) I still had clothes I was ready to swap out.  And here’s the evidence to prove it.

I hosted my own clothing swap with a handful of fun ladies.  I didn’t get any pictures during the swap, but my entire living room floor was covered.   Not to mention this is what was left over once everyone had gone home and I organized it a bit.

That’s 6 sacks full of good clothes.  Doesn’t it feel good to clean out your closet!

I wanted this swap not to only be about getting new clothes for free, but also helping others who are in need of good clothes.  First Baptist Tulsa is situated in the heart of downtown, giving them the ability to reach many people in need every day.  They also have new donation bins which make it easy to drive by and drop off. And many other organizations like John 3:16, Salvation Army, Career Closet…the list goes on.

Ever think about hosting your own clothing swap? It’s super easy.  Clean out your closet, invite friends over, swap clothes and then make a contribution that makes a difference in your community.

…just in case you’re wondering.  I filled up the orange chair with clothes from the swap.  I only thought I was making space in my closet.

DIY: refinished end table

Once upon a time Drew and I took to the driveway with an orbital sander and a sad, sad table.

This table came from Drew’s bachelor pad.  It’s not made with the best of wood.  It’s not ornate.  It’s a plain old table.

The top was the absolute worse.  I believe it was completely covered with various assortments of tea in it’s other life.  But currently it sets in front of our large living room window gaining a lot of attention.

I have to admit I was a little concerned about taking the table apart but this made sanding the entire table so much easier.  Also,the orbital sander was the best investment for this project. (and others)

And we kept sanding, and sanding, and sanding!   We felt like it would never end although I did find sanding somewhat soothing.

Still sanding.  We had to go to the good ole block and sandpaper method when it came to the finishing fine grit. (oh and I got a haircut)

Here are all the dismantled pieces of the table, almost time to put it back together.

But first we had to stain.  We chose ‘provincial’ oil based stain.  By this point we were so tired of sanding, and just ready to see some progress.  I think he is ready to be done.  Between this point and our final product were many coats of wood sealer. Also we added a touch of paint to add detail to our otherwise plain table.

I love how it turned out.  I didn’t want it to get too dark so we only stained the table with one coat.   We already had this light green paint, which helped keep costs low.

I loved this table, even in it’s desperate state.  Now I love it more!

This newly finished table makes my living room complete…especially with our awesome lantern and rabbit fur.

It has taken me so long to post this project that we are almost done with the coffee table we are working on.  Photos to come soon.

I am…JOHN CARTER!

Drew and I mentioned back in December that we were reading A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. At that point I’m sure many people had never even heard of this first book in the Barsoom series.  However now that John Carter has been released, it’s a little more difficult to get away from this Martian tale.  I think there is a buzz out there about John Carter, which largely classifies it as a flop.

I know it happens all the time to books.  You make a movie and lose so much of the original plot line in the process.  Without going into too much detail, it seems to me that Disney missed the only good story line in the movie.  A story about a father and daughter, of love and compassion.  Instead Disney kept the focus on the main character of A Princess of Mars.  Rather, in the movie Carter is not cocky at all as he is in the book, new characters were added to further develop a plot that might otherwise be mindless.  All the while the more in depth story of the Martian culture is thrown to the side and secondary to the battles between two feuding cities.

Needless to say we read A Princess of Mars in preparation of the movie.  I’m happy to have read the book and also seen the movie.  If you are looking for a different, comical, and action packed movie…I say go watch it, with low expectations.

Remember the book we made for this December reading?  Here it is to refresh your memory.  We loved the leather cover but wished we could get the original artwork  as well.  We decided the laser cutter might just be the perfect tool to finish our book.  Drew took the image, gray scaled it, and after a few practice rounds put the book in the machine.

And here it is cutting away at the leather cover.

And here is the final product.  I love how it turned out, worn looking.  It gives this 1917 book an old feel even though we just made it in the past three months.

DIY: lampshade

Once Drew and I moved into our home, I knew we needed some new items to help make our house complete.  One of those items being lamps for the living room.  I was lucky enough to find these huge glass lamps in brown and yellow.  But they did not come with lampshades.  This only meant one thing…

Time to get creative and make lampshades!

I can not even count the number of ideas we came up with.  Some of the ideas were silly, some impractical, and some just not ideal for our current home.  We finally landed on an idea and went with it.  We both knew we wanted 70s style drum shades.

First we started by making the frame. At the Fab Lab, we laser cut out two circles.  We cut three grooves in both to hold the supports.

Next, we used simple wood glue and bamboo cooking skewers.  We glued the skewers in the grooves then clamped both circular pieces together.

We decided the best way to get a circular frame for our lampshade was needlepoint hoops.  We bought two 14 inch hoops for each lampshade.  Drew did the measurements to cut down the skewers and marked where to drill the holes in the inner loop.

Drew even let me operate the drill!

Next, I placed the now cut skewers into my newly drilled holes.  Ta Dah!

Now that we had two working top braces for our lamps, it was time to get sewing.  We decided to make our shades with fabric.  We opted for a two-toned ivory striped linen and then lined it with an ivory burlap.  We decided on 14 inch tall lampshades.  Basically we cut out two rectangles of both fabrics and sewed them together.  We went with a more complicated process, as we wanted to make the shades reversible with clean edges.

Once the fabric was complete we clamped it between the hoops.  We thought the color of the natural wood of the hoop was perfect with our lamps.  It also complimented the colors in the fabric we chose.

We love the unique detail of the needlepoint hoop screw.  We have it facing out for people to see.

Here you can see the finished bracing I was working on earlier.  We didn’t want a finial sticking up but instead used a nut to hold the shade in place.

Our finished lampshade.  We love the texture of the burlap coming through when the light is on.  I personally love the stripes when the lamp is off.

And here is the final product! I think they make a great statement in our living room.  You might notice waves in the fabric.  We chose not to brace them vertically, but it can easily be done. Or we could even weight the bottom hoop to help alleviate the sag in the fabric.

I LOVE MY LAMPSHADES!

Overall cost per shade:

nuts: 97c

harp: $4

needlepoint hoop: $2 (times 2)

fabric: $5

Approximate cost $14

You can cut down cost by choosing a less expensive fabric.  Also, your lamp might already have a harp (the tall metal brace that goes around the light bulb).

Tulsa Valentine DIY

In the Tulsa area?  Looking for a new and unique way to surprise your loved one for Valentine’s Day?

The Tulsa Fab Lab is offering classes throughout the month of February.  The class will show you how to fabricate your own special chocolate heart and box to hold it.

It not only produces a gift but shows you how to use the computer based fabrication process available at the Lab.  You don’t have to be an engineer or even an artist to enjoy this hands on activity.

Drew and I spend a lot of time over here at the Fab Lab.  Even though we didn’t make this one together, I know what a joy it is to create something with a friend or loved one.  We are always working on projects together.  I have to say it’s my favorite thing to do with Drew!

Come make your own heart any Friday or Saturday in February.  Check out the details here.

DIY: laundry soap

When Drew and I moved to Tulsa, we came without a washer and dryer.  We had become accustomed to taking a trip to the laundry mat once a week.  Oh the quarters we went through!

So, once we moved we discovered my cousin was getting a new washer and dryer.  Yay! They needed to get rid of their old ones…and for free.  They are not the most beautiful looking pieces of machinery; I will spare you a photo.  But boy do they get our clothes clean and dry.

I wanted to make my own laundry soap once we got settled.  Lo and behold my cousin not only did the same but gave me her recipe and ingredients to make it!

Making your own soap at home can be super cost effective.  (Even when you buy the ingredients yourself.)

All you need is Borax, Washing Soda (this is different than baking soda), and a bar of soap (w/cheese grater). I was given Fels-Naptha; it’s been around awhile and made specifically for washing clothes and getting out stains.

There are several recipes online, and this is what I happened to use.

1 1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1 1/2 Cup Borax

1 Grated Bar of Fels-Naptha

-Use 2Tbs per load.  I sometimes use less if it’s a small load or if my clothes aren’t incredibly filthy.

Luckily I did this in the winter and had no problem with the soap getting too warm to melt.  But I have heard putting the bar in the freezer before grating helps immensely.  Also, I think an ordinary Dove bar is softer than the Fels-Naptha bar.

Just mix it all together and you will get a beautiful blend that looks akin to this…and a messy table.  But luckily it’s just soap.  My table needed a good cleaning anyways!

 

 

be my valentine

Valentine’s Day is never really on my radar.  But this year being newly married I guess I’m thinking about it a little more than usual.   I mean, I’ve always thought it a little silly to make one day of the year so focused on love.  But truthfully I think it’s a grand idea.

I will be honest, of course it is easier for me to enjoy the holiday as a married woman than any year I celebrated single.  But I also realize there are many married folks out there who need a break from the everyday chores and the kids so they can truly focus on each other.

I was inspired by a friend’s post, a 14 Day Love Challenge.  As I read it I found that most of it Drew and I already do often or it just doesn’t apply to our lives.  I mean just think about it.  We are newlyweds with no kiddos.   Basically what I’m saying here is we are still in our honeymoon phase.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was inspired by Stacie to do something for Drew each day for the 14 days leading up to Valentines Day. Mainly I took from her first suggestion and made it my own.

I give you the Love Jar.

Basically I took an old Mason jar and added a little flavor.  I cut out paper and used some stickers I already had to decorate the top.

Then I took 14 pieces of paper and folded them into little love notes.  I wrote on each one why I love, respect, and admire Drew. I found this list could go on and on. He gets to pick out one a day leading up to Valentine’s Day. Don’t tell, but I actually added more than 14.

It took me about 30 minutes to cut out the paper, write the love notes, and stuff them in the jar.

This is a great way to show your loved one how much you love and respect them.  Don’t worry if you don’t start on the first of the month.  To make it even more special pick a random two weeks out of the year to show your special loved one how much you care.  And don’t feel pressure to do a jar.  Follow Stacie’s idea and hide them around the house for him to find.  Just have fun with it!

There is no need to wait on a holiday to tell the people around us how much they are loved!