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Jennifer Macker
Hi, I'm Jennifer from Southern California. I'm a creative soul who loves thrift stores, spray paint, DIY projects, and giving old things new life. I'm on a mission to find a new purpose for things and making them more beautiful than they once were.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Repurposed Barstools

After almost buying the bazillion 
supplies needed to sew my own
gumdrop pillow/poufs/seats
to add extra seating
at my coffee table, 
I had an epiphany
and realized 
I had just the perfect solution...
and the best part was 
it would cost me
less than $15 for BOTH
seats (instead of the $150+)
 and hold true to my belief
in reusing and repurposing.
...

I was super excited when
I came up with the idea to repurpose the 
barstools that I've had
for a few years now,
 but couldn't find a place for
in my new home! 
(love when that happens)



I started out by measuring the 
height of my coffee table
and finding the right 
spot to cut my barstools.
(a BIG thank you to Ari for operating the heavy machinery!)
...
I decided to tape the spot 
where we were cutting so the wood
would be less likely to split.


Next, I gathered together
some remnant fabric that I 
already had at home and a piece of
high density foam
I purchased at Jo-Ann's.
...
I measured the size of 
foam I needed to cut for
each stool.
(I was able to get two rectangular pieces
 out of the one foam square I bought.)


I cut my fabric and
began to staple!
Be sure to give yourself
enough fabric to wrap
around the foam and batting
and leave plenty
of room to staple it to the wood.
...
I trimmed the excess fabric off after
stapling and added any
extra staples necessary.
...
I thought the stool
needed "something more" and
I also needed to 
hide those staples!
...so....
I ran out to Wal-Mart 
(because, of course, I couldn't wait to finish this
project later - had to be done right then and there, right Mom?)
 and bought a few yards of
cool fringy trim. 
Hot glued 
it on, cut it to the
length I wanted
 and voila!




So proud I was able to
reuse and repurpose something
I already had. Feels good.

~jennifer

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Grandpa's Shelf Makeover


So I've had this bookcase/shelf that my 
grandpa gave me many years ago. 
(In fact, I think it was when I first started teaching, almost 13 years ago!) 
It's been many colors, the latest white, and it has 
lived in my many classrooms all
these years...painted and repainted every so often. 
...
It finally found it's way home as I needed
a shallow something-or-other
for the empty space in my
little "hallway".
I needed something to
hold my tools and such.
...
This was the perfect piece for the job!
It just needed some
TLC in order
to "fit in" within my home.
...
I'm super happy
with how it turned
out and have 
already filled the baskets
with tools, nails, etc.


I first cleaned it really well
and applied two
coats of primer.
Love this Zinsser primer
because you don't
have to
sand first!


(great hint: set your bookcase on two small paint cans so you 
can paint all the way down to the bottom and not
have it stick to the newspaper!)
...
Next, I used my most
favorite new color by Martha:
Ducks Egg
I only bought the 
sample size
because I was only
painting this small shelf - great way to save money!
(and I still have half left!)


Gave it a few swipes with my 
sandpaper for a 
lil' distressing.


Last step was a 
few coats of Minwax's Polycrylic
Sealer. Another favorite.
Added some
baskets and tags.



All done!
...
Thanks for looking
and can't wait
to see your
makeovers!


~jennifer


Sunday, September 11, 2011

Chair Makeover






I was so excited to find this
old chair while thrifting with my 
mom in Vegas. What a deal!
$14.99
I knew I could transform
it into something
incredible.
... 
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
...
So, again, here's what I started with:



It was quite the chore
to remove all those staples and piping.
I found a paint can opener
and some needle nosed pliers to be the best
tools to help me with this.
(Oh, and a pair of scissors to cut
through the fabric and caning.)


Once I got the cushions off and
removed the million handful of
staples, I cut out the 
damaged caning and pulled out
the buttons from
the tufted cushion and seat back.
...
I had to get creative and find
a way to fill in the 
crevice left by the fabric piping
I removed and wasn't
planning on replacing.
I found some
nail hole filler I've had since I 
moved and voila!









After the nail hole filler
dried overnight, I
sanded the entire chair
with my palm sander.
...
Gave it two coats of spray primer, two
coats of my all-time favorite 
Heirloom White spray paint
and sealed it
with Minwax's Polycrylic spray.
(love that stuff!)



Now, came the cushions. Realizing
my sewing machine
was still in storage, I opted
for a no-sew method.

I used the original foam cushions
as they were in 
surprisingly great shape.
I used my most favorite new tool, 
The PowerShot Heavy Duty
Staple & Nail Gun.
(best $25 I ever spent! - SO easy to use!)



For the back cushion, another no-sew method.
Stitch Witchery to the rescue!



And the final result:





Isn't she lovely?
One of the hardest projects I've done yet
and one I'm most proud of.
...
She's sitting in the corner of my dining room
against my favorite
burnt orange curtains. Perfect colors together.
She also has a certain repurposed
pillow sitting atop her.
(pillow tutorial will soon follow)
...
Perfect.Repurposed.Charm.

~jennifer





To New Inspiration and New Beginnings

Hi there and thank you for stopping by! 
This is my first post on my new blog, 
so please bear with me. 
I am so excited
to be able to share my wonderful
finds and projects here for all of you to see.
...
I know the only way I learn and am inspired
with my DIY projects is by getting
inspiration from other bloggers
and their fabulous creations.
...
I hope to be of some
inspiration for you and I ask
that you share your
projects on here for
all of us to see!
...
Here's to a life a bit altered
and some repurposed charm...

~jennifer
 
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