Quick Piano Bench Recover (tutorial)

The piano bench has been neglected. It's gotten to the point that I'm really embarressed to have the piano teacher come to our house! I origionally upholstered it because I had a toddler that poured hand sanitizer on it and ruined the finish. Rather than refinishing it (like I probably should have--but hey, I was a tired worn out mom!) I covered it with a coordinating fabric to the other fabrics in the room. It was actually beautiful...

 back then!

So, since I was recovering my shabby (but not chic) piano bench, I thought I would share the quick and easy way to upholster a piano bench. 

You will need: 

drill gun with appropriate driver head

upholsery fabric (yardage depends size of your bench, I used 1/2 yd)

Hi-loft batting

fabric scissors

staple gun

helping hands (e.g. husband, children, friend, neighbor...you get the idea!)

-----------------------

                                Step 1)

Unscrew all hinges with screw gun

                          ** don't forget the slider hinge that holds the top on so that it doesn't open too far. I forget about this and it bends my hinge (ugh!)

                               Step 2)

Lay bench cover on floor and cover with desired layers of batting (I used 3 for mine)

                              Step 3)

 lay old cover over the top of the new fabric and cut out, using it as a pattern. If it wasn't previously covered, allow 2-2 1/2 inches for folding, overlap, and pull.  

                              Step 4) 
                           Fold sides to create a nice finished edge the pull and tuck firmly while stapling

to underside of the piano bench cover. For the corners, trim excess fabric and hospital corner for a nice clean edge.

             VERY IMPORTANT- *Make sure you cut out boxes for the hinges and leave opening for stability slider bracket!  If you don't, you will have to repeat step 4 all over again! 

                              Step 5)

  Replace hinges with screw gun with your "helping hands" and VOILA! You have a beautiful (and                                                                       comfortable) piano bench.

Now I can rest easy when the piano teacher comes around. 

*sigh*

Circus Chair

Remember my desperate desk in need of a re-do? If you remember, 

I finally gave him a nice coat of paint and said good-bye to the golden glaze, adding some nice hardware as well. 

(pardon the cat's tail! hahaha!)

We were then left with this glorious chair to go with it. Ummm.... 

no THANK YOU!

Since this is my 6 year old's desk and chair, I wanted it to be a little fun with lots of color. So when I found this special order fabric for the cushion at JoAnne's, I put in my order at 40% off and waited in great anticipation for it to arrive.

I picked it up immediately when it came in and got to work on that poor thing, giving it a fresh coat of paint and covering the cushion. The fabric reminds me of a fun circus!

You'll notice it has few dings in it still, if you look closely, but I left them there. Every one has a memory. 

My sweet boy loves the way it turned out...

 In case you are wondering why I chose that color for the chair, it's because it matches all the rest of the  furniture in the room. The chair was my way of tying everything together. I origionally contemplated painting it black or a deep brown...

But I think this works best since I painted the rest of the furniture this same color.

The desk makes a fun statement and was the color my little guy chose.

I think a fun lamp and a shelf for his legos are next on the list.

But for now, we're lovin' that 'ol circus chair!

Summer Glam!

With the weather getting warmer here on the west coast, we have been experiencing some Spring Fever. So while we were in JoAnne's for some decorator fabric, we passed by some summer footwear and jewels. The girls were so excited about them that at 40% off, we just had to pick some up! I let them choose between flip flops and crock style shoes, pick some sticky jewels, and decorate them as soon as we got home.

 It was a great useful and quick activity  for them, and one I enjoyed helping them with. I had them pick some kind of a pattern, and taught them to mirror image that pattern for the other shoe.

 They took each jewel and stuck them on. They began falling off after awhile, so after they finished placing the jewels where they wanted them, I used some shoe goo to give them extra stick and make sure they would stay. We allowed the glue to dry for 48 hours. This was tough, because the girls wanted to wear them immediately. I explained to them that if they wanted them to stay pretty, they needed to wait and then they could wear them all the time.

(youngest daughter's choice, crock style)

 We added a little ribbon from our reserve for extra fun and style. I think they really accentuate the gems and turned out darling. Make sure that when you add the ribbon, you add a dalop of glue in the center of the bow or knot so that the ribbon doesn't come undone. I learned this after they wore them once and were becoming loose and falling off. 

(oldest daughter's choice, flip flops)

                   The girls really love their new summer shoes, and I think they did an impressive job while creating a fun memory making them together!

Don't you?! 

Happy Earth Day!

Although it wouldn't technically be considered my favorite season, I love the promise of new life Spring brings with it. There is an exhilarating feeling in the air that comes with the warmer weather and blooming blossoms. Lately I haven't been able to resist buying a bouquet or two of fresh, beautiful flowers for our home and sometimes giving some away to a friend when I see them or go to visit.

Besides yellow being my favorite color of all, the daffodils have seemed to wave and smile at me every time I've passed them in my travels to and fro. 

So when I saw this bouquet, I had to buy them with the rich yellow/gold color of the daffodil while being  big and beautiful. And...

nothing screams cheerful like a Daisy. They have always held a special place in my heart, being my Mother's favorite flower of all, therefore growing up with beautiful bushes of them in our yard. They grew like a weed for her and we'd cut them for fresh bouquets every spring and summer. I can't get mine to stay alive. Don't they know how happy they make me?

So go ahead, this earth day, cut yourself, or buy some beautiful flowers and enjoy the beauties that God has surrounded us with. 

Happy Earth Day!

Bye-Bye Golden Glory

Ta-DA I'm BACK! I know, you thought, maybe even hoped, I dropped off the face of the earth. Yet here I am with yet only one meager project from the last three months. Trust me, there are many, MANY more. For starters I'm sharing the one that has been on my list for ions. Really. When we first moved into our house 8 years ago, the previous owners left us this desk:

After a year or two I replaced the top two drawer handles because the beautiful plastic ones broke. Imagine!

Though beautifully adorned with stickers and names in marker, my son's eyes lit up when I asked him if he would like me to paint his desk, then overflowing with enthusiasm when I suggested red for the color. 

It took all of 5 minutes to find the color in the garage I had on hand from a previous project. So after sanding a bit, the glory days of the golden glaze vanished into this beauty!

pardon the kitty's tale! 

We are thrilled with the handles we found. Hardware adds so much character and beauty to a piece. They're perfect for a growing boy, don't you think?

Best of all, our boy loves it.

Before:

  After:

In posting this, I'm thinking I'd better paint the the interior.
                                                     On to the next project...that hideous chair!

                      You'll be seeing it again, I assure you. Only hopefully it won't be recognizable. ;)

Soon!

Linking to these great parties: 

 Funky Junk Interiors

The Dedicated House

Common Ground

The Brambleberry Cottage

Our Master Bedroom

There are many things I haven't been able to share with you. I'm waiting for things to calm down enough to sit and write for 2 minutes together. With so many days off school since the holidays (our crazy school district!) there hasn't seemed to be much opportunity. However, there are many things I have done that are still in process that I can't wait to share! Two nights ago I installed new baseboards in our master bedroom, the start of the long awaiting rearranging and decorating I've been wanting to do in there: 

I'm loving the way it is coming along and can't wait to show you more when I get things a little more like I want them.

 here are a few inspirations from my pin boards:

Source: houzz.com via Michele on Pinterest

Truly looks more like our bedroom now. I love the clean and calm feeling of this room.

Source: google.com via Michele on Pinterest

I've really enjoyed the white on white, and you alway steel my heart with French country style. What's not to love about this room?

Source: theessenceofthegoodlife.blogspot.com via Michele on Pinterest

This is more of an in-between the upper two. A good mix. I'm loving all the texture.

Source: lh3.ggpht.com via Michele on Pinterest

Texture adds interest. Mixing the modern with the old world style is so lovely!

Source: tumblr.com via Michele on Pinterest

The colors and pattern here give such a great mix and soothing feel. Clever headboard too!

Source: favoritepaintcolorsblog.com via Michele on Pinterest

This room made me want to paint my bedroom all over again. So clean and soothing. I love the pop of burnt orange.

                                       Images found on my pinboards with references HERE

                 Interested to see what I've accomplished?
                                        STAY TUNED!

              

Chocolate Quick Bread

For my first post of the New Year, I thought I would share a recipe that I just tried for the first time EVER and it was DELICIOUS! I was looking on Pinterest for a bread with ingredients I had on hand to give as a gift to a friend I was going to visit. You can find it straight from the Nestle Toll house site, but I first found it via Pinterest on A Daily Dose of Toni. These directions are modified in accordance to how I made it. I haven't shared a recipe in a long time, so it's long over-due. Enjoy!

               Image from Nestle Toll House Site

Ingredients:                                                                                                          Preheat oven to 350 

1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 C Cocoa

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 C softened butter

1 C Sugar

2 Lg. eggs

1 C buttermilk or sour milk (1C milk to 2tsp. vinegar)

1/2 C chopped pecans, divided (opt)

1/4 C Semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels

Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Mix Sugar and butter til creamy and add eggs and milk. Sift in dry ingredients and mix. Add chocolate mini morsels. Pour in greased pan and bake at 350 for 20 min. Top with pecans and mini morsels as desired, bake another 30-35 min. Let cool before cutting. Serve with chocolate honey butter.

Chocolate Honey Butter:

Microwave 1/2 C. semi-sweet mini morsels in small bowl (uncovered) on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Morsels may still retain shape. If necessary, microwave an additional 10-15 second intervals until melted.  DO NOT OVER HEAT! Let cool and beat with 1 stick (1/2C) butter and 2 Tbs. honey in small mixer until fluffy. Makes 1 cup. ENJOY

HAPPY NEW YEAR!