Polaroid-Style Christmas Ornament

Since this will be Virginia’s very first Christmas, my husband and I wanted to celebrate it by making photo ornaments of her to give to close family and friends.

If you would like to make your own Polaroid-style ornament, just follow along with my tutorial below.  There’s still enough time to make a nice DIY Christmas ornament with just the right amount of a retro flair!

Materials:
Here are the materials that I used.  Most can be substituted with things that you already have on hand.

wallet-sized photographs
ruler
Exacto knife/ cutting mat
bone folder (nice but not necessary)
heavy white paper (I used Reeves BFK)
ribbon
glue (I used a glue stick)
plastic sleeves to protect photo (again, nice but not necessary, I happened to have these laying around)
type writer (or just a pen if you want to have something written on your ornament)

Tutorial:
First choose the photo that you want to use and get it printed in wallet size. We ordered ours via email from Walgreens and they were ready for pick up in about an hour.

You will then trim your photos so that they are 2″ x 2″ squares.
Next, cut out your paper to 2.5″ x  6″ using an Exacto knife and mark the “window” where your photo will be, as well as a center line at the 3″ mark with a pencil as a guide (this will help you line up your type if you are using a typewriter, though in this photo the type has already been added to the ornament).  There is a 1/4″ border around the window on the top and sides and about 3/4″ border along the bottom, giving it a Polaroid-like appearance.  If you are making several ornaments, as we did, it is easiest to make one and use it as a template for the rest.

Now you can feed your paper through your typewriter to make your label. It is easiest to do this before you cut the window out.

Carefully cut out the window using an Exacto blade and a ruler.

Using your bone folder to make a nice, clean, crease; fold the paper in half, width-wise.

To help protect your photo and make it look a little more Polaroid-like, insert it into a plastic sleeve, cutting off the extra plastic.

Now spread glue all over the back of your ornament, sandwiching in your now-protected photo as well as your length of ribbon.

Your done! Now we’ll just have to explain to Virginia what a Polaroid and a typewriter is when she gets older!

Happy crafting and Merry Christmas!

DIY nursery

Creating a whimsical space for our soon to arrive little girl has been such a fun time! Although we didn’t set out with any particular “theme” in mind, we did have a few ideas about what we wanted for the space. Budget was of course a consideration, but we were confident in our abilities to make something really special without spending a ton of dough. The result is a mix of handmade objects, DIY decor projects, second-hand finds and hand-me-downs, and a handful of brand new items too.

Looking to create your own special place for a young one?  Here are the steps we took to transform a plain, white room in our rented apartment into a relaxing whimsical retreat for us and baby.

First we had to decide where to put the baby’s room. We live in a two bedroom apartment and have always used the smaller bedroom for our own because it has the bigger closet. In the past the larger bedroom was used as a [mostly nonfunctional] studio space for myself, so it only made sense to re-purpose this room for the baby. With a little creativity I was able to find homes for all of my most frequently used supplies and tools throughout the apartment, which has actually proven to be more functional these past few months.

The next step was to start looking for furniture. Let me just start by saying that my name is Emily and I am a Craigslist junkie. But it payed off! We found all of the furniture (except for the cedar chest that was mine since I was a teenager) on Craigslist.

The crib was the first thing that I found. Like most cribs these days, it converts into a toddler bed, thus giving it a longer life.  Of course, safety was a huge concern with buying a crib second-hand, so we made sure that it wasn’t a drop sided crib or one that it had been recalled for any other reasons.  We also did not buy the mattress used because of the possible link between SIDS and using old mattresses.

The next item I found was the dresser.  I knew that we wouldn’t have the space for a changing table (in an ideal world I would have a changing table, but it would be in the bathroom), so it was important to choose a dresser that could also double as a changing table.  The key was finding one that was the perfect height.  The changing pad on top was found after the fact at a yard sale, and it was a happy accident that it happened to fit perfectly on the dresser top.   I made a removable cover for it that matches the drawer liners that I mentioned how to make in this post.

After the dresser I found the cozy shag rug, which is hand-woven and made of all natural fibers.  Then came the rocking chair, which is probably my favorite piece of furniture in the room.  From what I’ve heard and read, a good, comfortable nursing chair is essential when breast-feeding.  I wanted something that was both comfortable and could be used for years to come in another space in our home, (such as our living room, which has a mid-century modern vibe) once I am no longer nursing.  The same can be said of the book shelf.  Right now it’s a great space for a small collection of books and toys, but in the future it could be used elsewhere as the needs of our child change.

In the midst of all of this Craigslist searching, we were deciding what to do with the blank canvas of the all white walls and trim.  As I mentioned before, this is a rental apartment, so we didn’t want to do anything permanent that would have to be “undone” once we move.  That meant painting was out, even though the walls really do need a fresh paint job.  This didn’t really bother me because I actually really like the brightness that white walls give to the room, and putting plenty of decorations on the walls meant hiding a lot of the imperfections left by previous tenants (scuff marks, patched nail holes, etc).

We started with a very fun DIY tree decal project.  You can read exactly how we created the look in this previous post.  Later I decided to extend the idea to the opposite corner of the room where we hung a very fun vintage growth chart.  The placement of the growth chart behind the closet door was very strategic by the way.  Now we don’t have to worry about it being covered by a piece of furniture if we decided to rearrange things in the future.

The idea to use a cluster of Chinese lanterns is not new or original.  I’ve seen this idea in nurseries over and over on the web.  But it’s such an inexpensive and easy way to add color and dimension to a space!  We decided not to use the mobile that I had made previously because we thought the scale was just too small for the baby.  But the lanterns are big and sway gently when the cycling fan is on or the windows are open, thus we thought they’d be a bit more visually stimulating and appropriate for a baby.

The butterflies were all Jon’s idea.  He drew each one individually on a piece of foam core than cute them out with an Exacto Knife.  The wings are scored at the body then folded up to create a 3-D effect.  They were then attached to the wall using Velcro.  Originally he had wanted them to be painted or colored in some way, but I pressed him to keep them white.  With the tree and the lanterns, we already had a lot of things going on and I didn’t want it to become too visually busy.  We are both happy with the fact that he left them white.  Now they add a subtle texture to the wall and the shadows that the wings make is very interesting.  Though babies can see only bright and contrasting colors at first, it is important that this be a pleasing space for us adults as well!  Besides, they will be something that she can “discover” as she gets older.  The sun and rainbow picture shown above is one of those plastic canvas and yarn kits and was actually made by my mom and I when I was around 4 years old.  Surprisingly it was still in excellent condition except for the mat, so I just covered the mat with some pretty pink fabric and it was good to go.

The last decor project that we tackled was the white canvas night-light.  It was an idea that I found online that I thought would be really fun.  For this project we used a hand-made painting stretcher from my college days, which is much chunkier than the modular ones that you can buy at the art supply store.  We stretched the frame with some thin blue fabric that was printed with flowers and butterflies then I stitched down a strand of very tiny twinkle lights.  These lights are much much tinier than regular Christmas lights and they also have a dial that lets you choose what you want them to do.  I like having it on a setting where only part of them come on slowly then fade away while some of the other lights gradually get brighter.  The printed fabric was then covered by some slightly heavier white fabric.  The result is that you can only see the pattern very subtly during the day but then very well at night when it’s on.  It gives the effect of fireflies and it’s very fun to watch.

In addition to decorating I also wanted to make some toys and some other every day items for baby Virginia.  In addition to the changing table pad cover mentioned above, I made four fitted crib sheets from various bigger vintage bed sheets, lots of reusable diaper wipes (tutorial here), a portable changing table pad, a pillow cover for the throw pillow on the rocker, the pink and brown granny square blanket, an owl softie and a couple of rag dolls, and most recently, a crochet cat designed by Nekoyama (free pattern can be found here).

So there you have it, our DIY nursery!  I hope you have enjoyed the tour and if you are in the midst of designing your own nursery space, perhaps you have walked away with a little inspiration!  If so, I’d love to hear what your own plans are, or if you’ve made your own version of one of these projects, I’d love to see some pictures!

by the way… we started creating this nursery on January 1st, and have just now finished completely with only one week to spare before my due date.  Now all we need is the baby!  If you are planning to tackle some projects like we have, or if you want to rely on finding the perfect items on Craigslist or at yard sales, I do recommend starting as early as possible; these things take time and you don’t want to feel rushed!  What really kept me going was the thought that once baby Virginia is here we will not have the time or energy that we do now.

Enjoy this post?  Please leave me a comment!  Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

This post has been added to The Inspiration Board: link party 58 on Homework, Wicked Awesome Wednesday #70 on Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Wow Me Wednesday #59 on Ginger Snap Crafts, Primp Your Stuff Wednesday Linky Party #53 on Primp, Your Whims Wednesday #67 on My Girlish Whims, and Make It Pretty Mondays- week 5 on the Dedicated House.

Vintage Dresser Rehab

I’m no stranger to Craigslist.  If you have been a regular zween reader you may remember the red, white and chrome retro kitchen table and the awesome vintage buttons I found within the last year.

Now that we’re expecting our first baby, my interest in Craigslist has been renewed with a new purpose in mind; to find useful items for this new addition to our family.

One such item that I’ve been searching for is a dresser.  But it couldn’t be just any old dresser.  No no no, I wanted this dresser to do double duty; booth as a chest of drawers to store clothing and cloth diapers, and as a changing table.  That meant that the perfect dresser had to be of an appropriate height for the latter use, thus rendering taller bureaus out of the running.

I also wanted something older because not only do I like and appreciate vintage furniture, but because buying second-hand can be cost-effective without sacrificing quality.

Which brings me to this little gem I found just two days ago on Craigslist.  I have no idea what style or era you would consider this dresser to fall into (though if you do, I would be interested in knowing!), but I had a hunch that this would be the perfect fit for our needs.  Although the listing only gave a very minimal description and one terrible cell phone photo, we decided to take a chance and check it out.  What did we have to lose?  The item was located less than 2 miles from our house!

When deciding when to go for something and when to pass I very quickly calculate mentally its pros and cons which include things like quality, functionality, aesthetics, and price.  This dresser was listed on Craigslist the day before we went to see for $40.  After taking a good look at it and debating on whether or not it would fit into our Toyota Carolla (it did), Jon offered $30 and it was accepted immediately.

A lot of our furniture has a mid-century modern feel that we really like and although I don’t think that this piece really fits into that era we still really liked it because of its simple, tapered legs and the well-worn and smooth feel to the wood.  Jon really liked the unusual stains of the dresser top.  I really liked the height of the legs which make the very heavy and sturdy piece not feel too heavy visually.

So on the outside we are both more or less happy with this find, the inside of the drawers was the only thing we wanted to change to make this dresser more functional for our needs.  The drawers are dovetailed and well made, but the bottom of one drawer was severely warped and partially braking away from the frame.  Also, all of the drawers were partially covered with an ugly contact-like paper liner.

Some big heavy books (and my typewriter) along with some wood glue and a couple of claps fixed the broken drawer problem, and as for making the interiors of the drawers more inviting, we did a non permanent take on the contact paper idea by making our own fabric-covered cardboard inserts.  It’s basically exactly what I did for my suitcase restoration project a year ago.

The sequence of photos below show Jon figuring out the measurements needed for cutting down the cardboard, cutting the pieces of board, and what the finished cardboard liner looked like before the fabric was added.  The fabric, by the way, was all recycled from some horrible curtains I made years ago.  The color was a perfect complement to the wood tones and I had plenty of it for all three drawers.

Now all we need is a changing pad for the top so that it can function as a changing table!  Using a dresser as a changing table is a great idea, especially since we plan on cloth diapering.  Now we’ll have plenty of storage for those cloth diapers and have a piece of furniture that can be used for many years to come!

 

Craigslist Find; Vintage Button Pins

Since we’ve moved back to the U.S. several months ago after our time as Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco, my husband and I have been in a “nesting” faze.  This is when I first really discovered Craigslist.

Though I’m pretty sure I had heard of the site prior to December, 2010, I had never used it as a tool to find an apartment and had certainly never bought or sold anything through it.

That has changed.

Our apartment was found through Craigslist, as well as our couch and kitchen table and chairs.  Jon sold our old laptop and kitchen table through the site too.

Lately, we’ve been looking for some new (to us) living room chairs. But after looking for chairs for a while I usually get distracted and just start looking for anything cool that’s close by.

Yesterday I really lucked out and came across an add for 140 pins circa 1960-early 90s (most being from the 7os)!  The whole lot was just $10!

At first I thought they would be in bad shape as pins, so I could make them into magnets.  But after examining them, I realized that most of them are really nice!

So now I don’t know what to do.  Some of them are really big, and I think think I’d like to do some sort of project with those to repurpose them into something a bit more functional.

What do you think?  Have you seen anything really cool done with vintage buttons like these?  I would love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Retro Flair

We’ve been looking for a 50′s style dining table for a while and yesterday I finally came across this beauty on Craigslist.  Well, it’s a beauty now, after several hours of cleaning.  It was so worth it though.

This is just another example of how you can find “the right” piece for your home without spending a lot of money or contributing to the cycle of rampant consumption.  The key is patience and knowing exactly what you want and not settling until you find that perfect piece.  It might take longer than you’d like, but in the end you and the planet will be happier.

Happy hunting!

Learn more about the African print fabric wall hanging shown in the above picture here.

Suitcase restoration project

I love old suitcases. They may be antiquated luggage, but they have so many other things going for them. I’m not the only one that feels this way. People like old stuff, they like objects that tell a story and have a history. But the connotations of travel bring another level of excitement to these already awesome objects. When you think of travel, you think; adventure, exotic sights, and the unknown.

I think that’s what drew me to start my collection of old suitcases in high school. At the time, my best friends were traveling throughout Europe and it made me start to day dream of what it would be like to go to a place so different from the small town where I grew up (which I eventually did, but that’s another story).

Most of my collection came from my Grandma White. You might call her a hoarder. Well, she has a lot of stuff, but she’ll also give you any of it if you ask, so maybe that’s not really hording.

She gave me this suitcase probably 10 or 12 years ago, and it’s in pretty much the same condition now as it was then.

I’ve always really liked it. I could tell that it was a diamond in the rough. It has good bones.

Recently I was scavenging in the attic looking for something when I came across my suitcase collection and decided that I was finally going to tap into its potential.

But how?

Though a little rough around the edges (literally), I didn’t want to really change the outside; it was the inside that was making this beautiful and interesting piece unusable. I didn’t want to use it for storage or anything else in the condition that it was in. The fabric was musty, ripped, heavily stained, and pulling away from the exterior (exposing old, sharp, hand-forged nails. Ouch!).

It had to go.

With the lining removed, the case already looked a lot better. I even liked that the lid was lined with an old newspaper. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a date anywhere on it.

It was at this point that I decided that this case could make a nice display/carrying case for my artwork when I go to shows. Since I would be using the case in the open position at shows, it was important that the inside be lined and clean-looking, despite the shabbiness of the exterior.

I had the perfect fabric for this project.  A gold, velvety material that I inherited during college, and I had just enough! The fabric and the case combined remind me of my old cornet case.

To line the suitcase I first cut out three pieces of book-binding board, to fit into the bottom of the case. This was a little tricky, but I eventually got the pieces to fit into the case nice and snugly.

Next, I covered the boards with the fabric. I used an iron-on adhesive to adhere it to the boards.

The covered boards fit very tightly in the base of the suitcase, so I didn’t bother gluing them down.  I want them to be easily removed in the future if needed.

For the lid of the suitcase, I cut down a piece of thickest piece of cork board I could find and covered it with the same fabric.  Then I tacked it to the lid using small nails, both original and new. The cork board is a way to easily attach products to the lid for display at craft fairs.

To keep the lid at a 90 degree angle, I attached some grossgrain ribbon in a contrasting chocolate brown.

I get a really deep satisfaction of a well executed DIY project, which I consider this to be. I got something that I needed (a display), used materials that I already had and treasured but wasn’t really using (the suitcase and fabric), and kept the integrity of the original piece while adding a bit of my own story to it.

Do you have a DIY project that you are especially proud of? I’d love to hear about it! Tell us about it in the comments below, or better yet, post a picture of it on zween’s facebook page.

Treasure Hunting; Thrift Store Finds

Above; Someones stash of punch embroidery thread ($8.00).

Do you love thrift store shopping?  Me too!

What is it that is so appealing?  There are three main reasons that I shop at thrift stores:

1.  I don’t want to contribute to demand at big box stores, especially when I can find similar items that are gently used, thus keeping the landfill at bay just a little while longer for these objects.

Above; vintage recipe box ($1.29). Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a sucker for interesting containers.

2.  Money.  Lets face it, thrift store shopping is, well, thrifty.  However, I do take issue with certain thrift stores (who will remain nameless, at least for now) that I feel over price their donated items.  Maybe you’ve experienced this as well.  You walk into your thrift store and find the racks so crammed with clothing that you can’t even see what you’re trying to buy, yet the price is higher than you think is reasonable and there are no specials in sight.

Years ago, when I noticed prices had raised significantly, I asked a manager why.  She stated that it was due to costs incurred by the store for people dumping unusable goods which they were then responsible for disposing of.  I can see that this could be a significant issue and reason for an increase in price, but at the same time, if prices at thrift store start to equalize or even exceed those of Wal-Mart or Target, then we have a problem relating to my first reason for thrift store shopping.

3.  The thrill of the hunt!  Yes, as the title of this post indicates, I do view thrift store shopping as a treasure hunt of sorts.  Ideally I like to go once or twice a month and just browse for an hour or so.  I look at everything because over the years I’ve realized that I’ve found the best summer dress in the dead of winter and a treasured sweater in the heat of summer.  It’s always a pleasant surprise to buy something that is immediately wearable.

In addition to just browsing and seeing what catches my eye, I also like to go with a list and a sense of purpose for things I am particularly interested in finding because sometimes I do need something right now and can’t really afford to spend months hoping that it comes up for offer.

An example of this happened last week when I went looking for an appropriate table-cloth to use at yesterday’s craft bazaar.  To my delight I found the perfect one!

Above; oven mitt with the cutest pattern ever ($1.29). Bonus: it’s handmade too!

These are the main reasons that I shop at thrift stores.  Do you have a favorite thrift store that you frequent?  A story of a particularly great find?  I’d love to hear about it!  Leave a comment below or share your story onzween’s facebook fan page.