DIY Thread Holder

March 20, 2014 Sherri Rice

Hi friends! I have been a busy bee, sewing through projects as fast as I can :) But, I wanted to quickly share an easy organizing project; easy, quick, and cheap - aren't those the best projects? I have been accumulating a variety of colors of upholstery thread to use with my new sewing machine, and was getting a little tired of them just sitting around my machine. I had seen various thread holders in craft stores and figured I could probably make my own. So, here's how you can, too...

You need:

board - I used a 1x2 that we had from a previous project
dowels - I used 3/16" that would fit inside the spools I had. Tip: it was cheaper to buy the package of 12" dowels than to buy the 36" long dowels, so check out that option (I found this package at JoAnn for $0.99).
measuring tape/ruler
saw (a miter box helps, too, but it isn't necessary)
sandpaper
drill with bit the size of the dowels you have chosen
hammer

Decide how many spools you want to store and then figure out how far apart you need to space the dowels - I cut my board to 12", which gave me room to space 6 dowels 2" apart.

Choose your drill bit to match the size of your dowels. Drill your holes in the board; try to drill straight down and don't go all the way through the board ;)

I cut my dowels approximately in half, because I wanted to stack two spools on top of each other - decide what works for you. Smooth out the cut ends with the sandpaper. Then gently hammer the dowels into the holes. If you leave the dowels longer than 5-6", they will be more likely to break as you hammer them in - ask me how I know this :/

And you are done!

I thought I might need glue to hold the dowels in, but they are not going anywhere :) (and if you do happen to break one while putting them in, pliers work to get them out... just a tip... not that I know from experience or anything...yeah...)

Just enough room to have the spools side-by-side...

... and stacked up :)

Now, go make your own and Happy First Day of Spring!

Sherri

A Little Bit of Everything :)

November 25, 2013 Sherri Rice

Thanksgiving break is here and I have a little break between projects, so I thought it might be a good day to check in here, 'cause it's been awhile (and I know I still owe you an office reveal post)! It's been a busy few weeks since I last wrote. So here is a little update...

1. These cushions are finally finished!

It was a great opportunity to put my new machine to the test and to work with Sunbrella Canvas. Machine works great; the fabric is a little tricky since it doesn't have much "give." But, it does feel better than just printed polyester versions of outdoor fabric.

Yep, they are for a boat :)

2. We have continued working on the playroom - a trip to IKEA yielded these shelves, which fit perfectly (you can see the rest of the room here).

The toys have been sorted, so I am just waiting to get the bins that will go on the shelves. I'm thinking of these.

3. If you have been following on Facebook you may have seen a few updates on this project...

These are 4 dining room chair covers that I did long distance - the chairs are in Alabama! Hopefully I'll be able to share pictures of them in place when my client gets them.

4. Speaking of projects, I am now booked into March of 2014!!! Looking forward to some great projects :)

5. The boys are off for Thanksgiving this week, so I am looking forward to this down time, before my next project comes in. Maybe I'll even take a little time to get some of my own projects done (I have my eye on a Craigslist wing chair...)

So, in case I don't make it back here before then, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

And a challenge: if you need a book to read while you travel or hang out with your family, read One Thousand Gifts. Ann writes:

"...in this counting gifts, to one thousand, more, I discover that slapping a sloppy brush of thanksgiving over everything in my life leaves me deeply thankful for very few things in my life... life-changing gratitude does not fasten to a life unless unless nailed through with one very specific nail at a time."

Consider starting your own list of specific gifts - can you make it to 1000 before next Thanksgiving?

With thanks,

Sherri

Workroom Reveal

October 16, 2013 Sherri Rice

Finally done (mostly :) ) - my new workroom! Remember the "before"?

This upstairs room has been the boys' playroom. It has undergone a bit of a transformation and here it is now...

It needs a few finishing touches, but it's functional and working here is definitely a pleasure :) Let me show you around (I'm in the middle of a project, but I tidied up just for you)...

This table is actually the Norden dining table from IKEA. We purchased it for our last house which had a large dining room. Until we have another dining space that is suitable, it makes a great cutting table! The skirt is just stapled to the bottom of the table top. It makes for great (hidden!) storage underneath.

These are the two machines I have had for years, since August Blues 1.0 with my mom. And the bench works really well for moving between them (the table and bench were both Craigslist finds). I think the pegboard needs a little something...

See the trees out the window? Almost like working in a tree house :) These curtains have found a home in all of the houses we have owned - first they covered closets in our bedroom, then they curtained the front window in our front porch. I was so excited when I remembered I still had them - they are perfect for this space!

On the other side of the window I created this little storage area. We have had the shelf forever, but the bins are new (from Lowes). They hold fabrics. The hat boxes and clock are also from IKEA. The curtain to the right conceals a yet-to-be-organized storage area for my personal fabric and craft supplies.

Here she is - I'm still getting used to her, but she is a hard worker :) The table on the right is where homework happens in the evenings. It will be replaced with a smaller, rectangular table that fits the space a little better. And just for a dose of reality...

Yes, this is the sad state of the rest of the room. I did take over half of the boys' playroom - my youngest watched me measure the space out and then reported to Grandma that he now only had 9' of space to play in! Never fear, I have a plan for this space, too, and it does include the toys and space to play ;) I will share it as soon as we get it finished (and you can hold me to that!). I think the boys will be quite excited when they rediscover their toys :)

One last view...

MANY thanks to the boys for agreeing to share their space with me and to the Professor for all the help and heavy lifting he provided (do you know how much that Juki weighs?)! And now I need to top up my coffee and get back to work (I am now booking projects for January)!

Have you made a workspace just for you?

Sherri

P.S. I linked up here :) Check out all the other great projects!

Friday Five

September 27, 2013 Sherri Rice

Well, hello again! It looks like it has been a couple of weeks (!) since I have posted, so it's time for a Friday Five, or something... I've been keeping busy, so here are a few peeks ;)

1. My new sewing space went from this...

... to this!

Well, that's an "in process" picture, but you can get the idea. And I am loving it - it's bright and clean and easy to work in (and the new color is Benjamin Moore Ivory White). The best part? It was a family affair...

Complete room tour to come (and, yes, the boys will still have a place to play) ...

2. I have been doing a little of this...

...and this...

(comes with rearranging several rooms in the house at the same time)

3. This made it's way into my new office space...

4. I got this project finished and delivered...

(and I'm a little excited because I haven't had my coffee yet, but I was able to figure out how to make this collage!)

5. And last but not least, I got this beauty! If you follow me on Facebook, you will have already seen her (yes, I decided in this house of boys, I need as much girl power as I can get!), but I am still working on finding a name for her - ideas?

My next slipcover project is underway (white with pleats and piping) - I am thankful to be busy :)

Have a great weekend!

Sherri

Front Entry Redo

July 1, 2013 Sherri Rice

Happy Monday! I am excited to share the "prequel" to this post! Mostly because it is finally done (the kitchen table has looked like this for the better part of a week - projects don't always happen very quickly around here :/ ),

but also because I am really happy with how it turned out!

Here is the before...

... it was just feeling a little tired and in need of a change. It's not a big space, but it has to live large since we use this entrance the most; our stairway from the second floor also comes down here. I had put the stripes in some time ago, with the ultimate goal of finishing off the space with crown molding (the adjacent room, the August Blues work space, has crown molding put in by the previous owners).

The large cupboard was great for storage, but it was feeling quite large in the space and I really wanted that storage to be available in our family room (anyone else struggle with Lego storage?). The shelf on the other side was ok, but it was getting bumped when we moved furniture in and out of the house, so we needed a more moveable solution.

First step, put up the crown molding! I kept this low budget by using molding we already had for another project and, the best part, we found the corner blocks on clearance at Lowes - REALLY on clearance (we may have cleaned out our local store so we would have them for future crown molding projects)! We had the paint, nails, and caulk on hand.

The corner blocks make the installation so easy! No fancy cuts with a fancy saw. I painted everything with primer and a first coat of paint first. I installed the corner blocks (inner and outer corners) with Liquid Nails and a couple of finishing nails to hold them in place while the liquid dried. Then I just measured in between the blocks and cut the crown molding to those measurements. A little Liquid Nails, some finishing nails and they were up (thanks to the Professor for helping me get them up!). I caulked (don't miss this step!), filled the nail holes, and painted the final coat of paint.

So much better (and now the stripes make more sense)! And here is the rest of the new look...

I shopped the house for the rest of the new look:

the shelf on the wall is the shelf that had been on the opposite wall, just painted white
the hooks had been here in the entry way in a previous version a few years ago
the baskets were from IKEA - they found a home here to store the Professor's caps
the storage bench came from the playroom upstairs. It now holds my shoes, but previously has also lived in the family room and has been seating at our kitchen table
I grabbed the pillows from the family room and guest room
the large metal basket came from Hobby Lobby a few months ago - it works great for the shoes I use most!
the antique chest came from the guest room (after a brief stop in the family room). I love this chest! We purchased it from an antique mall while we lived in our first house. It was covered in red high gloss paint that was starting to chip. It was cute for awhile, but then the red had to go. It was quite a job, but very worthwhile!

We are very happy with the finished project (our youngest said it looks like we live in a "fancy" house now!). It's functional and feels a little more like us. And now with all those corner blocks, more crown molding projects await :)

Have you tackled a new project lately? (I'm linking up here and here)

Sherri

P.S. Did you catch this?

Happy Canada Day!

Sick Days

March 7, 2013 Sherri Rice

Some weeks just go like this one - calls from the school nurse, doctors' visits, medication, kids filling time at home, etc. So, I took some time in between to tackle an area of life that needed a little re-organization.

Our pantry needed some help - it wasn't terrible, but there was just not enough room for some stuff and not the right storage space for other stuff. And I hadn't done a good reorganization in a while. My initial plan was to make a plan - you know, make a list of the things that need to go in there, decide how to best store it, figure out what I had for storage supplies, and get what I didn't have to make it better. Well, I had the time and decided to go ahead without the plan. Then Nester posted this today and I'm glad I did! (Btw, do you follow her? Always a breath of fresh air :) ).

Ahhh, that's better - breathing room! I thought I would share a few tricks that help this space work better for us.

First, since we have fixed wooden shelving that isn't going anywhere soon, I have added hanging wire shelves and stackable wire shelving units. They are flexible and I move them around as our storage needs change.

I like to use shallow plastic bins, trays, old pans to corral like things together. So, cooking oils and vinegars are together, extra baking supplies are together, opened bags of chips, etc. are together. I have not purchased items for this purpose, they are just containers that have lost lids, pans I no longer use, etc. Use what you have!

August Blues - Dishes and Chalkboard Labels

I moved all the dishes we use less regularly to the top shelf - they look pretty and are still accessible. If I had room for a proper china cabinet (in the dining room that is now my sewing room :) ), they would live there.

I store some things in glass containers which looks good and is functional. And the chalkboard labels? Cut from a roll of chalkboard contact paper (here).

I have created a little snack center for the boys on the lowest shelf. The bins work well (see, even a cardboard "tray" works!). Underneath there is exactly enough room for a step stool (IKEA) to help their height-challenged mom reach the top shelves easily.

And my favorite thing...

A baking cart! I started this in our previous house and it's a great feature if your pantry is large enough. The top shelf holds flours, sugars, etc. in ever-faithful Tupperware. The next shelf holds mixing bowls and small baking ingredients, yep, in a shallow basket. Bottom shelf holds whatever it needs to (napkins and drink bottles now). I just wheel it over to the counter and I have everything I need right at my fingertips :)

One more idea that works for us...

These baskets live in a cabinet above my main work counter. They hold spices and other cooking and baking ingredients - no shuffling through piles or stacks; I just pull the basket and easily see what I need!

So, just a few ideas for kitchen organization. It doesn't have to be Pinterest-pretty, it just has to work for you.

Do you have any tricks to keep your kitchen organized?

Sherri

Welcome to August Blues - I'm so glad
you're here! August Blues Slipcover Studio strives to enable your home to better serve its purpose, by providing you with quality custom slipcovers that enhance the appearance and functionality of your furniture pieces. Established in 2011 and located in Denton, TX...Read More

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