DIY TUTORIAL: How To Paint An Outdoor Wicker Loveseat

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing.

I know, I know... it is has been half an eternity since I posted a blog entry. There is good reason for that, but I am not at liberty to divulge any more information ... yet.

I came dangerously close to axing this project from my blog.. (moi= picky, picky)... cuz' I wasn't feelin' the iPhone shots that I quickly snapped to share my re-do. Sadly, my DSLR camera was a mere 50+ feet inside, but alas, I couldn't be bothered. You know how it goes when you're in the-noone-disturb-me-im-changing-the-world-creative zone.

I scored this Pier 1 patio love-seat off of Craigslist. However, it was in far worse condition than the seller mentioned and desperately needed some tender loving care. As the photo says, it really is a cheap + easy revamp.

So, grab yourself a few things:

• Old Wicker Furniture in dire need of a make-over -clean and prime it first for maximum longevity.
• Indoor/Outdoor Brown Spray Paint - i like this and this.
  
• Indoor/Outdoor Clear Poly Spray - i like this one.
• Plastic Tarp/Sheeting - like this.
• Bricks -to weigh down the tarp if it is windy.
• A Sunny-ish, not terribly windy day
  
• Sexy Mask Thingy - like this -to prevent breathing it in and suffering the respiratory consequences.
• Patience - it is a virtue after all.
• Earplugs- if you too have a neighbor who constantly tells you what to do

 Then, do a few things to prepare:

I chose not to prime this particular piece. Frankly, I am not sure the condition will stand up much longer than this year - so I didn't want to invest the time in extra work. If you want the finish to last as long as possible, I would strongly recommend priming it after a good scrubbing.

1. Safety First: put on your im-sexy-and-i-know-it mask. Don gloves if desired as well.
2. Lay out your tarp in an area away from anything you do not want overspray on. Place bricks on each corner and where the legs of the furniture wil go.
3. Get all your supplies handy, play some happy music and get ready to work.

Now, let's have some fun:

1. Shake It Baby! Shake that can for a couple minutes then begin spraying the piece. The can will recommend a minimum distance to keep from it, follow that advice to avoid runs. Spray thinly and evenly in long, sweeping strokes.
2. After a thin coat is covering the entire piece, wait 30-45 minutes then recoat in the same manner.
3. To ensure good coverage on wicker, you'll want to flip and turn the piece to spray it from every conceivable angle.
4. After it is all covered, let it dry for 2 hours before spraying the clear coating on.
5. Give it 4-6 hours to dry as a whole before moving it back.
6. It is wise to wait 24 hours before setting cushions on it. I however, put them on after 6 hours with no ill effects.

 © Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing.

I like to fill the time between drying and decorating by snapping and processing random shots with my iPhone.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing.

After it has dried, add your cushions.

If you have tendon issues as I do, whine for 3 days about the pain + numbness in your hand/forearm.

I already had the back cushions here (from home depot last summer) and had planned to keep the cushion that came with the craigslist find - until i saw it was swarming with stink bugs. Yuck!! The germaphobe inside me won out over the thrifty side and I broke down and bought a cushion from Pier 1.

We are still working on the patio as a whole and cannot wait to share it with you!

Warmly,

Chrysti

DIY TUTORIAL: Upcycled Birch Gift Wrap

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. Three things hold true for me where gift wrapping is concerned, most every year.

1) It's bound to be different than any other present you'll receive; I want it to make an impression.
2) I take package presentation seriously, v e r y seriously. No cartoony paper here.
3) You'll have a heckuva time opening it, by design- merely so it makes it entertaining for moi.

Combine those with a hefty dose of my im-so-terribly-cheap-err-frugal that I really want a boutique look for well, next to nothing.  Don't we all? So this year, after I completed the book, I did a big ol' clean-out in my studio and stumbled upon this massive roll of vintage wallpaper that i got for $1 at a salvage store when I lived in Raleigh, it was either here or here ... I honestly can't remember. It's off white, has a subtle birch pattern and simply lovely. I decided right then and there to use up some of it as gift wrap.

Wallpaper as gift wrap? Perfection! Heavy, doesn't tear easily, folds nicely - the roll will wrap 300+ gifts i think... talk about economical. (I'll be lining my drawers with some next!) The only slight drawback is that this paper repelled tape - so I had to improvise and used hot glue.

Yes, Hot Glue.

A dab here, a dab there... just enough to keep those flaps shut. (you can get one here if needed)

© 2011 Christy Hydeck

Once upon a time... I had an online supply store and sold lovely vintage ribbons and trims.

This red fabric trim, was one of those. Christmas Red. Birch Paper.

A match made in my studio, or heaven...

then again heaven is a studio to me...

Anyway, I digress.

With a massive, massive wholesale roll I am still trying to use up this stuff! (This appears to be similar, if you wanted a stash of your own) To adhere it to the package: I cut each piece so that when tightly pulled, the ends met in the middle. I secured it with a dab of hot glue. After a gazillion burns on my finger, I got a wee bit wiser and used scissors to press the ends into it - keeps it all nice and taut.

© 2011 Christy HydeckWith the ribbon all done, that just left the gift tags.

I'm a nature girl at heart.  I had a big ol' bag of birch bark that I had collected from forest floors, the parking lot by UNO's where the birch trees are and a jumbo bag that I swapped Donna for awhile back. It was a no-brainer to delve into that stash. To secure it to the present: Arrange pieces in a formation you like. Dab hot glue (betcha didn't see that one coming) to the back and press for a moment or two. Continue until happy with your placement. Write recipient name in Sharpie.

Sidenote: Why oh why do we hoard supplies as if they are precious and shouldn't be used? What good do they do collecting dust anyway? I'm on a mission to use what I have. Join me!

All in all, I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. For a bit of variety, I used the plain side of grocery bags and Kraft paper too.

© 2011 Christy Hydeck

I think you could add a sprig of evergreen for a nice finishing touch as well.

I already love, love, love the memories that I will have watching those I love open these gifts. I'm sure I shall be cussed at as they manipulate the hot glue, but in a loving sort of way. Ahhh, family.

Are your gifts all wrapped? Have creative wrapping ideas to share? Bonus points for anything that is upcycled, creative, cheap and/or eco-friendly. Share your link in the comments so we can all delight in the goodness too and most importantly, have a happy, happy, happy, holiday filled with memories and optional cussing.

Warmly,

Christy

P.S. More photos of the gifts + my holiday decor can be found here.

DIY Tutorial: No Carve Polka Dot Pumpkins

With a boatload of pumpkins and very little spare time, I needed a project that would be fun, fast and cute to boot!

So when I stumbled upon this idea from Better Homes + Gardens, I just knew I'd have to do my own take on it and share it with you. I have to say, I'm quite pleased with my findings.. as happy as a pumpkin rollin' in manure... (and here, you were under some misguided delusion that only pigs liked the stuff)

pffft!

Before I get carried away with horrifcly bad pumpkin puns, let's go gather some supplies.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing.

You'll Need:

• An Apple Corer - I have this one. I love the dotted edges.
• Paintbrushes
• Acrylic Paint- I love Claudine Hellmuth's paint line. Fun colors, great consistency, easily portable... love 'em.
• Optional: Staz-On Ink (I used timber brown)
• Pumpkins. I dig the white kind.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. Creating Them:

1) Press ye ol' apple corer to the pumpkin; hard enough to leave a visible mark.

2) Do this over & over ...allll over (how many times can one use that word?) until ye ol' pumpkin is covered in polka dots that are pleasing to the eye.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. 3) Grab the paintbrush and paint inside the circles. They can be all one color, multiple colors, it's just up to you. Whatever your choice, enjoy it. Claudine's paints made it oh-so-joyously-simple for me to choose a color palette. Simple = good in my book. Not like my literal book (almossst finished!) ... just that proverbial one.

anyway.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. 4) If desired, press ye ol' apple corer to the ink pad, just like it's a stamp.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. 5) Gently place the inked up corer it on the circles you made before. I just like adding that bit of definition around the circles and emphasizing the cute dotted pattern. The fact that it covers slight painting mistakes is an added bonus.

© Christy Hydeck -Don't tempt fate, karma or my lawyers by stealing. 6) Repeat on all your circles.

You're done! Yay you!

How cute is that?

You could turn the circles into flowers, add gems or beads to embellish them... endless possibilities! You'll love them til the end of vine...

(groan) That's my cue..

Happy pumpkin painting!

Chrysti

Psssst..... (did you see my easy-peasy textacular pumpkin project too?)