$4 Console Table

I told you a few weeks back that the hubs was working on some built-ins...well, he has been doing a great job on them!  Since he was in the building mood, he decided to make a console table with all the scrap MDF he had laying around to hold extra toys. We found our inspiration Here..there were plans, but we didn't have enough MDF to make the exact same table, so there was some improv building. The reason it's a $4 table is because I had to make a quick trip to Lowes to get one 1x3 board. 

I helped a little(held things in place, painted, moral support), but he was definitely the brains behind the job:o) I'm so proud of my little handy man:o)

The canvas baskets came from T.J. Maxx. 

The rug is from Marshalls.

I found this cute little owl and the sign at Marshall's too.

 Lamps and lamp shades(clearance find) from Walmart.

 And here are the beginnings of the built-ins. We recycled our entertainment center, and attached it to the wall. Then the hubs made the window seats. He finished it out with trim across the bottom. Eventually there will be more added on, and the whole thing painted white, but right now he needs to focus on his thesis.

 Hasn't he done a fantastic job?!? 

 I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. We have ours filled with food, football, friends and family...it doesn't get much better than that!

Participating here:

Pottery Barn's Hadley Ruched Duvet Knock Off

I hope that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day.  S.R. has a sinus infection right now, so things have been a little off kilter around here.

I still haven't been able to use my chalk paint yet, but I am really looking forward to it:o)

 I did get the chance to finish a project that I have been working on.

A couple of weeks ago the Pottery Barn catalog came in the mail. I always get excited when those things come because they have so many beautiful things in them. 

When I saw the Hadley Ruched Duvet Cover, I wanted it....badly. Isn't it beautiful?

Photo Credit: Pottery Barn

I really wanted it for MY bed, but the hubs and the color white aren't on good terms, so I knew that having it in our room was a no-go:o/ The guest room needs a makeover, so I decided to put it there.

I knew that this was something that I could make. Pottery Barn sells this duvet cover for $179.00. That's just the cover...if you don't have a duvet, then there is another added cost. So after studying the picture for a few days, I figured it out, and I was able to make mine for $75...that's INCLUDING the purchase of a duvet($24.99 King Size at Target):o)

Here's mine:

Want to know how I did it?

Here's what you need:

3 King size Flat sheets(this is for a queen bed)-$15 each at Walmart

4 or 5 packs of 1" wide Twill tape- around a $1 each...I think...(you could also use bias tape here)

White thread

Pins

Scissors

To begin.....

Wash and dry all 3 sheets.  

Cut the tops of the sheets off.

See picture:

Take 2 sheets and stitch cut ends together. Press open seam. 

This next part was a tad tricky for me in the beginning. I thought I would try to measure everything out to figure where I needed to have the long baste stitch lines, but it proved to be more of a hassle, sooooo

I folded the sheet in quarters lengthwise(in half, then halvsies again) and stretched it down the hallway to make sure that everything was folded correctly and smoothly. 

Press down all of the edges with a HOT iron using your steam. These lines will be your guide for your stitch lines.

Head to your machine, and use a basting stitch the entire length of the sheet. You will do this 5 times. 3 for the interior lines and 1 vertical line on either side of the outer edges.

You will be covered in fabric:o)

Once all of your lines have been sewn, you will need to start gathering. Find the little string on the end and start pulling. This takes FO-EVUH because you have to be careful not to break the string.

Lay it across the 3rd sheet and make all edges match up with the bottom sheet. You want to try to keep all of the gathers even.

Get your twill tape out and start pinning it across your stitch lines. Make sure to get your pins fairly close so that the gathers will not loosen when you pick up the top.

Stitch the twill tape down one side and them the other side.

Lay your finished top back on the 3rd sheet face down. Pin around the perimeter.

Make sure to leave a gap so that you will be able to insert your duvet later.

Stitch the perimeter.

Turn right side out and insert duvet. Fold in edges of opening, pin, and stitch.

Then you are done:o)

Pottery Barn's version has button holes for easy removal, but since this bed will not be used a lot, I am not worried about removing the duvet.

This project is fairly simple, but can be daunting with the amount of fabric you have to deal with.

I would say this project is for intermediate to advanced sewers.

So what do you think?

Is it a keeper?

It's totally girly:o)

It just needs some really cute pillows to match....thinking those will be purchased;o)

So again here's the comparison.

Mine:

And Pottery Barn's

I think it's a keeper;o) And it saved me a whopping $129(not including the purchase of the duvet)!

This Project has been featured here:

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Ballard's Provost Plaque Tutorial

Hey You guys! What a week this has been....I have been busy working on S.R.'s Barbie Birthday Party, and I can't wait to share some picture with ya'll...it is turning out so pretty!!! I will have to say that I am a LOT less stressed since the party is smaller...and I started decorating on Monday:o) Next week will be nothing BUT Barbie Party posts:o)

btw....

S.R. IS 3 TODAY:O)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

For those of you who weren't able to see my guest post at Infarrantly Creative last week, here is the tutorial of the Provost Plaque...and for those of you who want to know what this sign means....this is a replica of an antique French pastry shop sign.

So here goes...

So anyway, I started thinking about what I would want to share with you guys, and it didn't take me long to decide on a knock-off version of the Ballard Designs Pruvost Plaque. I have been drooling over this plaque for ages, and knew that I could make it. I just needed the proper motivation...i.e. guest posting:o)

Here is a picture of what Ballard's looks like:

 Photo Credit: Ballard Designs

And here is what mine looks like:

(please pardon the lighting. It was overcast and towards the end of the day)

The dimensions of Ballard's plaque was too large for the space above my kitchen windows, so I scaled it down a bit.

This project cost just under $30....and Ballard's is $249. 

I am not a woodworker. I leave all woodworking up to my husband. Every time I try a new project involving wood, it is always a COMPLETE FAILURE. However, I completed this entire project by myself!!

Here's what you need:

3- 1x4x6 Pine Boards($10.38 total)

1/2 Pint of Dark Walnut Stain ($5.19)

3 Packs of 3" Mending Brackets($7.11 total..comes in a 4 pack)

Accent Trim piece($6.18)

Wood Glue(on hand)

Picture hanger(on hand)

Acrylic Paint-Black and Green (on hand)

Cutting tools(saw, jig saw)

Screw Driver

 I started out by cutting all the boards on our miter saw.

1st Board=12" wide

2nd and 3rd Board=36" wide

4th Board=46" wide

Bottom Board=60" wide

  

These next few steps are done on the BACK of the boards.

 I drew a line on the end of each board to help me keep the boards centered. 

Once all the boards were lined up, I attached the mending brackets in the center. 

 I took a couple of sheets of paper and taped them together and made a template. I cut it out and taped it to the boards and traced it with a pencil.

 This is what the back looked like before I cut the boards with my jigsaw.

 I went ahead and put my first coat of stain on before using the jigsaw. 

 Next comes the really fun part, using the jigsaw. I didn't get a picture of this step because I was a little busy:o)

Once the entire plaque was cut out, I started on the trim. I didn't want to have to fuss with nails and wood putty, so I just used wood glue to attach the trim.

 The letters are just freehand. I drew them out with pencil first, and went back with the Black acrylic paint.

 

 Close up of the letters

 Once I got all of the letters painted on, I put my second coat of stain on, and I painted the trim green. I also dirtied up the the green paint with a little bit of stain.

 And there you have it.

 This project was really easy, and very, very inexpensive. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to stop by Fussy Monkey Business anytime!!

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