Easy {DIY} Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

The months of August and September have been crazy busy for me!  I thought for sure that when the kids were back to school that I would have SO MUCH TIME to get all of my housework, work-work, volunteer-work, and DIY fun-work done that I would be literally searching for something to do...WRONG!

Housework has been on hold, work-work has picked up, and volunteer-work comes in almost daily. This means that DIY fun-work gets squeezed in at all hours of the night while everyone is in bed and I am desperately trying to catch up with my "Mom-only" guilty pleasure shows (Mistresses, Devious Maids, Real Housewives of Miami...)

Here's my latest midnight project:

My Easy DIY Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

My daughter has been asking for her own desk since school started, but she doesn't have a lot of space in her bedroom. As I was searching for a small table I could transform into a desk, I came across this vintage sewing cabinet at my local thrift.

These are a fairly common item at garage sales and thrift shops.  In fact, there were two different ones for sale on the day I found her.  Yep, it's a her....

She was marked at $35 because she came with a working sewing machine installed, still a pretty good deal, but I really just wanted the cabinet.  The tag showed that it was the 7th day since she had been put out for sale, so I asked the manager and he brought the price down to $20, machine and all.

This girl weighed a good 40 lbs, so even if I wanted to just tuck away the machine, I knew it would just be way too cumbersome to keep installed. I unscrewed the bolts and set the massively heavy machine aside for my upcoming charity yard sale.

As part of my search for a desk, I had come across a new (to me, at least) line of chalk paints at a local home goods consignment shop and I decided to try some out.

I fell in LOVE with this coral color called Gypsy by Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint.  I coordinated it with some Annie Sloan Provence, used the Annie Sloan clear wax and left the hardware with its existing patina.  Not much work, but boy, what an update!

My daughter LOVES it, and it fits right into the little corner of her bedroom.  I'm still debating whether to hang a basket in the hole where the sewing machine was or to cover the hole completely with a thin piece of board, but for now she can do her homework in the comfort of her own room.

Adorable, right??  Now on to search for the perfect chair!




Click here to see the amazing sites where this and my other projects are linked!

 Other\ fun parties:
Saavy Southern Style

Upcycled Paper Bag Cape

My 'lil guy just turned 4! He chose the theme for his party: Heroes v Villains. It was so much fun!

One of his requests was that all party goers be able to make a cape and a mask. My response? "Perfect!"

The capes were so simple and fun to make I couldn't help but share. So here you go.

Start with a paper grocery bag. Open it up completely and start cutting at the side seam.

Continue to cut across the bottom and all the way around to the other side seam.

Cut a semi-circle in the middle of the bottom flap (this is where the cape will fit around the child's neck)

Next, open the edges of the circle where they are glued together and trim the ends so they are even.

Then, gently peal off the handle and your cape is almost done.

Finally, punch holes at the sides of the neck and tie ribbon through the holes. 

Now the kids are free to decorate and get creative!

One of my favorite little crafters, hard at work!

These were so much fun and totally FREE to make. And you know us Aqua gals adore a bargain. 

Fit for a Superhero and a great Halloween craft as well!
I know what you're thinking, "I can do that." Know what? You can. And you should. Because we also discovered that if you turn it around to your front it makes an awesome adult-sized bib for eatin' lots of BBQ!

Fall To Do's

I thought is was time to update my seasonal "to do's," especially since the official first day of fall was close to a month ago! I asked my little guys to help me with some of the things you do in the fall. Here are some of the outtakes.
Cook HotdogsPaint the GrassEat ChocolatePick LeavesRace Cars
So we compromised on a few and ended up with a pretty solid list.
And because I can't resist...here is the latest purse!

Creepy Crawly Bucket Hat

October is so close I can taste it! And with my oldest begging for a "fishing hat" I thought it was the perfect opportunity to use the spider-camo fabric I had picked up!
I am planning on making some spooktacular pj pants for the boys with this fabric as well, but for now, I am digging the hat.




It's even reversible...

Stay tuned for the pants and more creepy crawly goodies!

Skateboard Wall Art

My sweet boys. They love to create art and I just don't give them enough opportunities to explore their creativity - especially when it comes to decorating!
These little guys have big design ideas for their room and in the past I have been known to brush them under the rug.  But this project was just too good to pass up. 
My husband ordered 10 blank, white skateboard decks from Amazon.com and we let the boys go wild with spray paint, stencils and the letters of their names.




They were so excited to hang the finished product in their room!


How did that cutie slip in there?!
I have to admit...letting go of my control of how I want their room to look was refreshing! The project is personal and creative and it makes me so happy to walk in their room and see one-of-a-kind artwork!  

Creating with Ucreate!

Happy Labor Day!  Here at AquaSeventy6, Autumn and I have been soaking up the very last minutes with our kiddos before we send them off to school.

We are also in the process of designing a super fun challenge for our readers (and ourselves!)  More information to come later this week.

This afternoon, while browsing through the many blogs that I follow, I came across Ucreate Crafts' September "Create With Me" Project. The Tohoku Tote was originally featured on I Am Momma Hear Me Roar and sold for charity.  Now it is available for all of us to create and share.

After perusing the pattern I decided to give it a shot.  Best case scenario, I'd have something to blog about today.  Worst case, my daughter would have yet another piece for her "land of misfit purses" collection.  I am glad to say that it came out pretty great!

 The main fabric is a remnant piece of home decor fabric I found at Joanns many months ago.  The lining is a lined curtain panel I bought at Goodwill last year for $2

I have to admit, I will probably remove the bow.  I don't really think I made it the right way and I can see the hand stitching which really bugs me.

 I love the pockets.  I made a bigger one for my keys and a divided one for my cell phone and lip gloss.  I put the clasp on a little too high, and so it was a little hard to stitch around it.  You can see that my top stitching around the opening isn't as professional as I would like.

All in all, this bag came out pretty darn cute and is a great size!  Thanks to Ucreate for this fun group project!

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

Sorry for the late post this evening!  I have two sick kiddos at home.  Isn't it just the luck that they are perfectly fine on Saturday morning as they are getting their school physicals and immunizations, and an hour after we get home they are stuffed up and have sore throats?!  Boo.

Here's a little project that is kind of a work in progress.  You saw my hand painted sign in my powder room. Well, the adjacent wall needed a little bling-- but on a budget. Using some remnant fabrics and embroidery hoops, I made a little collage of sorts and I just love the way it came out!

I found a few of the hoops at a local thrift shop for 25 cents apiece.  The others are from Hobby Lobby and Joann's.  Most of the fabrics are remnant pieces that I've found for 50% off around town.

I just stretched the fabric in each hoop and cut off the excess.  Super easy!

I'm going to keep searching for hoops at thrift stores as well as remnant fabric pieces or thrifted curtains/tablecloths/pillowcases/etc. within this color pallet that I can upcycle into additional pieces for this collection.

Do you love it, or do you love it?? :)

Scroll down to see where this and our other fab projects are linked! 

More Monogrammed Wreaths

I was inspired by the Yvette's monogrammed wreath and decided I needed one for my front door as well.



I covered a plain cardboard letter J with burlap,



Then wrapped a frame with some scrap fabric. So simple! It's the perfect pop of color for my dull front porch (outside is really not my thang...but I'm working on it!).

Scrap Fabric Cuff

Here's a little project you can do with some simple fabric scraps.  This:

Plus this:

Can turn into this:

I love my new cuff! I found the vintage trim a few months ago at one of my favorite Land O' Lakes thrift stores.  The center fabric was a remnant piece of home decor fabric from Joanns and the base fabric was left over from my dish towels.  I covered a button with the same blue fabric and made a little loop to hold it together.  This entire project cost me less than $2 and took less than an hour.

Scroll down to see where this and our other projects are linked!