CatK Redefine Design Blog

The Bling Branch - Tree Branch Crystal Chandelier

11/20/2015

We have spent most of the past few months working on our deck, but it is finally finished and now it is time to decorate! I knew I wanted something that had some sparkle to hang over our outdoor dining table and after numerous ideas I decided to finally turn this branch into something (I had been saving it for something special!)

Here is how we took this sad stick and turned it into a beautiful centerpiece for our deck!

Materials

Miscellaneous:

Tree Branch
Glass Votive holders (From Amazon)
Hanging Crystals (From Amazon)
- 15 Pack Crystals
- 10 Pack Crystals

Craft Store:

Looking Glass Spray Paint
White spray paint primer
Split Rings (for jewelry making)
Jewelry Chain
Two sets of jewelry pliers

Home Improvement Store:

(4) large eye bolts (rated for the weight of your branch) - Example
(20) Small eye bolts/Screw Eyes

Polyurthane spray paint
Drill and Drill bit for large eye and small eye bolts
Fine Wire (for hanging- make sure it is the correct weight rating)
Swaging Tool (Home Depot)
(4) Furrell's to match wire (Home Depot)

Steps

Step One - Find a lovely branch. It must be Lovely.
Saw off the ends and any offshoot branches so it is a nice clean shape
Use a dry scrub brush to gently work off any dirt of debris

Spray branch with several coats of primer and then Looking Glass paint

Determine where you need the primary hanger hooks to go
I did this using the incredibly scientific method of lightly holding the branch with my thumb and index finger from each hang until I got a good feel for the center of balance and then played with it until it sat how I wanted it and marked those spots with a Sharpie
Using those marks, I drilled holes for the Eye Hook and screwed those in

Flipping the branch over I used a ruler to evenly space where I wanted the glass votive holders to go.
I marked those spots with Sharpie and drilled small holes, then screwed the little eyes into the wood
After I knew where the votives were going I used the ruler to space the eye's for the crystals around them

Now that that basis of the chandelier was finished I just had to hang the votives and crystals
I staggered the length of the crystals for the casual look I wanted (and this also allows me to tweek the length so keep the crystals from banging into one another I attached the crystals to the eyes using the split jewelry rings
Most of the votives I used the split jewelry rings to attach directly to the eyes but a few I used the jewelry chain to let them hang a little lower for that staggered look

Time for hanging!
I didn't want to hang this with a standard chandelier chain (though you can if that is the look you want!) I wanted something a little more industrial and a little less "there" so opted to go with a aluminum wire rope swagged together with a furrell
Unfortunately we didn't get any picts doing that but here is a good video that shows the whole process (except we didn't use the "thimble"). It's really easy but you do have to have the Swaging tool

Here is is hung and complete! I need to get some photos with the candles lit, it is really pretty!!

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Roll up picnic blanket or dog bed

4/18/2015

6 Comments

Austin is a wonderful, pet friendly town and I love to take my dog out on pretty days, but I have to admit, he's a bit of a princess. He doesn't like to rest his pretty paws on gravel, or cement or really even grass so I set about making a soft, easily portable roll up blanket for him. This exact same project would make an amazing picnic blanket by just expanding the size!

Don't let the number of steps and pictures daunt you, the project only took me about an hour start to finish, but the way the fabric comes together is a little tricky so wanted to make sure there were plenty of photos!

Supplies

1 yard of pleather
1 yard of fleece
2 yards of quilt batting (to double up)

Ribbon
Sewing supplies (Sewing machine, scissors, thread, tape measure etc)

Directions

I wanted the blanket to be 24" x 35" when it was completed so the pleather, fleece and batting to 25" x 36"
Cut a strip of pleather to 3" x 36" (for the strap)
Fold strip in three (As shown below)

Carefully sew down the flap as shown 1/4" from the edge of the strap, then turn around and sew down the other side so it is symetrical

Stack and pin the the batting, fabric, strap/ribbon and pleather with the strap and ribbon sandwiched between the pleather and fleece layer as shown in the diagram and photo below, making sure the "good" side of the pleather is facing the "good" side of the fleece

Sew around the outside edge of the fabric using the half inch guide reinforcing the ribbon and strap hem leaving a minimum of 6" free on one side (you will flip it right side out using this hole)

Using the hole you left, flip the fabric inside (photo shows after "The Flip")

Fold in the fabric for the hole and face stich over that a quarter of an inch in and then run around the whole blanket - this will make the edges lay nice and flat

I used the check pattern and stiched an X through all the layers as a final step- this will help keep the batting in place and make it lay better.

I fold the sides in and then roll up to the strap, then just use the ribbon to tie a pretty bow. from the front it looks like a pretty purse!

6 Comments

Qui

3/16/2015

2 Comments

My husband and I have been obsessed with the culinary stylings of Chef Paul Qui since he was making amazing and innovative dishes at Uchiko. Watching him go through Top Chef and were confident from the beginning that he would be the winner. After easily wrapping up that competition he proceeded to open this amazing little gem and we have been delighted on our numerous visits to Qui (and that is apparently pronounced /kē/). The restaurant originally started as a standard, “choose your own adventure” menu but it has since morephed into a what's fresh today, best of the best. Now when you go (and do make reservations, they fill up fast!) you have just two options; a choice of a Standard (aka Carnivorous) or Vegetarian tasting menu of roughly seven courses at a set- and I feel VERY reasonable for what you get- price. They also offer a “beverage pairing” which I highly recommend, they get it right. Every beverage perfectly complements the course and adds yet another layer of complexity. Since we just went this past Friday and did the Carnivorous menu (with beverage pairing… of course!) I snuck some photos of my amazing grub and wanted to post a play by play of the greatness.

I actually had one of the "best bites" of my life here a few months back and want to make sure I specifically call it out as well. They had amazing Amberjack sliced sashimi style that they brought to the table with smoking, red hot chunk of binchotan (a white oak I believe) that they rested directly on the wood for the briefest of moments before pulling it off and setting it carefully in a squid ink/sumiso (type of sweet miso vinegar sauce). AMAZING. We ordered a second round of it. They had something similar last week, and it was really-really good... but WOW, the Amberjack... that sauce... mmm...

The Menu (3.13.15)

course:
marcona almond, shaved lardo, piperrada, smoked trout roe, gazpacho

beverage:
virtue sidra de nava, michigan, US, NV

thoughts:
Tasty with nice rich flavors, beautiful presentation

course:
yellowtail crudo, roasted pistachios, tomato, cucumber, "yoshi-dashi"

beverage:
jules taylor gruner veltliner, marlborough, NZ, 2013

thoughts:
Nice, fresh, refreshing. Perfect for the first Spring-like day of the year! The fish was amazing

course:
fried chicken, smoked oyster aioli, sal de gusano, egg yolk custard

beverage:
hitachino nest white ale, ibaraki, JP

thoughts:
I loved the egg yolk custard and it was by far my husbands favorite dish and it was delicious but honestly was too rich for me.

course:
hamachi seared on binchotan, midorizu, flowers

beverage:
hanzell "sebella", chardonnay, sonoma, CA, 2013

thoughts:
This is the "seared on a red hot log" dish. I can't describe how amazing that oak smoked flavor is, it just isn't right for anything to be that delicious.

course:
pork blood, maitake, sunchoke, brussel sprout, red onion, henbit

beverage:
cleto chiarli lambrusco, emilia-romagna, IT, NV

thoughts:
My husband really liked this dish but to be honest is wasn't my favorite

course:
texas wagyu shortrib, tamarind, wasabi, coffee bean

beverage:
famille perrin cotes du rhone reserve, grenache, syrah, rhone valley, FR, 2012

thoughts:
This was a delicious little chunk of steak, slow cooked and fork tender. The little unexpected punch of wasabi on top made the dish.

course:
coconut fig caramel, goat milk ice cream, coffee cashew semifreddo

beverage:
von honsebrouch kasteel rouge, ingelmunster, BEL

thoughts:
tasty little dessert, the caramel was super tasty and the texture of the semifreddo was decadently silkey

Check out their website!

qui
http://quiaustin.com/
(512) 436-9626
1600 E 6th St
Austin, TX 78702

2 Comments

Noble Sandwiches - Burnet

1/25/2015

1 Comment

When we lived in Cedar Park we went to the Noble Pig (now renamed to Noble Sandwiches) on RR620 for lunch pretty regularly but haven't been since we moved to South Austin a year ago. We just realized there is a Noble Sandwiches on Burnet close to the triangle so headed up there to check it out. It is just as great as the original and the interior is a beautiful, sleek industrial/cottage feel. I wish I had gotten a picture of the decor, it was really nice.

On to the food, we got a few half sandwiches so we could try a few things We had a Duck Pastrami Ruben sandwich (on bacon bread... excuse me while I wipe the drool off the keyboard), Knuckle Sandwich and the Noble Pig on challah.

The smoked duck pastrami is extremely tender with a wonderful smokey flavor, and -according to my husband- it is "super tastie-fied." But really, I think the house made pickles and bread really make their sandwiches, it is all fresh made, light, fluffy and flavorful. The level of pride they put into making something generally thought of as being "simple" is really the secret. Everything they serve is fresh and handmade by them, and it is all delicious.

Check out their menu here!

Noble Sandwich Co.
noblesandwiches.com
(512) 666-5124
4805 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756

1 Comment

Ramen Tatsu-Ya South Lamar

1/21/2015

3 Comments

I have been waiting patiently (or not so patiently!) for the South Austin Ramen Tatsu-Ya since one of the nice waitresses at the North location let it slip a year ago that they were opening one up MUCH closer to me.

I am an Asian soup junkie, and Ramen tops my list of must haves, and I would say Ramen Tatsu-Ya is the most amazing Ramen I've had. I love the stuff. It is like liquid crack. With an egg in it.

So, now that I've already said how crazy I am about this place I was SOO excited when I found out they are doing a soft opening before they are "Open-Open" next week. Probably no need to say, but we were THERE as soon as I knew it was an option.

The South Austin location was honestly a little classier and I don't think it'll be as noisy as the North location, I love that they took the feel of their North restaurant and took it up a notch design wise. Every one there was so nice and helpful and the food was 100% as amazing as what I've come to expect from Tatsu-Ya.

I always get the #2 (Tonkotsu Sho-Yu -Tonkotsu broth with special blend of soy sauce, chashu, ajitama egg, menma bamboo, crushed peppercorns, scallions and nori.) with an extra Ajitama (egg) and a spicy bomb

But my husband gets the #1 (Tonkotsu Original - Creamy pork bone soup with chashu, ajitama egg, wood ear mushroom and scallions) with extra chashu pork and the corn bomb.

They are both always amazing. I highly reccomend this spot. It is amazing! Oh, but you probably want to get there early, the North location gets a line around the building starting about 6:15, so try to beat the crowd!

Ramen Tatsu-Ya
1234 S. Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704

3 Comments

Quick and Painless Pendant Light Update

1/19/2015

14 Comments

Our house came with the standard builder grade pendant lights (see picture below) and while they work there were boringly blah. I am obsessed with the clear, clean line shades with Edison bulbs but *yikes* the price tags seem a little silly! Especially for such a simple item. On further inspection I decided my pendants were actually not bad except for the shades so I set out to decide how to update them!

Origional, Builder Grade Pendant lights

Materials

Updated shades or jars/flower vase
* If using a jar or vase you will need a diamond tip hole saw to cut a hole in the bottom

Spray paint to match your pendant
Edison Bulbs
Paper grocery bag
Painters Tape

Steps

Decide what shade covers you want to use. I had originally intended to buy glass cheap jars or flower vases and use a diamond tipped hole saw (the round attachments for the drill) but I found something that was exactly what I wanted at West Elm for almost as cheap as any vase I could buy, so scooped up three of those!

West Elm Lens Glass Shade

Remove the existing shades and set aside the washer used to hold it in place. Then use painters tape to cover the metal bells

Slit your paper bag up the side so you can use it as a spray shield to keep the spraypaint from getting on everything, then carefully spray the white ceramic light plugs

Take the rings outside and spray paint those to match everything else

After everything is dry reassemble everything using the new shades and install your Edison Bulbs

14 Comments

Decorative Dog Bed

1/10/2015

1 Comment

I wanted to post an old project of mine. Sorry for the limited pictures! I wanted to make a more asthetically pleasing bed for my dog, and I also wanted to direct him to something other than the sofa. He liked being high enough to look around the room and see out the window so this was my solution!

Materials

3'x3' foam, 4" deep
3'x3' 1" thick plywood
1x6" lumber cut into (2) 37.5" lengths and (3) 36" lengths
Four Legs and appropriate fasteners for these

Staple Gun
Nail Gun
Fabric
Batting

Steps

Mark two inches from the bottom on the four pieces of 1x6 lumber
Use the 1x6's to form a box around the plywood square, nailing the plywood at the 2" line you drew.
Put the two 36" boards on opposite sides and then the 37.5" boards on the remaining two sides, nailing all the corners together
Attach the legs to the bottom corners of the plywood square
Now the frame is complete!

For the upholstered portion first wrap the 1x6's in batting and secure in place with staples
Take a long strip of fabric and wrap it around the outside of the frame and then fold the fabric over the top of the frame and staple it on the inside.
Then, turning the entire project over stretch the fabric to the underside and staple it there
Finally, I was lazy and just wrapped the fabric around my cushion and safety pinned it in place. Then squashed the pillow into the frame.

1 Comment

Folding Dining Table

12/28/2014

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Our house doesn’t have a dedicated dining room- or even a breakfast room- and since we love to entertain this has been a bit of a problem. We have a good sized sectional so I wanted to be able to use that for seating like a banquette, but we have a large, heavy coffee table that isn’t practical to move regularly. Finally we settled on making a folding dining table that could sit over the coffee table. Here’s how we made it:

Materials

Sturdy Square folding table
¾” thick ply wood, pre-cut to 4’x6’
Drill
Saw

Matching veneer edging
Stain
Spray Polyurethane

Steps

Start with a sturdy folding table with a metal or wood frame and a wooden top (we got ours from Target). We had to use the old school square kind (like the card table your grandmother has!). This was a requirement because we needed the legs to sit on the sides of the coffee table and not the Y bar that the rectangular tables use.

Standard dining chairs are taller than a sofa so sit on your sofa and measure from the floor to your ideal table height. Save the rubber feet from the metal legs and then cut the legs to give you the right table height. Reattach the feet on the cut legs.

Cut the corners off the plywood tabletop (this is so people can move around the table easier since they are sitting on a sofa) and sand all the edges down, rounding the points.

With the bottom of the plywood up, measure and place the folding table in the center of the plywood. Then use multiple the screws to firmly attach the folding table to the new plywood table top.

Attach veneer edging and stain wood desired color and complete with spray on Polyurethane

It is now complete! If you are in a loft you could also attach mounting toward the top of the plywood and hang it on the wall as is or get creative and paint it to use as art!

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Industrial Shelves

12/27/2014

6 Comments

I spent a while looking at different shelving ideas and finally settled on exactly what I wanted, I nice, rustic/industrial floating shelving unit. Here is the sketch of my "vision"

I wanted a nice rustic shelf so we went with 2” thick building grade lumber and a hanging rail system to attach it to the wall

I was only able to get the rail system in a mixture of black and white, but I wanted everything a rubbed bronze color so spray painted all the railing

Then we attached the railing system to the studs and painted the “cubby” my teal accent color

Next we sanded and cut all the shelves to size. Then notched the shelves where the rail bars would go so the shelves would sit flush against the wall

Treated the pine with Minwax Pre-Stain (which is a requirement to get pine to stain well)

Then stained everything and finished it off with a satin spray on Polyurethane

Finally, we assembled and filled with goodies. The shelving is complete!

6 Comments

Holiday Card Display

12/19/2014

0 Comments

I love getting Holiday Cards but it can be difficult to find a good way to show them off. here's a quick and easy trick I use.

I have floating shelves (Well, almost, I will stain them next week!) and decided I wanted to see the holiday cards hanging under one of those.

So for a simple and elegant solution I measured enough holiday ribbon to circle around the shelf, added some slack and then tied a pretty knot.

I looped this over my floating shelf and used Christmas clips to attach the cards.

This would easily be adapted to hanging on a wall using push pins to keep the ribbon attached, or for a reusable solution you could take a piece of lightweight wood, cover it with wrapping paper and staple the ribbons on the back of the board and hang it.

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Dog Scarf

12/19/2014

0 Comments

For some quick holiday pet garb I love scarfs. The fastest way to get an adorable dog scarf is with performance fleece, you don’t have to worry about hemming, you just cut it to the right size, add some detail and you are done!

Materials

1/4th yard of performance fleece
Scissors

Steps

1) I have a “large” dog (~65 lbs) and for him I get a fourth of a yard of performance fleece from the fabric store and then cut it in half

2) I use the selvage edge (the manufacturer finished edge) and fold it like an envelope, but overlap the edges more

3) Using sharp scissors I cut a straight line (about an inch and a half) through all three layers

4) Then, on the opposite end I cut a slit straight up the middle, about a 12", creating two "feet"

5) Then cut little fringe on these two “feet”

6) I take the right “foot” and pull it through the slit I cut in step 2

7) Then tie the left “foot” to form a decorative knot

Now it's ready to wear!

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Shelving Decisions!

12/11/2014

1 Comment

Shelving Decisions! 12/11/2014

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I really want to get shelving squared away in my living room. I have so many nick-nacks and mischellani that I want to have out. Not to mention those are the things that add character and warmth to a home. So I have been scoping things out for a little while and am starting to get a good idea of what I want them to look at. Here are some of my inspirations!

Follow CatK's board Industrial Living Room Shelving on Pinterest.

1 Comment

Shelving Decisions

12/11/2014

9 Comments

I really want to get shelving squared away in my living room. I have so many nick-nacks and mischellani that I want to have out. Not to mention those are the things that add character and warmth to a home. So I have been scoping things out for a little while and am starting to get a good idea of what I want them to look at. Here are some of my inspirations!

CatK's Pintrest board Industrial Living Room Shelving.>

9 Comments

Upholstered Murphy Bed Headboard

12/11/2014

9 Comments

DIY Murphy Bed Headboard button nailhead

We love having guests come stay, and in our new place there wasn’t enough room for a dedicated guest room, so we decided to make my husband’s office a multi-use space by adding a Murphy bed. We found a used Murphy bed frame on Craigslist and got that installed but the when the bed is down (in “bed” position) there is a huge gap between the head of the bed and the wall since the bed pivots. I knew I wanted to have some type of headboard but it couldn’t be anything permanently attached, it would have to move with the bed as it opened and closed. It took a while mulling over the problem before I finally came up with the solution.

I could create a two part headboard. The headboard Base would be sandwiched between the head of the bed and the metal frame that kept the mattress from sliding off the frame. This would have hinges used to attach the main portion of the headboard, which would fold over the bed when it was in it’s upright position and then flip back to lean against the wall to form the headboard when it is in use. *see design drawings below*

Here are the pictures of the Murphy Bed folded up and laid down before the headboard

Materials

Plywood pre-cut at Home Depot to 57” x 37” (Headboard) and 57” x 9.5” (Base) dimensions (*width must not exceed width of bed or the Murphy Bed will not fold up so if you are making this PLEASE measure your specific Murphy Bed)
Twin bed quilt batting
Staple gun and ¼” staples

Four door hinges
Drill
Button making kit
Decorative nail head trim
Long upholstery needles
Cable Ties
Heavy duty thread or button floss

Steps

I was going to use cable ties to attach the support board to the metal frame, so first off I placed that at the foot of the bed and marked where the wholes would need to go for the cable ties and drilled those holes.

Line both boards up with and attach hinges evenly spaced, then remove the pins in the hinges so they boards are again separate

I want button tufting so measured on my fabric where I wanted those to go and then marked where I wanted the buttons on the board, then drilled holes for those.

Take the quilt batting and using it in a double layer, stretch it across the main headboard and staple it down on the back. Cut v-shaped spaces for the hinges as you are going and make sure the batting will not interfere with the hinges

Cut the bottom layer of batting even with the hinges and tuck the top V under the bottom layer so it lays just against the hinge

I used long needles sticking through the button holes I pre-drilled to make sure that the fabric lined up correctly with my buttons. With these in place I carefully stretched the fabric and stapled it to the back of the board.

I used the same trick for the hinges from earlier and cut V’s and tucked those under the batting

There is a heavy duty button floss you can use for attaching your buttons, but I didn’t have it do just used three strands of heavy duty thread. Cut this very long, string your button so it is dangling in the middle of the thread and then carefully poke your needle through the fabric in the spot you want your button to sit.

Pull the thread through the drilled hole to the other side of the headboard and separate the two halves of the thread. Take some of the quilt batting and form it into a fluffy “meatball” and place that between the ends of thread. Now make a slip knot out of the two ends of thread and pull it on the batting until the button looks like you want. Once it is in place do several tight knots to permanently tie your slip knot in place.

For the nail head trim, I decided to cheat a little and use the string of nail heads where you only have to attach every 5th one; this is a lot faster and a lot easier to keep straight

There are special decorative tack hammers with silicone ends that won’t damage the tacks but I didn’t have one so I took some wadded up fabric and taped it to the end of my hammer

Using a T-Square for simplicity sake I used it’s width as a guide and traced the line with a pencil, and then I attached my nail head trim making sure to stay on the line.

The last step on the headboard was to stretch some scrap fabric over the entire back and staple that in place. It gives it a clean, finished look when it is down and will help to keep the batting balls holding the buttons in place from coming loose.

I wanted consistency to on the base I strung my zip ties through, then followed the same process I used above; Covered it in batting, then fabric.

I positioned the base exactly where I wanted it, and then used the zip ties to secure it to the frame. Once that was attached I lined the headboard hinges up and put the pins back in. Gravity would keep the headboard in place just fine but for a little extra insurance I added Velcro strips to the top edge of the headboard and the wall.

Button Tufting

Nailhead Trim

Update: 10.25.15

I have had a couple of questions on how this was attached so took a few more pircutres and took a quick video to try to better show the hing and how I attached the headboard to the frame

Video:

Base:
For the "base" portion of the headboard I had drilled holes in the wood for cable ties where they would loop over the metal frame and ran the ties through the holes before i covered it with fabric.

This is the best picture of the metal frame at the head of the bed from before I installed the headboard:

Headboard from the front:

With mattress pulled out

Images of the space between the wall and back of the headboard
- Since no one sees this I didn't bother to make it pretty, it's just functional :)

Front to Back View

9 Comments

Kitchen Organization

11/7/2014

0 Comments

I just wanted to briefly mention two of the ways I maximize space in my little kitchen. They are both was cabinet retrofit options but they have made an enormous difference in the ability to use the space well. I also easily and quickly installed both of these by myself (no hubby help at all).

The first is a two level pots and pans drawer that pulls out of your cabinet and allows for multiple size pots and pans on the bottom and then space on the top for all the lids. I really love that everything isn't crammed together, getting banged up every time I try to get something out. I really have no clue where we would have put all of our nice cook wear without this. I got this specific unit at Lowes

The second great organization tool I have is a skinny pull out drawer for cookie sheets etc. The skinny cabinet was too narrow to fit anything in and this made it very useful and functional space.

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Fainting Couch 5 - The Fainting Continues

9/14/2014

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I finished up my class and have now taken the couch home, unfortunately even though I am so close to being done I haven't managed to scrape up the time to finish it COMPLETELY. Here is where I am at currently, all that is left is to finish attaching the welt cord around the front base and then deciding what type of nailhead trim I want to use!

To Be Continued...

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Fainting Couch 4 - Progress photo!

8/18/2014

0 Comments

I am just doing a quick update to include my most recent progress photo from this weekend.

Top Be Continued...

0 Comments

Will the Real Ombre Please Stand Up

8/17/2014

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I have always felt like windows are the eyes of a house. From the outside you can look in and feel like you get a glimpse of what is going on inside, and from the inside you get a vivid –though sometimes distorted- view of the world going on around us. Well, if windows are the eyes of the home than curtains are definitely the eyelashes. Yes, they have function in the form of protection from the outside, but more than that there is something so utterly luxurious about a well-dressed window that they can change the whole feel of a space.

Our home centers around a great room crowned by a soaring, two story ceiling. While the open feel is great, as a friend of mine once put it is “A lot of wall.” I can see where they were coming from, it really is a lot of beige, designer-beware, no-man’s-land. Too high to hang art, and honestly, too much of a pain in the butt to paint. Instead I opted to add a splash of color in the form of curtains that would cascade down from the top of the second floor windows and fall down almost to the floor.

What I finally set my heart on was a sheer, slub knit fabric- preferable something natural like linen or cotton- with a teal ombre gradiating from darkest at the floor into nothing at the top, in the hope of grounding the living room while at the same time flaunting the height.

After exhausted searches I was unable to find ANYTHING like that, not to mention anything similar would have been a fortune. Heck, just that much fabric was EXPENSIVE. I don’t remember how I stumbled on the idea but a lightbulb finally went off.

Cheesecloth. Fine quality cheesecloth is pure cotton and shows a beautiful loose knit weave. So how did I do it?

Making Curtains

1.       I bought a 60 yard box of unbleached grade 90 cheesecloth from http://cheeseclothfabric.com/ , it was a beautiful natural linen color and was exactly what I was hoping for.

2.       I failed to pre-wash the fabric and that was a major mistake on my part. The cheesecloth shrank after I hemmed it so don’t be a goober like I was!

3.       I measured the length I wanted my curtains and then added an additional 10 inches.

4.       For the top I folded it twice, first 1 inch under, and then folded another 3 inches and sewed it just inside the edge of the hem. For the bottom I did the same thing but went 5 inches. *

* Make sure you are using cotton thread so it will dye the same as the fabric!

5.       Now the curtains are done! Unfortunately they are boring. Now it’s time to start dying!

Ombre Dying

32 gallon trash can
Liquid RIT dye in the color you desire
1 gallon pitcher

Large stainless steel spoon
Rit color remover (for Oops moments!)

1.       After fiddling with dying scraps of fabric I finally got the mix of colors I wanted down. If you do this I strongly recommend you test your dye and very carefully mark your desired mix of colors and strength.

2.       To get enough liquid in the trash can to begin the process I really needed 6 gallons of water, so I needed the equivalent of 8oz (or 1 bottle) of liquid Rit dye.

a.       For my color mix I used 4 oz Teal, 2 oz Kelly Green and 2 oz aquamarine with 6 gallons of water

* I used luke-warm water straight out of the hose

3. I lay the two curtains together so the gradation would match perfectly and then lay some old wood across the top of the trash can so that the fabric would hang in the middle and not stick to the side of the can.

4. Now that everything was setup I dipped the bottom 12” into the trash can and stirred and set a timer for 5 minutes.

5.       From here on it was a very slow and time consuming process and the speed and amount of fabric you will add will depend on how long or short your fabric is. Here is the time table I used:

a.       For the first rough 4th of the fabric I wanted dyed, every 5 minutes I would add another gallon of water and submerge roughly another foot of fabric.

  b.      When I got to the second fourth I cut the time down to two minutes in between, still adding a gallon of water and another foot of fabric

  c.       Once I hit the mid-point I started adding two gallons of water

  d.      When I was at the final fourth I put the hose on low into the trash can and started lowering the fabric in every minute or less until I was done

6.       After I was completed with the dying process I carefully rinsed the extra dye out of the fabric (making sure to have the water rinse it down toward the dyed portion)

7.       At this point, stretch your fabric as flat as you can and let it air dry (since there is still probably some wet dye you don’t want to use the dryer, when the wet fabric splashes against the white fabric at the top it will stain it)

8.       Once it is dry, iron, hang and enjoy! You have some beautiful custom curtains you can really be proud of!

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Fainting Couch 3 - Go ahead and dye already!

8/15/2014

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I started out very optimistic about the ability to get the dye to take and I am sorry to say it was epic fail. I have been avoiding posting about it due the the massive level of fail. I solemnly swear to NEVER try to dye anything grey again. I did finally come up with a solution to get a look similar to what I wanted, but not really exactly it. I will do another post with that process, in the mean time I wanted to post my progress on the couch! It is really coming along and should be finished soon :)

Here are some photos from my night dying...

And on to the more exciting stuff... Progress photos!

To Be Continued...

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Recycle Bins

8/14/2014

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I am asked a lot more often that I would have expected where I bought my trash/recycle can set, but I didn't buy them as a set, I just made one trash can a recycle can.

I just purchased two identical trashcans and a high quality, vinyl decal sticker in the shape of a recycle emblem. To attach I just used rubbing alcohol to clean the lid of the trash can where I wanted to place the decal, then simply peeled off the sticker backing and affixed the decal.

Here is a link to the exact sticker I purchased from Amazon: Vinyl Recycle Sticker