Blog - Page 72 of 91 - Dagmar Bleasdale

Grain Sack Striped Cotton Ironing Board Cover

March 26, 2013 by Dagmar Bleasdale 19 Comments

I was flipping through the latest Country Living magazine and stopped in my tracks when I saw this: a striped cotton ironing board cover, for $19.

Now, I hardly ever use my ironing board, and I don’t buy much online, but this I’m going to order.

If you are as obsessed as I am about pretty linens or love the country, farmhouse, or shabby chic home decorating style, you might be as exited as I am: this cover will make any ironing board standing in the corner look like art! [Read more…]

Easy DIY Project: Storage Crate With Casters

March 23, 2013 by Dagmar Bleasdale

DIY Project: Storage Crate With Casters

Do you have a crate? Why not make it into this cute storage crate with some fabric and four casters? It can also be used as a side table.

I made this in about 30 minutes.

DIY Fabric Garland Made With Old T-Shirts

March 21, 2013 by Dagmar Bleasdale 7 Comments

DIY Fabric Garland With Old T-Shirt

Have you ever wanted to upcycle old T-shirts that have seen better days?

Since Don is a finish carpenter, we have a surplus of T-shirts with holes and stains.

I usually cut them up and use them to clean the house because I can’t stand waste, but I thought there had to be other things I could make with old (clean) T-shirts and other fabric scraps.

And there is! I made this cute fabric garland out of old T-shirts.

It was super easy — just take a look at the pictures.

DIY Fabric Garland Supplies:

old, clean T-shirts
optional: fabric scrap
scissors
string

Instead of just using T-shirts, I decided to also used up a piece of colorful fabric.

Start by cutting the T-shirt into strips. I made mine about 12 inches long and 2/3 inches wide, but you can make them as long or as wide as you like. You could also mix up the length and width..
Cut the string as long as you want the garland to be, taking into account that you need some string without fabric strips on both ends so you can attach it somewhere.
Now take a strip and put both ends on top of each other. Then take the loop and put it under your string. Take the two ends and pull them through the loop, around the string. Pull the string tight and keep doing this until the garland is as long as you desire.

It took about 25 fabric strips to make 15 inches of garland.

Depending on how thin or thick you decide to make the strips, the number of strips will be different for you.

Do you have other ideas for using old T-shirts? I’ll have a lifetime supply of them — let me know!

You would also enjoy theses DIY posts:

DIY Dreamcatcher With Ribbons and Upcycled Doily

The Easiest Way to Install Lattice Around a Porch

Make a DIY Fall Wreath out of a Spring Wreath

DIY fabric garland made with old T-shirts

DIY Project: Mason Jar Lid Signs

March 19, 2013 by Dagmar Bleasdale 6 Comments

Mason Jar Lid Signs

I finished another easy DIY project: take a look at these cute mason jar lid signs I made with extra lids!

I used them for baskets filled with Landon’s toys and books — c for cars, b for books, and p for everything Playmobil — but you could use these for many other storage and organizing projects, or as a cute gift tag.

Instead of using precut letters from the craft store like I did, you could use numbers or simply write a word or description on the mason jar lid.

For little kids who are just learning to clean up their toys, you could insert a picture of the kind of toys you want organized in the basket.

Mason Jar Lid Signs Supplies:

mason jar lids
wallpaper or scrapbook paper (the thicker, the better)
spray paint in your preferred color
bakers twine
optional: paper letters or numbers, or just cut some out of paper
glue, Mod Podge or double-stick tape
scissors
pencil

Mason Jar Lid Signs Tutorial:

Spray paint the lid ring (in a well-ventilated area of your home or outside) in your preferred color.
While the paint dries, choose the wallpaper or scrapbook paper you want to show on the lid. Then place the lid over that part, trace around the lid with a pencil, and cut out the paper.
Now glue the paper circle to the lid top. I used school glue but you could also use Mod Podge, or even double-stick tape because the paper will be held in place by the lid ring.
Once the paint on the rings is dry, cut a piece of bakers twine and wrap it around the lid ring once.
Add glue to the inside rim of the lid top and press the paper inside the lid, making sure the bakers twine is in the position you want it to be in before it gets held in place by the lid top.
Hang the mason jar lid on the basket by making a knot or bow, and cut off the excess twine.

Now you are ready to fill the basket and find a special place where you can show it off.

These mason jar lid signs also make a unique, personalized gift tags.

Where else would you use these mason jar lid signs?

Pin this for later!

St. Patrick’s Day Race and Towing the Old Car

March 18, 2013 by Dagmar Bleasdale 3 Comments

I didn’t plan to, but I ran a 2 mile race yesterday.

We had heard about the St. Patrick’s Day race in FDR Park nearby, and since Landon had been asking to run another race, we got up on Sunday, threw on some clothes, and rushed to get to it in time.

Don wanted to run the race with L, but his leg is still not healed all the way from breaking a bone in Australia and he’s having problems with his breathing, so we decided minutes before the race that it would be much smarter if I’d run with L.

I’m glad I did. I ran a while and power walked the rest of the race while L ran the whole way.

Taking pictures and Instagraming while running, of course. [Read more…]