Tutorial: Fern 'n Bird Stenciled Denim Chair

Originally introduced waaaaay back in 2011, today I'm releasing this pretty Fern 'n Bird Stenciled Denim Chair project as a free tutorial on the blog, yay! In this tutorial, denim from an old pair of jeans is used to re-cover a chair cushion. The denim is simply embellished with freezer-paper stenciling and the outcome is elegantly casual, methinks. Shall we begin?

Fern 'n Bird Stenciled Denim Chair Tutorial

You will need:

• an old pair of jeans
• a pair of scissors
• freezer paper
• an Exacto knife
• a cutting surface
• fabric paint in white and black
• a blunt paint brush
• pencil and eraser
• screw driver
• industrial stapler
• sandpaper
• newspaper
• iron and ironing board
• a chair in need of re-upholstering
• Fern 'n Bird Template ◀︎ click on the link to access the template!

Prepare The Chair

Step 1: Remove the cushion by unscrewing the screws from underneath the seat.

Step 2: Clean the chair with a damp cloth to remove any dirt and grime. If your chair needs painting, proceed as follows, and if not, skip on to Step 4.
Step 3: Working in a ventilated area or outside, sand down the entire chair with fine grit sandpaper to create a rough surface suitable for painting. Again, wipe down the chair with a clean, damp cloth to remove any dust created during sanding. Apply a coat of furniture primer. After the primer dries according to manufacturer's instructions, apply a few coats of latex paint, allowing the paint to dry between coats.

Refer to Young House Love: How to Paint Furniture for more detailed furniture painting instructions.

Prepare The Stencil

Step 4: Adjust the Fern 'n Bird template, sizing it to your needs using a photocopier, or leaving it as is. Trace the design onto freezer-paper. Working on a cutting surface, cut out all the grey areas using an Exacto knife. Keep all the little white bits. These are part of your stencil.

Step 5: Before you cut into your jeans, be sure that the chosen pant leg will fit the width of your chair cushion. Cut the pant leg off leaving plenty of room to reach around all sides of the cushion and a few inches round the back.

Step 6: Place your freezer-paper stencil where you wish it to be on your denim. Be sure that you give it plenty of room on all sides. You want it to be fully visible and not hanging off the edge of your seat, poor bird. Now with your iron set to "no steam", iron the stencil to the denim, plastic side down. Don't forget all the little pieces like the wing, feet, beak, head and eye. Iron everything in place. Try to avoid wrinkles in the freezer-paper like I have. Eesh.

Paint The Design

Step 7: Place a sheet of newspaper under your denim to protect your work surface. Have an extra sheet of newspaper handy for removing excess paint from your brush. Mix a tiny bit of black into some white fabric paint to give a light grey paint. Or start with grey paint if you prefer. If you're mixing paint, make enough to cover your template. You only want to mix it once. Moisten your paintbrush with water. Remove as much of the water as possible. Now load a little bit of paint onto your brush. Brush most of the paint off onto the newspaper. You want your brush almost dry but not quite. Begin applying paint into your stencil, pressing down firmly and moving your brush in small circles as you go. This technique is call "dry brushing". Repeat the process of loading paint onto your brush, unloading most of it onto the newspaper and then painting the stencil, until your stencil is covered and the paint is applied very thinly and evenly over the entire design.

Step 8: Once you're done painting, you can immediately but carefully remove the freezer-paper from the denim. It peels off easily without leaving any residue on the fabric. Finally, heat-set your painted design with the iron. Also if you are so inclined, you can re-use the stencil to make a second matching chair. Just remember to place a thin sheet of paper between the used stencil and your iron (to keep your iron clean) before using the stencil a second time.

Re-cover Your Cushion

Step 9: When I removed the green covering from my chair, the original blue covering was still in ship-shape. I decided to leave it in place and install the denim directly on top. You may not have that option, in which case you'd have to purchase a new foam cushion available in standard sizes at your local fabric shop.

Step 10: To install the denim cover, place the fabric good side down. Place the cushion, cushy side down, in the center of your fabric ensuring that your design is where you want it on the seat. Now, while firmly pulling the denim up, around the edge and to the back of the cushion, install a staple at the middle top edge of the cushion back. Continue in this way with the middle bottom, middle left and middle right of the back of your cushion, firmly pulling on the edge of the denim with each new staple. Keeping the denim taught at all times, place a staple in one corner, then the opposite corner, and then the remaining corners. Now fill in the gaps with staples.

Step 11: To get a smooth finish on the corners, many staples will need to be installed. Trim the excess denim to give the seat a clean look.

Step 12: Finally, place the cushion on the chair and re-install the screws.

Your work here is done, baby!

Now, grab a tall, cool one and take a load off on your pretty new Fern 'n Bird embellished chair!

♥︎M

P. S. Guess what? I finally joined Pinterest (just a few tiny weeks ago) so I'm pinning this project to my "Denim Forever!" Pinterest board. Check it!

Colouring Page Painting: Cactus Wren on a Saguaro Cactus

Found out yesterday that Arizona's state bird is the cactus wren. Huh. News to me since I didn't even know states had birds. I mean, I knew they had birds, but I didn't know that they had bona fide, official, you-are-our-mascot types of birds. In Arizona, that office is held by the cactus wren.

What did I find out about this little creature? Well, in terms of diet, I share much in common with the cactus wren. I am an omnivore and so is she. I like to eat seeds, fruits - and yes - small animals, and so does the cactus wren. O' course she chooses wasps and frogs; I myself prefer quails and chickens.

Furthermore, according to the people who make Wikipedia, the cactus wren "forms permanent pair bonds AND the pair defends a territory where they live all through the year." Well, guess what? I do that exact same thing!!! I am amazing at territory defense and permanent pair bonding! You should see me. I'm like professional. I feel like Wikipedia took my life and put it under the cactus wren heading. The resemblance is uncanny.

So when I found out how similar the cactus wren and I were and are, I decided I needed to colour in a cactus wren colouring page like now. So I googled it and it literally took me 2 seconds to find it. Right HERE at Super Coloring! It was meant to be, I tell you.

And then I decided that colouring pencils just weren't good enough for my birdish soul mate. So I broke out the paints. Ya, baby.

A little while later, with the help of my paints and brushes, I had my very own pretty little cactus wren to hang in the kitchen to remind me that I and nature have much in common and are maybe even one and the same.

I hope you have a lovely Easter. I know the cactus wren and I will.

♥︎M

Hello 2016.

Hello 2016.

Hi.

Nice to make your acquaintance.

You're so fresh and new aren't you? You've barely even taken a breath. Let me help you with that. I've been here for some time now and breathing is pretty much second-nature to me. See? I can do it with my eyes closed and with both hands tied behind my back. An old pro I am.

Do you think we'll get along you and I? I sure hope so. The last few years came with moments of uncertainty and doubt, moments of distinct fogginess. But as far as years go, 2016, I have a good feeling about you.

Yeah. You know what? We're gonna get along like a house on fire, 2016. Just you wait.

♥M

P. S. The above crockery is a piece I had a lovely time decorating and glazing at our local Crock A Doodle (aka: Paint-Your-Own-Pottery-Store) prior to this Christmas. I gifted it to my Elle during our 2015 family gift exchange. This is a fun fun fun and easy easy easy craft that you ought to try if you like to paint and such. The final kiln-fired result is food and dishwasher safe, and beautiful too. 

A Sunny Dresser

I picked up this dirty white dresser (below) months ago for a song at my local thrift store. Except for one of the drawer faces sagging a little, it was in excellent, albeit grimy, condition. I brought it home and plunked it down in the living room. I gave it a brief - extremely brief - wipe, and it has been sitting there ever since.

Awful.

As you might imagine, once I commenced with my colour quest, one of the first things on the agenda was to paint the dirty white dresser.

It took a day to do. One little day. And I even did other stuff in between. Like shower and eat stuff. Painting a dresser - or any furniture - is not like painting a room. It doesn't really take much time. I always forget that for some reason. As usual, I imagine these little jobs to be much larger and more troublesome than they actually are. But it's a small object when you think about it, and it turns out that I enjoyed my day painting it.

To begin, I gave the dresser a very very thorough scrub and rinse with TSP (trisodium phosphate) solution. I'm always amazed at the amount of dirt on things and find myself making happy exclamations when I discover what things actually look like under the dirt. "Now, don't you clean up nice", I'll say, or "Pleasure to meet you, little dresser." Once it was clean, I grabbed my best paint brush and brushed on one coat of primer and 2 coats of yellow semi-gloss interior latex by Benjamin Moore allowing it to dry thoroughly between coats. The colour was mixed from a CIL paint chip and is known as "Golden Day (35YY 71/474)", FYI. 

When it came down to it, yellow was the only colour that Lo and I could agree on for the dresser, and I had both my fingers and toes crossed that it would turn out okay. I'm so glad it worked out, and I have to say, I'm thrilled with this latest pop of colour in the living room. It's getting sunny in here!

♥M

Michele's Top 10 Excuses For Not Even Trying

If rationalizing not doing something were a business, then I could be its CEO. I excel at finding reasons for not trying new things. I'm like a professional at it. Here's a list of my Top 10 (there are more, yes) Excuses For Not Even Trying:

Excuse #1:  Nope, can't do it. Can't afford to spend money on such frivolity. We're on a tight budget here.

Excuse #2:  Are you kidding me? There's no time. I'm too busy with all the crap I'm already doing.

Excuse #3:  My family is way more important. The precious time that thing would take up should really be spent with them.

Excuse #4:  That activity just does not jive with my life philosophy, sorry.

Excuse #5:  What thing? Oh right... Um, I totally forgot to sign up for that.

Excuse #6:  I'm gonna fail! I'll be freakishly incompetent and everyone will make fun of my ridiculousness.

Excuse #7:  Seriously, I don't have the character to see that through. Eventually, that thing will bore me and I'll end up quitting, so why bother even starting?

Excuse #8:  What if I discover I'm good at it? Will I have to do that thing, like, forever? Naw, I'd rather not open that can o' worms.

Excuse #9:  Will there be lots of people involved? Because I'm way too shy to be around all those strange folks.

Excuse #10: No! I do NOT perform/learn/hear/see/feel/eat/breathe well in that kind of large/open/loud/busy/small/closed/quiet environment.

I've spent the last few years putting this handy list, in its entirety, to very good use.

Case in point, I've been considering taking a painting class. See, there's a little art school just down the street. I've looked into their painting classes on many occasions. They offer watercolour, oil, acrylic painting. You name it, they paint it. Yet I've never seen fit to sign up. I've walked past the little art school for the nine years that we've lived in this house. And for nine years running, I've found excuses to not take a class.

Until a few weeks ago, that is.

A few weeks ago, my husband put his foot down and made me do it. He made me spend the money. He made me find the time. So for eight weeks I'm spending every Tuesday afternoon in the company of kind strangers in the little art school down the street learning to paint with acrylics. It's intimate. It's scary. And I may fail.

But you know what? I'm loving it. I'm getting out of the house. I'm spending time with other human beings. I'm putting aside my Top 10 List - for now - and, by gum, I'm trying something new.

Above is my very first class assignment. It's called "The Boy" of course.

♥M

P.S. Thanks for your understanding regarding the blog feed situation. We've managed to fix it now, so Michele Made Me should be updating smoothly once again Jiminy Cricket! A big hug to my blog guardian angels for helping me put things right. Thanks a ton for saving me, you guys!

Bloggy Blues

Getting back into blogging has become a challenge, honestly. I'm truly struggling. With the words. With collecting my thoughts into something worth sharing. With spending time in front of this screen. I don't know. It's worrying... Has this ever happened to you?

I am creating. So that's not the issue. See? I'm attempting to paint. Above is a little glimpse.

Any advice for these post-summer bloggy blues of mine?

♥M

Kid Craft: The Boy's Robot Maze

Over the March Break, The Boy had a chance to create some really fun art work. One of the things he made, the following kid craft, was directly inspired by the work of art teacher, Christie, and the kids she teaches. Her blog, Fine Lines, is one we both enjoy perusing.

Using Christie's Pattern Pathways as a jumping off point, The Boy created his funky "Robot Maze". He started with two sheets of 8-1/2"x 11" printer paper, and cut each into 6 small rectangles. He built his "robot" from the resulting 12  rectangles, and concocted his continuous maze first in pencil and then in marker. He then added colour to the snakey bits of the maze in colourful marker. And finally, he painted the outside of the maze with cake paint.

Once the paintings were dry, we placed them under a stack of books to flatten out the wrinkles. His Robot Maze is displayed proudly on our kitchen cabinets.

It's an organic looking sort of robot, isn't it? Pretty cool, I think.

Thank you Christie for the flow of art ideas for children. I want you to know that we love and appreciate your talent and hard work.

♥M

P.S. In the next post, I'll be asking you to fill out a 5 question survey. I need your excellent input on a few things and thought a little survey might just do the trick! Until then?

The Boy's Bedroom Reno: Paint Colours

Here we have the paint colours for The Boy's bedroom. The colour pendulum has swung 180〫from warm-slash-dark to cool-slash-light!

Aside from choosing paint colours, what have we done so far?

Well...

1) Lo gave the ceiling a single coat of white.
2) I sanded, primed, and painted the trim twice in your basic white. That was a job I did NOT find the joy in, I tell you. I looked for it too. But dang it, it was nowhere! Thankfully, I'm on the other side of it now so we're all good.
3) After much research, Lo installed an outlet in the closet. He had to cut through the drywall to do it but managed with minimal damage. I applied several coats of drywall mud to the area in question and sanded the Dickens out of it. You can't even tell anything was done there. Thing of beauty!
4) Patched all holes in walls with drywall mud. Sanded, dusted and washed the walls.
5) The Boy and I decided to tape off some areas of the window wall for a touch of fun. The idea being that the original red colour would show through in stripes when the tape was removed. Here's a peek at the effect...

6) Given the darkness of the previous colour, we had no choice but to prime the walls before painting. I cut in the primer and Lo rolled it on.
7) I was relieved to finally cut in the actual fancy-named paint, "Beige Chanterelle" of which we applied two coats. Lo rolled it on. Unsure of it at first, I am liking it more now but still getting used to it. Thank Pete, it's about 4 million times better than red and orange.
8) I painted the closet in "Vienna Lake", a colour The Boy chose. Here's a glimpse of all the colours playing together...

I'm excited about it! We're chugging along nicely, aren't we?

♥M

Find "before" photos here.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Ornament #2

Today's ornament story began a while ago, back here in February, when I received several puzzle pieces in a package from my bloggy friend Melissa. I'm fairly certain it was a bit of an unspoken crafty challenge on her part, eh Melissa? Like: "What can you make with these, Michele?" Well, I finally took the bait, 9 months hence, and here's the concoction I mixed up...

Tutorial ❉ Puzzle Piece Angel Ornaments

You will need:  old large-ish puzzle pieces, fine grit sandpaper (I used 220), large sewing needle, pencil, fine tip marker, liquid acrylic paints, small paintbrush, gold dimensional paint (optional for halos), small piece of cardboard, glue, pair of scissors, pretty string for hangers.

The puzzle pieces I used are the ideal size for ornaments at about 3 inches by 3 inches square (7.5cm x 7.5cm). Out of the pieces Melissa sent, I chose some that resembled little people: with heads, arms and legs.

To start, I sanded the fronts of the pieces with fine-grit sandpaper (220 grit). I sanded lightly to remove only the ink and not the layer of paper underneath. The sanding gives your puzzle pieces a lovely distressed look but, more importantly, the slightly roughed-up surface will hold on to paint and marker famously.

Then I used a large needle to pierce a hole in all their heads. I know that sounds slightly horrific and everything, but they are angels after all...

So once I did that... um, I took out my pencil and very lightly drew the angelic details on each piece. I drew on hair, eyes, a dress with collar, wings, skinny arms, and a halo. Once I was happy with my design, I re-traced the pencil lines with a fine tip Sharpie (a.k.a. a marker).

Then I took out my liquid acrylics and painted the other-worldly hair, dresses and collars. While I waited for the paint to dry, I made some little stars out of cereal box cardboard, and gave each a gold finish in liquid acrylic.

The stars, once dry, were then glued to the "hands", and a halo of gold dimensional paint dots was added to each head. And lastly, I added the hangers.

 Hark!... Is that singing I hear?

Why I think it is! A choir of Puzzle Piece Angels... How very sweet of them to sing for us like that. And they don't even have mouths! Now THAT is what I call talent.

♥M

Find the first installment in the "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Ornament Series" here!

Space Exploration by The Boy

Broken bones don't slow kids down, as it turns out.

Their little hearts keep beating, their little brains keep buzzing, their little hands keep moving.

Undeterred. Resilient. Busy as ever.

As it should be.

♥M

A Boy Caught Thinking

The Boy gets a look of concern sometimes. A furrowed-brow look. One that is far away. Important. Quiet. And deep.

If only I could read his thoughts... But alas I'm not allowed into his secret inner world. Here's my first attempt to capture one of these old-soul looks of his...

'A Boy Caught Thinking' is 16" x 22" (40cm x 56cm), rendered in junkmail and Mod Podge on craft paper and stretched over an old picture frame.

♥M

P.S. The March Break is here, posting may be light over the next week. Have a great one!

Drop-Dead Denim Guest: Aunt Peaches

We forge on with our all-denim September exploration today. And as luck would have it, I have the delightful Aunt Peaches over to keep things moving along. She has a most unique point-of-view on things, and I am very curious to hear what she thinks of working with denim and also to see what she's been inventing. Here now is Peaches with...

Rainbow Sherbet Denim

My favorite thing about denim is that it is so good for getting messy! And my favorite kind of denim is the sort that looks best after years of wear and tear. In my book, the scruffier the better. I have heard of people running over their jeans with cars, or beating them with chains, or dousing them with bleach in hopes of achieving a tattered patina...I decided to give it a try using paint. The end result is something between rainbow sherbet and a 1980's hair band. Awesome!



Materials:

• Denim clothing
• Gel Glue
• Latex paint and/or spray paint

Squeeze the glue over the skirt, scribbling, dripping and dropping as you go. Embrace the messy!

Note: It is important that you use gel glue (it's usually blue but you sometimes see it in clear too), I attempted this with white glue and it was a total failure. Gel glue only.

Once the glue is dry, use a brush to paint over the surface. Don't be afraid to really rub the paint in there. This is a good excuse to use the bottom squirt out of your old paint pots. Let it dry, then scribble on another round of glue.



Once the second coat of glue is dry, top it off with another coat of paint. I used a dusting of mossy green spray paint and let it all sit overnight before throwing it in the washing machine with regular detergent, hot water, and a load of old towels or a bathmat (something scruffy that will help scrape the paint off your denim). The glue will peel off and take the paint with it, leaving the most amazing patterns and swirls. If you like it to look a little more distressed, rub the article with sandpaper while it's still wet, then throw it in the wash again. Dry as usual. Wear it with style!

***

Hi, I'm Peaches! I live in the big city in a teensy red house filled with Aretha Franklin, chocolate bunnies, and a whole lot of cat hair. My mind works better when my hands are moving. I refuse to believe that "luxurious" is synonymous for "expensive" and take pride in creating things for my friends and my family. It’s a cathartic process and sometimes it brings up interesting stories and discussions. The best compliment anyone could ever pay me is to ask "How'd you make that?" ...and my blog is the best way I know how to answer.

What gorgeous colour play. It really does look like rainbow sherbet! Kudos to you for persevering beyond the white glue, Peaches. I might have thrown in the towel myself. I'm so glad it worked with the gel glue; the effect you achieved is so impressive! I'd love to try this technique on a handbag or shoes. Wouldn't that be fun? Thanks so much for getting messy with us Peaches. Something fantastic always happens when you do!

In other news:

Today I'm Diggin' This Denim: Garden of Recycling Finery by Caracol

Tomorrow - that's Thursday - I'll be doing the first of 2 feature posts of projects from the Drop-Dead Denim Flickr Group. Yay!

Oh, and I have to tell you. My husband decided I should be rewarded for opening the shop (finally). He's taking me on a 7-hour drive to New York City to the Maker Faire this coming weekend (I've never been). I know. I have ONE thing in the shop. He's crazy. I wouldn't change him for the world.

Have a wonderful day now. I'll see you tomorrow!