Decor :: Padded Bench

{Supplies needed :: batting, 3" high density foam cut to the desired length, 1/2" to 3/4" plywood cut to length, metal corner brackets, scissors, fabric, 16" pre-made legs, and the following items that are not pictured :: wood stapler, drill or screw driver and liquid nails.}

{Lay the batting down on your flat work surface, then place the foam on top of it with enough space left on the batting to staple, and then the plywood.  Start stapling the batting to the plywood I like to start in the middle on one of the longer sides and work my way out. Once the long sides are done, start on the ends and do the corners last.  You want pull it tight but not too tight.}

{Once the batting step is done you'll want to cut off any excess batting.  Once that's done lay the entire piece on top of your fabric (again leaving space to staple it to the bench). Start stapling the fabric in the same manner as the batting and be extra careful to not pull the fabric too taut.}

{Flip the piece over and make sure that the edges are even, and if you notice any areas that are too tight you can just remove the staples with a flat head screwdriver and restaple that section.}

{Cut off the extra fabric. Then you'll want to mark off where you want to put the legs and once that is done apply some liquid nails to the legs where they'll adhear to the bench.  Once the glue dries determine where you'll want to put the corner brackets (I put them as far in to the edge of each leg - closest to the center as I could).} 

{Once the legs are attached it's all done! So place it wherever you want. We chose to put ours at the end of the bed, but I also think that it would look great in an entry way of a house.}

{Close up of the fabric and legs.}

I have been looking for a padded bench for the end of my bed for awhile and couldn't find one that was either in my price range or the look I wanted.  Since I had an idea on how to DIY this project and the look that I wanted I set out on a trip to Lowe's and Joann's to buy all of the supplies I needed and I'm very happy with the finished product.

Ikea Bookshelf Hack

I knew one of the first things I wanted when we moved into a house was a bar cart.  After looking around at some sites that sell them I found out that they're seriously pricey.  But one night when perusing Pinterest I found the perfect bar that I knew would work great in our house.  We already had the bookshelf, so I just went to Lowes to buy the rest of the materials.  It was a super simple DIY and just required four table legs, four flanges, and a screw driver. Now I'm off to make a drink!

Updated Blazer

{Before: A boring khaki blazer}

 {Soaking it in my sink for about an hour}

 {Finally rang it out and it's ready to be washed}

 {After: Dyed it twice and added new buttons}

 {Both types of dye I used, I bought the powder first and then the liquid the second time.  

I didn't really notice a difference in ease of  one over the other.}

{Buttons that I bought at Joann's for $1.90 for two!}

{Before/After}

I finally got around to dyeing an old khaki blazer that I've had since high school.  The whole process was easier than I thought it would be, even though I had to dye it two different times in order to achieve a color close to what I wanted.

The dying process was easy, but you want to make sure that you allow yourself a lot of time to rinse the extra dye out of the garment (this took almost 30 minutes for me of constantly rinsing it) and also make sure you have rubber gloves!

I bought the buttons at Joann's and I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive they were.  Originally, I was going to buy something at a thrift store in order to utilize the buttons on it, but before buying anything I wanted to check out Joann's.  The selection at my local store was pretty vast so it was somewhat difficult to choose, but I am happy with the final result!

Kate Spade Inspired Canvas

{Mint Loves Social Club}

Among other things, this weekend I am hoping to make my own Kate Spade inspired canvas out of simple supplies from the craft store.  Although, the DIY uses paper circles, I'm considering painting the circles on the canvas rather than using paper and glue.  Hopefully it'll turn out well.  When I hopefully get around to making it this weekend, I'll be sure to share the results!