Lamp Re-vamp

My original plan for my plain jane lamp was to cover it in cream linen with a teal coloured damask print on it. Of course, when you have such a specific idea in mind, and you're still on a budget, you'll never find it.

So, after another fabric choice was vetoed by Mr Frog for being too girly (he was right, but I already had it which means it's free!), I settled on a cream and white fat quarter I already had in my stash. Still free.

After trimming the fabric, I folded over the edges and ironed them flat.

Most instructions for covering a lamp, suggest using spray adhesive over the entire lamp. Being an indecisive lass I used my glue gun along the seam...

...and then around the top and bottom edge, figuring it'll be easier to rip off if I hate it, now or down the track.

I used a silicone mat to help press the fabric down, without burning my hands. Learnt that the hard way.

Looks pretty, but needs a little something. After much faffing, after weeks of thinking about it, and after a few trial runs... I decided to add a little ribbon.

Once again, I've covered my bases by not gluing the ribbon to the actual lamp, but gluing the ribbon to the ribbon... this way, I can slip it off.

I then needed some colour. After ditching the hand making of a damask print idea, I tried making a Fleur De Lys out of Fimo. Fail. So, I followed my heart...

Conveniently, I was able to mix a couple of colours I had already mixed (trying to match a colour I can't remember) to come up with the perfect colour.

A little more hot glue, and there you have it... a Re-vamped Lamp.

Five weeks till my due date... and counting.

MC





Bless You

I finally made a decision on the Tissue Box cover I bought purely because it was on sale for $3.

After painting the sides cream and the top dark brown, I was stuck on where to go next. So many options. I could keep it simple, get all folksy, or not.

A couple of coats of my rapidly running out cream paint...

After going through the papers I originally bought for the baby's room, I realised I had an entire page I hadn't used yet. I also realised, that sometimes, simple really is better.





Glue on some paper and you're done. Mind the dodgy paint job.

Who really needs a more fancy tissue box cover than this?

Next up, is a lamp revamp and also a chest of drawers spruce up. It's looking as though I'll need to compromise on both of these projects, given time, but mostly budget restrictions. This makes me a little sad, but then again, I do love a challenge.

I also need to change the amount of pink bows on this:

Mr Frog feels it really is too girly, and seeing as there's a 50/50 chance we're having a boy... I have to change it. A fiddly job, but I feel it needs something extra anyway.

Six weeks till my due date... place your bets if you think I'll go early or late! (Pray for early... I'm HUGE!)

MC



A Family Tree

So I mentioned a little while ago that Mr Frog spotted an MDF tree in Kaisercraft and suddenly felt that we needed one. I wasn't overly excited, or motivated, but a craft project is a craft project and so I went at it.
It started with a tree, and some paint....

I painted the front cream, and the edges dark brown. Easier said than done!

Then I tore up a sheet of scrapbook paper and stuck the pieces over the majority of the limbs and leaves.

Glued, but scrappy...

I then sanded the edges of the over hanging paper, with a nail file; much easier than an actual piece of sand paper.

All sanded and pretty... but the torn edges were white...so...

using a bit of sponge and some cream paint, I dabbed all over the white bits.

Mr Frog wanted Owls, but the ones we bought didn't go with my colour scheme. So I glued some paper onto a cardboard box rescued from the recycling bin...

and cut out little owl shapes.

Some black and white pics of our families (minus a couple that I haven't printed yet)

And voila, Our Family Tree.

Now, Mr Frog will probably have some helpful "suggestions" to make it better... but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

MC

Thrifty Meals

As you can tell from my last post, I love being thrifty. Don't get me wrong, I love to spend as much as the next person,, but there's a special kind of kick I get when I use just what I have.

On this occasion, it was last nights dinner.

I'm seven months pregnant and generally getting to the point where I can't be arsed to do anything. Add to that a busy weekend of visitors and a baby shower and the groceries just didn't happen.

All I had left in the fridge were three baby capsicums.

In the freezer, a pathetic portion of pork mince that didn't make it into dumplings... enough for a sad little pattie.

In the cupboard, I have random half to almost empty packets of all sorts of things, including rice.

Put 'em together in some desperate fashion, and you get:

Stuffed capsicums, with a side of steamed Edamame (because I had half a packet in the freezer).

I was pretty pleased with myself, not least because I'd had the epiphany for this while I was actually grocery shopping last week and fell in love with very cute peppers.

Mr Frog wanted sauce, or maybe the capsicum was bitter, and "Babe you can cook Edamame as much as you want"....

Tonight, I've sent the husband to pick up a few things from the shop... will be interesting to see what combo's he comes up with!

MC