DIY #2: Shenee and Mica Fabricate a Corner Table Thing!

1. Did you notice the clever pun in the title? FABRICate? Ha Ha :)
[Ahem]

Mica's neighbors had a yard sale with some interesting finds: among them a plastic corner table, which was pretty boring and kind of disgusting on top. So, Shenee and Mica decided to cover it with awesome fabric to make it beautiful, one-of-a-kind, and a more exciting addition to whichever room in Mica's house had space for it.

Drawing the shape of the tabletop onto the fabric as an outline for cutting. *This step is especially important because of the odd shape.*

Cutting the fabric to size and shape. We used the outside edge as a guide, rather than cutting it too small by using the inside.

Hot gluing the corners so they will lie flat in the shape and size to fit in the inside of the tabletop.

Applying Velcro, sticky-side down. The two Velcro pieces were latched together, then the sticky side peeled off the top layer so it could be placed and stuck in the correct spot on the tabletop.

Attaching the Velcro to the tabletop-- we opted for Velcro in case these covers need to be removed and washed.

Some assembly required.

The artists and the finished product, voila :)

The fabric is from Malawi, and we tried to incorporate at least one whole fish per shelf.

It ended up in the bathroom.

Thanks for reading, have fun!

~Mica

DIY #1: Painting a Desk

- I bought a computer desk from a friend of mine, something that (AWESOMELY) folds up flat so I can put it into the trunk of my car when moving.

- It was a little bland, just plain wood.

- I bought a hutch from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Burlington, NC (be sure to measure the desk top space and hutch base before purchasing because you can't return items from such stores).

- It, too, was a little bland.

- Thus, I spruced them up a bit.

Step 1. Buy your wooden piece(s) to paint.

Step 2. Sand them down, if needed, to ensure a smooth painting surface.

Step 3. Purchase a bottle of gesso, a variety of brush sizes, and some acrylic paints from the painting section of a craft store. Gesso acts as a primer, of sorts, and is ideal if you'll be painting a dark wood piece in light colors. I opted for white gesso and a pack of different brushes from Hobby Lobby, which has occasional really good sales.

- My color scheme involved orange, fuchsia, gold, light yellow, dark brown, and bits of turquoise and white. It's important to not go overboard with the amount of colors, and try to keep them all of similar brightness but with some variety thrown in (like the dark brown to tie everything together). It's also nice to have one main color and several complimentary colors that are seen in smaller amounts. An art teacher of mine once ordered me to "never use the color directly from the tube!", so try experimenting with mixing your own color shades-- just be sure to mix enough so you don't run out!

Final Step. Cover the floor with an old shower curtain or drop cloth and let the creative juices flow :)

This turned out to be about a $15 project, not including the cost of the desk and hutch. Here are some detail photos:

to remind me of wonderful things (this is on the footrest part)

the part of the desk that faces me

view of the detail on the bars/rungs my kitten, Tupelo, loves to hang out on the keyboard drawer

Thanks for reading, enjoy :)

~Mica