DIY Toilet Paper Holder

March 9, 2017 by Kate

Rating: +9 (from 9 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (8 votes cast)

Many of you don’t know it but we bought a new house a few months ago and we are still working on some re-decorations and painting. I have painted our powder room recently and installed some accent shelves. Now I have to design a fancy toilet paper holder to make it look even better.

What do you think about reversible DIY Toilet Paper Holder? I think this is a great idea to prevent boredom and since I have introduced two colors of towers I can switch the look of my powder room around dependence on my mood.You can see this big transformation of my powder room in photos. If you plan to refresh yours make sure you are well prepared and if you are it shouldn’t take longer than 1 day. But I should go bask to the main subject of this post and tell you my DIY Toilet Paper Holder design and very simple pattern to follow. I didn’t take measurements with measuring tape, I have simply rolled toilet paper over the sheet of fabric and kept some 2 inches on each end of the additional finish. I have also cut two longer pieces which were about an inch wide and half longer than the main strip of fabric.First I have prepared strings. You will have to double fold it and then sew all along. Once I did the same with both of the strips I cut them in half to have the total of 4 strings. Each of them should have an ending knot on one side.Now I have created gathering on the piece of the white window curtain. I did it about 2 inches wide. Put your top tension setting on zero (0). The sewing machine will start gathering for you. Sew it all the way and then see if you would like to have more folds. I did like to have quite a lot of it, so I have pulled one of the threats to push fabric closer to each other.
Once you have completed gathering and you have cut it off from the rest of the fabric you can start sewing it on once of the wider strips. Make sure to position the thrill on the right side of the fabric.This is how it looks like after completing.Now when you flip it, the thrill will be neat and clean and the stitch will be on the inside.Then you have to repeat the same on the other side of the first fabric strip. Once done you can sew on the second strip as shown in the photo below. Both fabric strips should face each other and thrills on the inside between the strips. Make sure to keep the spare fabric on each end so you can fold it in later and close the gaps.This is how it looks after flipping it all on the right side. I have sewed it through again along of each side.Now you can fold in ends and add strings. You should have two of them at each end.
This is how finished product looks like. Now you can attach it and your DIY toilet paper holder works like a charm. Now you can reverse it on the other side and pretend you have two 🙂

Picture Frame Jewelry Holder

May 12, 2016 by Kate

Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

I have made a Jewellery Organizer some time ago and my daughter kept asking me for her own jewelry hanger. I came up with this nice tutorial to show you how to make picture frame jewelry holder which is super easy and quick to assemble.

It will make you and your daughter happy as there will be no more jewelry on the loose all over the house. We have to start with a few supplies. I got all of those pieces in dollar store.We need a wooden frame (make sure it has wide frame so there is enough space for hangers), some paints (I have used acrylics), a paint brush, your favorite photo, and stick on hooks. First you need to paint the frame. I have let me daughter to do all this job and she has truly enjoyed it. We are making a kids jewelry holder after all , so let your kids to be involved and have some fun.While the kids are painting you can have your tea or coffee break in piece 🙂 It is going to be about 20 minutes depends on the size of the frame.Add any decorations or patters to make it more interesting. We have painted bunch of white polka dots but you can really paint whatever you want. Then we have planned how to place all the hooks to make most sense out of the available space.The frame is all dry now, so we can put the picture in and get on sticking those hangers.
We are almost there. Now we have to add some sort of hanger on the back of the frame so we can hang it on the wall.I have used a matching ribbon and wood stapler. Some frames comes with hangers so you can skip this step.It is so an easy jewelry holder. It took total of 1 hour of fun for my daughter and she feels truly proud of it. Give it a try! You can obviously design your own picture frame jewelry holder and organize all of rings and bracelets. I have noticed that since I had mine jewelry displayed I have started using it more.

Floor Tail Grout Clean Up

December 4, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +6 (from 8 votes)

Rating: 4.6/5 (8 votes cast)

This is a big surprise for me and a MUST read for all of you who have tiles on the floor.

We all know how hard it is to keep the grout in between the tiles clean, especially when you have a light color floor.

My friends advised me to use a paste made from baking soda powder, so I tried but my hand was sore after a few minutes of brushing in the same place and I still didn’t see any results.

So I had to find something easier and I did! 🙂

The solution is very simple. You will need oxydising bleach powder. I got the cheapest in the store and it still works like a dream so don’t spend too much money!

Put warm water in bowl (about 1.5 liter) and add a scoop of the powder. Stir until it dissolves in the water and then pour it over the floor. Spread all over the grout with your hand (please ware rubber gloves) and leave it for 10 minutes.

You will see how the mixture is working on the dirt and lifting it up. Brush it a little all over the tiles. Then you have to lift the liquid with the dirt in it with a cloth or towel and wash the floor again with clean water as the bleach powder will leave some white smudges and stains.

The final result is stunning! I didn’t even know this was the original color of my floor grouting.

You probably can’t see it on the pictures but bleach has left some sparkly dust on the grout – like a small fancy gift from a cleaning product 😉

Please feel free to share this floor tail grout clean up idea with your family and friends, I can assure you they will be very grateful!

Flower Pots Decoration

October 2, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +5 (from 5 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (5 votes cast)

Every fall I’m moving my favorite pots with flowers from the front yard to the inside of the house. Winters are very cold here and plants would not survive it so I like to take care of them inside my home.

As the time has come and we are getting chilly nights already I have decided that I should make preparations for those flowers.

I would usually just keep them on their little stand but this year is going to be more fun!

I filled up top surface of black soil with white lime stones and blue glass gems.

Then I have painted each pot with white paint. You can use any regular wall paint for it.

Then, using acrylic paints with colors matching to the new dining table set I painted and stamped shapes all over.

Once all was dry I sprayed them with non-yellowing varnish. This should prevent all pattern from damage or scratches. You can get it in any arts and craft store.

Voila! A lovely decorated flower pots arrangement at home and all well below a 20$ budget.

Table Make-Over

October 1, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Now that we have completed chair refreshment project we obviously have to transform whole table too.

This is what I had before:

and this is what we have after a little bit of work.

I was very lucky with this beautiful color of place mats but I couldn’t get matching napkin holders so I have decided to make them myself.

I have prepared 4 pieces of fabric 25 cm x 10 cm and decorative tape which is 3.5 cm wide.

I sewed fabric thru on the left side keeping a 3.5 cm width. Then I turned it on the right side and folded each end in together with decorative type. Now we can sew it all around with machine (or by hand) and connect ends to create a loop.

I connected the ends by hand to hide stitches and make sure they meet perfectly at the top and the bottom.

I just love heaving dinner at my new table now!

Fabric Chair Refreshment

September 30, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +5 (from 5 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (6 votes cast)

I’m quire sure you have some old chairs at home which will require some cleaning or fixing before they can be used again.

In fact I have 4 of them, so I have prepared simple step-by-step guide to show you how to deal with similar type of chairs like mine.

First I started with removal of the part that’s covered with fabric as this is the one I want to work on. The fabric got quite dirty over the years and I also have this new vision of my living space to bring some colors in, so lets get started!

Please prepare some tolls – a hammer and suitable pins, stapler, a screwdriver (depend on your chair), a fabric samples and sewing materials, as we will need them.

First I ripped off the fabric from under the chair as I didn’t intend to keep it but if you want keep yours you should remove each pin carefully.

Then I took measurements for the fabric which has to be cut to cover chair easily. I will need 4 pieces 61 x 61 cm.

Then I cut suitable shape of the fabric which is going under the chair and folded it all over and sewed thru with my machine. If you don’t have machine this is not a problem as you can fold it while you are fixing it on the chair (you will need more time and pins in this situation).

Now I used needle-pins to put the fabric in place and made sure I follow same patter on folds on each corner of the chair.

After that I could stapled thru the fabric with stapler starting from the straight sides and then finishing with the corners.

The white fabric got fixed with a hammer and for a more decorative finish but you can use stapler as before.

The last step was to screw the top of the chair back on the frame and repeat procedure another 3 times to have full set of 4 chairs beautifully finished and matching.

This post of course gives just general guidelines as there is only a small chance your chairs will be exactly like mine. Take your time for measurements and preparations. The first chair refreshment took me over an hour but remaining 3 were much faster, about 20 minutes each.

Good luck with your home projects!

Nursery – Part 5: Bassinet Make-Over

July 13, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Dear Friends!

This time we are going to work on the Bassinet for our Nursery room.

I have checked in many baby stores in my area but unfortunately there was nothing available in purple, so I have no choice but to re-decorate something I believe is functional and good looking already.

This is a 5-in-1 Bassinet. It has a rocker, multiple levels of height, obviously a basket, music player, a night light, and when you lift the basket the remaining part is a changing table. There is also a spacious fabric bag below for some diapers, baby cosmetics and clothes.

I started with the external frill. I made it a bit longer to cover both the original frills of the bassinet and I used elastic band for easy on and off use.

Then I sewed two new fitted bed sheets. It was totally simple so don’t spend money for original bed sheets! They are far too expensive for very little work required to make one.

I cut an oval shape, like the matress of the bassinet with an additional 10-15 cm in size. I tucked in the edges all over and then I used the technique known as shirring. Just sew a curvy part along the edge on the both sides and use elastic stitching to pull it together.

It fits perfectly fine!

The next step is a flat pillow and a small blanket. I used a quilting technique to finish them off. You will not get those in the store. Bassinets don’t come with this kind of accessories specialists are not recommending pillows or blankets for small babies, however, the pillow if is flat and the blanket only half size, so it will not have any impact on the development of your baby.

Now we should take care of the hood. This was the most difficult part as there was no access to remove the old one. I had to sew fabric on it. It took some time as you can’t use a machine for it and then it will take some time to remove it later when you want to maybe adapt the bassinet againbut I didn’t see any simpler way to deal with it.

Now some stuffed toys to hang on and voila! The bassinet make-over is completed!

And the basics of the Nursery are almost ready.

Nursery – Part 3: Window Curtain

June 22, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

The curtains for the window are obviously a very important part of the decoration in our new nursery.

I have three small windows so I will have to sew three pieces and you will adapt sizes and fabric type to your own needs.
I’m keeping mine in light purple as the main colour.

When using similar decorative tapes like mine make sure to sew them on from end to end and then fold the edges. It will look professional and hide all the ugly threads.
Then I added pieces of fabric along the top edge and I will use them to hold the curtain rim.

It was time consuming to make all of them so if you wish you can take some shortcuts and use ribbons 🙂

Good luck with your own nursery designs!

Nursery – Part 2: Picture Frames

June 18, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +3 (from 3 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Hi again!

This time we are going to work on home made picture frames which will perfectly match all the other baby pieces in the room.

This wall decor is a necessary part of our nursery. Can you even imagine a nursery without family pictures in beautiful frames?

It will not be an expensive creative project. It will cost as much as any other wall frame you would spend money on. The biggest investment will be your time and patience 🙂

Fabric on the wooden frame.

Let’s cut a suitable-size piece of fabric which will fit the shape of the frame to go all over it.

I have used professional tools but you can use regular scissors, just make sure to take proper measurements.

Make small cuts on the corners of the inner part and glue them on the frame. Best is to use fabric glue – look for it in arts and crafts stores.

Then glue down all of the sides.

Leave it for half an our to dry and then you can put back the glass and the back cover back.

I made a couple of those and then I made one that’s a bit different to match a flower pot which I made earlier.

It looks lovely on the wall.

You can come up with any design! Be creative and have fun!

Nursery – Part 1: Flower Pot

June 17, 2014 by Kate

Rating: +4 (from 4 votes)

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Welcome to my new edition which will be fully concentrating on the Nursery room decoration.

As some of you already know we are expecting a new addition to our family and it is time to start getting the room ready.

I came up with some useful and simple ideas which any of you can use for your own needs.

Part 1 – Flower Pot

I prepared some materials which are really under 5 dollars in total. If we don’t have to spend much money why should we? 🙂

My daughter chose light purple as the main color of the decorations so we will keep up with it as much as we can.

I painted a wooden frame purple inside out and then decorated it with shiny stickers.

The result is truly simple and decorative. Try it yourself! It took me about 40 minutes to finish.

The One With Art

All what I love about sewing, fine art, beaded jewelry, crafts and handy work.

Category Archives: Home repairs and upgrates

DIY Toilet Paper Holder

Picture Frame Jewelry Holder

Floor Tail Grout Clean Up

Flower Pots Decoration

Table Make-Over

Fabric Chair Refreshment

Nursery – Part 5: Bassinet Make-Over

Nursery – Part 3: Window Curtain

Nursery – Part 2: Picture Frames

Nursery – Part 1: Flower Pot