Tanaira Everywhere You Look - DIY Coasters

Lately I've been tackling a few projects in my Living Room. There actually wasn't much to finish in here. I've sewn curtains, and the only thing I still need to do is upholster some chairs. I have never attempted such a thing before though. However, a couple of months ago I took to watching Ellen's Design Challenge. It was actually pretty safe for me. Well, up until they started making couches. All of a sudden, I feel like I can make a couch now too. It really didn't look that hard...in theory. I totally think I could pull it off, and if I can make a couch...then how hard could it be to recover chairs? What do you think? Piece of cake?

I probably shouldn't have started with that because what I actually did might be a let down. It was definitely more fun though. For this project I made coasters. My original plan was to design a piece of art, and split it into 4 pieces. Then I started looking into it, and came up with an even better idea. Pictures of me! I mean who doesn't want to look at my beautiful face while they partake in libations. So here we go. I chose the 4 pictures below.

Now I didn't just select pictures at random. I went through several pictures of myself, and several effects in Photoshop. After some trial and error and some direction, I came up with a theme and style that I liked. I put the 4 photos into Photoshop and played around with each of them. When all was said and done, I came up with the 4 images below.

Fancy huh?! I wanted the images to complement each other style wise, but have some color variation between them. When I was happy, I printed the 4 images out.

Once I had the images it was time to actually make the coasters. I bought 4 inch tiles from Home Depot. Tile is actually pretty inexpensive. The regular ones are only 18 cents. I wanted nice edges on mine, so I decided to splurge for the fancy glass ones at $2.99 a piece. Total budget buster, I know.

To keep them from scratching the surface I added felt to the bottom. I flipped each tile over, and used E6000 to glue the felt to the underside. 

Once the felt dried I added the pictures. I cut out each picture, and then used Mod Podge to adhere the picture to the surface.

 I spread a thin layer to the back side,

then placed the picture down, pressing firmly.

I repeated the same process for the other 3 coasters. I let all of the coasters set for about an hour before brushing them with two additional layers of Mod Podge to seal in the design, and give them protection from wet beverages.

What do you think? Which one is your favorite? I'm having a hard time picking. I think it depends on the day. 

I'm quite excited about the way they turned out. At one point it wasn't coming together, and I was going to just scrap the whole idea. Glad I kept playing around. Now to actually test them out. The most authentic way I could think of was non other than to make myself a Margarita.  

I'm glad to say it passed the test. It's nice to have one more project off the list. Just in time too, considering that the weather is starting to get warmer. That means lots of patio situations. If anyone has a good Sangria recipe...pass it on. Until then...It's on to the next project. 

Kitchen Console Table

One of the biggest issues I find with decorating such a large space is that by the time I am done with the planned projects, I get an amazing idea about something new. It's just a dangerous revolving cycle. My kitchen has been one of the safest spaces. Not that I don't have dreams of new counter tops and light fixtures (totally the fault of HGTV), but I can easily talk myself out of them. There is one project however that I have been wanting to do. I have a giant window in the kitchen, and I wanted to add a console table in front. I have contemplated a few retail purchases, but most things seemed too busy. Besides, I had some old pieces that I used for a desk at one point, so why not recycle materials.

So, first a trip to Home Depot. I measured the window and decided on a 1' x 4' ft table. They actually sell lumber in this exact size, so no cutting was necessary.

Now unlike most projects where I paint things in a color, for this piece I really wanted to go for a wood stain. My kitchen has more of an earthy feel to it, and I thought the stain would be a good complement. I chose the color Kona by Varathane. It's one of their darker stains. Now, I had never stained anything before so this was going to be an adventure to say the least.

Before starting I did a little research and even did a test patch. It took me a few coats to get the coverage I wanted. Even with all of that though, I think my application was still a little off. I definitely under estimated how messy staining was. Not the easiest painting project I've done, but it still came out good in the end. 

In between coats I tackled the legs. The legs were actually the inspiration for the table's design. I had these legs from a desk that I built years ago. I have since built another desk, but always kept the legs...just in case. You never know when stuff will come in handy. I thought this was as good a time as any to use them. They are really plumbing pipes, so it would give the table a little more of an industrial cool feel. 

 I gave all 4 legs a couple coats of black spray paint.

Once the top and the legs were dry I put everything together. I placed the top on the floor, and screwed the legs to the bottom. 

When I turned the table right side up, it was little skinnier and a lot heavier than I had anticipated.  I was still digging it though. I added a layer of protective finish and let it dry over night.

The next morning I carried the table upstairs to the kitchen 

With everything completely dry, I really liked the finished look of the wood stain. 

I placed it in front of the window.

Now I have to put something on it. Originally I was just going to add something random to the top. Then I read an article in my HGTV magazine about growing herbs indoors. I thought it was a great idea. Being that the table is long and narrow, anything too heavy would cause the table to sag over time. That meant typical ceramic pots were out. While I was at Target I came across these cute copper pots. The only problem is that they had no drainage hole at the bottom. So, I had to create some. I got out my tools and power drill

Putting holes in metal is not easy to say the least. It definitely took lots patience and persistence. I used the screw driver to make a dent in the metal, and then used my drill to slowly make a hole. I made 2 holes in each pot for ample drainage. 

Once the pots had all been prepared, I filled them with soil and potted an herb in each pot. For my herbs I chose Rosemary, Thyme, and Cilantro.

Herbs need lots of sunlight, so I put them right under the window.

 Excuse the cilantro. It didn't hold up too well during the transition, so it became a little limp. 

I also bought a cactus for some color. 

So that's it. It's nice to finally have something by the window. This was actually one of the easiest projects I've done to date. The wood stain however made it one of the messiest. I had to throw my paint brush and rags away. Oh, and before you ask...I do actually cut and use the herbs when I'm cooking. If my herbs work out, maybe I'll get up the courage to build a real garden outside. We'll see...that's definitely another project for a future day. Until then....It's on to the next project.

When I Get Bored...I Make Things

I was at dinner with a friend recently, and I was talking about my cute new box purse. My friend says "Oh, the one with the chain". I replied, "No, this is another one". My friend then asks, "I don't remember seeing that one, is it on your blog?" I realized at that moment people assume that I blog whatever I'm working on, and in most cases that is true. However, there are lots of projects I don't blog about. Sometimes they're small and insignificant, and sometimes there's not enough to be interesting or make a good blog. There are also lots of times that the project takes so long that by the time I finish, I'm just glad to be done and don't feel like blogging about it. I definitely have a folder of unposted projects. So, I figured it was time to talk about some of the things I've done, but haven't posted. 

First that box purse I was talking about. Usually I have tons of things going on. This particular Saturday...nothing. It was also cold outside, and leaving the house was not happening. So, in my sense of boredom I decided to make some stuff. I had bought this box awhile ago from Michaels with the thoughts of painting it.

I removed the hardware, primed, and painted the whole thing white. 

I pondered a few ideas about what I wanted to paint, but decided to just go with simple black and white stripes. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. In the inside, I added black felt to create some padding.

I added the hardware back and gave it a layer of clear coat. 

I actually enjoyed painting this. I was going to add a big sparkly embellishment, but began to dig the sleekness and neutral feeling of it. I will probably paint another one at some time. That one will be a lot more interesting, I promise.  

On that same day I also made myself some earrings. In my perusing of the internet, I've seen wire bent into words and shapes. I decided to make some of my own. So, I got out some wire and started bending.

Now I've never done or even tried this before, so It was going to be trial and error. I used my jewelry pliers and worked each letter until I got what I wanted. In no time I ended up with my first word.

Then for the second one I went through the same process. This one was a little harder than the first because the letters did not combine so easily. I ended up having to start over from scratch, but it was a good learning lesson

Here is the finished product.

I turned these into a pair of stud earrings. I wish I would have thought of it before I started. I realized I didn't leave myself any leftover wire on the ends for the findings. So I had to add extra after the fact. Not the ideal solution, but it's good to know for next time. 

While we're on the topic of jewelry let's talk about my ear cuff. For New Years Eve I decided to not buy a new outfit this year, however I still needed some sort of flare. I've been seeing ear cuffs around, and decided I wanted to try my hand at making one. Well, for this project let's change make to embellish. I attempted one from scratch, but found the base to be the hardest part to make. I also considered just purchasing, but didn't find any that were as fantastic as I needed them to be. I ended up buying 2 separate pieces from Claires', and then embellishing them with additional beads, jewels, and chain. 

It turned out super cute, and was a total hit. I also like that I can wear the 2 pieces on their own for a different, more subdued look.  

The next few projects are kind of old. I updated my desk drawers and the dividers. Originally I was going to leave this red, but in my efforts to make the office amazing I painted it white and sprayed the handles gold.

I updated the inside linings with gray and white striped scrapbook paper. It gives a little visual interest, but not too busy. 

Now for my favorite part, the drawer dividers. In case you don't know I love to divide a drawer. The extra organizational push just gives me total euphoric feelings. The drawers already had dividers, but they were made of cardboard and wrapped in bright red adhesive vinyl. I decided it was time for an upgrade. I purchased 1x3" craft wood from Lowes, and used my Miter Saw to cut them to size. 

I added dividers to 4 of the 6 drawers. The other 2 have bigger items in them.

Can you say LOVE!!!!

Next up I made trays for my accessories island. I needed something to hold some of my smaller things. To make the trays I used 1/4" foam board and craft wood.

To cover the inside I added pieces of cardboard wrapped in fabric. I know the fabric doesn't go with the room at all. I just thought it was fun. 

For the knobs, I ended up making some. I really wanted to buy them but I realized a lot of the fancy knobs have really long posts, thus they would have protruded too far into the drawer itself. I ended up finding a decorative piece at Michaels, and painted it pink to match my fancy ottoman.

I made 2 trays. The one on the left is filled with my wallets and small purses. The one on the right is for my sunglasses.

. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook then you've probably already seen my most recent project. A friend of mine had a daughter last year, and a couple of weeks ago was her 1st birthday. I promised I would come out of hiatus, and make a children's gifts. I bought a rocking chair from Michaels, and painted it. 

I have painted rocking chairs before, and a lot of them end up being pink or purple. I wanted to do something a little different for this one. I chose a pale yellow, and then personalized it. 

So that's it. There is always something going on around here. Some projects you see, and some you don't. There's probably more that I could show you, but we'll have to save that for another day, another post. Hope you enjoyed the round up. Until then...It's on to the next project. 

Which is currently covering my floor... 

I just cleaned too....

 Ah well...

This is my life, and I accept it!