My New (Refinished) Computer Table

Years ago, we found this table on the side of the road.  I was so excited!  I couldn't believe that my neighbor didn't want it any more!  So I quickly enlisted my boys to walk down to her house and pick up the table and drag it to our house.  I knew that I could use it for something. 

 For a while, this table served me well as my craft/sewing table.  I always had the intention of painting it and making it look cute, but I just never took the time to do it.  It needed a bit of work before I could paint it.  It was pretty wobbly.  

Fast forward about 4-5 years...

I finally finished the table!  My husband made the table sturdy, my boys sanded it down and helped me paint it and then I glazed it and...I love it!

I can't believe that it took me so long to finish!  One of the reasons it did take me so long was that I remained indecisive on what paint color to use.  I debated over white and black, then turquoise.  But when all was said and done, I decided to use Valspar's Bungalow Gold.  Since we are renting right now and all our walls are white, I wanted to do a splash of color to decorate around.  And this was the perfect choice! 

After the sanding and painting, I decided to glaze it.  I tinted the glaze with ebony stain.  I painted it on and then wiped it off.  I  really liked all the imperfections of the wood, so I left as much glaze as I could in all the knicks and scratches and grooves of the wood.  It turned out amazing and is now the new home of my computer!  

Repurpose: Diaper Box into Denim Box

 My 12 year old twins go to middle school and have to wear uniforms and didn't have any room for all these extra clothes in their dresser.  So they have been keeping their clothes in a diaper box under the bed.  I promised that we would turn the diaper box into something else that didn't look like a diaper box, or have a baby on the front.  I am just now getting around to keeping that promise.  I don't know why it took me so long, it was so easy and quick!

I covered the diaper box with some heavy duty denim fabric that I bought at a yard sale a couple of years ago.  This was incredibly easy!  It only took about 15 minutes.  Making the liner in easy too.  There is a tutorial on Make it Love it if you are interested in making your own liner.  

When I made my liner, I just measured each side of the box and added an inch to the top and side for seam allowances.  Then I sewed all the pieces together.  Fold over the edges and sew a seam casing for the ribbon and you're done!  Easier said than done, right?  It's really not that hard.

Here is how I recovered my box.  This is actually the second one that I did.  My boys loved the first one so much, that I decided to make a second one.  They fit perfectly under the bunk beds and look so much organized than the system they are using now.

First, measure the top of your box.  Mine is about 11.5 inches tall.  So I made sure to cut about 15 inches around the box so I could fold over the sides into the box.  More on that later.  The first box I use was very sturdy.  So I cut off the flaps that fold to make the top.  This box has been used and abused by my boys.  They folded the flaps into the box and used packing tape to secure them, so I left it that way.  I figured that the box would be that much sturdier.

Cut your fabric around the box as shown.  I cut 15 inched around the entire box. Now cut a square out for each corner.  I measured 2 inches  out from the corner and then cut the square out.

This is the spray adhesive that I used.  There is NO sewing to recover the box, only to make the liner.

Spray the bottom of the box.  It is best to do this in a well ventilated area.  Outside would be best.
Place the box in the center of your fabric.  Then turn the box upside down and smooth the fabric over the bottom of the box.

Now for the sides:  I did the longer side first.  Spray the whole side of the box and smooth the fabric over the box.

 

Now spray the inside of the box, just enough for the fabric to cover.  You don't have to spray the whole inside. Then repeat on the other side.

This is what your box should look like now.  The long sides are done and now we are ready to do the short sides.  Before you spray for the short side, you need to spray a little to attach the remnant from the long side onto to the short side.
 

Now you need to make sure your fabric folds this way.  You are going to spray the short side of the box, but as you attach your material to the box you need to fold in the sides.

Here, my fabric is attached and the sides are folded.  Now spray into the fold and apply pressure.

Spray the inside of the box to attach the rest of the fabric and then repeat on the other side.

Now your box is done and the liner can be made.  So cute and easy!

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Giveaway {Cutting Edge Stencils}

****This Giveaway is now closed****

Cutting Edge Stencils has an amazing giveaway for our readers!  They are generously giving a Babblings and More reader a stencil of their choice up to $50!

Before I give you any more details, let me show you a project I have been working on.  My kids bathroom really needed some work.  You can see the before and after pictures below.  There was wallpaper all over that was starting to peel.  The owners before us apparently love wallpaper because it is all over the house.

So, my boys helped me tear all that old wallpaper off.  And come to find out, there wasn't any texture on the wall beneath.  So that just added one more step to my project.  After I textured, I painted the walls grey with a paint and primer paint that I picked up at Lowe's.  To tell you the truth, I bought this gallon of paint at the "Opps" shelf, so it only cost me $10!

After everything was painted, I got ready to stencil.  I was super excited!  The videos that Cutting Edge Stencils have on their website are fantastic.  I made sure to watch before I attempted to stencil and they were very helpful and made the job easy to do.  

I have never stenciled anything before!  So I was kind of nervous to see how my stenciling skills were.  But, it didn't take long until I got the hang of it and it went by pretty fast.  It took me about 2 hours from start (taping the wall and baseboards) to finish (including clean up) and I had two little girls helping me.  :)  I was really impressed with how easy it was and I LOVE the results! 

I would highly suggest the Clip On Stencil Level and the Foam Roller.  These made the job so much easier!

Cutting Edge Stencils has so many stencils to choose from.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Fuji Allover Stencil

The Vintage Paisley Stencil

The Japanese Maple Leaf Stencil

So here are all the fun details:

One winner will receive one stencil of their choice up to $50 with free shipping!

**Open to US residents only**

Here is what you have to do to enter:
We are trying out Rafflecopter, so please let us know if you have any problems with it.  Thanks!  :)
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received the supplies necessary for this project in exchange for a product review.  All of the opinions expressed are 100% mine. 

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