Private Nook

77 miles is a long way to travel for anything, especially school. I live in a hamlet type town Sigel, which is an hour and fifteen minutes away from my high school in Champaign-Urbana. This distance does leave a lot of time to relax because all of my time is spent in the car. However, when I am at home, I certainly don't want to spend my time around my pesky brother's puns or parental nagging. It is at this point that I go to my room to chill a bit. Then an idea struck me; I should have a proper place to chill. Something like... a reading nook! Now, I realize this isn't a project that can be recreated exactly how I do it, but bear with me. All you'll need are some items you have around the house and a bit of elbow grease.

Empty corner; yuck!

What you'll definitely need: 

•  An empty corner 
•  A lovely comfy chair
•  Some sheets or large pieces of fabric

What I used that you don't have to have:

• A rug
• A shelf  
• A lamp
• Drawings/Pictures

Tutorial:

1. Find an empty corner in your home/room and resolve to make it fabulous.

Drapes!

 2.  Take you rug and place it in the corner. (If you don't have a rug skip this step)

 3. For some privacy, take the sheets or pieces of fabric and hang them in the corner leaving enough space for the chair. I put my sheets up with wall tacks, but you could use hooks or towel holding mounts for more stability. (you will need a drill if you're going to use towel mounts)

 4.  This step is completely optional. I think that if you're spending time alone reading or in a contemplative hibernating state, it's best to be surrounded by memories and fun stuff. And so, the photo wall is born! Just stick a bunch of photos and drawings up on a wall in your corner. (I have magnetic paint so this is easy for me, but tape or tacks work just as well)

Here's the photo wall and chair

 5.  Now that your corner is nice and secluded, you need a place to sit. Personally, I like chairs that are massive. They make me feel safe grounded, so they're perfect for book reading, studying, or sleeping.Whatever chair you choose, stick it in the corner leaving room enough for a small shelf or side table.

 6. Add a shelf or side-table. (I also put an ottoman with storage in it just for good measure)

7. Fill the shelf with timeless books and other reading materials (I have the Harry Potter series and Batgirl comics)

8. If you don't want to read in the dark, it's probably a good idea to put a lamp in there somewhere. Otherwise, the shelf/table is a clean template for whatever awesomeness you want to put on it.

Tada! A fabulous new reading nook!

I am quite please with the way my corner turned out. Eventually it might become more elaborate, but until then it's exceedingly cozy and great for when I'm feeling especially philosophical. 

Until my next project, keep up the hard work! 

First Effort: Shoes

When I discovered the internet, a whole new world was opened. With this world came the realization that there are so many talented people in the world. With art and creativity everywhere I looked, my greatest desire was (and still is!) to join their ranks. The artistic group I've decided to jump into is the do-it-yourselfers. These people take everyday objects (or not so everyday objects) and make something new from them. My first attempt at a do-it-yourself project, before this blog, resulted in the tragic death of a gorgeous chocolate cake. Cake decorating is not for the faint of heart.

With this blog, I will chronicle my newest attempts at diy projects. I have decided to bite the bullet and risk something I treasure; my shoes. I have a pair of wedge-boots that are suede, so they're scuffed up because of the frequency I wear them. 

Unfortunately, the suede is coming off.

Because these shoes are already dead visually, it is not a risky project. If this is your first time with fabric paint and you're not sure what you're doing, I would not use your favorite pair of shoes.  What you'll need is:     

• A pair of shoes you want to refurbish
• Fabric paint of your color choice
• Spray sealant (found next to the paint in stores)
• Brush 
• Paint palette (or paper plate, anything goes)
• Good old-fashioned scotch tape
• The great outdoors

1.  First, use the scotch tape to tape off the edges to separate where you want to paint and where you want to leave the original shoe. If you're painting the entire shoe, you can ignore this step.

Yay, tape!

 2. Squeeze fabric paint into a section of the palette, or paper plate.

paint inside the tape

3. Once the paint is out in the open, take the brush and paint inside the taped off areas. Apply one layer, then wait for at least 10 minutes to apply a second coat. (two coats should be enough, but you can apply more if you want.)



4. When everything is painted and nice, peel the tape off the shoe.

5. When the shoe is completely tape-less, go outside or to a well ventilated area to spray at least the newly painted part with the sealant (I sprayed the entire shoe). Going to a ventilated area is very important for this because the sealant's smell is very strong and could be dangerous if there's no fresh air.

6. Wait for the sealant to dry and...

VOILA!

   Fabulous shoes resulted and everyone is happy. I painted a gold edge on mine freehand, which is completely unnecessary unless you want to do it. Overall, I am very happy with my first Do-It-Yourself Project. I think these shoes have a steam-punk kind of feel. More photos will come when I figure out what I'm going to wear them with!