Sock Monkey Nook Cover

My husband bought me a Nook for Christmas and to effectively use it I needed a cover. I've been carrying it around in it's box to keep it safe. The covers at Barnes and Noble are nice but a bit pricey --I'd rather spend the money on the books. I found cheaper covers online but they were too boring. So I decided to make my own. Luckily I found some fun sock monkey fabric and bought a yard figuring I'd find something to do with it.

  With a little trial and error I created a pattern in my head and now I have a cute cover. I'll explain the process I used and the better way to do it as I go along.

Defacing a Book!  The first step is to get an old book. I went through my pile of yard sale books and held my Nook up to each one to see which would fit the best. I can't believe I tore a book apart. Seems sacrilegious or something. I then used a utility knife and took the pages and binding out of the book cover.

Now I got all technical and doubled my fabric over and placed the book on top of the fabric. I measured so that I had enough fabric for 1/2" seam allowance on the top and bottom of the book and one side. I left a little extra on one of the sides for wiggle room. Set this aside and cut two pieces of low loft batting to the size of the book. Also cut a piece of interfacing on the inside for more stability.

Now take your fabric and sew three sides together. Turn it inside out and stick the book inside to check on your fit. When you are satisfied put your book in and a piece of batting on each side and the interfacing between the batting and fabric on the inside of the book. I fused my batting to the fabric before I turned it inside out so that it would stick better but really you can do it after for ease, especially if you don't have fusible batting.

After you have everything in place trim down your last end and fold the ends in and either hand stitch or machine sew that end. If you can hand stitch you may be able to make it look better but I prefer machine stitching so I just went with that.

Now I added a clasp to keep the cover closed. I picked a button out of my stash and used a piece of leftover fabric. I pressed the fabric strip by first folding the sides in to meet at the middle and then folded it in half again. Then I stitched it.

Next I had my first experience sewing on a button. If you haven't done it, wikihow has a nice step-by-step guideline. I centered the button and sewed. Then on the back I brought the two ends of the fabric strip together and attached by hand-stitching. (yuck, didn't turn out too beautiful). Make sure before you stitch to wrap your clasp around the button to make sure you will have a tight clasp. You want to keep your Nook in.

Okay, so really I did that all out of order. It would have probably been easier and I could have stitched by machine if I would have added the clasp to the back of the fabric before I put the book and batting in. So next time I will do that first. I just got too excited. Also the next step would probably be easier before putting it all together. But what fun is it to always follow the correct steps. : )

If you don't want to do the next step you don't really have to. With the clasp closed my Nook stayed in place even when shaken. So really it is plenty protected for traveling around. However, if you want to leave your Nook in the cover while reading then on to the next step you go... (or my next step).

I created the inside holder by making a small pocket at the bottom and a fabric strip at the top. There are a lot of ways you could do this, but this is what I attempted. I first cut a little pocket for the bottom. I measured from the bottom of the screen to the bottom of my Nook. You don't want to cover your screen. I doubled my fabric over for extra support. I then tucked in and sewed the sides to prevent fraying and for a nice look. Then because I'm lazy and didn't machine sew this ahead of time I used iron-on hem tape to attach the bottom pocket where I wanted it. I later hand stitched the sides for added support. Make sure it isn't going to cover any of your screen. Also I can still feel the menu button on the bottom so I wasn't worried about covering it.

Now for the top I took an extra piece of fabric and did the same process as I did for the clasp strip. Make sure it is long enough to go around the top of your Nook and behind it a little. Then I put my Nook in the bottom pocket to determine where the top should go. I put little pen marks on the book/fabric to show where I needed to sew the top strip. I then hand stitched the ends of the top to create a loop. This will hold the Nook in place but also allows you to easily take the Nook out.

And that's it. Your own unique Nook cover. Next time I would do my steps in a little different order so that less hand stitching will be involved.

 Just have fun with it.

DIY Shelving

Do you need shelving? Maybe you want to replace the flimsy plastic shelving left behind by the previous owners. Maybe you just need more organizing room. Or maybe you are short like me and would like custom shelving at just the right height. Don't go spend tons of money at the store on pre-made shelving. You can spend a lot less by doing it yourself.

We went to Lowe's and picked out a nice sturdy piece of particle board. Know what measurements you want and Lowe's will even cut the boards for you. This is especially helpful if you don't have a truck. We had them cut a 4 by 8 board into 8 pieces. Go the shelving section next and buy brackets. They are likely cheaper in bulk if you need a lot. We ended up putting up three for each shelf once we realized extra support was needed. Make sure the brackets are long enough to support your width of shelf. Also buy screws and wall anchors.

Determine where you want the shelves and make pencil marks where the brackets should go. Use a level to make sure your board will be even. Drill a hole in the wall for the brackets using a drill bit then hammer in your anchor and screw on the brackets. Sit your shelf on top and there you go! You are ready to organize. If you want you could paint your shelving before putting up the shelves. Covering them in fabric or scrapbook paper could also be fun and add some excitement to your closet.

Tip #2: Hardware

There are several options to update a dresser's hardware.

 A) you could refinish the dresser and keep the current hardware if you like it.

B) you could spray paint the current hardware, Rustoleum and Valspar both have spray paint that has a metallic look (ranging from about $4-$8 a can) and the paint dries rather quickly

C) buy new hardware. Option C can get pricey depending on the look and finish you want. I suggest looking online. I ordered the hardware I wanted on Amazon.com. The same pieces were available at Lowe's but a lot cheaper online. There are a lot more options online as well. Make sure to measure the distance between the holes for the handles you need. You can always fill the old holes and drill new ones if you can't find the same size.

When ordering online check your shipment to make sure it's correct as soon as you get it. It's not a fun realization when you notice one of your knobs is a misfit right at the end of a project.

Tip #1: Painting Tip

We received the best painting tip from some random guy in Lowe's. I just wish we would have run into him before we painted our whole house and cleaned our tools every night.

Tip #1: If you are not done painting and need to continue with the same color at a later time, take a gallon plastic freezer bag and put your paint brush inside and seal the bag.

This will keep the brush and paint moist, eliminating the need to clean the brush everytime you take a break.

Time Saver!

My Adventures in Refinishing a Dresser

 Around Christmas time I decided to refinish a dresser that my step dad's brother gave us for free. I needed it for my room because it has shelving in one door and quite frankly I couldn't reach my sweaters on the shelf in the closet. So I read up on the process in many blogs and tried to decide what I wanted to do to the dresser; such as whether I wanted a distressed look. I decided to go with a slightly distressed look. Here are the items you will need. I got everything at Lowe's.

• Paint for base coat (I used an leftover paint sample) It doesn't have to cover the whole dresser
• Paint/Varnish Stripper
• Mineral Spirits to clean up the paint stripper and brushes
• Paint brushes
• Fine sand paper
• plastic scrappers/putty knifes (metal will tear up the wood and cause divets)
• toothbrush for scrapping small narrow areas
• Wood putty to fill in divets
• New hardware
• Paste Wax
• rags
• Top Coat
• Sealant if you want (depends on look)
• Ventilation Mask
• Rubber gloves for varnish remover



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Dresser Door Before



Dresser Before



The first step is to set up your work area. I started in the garage but it was way too cold for me and for the varnish stripper to work. So I put a tarp and cardboard down in our tiled foyer. I then stripped all the varnish and the old fashioned flower painting off of the entire dresser. This is a pretty tedious process. Wear long sleeves, pants, and gloves. This stuff burns! Make sure the temperature where you are working is above 55, or whatever the varnish stripper says, or it won't work well. Also make sure to vent your workspace. That varnish remover is wicked stuff. After it has set for about 15 minutes scrape off the remover and varnish. Work in small areas at a time. Don't let the stuff dry completely. This process may have to be repeated several times.  After you have removed all the varnish put mineral spirits on a rag and wipe down the whole piece. Let the whole piece dry before moving on.

Door with all the paint and varnish off
  

Now sand all of the rough areas and any areas where stripper remains. Fill in all of the divets with wood putty and sand after drying. Also if your new pulls and knobs do not fit the current handles you will need to fill the old holes with putty then drill new holes. I had to do this because the old pulls were about 5 inches and the new ones were only 3 inches. Also I wanted the handles to be lower on the door. I used a template I created out of a piece of cardboard to make sure my handles all lined up. Use an electric drill to put in the new holes. 

Now it's time to paint your base coat. You don't have to paint everywhere, just the areas you think you will distress.

Base coat. I used a tan.

It's not necessary to paint the inside of the dresser. It's really up to you.

 After the base coat has dried use the paste wax. With a clean rag put a light coat of wax just in the areas you want to distress. Let this dry for at least an hour.

Next you will paint your base coat. I chose a Lemon Mint. I painted this all over the dresser and over the waxed areas. It took me three coats to obtain the color I wanted. After the paint has thoroughly dried you can distress it. Use the sandpaper to go over the waxed areas.  I didn't need to use the sand paper but was able to peel off paint with my fingernail. When you are satisfied with your distressed look add your handles and knobs. I didn't buy new hinges and the old ones were a weathered brass so I bought a bottle of valspar metallic satin nickel and spray painted the old ones. They look new. (Also I couldn't find one of the hinge bars so I used a long nail.) You can do a coat of sealant before adding your handles if you desire.

And viola! New dresser!

My Biggest Project So Far



Nicotine covered wall in sitting room



In May, Kyle and I purchased our first home. The house had been foreclosed upon, went to sheriff's sale, and bought by the bank. Our bid won. The house had sat empty for over a year and needed a lot of cleaning and work. I could really see the potential though and couldn't wait to get started. When we bought it the house was covered in dirt inside and out and reeked of stale cigarette smoke/nicotine. The walls were yellow from the nicotine and you could see where pictures had hung because there were squares of white amidst the yellow. The whole house other than the master bathroom and foyer were covered in carpet and some of the carpet was damp. Also two of the rooms had crazy texture on the walls. We worked so hard in the first month so we could move in the middle of June. My family was a huge help. We started by ripping up the carpet, pulling up tack strips, and staples. Sanded the textured walls for over ten hours, sprayed off all the vents, spray painted vents, took out old appliances, aired out the house, scrubbed all the walls with heavy industrial cleaner, primed all the rooms with kilz (one room took two coats), painted all of the rooms, painted some trim, put down new flooring, and painted all the rooms. As we lived in the house we put in some new light fixtures and hung new bathroom mirrors, hung new blinds, and continue to work on fixtures. It's a work in progress but it has improved by a lot. I will discuss our projects in other posts but for now will show pictures of what has been done.





Dining Room Before



Dining Room After

Kitchen Before



Kitchen After



 More Pictures to Come.....



Welcome

So I don't know if I will be any good at blogging or even remember to do it half of the time. Sometimes I have a new idea and it loses its appeal quickly, but we'll see. : ) However, this blog is something I've thought about doing ever since we bought our house in May 2011. This blog is going to be all about the house projects we have done and will do, as well as about my many crafty projects, such as refinishing a dresser and quilting. Please feel free to post comments if you have done similar projects and have tips. We have done a lot of trial and error to get things to work. The house has been a fun, and yet sometimes an exhausting experience. Hopefully you will get some good ideas or at least learn how not to do things. Enjoy!