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The Urge to Purge

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Hi! Remember me? I hope you’re enjoying the spring weather while crickets have been chirping around these parts. As I touched on a while back, blogging has moved down on the list of priorities, while chasing after a baby toddler and training for a half marathon have moved up. But I’m feeling inspired to start writing again. We’ve been doing some projects around the house and somebody has a 1st birthday on the horizon!

If you follow me on Instagram (@FiscallyChic), you’ll know that I went on a little cleaning frenzy a while back (clearly this post has been sitting in draft form for a while). This happens every so often, usually when we have company coming over. Last year, the mega cleaning bug also bit after going to an estate sale and while still pregnant and getting the house ready for Monica.

I keep a bag of items to be donated in our closet and take it to Goodwill once the bag gets full. When the bag was more than full, I knew it was time to clean house. I was feeling inspired by Jess Lively’s most recent “Throw out 100 things challenge” and had also read about the minimalist challenge on Design*Sponge where you get rid of one item for each day of the month: one item on Day 1, two items of Day 2, all the way up to getting rid of 30 items on Day 30. They also linked to The Minimalists and I fell down the rabbit hole reading about minimizing. More recently, I discovered the Minimalist Baker after hearing Dana’s interview on The Lively Show. Which, by the way, is a must-listen-to podcast!

So back to the post at hand…I also felt the urge to purge because Monica is crawling (!), pulling herself up on things, standing (!!), and now taking a few baby steps at a time (!!!). She loves to put everything in her mouth, so I’m trying to minimize the choking hazards and other household perils. Plus, we now have her stuff to contend with and reign in.

Instead of just donating the items in that shopping bag, I started to take a closer look at other items cluttering my life.

I donated clothes that didn’t fit well, clothes that I haven’t worn in years, and clothes that don’t fit my current lifestyle. I also donated kitchen items we haven’t used in years and threw out clothes beyond repair, old makeup samples (I tend to stick to a few tried and true products), and beat-up shoes. I also recycled old papers and magazines.

During the cleaning process, I came to realize that I’m a sucker for freebies (I’m looking at you unused and discarded Clinique Bonus Time gifts) and hold onto too many “just in case” and “someday” items. I sometimes place a little too much emotional weight on things, particularly gifts, which makes it harder to part with them thinking I might offend someone down the line. I also feel the need to hold onto something to remember an event. For example, a brochure from Galina, IL has been sitting on my dresser for quite some time now. We visited Galina in October 2010! What the heck was I still saving it for? To scrapbook it? That’s not really my thing.

After donating fives bags and a box of stuff, in addition to throwing out or recycling a few more bags of things; it didn’t feel like I made a dent. A lot of things were out of sight and out of mind, tucked away in storage bins and behind closet doors. It’s a lot like The Minimalists’ post “Organizing is often well-planned hoarding.” Though I’m happy to report that some of my clothes drawers are easier to close and there’s a little more breathing room in my closet.

I still have a ways to go, especially with some unopened boxes in our basement, but I feel like I’m making progress. I’m trying to be better about buying new things and what I bring into the house. For example, I’m resisting buying all sorts of new baby things unless Monica really needs it or it would make our life that much easier.

For example, we haven’t bought special baby plates or bowls yet. We received baby spoons from a shower and fed her purees out of our mugs or put food directly on her highchair tray. I’m used our current ice cube trays to freeze food cubes instead of buying “special” baby food ones.

More recently, we traded in our Ikea “media center” for a “new” Midcentry Modern buffet by MegMade. It’s totally baby proof, has concealed storage, and fits the style of our house much better than the yellow Ikea shelving. There are other updates to the back room and rest of the house, but I have to save a little material for future posts ;)

It’s great to be back!

Building an Upholstered Ottoman

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In what can be described as a labor of love, here’s our new upholstered ottoman for the back room! I started this puppy in October 2012 and finally finished it in January 2013. Sure I got side-tracked and a little intimidated during the process, but it’s finally done! This tutorial on Design*Sponge was helpful, but I also figured things out as I went.
Without further ado, hope you’re ready for a detailed and photo-heavy post documenting how to build your own upholstered ottoman.
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Materials:
  • 3/4 in. plywood/MDF:
    • 2 cuts for the top/bottom – 45″ x 19″
    • 2 cuts for the length – 45″ x 8.5″
    • 2 cuts for the width – 17.5″ x 8.5″
  • Wood glue (Liquid Nails)
  • 1 1/2″ wood/masonry screws
  • 2 inch thick foam, cut to 45″ x 19″
  • Spray adhesive (I just used the wood glue)
  • Extra loft batting (I bought batting for a twin-sized quilt (72″ x 90″) at Joann’s and had plenty)
  • 5/16″ staples
  • 2 to 3 yards of fabric, depending on the pattern repeat (I bought ours from Premier Prints)
  • Matching thread
  • 4 – 2″ legs
  • Wood stain (I used Mixwax wiping stain/finish in walnut)
  • Clean rag or socks
  • 4 screw-on leg plates
  • Nailhead trim (6 packs of 25 nails)
  • Scotchguard


Tools:

  • Table saw (unnecessary if your wood is cut at the hardware store)
  • Drill and drill bit
  • Clamps (optional)
  • Serrated bread knife, electric carving knife, or hand saw (if you need to cut the foam to size)
  • Scissors
  • Staple gun (I bought the Stanley TR250)
  • Sewing machine
  • Screwdriver
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Hammer wrapped with duct tape
  • Pliers

Building a Box
Once your wood is cut to size, you’ll want to double check that the sides andcorners all match up and are at a right angle. If necessary, sand down any uneven edges.

Once you’re satisfied that everything matches up, it’s time to screw the sides of the box together (the 45″ x 8.5″ and 17.5″ x 8.5″ cuts). Give the edges of the wood a good swipe of Liquid Nails. Clamp the sides of the box together and screw together the sides. Since we don’t have large clamps, I held the sides of the box while John screwed them together.

Once the sides are screwed together, apply Liquid Nails to the top of the box. Screw the 45″ x 19″ piece of wood to the top.

Flip this over and repeat with the 45″ x 19″ piece of wood for the bottom.

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You should be left with a box that looks something like this. I let the box “set” for a few days before starting on the upholstery.

Upholstering the Box

First, we tackled the foam. Joann’s was able to cut the 2″ foam to my required length (45″), but I needed to trim it to the proper width (19″).
 

I used a small handsaw for the task. Joann’s used an electric carving knife (what you would use for a Thanksgiving turkey), but a serrated bread knife would also work.

Spray the top of the box with the adhesive (or use the Liquid Nails). Really cover the surface!

Press the foam into the glue/adhesive. I let things set for a day or so again.

Once the glue is set, it’s time for the batting. You could mark our your measurements on the batting and cut. Since I had such a large piece of batting, I simply draped it over the box and started cutting it to size.

Snip, snip, snip.

I draped the batting over the box in the opposite direction and cut it again. The pieces of batting overlap on the top.

And now for my upholstery weapon of choice: the staple gun. This one was around $20. I picked it because it’s versatile (we can use staples or brads) and “features an easy-to-squeeze trigger and comfortable handle to reduce hand fatigue.” This is the first time I used a staple gun, so can’t really compare it to anything else. Overall, it seems like a good pick.

Flip the box over so the foam is on the floor. Pull the batting evenly over the sides of the box and staple every few inches. Be sure to avoid stapling on the screws.

Like so!

This is how things looked from the bottom. You’ll see in future pictures that we trimmed around the corners where the screw-on leg plates were installed.

This is how the upholstered box looked once flipped foam-side up.

A close-up of a corner. The part hanging out at the bottom was eventually tucked under or trimmed.

Probably the hardest part of this whole project was picking the fabric and lining up the pattern. I bought 2 yards of fabric, but life would have been so much easier if I had purchased 3 yards. The pattern repeat made things a little tight and the pattern didn’t line up perfectly. Close, but not perfect.

In essence, I made a slipcover that I then stapled to the padded box. Take the dimensions of the upholstered box (45″ x 19″ x 12″) and add a few inches along each side for the seam allowance and for when you staple the fabric to the box. I also recommend working on one side at a time, checking the fit of your “slipcover” as you go.

First, I cut the fabric for the top ~46″ x 20″. This allows for a 1/2″ seam allowance on each side. Then I cut 2 pieces of fabric for the length ~46″ x 15″. This takes into account a 1/2″ seam allowance on the long side and the 1/2″ seam allowance and room to staple the fabric on the short side. Sew one of the “length” pieces to the “top” piece.

I then cut the two side pieces ~20″ x 15″. This accounts for both a 1/2″ seam allowance on the long side and 1/2″ seam allowance and staple room on the short side. Sew one of the “side” pieces to the “top” piece. Then sew the “side” piece to the “length” piece. You’ve now created one of the corners of the “slipcover.”

Continue to work your way around the slipcover. Sewing the “length” to the “top” and then sewing a corner.

Sew the final “side” to the “top” and then sew the corners.

Don’t forget to check the fit of your “slipcover” as you go. You want to make sure it’s nice and snug on the padded box.

Once you’re satisfied with your fit (and yes, I had to rip a few seams and start over), it’s time to staple again! With the “slipcover” on, flip the box over so it’s foam-side down.

Pull the fabric tightly and evenly and start stapling to the bottom of the box. I held the fabric tight while John stapled. We started from the center of the fabric and worked our way out. We also alternated the sides that we stapled to make sure the fabric was pulled evently.

Fold over the fabric at the corners and staple. Be sure to avoid the screws and any staples used to attach the batting.
The Legs

We picked up four unfinished wood legs from the Home Depot. Right near the legs were these screw-on leg plates (they came with screws). We simply screwed the plates onto the bottom of our ottoman and the legs screw into the plate.

As we were screwing on the plates, we noticed that the batting was getting in the way. Therefore, we trimmed it where the plates would be installed. We also made sure to space the plates evenly from the edge of the corners.

Yes, we ultimately chose a different set of legs. The first set we bought were 6″ long, which made the ottoman a little too tall. But this picture shows how the leg and plate set-up works.

These are the legs we decided on. 2″ high and unfinished. We picked up the Minwax water based wipe-on stain in walnut.

It was easy to apply with a clean and soon-to-be-retired sock.

Simply squirt a little stain on the leg and wipe on. Wipe off any excess.

This is how things were looking after one coat.

We let the legs dry for the requisite hour and then wiped on a second coat. We let the legs dry for another day or so before screwing them onto the ottoman.

The Nailhead Trim

I could have stopped once we added the stained legs, but I thought the ottoman needed a little finishing trim. Therefore, I picked up some bronze nailhead trim from Ace Hardware.

I used our small tap hammer and the guy at Ace suggested taping the end with duct tape. That padded the hammer and prevented scratches on the nailhead. The pliers and wrench were on hand to pull out any nails that didn’t cooperate.

I marked a spot every inch with a pencil. The distance from the edge of the ottoman to the nailhead was simply the width of my tape measure (so about an inch).

The Finished Ottoman!

Here’s our upholstered ottoman in all of its shining glory!

Of course, my feet are resting on the ottoman as I finish up this post. I still have to spray the fabric with Scotchguard, so hopefully I can take care of that over the next few days.

And yes, watching cable TV hasn’t been the same now that we have somewhere to kick up our feet :)

IKEA Vittsjo Entry Table Hack

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Do you have a room in your house or apartment that’s really easy to decorate? That’s our front room. In the past few weeks, I bought a few things for the back room that have wound up in the front room. First was this mirror (thanks to MintLife). Most recently was our entry table.

Thankfully, this little beauty is an easy IKEA hack. Which means I’m going to “make” another for the back room :)

Supplies
IKEA Vittsjo laptop table – $39
1/4 in. thick wood (I used oak hardwood plywood) – $27 for 4′ x 8′ board
Sandpaper in assorted grits – $5
Extra fine sanding sponge (~220 grit) – $3
Tack cloth – $3 for a 3-pack
Minwax Polycrylic protective spray finish in clear satin – $9

The table originally came with a glass top, which I replaced with wood. Since we have a meager collection of power tools, one of the helpful men at Home Depot cut the board to size (38″ x12.75″).

Sand the edges: I used the assorted sandpapers to smooth the edges and ensure a snug fit on the table top. I started with the roughest grit in the pack (60), moving to a finer grit (100 then 150) as the edges became smoother.

 
Once the edges of your boards are as smooth as a baby’s bottom, it’s time to tackle the top. Since I liked the grain and color of the natural wood, I only needed to seal the surface. You can always stain the wood a darker color.
 
Prepare the surface: Grab your extra fine sanding block and lightly sand the surface; making sure to sand with the grain. Looking at the picture above, that would be sanding left to right.
 
Then wipe the surface with the tack cloth. It’s a soft, slightly sticky cloth that picks up all the dust and sanding residue from the wood. This is critical because you want a clean surface for your stain, spray paint, or poly.
 
Spraying/sealing: Holding the spray can vertically (about 12 inches from the wood), spray a thin coat in an even, sweeping motion with slightly overlapping strokes. Following the instructions on the can, I waited for the poly to dry between each coat (about 25 to 30 minutes). I also lightly sanded the surface with the sanding sponge and cleaned with the tack cloth before spraying the next coat. In total I applied 3 coats.

 
And if you’re wondering, here’s how the entry table looked in the back room before we snagged it for the front room. The Lively’s were over on Saturday for dinner and helped us do a little furniture rearranging.
 
Lookin’ good, if you ask me!
 
 
Yea, I like you here too :)
 

Road Trippin’

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Jess LC Jackson earrings, J. Crew Biennial medium satchel, glitter TOMS,
Madewell chambray shirt, Old Navy striped shorts

It’s definitely a TGIF kind of week again. So the long holiday weekend in the US is perfectly timed. Weather permitting, I’m hoping to work on the back room again.

Last week’s Friday’s Fancies theme was all about the road trip, but I was too busy sharing a certain cupcake to write about my favorite road trip tip. So that’s what you’re getting this week :)

Growing up, my family took a few summer vacations to Hilton Head. One year, my parents decided to drive instead of fly. It’s a bit of a hike from Ohio to South Carolina, so they devised a little plan to keep us occupied. Once everyone was piled into the van, my Mom gave my sister and I a small brown paper bag with “Ohio” written on it. Inside was an activity book for the trip. And as we passed through each subsequent state, we received a new goodie bag. Each bag contained something little like a snack, batteries for our CD players, or perhaps a Beanie Baby (remember those?). As a kid, it was like gold.

I haven’t used this idea as an adult yet, but it can be done. Maybe put together state goodie bags with your road trip companion’s favorite snack, a new CD or album downloaded from iTunes, a magazine, or Mad Libs book.

How did you survive road trips as a kid? Or even as an adult?

Dress to Impress

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In between baking insane cupcakes and a little back room decorating, I still have to get dressed and go to my day job. Our dress code is business casual with jeans on Fridays (and Thursdays during the summer). Every so often, I have a meeting that warrants a little something more. Not quite business professional (read: suit), but a little more than black pants and a cardigan. On those days, I like to dress to impress.

 
I had one such meeting a few weeks ago. My boss said he was going to wear a jacket, but no tie. So I should dress accordingly. I took that literally and busted out my navy blazer with a work-appropriate dress. And to keep things from getting too formal, I added a little flair with my accessories: my go-to patent pumps, Jess LC earrings, and a J. Crew bracelet.
 
 
None of these pieces were extremely pricey, but I felt like a million bucks because they fit perfectly. And I was having an exceptionally good hair day. This was my hair at around 8:15pm.
 
 
I also have to share that I usually wear flats or lower heels to work. I’ve noticed that I feel more confident when I bust out the big girl shoes (aka – my sh!t-kickers) and studies support that: “There is such a clear association between height and power that making yourself appear taller should put you at an advantage.”
 
So if you’re looking for a little psychological boost on the day of a big meeting or interview, how about slipping into one of these pairs of shoes? Because I know you’re prepared and can dazzle them with your brains.
 
Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Zara, Loft, Ann Taylor
 
For more tips on dressing for the office, check out Ashley Nicole Catherine’s post on workwear essentials.
 
How do you dress for work?

Decorating around Mother Nature

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I had all sorts of grand ambitions for the back room this past weekend. On Friday, I stopped by Ace Hardware after shipping my 103rd (!) Etsy sale for three more cans of yellow spray paint. And yes, the same cashier was there from when I bought my first two cans of yellow spray paint. She probably thinks I’m an addict. Little did she know what else I wound up buying over the weekend.

The initial plan was to spray paint the tall shelving unit (and hopefully not my feet). Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. As in humid 90+ degree weather, which doesn’t mix well with spray paint. The Rust-oleum can recommends painting when the temperature is between 50* and 90* and when humidity is below 65% to ensure proper drying. Throw in some rain on Sunday and I failed the weather-test all three days.

Since I was still looking to make some forward progress, I headed to Home Depot (twice) on Sunday for more materials:

  • A 4′ x 8′ piece of oak hardwood plywood at 1/4″ thick – cut to size for shelves and the table top – $27
  • Two cans of BIN by Zinsser primer spray paint – $17
  • Polycrylic water based protective finish in clear satin – $9
  • Assorted sanding paper and sponge – $8
  • Tack cloth – $3

 
The Vittsjo series comes with a mix of 1/4″ thick tempered glass shelves and 1/2″ thick laminate/particleboard shelves. The TV unit originally came with a glass top and the dark laminate/ particleboard for the bottom shelf.
 
The original plan was to swap out the glass for the 1/4″ thick plywood that would be primed and painted yellow. Since the 1/4″ wood doesn’t seem sturdy enough for our TV, we’re going to make the 1/2″ IKEA-provided shelf the top shelf. Sure, it will stick out a little past the frame, but it will give us more peace of mind. Both will be getting a coat of BIN primer (as recommended here) and then spray painted yellow. 
 
Here’s the tall Vittsjo shelving unit with its new wood shelves and IKEA laminate/particleboard shelves. Once the tower itself is painted yellow, the shelves will also get the primer and yellow spray paint treatment. We don’t plan on putting extremely heavy items on the middle shelves, so I’m not too worried about them breaking. I tested some of the 1/4″ wood shelves with a stack of 4 cookbooks and they seemed to be holding up fine.
 

As for the entry table, I initially thought I would stain and then seal the wood. But after picking out the oak hardwood plywood, I’m happy with the wood grain and color of the natural wood. Therefore, I selected the Polycrylic crystal clear satin topcoat to seal the wood.
 
All of the edges of the wood shelves and tabletop need a good sanding so they fit perfectly in the Vittsjo pieces.
 
Overall, it feels like things are starting to come together, but it’s still uncharted DIY territory for me. I’ve been reading all sorts of things to make sure I’ve picked up the right supplies and have a general idea what I’m doing. I definitely feel my brain stretching through the creative process :)

I’m Back for More!

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Ready for a photo-heavy post? You better be because it’s too late to change things now!
In addition to some family and friend time, this weekend was mostly devoted to the back room. I’ve pinned all sorts of ideas to my back room board, so it was time to see things in person before making an ultimate decision and purchase.
Friday afternoon was spent at garage sales, Goodwill, World Market, and West Elm. My main goal was to check out side tables. I was really looking forward to seeing West Elm’s round bone side table. We have a lot of 90* angles in the back room, so I was looking for something round to balance all the squares and rectangles. I really like the top of the table, but the bottom might be a little too matchy-matchy with some of our other pieces. Boo.

Then I stumbled upon this lovely number. I love the curvy and airy, yet left-brained nature of the foxed mirror side table, but am a little hesitant with the mirrored top. I don’t know how kiddie-friendly it would be down the line. In discussing with John later in the weekend, we might actually go for something softer, like an ottoman. The jury is still out whether it would be purchased or DIY-ed.

My West-Elm-spending-strategy (thanks to MintLife!) might also change after seeing this bone inlay Parsons mirror. I know we’re decorating the back room, but I think it might be a perfect fit for the bathroom. Then the extra funds can be used for accessorizing. Or I might change my mind tomorrow :)

Saturday was spent at America’s favorite Swedish amusement park superstore…Ikea! Who wants Six Flags when Ikea has eight flags!

I had a better idea of what I was looking to purchase at Ikea: an Expedit bookshelf and Vittsjo table, TV unit, and shelving unit. All of those, plus a white planter, cost about $220 plus tax. 

Back home, I went to work assembling and getting my spray paint on. I followed the advice of Centsational Girl’s tutorial and used Rust-oleum spray paint in glossy yellow (about $10 for 2 cans). One of the commenters had used a different brand of spray paint and everything was flaking off. I’m happy to report that Rust-oleum worked wonderfully for me and I didn’t need to use a primer.

So what was getting the facelift? The Vittsjo TV unit and shelves. Kate also said in the comments that she assembled the shelving unit before painting. It didn’t seem very windy, but it was a pain.in.the.butt to spray paint those tiny bars!

I used two cans of spray paint just for the TV unit! I think half of the paint ended up on the drop cloth, blown away, or on my feet. And as a note for next time, it’ll make life easier to spray paint on the grass.
Here’s a preview of things to come with the TV unit and shelving. These came with glass and particleboard shelves that will be replaced with solid shelves painted yellow. Obviously I need to purchase some wood to replace the glass, but I’ve now considered spray painting the particleboard after reading these tips.

As for the rest of my haul, the Vittsjo table is going to be our new entry table. It also came with glass that I’ll be replacing with wood. I’m thinking of a lighter stain. Of course I’ll keep you posted.

Last, but not least is the Expedit shelf. I’m following Maggie’s lead and making it into a bench. I’ve found some additional tutorials for creating an upholstered cushion that’s attached to the Expedit unit. Though we have a little time for that ultimate decision because I haven’t even thought of fabric yet!
What’s new with you? Tackle any projects recently?