do it yourself divas: February 2011

DIY: Coupons. How it's done!

9:53 AM

I have decided that I am going to become a Krazy Coupon Lady! In the past I would occasionally use coupons here and there, but then my sister-in-law came to town and got me all excited about couponing! She taught me how to get some free things!

I got all this at Target for .20 cents!

All I had to pay was some sales tax.

There are 3 awesome websites that tell you how to do it. Take some time and study these sites. They tell you all you need to know.

The Krazy Coupon Lady
Fabulously Frugal
Grocery Smarts

Get Organized!

All my coupons are organized in a binder. If you want, you can print off this coupon organizer. This makes it a bit easier to find your coupons when you suddenly see something on sale. Organize your coupons every Sunday night (if you are going to be a Krazy Coupon Lady, you will probably need to organize it more often) and keep your binder next to your purse so that you never leave the house without it.

You can do it!!!

Spend your money on things you really want rather than groceries!

Stephanie

DIY

DIY: Ottoman; Build your own from scratch

5:05 PM

**All images are property of Do It Yourself Divas. Please do not use without permission. You are welcome to pin. **

My hubby and I built this ottoman from scratch! You can build a storage ottoman too! Since this was a "trial run" ottoman, I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but I think you will get the idea.

You see, there was once an old ugly couch. But within the couch was something beautiful....

...down feather cushions. Cha ching!

You Need:

You can use any cushion you want, just keep in mind that measurements for your ottoman will be completely different than mine. The size of the cushion determines the length of wood you need, thus adjusting the fabric measurements. You need enough fabric to completely cover the top cushion and to cover the outside of the box with a couple inches going into the box and a couple inches going under the box,plus about 3 inches on every edge to be safe. I used 2 1/2 yards of fabric and I had a bit left over in the end. Total cost of this ottoman including nice fabric, wood for the base, staples, and wooden feet was $60.

We placed a board onto the cushion so that it would be able to support weight.

We wrapped the cushion and board tightly with some cheap fabric and stapled the fabric to the board. This put the cushion into the form we wanted. Cut off extra fabric.

Here's what it looks like flipped over

This picture frame looking wood will be attached to ottoman lid to keep it in place, or in other words, to keep it from sliding off the base of the ottoman. It will fit perfectly into the box, which we also call the base of the ottoman. We stained this wood to make it look nice.

This wood is used to make the box, or the base of the ottoman.

Here is the base of the ottoman. The bottom of the base is made from extra wood we had in our garage. I didn't take any pictures of it before and I don't know exactly how my hubby put it together because he was out building it while I was inside stapling fabric onto the top of the ottoman.

Here is the good fabric being stapled onto the cushion part of the ottoman.

This picture will take you blasting into the future, but it helps me describe how we covered the cushion. I am talking only about the cushion part of the ottoman, so forget about the base or box part for now. We used one piece of fabric that basically covered the entire top portion of the cushion and most of the bottom/wooden portion. Then we got another piece of fabric to cover the empty space, folded under the raw edges, and secured it by screwing on the picture frame looking wood. It's hard to describe, but I will be making another ottoman soon and I will take more pictures.

Now back to the present time... this is what the ottoman looked like after the lid was complete and the base was built. Coming along! (The feet are not permanently on yet)

We wrapped the outside of the base with some thin batting to make it a bit softer and lush. We stapled all the way along.

Then we measured down an inch into the box, marked it, and thats how we knew where to staple our fabric. Cut 4 pieces of fabric big enough to cover your wood, plus 2 inches on each side so you can fold under the raw edges.

Then we cut up some cereal boxes into strips, and stapled it on the edge of the fabric and the wrong side of the fabric, to the inside of the box to add stability for when we flip it over. This is a trick so you don't see any staples on your finished product.

This is what it looks like flipped over.

Repeat on the opposite side of the box. Make your ends look like this. Basically it covers one side of the box completely and about an inch or two of the side next to it. Staple to secure in place.

Here is another view.

Then you cover the last two ends and fold under the fabric on the edges. Squeeze on some fabric glue where to two pieces of fabric meet together to secure it and keep it from fraying.

This is what the bottom of the box looks like. Probably could have made it look better. There's always next time. Attach some feet. You can find them at Home Depot or Lows.

This is what the inside of the box looks like.

Fill with toys or blankets or anything you want. The lid fits on perfectly and will support the weight of feet and bums.

Email any questions!!

Stephanie

DIY

DIY: Bathroom Inspiration

2:31 PM

I have decided to start out small... aka with my tiny little bathroom.

Bathroom Inspiration:

I will be making this bad boy and have a tutorial coming your way soon! Isn't it simply wonderful?

I think I will use white sheets to accomplish my goal. More to come.

Megan

DIY

DIY: Decorating on a Budget

2:26 PM

My husband and just moved into this cute little, tiny, itty bitty house closer to his work and school. Because we are renting I can't go to totally crazy changing everything... but I am going to change the things I can. We are going to live here for awhile so I want to get it cleaned up, organized, cozy before baby two arrives. The biggest goal is to do it for as little money as possible. I will be thrifting and crafting like crazy. I have my work cut out for me.

Goals:
Working Room by Room
Complete in 4 months (before my July due date)

Hopes:
I hope and dream of a Shabby Chic cottage with a vintage feel

#1 Priority:
ORGANIZE!! With such a small space there isn't much room to store all my things, especially in the kitchen. I will be organizing like crazy.

Along with other Projects that my sis and I will be creating as the months go by I will post my progress! Wish me luck!

Here are some pictures of our house before any redecorating has taken place. Enjoy, and if you have ANY ideas to help me out let me know.. like what the heck I should out on the white shelves above the windows in my living room! I love good idea sharing.

Living Room/Front Room

Kitchen

Laundry Space (Can't really call it a room :) )

Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Second Bedroom Pics to come... My baby is in there napping right now.

Megan

DIY

DIY: Valentines Wreath Made With Coffee Filters

3:24 PM

Last year I walked into my friend's house and this tea stained coffee filter wreath was hanging on her closet door. I thought it was beautiful and I had to make one myself. Thanks Cecily for the wonderful idea! Want to make a beautiful Valentines Day wreath for your home? Heres how you do it!

You need:

A package of coffee filters already stained. Here is a link explaining how its done.

A Straw Wreath

A hot glue gun

Take a couple of coffee filters and bunch them up so they fan out a bit on the ends and are bunched together a bit at the base. Place some hot glue on the base and attach it to the inside of the wreath.

Continue attaching bunched coffee filters around the inside of the wreath and work your way to the front of the wreath, and then to the outer sides of the wreath. You can scrunch the coffee filters a bit to add depth.