back to december

this is how boston feels about me waiting until the end of january to post my christmas pictures.  it's not my proudest moment, so the stink face is well deserved.  i'm sure everyone is sick and tired of christmas decorations by now, but if not, here are some bits and pieces of christmas 2012 at the erickson's.  

thanks for dropping by!

*i recently began a new phase in my life known as working 40+ hours/week.  after 20 years of full-time school, it is completely new to me.  and to top it all off, it is an unpaid internship.  i am currently working as an occupational therapist in small schools around the area and am really enjoying it.  starting in april, i will move to a hospital setting.  as much as i want to keep doing projects and blogging, the reality of it is that they will probably be few and far in between.  i appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my blog and i will try my best to keep you guys around!*

laptop sleeve tutorial

i recently purchased a new computer.  it is my baby, so i want to keep it safe and sound.  i decided to make my own case, but found little information on how to go about doing that.  so here is my attempt to show you how to make your very own laptop sleeve.  

you will need to pick two coordinating fabrics.  i bought 1/2 yard of each fabric {from jo-ann}.  you will then need to cut six squares.  i made this sleeve for a 13" macbook pro.  if you have a different computer, you can get the dimensions by measuring around the computer, dividing that number in half, and adding one inch to each measurement.  do this to get the width and the length.  this will give you 1/2 inch seam allowance.  i cut four pieces into 11 inch by 15 inch squares {two of each fabric}.  you will also need to cut two smaller pieces {one of each fabric} for the pocket.  the measurements i used for this was 11 inches by 9 inches.  

you will also need some type of interfacing to protect your computer.  i chose felt.  it is fairly thick and very cheap.  the pieces i bought were a little small, so i had to piece them together.  

i sewed the pieces together and also used this stitch to attach the felt to the fabric.  

since there is a seam, i made sure to sew the felt to the two pieces of fabric that will be facing the inside of the sleeve.  another option would be to use iron-on interfacing or simply using an interfacing that is the same size as the fabric squares {you will not need to sew the felt on at all this way and can skip to the next step}.

you will then want to sew the tops of the front, back, and pocket together.  to do this, you will need one piece of each color fabric and the piece of felt.  the photo above shows the order to put the fabric together if you have a hard time picturing it.  just remember to put the faces together and the felt on the back of one of the pieces.   

you can then flip the fabric so the felt is sandwiched in between.  you will need to do this for the front, back, and the pocket.  

don't forget to add your button hook in between the two fabrics and sew over it to keep it in place.  this should be sewn into the back piece of fabric.

when the tops of all three of your pieces are sewn together, it is time to put the sleeve together.  the picture above should help make it clear how to order the pieces.  don't forget to use a 1/2 seam allowance and have the sewn edges on the top.

you will sew around both sides and the bottom, leaving the top open for the computer to slip into.  hopefully your top will be finished since you sewed the tops together earlier.  you can then snip your corners and turn it inside out.

i chose to use different fabric on the back than in the front.  

this resulted in different fabric on the inside as well, which i kinda like.

finally, you can add a fun button to the top.  now my computer is nice and cozy and super cute.    

let's get organized, organized

i started off the year with the resolution of being more organized.  it went pretty well.  i made a mail organizer and laundry sorter to jump start the resolution.  i then took february to october off.  i didn't want to get too carried away or anything.  so for november, i chose to wrap up this highly successful resolution by organizing my closet.

eek.  it was bad.  so bad.  so i marched my butt right to menards and bought a prepackaged closet kit for 4-8 foot closets.  mine measures 6.5 feet, so cody had to cut one of the pieces down.  it was pretty painless for me to install.  maybe because i just sat there and watched cody do most of it.  i did put the entire shelving piece in the middle together though.  i also took this opportunity to load up two full bags  of clothes to be donated.  felt so good, especially when i look at that picture up there and see clothes i haven't touched in years.

i have long hanging storage on the other side, which you cannot see because the closet doors are only like half the size of the closet.  good thing i don't wear dresses too often.  closet systems are a really easy solution for a lack of closets {which we have!}.  i doubled my storage space with a few andrew jacksons and a night in with the hubs.

side note:  i ran out of storage to upload photos onto my blog!  so forgive my lack of blogging, i am trying to figure out how to fix this little issue and in the meantime trying to work around it.

another side note:  yep, just noticed that bra in the messy closet.  let's just pretend we didn't see that, okay?  thanks!

going once, going twice...

here is another piece that will be on the harvest festival auction.  you can read more about that here.  

the table was in good shape.  it appears it has a drawer, but really the handles are just decorative.  i mean, are three handles really necessary for a fake drawer?  

the top was scratch free, which was awesome because that meant i was able to leave it as is.  i used the same chalk paint recipe as in this post, this time in linen white by behr.  i applied two coats, which really helps make the paint more durable.  each coat of paint was followed by a thorough sanding.    

i glazed the entire paint and applied a coat of wax to protect it.

i finished it off by adding one pull, which i found at menards.  this table would make a great entry table, or even a small writing desk or a couch table.  obviously the possibilities are endless...here's to hoping it sells!

linking up:

harvest festival auction items

next weekend is the annual harvest festival at central minnesota christian school.  i am pretty excited because two of my pieces will be up for sale on the auction.  all proceeds will go towards the school.  the furniture was donated, and i was given  the creative freedom to do whatever i preferred.  i have never actually made anything that i haven't kept or given to a family member, so this was a very fun change of pace.

the first item is an end table.  it was missing some of the hardware, which meant i wasn't able to reuse the pulls.

  the top was also pretty scratched, so i decided to paint the entire piece instead of the leaving the top. 

 the color i chose was willow leaf by glidden.  i started by deglossing the piece, only because it was very shiny and i was worried about the sticking power of the paint.  instead of priming and painting the piece, i chose to try making my own chalk paint using this recipe.  it simply calls for:

1 part baking soda

2 parts flat acrylic/latex paint

i used a jar of sample paint from home depot, which only comes in flat.  the paint stuck very well, but definitely needed two coats.  it feels very sandpapery when applied, but after sanding it down it was very smooth.  i didn't mind the extra step of sanding since i always sand my pieces anyway to give it a worn look.  after two coats, followed by a thorough sanding, i applied a thin coat of glaze and finished it with a coat of wax.

the pulls really gave me a run for my money.  

there was no way to remove the screws without dismantling the entire drawer.  not what i signed up for.  i tried finding handles that could incorporate the screws that were already there, but no such luck.  i ended up having to drill my own holes inside the drawers to remove the old screws.  i purchased new pulls from menards.

they were a little too brassy for my taste, so i used some metallic spray paint to tone them down a bit.  i didn't want them to be a solid color, so i used a brush to apply the paint.  

it ended up giving it a nice hand brushed effect and toned the handles down quite a bit.  

i love the shape of this piece,

and the color is a very nice olive color that can be incorporated into many different decorating styles.  

the size of this piece is larger than most end tables, so it could be used for anything.  be sure to come check it out on saturday, november 17 at 5 p.m. at the high school in prinsburg!  there are lots of items on the auction.  if you are interested, you can check them out here.  the next piece will be on the blog soon.

linking up: