Creating: Upholstery

Every year for the past few years, I've participated in a craft weekend getaway with a group of awesome women from all walks of life.  The first year, I created cards all weekend.  Last year, I worked on some online photo books.  This year, I upholstered a chair.  Yes, it was quite the jump.  I watched a video on YouTube so I figured I had it handled.  In reality, it took me about 4 times longer than the videographer promised and it was about 100 times more difficult.  I am a novice sewer and this was my very first time upholstering a chair.  In fact, I actually forgot the hammer and screwdriver needed to take off the fabric.  I had to borrow it from a neighbor.  After much encouragement from the ladies (and I can honestly say I would have given up after the first night if it wasn't for them), I completed the chair!  And it turned out fabulously!

Originally, I had plans to put it in my daughters' bedroom - but it's in our living room right now.  It's SUPER comfortable - and it's small enough to not get in the way.  It sits on a rocking pedestal, which adds to the comfort.

For all you out there who are thinking about tackling a re-upholstry project... do it!  It was hard, but totally worth the effort!  I'm looking forward to my next project.  

Because this was my first time, I didn't want to spend a ton of cash.  The chair was in our storage unit and would have eventually made it into a dumpster (and it was originally a hand-me-down).  The fabric was 50% off at the fabric store (WOW!).  I reused the piping (although I did recover it) and the buttons.  The cushioning was the most expensive.  I reused as much as I could, purchased a 4x2 piece of batting (I was shocked at the price!) and purchased three throw pillows from a local thrift store that I took apart and used.  I also had to buy staples.  The whole project cost approximately $75.  Not too shabby!

Be Creative!

Shower Sunday: Tinker Bell Bridal Shower

The best parties are based off personalized inspiration. For this bridal shower, the bride loved Tinker Bell!  So we went with it!

To help tie in with the overall theme, consider using a themed bag or wrapping your gift to match the decor!  It's an easy, small thing that makes the gift table pop!

Yum!  If you've never tried a candy bar for a party or shower, it's so fun and a simple, delicious favor for guests!  In addition to Tinker Bell, we used the colors of the wedding as our shower decor colors - so we purchased as many different kinds of candy in these colors as possible.  It makes my mouth water just looking at these pictures!

Ribbon is a super easy, inexpensive way to add color and character to party staples like drink containers.  This is an example of a small touch with a big impact.

We planned three simple shower games.  (1) Each guest was given a necklace to wear - if they were caught saying "wedding" or "ring", they had to forfeit their necklace.  The person with the most, received a small gift card.  (2) A spin off a traditional "words of wisdom" game, each guest took a jewel or pearl of wisdom.  We went around the circle and each guest offered their words and dropped the jewel into a container that was given to the bride as a keepsake jar for her wedding day.  She can later add petals from her bouquet, pieces from her invite and any other keepsake such as bird seed or a bubble jar.  (3) Finally, we played Disney scategories (sorry, no picture!) where the guests had to come up with alphabetical answers based on Disney themed questions.  As a small thing, we used Disney themed books as the boards guests wrote on.

Another small thing, that can make a big impact on the bride is to ask guests to fill out an envelop with their address to save the bride the time addressing thank you's herself.  It's simple, small and easy!

To tie the color in and add a vertical touch to the decorations, we hung ribbon and beads from the light fixtures and ceiling.  Small, inexpensive and classy!  And of course, we added Tinker Bell wherever we could.  We found a set of 6 Tinker Bell cupcake toppers and hand painted them ourselves to match the colors of the wedding as well as the bride (a brunette).  So fun!

We had a great time planning this shower and watching it come together!  The company was fabulous and the bride enjoyed herself and felt the love - which is what it's all about! 

When you're planning your next party, think about the small things that you can add to make a big impact with a tight budget.  And be creative!