Soaking it all in

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

It is summer in Seattle!  

After months of waking up to rainy and dreary skies, we are now greeted by gorgeous puffy clouds that give way, by afternoon, to clear skies as far as the eye can see.  I love the way the sun feels on my skin, warm and penetrating, to what feels as deep as my soul.  I have been outside as much as possible, soaking at all in.

I have not been outside painting a mural.  Although, this would be the month to do so.  The dry weather would be perfect for a long term painting project outdoors.  I tried and tried to find somewhere to paint a public mural, since we live in an apartment and do not have permission to paint on on our building.  I tried to find a current project, perhaps one that we could volunteer some hours toward.  No luck.

This weekend, my goal is to try and find a piece of plywood, bought or found, and start a mural on there.  I was thinking of adding to my bedroom that I started sprucing up, during DIY month.  My vision is of something with whites, creams, and shades of light earthy tones.  I have a big spot where I can hang the mural when finished.  The question at hand is, what design?  I am more the type to just start and see where I end up.  No plan, free-hand, abstract art.  But I am open to doing something with more fore-thought and precision.  Maybe.

Perhaps I will head to Pinterest or other internet sites for some inspiration.  Tonight, I could make an inspiration board and go from there.

Oh, and by the by, Pregnant Melinda is still up to her tricks.  Remember her from a few months ago?After losing 10 pounds and maintaining that for a month or so, I fell off the wagon and loaded up 5 pounds again.  As of last week, I am back to healthy eating and exercise.  My kids have been running with me, and coaching me through crunches and plank pose.  I have to say, they make great trainers!  A new goal is set, to lose 15 pounds by 9/7/12...just in time to celebrate my 40th!!  I know it is do-able.  Will power, positive self affirmations filled with love, and less self criticism.

When your courage opens unexpected doors

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
You know how this blog has turned into a vehicle to continually keep stepping out of our comfort zones? A way to keep trying new things and opening up to the infinite possibilities that being alive has to offer?

Well, sometimes those things really catch my fancy, like with yoga.  Even though I don't go as much as I wish I could, I still love it and I always will.  I look forward to a time in my life when I can go again, every single day.

Some things suck.  They seem like great ideas at some point, but then I end up not liking them.  Like anything crafty.  I really want to be crafty and handy, but alas, I am not.  And while I am ecstatic to have a beautiful dress to wear, that I made!  And to have that tufted headboard under which I fall asleep every night in my new "hotel" bedroom.  But the truth of the matter is, that in the process, I truly hate every moment.

And then sometimes, something unexpected happens.  Although, I was terrified to tears to stand on a platform 23 feet in the air and leap forth while holding the heaviest metal bar that can exist, my oldest daughter loved it!  She came with me to one of the trapeze classes and fell in love.  And I could tell from the first time, she really had a natural ability for the flying trapeze.

Tonight, at her school Talent Show, she shared a video of her performing on the flying trapeze.  I was so proud of her, and so happy that I chose to step beyond my usual and into something so uncomfortable that it made me tremble with fear.  Because, you just never know what might come from your courage.  It might be you growing and learning, or maybe, you might just open up the world in a bright, new way for someone else.

Hope you enjoyed her video!
Melissa

How to Make a Tufted Headboard

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

As many of you know, I have been in the process of making a tufted headboard (or as my family calls it, our "hotel" bed.)  I found my inspiration from the website I posted before, and of course, adapted my way with many other tips from many internet sources.  I will walk you through my process, sparing you the sprinkling of curse words that accompanied the journey.  I'll let you know what to buy, what not to buy, how much it all cost me, what I did, and what I would do differently if I had to do it again.  I hope you enjoy, and if you take this project on yourself, please contact me for support; both technically and emotionally speaking.  You'll likely need it.

Materials for a king size tufted headboard:

• Pegboard (40" x 80")
• 3 inch thick upholstery foam (24" x "80)
• batting (4 yards)
• fabric of your choice (4 yards)
• long upholstery needle (I used a darning needle)
• Upholstery thread
• Button covering kit plus additional buttons (I used 3/4")
• Staple gun (PowerShot Pro)
• Spray Adhesive
• D-Rings

Purchasing Tips and Cost:

• I purchased the pegboard, spray adhesive and a new measuring tape at Home Depot. They will cut the board to your specific measurements, for free.  ($31)
• I purchased the foam from Jo-Ann Fabric's.  I used a 40% off coupon because foam is very expensive.  I also bought the linen fabric I chose, the batting, the button kit and refills, the needles and the thread. Jo-Ann's always has lots of coupons and sales, I recommend not paying full price for much when shopping there.  ($122)
• After I started the project, I had to go out and buy the staple gun, also at Home Depot.  So, if you don't have it already, just get it on the first trip. And don't forget the staples. ($33)

Process:

Mark your button spots on the pegboard.  This took some time to figure out.  I chose to use 35 buttons; 2 rows of 7, and 2 rows of 8.  You need to figure out a pattern of how many spots on the pegboard your buttons will be apart and then mark them with a circle around that hole.  Here is a photo of my plans I drew up for this part:

Notice, that although the pegboard is 40" tall, the foam is only 24",
so mark it using the measurements of the foam.  The bottom
portion of the pegboard is there so it can have continuity below
where your bed hits it.

Make the buttons.  It's fun and you quickly feel accomplished.  The directions on the box are very simple and easy to follow.  A couple times, I had to re-do one because my fabric was not centered, but still, it was easy enough.  I made 35 buttons.  

Mark and cut the button spots on the foam.  Align the foam with the top of the pegboard and simply mark a spot with a Sharpie through the holes in the pegboard.  Next, with a paring knife or utility knife, cut 1/2" wide hole in the foam so you can find the spots under the fabric when you are tufting.  I didn't cut my holes wide enough because I thought the buttons would disappear inside of them, but it turns out, a little wider is better.  Finding the spots once the fabric and batting is placed on top of the foam turned out to be one of the most difficult parts by the end of the project.

Adhere the foam to the pegboard.  In a well ventilated area, spray the pegboard on the area where the foam will be attached with the foam adhesive.  This will be about the top 2/3s (top 80" x 24") of the board.  Once that is completely covered, carefully place the foam on top, making sure it is flush with the board on all sides.  

Lay down your batting and fabric and start TUFTING!  Use a couple clips or clothespins to keep the fabric on place on each side.  Start in the middle and after getting your button and needle tied firmly to the thread, find your first hole and thread it through.  This can be a very difficult part of the process, at times it seems like you will never find the hole in the pegboard behind all that foam.  But you will, keep working through the pain that your thumbs will surely be in, after all that point the needle into pegboard.  And eventually you will see the needle coming through the other side.  When it does, rejoice, and then quickly get to stapling.

You need two people for this part.  This part is NOT DIY, you need help.    I used a couple chairs to prop the headboard up against and then as I leaned into the front of the headboard while pushing the button in as deep as I could, the other person behind the headboard pushed with all their might into the staple gun and did their best to get it in.  Sometimes it worked, lots of times it didn't.  Keep going.  

(*Or better yet, just use a piece of ply wood and take the time to drill the holes.  That is one thing I would do differently.  This is a BIG piece of advise that I would really suggest you follow.  Staples into pegboard is really difficult.  And by the end, the pegboard was bending and hard to work with, it even cracked at one point.  Scary, when you are at the very end, and really DO NOT want to do the whole thing again.*) 

Then do this tufting over and over and over again.  35 times.  Remember to rejoice each time, for it is quite an accomplishment.  And remember, this is DIY, not Restoration Hardware, each tuft might not be exactly the same depth.  I didn't get enough fabric (but the length I suggested to you in the materials will be enough), so mine really suffered in this department. By the end, on the outsides, the tufts really could not go in very deep because I was running out of fabric.

Staple the fabric around the top and sides and bottom.  Lay the headboard face-down on the floor and staple the fabric over the back side of the pegboard.  The tighter you do all the tufting and stapling, and if you don't have enough fabric for leeway, you run the risk of button popping off.  Yes, this indeed happened to me.  It totally sucked.  So, keep it tight and clean, but not so much so that there is no room for a little stretch.

Then flip it over, and staple along the bottom of the foam, so that it looks finished on the front.  This was the easiest part.

Take a moment to really admire and appreciate what you have done.  You tufted an entire headboard!

Find the studs on your wall, measure carefully and attach the D-rings to the back of your headboard.  You need to make sure where you place the D-rings on the headboard is going to match the spots where it is best to hang something on your wall.  So, find some studs (I borrowed Amy's stud finder) and the after measuring use some hard-core arm power and screw the D-rings into the pegboard.  Next use some anchors and screws, and place the screws into you wall.

Hang your beautiful headboard!  and push your bed up against it.  I need to get some kind of adhesive to get the part of my headboard that is near the door of my room to be flush with the wall so you don't see the crappy, ugly back of the headboard.  Or, I have thought about attaching a narrow piece of painted plywood to the outer part of the headboard, to frame it, and thereby keeping it sturdy and flush to the wall.  The D-rings do not allow for the headboard to hang flush as is.  

I think it even looks good, all messy,
with a little one sleeping soundly.

And now, enjoy that you did this!  Don't worry about the tiny imperfections (one of my buttons has already come loose two days into being on the wall!), remember, this was not made in a factory and this might be the very first time you have done something like this.  And, if you are like me, you might very well HATE crafting.  So, please, allow yourself to be happy with the finished product, even though it is not perfect.  Life is not perfect.  Humans are not perfect.  Life is messy, so why can't we allow for a little bit of that in our surroundings as well?  Sometimes I wonder if we are obsessed with external perfection because we know we can never achieve internal perfection.

All that, and a headboard too.

-Melissa

Who picked DIY, Mama?

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

Love/Hate

Tufting Update:
I am half-way finished with the tufting.  I need to wait until tomorrow morning to work on it some more because that is when I will have an extra pair of hands around.  The waiting is difficult.  The tufting was more difficult.  But I have to say, this morning at 6am, with my husband stapling and me holding the thread taut with the button pressed firmly in place, it wasn't that hard.  Dare I say, it has become easy?

But that definition of easy has only come after hours of frustration.  Sometimes perspective is everything.  Just yesterday evening, I looked Amy square in the eye and in a calm voice that clearly masks insanity, I said, "I f*#@ing hate crafting.  I hate it.  I always hate it."

My kids, each one in their own time, has asked, "Who picked DIY, Mama?"  And when I answer, "Me." They look at me bewildered.  They must be thinking, how could someone pick something that makes them so cranky and mean?  And therein lies the true lesson, how to remain calm in the face of extreme frustration and pain.  (My thumbs are killing me.)

I need to get myself back on the yoga mat, in my Bikram class.  That is where I really learn about how to train the mind to be calm in the face of adversity.  How to be less reactionary.  How to not walk over and slap my son's hand and curtly snap "Stop it!" as he annoyingly repeats a tapping noise on the computer keyboard, after being asked many times not to.  Yes, I did that while tufting.

Here are my big tangible lessons thus far:

1. This is a two person job.  This is not a DIY (Do it yourself), it is a DIMYWTHOAF (Do it mostly yourself with the help of a friend.)  
2. Make sure you have extra fabric.  And when you don't, resist the temptation to blame it on the fabric cutter at Jo-Ann's who said you didn't need 3 whole yards.  Always get extra.  That $6.00 - $10.00 is going to matter little in the end.
3. "Just keep tufting.  Just keep tufting."  It may be helpful to sing this little ditty inspired by Dory on the movie, Finding Nemo.  

I will post a final photo when finished, as well as all the nitty-gritty details.  Just wanted to keep you all in the loop.  Since you're all doing this along with me, right?  Right?

What I learned while gathering supplies for the Tufted Headboard

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
I have officially started my first DIY project: a tufted headboard.  I found the inspiration and instructions on a website called littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com by Jenny Komenda Interiors.  I love the look of this headboard, and I think it will be nice to sit up against it in bed and read.  Let's have one more look at what I am going for, before you end up seeing my finished project this weekend. (I joked to Amy that she might just walk in to see a plain old pegboard hanging on my wall instead of a tufted headboard!)

The little Green Notebook's headboard.

I finally set out into the unfamiliar world of a hardware store.  I decided on the big-box store, Home Depot, because I heard that they will cut the pegboard that I needed for me.  Amy joined me, I think mostly for moral and muscle support.  It was much needed.  Amy is a take-care-of-business kinda gal, and sometimes, as I wandered through the aisles of wood and screws, I needed that.

Still innocently excited.

What did I learn at Home Depot?

• Home Depot does cut your wood, or pegboard, or whatever else you need.  For someone like me, that is a huge service.  I walked away with one piece of peg board 80"x40" for my king size bed.  I also walked away with two small pieces of leftovers for some other DIY in the future!
• There is no such thing as non-toxic spray adhesive.
• When you ask for upholstery foam at Home Depot, they take you to the insulation aisle.
• I walked out spending $33.00 for my pegboard, spray adhesive, D-rings (to mount the headboard), and a new tape measure.

Next stop, Pacific Fabrics for the upholstery foam, upholstery needle, upholstery thread, batting, fabric and button cover making kit.  I had only about a half and hour to gather all these things, but I felt confident that we could handle the time crunch.  A kind older woman, with long white hair walked us over to the appropriate foam after I had inquired.  We talked measurements and then she offered me a quote on the price of the foam.  A quote?  For foam?

What did I learn at Pacific Fabrics?

• Foam is super expensive!  I think I could buy a headboard for the price of the foam alone.  It was going to cost around $90.00
• I need to cover a lot of buttons.  The fabric store will do it for me, but then what kind of DIY person would I be?
• I need to look for a coupon and a cheaper button kit.  Not to mention decide on what color fabric I want to use.

The deal breaker.

I'll head back out tomorrow for the rest of my supplies, and then get started this weekend.  I'll be sure to list out all materials and costs after they are purchased.  It seems these are critical information pieces when making things yourself.  Anyone remember my dress sewing adventure?  And how much the material cost!  At least this time I asked how much it was before they cut it!

What did one of the comments say when I first posted this idea?  Oh, yes, she said, "Be prepared for whatever you're making to not meet your expectations and then do it

anyway."  I will continue on!

-Melissa

Full of Ideas

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
These are some ideas I have so far for this month:

source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com

I need a headboard for my bedroom.  I really like the look and functionality of a tufted headboard.  My problem is that my bed is in front of a window, and the only other place for it is on a small wall that does not allow for a night table.  If only I could manage to get a queen mattress, and downsize.  But then, where would all the sleepy kids that wander down the hallway in the middle of the night fit?  

Source: www.ecrater.com

I Love Macramé!  I don't know why, but I am totally drawn to it.  I almost dedicated a whole month to it for GLWT, so I feel as though I should at least make one item for DIY month.  I have the perfect spot for this in my kitchen, and my kids could use another fruit storage space, since they go through so much of it every day!  I think I should start a paypal account just to fund the fruit supply for our home! 

source: designsponge.com

I have a picture rail or plate rail (is that the name of the thing at the top of a tall wainscoting?) on my dining room.  And I have lots of papers that I don't have space for in files and on shelves.  I could make these handy photo frame/hidden files and place them around my dining room.  Problem solved!

source: designsponge.com

These honeycomb shelves are adorable!  My girls could use more space for their little treasures, and I could paint the wood in shades of pink and purple to go with their room.  Or maybe a shade of teal for a pop of color.  

If ever it is true, now is the time to say....Good Luck With That!  For I am one non-handy person.  I am not crafty, in fact, crafting makes me stressed and tense and afterwards my jaw hurts from clenching my teeth together.  By the end of a craft project my fingertips are blue from the lack of oxygen, because I don't breathe.  

Any tips on relaxing during crafts?  Besides keeping a bottle of tequila close by?

-Melissa