Painting Bamboo Blinds

Painting is a task I love. But I have always dreaded the mess, smell, and preparation. All these years I have stayed away from painting for these reasons and many more, such as lack of knowledge, space constraints, difficulties of painting with a toddler at home, and even the impatience of having to let dry between coats.

We have an open balcony facing the busy road. We had to cover it up for some privacy and dust control. After some basic research, we decided to put up bamboo blinds, which we thought would look very pretty. Husband had the task of contacting the vendors, getting quotes and getting it installed. We decided we would not get it colored as the options they provided did not suit our taste. So we settled for the natural tone with a sealant coating. And it was finally delivered.

I was the happiest when it was installed. It really did provide all the privacy we needed and was still airy and see-through.

This is how it looked from outside.

Notice the blinds at the back and the evening sunlight falling on my baby's face and right shoulder.

Off went few months of dusty summer and wet rains. One day I noticed that the blinds did not look too clean. The required coats of sealant was not applied or it had worn out too soon. I could see thin dark lines running along the length of the blinds. Dirt? I was not sure. One round of spray washing did not resolve it. The ugliness of it clung in the back of my mind every now and then. I was not sure of what had to be done. And handling it is pretty much of a task owing to the dimensions and weight.

Then one day we decided to paint it. We settled on white. My parents had come down for a few days and luckily was our option of toddler control. Me and hubby took down the blinds one-by-one, painted a coat of white paint on both the sides, let it dry and hung it back.

It was a hurried and not-too-neat job. We wanted it to be done at the earliest. That was the primary concern. Not to mention the paint blotches all over the place, our hands and feet, and the numbness and tiredness. Well, I just wanted it to get over.

Somehow done, it was put back in place and looked kind-of-okay. As we applied only one coat of paint, when it dried up few dark lines were visible here and there. Well, I did not want to worry anymore! At least, any time soon.

There it hung for another year, protecting our balcony from the dust, sun, and the cold weathers. During the heavy rains I would spray wash it down from the inside as well.

Excuse me for the very blurry picture... This is all what I could get for the moment.

You can see a glimpse of it in the background in these pictures.

But again, two months back, I started noticing the weathered look it had. This time since the base was white, it actually looked a dirty brown shade. Every time I passed by the gate and saw the dirty blinds, my heart twitched in embarrassment and the intense desire to do something about it.

Painting was something I still dreaded. And I was sure that hubby would not be very eager to help. My very-inquisitive toddler would be the happiest to help and the most problematic to control when over-excited. I popped the question to hubby a few times but never reached a conclusion.

Over one weekend I decided that I had to take the step and pestered my husband to get the paints. This time we decided, a dark shade would be the best option. And we zeroed on a dark walnut finish enamel paint.

This time I did not want to make any mistakes. So I decided not to do it in a hurry and give time for prepping and curing. I kept telling myself, not to be the impatient self that I always am when it comes to crafting and other home improvement projects.

Once hubby brought the blinds down, I spray washed it and wiped it down with a thick towel. The towel soaked up all the dirt and water. I rolled and kept it upright to drain the water. Meanwhile, I prepped my work area - the passage corner. I stuck up newspapers all over the wall and even for a few inches on the floor.

Then I spread out an old curtain on the floor to catch any paint spills.

By then, the blind was drained of water. I brought it out and spread it out on the prepared area to dry and left it there.

It looked like this.

Looks fine right? Check this out.

And this.... now you can see how distressed it looks with the paint stripped off almost everywhere.

Then when I could slip out without my kid noticing, I carried out the paint, brush, and a piece of cloth and started the painting.

The painting continued for hours, days, and perhaps over a week. I would wake an hour earlier than usual and stay up an hour late to get the task accomplished. And this time, I was the only one doing the job. Hubby and kid joined for a little while one day, but I did not encourage it as it was getting crowded and a little messy.

It was a stress buster at times. I could go on and on without having to worry about anything. My hands ached a lot at times but I loved how it was turning out. So I did not stop. And this time, as I said, no mistakes - I painted two coats on each side.

I did not keep the count of hours that was taken to complete the job but after lots of sleep deprived mornings, mosquito bitten nights, and toddler-attack anxiety filled days, I finished the job!

We hung up all the blinds back on the balcony and I must tell you it looks way much neat now. What others think, I am not sure, but I admire it each day I pass by. :-)

Makeover

Like always, I have been away from the blog for a very long time. Though crafts were happening in the background, I never got around to photographing or updating the posts here.

The last one month was a completely gloomy month (weather-wise) in Bangalore, owing to the Chennai rains and floods. It was always raining, drizzling, and cold. It was really hard to catch a sunny and warm day during those days. Now it is kind of back to normal with sunny, warm days.

Last week I managed to take some pictures in the evening light. So first up today, is an upcycle or makeover.

We have a red stool with metal legs. I do not know the age of it. I have been seeing it since I was a kid. It was bought by my parents when they were in the MiddleEast. When we moved to Bangalore, it came along. For the past few years it was not being used properly and was often neglected. There were some burn marks on the red leather and the metal leg had started to show signs of aging. For the past one year we never used it and it lay in the utility area.

Recently I was asked to give it away while clearing up the utility. But the sentimental side of me was not ready to. I had no clue what to do with it. Still I decided to keep it as it was still sturdy and chic looking.

This picture shows how sad looking it was.

I had a can of bronze spray paint from a previous project and decided to put it to use. I decided to give the stool a makeover.

First task was to find a fabric for the seat. I decided upon a dark/navy blue fabric. I do not have much knowledge on the fabric types but I can tell you that it is a heavy and at the same time breathable fabric. It has been lying around in my stash for the past few years. This is from my mom's collection.

Next task was to dismantle the stool and sand the legs. The legs were showing the signs of age in the form of imperfections formed on the metal surface due to the exposure to all bad weather conditions over the past few years.

Once it was sanded smooth, wiped with a soft damp cloth, and dried, it was time for the painting. We applied two coats and it dried pretty quicky. I was overjoyed with the finish.

Next I cut out the fabric and hand stitched it to the backside of the seat, pulling it taut.

Within very less time the project was completed.

I love how it looks now.

Now it rests by the bedside in the guest room. Happy to have given it a home. 

Minnie Update

In my last post, I mentioned how I put together a quick Minnie mouse costume for my daughter. 

Here is the pic of how it looked on her.

We did not manage to get any good photos as she kept wriggling around and once she wears her shoes, then she does not want to wait a second to go to school. She was happy. Me too. 

What I think was the cutest was the headband. She wore it the whole day and insisted on wearing it when we went out the next day. So I had to pull out the bow and the pom poms :-(

Red, White, & Black

Wondering what the title is about?

Well, my daughter started going to the Day Care last week, and day before yesterday I was informed that they are conducting a Fancy Dress Competition for the kids to celebrate Children's Day that is today. I thought I will just dress her in some traditional skirt and blouse as I didn't have much time and my lil one does not co-operate well with dresses other than stretch pants and Tees.

But my crafty side and wanting to dress up my girl was not letting me sit idle. I was clear on two things - I will not buy any costumes nor will I spend too much time on the project, as I was not sure if she would wear it at all. I took a look at her dresses and finalized on a cute, red frock that she wore on her very first birthday. Then it was up till a little above her ankles. Now I knew it would be just till her knees or so. But it is a cute dress... will frills and tiny embellishments, satin and a tulle over it. Many thoughts crossed my mind - butterfly, angel, and even Red Riding Hood.

I had almost zeroed in on a Butterfly. But could not buy the supplies yesterday due to incessant rain. Then I thought I'll go with Red Riding Hood. I searched my stash and old clothes, but could not find a material to match the hood and I was very doubtful that she would wear it. Finally when I was putting her to bed, I browsed for ideas and saw some Minnie mouse costume. Yes! I finalized. As soon as she was asleep (11:45 PM) I told my hubby that it would be a Minnie. After finishing off a very very late dinner and other stuff I finally started to get the dress together.

Here is the pic for my idea and details.

The first thing was the black highlighted ears and the red bow.

- I wrapped black yarn over a headband and hot glued the yarn ends.

- I thought of cutting out felt ears but hubby suggested Pom Poms. He had seen me making some of those over the last few days. I opened my Pandora's box :-D (my yarn box). I was lucky enough to have some black yarn and quickly made two Pom Poms. I hot glued them to the headband and tied the strings also so that it doesn't come off.

- For the bow, I cut out a bow shape felt, gave it a little pinch in the center (vertically) and hand-stitched it onto the yarn layer on the band.

- Next, I cut out white small felt circles and stuck them to the bow.

And the headpiece was done.

The pics were taken on my phone, early in the morning and are not clear enough!

Now the polka dots for the dress. I thought of many things - paper circles, felt, fabric paint, etc. Felt won. But again fixing them to the dress was the next question. I knew hand stitching would be the best option, but I was out of time. It was already 2 AM. I quickly cut out some felt circles and stuck them onto the tulle layer with some clear tape. It was very clear to me that these would come off but I had no more energy and time to spent.

And how can you miss the yellow shoes Minnie wears. Felt was my option again. I just cut out a small half oval for the front of her pink shoes and stuck the pieces with clear tape.

I wanted to kick myself for not having bought her a pair of black stockings yet. The closest dark color stocking she has is a navy blue one and it didn't quite go with it. So I matched it up with a black stretch pant and red and black stripped socks. 

Done.

And how it went? Well, the little Minnie loved it and she is a little obsessed with her yellow crocs now. When one felt dot fell off from the dress, she starting picking the other dots and I had to keep fixing them back :-) The bow and ears looked too cute on her!

I skipped few things for the costume - gloves (no time), black full sleeved tee beneath the dress (it would be hot for her), and did not paint her nose black ;-)

My Minne mouse was all happy and I did click some pics while she kept wriggling out of the frame. Hopefully, I'll post those soon.

Unusable to Usable

Few weeks back I did a little bit of experimenting on jewellery making. Not 'making' to be exact, but I'll say 'modification'. I am not a too much accessories person. Though I love accessories, I am too lazy to change them often. So I stick to my usual regular ones often. But I have a few silver ones with me which I have not been using due to some practical difficulties. So I tried out making some changes to them to make them wearable for me.

First I took this anklet. This was a gift. I have never worn it for the past 2 years. And so I understood that I never would probably.

But I loved the black and silver beads on it. 

So I split it.

Made a small ring from a silver wire.


Added a small pendant which had been with me for almost 3 years now. 

And joined to make it a new necklace for me. 

The best part was that the length is accurate and I didn't have to make any changes to it.  

Next item, was another butterfly necklace. 

I love the butterflies on it.

But both the chain are in different lengths and are not too long either. So when wearing it, it keeps turning and twitching, which I was not comfortable with. And this had been in my box for the whole of last year. I decided to break it's curse.


Took out the butterflies from the chains.

Made the chains to equal lengths.


Added one butterfly to both the chains. And voila! A wearable new necklace for me.

I have kept the other butterfly apart. It may become useful sometime in future for some other project. :-)

Something Floral

Ever since I started browsing through the creative blogs online, I have been fascinated by the pin cushions. I love the creativity and amount of detail people put into it. I started realizing the need of a pin cushion when I started blocking out my crochet stuff. Then finally when I started stitching, I found it very difficult to proceed without one. And that is how my first ever pin cushion was created.

Remember these flowers?

These are from my flower hanging project. After the project, two of these flowers were left over. And like the other flowers for the project I had stuffed it up with cotton and had the puffy look.

And then it occurred to me - why not use it as a pin cushion. And from that moment onwards, it is full of pins :-)

What I love the most of this crochet pin cushion is that how much ever pin pricks it makes, it doesn't leave any marks on it. The cloth pin cushions get a worn out look after using it for some time.

Framing

This is the first time I attempted a framing project. Almost all walls in the house we stay at are empty. We haven't hung up anything or put any pictures. All are dull yellow painted walls. So we decided to print out some pictures of ours and hang them up. So the prints were ready. Now the question was how to frame and put them up on the wall. Putting the frames on the wall meant drilling, nails, hammering, chipping paint, and such stuff. So we came up with this DIY idea - to make frames out of used cardboard boxes.

I pulled out the boxes we used while shifting, started the measuring and cutting. Meanwhile hubby bought the papers for the framing. It took me around 5 days (only my spare time in the evenings) to measure, cut, stick, and let dry those 11 pictures. Sunday evening, we spread out the pictures on the floor and tried the layout. After few crazy layouts, we decided on the final design. And by late in the evening, the photos were finally up on the wall! Phew! That was a lot of work.

Now time for some photos... Kindly excuse the poor quality of the photos. I couldn't wait until enough light was there to take the pictures. Was way too excited.

That's how the wall looks now.

See how pretty my butterfly mobile looks.

I loved the texture of this brown paper.

Only when you look from so close do you realize that these are simple cardboard cut-outs.

Things I learnt from this project:

• One needs lot of patience to complete such a project.


• Always attempt this craft only in a spare room; never in your living room or bedroom. It leaves behind a lot of mess, which you wouldn't be interested in cleaning up ;-)


• Your hands will be all guey and sticky.


• You need some ones help to arrange and stick up everything on the wall in straight line without putting any marks on the wall.

Altogether I loved and enjoyed this project a lot.

Christmas Crafting

This year I had my first Christmas tree of my life and I am way too excited about it. :-)

Hubby was too good enough to buy me a small Christmas tree and a star. He hung the star in the front of the house. I was entrusted with decorating the tree. One day one, I tied some red satin ribbons onto it.

Next I made some pom-poms and hung it all around.

Then I cut out a small star and hung it.

Then wound some decorative gift paper (cut out in a string) around the tree.

Laid some small gift at the base of the tree.

And my tree was ready. All set for Christmas. :-)