diy | MixedMolly Designs

Tuesday Transformation: Purse to Camera Bag

April 10, 2012 in Uncategorized

My camera did not come with a camera bag. I have looked at traditional, ho-hum bags starting at $50 for a good quality and size. I have looked online at the stylish bags that you can get for $80, $120, $200 and more.

While I loved many of these fashionable styles, my frugal side screamed, “Isn’t there a better option?!”

I couldn’t justify spending $100 or more on a bag, when investing that money in a lens was a wiser path.

So I set to searching. Surely, I was not the only frugal gal who has had this thought.

I found a couple of tutorials from other blogs, and I was inspired.

Vanilla and Lace

Blue. Lace. House.

I started by purchasing a purse ($18), 1″ foam (1/2 yard on sale for $3.00), 1/2 yard fabric ($2.00 clearance). I already had sew on velcro on hand.

Please do not look closely at the sewing job. I am a sew-as-you-go gal. I go for function, not perfection. In about an hour, I was able to measure and cut all the pieces and sew it all together. The other thing I like about this is that I can carry my sketchbook and a few markers, my wallet and phone, other camera accessories, and I still have room to fit the lens I am saving up for. I did have about half the foam leftover that I can use for another project that is yet to be determined.

When I am tired of this bag, or it gets beat up, I can simply find another purse of similar size and slip my insert into it.

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Tags: camera bag, diy, dslr, frugal, make your own, purse, tutorial
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Knife Wielding Cabinet Illustrator

March 13, 2012 in Life

I entered the kitchen to prepare something (I didn’t know what yet) for dinner. That’s when I spotted it.

Apparently a child of mine had attempted to make a whimsical and spontaneous illustration on the face of the cabinet with a knife.

“Isn’t that just darling?” I thought. “What dear thoughtful child left this illustration right here on this cabinet drawer face for me to admire for years to come?”

That is false. I did not think that.

I stood for a moment pondering which child could be the knife wielding cabinet scratcher, and I quickly concluded that there were only two possibilities. After a brief interrogation, I determined the illustrator and proceeded with a lecture on the proper use of knives, followed by a brief historical talk on the miraculous invention of pencils.

(The previous story may have been enhanced slightly for entertainment purposes. No children were harmed during or after the making of this story.)

I literally scratched my head wondering how I was going to fix this without:

1. Having to see it everyday.

2. Having to buy a new cabinet drawer face.

I remembered pinning something awhile back that dealt with scratches in wood. After taking a look at that post by Alderberry Hill, I purchased some walnuts and gave my cabinets what I like to call a soothing walnut rub.

Simply rub the walnut over the scratch following the grain of the wood. When you are done, wipe off the face of the counter with a damp cloth. This rub is soothing for the cabinet drawer face and the mom rubbing the walnut on said surface. It also soothing for the mom’s mind who won’t have to notice the unsightly scratches each time she walks into her kitchen.

It is not a perfect solution, but I haven’t noticed the scratches since I did this. It greatly reduced their visibility.

Once I finished this drawer, I went to the other side of the kitchen to do the second drawer face. Yes, there were two illustrations. No, I do not want to talk about it. Yes, it was the same child.

These scratches were not as deep, and after the rub they are hard to detect.

This would work on any wood surfaces in your home, and when you are finished you can make some cookies with the leftover walnuts. I am going to try it on the feet of my dining room chairs next. What surface in your home could use a soothing walnut rub?

I’m partying over at:

Mommy by Day Crafter by Night

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Carolyn’s Homework

Alderberry Hill

Uncommon…

Tags: cabinet, chair, diy, fix, knife, remedy, scratch, transformation, walnut, wood
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This Birdie Needed a Makeover

March 6, 2012 in Uncategorized

Today’s transformation is inspired by a do-it-yourself post I once read at Under the Sycamore. Ashley used a paint by number technique to transform a painting she purchased at goodwill.

I had this bird plaque hanging around the house. I had moved it to several different locations, but I noticed someone had dropped it and bent the black iron scroll at the top. I thought it would be a perfect candidate for a paint by number project, so I quickly removed the bent black scroll.

I started by painting the background and the branches. I taped off the bird and part of the branches to apply paint with a sponge around it.

Both a thin and medium black permanent marker added just the right style of lines around the bird and branches. For the nest, I cut out a circle from a cereal box and used spanish moss from one of our fake plants. Aleene’s tacky glue did a nice job of holding it all together. (I mixed in a few tiny strips of fabric.) Then with more glue I added the buttons and secured the whole thing onto the “nest” spot.

I grabbed a stick from a tree outside and hot glued that to the top. A knotted a piece of ribbon around went around the stick. Then I attached another separate piece of ribbon with hot glue to the back for hanging it.

Once I added the buttons, this birdie was ready for hanging.

If I added it all up, this project took less than an hour. (If you have a sick whiny baby, add a couple of hours to that.) It isn’t perfect, but it was a creative learning experience and I did it with my own hands for no money out of my pocket. You certainly can’t beat that!

Now, go look around your house, or your garage sale pile, and see what you can paint over.