Category Archives: Decor
Seat cushions, why not?
The weather forecast looks very, very hopeful for a real Summer coming soon.
This great news makes me feel bold. It’s time to get our place ready!
With a bunch of free outdoor fabric (thanks Mom!), I am going to attempt to recover our outdoor seat cushions after my success with the sofa pillows.
The cushions belong on these chairs. We purchased them two summers ago when it came apparent we needed somewhere for people to sit outside. You can read the whole post, but I got a great closeout deal on these guys.
The cushions that came with the chairs worked out fine at first, but they have declined rapidly over the last two years. With the free fabric (thanks again Mom!), it made sense to replace the cushions now.
I started by ripping apart one of the old cushions to use as my pattern pieces last night. (Loki thought the old fabric would be a perfect place for a nap this morning.)
Tonight I try my first cushion. I don’t have to pre-wash the outdoor fabric so I am ready to go. Still deciding if I will add a zipper or Velcro along the back, but I have both on hand.
Here goes nothing!
Making a little sunshine
The first weekend of June was rather uneventful on thee ol’ project list at Casa Concrete.
While we watched the rain fall onto our unfinished back porch and in our vacant pool, I got a few things done around the house.
I decided that when the sunny weather finally arrives, our front room will be ready to party. On the queue, some bright colored details and new flowers … maybe a summer scented candle or two. 
First up was making two new yellow pillows for the sofa. They took a little of the rainy weekend doldrums away from me.
I made them out of a pack of cloth napkins and two IKEA pillow inserts. I love the Moorish yellow pattern on these napkins I found at Target a while back. They are a nice compliment to my permanent turquoise accessories in the room.
There are many tutorials on the web for making pillows so I won’t go into one here, but I do have three sewing tips my mom taught me that (if I follow) keep me out of trouble.
#1) Always pre-wash your fabric to avoid the material shrinking afterwards.
This is a surprisingly hard thing (for me) to remember. I get too excited about starting the sewing project that I forgot to throw the fabric into the washer. And trust me, it’s much better to throw the uncut fabric into to the washer than cut pattern pieces. That doesn’t really work out too well.
#2) Once the fabric is dry, take the time to iron it.
Having straight edges is pretty important in sewing – so take the time to iron out your fabric. This just makes every cut that much straighter and every seam that much tighter.
#3) Don’t rush even a simple project.
Spend the time to put your project together correctly. Be present. This is a problem I have all the time with sewing. I have a tendency to try and speed through the project only to realize I just sewed the wrong sides together!
Adding the extra details like a little Velcro to make the pillowcase washable is also worth it. It takes a couple more minutes to execute, but it will come in handy after many evening BBQs.
*****
I think sewing can be very rewarding. I have a checkered past with it, but I really want to get over my hang ups.
The rained out weekend could have been a total bummer, but I think I got a little bit of happiness out of it after all!
Happy Monday All!
Easy update to the hallway light
Our poor old hallway light. Boy, was he ugly. It only seemed kind to spruce it up with the rest of our hallway updates.
So on one of my ten trips to Home Depot this week, I bought a new glass light cover to replace the dated one for $12.
I love how the white frosted glass really pops against of wood panel ceilings.
Then I got thinking about the Rub ‘n Buff I bought for my mirror update and realized I could use it to change the color of the actual light fixture.
I know that brass is considered a classic and is having a comeback, but personally is not for me.
I spent about 10 minutes giving it a quick paint and buff … and ta-da!!
The light now looks fresh and works with the rest of our home. It makes me very happy to be able to reuse the light fixture. Not only it saves me money, it’s nice to reuse the original pieces in the home.
Now that I have this under my belt, the other brassy ceiling lights in my house better watch out. I am coming for you next!
Project Total
Glass Bulb – $12.00
Rub n’ Buff* – $4.00
GRAND TOTAL – $16.00
*I used about a 1/20th of the tube for this project
My take on a gilded mirror
In our quest to finish up the hallway, I have been working on the finishing touches like our little neglected mirror.
I picked up this thrifted mirror for about $5 in college. I painted it a bright red and it’s pretty much remained the same since. It’s a cool piece with it’s aged glass, hexagon shape and funky plastic frame. Yep, that’s right – plastic frame.
Last week, I painted the frame a shiny green to give it a quick update. Although I loved the color, the high gloss unfortunately made the piece look super cheap.
In order to cut that plasticly look, I picked up some Rub ‘n Buff silver leaf wax at the craft store for a couple bucks.
With a small brush you just paint on the wax. Then you buff it with a clean cloth until you get the right look. This stuff dries fast so focus on painting the reliefs and crevices first. Only add a small touch to the rest so there is some texture to the piece.
Here’s a comparison of the two different finishes – silver leaf vs. high gloss.
Although the high gloss was fun, I personally think I like this aged, gilded look much better. It gives it weight which the high gloss sorely lacked.
What do you think?
Some added cheer
Today’s St. Patrick’s Day.
Everyone’s wearing green. You can smell corned beef and cabbage in the air. And the beer will be flowing all day in celebration.
I grew up in a catholic family. We loved celebrating St. Patty’s Day and we loved beer.
I learned to appreciate beer in many different forms growing up around it. As I got older, I tried all kinds and developed a real love for the taste. My only real complaint with the beverage is the weight it puts on my waistline.
I have a lot of favorite beers, but only one favorite bottle.
Red Stripe Lager.
Yes, the beer made in Jamaica. I just love the stubby brown bottle and painted label.
And you know the funny thing given its St. Patty’s Day and all? Red Stripe was acquired by Guinness Brewing Worldwide in the 90s so even it has a little Irish blood!
I have been looking for a Red Stripe good poster for years. I was browsing ebay a few weeks back and found this for $5.99.
You can imagine my excitement. It’s the perfect poster. A simple and modern representation of this classic bottle.
It’s going up in my office for now so I can appreciate it’s clean shape every day while running on my treadmill. I know there’s a bit of irony in that statement. Running and looking at beer… but maybe that’s why it’s the perfect motivation. 
Sources: danbehling and D Steez
Just call me a hippo lover
This little hippo statue was a gift from my parents. They love getting us a little something on their travels.
