I Painted My Vinyl Floor

Can you  paint a vinyl kitchen floor?  Should you paint a kitchen floor?  How do you paint a kitchen floor?  Would painting the floor be worth the effort and time?

I struggled with answering those questions.  I came to 2 conclusions: 

1.  I really couldn't make it any uglier!

2.  Eventually we're going to install real tile anyway.

Just to give you an idea of my kitchen/dining-room  floor plan, I made this simple diagram.
The black represents floor covered in counter-tops, fridges, etc.
The yellow is my ugly vinyl flooring.
The grey is carpeting (yuck!).
Eventually, we're going to rip everything out and tile the whole thing,
but that project is possibly years away.

So you can see that I really didn't have a ton of vinyl flooring to paint.  Considering the back-breaking and mind-numbing work required in painting the small area of flooring I DID paint, I would never consider painting and stenciling a large area.  I have a new found respect for all you crafty people who painted and stenciled entire rooms.  Wow!  What a lot of work!

My inspiration!  Check out this fab post by Shabby Coast Cottage!
[Photo by Shabby Coast Cottage]

I got my stencil and learned the technique from this lovely post by JDC.  
[Photo by JDC]

TL: Primer | TR: Floor paint
BL: Tracing stencil | BR: Painting stencil

Here are the steps I followed to paint my floor:

1. Removed drawer under my stove. (mine's not a broiler)
2. Cleaned the floor with ammonia and rinsed it well.
3. Sanded the floor with 150 grit sandpaper.
4. Vacuumed and wiped up all sanding residue.
5. Taped off edges, trim, and bottom of fridge.
6. Painted on a layer of KLEAN-STRIP EASY LIQUID SANDER.
7. Painted on KILZ 2® Latex Primer.
8. Painted on BEHR PREMIUM® Porch & Floor Paint--2 coats.
9. Traced stencil guidelines with gel pen.
10. Stenciled in BEHR PREMIUM PLUS ULTRA® Semi-Gloss Enamel.--2 coats. 

I bought some clear varnish to use as a top-coat but have yet to apply it.  It's been several months since I've painted the floor and it's holding up so nicely, I doubt I'll ever paint on the vanish.  

Here's a couple more "afters": 

The texture of the floor is still evident, but I like it soooooo much better.  I mostly clean the floor with warm water.  When that isn't enough, I have a swiffer thingy that I use and it works great.  

How about you all?  Would you ever consider painting your kitchen floor?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.  

Plaid Stencils and Folk Art Craft Paint Review

FolkArt stencils rock!

Besides connecting with amazingly creative people from all over the world, the second best thing about being a blogger is getting opportunities to review craft products.  This post is about my experience with FolkArt stencils.  I've been a big fan of Plaid brand products even before I began blogging.  You see, I'm a Mod-Podger from waaaaay back!

These are all my projects featuring Plaid products:

The Envelope Wristlet

Wallet Upcycle

Another Mod Podge Upcycle

Naughty Notions Clutch

Purse of Paper

Clutch Makeover

Painted Patches for Boys

Patches for Girls

Tag-making

No-Dye-Tie-Dye

Egg-Kabobs

UFO Ornaments

Most of those tutorials feature projects using either Mod Podge or various brands of acrylic craft paint.

Besides the Patches for Girls post, I haven't worked much with stencils...until NOW!

The folks at Plaid, being the generous folks that they are, sent me another bundle of crafty loot!  This time around I received some Folk Art craft paint, a foam paint roller, a tub of chalkboard paint, a durable plastic FolkArt stencil, and a couple types of stencil brushes.  I decided to give the plain white step in my daughter's room a make-over.

1. After cleaning the surface of the step and taping off the area that I wanted to paint, I rolled on a layer of pale pink paint.  
2. I used one of the foam stencil brushes and stippled along the taped edges in a darker teal.
3. I taped the stencil down to keep it from wiggling and used a foam stencil brush to stamp on more teal paint.
4. I learned the hard way that if you don't clean the stencil every time you move it, you'll have some messy areas.  

I sealed the paint with glitter Mod Podge.  The grains of glitter are very fine and the resulting "glitz" is like a pretty iridescent shimmer.  It is very hard to photograph, so you'll just have to take my word for it that the finished step is totally glam!   

The step was once used in our bathroom to aid little kids in reaching the sink.  After we started using a collapsible stool in the bathroom, the step found a home in my 6 y.o. daughter's room.  She thought it looked like a "baby step" before, but is pleased with it's big-girl transformation.  The chevrons are fun and decidedly "not baby-ish" design element.  What do you think?

Check out this dresser transformation done with the same chevron stencil:

I just got some more stencils in the mail.  I'm hoping to use them in a new project soon, along with the chalkboard paint.  What about you all?  Any luck with stencils lately?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Connect with Plaid via these social media links:
Plaid on Facebook
Plaid on Twitter
Follow Plaid on Pinterest

I wrote this post as part of a sponsored campaign with Plaid and The Blueprint Social. 

All opinions in this post are my own.

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.

I wasn't the only one who got cool stencils in the mail.  Check out what my bloggy friends made as well:

Scrappy Chenille Scarf

One of the participants from my scarf-making challenge made a chenille scarf that I really liked.  Her name is Linda and she wrote a great tutorial for her scarf that you can find HERE.  

Linda's scarf is made up of 7 layers of fabric.  The center layer of fabric is never cut and serves as a background color (black, in Linda's case)  for both sides of the scarf.  After I got 6 pieces of fabric cut, I thought my scarf was already looking very thick.  It's hard to tie and twist a really thick scarf, so I figured out a slightly different method to cut the scarf using only 6 layers of fabric.  

This is a diagram of a cross section of my scarf.
The center layers are grey flannel.
The white vertical lines show the stitching which goes through all 6 layers of fabric.
The black vertical lines show where I cut through 2 and sometimes 3 layers of fabric.
This is how I got away with using an even number of fabric layers.

The center layers were grey flannel.  The outer most layers were a blue/violet tie-dye pattern.
The top photo shows the royal purple I used under the tie-dye on one side.
The bottom photo shows the bright blue I used on the other side.
The sides are different, but the difference is very subtle.
Next time I try this I'm going to make the 2 sides much more different.

As you might be able to guess, I spent almost as much time taking photos of the scarf as I did making it!  I'm trying really hard to learn the manual settings on my camera.  I took a few photography courses in college, but those were years ago and we used real film.  I remember just knowing which adjustments to make to change the focal length and shutterspeed to use to get the photo I wanted.  Now it's a lot of hit and miss, referring back to my manual a million times, and head-scratching.  My biggest trouble now is with focusing.  Maybe my up-close vision is deteriorating as I approach 40.....?  I can't see well enough through my little camera view finder to know if my image is sharp or not.     

Linda said she made her scarf in 2.5 hours.  It took me more like 4 hours.  But I was dealing with very odd-shaped pieces of fabric and had some trouble finding the bias.  The grey flannel is from a set of sheets I bought at the thrift store.  That was a rather large piece of material to deal with.  The other fabrics were in small enough pieces that I had to piece it together to make them long enough.  

Overall I am very pleased with this scarf.  I love the softness and warmth provided by both the chenille effect and the flannel.  I spent no money making the scarf either.  I love to be able to finish a project without having to run to the store to buy supplies.  I chose not to make the tassels on the ends, opting for a simpler look.  But I love the way Linda's tassels look like twisty little caterpillars.....I may slice in some tassels down the road!

I'm curious to hear your comments on this post.  What do you think of this technique?  Would you ever try it?  Any tips on switching your camera over to manual settings would be greatly appreciated as well!

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Before you click away, I'd like to invite you to join in my current sewing/craft challenge.  

DIY Styrofoam Snowmen Craft

DIY Scarf Upcycle

Asymmetrical Place-mat Purse

A.k.a. the wonky envelope purse.

This is quick and easy purse to sew.  If you have made lined purses before,(pulling the entire purse through an opening in the lining) then this purse will take no time at all to sew.  If you're totally unfamiliar with sewing linings into purses, check out this tutorial by  Patty at Make it Cozee.  She takes great photos (much better than mine!) and let's the pictures tell the story.  So all you visual learners will totally dig this tute.

Easy Instructions:

1. Check out my diagram and see how I gave an ordinary placemat a wonky asymmetrical fold.  Just play around with it until you get a shape you like.  Press down the folds and trim off the overlapping edges.
2. Use the resulting placemat shape to cut out your lining fabric.  Remember to make sure you are cutting out the correct side of the lining.  With asymmetrical shapes it can get tricky!
3. Press corresponding folds into your lining.  Now you can add pockets and the male half of a magnetic snap to your lining. 
4. Stitch the side edges of your purse, right sides together.  According to my diagram, stitch the red edges together and the blue edges together.  Do the same thing to the lining, right sides together.
5. Turn you purse right side out and place it inside your lining, right sides together.  Carefully pin the edges of the purse and lining together.
6. Stitch all the way around the pinned edges, but leave a 3 inch (or so) opening on the front edge (the edge under the flap). Trim off the seam allowances at the corners.  
7. Pull the fabric through the opening and situate until it looks like a real purse.   Press all the edges neat and tidy.  (See Cozee's tutorial for great instruction and photos.)
8. Mark on the front of the purse where the female half of the magnetic snap should be placed.  Reaching through the opening in the front edge, attach the snap to the front of the purse.  See?  No measuring!
9. You can hand sew the opening closed now, though I usually don't.  Then top stitch all the way around all the edges.  That's it!  You're done!

You could add some dimension to the bag by squaring off the bottom at step 4. The tutorial I mentioned in teh first paragraph also shows how to square off the bottom of the bag.  Check out Patty's tutorial HERE.   Or you could make a strap or handle and add it to the outer fabric at step 4 as well.  Adding some extra structure with interfacing or fusible fleece or Peltex/Timetex is another option.  A simple purse like this is also just crying out for fabric flowers or silver studs don't you think?

Did you notice the cool pintucks/mexican pleating on the placemat?  This corresponds with my current sewing challenge:  The Fab Fold Challenge.  So if you're reading this before 10-30-12, press this button and check out the challenge homepage:

So what do you think?  Could you use a little wonky envelope purse?  How would you tweak the idea and make it your own?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Easy Shoulder Bag with Gusset

Yellowstone National Park was our family vacation destination this summer.  We camped and hiked and toured and drove the entire park.  Everywhere we went I brought my my big green bag.  It carried water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray, binoculars, my purse, and many other odds and ends for the family.  I could have just carried our big black backpack, but I'm just not a backpack type of  girl.  Plus, I've had this bag in mind for many months, but of course I didn't actually sew it until the day before we left!  I should have been packing, but instead I was sewing this bag.  Ahhh, the story of my life...

I made this bag out of a green tablecloth I picked up at a thrift store for $2.  The color called to me and I couldn't pass it up.  The lining is a wild orange and blue peacock print that I've used in several other bags, including this one:

I reviewed this pattern HERE.

This bag features a wide gusset, a padded cross body length strap, lots of interior pockets, and a tiny bit of decorative stitching.  It went together so quickly and turned out to be very useful.  So I wanted to share with you how I made it.

The supplies I started with:

green heavy weight cotton tablecloth

peacock print quilt weight cotton

fusible fleece

heavy top-stitching thread

regular thread

magnetic clasp

brass grommet

freezer paper

iron, scissors, sewing machine

Step one: creating a pattern

I folded my paper in half to make sure it came out symmetrical.
I cut out 2 outer pieces from the tablecloth and 2 of the lining.

Step two: making the outside front and back

To add some structure to the outer fabric pieces, I added some usible fleece to the wrong sides.
The fleece was trimmed to fit inside the seam allowances to reduce bulk. I added some decorative machine stitching with some heavy duty top-stitching thread.  (The stitch I used is called honeycomb and it's normally used for smocking.)  The stitching helped to secure the fleece to the sides of the bag. For the front side I followed the existing pattern on the tablecloth.  The back side just has some random lines of stitching.  Even though I fused the fleece to the sides, the stitching will help the bag hold up to repeated washings. 

Step three: making the inside front and back

 For the pockets, I cut some panels from the edges of the tablecloth.  The top edges were finished already which made everything easier for me.  The pink line in the photos above show how I stitched the around the panels making 3 different sized pockets on one side and a single large pocket on the other.  This was so much faster than making patch pockets.

Step four: making and attaching the gusset

The next thing I did was make gussets for the inside and outside of the bag.  These were simple 4 inch wide strips of fabic.  I added fusible fleece (trimmed to fit within the seams allowance) to the outer fabric gusset and added a line of honeycomb stitching.  Then I stitched the gusset to the front and back pieces.  Because the seams are curved, I cut notches in the seam allowances to ease the curves.  Depending on whether the curves will be convex or concave, you're supposed to cut v-shaped notches or straight slits accordingly.  I always just cut notches.  To me, it still works and I don't have to think.  

Step five: making the tab

This is the tab I made to keep the top edges of the bag together.  It ended up being a  finished rectangle of  tablecloth with the male half of the magnetic snap on one end and a brass grommet on the other end.  The grommet is perfect for hooking up my car keys and keeping them handy.  The female side of the clasp was attached to the front side of the bag.

Step six: making the shoulder strap

The strap is made up of 4 inch wide strips just like the gusset.  I added fleece to the outer fabric and secured it with the decorative stitch.  I added more fleece to the lining for extra padding for my shoulder.  I stitched them right sides together, turned it out, and top-stitched the edges.  Super easy and soft and cushy on my shoulder.

Step seven: putting it all together  

1. I placed the outer bag inside the lining, right sides together.  I pinned and stitched the top edge, leaving the gussets un-sewn.  I used one of the openings left by the gussets to pull the outer bag through.  I pressed the top edge, turned under the edges of the gussets and pressed them as well.
2. I inserted the ends of the strap into the openings left by the gussets.  I pinned and top-stitch all the way around the top edge of the bag.  I added some extra stitching to secure the ends of the straps to the gussets.  I stitched a square with and "x" in the middle.  You can see it in the finished photos.
3. I stitched the tab onto the back of the bag, securing it with the box and "x" stitching. 

And here it is in all it's mean green wonder:

I was pretty vague about exact measurements because I really didn't measure anything but the width of the strap and gusset.  The length of the gusset and strap were eyeballed and the excess trimmed away.  Everything else was made off of the single freezer paper pattern piece.  I probably could have come up with a more creative shape for the tab.  Something curvier or perhaps a messenger bag flap would have been better.  Overall I am very happy.  This bag fills all my mommy-must-carry-lots-of-kids-stuff-wherever-we-go needs.  Plus, it's green, my fave....

What do you carry on family vacations?  What have you been making lately?  How comfortable are you with making something without a pattern?

Happy crafting and big hugs from Montana,

Pants to Shorts Refashion

I have been in a I-can't-believe-how-fast-my-kids-go-through-clothes state of shock these past few weeks.  Summer is approaching, and my kids grew like weeds over the school year.  They are not going to be able to wear very many clothes from last summer.  I've been patching jeans like crazy.  The jeans that are getting too short, I'm converting into capris and shorts.  

I wanted to create some shorts for my daughter that were a little fancier than your average cut-offs.  I was thinking about trying some applique or free motion stitching, but couldn't get inspired.  I had a pack of adhesive stencils sitting on my desk just crying out be utilized, so decided to give 'em a try.  The end product turned out to be much more complicated than I first anticipated, but I had so much fun "playing" that it was like I didn't want the project to end.  Has that ever happened to you?

Check out my latest jeans to shorts conversion:

I added some detail with a fine point sharpie, a totally unnecessary step. 

4 Easy steps:

1. Cut off pants legs and finish with bias tape.  You can find a good bias tape how-to HERE.
2. Get a hold of some stencils and paint.  I was very happy with Martha Stewart's adhesive stencil set and multi purpose craft paint.   (The adhesive stencils are the bomb!  I am stoked to get my hands on some more!  Freezer paper stencils would be a great choice as well.  Any acrylic or fabric paint will work.)  
3. Plan out your design and paint away! (two coats work best)
4. Let it dry and heat set with your iron. (30 seconds on cotton setting.) 

Yes, I know this is sideways.  Help!

The photo above gives you an idea of how worn the original jeans were.  I didn't really have a plan, I just painted a bit and thought about what to do next while it dried.  Then, I would paint a bit more and plan a bit more.  These shorts will suffice for all the hiking and camping we have planned for the summer.

If you all are reading this during April 2012, please vote for your favorite Typography Challenge project:

I'm curious to hear your comments.  What do you think you could do with clothing upgrade idea?

Happy crafting and big hug from Montana,