Kitchen

Every time a bell rings… my dogs want to go outside!

I love that line in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where little ZuZu says, “Teacher says every time a bell rings an angel get’s it’s wings.”

I love bells and/chimes! So when I saw these on clearance at Crate and Barrel I grabbed the remaining three. They were in the ornament bins. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I imagined them around a door handle.

So I took some ribbon and just hooked in the chime and attached to the back door. It drives the family crazy to hear the bell every time the dogs go outside, but I love it! My dogs now hear the bell and rush to go outside! I bought three chime ornaments for 99 cents each.

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Here’s a cool bell I bought a fancy shop in Park City {Utah}. It was made in Bavaria so I decided that was worth the huge cost! I know, crazy right? I paid way more than I should have, but I used it on another door. This just goes to show.. my dogs don’t know the difference between the thrifty and expensive! More life lessons are learned from our pets!

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Chair makeover in an hour … and a few minutes! Love it!

This is what I really want in my dream kitchen (from Red Head Can Decorate):

Source: redheadcandecorate.com via imnotatrophywife on Pinterest

or this….

Source: kitchen-design-ideas.org via imnotatrophywife on Pinterest

But the reality is that my budget covers a couple yards of fabric… on sale. These are the fabric swatches I picked up at Joanne’s. The fabric department is out of my comfort zone. I wasn’t sure I was allowed to carry the bolts to the measuring table. The signs clearly say to ask for assistance, but with the line through the aisles, I didn’t see that helping morale behind or in front of the counter. So, I juggled the bolts and guessed on how much fabric I needed. I don’t recommend this technique, but like I said, I was out of my comfort zone. I just wanted to get out of there and figure it out on my kitchen table.

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In December I made these cute valances. See how I cut this project in 1/2 the time HERE. I loved the pattern, but I knew it wouldn’t work for seat cushions for my kitchen chairs. Too pretty and too much white in the pattern that was just asking for ~~spaghetti~~ pasta sauce making a direct hit! Or, a glass of red wine is more likely with my girlfriends! Kidding!

So, it was time to tackle the seat cushions of my kitchen chairs. Here is a photo of the original fabric on the cushions. They are durable, but they are like oatmeal (in texture and color)!

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I didn’t take pictures of the dismantling of the cushion, but I used a long screwdriver to unscrew each cushion. Easy peasy.. took a minute or so per chair! I used my Arrow staple gun and used Arrow 5/16mm staples. Suggestion: I brought my staple gun to Home Depot. On the side of my staple gun it lists 3 different staple sizes. I wasn’t sure what size staple was previously in my staple gun, but I figured I could just eyeball the right size. Lucky for me, on the box of each size staple it lists the size recommended for particular jobs (ie: upholstery project). Whew!

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I left the original fabric on the cushion and I just pulled opposite ends, stapled and then the alternate sides. I took the corners and pulled each corner up last. Here is a view from the floor of the tucked corners. Yes, I was on the floor. Such a good look!

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I love the look. It looks bright and tight! I wish my butt was as tight as these chair cushions!

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Here is the finished chair! The fabric was $17.00 per yard and I got 2 cushions per yard. I have extra fabric so I am taking suggestions on what I do with the excess!!!

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