Craft Space Decoration

Well, I finally did it - got some decorations up in my craft space! I can't wait until the whole thing is finished, but for now, I'm happy to have a dedicated space for my creativity that actually looks creative.

I did a pretty good job busting my stash on this one, I think:

You may remember this picture from last year - I picked up all of this great stuff at a yard sale and managed to use a decent amount of it already. I had grand ideas for those frames in the corner (25 cents/piece), as part of my bedroom makeover. I painted them gold and...they just sat there. And then I moved, and decided I wanted a completely different color scheme in the bedroom, so I decided to repurpose these for elsewhere in the apartment. I wanted to paint them black, but couldn't find any black paint in my stash, so instead I painted them with some primer and silver paint I had (a brother to the gold paint I used on my dresser).

I picked up these paints at Lowe's for...free! I had 3 coupons for free paint samples, and decided to get matching colors. I love these teals - as you will (hopefully) see one day, the current color scheme in my apartment is mostly gray, black, and white, so these pops of color are a nice touch, I think.

I think I got these in April, at another garage sale, for a quarter a piece. They're...pretty ugly, not gonna lie, but they have good bones and I knew that they could be made over into something great! I cracked the glass on one of them in the move, and then cracked another piece trying to get the backing off - they weren't really made to be taken apart, honestly, but I wasn't going to let that stop me!

I set to work with all of these pieces in mind/in the works, and with this pin as inspiration:

 

[Image from: cherishedbliss.com]

I ended up with...drumroll please...this lovely collage!

I bought the frames for some vintage patterns I had on hand, but everything else was repurposed from my stash. (I completely forgot about the mirrors - they were originally in my childhood bedroom, in white and lavender.)

 

I have to say, I really love these frames - I think you can see the detailing even better now that they're painted. 

 

I love that I can finally display some of these patterns - they're too beautiful to keep on a shelf!

Stash busted: 
-Mirrors
-Paint
-Little metal frames
-Big wooden frames
-Lots of paint
-Vintage patterns

Bought new:
-Frames ($12)

Success!

Sock Monkey

So my mom has quite the sock monkey collection, and a while ago I found a knitting book with some cute patterns and decided to add one to her stash:

[I know he doesn't have eyes, but I kind of like him that way!]

And here he is with his new family!

He came together pretty quickly, but as usual, I had a harder time putting on the finishing touches than I did getting 90% done with it. My mom really liked him, though - great mother's day gift!

And here's the pattern I used:

[Image from: CanadianLiving.com]

Crocheted rainbow blanket

So, I started crocheting these granny squares last January/February, and actually finished all 70 of them pretty quickly (it was seriously addicting, even though it killed my fingers/hands after a while). However, I just got around to sewing them all together last month...it's so easy for me to start projects, but so hard to finish them! I'm really excited about this one, though, especially now that fall is here. It'll be just one of the 6+ blankets that I'll need to keep me warm through the winter (I seriously slept with 3-4 blankets on my bed last year). 

So, without further ado, here it is!

 

I was obviously far too lazy to block it properly, but I figure it'll all work out after I wash it...right? Also, I have to remember to wash it with one of those color catcher things...I'd hate for the pretty border to be ruined!

It's based off of this beautiful blanket:

 [Image from: The Purlbee]

I didn't quite have the money to shell out for the beautiful yarn she used, so I bought some Sugar n Cream yarn from Michael's/Hobby Lobby/JoAnn/wherever it was on sale. I used about 30 different colors, plus 5-6 (little) skeins of cream yarn, so I figure this project cost me about $45. Stash busted: nothing. But now I've got a decent amount of all of those colors left, so I need to find another rainbow project to use them on. Any suggestions?

As usual, this is long overdue...

I planned to keep this up better once summer started and school was over, but between the move, the new job, working 70 hours a week, and hanging out with friends, it never quite happened. I finished quite a few projects quite a while ago (and even throughout the summer), but haven't gotten around to posting pictures. So, this post will be a little apartment tour (it's not quite all in order yet, so I can't show you the whole thing, but things are under way and I'm excited it's finally getting there!), as well as a copycat/stash busting project.

Bookshelf next to the TV...that really doesn't even have any books on it. They're all still at my parents' house, because it's a pain to lug them around from apartment to apartment:

View from right inside the front door: 

Yep, I'm pretty obsessed with globes and maps...hence the chair makeover! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the before, but it was an ugly, scratched green one that I picked up from an auction years ago for $3.

I saw this image floating around Pinterest (unfortunately the link is bad) and knew I had to try something similar. 

 

And a closeup of mine:

 

Honestly, I do like the inspiration better, but...mine's not too shabby, either. I used an old map of Chicago (my new home!) and the same paint I used on my dresser - the ivory to match, and the gold to give it a more distressed look. Total spent for this project - nothing! And I used some good stash items, too. 

Here's another shot of the decoration in my apartment, showcasing some paintings I got in Prague years ago and never got around to framing:

It's getting there, little by little! I can't wait until my craft area is done, so I can show that off, too...