Newlyweds and Nesting: Elizabeth Anne Designs Living: A Food, Lifestyle, and Craft Blog » Anne K

Craft: DIY Headboard

Anne K — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:00:42 +0000

When I moved, I was gifted with a new queen-size mattress and box spring. Since my previous bed was a full-size, my old bed frame would not work. This was advantageous because I was looking for a bit of a change. Like everyone else, I scoured the internet for ideas. Initially, I thought of buying a new headboard. After searching both online and in brick-and-mortar stores, I just couldn’t find anything that appealed to me that was affordable or my style. Eventually, I came across this image in an article on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

{photo from Better Homes and Gardens website}

The article outlined how to make a lightweight headboard with fabric. While I didn’t necessarily want to make a headboard out of fabric, it inspired me to want to make my own headboard rather than buy one. So, I continued to troll the internet for more ideas.

I found an article about wallpaper on ApartmentTherapy.com. They specifically mentioned paintable wallpaper from Graham & Brown website. If you haven’t been on the Graham & Brown site, you should take a gander. It’ll make you rethink wallpaper because it’s definitely not your grandma’s wallpaper. I fell in love this pattern.

{Squares Paintable from Graham & Brown}

I ordered the wallpaper from Graham & Brown. For those that don’t want to spend too much for paintable wallpaper, I have come across textured, paintable wallpaper at Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Wal-mart for good price. Once I ordered the wallpaper, I headed to my local hardware store to buy the rest of my materials. I originally had planned to buy a 48″ x 72″ MDF board. After consulting with one of the helpful employees, I purchased particle board at a whooping $8.98 for a 48″ x 72″ sheet. In addition to the wood, I purchased Kilz paint primer, wallpaper glue, paint for the wallpaper and a paint roller.

Here’s how I made the headboard:

1. Sanded and primed the particle board with paint primer. This was important because the particle board was a little rough because it’s made with pressed wood shavings and sawdust. Primer is key because it gives the wallpaper a good surface to adhere to.

2. After the primer dried, I applied the wallpaper. Rather than go through all the steps of applying the wallpaper, here’s a link to About.com article on How to Hang Wallpaper. Don’t be afraid to use a little pressure when applying the textured wallpaper. No matter how hard you press, you won’t permanently damage the wallpaper.

{images courtesy of author’s personal collection unless otherwise noted}

3. I let the wallpaper dry overnight before I proceeded to painting. For this, I recommend applying interior wall paint with a roller made for textured walls. Do not use spray paint. I tried spray paint and it was an awful mess. I ended up painting my headboard two different colors because the first color I selected was too light. Thankfully, the wallpaper is very forgiving and I was able to paint over it with a darker color.

4. Install the headboard. I simply placed it against the wall behind my bed. No hanging hardware needed. If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you may want to secure the headboard with hooks and wires.

After 2 days and $60 of materials, I had a new headboard. Here’s a photo of my completed project. Sleeping Myles the pup not included.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 1 comment · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Crafts, Decor

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Craft: Clutch Purse

Anne K — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

I love a fair-sized purse, but sometimes when I’m on-the-go I like to carry something a little smaller and compact. I love clutch purses for those times when all you need is your wallet, a lipgloss, and your phone. What I don’t particularly enjoy is how expensive and how many clutches are geared towards evening wear. Thankfully, there is trusty Etsy.com. While browsing for clutches to add to my collection, I came across a cute, easy envelope clutch pattern by Etsy seller Keykalou.

{image via Etsy seller Keykalou}

I brought out two pieces of coordinating fabric and set about to make my own clutch. As a novice sewer, I found this pattern very easy to follow. The directions are very concise with clearly marked photographs. Keyka Lou’s blog also has great tips to help you along.

Here are some photos of my progress.

{images courtesy of author’s personal collection unless otherwise noted}

I laid out my materials. Because the clutch was small, I was able to use scraps I had in my fabric stash.

I diligently followed the instructions with one modification. I added a strap. To make the strap, I followed I used the directions found in Sew What! Bags.

This was so simple. Although, I did find the curves a bit tricky to navigate. I’m sure this will get easier with practice. I was able to finish it in a little over an hour and a half. For a novice like me, this was exciting.

Here’s the finished product.

It was so fun and easy that I made two more for my friends.

Does anyone have any other clutch purse patterns they’d like to share? I can never have enough in my collection.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Crafts

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Craft: Travel Pillow

Anne K — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:02:49 +0000

As someone who travels frequently, I find those U-shaped neck pillows quite handy. If I’m napping during a flight, I’m not a fan of leaning on a stranger or pressing up again the window. I wanted to share the U-shape pillow love with my travel aficionado friends. Instead of buying the pillows, I decided to make them. This allowed me to customize them for each person’s personality and comfort.

I visited my local fabric store where I purchased some fun and luxurious fabrics and Kwik Sew Pattern 3283. I later discovered that if you search for “Free U-shaped Neck Pillow Pattern” or “Free Travel Neck Pillow Pattern”, you will find an abundance of FREE patterns. To save you some time, here’s a link to a free travel pillow patterns.

This was a project that as a beginner I was easily able to complete in one sitting. All of the following instructions are clearly laid out in the Kwik Sew pattern.

I laid out the pattern and cut my fabric with my trusty rotary cutter.

After cutting my pattern, I pinned the two pieces together with right sides facing inward.

I sewed the edges together with a 0.25″ allowance and left a gap along the top to allow for stuffing.

After sewing the edges together, I followed the instructions provided and clipped excess fabric in the curved areas. Once I did this, I turned the pillow inside out and stuffed it. I used a half a bag of 20 oz. polyfil to create a nice firm pillow. You can use more or less stuffing depending on your preference for pillow firmness. Alternatively, you can also stuff the pillow with buckwheat or rice. This allows you to microwave the pillow for warmth and comfort during at-home use. After stuffing, I hand-sewed the pillow shut. This turned out to be the trickiest part. My hand-sewing skills could use a little practice. In less than an hour, I had the perfect gift for my travel buddy.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · Comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Crafts

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Across the Country

Anne K — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:00:39 +0000

For the last 7 years, I flew from coast to coast with frequency. I lived in Los Angeles. My family lived in Virginia Beach. I got on a plane and a few hours later like magic I was at my destination. I never bothered to consider nor appreciate the vast country that lies in-between. When I decided to return to Virginia, I knew that I wanted to drive cross-country. Driving cross country has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I was fortunate to have my best friend Cicely volunteer to join me. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

We drove from California and passed through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina to get to our final destination of Virginia. It took us 5 days to make the trip. Ideally, we wanted to take 7 days, but we spent some time ~~shopping~~ sightseeing in Southern California. Along the way, we tried cuisine from different locales. Some of it was good; others not so good. We also stopped at as many cupcakebakeries as we could manage. This trip was nicknamed the Cucpcake Tour. The southern part of the United States is beautiful. Here are some of our pics.

Needless to say, we both gained a new-found perspective and appreciation for this country and our friendship. I highly recommend embarking on a cross-country trip of your own either with your significant other or your best friend. My next goal is to drive cross-country via the northern route.

Should you decide to embark on a cross-country trip of your own, I have a few tips.

Plan to take at least a week to drive from one coast to the other.
This will allow you to time to stop and enjoy the sights along the way. This also minimizes the amount of hours you spend on the road per day. By condensing our trip to 5 days, we spent far too many hours on the road which was very exhausting.
Take your trip during transition season like Spring or Autumn.
We drove in late February which put our travel in the middle of winter. This made for some hairy moments. At one point, we drove just to stay ahead of a snowstorm that was coming across the country. Summers are great, but I don’t necessarily recommend them if you’re going to be driving through the southern part of the country. Anyone that lives in the Deep South can tell you summers are not fun.
Have your GPS and traditional maps ready.
My car does not have a built-in GPS unit. So, I opted to buy a stand-alone unit. This was the best decision I made by far. The worst decision was not testing it out and updating it before we left. We ran into a few hiccups while we were in Dallas, TX. This is exactly why you should also have good old-fashioned paper maps at the ready. When the GPS failed us, we simply pulled over and pulled out a map. Voila! Problem solved.
Do not count on staying with friends when you don’t have a set travel schedule.
In theory, we weren’t going to have to pay for any accommodations while on the road. In actuality, we made so many stops that we were arriving at our destinations later than we expected. We didn’t think showing up on someone’s doorstep at 12AM was very polite or proper.
Do not stay in hotels with numbers in their names unless you’re absolutely desperate.
We stayed at a Motel 6 in Tempe, AZ. That was the sketchiest place I’ve been in a long time. That’s saying a lot considering I lived in L.A. for some time.
If you plan on making your trip food/restaurant-centric, check the operating hours of the place you plan to visit ahead of time.
This was supposed to be a cupcake tour. Two of the bakeries we visited were closed. One closed as we got to the door. The other wasn’t open on Sundays. During our five-day trip, we only got to sample 2 bakeries. :(
Bring lots of snacks and beverages.
While it was fun to sample new cuisine, some of the food we encountered did not look like it would sit well with either of our stomachs. For moments like those, we relied on the contents of our trusty picnic basket to carry us through. Also there are stretches of highway were there was nothing for miles. Had we relied on simply eating on the road, we would’ve starved.
Keep an open mind and be flexible with your schedule.
Being flexible allowed us to visit blog friends that contacted us at the last minute for meet-ups. Keeping an open mind allowed us to stop and see more than we originally planned.

For our readers who have driven cross-country, do you have any additional tips or stories to share?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 1 comment · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Just for Fun, Travel

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Time flies

Anne K — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:00:30 +0000

Hello EAD readers! It’s been almost a year since I posted and I’ve missed the EAD community terribly. I hope you will excuse my absence. It’s been a roller coaster of a year. My last post was about driving cross-country to move from Los Angeles, CA to Virginia Beach, VA. I took that trip with my best friend and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I also have a new member of the family – my puppy Myles. They say every dog is different and he is certainly a contrast from Dottie. This little guy has a lot of personality packed into a little package. I have our adventures to share and thoughts on puppydom.

Aside from the puppy and the cross-country move, the biggest change in my life is that I got divorced. Without getting into too many details here (that’s what personal blogs are for), the marriage wasn’t working out and divorce was the best course of action. Since this is primarily a newlywed blog, I wondered about my place here. Then, I remembered that this is also a nesting blog. Single, Married, or Divorced we all nest and strive to make our homesteads our own. I certainly have done a lot to personalize my new space. I have been a busy crafter.

It feels good to be back. I’m looking forward to sharing with you all soon.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 5 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Life

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

On the road

Anne K — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:51:33 +0000

photo by Afonso Lima

I am moving from Los Angeles to Virginia Beach. I am simultaneously nervous and excited about the move. Like fellow EAD writer ABCD, I’m in the process of deciding where I want to reside next. For now, I will be back to my hometown to temporarily stay in my parents’ home.

The majority of my possessions have already been shipped. All that I need to do is get my car from here to there. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to see the country. I know that December is less than ideal for cross country road trips, but necessity dictates that I take the trip now. A week from today, my good friend and I will be headed on a cross-country excursion. We will be taking the Southern route through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. From Louisiana, we’ll be heading North through Mississippi and Tennessee. We have to make a special stop in Kentucky. After Kentucky, we’ll head through North Carolina to our final destination of Virginia Beach.

To our EAD readers, do you have any advice or tips for someone taking a cross country road trip? Are there any sights or places we should see on our way through these states?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 4 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Life, Travel

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Operation You Go, Girl

Anne K — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:36:27 +0000

photo by George Bosela

As we all know, the holidays are filled with celebrations and gift giving. For many, the Holiday Season is also a time for charitable giving and volunteerism. To honor that spirit of charity, I will be posting about little things that we can easily do to share the spirit of the holidays.

The first is Operation You Go, Girl. I saw an interview with Debbie Tenzer founder of the website DoOneNiceThing.com. She was speaking about the female troops in Iraq. Many of these women not only serve in combat situations, they also act as intermediaries and advocates for Iraqi women and girls. For the holidays, she was seeking donations for care packages for these courageous women.

Here is the information from DoOneNiceThing.com

OPERATION YOU GO, GIRL

Far Away for the Holidays

Please help make the holidays sweeter for some female service members in Basra, Iraq. They have taken the lead in delivering the school supplies we’ve sent, and we’d like to express our gratitude.

Any of the following gifts would be greatly appreciated:

1. Moisturizers: Fragrant lotions, shampoos, soaps, loofah sponges, etc. (Small samples are great)

photo by Matthew Bowden

2. Magazines (nothing sexy, please) Issues you’ve read are fine too.

photo by sanja gjenero

3. Munchies: Cookies in the can, hard candy, microwave popcorn, nuts

photo by Craig Hauger

4. Ground Coffee. (Strong. No decaf.)

photo by ehsan namavar

5. Homey holiday decorations: an ornament, scented candle, stocking

photo by Keith Syvinski

5. Mail: Cards, letters and children’s drawings are the best gifts of all.

photo by sanja gjenero

No chocolate candy, please. The temperature in Basra is still in the high 70s.

Address:
SFC Meyers, Aaron D.
34th ID, Fires Cell
APO AE 09374
Attn: HOL

SFC Meyers will make sure that our gifts are delivered directly to female service members.

MAILING DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO DEC. 10.

Many of these items can fit in a United States Priority Mail Flat Rate Medium Size box, which costs $10.35. Be aware there are special postal restrictions and forms that have to be filled out when mailing packages to SFC Meyers. Info can be found on the United States Postal website. Please don’t let a few forms deter you from brightening someone’s day.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · Comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Life, Motivation, World Issues

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Sew Much Fun

Anne K — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:37:09 +0000

In high school, I took a home economics type class. I made a lop-sided duffle bag and a deformed chocolate chip cookie pillow. I had a such a terrible time making both projects that I didn’t sew again. I’ve always been envious of my friends who can sew.

All the craft shows that I’ve been to in the past year have inspired me. I decided that I wanted to learn/relearn is how to sew with a sewing machine. I want to do basic things like make decorative pillows, maybe some pajamas.

I used trusty Yelp.com to find sewing classes. My search led me to Sew L.A. It’s this hip sewing studio in Silver Lake. It’s definitely not like your grandma’s sewing shop. They teach classes and have a small shop. They carry some great specialty and import fabrics.

Learning to sew was much easier this time around.

After the 1st class, I made this.

The second class was about different stitches and what they are used for. Here are some of my sample stitches.

I’m addicted. I plan to take more classes soon, but the break in my design schedule is almost up. My mind is racing with all the different things I can make. For now, I’m really hoping Santa will bring one of these.

For those that are more experienced with sewing, any tips?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 6 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Crafts

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

A little progress

Anne K — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:00:03 +0000

Dottie models her new scarf – photo by Author

Thank goodness for small victories! I have a little progress with my new hobby. I’ve found crocheting to be a very therapeutic hobby. I can’t explain it, but it’s nice to do something that doesn’t involve my computer or electronics. I finally finished my 1st crochet project. I know it’s silly that I made Dottie a scarf, but there is a method to my madness. A dog scarf would be significantly smaller than a “people scarf” and Dottie wouldn’t care if my stitches were uneven or imperfect. Making the scarf was fast and easy. It was the initial learning process that was difficult.

photo by Author

In my original post, I had said that I was going to take a class. The class was canceled. I was a little relieved after visiting the shop where the class was going to be held. It was one of little yarn shops where the average age of their clientele is 60 and the focus of their projects were baby items. Nothing against anyone’s grandma or baby items, but it didn’t feel like the right place for me. I found other craft shops that offered crochet classes, but the classes conflicted with my schedule or cost more than I was willing to spend.

So, I embarked on teaching myself how to crochet. I tried books first. I went to my local library and checked out all the crochet books that I could get my hands on. There were a lot of books available. Unfortunately, a good portion of those books were hard to follow or poorly written. Here are my three favorites.

Crochet: The Complete Guide by Jane Davis
This book had really great diagrams and their instructions were very easy to follow.

The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet by Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O’Connell
This book also had really great illustrations and instructions. The strength of this book is in its projects. Each skill taught is paired with easy to follow hip projects.

Get Hooked by Kim Werker, Cynthia Frenette, Pamela Bethel, and Angela Fama
I found this book the most useful. I’m ashamed to admit that it’s probably because it’s geared towards preteens. If you’re an absolute beginner, this is the book to start out with.

While the books were very helpful, I was still a bit lost. So, I turned to the internet. This is where it all started to make sense. Some of my pals on Twitter suggested I try YouTube for instructional videos. This was the best course of action for me. I learned more from watching a three minute video than all the books combined. Below are some links to my favorite videos.

How to Single Crochet by theKnitWitch on Youtube

How to Chain Stitch by KnitWitch on Youtube

I’m making another scarf and then I’m going to attempt the amigurumi animals. We’ll see if my progress continues. If not, I guess I’ll end up with piles and piles of scarves.

What is your latest hobby?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Crafts

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook

Call me

Anne K — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:52 +0000

photo by Zvone Lavric, Slovenia

I’ve been on the hunt for social calling cards. Before you say that I can buy them at my local corner store, I’m not looking for those kind of cards. I’m looking for what is also known as a visiting card. In Victorian times, they were were used when making introductions and home visits. They had their own set of rules and etiquette. It’s actually quite fascinating. You can read about them here and here.

Essentially, social calling cards are just like business cards except they don’t “state your business”. They simply have your name and contact information. I am interested in them because frankly I’m tired of scribbling my name and personal email address for people. I could use my business cards, but there are instances where I’d like to give people my personal contact information and keep my business separate. Social calling cards are also useful while traveling. You can meet some wonderful people during your journeys and they make it very easy to exchange personal information. For Newlyweds, they are a great way to share your new name (if you went that route) and/or your new address. Because there are no rules for today’s social calling cards, they are great avenues of self-expression. These can be less serious than your business card.

Most calling cards have some, but not all of the following information:

Name
Phone Number
Address
Email address
Blog or website address
Twitter username
Facebook or Myspace name (if it’s different than the one on the card)
Instant message name
Blackberry PIN

Here are some examples of social calling cards.

from Etsy Seller Armato Design

From Etsy Seller Dingbat Press

From RedStamp.com

From Moo Cards

From the Mandate Press

From Crane Paper

Social calling cards have evolved to include Mommy and Daddy cards. These cards include child(ren)’s name(s). These are especially useful when parents meet at their children’s group activities. Having their child(ren)’s name(s) printed on the card helps give the recipient a frame of reference.

Here are some examples of Mommy and Daddy cards.

From Etsy Seller Oh Smile!

From Etsy Seller Deidamiah

I ordered Moo cards and love them. Have any EAD readers purchased social calling cards?If so, please feel free to share where you purchased your cards from.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 4 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Good Things, Stationery

Follow Ami on Twitter · Join us at EAD Weddings too! · EAD on Facebook