Project: Platform Bed With Storage

This DIY platform bed has storage and is a cool solution to partition the sleeping space of a studio or loft, and DEFINITELY my next project:

INITIALS MARQEE

I found this on The Maiden Metallurgist, and I have to say, it's totally nifty. (What isn't fun about oversized, home wall decor that just happens to be your initials?)

RETAIL versus DIY MARQUEE ON THE CHEAP:

Urban Outfitters - $178  (!@%*!)

The Maiden Metallurgist - $18

   
Need I say more?

Bengal Cat : Breeders in Seattle, WA

Ever since Matsu (a.k.a. The Animal) came into our lives, I've become a HUGE fan of Bengal cats.

While searching for a little cat, I had trouble at first finding a reputable breeder. I've therefore compiled a list of the local breeders in the Seattle and surrounding area:


SNOWYSPOTS BENGALS Monroe, WA
Matsu was born here and I can't say enough great things about Julie and Darrin. The cats are raised underfoot and are very well behaved and socialized.
BENGAL FLATS OF WASHINGTON
EPSILON BENGALS - Matsu's sire lives here! 
DREAMQUEST BENGALS

WHIDBEY BENGALS

DADAELIS BENGALS

ABSOLUTELY OF WASHINGTON
TOUGH AND MIGHTY BENGALS
AVANTI BENGALS OF WASHINGTON
ENCORE BENGALS OF WASHINGTON
BELLA BENGALS OF WASHINGTON
JAVAJUNGLE BENGALS OF WASHINGTON 

 (Assembled from www.bengalcats.com)

I also recommend looking into the Bengal Rescue Network as well as local purebred rescue shelters such as CPR in the Pacific Northwest.

Finally, PLEASE crosscheck your potential bengal source with The International Bengal Cat Society's Disciplinary List. This list provides information about breeders who have been suspended or banned from TIBCS due to negligence or dubious business practices.

Project: Renter's Indoor Bike Rack

Floor-to-Ceiling, MOVEABLE Bike Storage Using Tension -   An EXCELLENT and INEXPENSIVE Small Space Solution.

I’ve lived in the city for a while and 2 bikes have already “disappeared” from their racks outside. I love the idea of storing my bikes in the apartment, but then there is the frustration of having to climb over bikes if you’re trying to get to the bathroom or get the milk out of the fridge (I *might* be exaggerating, but you get the point). The options for storing bikes off the floor aren’t many when you are renting. Here were my requirements for bike storage indoors:
- No holes in the wall or ceiling
- Capacity to store two bikes off the ground
- A system that is tall enough for 11′ ceilings
- Minimal cost – no more than $50 – $60.
- STURDY
- Not ugly. seriously.

REI and Amazon.com sell nice, sleek bike racks like what I’m looking for, but nothing fit my style/utility/price criteria.

I concluded that I’d have to “invent” my own. I researched how to join pipes to create a sturdy tension rod, and researched various methods for securing “racks”. But then I found an inexpensive DIY solution on one of my FAVORITE sites, Ikea Hacker:

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/02/stolmen-bike-rack.html

Thank you, Michael, for posting your bike rack solution!

Thus, I spent a weekend collecting the materials, cutting pipe, and assembling. With the help of my lovely boyfriend to mount the bikes…..

VOILA!

Cost: 

Square Aluminum Pipe- $10 (Home Depot)

1 Ikea-Stolmen Tension Rod – $15 (from Craigslist)

4 Ikea-Stolmen hooks – $4 (Ikea)

2 Ikea-Stolmen attachments – $5 (Craigslist again)

6 2″ Bolts & nuts – $2 (Home Depot)

Total: $36.00

Project: Build a Planter - Save Money

Since planter boxes always seem to be not quite the dimensions I want for not quite the price I want to spend, I decided to get creative and build my own.

I have the joy of living a walk away from the Re-Store ( see the site for more info, http://www.re-store.org/index.php , it’s gorgeous) and after some creative exploration and some great planning help from Jeremy the Re-Store guy, I found some treated cedar siding, 0.5′ x 6′ long, for under $1 a piece. Hallelujah!


I wanted my planter to be 1′ tall by 6′ long, so I hammered metal “panel-things” (I have no clue what they’re called by actual handymen) to connect the boards so that they were two boards’-width, i.e. one foot, high.
Enough chat, here are pics of the final, although plant-less, product. I think you’ll get the idea:

(Do you see what I mean when I say call them metal “panel things”?)

Perhaps the planter isn’t perfect, but it’s perfect for my purpose. And I don’t think the plants will mind…

Also, I’d like to give a shout-out to my dad and Trevor for helping me with the tedious and LOUD hammering of those pesky metal panels!

I’ll update these pictures once greenery gets planted.

Bengal Cat : The Animal, An Update

The Animal has really settled into our lifestyle. She pads around the apartment with us and is always eager to help in so many ways….

For example, she helps unload groceries after grocery shopping:

She oversees the prep-work for cooking:

She’s full of advice about doing the laundry:

She wants to help, not only around the house, but with bill-paying and filing:

Much to our chagrin, she even has a hand in our cleaning and grooming!

Yikes!

Cat Tree Alternatives

Ugly Cat Trees (no offense, cat-tree builders)

 


The Animal loves her ugly little carpeted cat tree (donated by my dad, who was very eager to get it out of his house I might add). I want something for our wonderful kitty to climb and jump and scratch all over, but most cat trees seem like they are simply elevated beds that are always in the way of things. I decided to do a little research….




Two favorites are the HOLLYWOOD FRANKLIN Cat Tower and the HICAT Cat Climber:

Hollywood Franklin

The Appeal:

- Floor-to-ceiling tension (so no worrying about the thing toppling over or needing to find space for a massive base for the tree)

- They both look like an industrial take on something that one would find in NATURE. The Hollywood Franklin looks like a mod tree- perhaps a Ginko. I almost expect the “leaves” to turn bright yellow in the fall. The Hicat looks like one massive tree trunk that you  decided to build your house around instead of chopping down one more tree in the world, and I imagine your cat feels similarly.

- In short: they ain’t BUTT-ugly.

http://hicat.co.uk/

And of course, great things typically have their disillusionments as well:

- PRICE!

In order to purchase a truly functional Hollywood Franklin, I’d have to buy two “Pack A’s” (approx $77/ea) and one or two “Pack B’s” (approx $55/each). So in the end, I’m spending well over $200.00, which I’m just not interested in.

The Hicat, unfortunately, isn’t sold in the US- only in the UK & possibly the EU. If you’re lucky enough to have someone in the UK who will let you use their address for shipping, and then send it over to SEATTLE (where I am), the price- NOT including the eventual international shipping, amounts to about somewhere around 82 – 224… Great Britain Pounds, of course.

So how can somebody with a humble wallet such as mine POSSIBLY get there hands on an attractive, useful cat tree?? Is it the ultimate fate of our kind that we must resort to the hideous, carpeted monstrosities that represent most cat trees under $100? Must we sacrifice for the pleasure of our cats? Can there be NO COMPROMISE?!

This blog entry represents my personal determination to find something budget-friendly, useful, and above all attractive (or at least “artful”), and it is a call to all other do-it-yourselfer’s who detest turning to their wallets, checkbooks and CC’s as the ultimate solutions to these problems. PLEASE comment with any ideas!
Thus far, I’m thinking of seeking donations of emptied carpet rolls from carpet warehouses and Craigslisting sisal rugs….

Paint Old Things For a New Look - Turquoise Lamp

Something old and something blue:

In effort to save a bit of money, and also to save my eyesight by providing more reading light in the apartment, I bought an old lamp base of the ideal height at Goodwill.

I made a lovely Monday evening of it- I poured a glass of wine and watched a new episode of HOUSE, allthewhile stripping & sanding the lampbase.
Next, I painted it a lovely teal, and “shopped” my apartment in search of a good, rarely-used lampshade.

Here is the result.

DIY:
Paint: $10
Lampbase: $7
Shade: Free

I’ve seen lamps similar in look above $200, so on the whole, I’m quite content.

Project: The Building of Work Table

The riveting conclusion of my search for the right “all purpose table”

Pictures say all:

Build the Frame:

 

Trevor’s well-earned blister ; The table – Complete!

 

Time to refresh & refuel with a simple salad of herbs and fresh baby tomatoes.

So we have this table….

… But where do we sit?!

STOOLS

I discovered that counter-height stools can be EXPENSIVE!  Here’s what I’d like:

http://www.tolix.fr/h65_h70_h75_h80.html

(I encountered this style at the bar of “Brasserie Four” in Walla Walla, WA – unfortunately, I only took a picture of the one in the bathroom)

But they’re about $240 each, and I just can’t afford it.

However, I know what I want: a classic, simple, industrial design. I love the yellow color, but I’ll settle for simple wood.

While I found other barstools that I liked, I just couldn’t find them at a price that I was willing to pay. However, building the table gave me tons of confidence in my carpentry “skills”. So I decided to build some simple seating:

And I’m done!

I measured so that the stools would be just right to stow neatly under the table under the table.

Which is a great feature when the table is doubling up as another countertop/workspace.

Cat-aided & Approved!

Ikat: Rare Insect Breed Or Even More Rare Upholstery Fabric?

In Search Of Ikat Fabric: A Chair-Upholstery Saga

 We have a really sweet, dark blue accent wall in our new one-bedroom pad. Since we’ve upgraded to a new luxury apartment, I’ve been itching to upgrade my poor furniture: if it’s not from Ikea, then it’s a Craigslist, second-hand, or antique item.

Take my favorite accent chair, for example: Unknown in its origins, the chair was purchased in my first or second year of college when my mom and I were passing by the landmark restaurant “The Poodle Dog” in Fife and spotted an antique liquidation sale. At the time, it was comfortable and the dated fabric was perfectly fine to a poor college student as I was.

Still comfortable, my favorite little antique accent chair is begging to be reupholstered.
So now to tie-in my title to this chair. Basically, I want to reupholster the chair using a fabric called “Ikat”. It’s a central Asian technique of dying the strands prior to weaving them. I love its ethnic story, and its geometric, [in my opinion] classy, simple, and, well, gorgeous  patterns and colors!
The first time I saw it, I thought: Yes, this is the modern, sophisticated, somewhat hippy look that I have been seeking, and I want it in navy or indigo to go with my beautiful blue accent wall!
The problem? All of the fabric and patterns that I’ve found that has suited my discerning tastes (see “A Vision Turned…” blog) has been irretrievable due to uncompromising obstacles. (For more information about this central Asian hand-dyed fabric, you can check out these sites:

www.uzbek-craft.com
www.uzbekalive.com or
http://www.mekongrivertextiles.com/what.html ;

as well as countless blogs- I feel like I’ve Googled ALL of them. The whole world is looking for this elusive fabric!)



Among the obstacles, take this chair from Urban Outfitters, for example:



Absolutely PERFECT fabric- THIS is the color and pattern that I envisioned all along to upholster my dear and trusty accent chair.

Naturally, I called Urban Outfitters’ Customer Service and asked them if it was possible to just order the fabric.

No.
Could I order some extra fabric because I want to make pillows for the chair that I already “purchased” from you?
No.
Would you mind letting me know from whom you purchased your fabric, as I would like to contact them for quotes and shipping.
We do not give out our vendors’ information.
Not even a name?
No.

At this point, I realized that the conversation wasn’t going to move along any further, and I told her that I would just “return” my “purchase”, thank-you-very-much.
My project was duped by Urban Outfitters’ Customer Service.

I found my next “perfect Ikat fabric”- and my next insurmountable obstacle- at the website of Madeline Weinrib Atelier: http://www.madelineweinrib.com/



All of her fabrics are just stunning. She’s been referenced in many blogs and articles concerning Ikat. The obstacle? An email and a reply from a MW representative:

ME:
Hello,
I am interested in the “Blue Collins” fabric. I will need somewhere between 1 and 3 yards, 3 yards being on the very high end, and depends if I want to upholster a matching pillow for my small accent chair. If the fabric is priced differently based on the pattern, I would also like to know about the “Navy Luce” and the “Blue Daphne”, which are my two other choices if “Blue Collins” is unavailable.
Thank you.

RESPONSE:
Hello Jill-
The “Blue Collins” is an Ikat fabric as well as “Navy Luce” and “Blue Collins”.
They are all $250/Yard with a 5 yard min.  The are 70 Silk and 30 Cotton.
Best-
A

I decided then and there that $1,000 was NOT within my budget for reupholstering my accent chair.
Sheesh.

Next idea: DIY fabric paint and stencils, or iron-on T-shirt transfers onto my own white/cream fabric.
Ok, there isn’t a great “Ikat Stencil” anywhere (it kind of defeats the purpose of Ikat patterns), but I DID find and manipulate this Damask pattern to suit my purpose:

I also found do-it-yourself, iron-on printer paper (aka “T-Shirt Transfers”) by Avery
( http://www.avery.com/avery/en_us/Products/Crafts-&-Scrapbooking/Fabric-Transfers/T_Shirt-Transfer_08938.htm )

The PLAN – Pro’s & Con’s:

PROS: I can make it how I WANT it to look, finally! Cost-effective solution; All work is done “in house”.

CONS: Man, that’s a lot of work for one accent chair; Durability? Can I trust the ink from an inkjet printer to withstand being sat on by people and pets without looking immediately worn? Unknowns still exist- what kind of fabric would be best, and how long is it going to take me to find it (not to mention cost)?
So, after weighing the pro’s and con’s, I decided to keep this DIY option available but was not particularly enthusiastic to tackle it until all other options were exhausted.

New/Alternate plan: considering the potentially high cost of fabric by the yard, maybe I can find alternative uses in the fabric used for bedding, drapes, shower curtains, and anything else with an indigo, Ikat pattern. 

But even this attempt left me underwhelmed by the options. I was starting to believe that maybe the pattern that I was looking for really didn’t exist in any practical realms until:


     BINGO!

Rose Tree Linens ( http://www.rose-tree.com/) listed these items as discontinued/clearance, and I saved a lot of money (read: hundreds of dollars from what the bedding, curtains, etc were originally priced) . FINALLY a fabric that fits my vision AND my wallet!



 To boot, their customer service was some of the friendliest I’d ever experienced, and the items were shipped almost immediately after I placed my order. To make all of these discoveries even more delicious,  I found a matching throw pillow to match on amazon.com.

Next, I have to hunt down the tools needed to FINALLY begin the actual project. I’ll let you know how the chair turns out (… maybe even post a little “how-to”)!


SUCCESS:

15 days after my original post (“Ikat- a rare insect breed or…”), in which I describe the pains to which I searched for a fabric for reupholstering my chair, I have finished it!!!

The chair before:

And Now:
                      

I can’t believe the fabric came from a shower curtain… The lengths a person has to go through to achieve such a simple task!

 --------------
As an afterthought, I just encountered a site with BEAUTIFUL Ikat fabric called Birmingham & Co.