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Thursday, May 17, 2012

purpose{petite} - the dryer sheet : RePurposed



purpose{petite}

the dryer sheet : repurposed

Original Purpose for Dryer Sheet : Deodorize clothes & prevent static
 New Purpose for Dryer Sheet : Deodorize shoes, cars, couches, gym bags, & more!
 
I love TOMS Shoes, but I have a confession to make, they get REALLY smelly!  I've tried baby powder, shoe spray, I even put them in the washing machine, but nothing lasted.  Then, one day I had the bright idea to stick a couple of dryer sheets in the shoes!
To my surprise, it worked!  Now, I keep a few dryer sheets in the closet & when I take my most comfortable (& stinky) shoes off, I throw some sheets of good smelling, odor grabbers & voila!  No more smelliness!

BELOW is a picture of our entryway.  This is the bookshelf we use to organize back packs, rain jackets, mail, keys, & shoes.  It has been a lifesaver in the clutter department, but I couldn't figure out what smelled stinky when we came in the house.  We try our best to keep our house clean, but for the life of me I couldn't figure it out.  Finally, one day I realized, DUH!  We have two shelves of kid shoes right when you walk through the front door!  Yuck!  The dryer sheets had been working with the shoes in my closet so I stuck a few sheets in hiding spots in the bookshelf & the problem has been solved!

Can you figure out where they're hiding?  I bet you can't!
We now have dryer sheets hiding all over the house & car.  They aren't as dangerous or overpowering as candles & last longer than sprays.  You could even reuse your OLD dryer sheets to do the same thing, but I'd suggest adding a few extra since they're not as potent after being in the dryer. 

Have another idea for dryer sheets?  Let me know! 
{S}

Sunday, May 13, 2012

*NEW* Feature - purpose{petite}

It's been busy around here in the Mojock house {as usual}!  We're refocusing on Chris's PhD program which means our schedule is changing... again.  We're renaming him "Dr. Mojock" ASAP!  It's great news & means that Purpose ReDesign will be getting more attention.  Yay!  Did you miss us?  We missed you!
We have a new feature we're working on hoping it fills the gaps between larger projects at PRDS.  "purpose{petite}" is our new feature page focusing on simple, easy tips & tricks we've discovered in our ReDesigning adventures.  
 In our lives, simplicity is key & we cherish our time off.  Anything to make daily events easier are very welcome!  Some of these ideas we've found on Pinterest or other blogs & many more of them will be from our own noggins.  We welcome ideas from our readers & would love to share your ideas with the world. So, here it is.  Let us know what you think...



purpose{petite}

Our premier post for purpose{petite} is perfect.  Nice alliteration, ay?  It's short, it's sweet, & it has made my heart race a little bit with it's practicality.  You like it?  Pin It!
Introducing... 

"The Wet Wall"
 Have wet swim suits, wet cycling bibs {Chris}, hanging beach towels?  We seem to only use our guest shower for hanging wet items.  The girls take baths in it, but the shower is saved for guests & laundry.  Now, we can still use it & don't have to see the mess! 

This project is so easy it's sick.  Just for kicks I'm going to list the steps...
:Instructions:
1. Buy a curtain rod from your favorite home store.
2. Buy curtain rings that you'd use to hang your curtain {we had old ones already so, SCORE!}
3. Install the rod far enough from the back of the shower to keep the wet items from sticking to the wall, but close enough to not be in the way when taking a shower {2-3 inches}.
4. Hang wet items, close the curtain & let the air do the work!
5. Best part - The water will drip INTO the tub instead of the SIDE of the tub!  No more mold!

How easy is this?

No more messy bathtubs or clothes hanging over the curtain!
You're welcome.

{S}

Friday, February 3, 2012

::DIY:: French Door Headboard

 The Beautiful, French Door Headboard
Don't let my normal redesign excitement fool you, this might be my favorite DIY ever {until the next one, of course}.   In addition to the raw beauty of the thing, I think my love for this project comes from the fact that it was totally FREE & super easy to make!  
In a previous post I explained how the idea for the French Door Headboard was born.  If you didn't read it & would like to, CLICK HERE.

Below is a REALLY bad picture of where the french doors were hanging when we moved in the house.  They led out to the Florida/Playroom & we removed them a year ago to open up the house more.  Well, luckily we know the beauty of a good set of antique french doors, so we hung on to them.  {The other one we used to switch the hallway door from an old, boring standard door to a beautiful, light-filled french door!}

 :: What You Need ::
Here's what you need if you'd like to make a DIY headboard.  You don't need a door.  You can use anything you can imagine! 
: Drill :
:Drill bits :
: Wood screws :
: Measuring tape :
: Wood - 2x4 & 1x1 :
: Table saw or hand saw :

Here's the door "before".  We painted it white a few years ago & it only had a few scratches.  It matched our new "light & airy" room perfectly.  I loved the idea of the glass letting all the light in because we were putting the bed in front of the windows.  I hate losing light, so this was just a perfect fit!  So, we just added legs to this door.  We had all of the wood & screws.  Again, meant to be!

:: Step One ::
First, measure from the floor to the height on the wall/window where you'd like the top of the headboard.  Ours was 50" from the floor to the top of the door.

As we were measuring, we realized that our 2x4 was going to leave a gap between the wood & the wall because of the floor trim.  This was going to be a problem with the stability of the headboard.  We don't want a wobbly headboard!  So, we decided to add a shorter piece of wood (1x1) to squeeze between the wall and the 2x4.  That piece was measured to 35".

 :: Step Three - Cut the Wood :: 
Because we had the wood at home, we cut it on our table saw {best yard sale find ever for $30}, but REMEMBER - if you have to buy wood, just take the measurements to H.D. with you & they'll do it for you!
: {2} 2x4 @ 50" :
: {2} 1x1 @ 35" :

:: Step Four - Attach the Wood ::
First, lay the piece of 2x4 wood in place on the back of the door.  Predrill holes in the wood through the door.  Then, screw in the 2x4 with 2.5" wood screws.  
Next, do the same steps with the 1x1" wood on top of the 2x4.
 
You're done!  How easy was that?!  At this point, you can put a little bit of felt under the feet of the wood so they don't scratch the wood floors.  Also, if you want more stability, you can add small metal braces to the sides of the wood legs.  We didn't because ours is very sturdy.
 


:: The Final Product ::
After painting & adding all the new bedding, curtains, & side tables here she is!  I am in love with the light that comes in.  The old room was dark & cave-like {perfect for a good nights sleep}, but we're {I} working on better, brighter mornings & this was a great first step!
{S}


 

Saturday, January 28, 2012

::DIY:: Chalkboard Sign


::You'll Need ::
Clear photo frames :: Dollar Store
Can of Chalkboard Paint :: Home Depot

I already had both of these items, so I'm pricing this project as FREE!  
I made 3 of these in different sizes to use at the shop.  Perfect for rotating retail items.
It only takes one coat of spray paint to have reuseable signs!  
Yet another wonderful thing about chalkboard paint.

Friday, January 27, 2012

::DIY:: Felt/Burlap Laptop Sleeve


Pin It

I have a small obsession with laptop cases.  It's one of my "go-to" things to search for on Etsy.   There are so many awesome ones out there, but I can't bring myself to spend $50 on yet ANOTHER laptop case {not to mention wanting to avoid the comments from Chris...}.  So, I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to make one for myself.

As I started dreaming up my design, I realized that it could be REALLY easy.  I also realized that I should share this with you so you don't have to pay top dollar for a laptop sleeve when you can make your own super-cute, SUPER-easy sleeve for $20 or less {depending on your fabric collection}!  

Now, I'm NOT a seamstress, but I can sew a straight line.  So, if you can sew at least that much then... let's do this!


So, here's what you'll need for a 13" laptop sleeve...
:: 1 - 13" laptop ::
:: 1 yard - burlap ::
:: 1 yard - cotton {flower} fabric ::
:: 1.5 yards - felt ::
:: sewing machine ::
:: 1 pack - embroidery thread ::
:: thick gauge sewing needle ::
:: 1 - large button ::
:: 1 - large hair rubber band ::
:: fabric glue ::  

:: Step 1 - Cut Cotton/Burlap ::
- Cut cotton fabric & burlap - 35" long x 19" wide.
- Glue the cotton to the burlap with fabric glue.

:: Step 2 - Sew Fabric ::
- Sew together the cotton & burlap using a zig zag stitch.
- Sew straight along the long side {35"} 1" from the outside.

:: Step 3 - Attach Button/Rubber Band::
- Sew the button on the burlap side 2" from top edge using the embroidery thread.
- Fold fabric over to the shape of the laptop sleeve {like an envelope}.
- Position the rubber band on the burlap where it will be tight, but not too tight.
- Sew the rubber band to the fabric using embroidery thread.

:: Step 4 - Cut Felt Into 5 Pieces ::
- Cut 1 piece - 23" x 15".
- Cut 4 pieces - 21" x 14.5".
- Use fabric glue to spray each piece together finishing with the largest piece on top. 
{this picture doesn't have all largest piece yet}
- If you can find 1/2" thick felt {or thicker}, skip this step & just use that.  I'm piling these up because there are no local stores around that carry thicker felt.  Plus, this was less expensive!

:: Step 5 - Combine Fabric ::
- Lay out cotton/burlap with cotton fabric facing up.
- Spray fabric with glue.
- Place pile of felt on cotton/burlap with edges flush on the bottom & largest piece of felt facing up.
-This should leave 8" of cotton showing on the top.
- Smooth out all of the fabric.
- Place computer on top of the felt.
- Fold felt over the computer from the bottom & adjust.
- Check to make sure the button placement is correct.

:: Step 6 - Stitch Closed ::
-Keep the computer inside the folded fabric to stitch closed.  This will help to keep the sleeve taut & give you a guideline.
- Using embroidery thread & needle, start at the bottom left corner of the fold.
- Stitch using an X pattern.  This will ensure the fabric is secure. 
- Stitch through the cotton/burlap & larger piece of felt on the sides.  This secures the fabric sides closed.  {below - left}
- Remove computer from sleeve.
- Stitch the lip of opening of the sleeve.
- Stitch along the edges of the flap.
-That's it!

:: Step 7 - The End ::
- Just add the laptop and...



Any feedback you'd give would be greatly appreciated!  Please let me know if you have questions or if something is confusing.  I'm still new at the tutorials.  Thanks.  Hope you enjoy!

{S}

 Pin It

Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Plug Trick (& sneak peek @ the couch!)

Quick Post...
So, you're getting two in one today.  You get a sneak peek of the completed couch redesign & a fun, easy trick to plug your computer into your coffee table!  


 I will post about the couch later, but wanted to show you a sneaky peek at it because we are so excited it's FINALLY done!  So, here's the table.  It's finished & we've added baskets for storage.  I don't know about you, but we do all of our computer work while sitting on the couch.  Before we redesigned the living room, our couch was against a wall & we had no problems plugging in.  However, when we moved the couch off of the wall we encountered the "floating cord" problem.  So, here's our solution...

We ran an extension cord from the wall, under the red rug & under the coffee table. 


Then, we plugged the computer plug into the extension cord & hid the cord inside the grey basket.  


We thought about cutting a hole in bottom of the felt basket & running the cord through to make the cord invisible, but since we move the coffee table around so much, we figured it would take away the mobility.  We don't mind seeing the little white computer cord.  Also, we keep the computers in this basket so they aren't dropped off the coffee table by some little fingers.  So, far so good!

Pin It  

 I know this isn't rocket science, but I thought it was a really great solution to our problem.   Just wanted to share in case anyone else needed the tip!  It's the little things...

Pin It
{S}

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bedroom ReDesign

Trading Handsome for Pretty
We have lived in our home now for 6.5 years & this is NOT our first redesign.  However, it is by FAR our favorite.  Even though we really liked our bedroom, we needed an update.  
We originally were inspired for our old room by a picture I found in a "Domino" magazine {it's a SHAME they stopped making that mag, it was my FAVE!}.  We liked it because it felt masculine, handsome, & cozy.  Chris thought it was the kind of room you should smoke cigars in {of course that never happened}.  I kind of felt like it was something my husband needed after living in a house with 4 ladies!  
However, it's been green for 4 years now.  When I mentioned redesigning our bedroom he was all in {what a guy}!  I warned him that I was thinking "light & airy & pretty" & he said, "Sounds good!".  The man is not hard to please.  Here is our old bedroom... the BEFORE!
 

........  Before ........
 We removed the bed frame & used pictures as a "headboard".  We chose pictures from our post-college trip to Europe.  It's a time in our lives that always reminds us of a time {long ago} when it was just the two of us.  Ahh, to be young again. ;)  To save space in our small bedroom we used wall mounted shelving units as bedside tables.  We hid box-spring by covering it with fabric.


My favorite part of the original "inspiration pic" was an olive-colored blanket.  I loved it so much we decided to use it as the wall color.  I'm going to look through my back-issues of "Domino" for the picture so you can see what I inspired this room.



This is one of my favorite pieces of furniture in the house.  We found this dresser at Goodwill 4 years ago.  It was part of a children's set of dressers & the drawer fronts were a bright blue.  We decided that "crayon blue" wasn't part of our design so we covered the drawers with fabric (I'll be adding a tutorial for that soon).  The mirror was found at Good Finds & we painted the frame black.


 This is not a great picture of the Lucite handles on this dresser.  There will be a better pic later in the "after" photos.  The clear Lucite handles were the deciding factor in purchasing this dresser.  SO cute.



.......... After .........

Wow. I have to say, this is not only a big transformation, it's kind-of my dream bedroom.   The wall color was the biggest job, but I'm telling you, the best invention for DIYer's since the staple gun is the paint+primer.  It's more expensive, but we were able to cover the dark olive green with this white/grey in TWO coats with NO primer!  WHAT?!  The color is "Reflecting Pool" from Behr @ HomeDepot.  It was an easy choice as we (I) love all things grey & it will never have to be changed again (my promise to Chris as this is our 3rd color change in 6 years).  It's hard to see the paint color in these pics, but it's a VERY light grey.  It's almost white.  Just grey enough, though, that you can tell the difference between the walls & crown molding.  Plus, here's a tip straight from Mr. Mojock... buy the first gallon as paint+primer, but the second gallon can just be regular paint.  It'll save you a good $10.  Smart man!

So, here are the deets - 

Paint :: HomeDepot :: $50
Headboard :: RePurposed French Door :: FREE
Bedding Set :: HomeGoods :: $50
Side Tables :: TomatoLand Produce :: FREE 
Lamps :: Target :: On Clearance for $10 each
Curtain Rods :: Target :: $17
Curtain Fabric :: JoAnns :: $35
Picture Frames :: RePurposed :: spray paint :: $3

Here is the finished headboard.  We are THRILLED with it!  We were looking for a headboard that would let light in since we were putting the bed in front of the window {ex. light & airy}.  We went to HomeDepot & decided on a picket fence piece.  We bought it & got in the car. Then, I remembered an idea I had a while ago about using an old French door we removed from the entrance to our Florida Room.  We immediately returned the fencing & saved ourselves $45!  We had all the materials for the headboard construction so it was totally FREE!   I'll have a tutorial for the headboard soon!

Closeup of the headboard.  Look at all that beautiful diffused light!

My freebie tip for this project...  Your local produce stand will GIVE you produce/orange crates!  You could spend up to $45 for one of these puppies at home stores.  These are the perfect size for our room.  It doesn't take up much of a footprint & adds so much texture & visual interest! Plus, it quadrupled the night stand storage in our room.
 

Everything on this wall {except the curtains & rod} were already in the room.  We painted the picture frames a pea green color {Eden - Rustoleum, HomeDepot} to match a color in the bedspread.  We also changed the color of the floor lamp from black to white.  Spray paint is a beautiful thing!  I do want to find a new shade for the floor lamp, but was willing to wait 'til I found something I loved.  We love the look of a "gallery wall" & I especially love that you don't have to line everything up perfectly! 
 

Here is our "sitting area".  I've always wanted one.  The little monkey is the base for a glass top table that Chris has had since college.  I think someone gave it to him as a joke, but he's always kept it.  His ONLY request when redesigning this room was not to paint the monkey.  I really wanted to paint it all white, but his strong opinion was "I'd rather not".  Yes, that's a strong opinion for Chris!  Anyway, this area makes me want to sit & read.  And I don't even LIKE to read! ;)
  

Tony loves this room too.  He loves to sleep on the pillows in the warm sun.  His only complaint is that the bed is now 6" higher & it's getting harder for this old man to jump that high!  We're contemplating stairs of some kind, but for now he seems happy getting the exercise & showing-off  how high white dogs can jump.
  

Ok.  This makes my stomach flip for joy.  I have a new obsession with burlap so it was an easy choice for recovering the dresser drawers.   The Lucite handles are more visible in this design so we love it even more.  We repainted the mirror white {from black} & repainted the lamp the same pea green as the picture frames {in the previous pic}.
  


 Are these Lucite handles the best or what?!  Stay tuned for the "how to" on the dresser drawers.  It's not hard.  You basically just wrap them like a present, glue, & staple.  Words cannot express my love for this piece.
  

It's funny.  I can't make up my mind about which part of this room I love the most!  Each time I see something I say, "Oh, that's my favorite part", but then I turn & see something else.  
These shelving units were our old side tables.  We painted them white & turned them sideways to make a space for us to display our favorite things.  Before, we had things on the dresser & side tables, but little fingers would always pick them up & move/break them.  It's nice to know that these will stay put!  We even have room to add new pieces!  
We found the bench at Good Finds for $20.  I originally thought we'd put it at the end of the bed, but this was the better fit.  We are going to add hooks under the shelving to hang things that end up on the floor like pajamas & such.
  

 Chris & I are super proud of this room & especially  proud of the fact that we started & finished it in TWO days.  We weren't messin' around.  We had all the pieces {well, most of them} we just had to put in the work & it was TOTALLY worth it!  

Now, time for a nap...yeah, right.
{S}

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