Since summer is going to start winding down very soon, I thought it was probably time to show you what  I did with my balcony this year.

Since I moved here in August last year, I only had a couple short months to use my balcony and then it was winter, so I was kind of starting from scratch this year.

I did find a nice little table at the end of last year, and repurposed a chair I previously used inside for more comfortable seating.

Just to refresh your memory- above is what my balcony looks like. I have two sliding doors- one in my living room (on the right) and one in my bedroom (the left). This is my first outdoor space and I am totally tickled with it.

I wanted to make the balcony more like an outdoor living room for this summer, and I wanted to think about decorating it like a room in my apartment (for some reason this is a strange concept to me. All my decorating knowledge goes out the window when I go outside)

In making the balcony a little more cohesive, I decided to first recover the little chair I had outside. 

Bad pic, sorry. It's the only one I can find!

This chair came from Ikea and originally had a red seat and flowered back cushions.

My sewing skills have definitely improved since this project, thanks to practice and a new machine!

One of my first sewing projects nearly 2 years ago was recovering it with some green geometric fabric. But this time I decided to go with purple ikat, an outdoor canvas from Joann's. 

The cushion is actually a box cushion, I made it with 3 pieces- top, bottom and the piece that goes around. I put invisible zippers in the pillows, but wasn't able to find a long enough zipper for the seat cushion, so I did it the old fashion way. It's hard to tell because the table is in the way, but this cover fits WAY better than the last. 

I also decided to re-purpose a bookcase I had inside as a plant stand outside. It was a dark brown color, but had seen better days. I decided I wanted to go with a contrasting color for the bookcase, so I picked out a rusty orange color at Ace Hardware. I only needed one paint sample to complete the bookcase.

Bookcase in previous life (stay tuned for an
update on that chair as well)

Bookcase now!

I put out the plants I had on hand that can handle the outdoors, all of which are in my white planters. Some of the planters are from Ikea, others are from a local gardening store. Overall, I think the white on orange is pretty spiffy, and the purple and orange go together swimmingly. I think I have made good progress with making my balcony feel more incorporated into my apartment and have got a ton of use of out it so far this summer.

I thought about making chair pads for the little bistro set that I have neglected to take a picture of (and its now too dark...), but in the end I decided that might be overkill, plus the chairs are fine as they are.

I would like to do something with that black table I have in front of the chair. Its placement more as a coffee table than a side table has been really convenient, but it doesn't really fit the feel of the rest of the space. Paint it, or make something else to go there?

Sewing: Simplicity 2593

Simplicity 2593 is a Cynthia Rowley pattern (that apparently just went out of print--when I bought it about 2 months ago it wasn't out of print but it appears to be now). I am enjoying making skirts and dresses but I wanted to try a new type of garment, and I really liked the twisty neckline on this particular top.

I had picked a fabric that is a little out of character for me, a bright large floral pattern that I got at Jo-Ann's. I thought the pattern was reminiscent of Liberty of London patterns, but without the price tag.

The hardest part about the pattern was getting the collar to sit properly. If/when I make this pattern again I think I would do it differently. Regardless, after I finished, I had a photo shoot on my balcony.

Below you will see my grey cat, Eleanor on the balcony railing. She is my little gymnast, balance beam specialist. Scares the crap out of me sometimes but she's never fallen.

There was some bird poop on the railing. Guess I should clean that up, or hope the rain does it.

 

I look so skeptical in this photo. I don't know why.

Poof! A Pouf!

Poufs. They're expensive. Why? I don't really understand. They start at about $150 and the sky is the limit from there. This doesn't really fit my style or my budget, so I pursued other options, like making my own.

I was inspired by various DIY pouf projects I've seen on Design*Sponge, Apartment Therapy and more. 

Design Sponge

When I saw a post on Welcme to Heardmont about a "Pouf-A-Long" I knew it was time to act. 

I decided I wanted to use this tutorial from Bromeliad.

From Bromeliad

I really dig the metallic poufs I have seen, so I decided to search out metallic fabric options for my pouf. One day in Joanns, I stumbled upon the pleather section, where I found some snake skin textured metallic silver pleather. This fabric is intended for apperal. I can't imagine a situation in which someone would want to wear this fabric....

I bought 2 yards for this project, and at $15 a yard, I think this was actually my most expensive fabric purchase to date! Of course I used a 40% off coupon, so I didn't pay full price.

The pieces I cut looked like this-- I made a pattern based on the directions on Bromeliad, using pieces of paper taped together to be the correct size.

I sewed the pieces together as described in the tutorial, and then was ready to stuff it. I put in a few things while looking around for appropriate filler. My cats really enjoyed the opportunity to explore inside the pouf. Perhaps this is a project in the future for the cats! When they came out of the pouf after napping in there, it was like they were hatching. Pretty hilarious. At one point I didn't realize there was a cat in the pouf and then it started moving and making noise. Freaked me out good for a second, until a furry head popped out!

I originally thought I would use comforters that I could get for "cheap" from the Salvation Army, but I was shocked when I got there to discover that the comforters were like $20 each. I knew I would need 2-3 of them, so that didn't seem like a good option. In the end, I decided to go with a combo: old sheets I had around, some clothing I was intending to donate, and a 20lb box of fiber fill that I bought at Joann's with a coupon (I'm seeing a pattern here). The fiber fill was the only thing I actually bought, and that cost me about $10. I then made a medallion to go on top and attached it with some super fancy hand stitching. 

And Poof! It's a pouf! I intend to eventually have it outside on my balcony, but its kind of late here and also about 100 degrees out right now, so these inside pictures will have to suffice for now!

The kitties approve, even if they can't burrow in anymore.

A Dream Come True!

Over the July 4th holiday, I went thrifting, and found my DREAM piece of furniture. A Thomasville Faux Bamboo dresser. For $45. I'm in love. 

Now to decide what color to paint it. 

(PS, Am I the only one who didn't know these dressers are actually vintage? Given the shape it is in and their popularity I figured they were a product of the 1990s, but apparently this baby is straight from the 60's??)

Paint and Repaint

Back in September I bought and painted white a little cabinet for storage in my dining area. Well, it quickly got moved to behind my couch, to serve as a landing strip for mail, keys and other stuff that I have in my hands when I walk in the door.

I decided that while the white was nice, I needed a little punch of color in my life. Looking around at the other things in my living space, I decided turquoise was the color I needed. So I repainted this white cabinet with "La Fonda Turquoise" from Valspar.

I think the color really brightens up the room. It's one of the first things you see as you come up the stairs into my apartment, and it definitely makes a statement. I love it!

 This cabinet is actually small enough that I used just about 1.5 paint samples, making it extremely affordable. I had the first sample in my stash already for a previous project, so that was already paid for. I only had to shell out about $3 for this project!

Linked to:

Another Butterick 5466 Skirt

I've really been on a roll with sewing this summer. And, I wasn't lying when I said I had used this same pattern for more than one skirt. I love, love this pattern. I love the simple straight silhouette and the fact that it sews up incredibly quick, so I can make them in any/every color that I fancy. It also only takes about a yard of fabric, making it inexpensive even with regular fabric, but also entirely likely I will find remnants or clearance fabric to use.

And that's exactly happened with this one. I found just under a yard of this fabric on the clearance table at Joann's on one of those days when everything on clearance was an extra 50% off. I think I paid about $1.50 for the whole piece.  It's a silky fabric, but the gold portions of the pattern are embossed. 

I've already worn this skirt to work once, and I am really liking the interest it adds to my wardrobe. I actually wore it to work with the red shoes I have on in these pictures, a similar white shirt and a navy knit open cardigan I got recently at H&M.

This skirt is also good for hanging out by the dumpster in your apartment complex. I need to learn to pay more attention to my hands when posing. I have quite a few shots that are decent except for my hand in some crazy looking position. :) I guess I am not America's Next Top Model.

Dress: Vogue 1236

I can't remember if I saw someone else that made this pattern, or if I just came across it myself, but either way, it is awesome. V1236 is a DKNY pattern, and probably can be used with about any type of fabric you fancy. The envelope says Seersucker, Chambray, jersey.

V1236

I used a cotton sateen, from the Lisette line at Joann's.

I really liked this fabric upon first touch, so I bought it without a solid plan for use. I think the fabric matches the feel of the dress pretty well, and I am quite happy with the outcome!

The dress includes pockets, and although it wasn't the first time I have attempted pockets, this is the first garment I've actually worn with pockets! I do wish the dress was an inch or so longer.

No, that's not a nicotine patch on my arm. I've been having muscle spasms in my shoulder and was trying those goofy icyhot patches. Results are inconclusive.

I have worn this dress to work, on a weekend for just running errands, and to a BBQ. At work, no one immediately said "oh, did you make that?" which I think is a good thing! At the BBQ, someone asked me where I got the dress, and when I said I made it, she asked me where I sold my clothes! Yikes! While in the future I would love to have an Etsy store or something, for now I am enjoying sewing for myself, at my own pace. 

I do think I will be making this pattern again. I need to play with the fit a bit- I made a muslin of this pattern of the size I would "normally" cut, and it was HUGE! I ended up cutting this dress two sizes smaller, and then shortened the shoulder area a bit because the neckline was too low for my comfort. Perhaps I can cut the top part a smaller size and then taper the skirt out a bit (the whole dress is only two pieces!)? I've never attempted an alteration like that but it seems like it could work.