idea notebook
Clever DIY projects, delicious gifts, and money-saving tricks from the pros
Get Crafty!
Make it yourself for less.
A fun use for free paint swatches
PHOTOGRAPH BY BURCU AVSAR; STYLING BY KENDRA SMOOT; CRAFTING BY CAROLYN MULLINS
Repurpose hardware-store color cards in seconds flat: Simply stack two same-size cards atop each other, right sides facing out, and stitch together along the bottoms and sides with contrasting thread (we opted for red). Then use flathead tacks to attach your brilliant little pocket organizers to a bulletin board, and fill them with pencils, papers, and more.
Sisal bulletin board, $149; 24"W x 36"H; ballarddesigns .com
Continued on next page > Written by Jourdan Crouch
MAY 2012
. COUNTRYLIVING.COM . 59
idea notebook
CL contributing editor Ryan McPhail reveals his method for creating a stealthy bar from a cast-off chest of drawers. STEP ONE Measure the inside of a dresser drawer to determine its width (from side to side), depth (front to back), and height (base to top). STEP TWO To create a middle divider, use a jigsaw to cut a piece of wood that measures the depth of the drawer and slightly less than its height. To create a shelf, cut another wood piece that measures slightly less than half the drawer’s width and slightly less than its height. Sand the ends. STEP THREE Using our photo as a guide, insert the shelf and divider into the drawer; screw in place with a drill. STEP FOUR To create a drop-down door, remove any screws holding the dresser’s top to its frame; then pop the top off the frame using a rubber mallet. STEP FIVE Cover the drawer unit and door with a coat of primer, followed by two coats of paint, allowing two hours’ drying time after each coat. (We used Benjamin Moore’s Azure Water, $22.58 per quart; myperfectcolor.com.) STEP SIX To install the door, stand the drawer so that its front faces up and its open top faces you. Following package instructions for a piano hinge, attach the door
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to the back edge of the drawer, as shown above (if needed, trim the hinge with a jigsaw). Make sure the door closes properly before screwing in place. STEP SEVEN Install two metal chains, each at least ¼ inch wide, to support the door. Using our photo as a guide, experiment with chain placement before screwing in a set of eye bolts inside the drawer’s sides, about three inches from the drawer’s front and ½ inch from the top. Use pliers and eye hooks to attach a chain to each eye bolt. Then, on each side of the door, about two inches down from the top edge and ½ inch in from the sides, drill a hole ¾ inch wide. STEP EIGHT To determine chain length, pull each chain down diagonally to reach the door (the chain needs to hold the door open at exactly 90 degrees). Use pliers to remove excess chain. For each chain, insert the last link into the hole on the door. Drive a screw into the door’s side and into the hole, threading the link onto the screw as you go. STEP NINE To keep the door shut, install safety-gate hooks and eyes on the outside of the door and drawer, as shown above. Finish by installing a drawer pull in the center of the door’s front; then use mounting brackets to hang the station on a wall.
PHOTOGRAPH BY BURCU AVSAR; STYLING BY KENDRA SMOOT
Upcycle a dresser drawer into a sublime drink station.
idea notebook
An old scarf = a new watchband It’s easy to fall in love with vintage scarves at flea markets and thrift stores. The hard part? Finding a fresh way to wear the ladylike relics. Here’s one: Just remove the straps from a watch, then weave a scarf through the watch’s lugs (the bars that hold the straps in place). Wrap the scarf’s ends around your wrist and secure with a knot to make a timely fashion statement.
Bring flower power to a plain hat.
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! PHOTOGRAPHS BY (FROM TOP) JOSÉ PICAYO; MIKI DUISTERHOF, CRAFTING BY KIRSTEN FIELDS
Boost even the most basic topper with a row of raffia flowers. Here’s how to make each blossom, in three steps: 1” STEP ONE Cut a piece of cardboard that’s approximately four inches long and one inch 4” wide. Cut a length of raffia to approximately six feet ($7.50 for 60 feet; raffit.com). 1” Tightly wrap the raffia around the cardboard lengthwise. 1” ! STEP TWO Carefully slide the wrapped raffia bundle off 4” the cardboard, then tie a twoinch length of raffia around 4” the bundle’s middle. Snip through the looped raffia at both ends. Repeat three more times to create four bundles. STEP THREE Stack the bundles atop one another as shown, then tie the entire stack together in the middle with a three-inch-length of raffia. Fan the bundles to make the flower appear full. Repeat as desired, making enough flowers to encircle your hat’s brim. To attach the blooms to one another, and your hat, cut another length of raffia to approximately four feet. Slide the raffia through the center knot of each flower. Push the flowers together, then tie the raffia around your hat’s brim and trim any excess raffia—to fashion a bonnet in full bloom.