Finishing is Fun!

Fabric bunting
Today's Studio Sunday was deeply satisfying because I finished 3 things. Two of them had been in progress for awhile and one was completely new. I am especially pleased with the fabric bunting. Our living room is much more cheerful now.


Fabric bunting
I also made a bird garland out of an IKEA placemat for the Wee Lass's room. She was very excited when she saw it, exclaiming "Dida!" (her word for birds). I think it might be cuter if I hung them off of a twig instead of yarn, but this was what I had on hand. I might try some jute twine instead to see if that is nicer, while still being less fiddly than figuring out how to hang twigs securely from plaster walls.


Bird garland
And the item I made from scratch was an apron, also for the Wee Lass, out of an IKEA tea towel. We used it almost immediately as she helped make dinner (her job was helping rinse spinach and transferring it from the colander to the pot). Of course, at 16 months old, it's all still a game to her, and she was keen to then transfer the spinach back into the colander!


Wee Apron

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

A new home

Out the bedroom window

Just to make our lives extra busy, we moved recently. We are now amongst boxes and partially assembled ikea furniture. The Wee Lass keeps us plenty busy on her own so I suspect the settling in phase will happen at a snail's pace. We love our new space though and the Wee Lass will even get her own wee room ... As soon as we have unpacked a bit more.

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Indoor sunshine

It may be a bit misty outside today, but there's lots of sunshine inside! I love how affordable flowers are in Holland -- this bouquet of 30 daffodils was just 3€!


Sunny Daffodils


Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Tutorial: How to Reupholster an IKEA Desk Chair

The IKEA Stefano chair is an affordable desk chair, but "cute" it is not. Here's how to reupholster it with fabric that appeals to you. I actually did this chair makeover project nearly 3 years ago now, but I only shared it as a "photo tutorial", and I find tutorials are easier to follow in the format of a blog post.


Chair Before & After

For obvious reasons, this IKEA chair didn't make the cut of things to either ship or store when we moved overseas, but I did remove the fabric to reuse later (coming soon on a new project!). Your fabric will have some holes in it obviously, but if necessary (like, say, you want to sell the chair, but not your fabric), you can remove your fun fabric and the chair is still usable, with its original covering.

Materials and Tools:

• Fabric (I had 24 inches of a 45 inch wide fabric)
• Scissors
• Hammer
• Staple gun and staples
• Pliers (for pulling out staples)
• Screwdrivers (I used a flat head for prying out staples, and a Phillips for (dis)assembling the chair)

The Tools

Step 1: Remove chair back


Chair Back Removed
Unscrew the knob until you can slide the chair back up and off the chair.


Step 2: Dismantle chair back


Chair Back Dismantled
Unscrew the knob completely then pry the plastic back off. I found it easier to pry the top out first, but it was still quite a lot of yarding on it to get it to pop off.


Step 3: Lay out and cut fabric


Laying out the Pieces
Unscrew the chair seat too, then lay out the pieces on your fabric. I had just over half a metre (24 inches) of fabric from a 45 inch wide bolt. You might need more with some fabric patterns. Check that you have enough to pull round before you cut your fabric between the two chair pieces.


Step 4: Re-cover chair back


Covering the Chair Back
Starting with the chair back, staple top, bottom, and each side. Then gather in the corners and slowly add more staples, working around the chair to keep the tension even from all sides.


After First Staples
This is what the front looks like after the first staples. Pull taut on each new staple to end up with a smooth result.


Step 5: Gather corners


Gathering the Corners
This is the worst part... gathering in the corners. I have no good technique other than fiddle about until it looks ok, then staple. And it's a good thing the staples come in packs of 1000 because a lot didn't go in completely and I had to pull them out again with some pliers. Others I could bash in with a hammer. A heavy duty staple gun probably would have worked better.


The Finished Chair Back
Here's Stefano with the new chair back. You can see from the back that some of the gathers are visible, but the front is smooth.


Step 6: Re-cover chair seat


Stefano's Seat
You do the seat in the same manner, except that you first have to pry out the staples in the fabric bit that covers the mess underneath. Set aside the cover to staple on again when you're done the bottom.


Finishing the Seat

Step 7: Re-assemble chair


Re-assembling the Seat
It's easiest to re-attach the seat base by setting everything on a table.


Detail of Wrinkles
It's not perfect, but you hardly notice unless you bend down to look at the edge.


Step 8: Ta-dah!


Stefano the Chair After
Admire your new chair!

If you re-cover your desk chair following this tutorial, I'd love to see it! Please add your pictures to my flickr group.

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

As the old year passes

The last day of the year is a good day to review and think over the previous year and imagine what's to come in the next. This year was full of exciting change (moving overseas) and travel (lots). I was in 10 different cities this year: Montreal, Toronto, Amsterdam, Brussels, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Rome, Paris, and London! There was so much new to see that I'm still uploading some of our holiday pictures. Much of this year has also been spent expecting our Bun. That will pretty much guarantee that next year will be filled with exciting changes too, once Bun arrives in the spring.



Moodboard Review

I also took a little visit to the archives of my blog and saw my mood board for our apartment. I wanted to review how our apartment came together, so I searched through photos I'd taken of our home throughout the year and put together this collage, with the original moodboard in the middle. I think I was pretty successful and I'd definitely use a moodboard like this again.

Once I'd done that, I couldn't resist making a little "calendar" of the year, with a couple photos from each month.

January


February


March


April


May


June


July


August


September


October


November


December


It's been a lovely year and I hope yours has been too! Best wishes to all for a Happy 2011!


Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Ridiculously Simple Kitchen Hack

Ridiculously Simple IKEA Hack

Awhile ago, we had a persistent problem with our oven mitt and pot holder loops slipping off the end of our cupboard handle. We happened to have an extra pack of shower rings from IKEA and came up with this solution. This was so cheap, simple, and effective that I had to share it.

Photographs and artwork by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

How to De-Clutter and minimize your "Stuff"

glowy dining room lighting

In the spirit of our pre-move decluttering, I've been trying to be good about tossing things out and thinking carefully about what new things to add. One thing I'm doing is not buying things in anticipation of needing them. For example, I haven't bought a toaster yet because we don't usually eat much toast in the summer. When winter rolls around, we'll probably buy one, but for now we just use the broiler in the oven. I do have to fight against my it-might-be-useful-someday tendency in terms of hanging on to things. But it always helps to remember the amount of such stuff that wasn't ever useful that I had to get rid of before we moved. Stuff does have a tendency to multiply in the back of dark cupboards. I want to write down what was actually involved in our pre-move purge before I forget and hopefully it will be helpful to others.


cabinet of curiosities

De-cluttering is not a quick job. It takes a lot of mental energy and many iterations. If you try to do it in one pass, you're more likely to make bad choices. If you're rushing it, you'll cling to things you don't need just because you're sick of getting rid of stuff and you'll toss stuff you'll miss just because you're tired of making decisions. Motivation is a huge part of the job. Moving overseas was an excellent inspiration to be more thorough than we had ever been before. If you don't have to minimize your stuff, it will be a lot harder to let go of things. So state your goal clearly to yourself and keep it in mind when evaluating each thing.

My steps for decluttering:

1. Quickly ditch all the things from the house that you already meant to get rid of (for us this was an old stereo and a box of clothes set aside for the Salvation Army). This should be fast because you've already made the decision, and getting it out of sight will feel like good progress.
2. Go through the sets of things that you know you can trim down (clothes/shoes, books/movies/music, kitchen housewares, etc) and get rid of anything you don't like or don't use enough to make it worth keeping. The more honest you are about what you don't like or use, the better the results.
3. Repeat step 2 several times, over the space of several weeks. You need the time so that each time you look at your stuff, you come back to it with fresh eyes. You'll be surprised at the end by things that you kept on the first pass. There are obviously some things that are not frequently used, but are still worth keeping, but it's important to remember that you can borrow things, rent things, and even buy things again if necessary.
4. Now that you've got the obvious excess trimmed down, go through absolutely everything, starting with one cupboard or drawer at a time. Look at EVERYTHING (including the things you've already gone through several times). If you don't look at it, there's no chance you'll get rid of it. This step is really tedious, but it's also the most likely to turn up things you didn't even realise you HAD! You should have reduced a lot by this point and you might be pretty mentally exhausted. To de-clutter to the fullest extent, there's one more thing to keep in mind: Can I live without it? The key is to acknowledge that you can like and use something and still decide that you'd rather have more space and less stuff than owning that thing. 
5. The last step is maintenance.  To make all that hard work worth it, you need to keep returning to your evaluating mindset.  Think carefully when acquiring new things, and review the stuff you've kept as your life and activities change.

Throughout the process, be truly honest with yourself about why you're keeping things. I, for example, had a number of pairs of shoes that I liked the look of, but hardly wore because they hurt my feet. I was resistant to getting rid of them, though, because of what they cost. I thought that if I kept them, I might eventually wear them, thus getting some value. In reality all I was getting was hits of guilt for not wearing them every time I saw them. It took me quite a number of decluttering passes to realise this. I was eventually able to "throw them on the fire" as we took to calling the act of tossing things in the box to be donated. It turned out to feel amazing to throw away the guilt that was associated with those shoes.


lisianthus in the living room


Photographs by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Furniture News

Dresser before & after

Awhile ago, my sweetie and I lugged home a beat up dresser from the thrift store. Ok, well, I just carried the drawers. It wasn't too pretty looking, with lots of chips, nail holes, and missing drawer pulls. But some patching of holes, some drilling of new ones, a bit of paint, some pretty knobs, and ta-da! A pretty little dresser for my bedside. It's still in the dining area at the moment because the paint is still a bit odorous. I'm really pleased with how well it turned out, though.


Dresser makeover after

In other furniture news, we got sick of not having a desk or a coffee table or a proper dresser (this bedside one is quite small) and caved to the ease of IKEA. Last weekend, we rode our bikes out to IKEA (a rather fun adventure) and picked out some things. We paid to have them delivered and then biked home (not as fun an adventure since D had to awkwardly carry some items and there was a charming headwind). But it's oh-so-nice to have a real desk to be typing this at, and to have my current artsy mess scattered on it instead of the dining table!


Artsy Mess


Photographs by Allison Gryski. © All rights reserved.

Mini-update in a brief blip of wireless

Tulips in the Afternoon

I haven't forgotten about this little blog of mine, but I am mostly internet-free at the moment. I've been snapping pictures with my iPhone though (that phone is the only reason I'm not going through crazy email withdrawl). Our apartment is starting to look a little bit home-y in spots.


Dining with Tulips

I'll be back with more thoughts on our expat adventures and life in Amsterdam once our internet is set up (it apparently takes about a month, so hopefully any day now...).

De-cluttering to move overseas

Amsterdam Mood Board

A big part of this move for us, was going through everything in our apartment in Montreal. EVERYTHING. We sold a few things to friends, which was fun and friendly and we are so grateful that we had friends who needed the things we were getting rid of. Most things, however, were sold on craigslist or kijiji, which is not a process I would willingly undertake ever again. It made sense financially to sell what we could, but selling in volume on the internet means that you get all the most inconsiderate people to deal with (along with a very few totally nice and reasonable people). If you ever try it, be prepared for people who ask for stuff for free, people who want you to deliver even though you've said in the ad that you can't, people who ask lots of questions without wanting to actually come buy anything, people who ask you to call and provide a wrong number or have no idea what ads they responded to, people who don't show up or show up an hour after they agreed to, and on and on. If you haven't had this experience yourself, you are forewarned!

For all the stuff that didn't sell, no matter how much we thought it was worth, we "threw it on the fire", our phrase for donating it to the Salvation Army. It added a gleeful feeling to getting rid of things ("What about this?" "Throw it on the fire!"). From our perspective, everything we kept would cost us money to either store or ship.

We got rid of a lot, but it still feels like we saved a lot, and I'm sure that we'll get back and look at some things and say WHY?! But so it ever is when you box things up and don't look at them for awhile. We mostly stored books, art, and nice kitchen things (lots of them wedding presents). The decision-making involved in going through all our possessions was the biggest part of the work before we left Canada. Having spent a couple months forcing myself to really evaluate my Stuff with the most vicious eye has had a lasting effect. I am feeling very hesitant about getting new stuff here, despite the fact that we actually need things now. I still feel like I have too much and when we've actually unpacked (we're still living out of suitcases), I won't be surprised if I immediately box up some clothing.

Part of my hesitance to acquire is that I never want to be living with such an over-abundance of Stuff again. This intense de-cluttering forced us to not only get rid of the obvious things that we'd just been too lazy to deal with (e.g. an old stereo we weren't using anymore), but also to examine even things we thought we were attached to. Much as Europe will be filled with flea markets and thrift stores and pretty things that aren't available at home, I am going to try to enjoy these things with Restraint. Being faced with all my clutter has made me want a place with empty spaces, to not have everything already filled in and filled up.

I think North America's obsession with huge living spaces with lots of hidden storage leads one so easily into acquiring and then Keeping so much more than we actually need. I'm hoping that a lack of cupboards and a smaller space, coupled with my self-awareness will be the cure for me. In any case, I have been thinking about how I'd like our new space to look, and I made the "mood board" above to try to clarify my ideas. Hopefully it will help keep me on track when in the shops!

Monet's Garden pillow

Monet's Garden pillow
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

So you know when you have energy for a new project that's just bubbling over? That's what happened with this pillow. I was obsessed with it and kept pondering the layout in the pictures. The funny thing is that I ignored the results of the poll (and the pictures)... both my sweetie and I preferred the border layout and I think it has something to do with seeing it in person. It's just not so photogenic when gloomy weather forces me to use a flash. I think it makes the contrast of the light squares with the border seem more pronounced than it actually is.

In any case, my enthusiasm for this cushion continued unabated. First I sewed the front together and thought I'd stop there and maybe take it fabric shopping for the backing. But then I started thinking about using fabric I already had, so I draped a couple options on it. A little later I picked the purple flower vintage sheet (used to back another cushion already).

I wondered whether I might buy a zipper and wait to finish it. But my mind couldn't let it go, so I planned a button-envelope style back. Quick as you please, and I'd cut it out and sewed it together. The needle-position dial on my sewing machine is broken, so I thought I'd figure out button-holes another day. But a little pause, and I was at my machine with a scrap of fabric, figuring out how to fudge a button hole. The button holes turned out a little homely, but they're mostly covered by the pearly buttons I picked out of my button jar anyway. So with several pauses, I finished the whole cushion today and I feel ever so pleased with the result.

You may notice another vintage-sheet-based cushion cover behind it... I didn't make that one. Anyone looking at my flickr stream will have guessed that I recently visited Amsterdam, and this pillow cover was a find in a vintage clothing/goods shop there. I'll post about Amsterdam eventually, but I took a monumental number of photographs and I'm still working on uploading them all.


Rijksmusuem Garden Lion
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

Better late than never

Fira Box
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

I just realised that I posted this picture on my flickr stream, but never mentioned it here. Back when I was still a cube dweller, I bought an IKEA "fira" mini chest of drawers. I never got around to putting it together for my cube, but ended up doing so while cleaning out the cupboard in my studio. I decoupaged on some paper found when I was paring down on the wrapping supplies and filled it with assorted art supplies that I wanted easily accessible.

While these little drawers are super useful, and a perennial favourite amongst IKEA hackers, they were a huge pain to put together. The nails would not hammer into the material well and in my inexpert hammering, I kept bending them. Despite 5 extra nails in the package, I still had to resort to using some of my own. I must admit to calling it a Beastly Box a few times and taking breaks hoping it would be easier each time I came back to it. Now, of course, I'm pleased with the cute result, but I don't think I'd buy another one.

And for those not counting (I wasn't), this appears to be my 100th post. I'm thinking this is only significant because we happen to have a base 10 counting system, but I noticed it when looking at the list of posts to find the cube one and thought I'd mention it. Maybe I'll do some sort of list of 101 things for the next post. 101 cakes? 101 things I find inspiring? 101 links? 101 drawings? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. Yes, me too, I'm typing this as I think about it, so no clear ideas or promises yet.

Of books and shells and empty shelves

bookshelf arrangement
Originally uploaded by allisongryski
I got some new bookshelves and finally (temporarily, I'm sure) have enough space to make some pretty little arrangements. The above is my very favourite one. The shelves are just the classic IKEA Billy shelves with glass doors. But I did replace the knobs with some pretty blue ceramic ones that I've had since I bought them for an apartment I lived in during university which had no knobs on the drawers.


pretty shelves
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

I haven't been creating much lately and thus, the lack of blog entries. Hopefully there will be more to share soon. I have my "shadow" project to complete this weekend, along with getting some gardening done. And with new shelves that allow me to tidily store all my fabric, surely that will just make me want to pull it out and make a mess!


library wall
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

Painting ... a wall

flowers for the house
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

I've been busy lately making my home feel a bit loved. I bought some more flowers, this time from the grocery store. I'm finding myself drawn to pink and white lately. I always make up my own mixed bouquets from the 2-for and 3-for buckets since I find the grocery-store-prepared bunches are always a bit random in terms of colour and flower type.


new wall colour
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

This past weekend, I also painted a wall with the beautifully named colour "Ocean Air" (Benjamin Moore 2123-50). This wall had previously been a bright spring green (you may have noticed it as a backdrop during green week). I liked the cheerful colour, but it was so bold that I noticed it all the time and consequently I was ready for a change. A bit of paint, a few coats painted while listening to some fun music, and it's a whole new space. Definitely worth the time involved.


burst idea sketching
Originally uploaded by allisongryski

And for those of you wondering what I've been doing for the Burst wordplay challenge, um, well, I've mostly just gotten ideas. I've done a mind-map kind of brainstorming, but I still haven't done my finished piece. I think it's a classic case of "student syndrome" ... waiting until the last possible minute before it's "due".