My Sister's Suitcase - Packed with Creativity

Packed with Creativity

Fabric covered bench {designer knock-off}

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So, it’s technically still Friday, right?? Hee hee. It’s the last day of “get to know Holly” week and the first thing you’re learning tonight is that I’m chronically late. I don’t think it is because I’m lazy or don’t respect people’s time… I just generally try to fit too much in the timeframes I’m given. And then that perfectionist thing creeps in. If I have an hour to do something, instead of choosing a task that I can easliy accomplish in that hour, I try to fit in 3 things, or I spend wayyy too long trying to make the one thing perfectly coordinated, or hand-stenciled, and why not throw some cookies in the oven while I’m waiting for my spray paint to dry?

Can anyone relate? I have good intentions, but I am inevitably behind schedule when I try to do too much. I’m working on changing that 🙂

Moving on to today’s post! I don’t usually do “knock-offs”… I try to create original projects as often as possible. But when I saw this custom bench {by Interior designer Lisa Luby Ryan} in my December copy of Traditional Home magazine, I KNEW it was going to be part of my Master Bedroom makeover:

I found a gorgeous natural linen at my local Home Fabrics store, with a coordinating flocked linen in white damask. The texture of these fabrics is amazing! After many hours of sewing, gathering, and pinning, I love how my version came out:

I can’t wait to put it in my Master Bedroom! Here are some indoor shots:

Here’s a really quick overview of what I did 🙂 I started with this plain bench from TJ Maxx:
To get a full gathered look on the bottom, you will need a lot of fabric! I used almost 4 yards! {I actually had to go back to the store today for my last yard :)} I only needed 1 yard for the top piece.
I started by measuring and cutting large sections of fabric… 20″(h) x the length. Then I started sewing and gathering all these sections of fabric. My bobbin was going crazy and I kept breaking threads as I was gathering! At one point I think I made up a song called, “I Hate Sewing,” original, I know 🙂
{1} Pinned the top piece of fabric in place, pinned “hem” to the height I wanted. {2} Laid out my gathered fabric pieces, {3} then started pinning them in place underneath the top fabric. {4} After about an hour and a half of tedious pinning, I was ready to sew!
This part was easy compared to the rest, it was pinned so well that it made it really nice. One problem… right at the end my sewing needle broke {this is pretty heavy fabric} and I didn’t have time to replace it. So I ended up leaving the hem at the bottom unfinished. I may go back and hem it, or I may just trim it a little and fray the ends again. I kind of like the raw edge of the linen. What do you think?
I’m pretty tired {sewing is not my forte and it totally exhausts me!} but I am really happy with the end result and I can’t wait to get going on the rest of my Master Bedroom makeover plans! Home Decor is another area that I will be covering on our blog… along with Upcycled/re-purposed projects, and seasonal decor/mantels. If you missed any of my other posts this week, you can find them all here 🙂
Here are a few more things you may not know about me:
1. My normal bedtime is between midnight and 1:00 am
2. My kids wake up at 6:00 {or earlier} every morning… you’d think I’d go to bed earlier, huh?
3. I love being a mom to 3 amazing kids {ages 6, 4 and 18 months}
4. I am a water-drinker, but my soda of choice is Cherry Coke
5. I love warm weather! {Grew up in AZ, ended up in ID… big adjustment}
6. I am a Mormon
7. The first blog I ever read was Natalie’s Sentiments
8. I love good sushi {the more wasabi, the better!}
9. I’m an oldest child
10. I have the best mom in the world! {Happy Mother’s Day mom!}
We’ll be updating our About Us page very soon with some of the random facts I’ve shared with you guys this week, and a little more of our story. Nat will be back Monday to kick off her “get-to-know-you” week. I have an awesome sister. And she is such a great mom. Love you my sis!! Happy Mother’s Day!

Linking to:
Positively Splendid Home Stories A2Z Lil'Luna 52 Mantels Whipperberry I'm Lovin' It at TidyMom Too Much Time On My Hands

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  8. This is so beautiful, I absolutely love it!!!!!! I wish I had a little bench like that so I could do this! I’ll save it for later so I remember this project! Absolutely beautiful!

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