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Youve probably heard me say before, "Im not green, Im just a cheapskate". While people often find that quip amusing, it is meaningful to me. I try to use every part of the buffalo that I can. Repurposing wood is both practical and frugal.

Many people give new life to old wood pallets. I like to scour Craigslist for free stuff — old desks, shelves, chairs, whatever — that I can take apart and salvage their once-beautiful woods. A little sanding, a few passes through a planer, and even the most horrific-looking wood is as good as new. Not only is lumber (and paper, I might add) a renewable resource, but it recycles well. Its what woodworkers have always known and practiced without having to announce it on bumperstickers or eat tofu.

I was delighted to see that Philippe Chretien came up with the clever idea to reuse some old window blinds and make his own rainstick!  I love how long the rain sound lasts in his version. Also, Phillipe has posted detailed instructions on Instructables.com. Rock on Philippe: a true Mortal woodworker.




If youve made some cool new stuff out of old stuff, lets see it! If you havent signed onto the Mere Mortals Facebook page yet, head on over. I recently figured out how to let users upload their own project photos. (Yeah, Im a little slow on the learning curve.) There are already a whole bunch of pictures and great ideas. Show us what youve got!

Lets see. Today is the 11th of December. That means Christmas is two weeks away. No need to panic: there are still a couple weekends left to make gifts.

And dont forget, this Friday is the Mere Mortals Very Special Christmas Special! Dont miss it if you can.


Heres Steve Pretsch working on a train. Trains make for great outdoor decorations too.

Hey there!

After a week of thinking that I bit off more than I could chew trying to figure out how to slipcover our sofa, I finally got my thinking cap on straight and did it.  It isnt your typical slipcover as I didnt add piping (too difficult), but Im very happy with it...and also happy with the fact that I stuck with it when I was about ready to throw in the towel.  But, let me tell ya, I would rather poke out my own eyeballs with a stick then ever attempt doing this again, LOL!  :)

I am so excited to be giving this room, our den, a makeover so dont look at anything but the sofa in these pictures because everything thats currently in there is on its way out! :) Fun!  Heres what the sofa looked like before.  Outdated, not my style of fabric, but nice lines....
I used two and a half packages of 9 x 12 foot canvas dropcloth for this project.  I started by cutting off the skirt around the bottom.  This is where I panicked because I knew there was no turning back now.  Trying to figure out how to sew an entire slipcover was intimidating for my first try, so, I did it in sections.  First, I recovered the back and stapled the fabric underneath with a staple gun.  That part was easy. 
Then I measured and cut out pieces for the arm and pinned them together.  To me this was the hardest part and what kept me confused all week.  I think it was the shape that was throwing me off.  Or maybe I was having a mental block, either way, I just. Couldnt. Get it.
After that was finished I removed it and began sewing.   I did the same thing with the other arm and then added a piece of fabric that would join them both together and would also be the bottom piece below the cushions.  I left the bottom loose because when it was all finished, I wanted to pull it tightly under the sofa and staple it for a tailored look.
The cushions came next, more cutting fabric, pinning and sewing until everything was finally finished.  This is what it looks like now.
What do you all think?  I am super happy with it even though I couldnt quite make it look like the settee from Anthropologie that I was inspired by.  And its my first slipcover, so Im pretty proud of that.  :) I cant wait to get some colorful pillows on that couch and a fun throw blanket!  So many possibilities now with a neutral color. 

Im redecorating this room for my hubby.  He wants something masculine and since this room is pretty much only used by all my boys, Ive got some ideas up my sleeve and want to make it really special for them.  Right now, its a blank room with a TV and a couch.  So stay tuned for some decorating fun!

 And now the winner of the X Burlap Pillow giveaway is:

 LAURA, whos comment was:
              "Id love to win! Ive really been enjoying your blog so far."

Congratulations Laura!  I hope you enjoy this pillow!  Email me your address info!  Happy Monday to all!

Im a little bit pillow crazy, probably because I cant walk away from pretty fabrics.  I love sewing them and changing them up all the time.  And theyre an inexpensive way to change the look of a room.  Ive been making different variations of this X pillow for years and thought it would be fun to make a burlap version.

I covered the button in the center with the striped portion of an authentic vintage grain sack I bought at a flea market.  The front is burlap, while the back and the X are canvas.  The pillow measures 18 inches x 18 inches.  Here is a view of the back.
Its fun, happy and makes me smile!  Soooooo, Ive decided to give 1 away to one of you with the hope that it makes you smile, too.  I feel so blessed to have so many of you following my blog and leaving such nice comments and emails that I thought this would be a fun way to show my appreciation.  If youre interested in having this pretty pillow, all you have to do is leave a comment below and a winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, July 10 and I will announce it in Monday mornings (July 11) post.  
Have a happy day!

Update:  Im hearing there have been some problems with commenting on Blogger.  If you are having trouble leaving a comment and are interested in putting your name in the hat for the pillow giveaway, send me an email at the address provided on the Contact page.  Im so sorry for any trouble any of you have possibly had trying to leave a comment.

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Hi Everyone,
For those of you who are following this project with the intention of turning a cup with a handle, there is a very good video on YouTube posted by a guy named Bernie who lives in Norway. The steps in the video are very close to the project steps in my last posting.

Go to: http://youtu.be/BqkWYtZPK4U

Great minds think a like!
VW

My wife found a picture of a wood ice chest box on Facebook and once she showed it to me I knew that I had to make one.  I wanted to make something that would be easy, relatively cheap and very rustic so I went with cedar fence pickets.  They are 5/8" thick by 5 1/2" wide by 6 feet long.  I was able to make this entire project out of 7 pickets.  The pickets were $2.05 each, the hinges were $2.17 each, the handle for the front was $2.97, and the Styrofoam ice chest was $2.99.  Those materials came out to $24.65 not including tax.  I also used 56 one inch screws, a bunch of 1 1/2" brads in my nail gun and some Titebond glue so I would estimate the cost of this project to be right around $30.00.  It might be a little bit more if I decide to put a coat of finish on it.  I am very happy with the outcome and plan on making more.