Give the Guy an Apron

What do you give a tool-toting, spatula-wielding 24-year-old graduate student?  Why, an apron, of course. A dude apron.

When home from college for a short visit, our son, Sam, who likes to cook, said he needed an apron. Duly noted as a potential birthday surprise. Something I could have fun making for him.

Because he also likes to repurpose vintage furniture and other findings, I chose a style that would serve him equally well for both cooking and his creative projects.

I have a favorite full-front, mid-length apron that has the big handyman pockets across the bottom. It's good for gardening, projects and cooking. Perfect as a pattern. And, I selected some fun graphics from The Graphics Fairy to add to make it unique for him.

For my son's apron, I selected a medium-weight canvas painter's drop cloth, laid my premade apron out and traced around it with marking chalk, adding enough length to the bottom to fold up to make the pockets.

I folded up the bottom and stitched where I wanted the pockets to be. Then, I hemmed the sides. Because I hate making skinny ties that have to be turned (and I'm basically lazy), I used one-inch black twill tape to finish the edges of the upper portion and to create the waist tie and loop for the neck--all one piece. The basic apron's done. So easy!

Now for the fun part--adding the graphic images. Sam is a big fan of steampunk--as am I. He also loves riding his bike to campus every day. I found some wonderful early bicycle images in the steampunk category of Karen's great graphics blog and printed them on a vintage flour sack.

Using fabric fusing, I attached the images to the apron and trimmed with quarter-inch black twill tape that matches the tie twill.





There. Quick, easy and personal.

Got ya covered, Buddy.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Under $100 at Beyond the Picket Fence
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Potpourri Party at 2805
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Sundae Shake Up at Jacque's Soda Parlor
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing Newbie Party
A Little Birdie Told Me at Rook No. 17
Wednesday's Bunny Hop at Bunny Jean's Decor and More
What Are Little Boys Made Of at Seven-Thirty-Three



Destined for Greatness

Throughout the late spring, summer and early fall, I focus on treasure hunting at garage sales. Then, when garage sales give way to frigid temps, ice and snow, I move my hunt indoors to thrift stores. Estate sales are a year-round gig for me.

I haven't hit as many sales in the past couple of weeks as I would like, but I did pick up a few fun items that will assume new identities in the future.

Before I move on to my newest finds, though, I have to finish a great little project I'm working on for my son's birthday. What do you get a 24-year-old graduate student who's taken up cooking and repurposing vintage furniture? Well, you'll see after Sam's birthday in October. Don't want to spoil his surprise.

So, here are a very few of my recent finds. And, while my vision for each isn't yet fully formed, I'm certain each is destined for makeover greatness.

These rusty, vintage industrial pulleys are, in a word, SWEET!  Kinda steampunk-y. Sam has dibs on the two on the right. He has his own ideas for repurposing those bad boys. Because he lives two states away, he'll have to come pick them up. I'm not mailing these heavy suckers. 

I think I know what I want to do with the vintage brass mailbox that is now a perfectly aged verdigre and the newer, but charming, hinged fireplace matchbox.

 What would you do with these beauties? Send a comment to share your ideas.

The fact that both boxes sport lion heads was purely coincidental. I really wasn't going for a theme. The lion head on the mailbox is particularly nice. And I love that the mailbox has the hooks underneath for holding a newspaper. Those will be fun to incorporate into the redo!

 Stay tuned for the transformations.

Linking to:

Homemaker on a Dime

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Very Merry Vintage Style

Coastal Charm

The Brambleberry Cottage

Designer Garden

At the Picket Fence

2805: Potpourri Friday

Treasure Hunt Thursday

Sit!

On a recent thrift store visit, I unexpectedly came across a find that caught my eye, grabbed my heart and held its grip. And, not just because it was $2.98.

My discovery was something I wasn't even looking for. The seemingly ordinary, vintage wooden folding chair had numerous surface blemishes, but the bones were good, as they say. I didn't really need it, but I snatched it up anyway.

Why? Because this was the same type of chair that my grandparents' country church used for its gatherings in the basement and on the lawn. Fredericksburg Lutheran Church was one of the beautiful, white country churches with the steeple that could be seen from miles away. Over the years, I sat on what could have been that same chair for a multitude of social gatherings, wedding receptions and funeral lunches. I just couldn't pass up this bit of nostalgia.

This honey of a chair deserves a second chance and will be nice to have around when we need extra seating for guests. So, I decided to make it fun with a great Victorian hand graphic from The Graphics Fairy.

I sanded and primed, then painted the chair with two coats of Gray Cloud, which I got free with a coupon from my local hardware store. Then, I distressed it all over.

After printing the graphic on plain paper, I rubbed the backside with the type of soft-lead pencil contractors use. Getting a good transfer requires rubbing in all directions--horizontally, vertically, diagonally. It also helps to put a magazine underneath to provide a little padding. The paper picks up more graphite when rubbed on a semi-soft surface than on a hard surface. 

Next, I trimmed the paper closer to the image shape and size to make it easier to work with. I taped it to the chair--image side out--and traced hard on the actual image. The image transfers to the chair so it can be used as a guide for painting.

 

I painted over the rubbing with charcoal paint and, after it dried, distressed the images slightly so they would blend well with the previous distressing. I finished it off with a satin sealer.





And, would you believe me if I told you Barney can read? Sit, Barney, sit.

Linking to:

The Graphics Fairy

Homemaker on a Dime

Sisters of the Wild West

Her Library Adventures

Under the Table and Dreaming

Under $25 Makeover

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Coastal Charm

{Primp}

Very Merry Vintage Style 

The Colorado Lady 

The Thrifty Groove

Designer Garden

Upcycled Linky Party