Intern Emily (Emily Cook)

Intern Emily: Affordable Chair Makeover

Written on November 12, 2009 at 3:16 pm, by Intern Emily (Emily Cook)

Finding affordable furniture can be a challenge—especially on an intern’s budget. So when it came time to furnish my brand-new abode, I started to hit up local thrift stores—every college student’s one-stop-shop for apartment furniture. But I began to realize anything in my price range came with either a questionable stain and strange smell, or a super-psychedelic print that was just a little too groovy for my liking.

Frustrated, I drove down to the next best place college students go to shop on the cheap: Mom and Dad’s. My mom is as serious a decorating nut as I am. I figured she was sure to have something in her collection that would work. Mommy dearest definitely pulled through for me.

These armless chairs used to sit in our living room. When we got new furniture, my mom hauled them up to our three-season cabin at the lake, where they sat on our back porch. When it came close to closing up for winter, instead of hauling them home, she helped me pile them into the backseat of my car. It was a pretty tight fit!

Structurally, the chairs are in perfect condition. Aesthetically, they didn’t quite suite my taste. They’re nice, but they didn’t work with the look I was going for. A little too hunter green, maybe? Not to mention the spattering of tiny holes left in the upholstery after our cats used the chairs as scratching posts.

Our solution: simple slipcovers. Slipcovers are great. Whenever you need to, you can take them off and throw them in the wash. If you ever get tired of your décor, sew a new one using your old cover as a pattern. And that’s exactly what we did. Even though my mom and I aren’t great at sewing, we decided it was worth devoting an afternoon to try. The chairs’ simple, armless design made it easier than we thought.

So they’re not perfect, but for the cost of the entire project, they were totally worth it. Here’s the breakdown.

Two chairs: Free!
Ten yards of light blue and orange canvas fabric: $60 (I have tons left over, so I’m planning to try to sew my own curtains).
Labor: A fun afternoon with my mom.

Two brand new-ish chairs for 30 bucks each! Can you beat that? Share some furniture makeovers you’ve tried to tackle! Comment below, or upload a photo on DIY’s page on Facebook.

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Intern Emily: Lamp Makeover

Written on October 2, 2009 at 6:48 am, by Intern Emily (Emily Cook)

Hey there everybody! I’m Emily, the intern here at Do It Yourself magazine. While most girls my age scrimp and save for that perfect pair of shoes, I’m thinking about spending my cash on 1000-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets or a shopping spree at IKEA.

This is especially true now that I’ve finally moved into my very own apartment! I’ve been decorating the place since the minute I saw it on Craig’slist. But making my first apartment feel like home has proven to be a challenge on an intern’s budget. Guess it’s a good thing I work with these lovely ladies, right?

Now I want to share all of my DIY decorating adventures with you. I hope you like seeing how my place evolves. The way it’s going, it will never be done! But I’m OK with that. I’m having a blast making it feel like home.

As a college student, I do a ton of reading. It only took me a chapter to realize that my glaring overhead light wasn’t going to cut it in my little study space. (More on that later.) Talk about sore eyes! I made a trip to The Salvation Army to see if I could find the solution to my problem. Here it is!

I know, gross, right? But for only $9.00—and an extra 50% off that—I was willing to log some hours to jazz it up. All I had to do was rough up the metal surface with steel wool, apply a coat of metal primer, spray on a few layers of a cheery yellow paint, and top it off with a simple shade. It was money well spent. Check it out!

Only one problem. I bought the lamp “as is,” so I couldn’t return it if the sketchy power cord decided to send sparks flying the minute I plugged it in. What do you think?

Because I’d just rather not electrocute myself, I decided to play it safe and rewire it. I was a little nervous, but with the help of a simple kit and my handyman boyfriend, I did it in minutes. I didn’t even singe a single hair. It was super easy!

First, with the lamp unplugged, I removed all of the wiring from the lamp. I even removed the socket.

Second, I fed the new cord from my kit through the base of the lamp and out the top.

Tying the “underwriter’s” knot was the trickiest part. My kit came with a great diagram that helped me through it.

Next, I connected the appropriate wire to the correct screw on either side of the socket. (Everything was color coded, so it was simple.)

To finish it off, I snapped the socket shell in place.

I think the bright yellow will really pop against the black and houndstooth I am planning to do in my little study area. Be on the lookout for that project and more like it in future posts!

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