Restoring a Stained Leather Purse

I scored this purse while out thrifting and noticed that it had what appeared to be permanent marker stain on the white leather. Yikes! I love the teal/white combo plus the size is great for bringing along some crafting:) so I pulled out my cash and made it mine... Don't be intimidated by a little wear on a good leather purse. Remember that by thrifting you're saving green while being green. 

Grabbing a few supplies around the house I got to work. Here's what y'all need to DIY 

Rubbing alcohol - you want to sanitize not just clean

Cotton balls

Q-tips

Um yeah the fingernail polish remover didn't work at removing the stains but I just did my nails and wanted to show them off because The Lord knows they won't look this good tomorrow, haha.

Make sure to clean every crevice. This was previously under the care of another person and who knows how clean they were. 

My secret weapon against the stain war is the remarkable paint pen. This is such an awesome invention with literally an endless amount of projects. Apply the paint in a blotting fashion, not as a pen with strokes. My biggest tip for this is patience. Take your time and blot on coat after coat after coat. If you try a one stop shop approach the paint will be noticeable and thick. 

See how the top stain disappears...

Did you notice the bottom stain?

Ok, one more stain taken down and I'm done. 

Hope you enjoyed. As always thanks for reading, feel free to share, and keep it classy. 

Monday Magic - reading adventure

I'm a huge fan of the art known as writing. A story so fantastically wild as to pull you from your reality yet so exquisitely detailed that it seems believable, well, that's not just art but magic. 

My current reads include (but are not limited to) - 

The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore

-this is a slower read, something I pick up from time to time.

The Jane Austen marriage manual by Kim Izzo

-the last trip out to the lake I found this next to our vehicle, so I took it home. I never turn down a free book :) 

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

-it was previously in Oprah's book club

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz 

-this was also a free book, try hosting a book swap with your friends and neighbors. Not only will this save you money but it saves resources as well so it's beneficial to your environment. Think green, think clean.

Child of Awe by Kathryn Lynn Davis

- I will admit at first this was some what frustrating to read. The story is set in the past and the author chose to use language such as "ye" instead of "you". While, it did have me stumbling in the beginning now I appreciate the authentic feel it gives the story. 

Xenogenesis (a trilogy collection including: Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago) by Octavia E. Butler 

- a story from the late 80's that has my imagination soaring. Currently in book two, Adulthood Rites, and looking forward to the last one. 

DIY Multiple Purpose Plant Pocket

I really love having my plants hanging up. There are many benefits to having them lifted. First off, the goat and chickens can't eat them :) but you have the added bonus of seeing your plants more. With them closer to eye level you notice the plant. Using a spare pair of pants that were in my fabric scrap pile I came up with a cute way to hang smaller plants. 

Supplies to DIY

Pair of pants

Scissors

Ribbon

Needle and thread or awesome sewing machine that my Mr. Surprised me with.

Craft glue or no fray 

 Don't forget that second pocket, it could be useful too!

How to DIY

1-cut out the pocket(s) of a pair of pants...there are two of them, so I used both:)

2-sew a strip of ribbon on the back

3-cover any looseness or fraying with some tacky glue

4-once your glue has dried, fill it up

I didn't even bother trying to make a cute stitch, just use a blue thread.

With just what I had on hand... It's so gratifying to create something that I want on my homestead using materials that were just laying around waiting to be recycled. 

I'm totally patting myself on the back for this one, another plant has been made goat proof yippee.

Really use your creativity, this is essentially a hanging pocket so fill it up with whatever. Try it in your craft room or office to hold pencils. 

I'm also happy to announce that our farmily has grown yet again, by nine lives and four paws:) but this is a probationary adoption...dependent on Smokey's ability to conquer her fear of the homestead life. 

Wishing you good times for your weekend. Thanks for reading and stay classy.

DIY Soup Can Wind Chime

When given the choice between hay or brightly colored ribbons, birds will build their nest with color. It is no different to humans. We want our "nest" to be not only a source of security but of color and comfort.  While building my nest I wanted to make sure as to not harm my environment with unnecessary trash. Of course, this means I recycle, terrarecycle, and up-cycle.

Using soup cans in decreasing sizes I was able to produce a lovely wind chime of sorts. Because my cans gradually decreased in size I wanted the color to also have a decreasing/increasing feel.

Supplies to DIY

Cans ... The size is really dependent on how many cans you have and the look you personally find pleasing. As for me it's always three:) 

Paint 

Paint primer

Paint brush

Twine, rope, ribbon, etc... (Personalize with whatever material you have on hand)

Screwdriver or ice pick (as I just typed ice pick the question of if people really own ice picks anymore came to mind, haha, feeling my old soul)

1- strip your cans of their paper

2- spray paint a quick coat of metal primer ...this is just a base so you don't need a lot. 

3- paint the cans the desired color, dry, then repeat. 

4- punch a hole in the middle of each can.

5- string the cans together...I used a small bead to hold the cans at the height I wanted for even spacing between cans. 

6- now just finish the bottom with beads, feathers, etc..

Quick side note on my gradual paint color. I achieved this by painting my middle can the gray color. I then added white to that gray to get my lighter color and finally I added some black to that to get my darkest. 

I seriously can't help myself when it comes to Bella. She follows me around everywhere I go and she looks so freaking cute, plus I actually have camera in hand so there you go.

As always thanks for reading and stay classy :) 

Project Studio - Interior Construction

Today's Project Studio will briefly cover a heap of interior projects. I was a little out of order with the last post but if you have kept up with the Project Studio post then you will remember in Project Studio 3 I gave a run over of the roof. 

Once, the roof was up it was a big relief because during this project Texas decided to have more rain than normal. Knowing the roof only provided so much protection from the rain we quickly got to work sealing the studio up. We always go that "extra mile" you know those type of people that are always saying things like "it's better to be safe than sorry" well those people are us. We didn't just insulate; we tic tac toed that project with three types of insulation in a row. 

After we installed the MDF on our wall framing I caulked every joint. The white outline is the caulk. In order to caulk you need a caulking gun and you can use a scraping tool of some kind but honestly your finger works best. This is a little messy if you are inexperienced but easy to get the hang of so don't be afraid to try. This was a better be safe type...in new construction for residential or commercial this is skipped...this shouldn't be skipped. 

Sorry I'm looking sloppy but I wanted to show the amazing height of the studio.

Really stepping out of our comfort zone my Mr. Got to work on supplying the studio with electricity. You will notice in the pictures the lamp is on and so is the AC we installed. The entire thing is wired to an outside male outlet so it basically runs the same way a travel trailer or RV would. 

With the walls complete it was time to install the windows. Not only should you take every step in sealing the window properly but you should use windows with a high insulating factor. I believe our windows were made with a little magic :) 

Patting ourselves on the back we rigged an impromptu couch and watched Total Recall our the ipad in our perfectly temperature controlled studio. 

And because I couldn't resist here's our newest chicas. 

I didn't cover everything so If you have any questions I can be reached lakesidehomestead@gmail.com