K. WOODWARD PERSONAL FINANCE
  • Start
  • WealthBlog
  • MyBooks
  • MoneySpot
  • Coach
  • Contact

Random Thoughts

How To Upcycle Wood Furniture Quickly & Easily

28/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I love to visit antique shops and junk yards because you find amazing furniture at fantastic prices. 

I found this table at a place called Aladdin's Cave in London. It cost £20 (just over $30). I thought it was a bargain.

The base of this stool is beautiful!

I would have liked to paint the bottom a creamy colour and the top parma gray (by Farrow & Ball) but I didn't want to buy lots of paint so I decided to settle for just parma gray.

I didn't use a primer at all and the spent about 60 seconds sanding the table. It didn't seem to need it. I just slapped on two layers of paint on the base and three coats on the very top.

It was very quick and easy and the result is a sight for sore eyes.

For more money saving tips see Build Super Savings:

Picture
0 Comments

The Beginner's Guide To Sewing A Pretty Cushion

27/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I wanted to buy cushions that matched my curtains but they cost £21 ($33) per cushion. I almost fainted when I saw that price! In the end I decided to just make my own cushion covers to match chairs I upholstered rather than the curtains.

I had some left over material but it was only enough for one side of the cushion so I bought one plain patch off eBay at £1.24 ($1.92) including shipping (seriously, who can beat that?!!!). The zip cost me £0.55 ($0.85). I'm not even going to count the cost of the thread because it's negligible.

Anyway this is how I went about it:

  • First, I sewed on the zip
  • To stop the zip from moving about I pinned it in
  • Once one zip had been sewn on properly (and I will admit here that I had to run the sewing machine along the first side about 3 times before I was happy with it), I pinned the second half of the cushion onto the other half of the zip
  • I undid the zip so that I didn't have to fumble with the other half 
  • The zip was the hardest part, after that it all went rather fast
  • I cut the patches to match more exactly and then I sewed the cushion inside out
  • When I reached the corners I just rotated the cloth around and continued. I expect a professional would take the material out and restart stitching to ensure a perfect square but this is my first attempt so I didn't want to make it harder by doing that.
  • As for cushion filler, I just used an old duck feather and down pillow that was not being used for anything

I got a pretty cushion that matches my chairs for less than £2 ($3) - now that's what I'm talking about. I had never sewn a cushion before, in fact I don't sew generally but it turned out alright. It's pretty amazing what you can do when you decide YOU WILL do it. If you like to save money like I do check out my ebook at katsonga.com and build super savings! 

Picture
0 Comments

How To Upcycle A Bookcase To An Enviable Standard!

26/7/2013

1 Comment

 
by katsonga.com
Picture
Picture
What a lucky find!

I was walking down the street about a mile away from my house   when I saw this solid wood bookcase dumped outside someone's home. I liked it immediately and I saw potential but I was on my own and it was large so I decided to leave it. A minute down the road I thought, no way man, that baby's coming home with me!

I walked back up, knocked on the door and asked if they were throwing it away. The lady said yes so I took the shelves, as that's all I could carry and walked home to ask my hubby to come and help me collect it. Luckily, it fit in the car.

I decided to paint the book case white and the legs Farrow and Ball's Parma Gray.

It took two coats of primer and two coats of white wood paint to get the bookcase as white as I wanted it to be. 

When I was done painting I thought it looked a little boring. It needed some life so I thought I would wallpaper the sides fully but the Cath Kidston wallpaper I wanted was £25 ($40); I wasn't prepared to spend that kind of money on a full roll of wallpaper that was mostly going to be binned.

I started trawling through eBay to find other people's left over wallpaper and stumbled upon an eBayer who had already cut flowers off Cath Kidston wall paper and sold the pieces to people like me that wanted to decorate furnitures. She cuts around the flower in a circle and leaves it to the buyer to cut neatly around each flower and leaf.

So, that's what I did. 

Cutting around the flowers took a fair amount of time, maybe two hours because I wanted it done neatly. Then, using wall paper paste, I stuck the flowers onto the bookcase. If you want similar wall paper pieces just search "wall paper decoupage" on eBay. A pack currently costs £6.60 ($10) including postage.

To be totally honest, I wasn't sure if I would like the outcome but once it was done I loved it. It's probably my favourite piece in the house because it took so much love, creativity and effort.

I share a tonne of savings tips in Build Super Savings:

Picture
1 Comment

Re-Upholster Old Furniture - Save Money And Look Chic!

25/6/2013

0 Comments

 
I don't know where it's suddenly come from but I am beginning to love upcycling. In addition to saving a tonne of money you also end up having very unique pieces of furniture in your home. I'll do a video later on showing where exactly we choose to put these chairs but for now, see how I created this awesome look.

Obviously the fabric you like and choose is personal to you. I got this shabby chic patchwork cloth from Rolls & Rems in Lewisham, London. They have a huge collection of awesome fabrics.

I bought the victorian chairs from an antique shop in Birmingham for just £36 ($55) for the two. Tried to get it down to £35 but the shopkeeper was not having it!
Picture
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    By Heather
    ​Katsonga-Woodward

    I'm always thinking, debating, considering and revising my views - some of those deliberations will be shared right here.

    Categories

    All
    6 Figure+ Business Course
    Baby
    Baby Shower
    Celebrity Lives
    Culture
    Days Out & Holidays
    Diy
    Economic Development
    Education
    Entrepreneurship
    Fashion
    Films
    Food
    Getting To Wealthy
    Healthy Weight
    I Just...
    Life Is...
    Malawi
    Moral Hazard
    Parenting
    Personal Finance
    Politics
    Productivity
    Property
    Psychology
    Retirement
    Social Progress
    Spirituality
    Technology
    Weight Issues
    Women Issues

    Archives

    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    November 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    November 2010
    October 2007
    January 2007


© 2007 - 2025 Heather Katsonga-Woodward, a massive personal finance fanatic.
** All views expressed are my own and not those of any employer, past or present. ** Please get professional advice before re-arranging your personal finances.
  • Start
  • WealthBlog
  • MyBooks
  • MoneySpot
  • Coach
  • Contact