hemming jeans while keeping the original hem

do you ever buy jeans that need hemmed, but don't want to lose the original hem?  you know, the factory finish... so that they don't look like they are "home hemmmed"?  well, I have tried a few different ways.  here is one way, that yes, is fabulous --link to hemming tutorial--, but what happens when you have 3-4 inches of that "left over hang" inside of your pant leg??  if I cut it off I have fray to worry about.  and what if I want to roll up my pants? I can't do it if I hem them this way.  so, when I was asked to hem 3 pair of jeans in a new way I was a bit hesitant, but excited to learn something new.

here's how I did it:

measure the length that you need the inseam to be.  

using a straight edge cut the jeans AT THIS EXACT LENGTH.

cut off the excess from the original hem so that you have just a half inch of the "pant leg" extra and the hem.

using a seam ripper remove all the old stitching

open the seam and fold and iron the raw edge in to the hem.  

this is quite easy because the original stitching has created a fold.

you now have a "finished" unfinished hem.

sandwich the original hem back on to the now shortened jeans lining up the side seams, pin in place.

sew the hem back on being careful where the fabric is extra thick to ensure not breaking the needle.  find a matching thread color, and if possible thickness.  my thread was thinner than the original so I sewed over the same area twice to make the stitching more prominent.  I also used a basting, or long, stitch because that is how the original stitching was.

tada! the finished product, good as new!

linking up to tatertots & jello

updating outdoor furniture

about a month ago, I had the opportunity to get some outdoor furniture at a killer price... free!  when the price tag shows $0 I cannot complain.  I loved the shape of the furniture and it's the perfect size.  the only problem was that the set was missing two chairs... I needed two more to have a set.  so the hubs and I hit up all of the places we could think to find two more chairs, and of course, to no surprise to us at all, found chairs that were aesthetically pleasing and super comfortable at cost plus.  

we could have kept them as they were, but that wouldn't really be like me.  so I set off to the hardware store to find some yellow or orange paint to liven up the furniture.  of course, there was nothing wrong with the set before I painted it, it was in perfect condition, but I just had to add some color (our house is gray, so how boring would the gray furniture be?)

before paint

the start of the orange paint... waaaaay too much... too close to red (bleh)... a change must be made!

chartreuse!  the perfect solution!

I love the way it turned out.  the bright green is perfect, an organic color yet bright and lively!  also, the scroll detail sticks out more and they look more "whimsical" or "vintage-esque" I think.  I did leave the chairs we bought their original color... why?  why not?

and I couldn't leave out my favorite back yard detail... an iron tree with colored glass tea light holders.  I just can't wait to plant up my pots, barbeque some great food, and hang out on the patio all evening.

take 1 | guest room

after much searching for inspiration for our guest room we finished the little project.  this was honestly one of the easiest, inexpensive art project I've done.  but first, let me show you the room.

one of the biggest purchases we've made as a couple yet was this bed.  we needed a spot for our guests to stay.  and I love the way that the bedding works in the room.  I'm thinking of what to do for the headboard, but that can wait a while... if you have any ideas please shoot them my way ;)

a little seating area for guests to read a book, make a phone call, or just simply put on their shoes.  plus, I love showing off the hub's mates he picked up while living in argentina.

and here is the art project.  honestly, so simple (tutorial here).  well, picking out the fabric was a little bit of a chore, I have a hard time getting what I want to work together when I have so many different kinds of fabric I love.

this room is still a work in progress as we have a few more things to hang on the walls, a desk to save up for, and other little things... but, it is ready for guests!  so come visit, stay for a while and enjoy boise with us!

moving into our first home

we moved into our very first home the first weekend of december.  with help from my parents, brothers, and my roommate that now lives in san diego, but came for the weekend.  we had some painting to do before moving in, both inside and outside.  but we were so excited for that moving day.  since then, getting everything settled has been a continual project, and we've loved most of the process.  here are some before and after photos of the interior.

the living room/dining room is one large room stretching the spans of 

the front of the house.

before

after we moved in.

(paint: martha stewart spud)

one decorating project has been this collage above our entry table.

the bedroom

before

after

(paint color: martha stewart arrowroot)

I love the walk in closet!

and the small office/dressing space that is attached to the master

the bathroom

before... the yellow was far too bright!

after a little paint and cleaning... I love the vintage tub, shower, and floor

(paint: martha stewart tidewater)

the kitchen

before

after... we have so many plans for this kitchen in the upcoming year...

second bedroom

before and after!  

making our house feel like home has been a process.  we've enjoyed every part.  there are many projects on our list and items we want to purchase, but for now it's perfect... a place we can come home to at the end of the day and enjoy.  and so close to places we enjoy.  the move has been great.

homemade gifts :: personalized pilsners

the husband drew my older brother's name for our homemade gift exchange.  the biggest challenge for the hubs and me is to make something that the gift receiver will not only enjoy, but use.  so for my brother this can be really challenging.  after multiple ideas we came up with something that the hubs thought the brother would really enjoy.  personalized pilsner glasses.

the project started with a few simple supplies: 

a set of pilsner glasses from IKEA, etching cream, and left over shelf liner.

then we needed an image to make into a stencil and etch on to the glass.  so, the "H" from the family business and his last name was a perfect image to use.  husband printed multiple sizes of the "H" on to cardstock, he decided on the perfect size for the size of the glass.

the image was then traced on to some shelf liner that I had left over to make an adhesive stencil, the stencil was then cut out with a razor blade.  an individual stencil was needed for each glass in order to be sure that it stuck strongly enough to leave a crisp edge to the image.  this was the most time consuming and difficult step of the process, both the cutting and placing of the image took patience and attention to detail. 

the etching cream was used according to package directions --brushed on in one direction and let to sit around 10 minutes before rinsing off. rinsing it off.

the final product was great... a nice sharp "H"... we were happy with how appropriate they were for a guy, not at all crafty and girly.  my brother loved them too!

the gift was accompanied much like the wine stopper gift.  we added my brother's favorite, a 6 pack of bud light and a bottle of clamato to make his own "red beer".