Sunday, August 15, 2010

Yards and Yards Original: Secretary Insert How-To

Do you remember THIS great secretary makeover?


Well, I've had a few emails about it and I thought I'd go ahead and answer the question, "How did I make the secretary fabric inserts?" It was really difficult, let me tell ya.

So, here you go:

Supplies:

1 Secretary, hutch, bookshelf, etc.
Foam board (I got mine at Dollar Tree)
Fabric
Tape

Step 1. Measure the openings in the shelves you want to cover. Here's a before shot so you can see why it was so much fun to cover this baby.

Step 2: Cut your foam board to fit your measured openings. Try them out to see if they fit.

Step 3: Cut your fabric leaving about an inch extra on each side.

Step 4: Wrap the foam board with your fabric and tape it in place. Highly technical... I know.



Step 5: Now you have your covered foam boards. Go ahead and stick them in the openings.



Step 6: Enjoy! And you can change it any time you want to!



PS. Linking up to some awesome parties!!!

The Girl CreativeThe DIY Show OffKeeping It Simplemmm buttonSumo Sweet StuffAll Thingz Related The Trendy TreehouseNightOwlCrafting http://www.thethriftyhome.comMake it Yours @ My Backyard EdenGet your craft on Thurs.giveawaysHookingupwithHoH

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love this idea! you can change it out for the seasons and for holidays!

Beverly {Flamingo Toes} said...

This is a great idea! I love that you can change it out! Thanks so much for sharing. :)

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Great tutorial and I LOVE the look!
XO
Susan

Suzanne said...

Love this idea and love the fabric you choose. The lime green plays so well against the white -- so classy and clean!

Polly said...

That changes the entire look of the piece. Wow!

Julie said...

Yes, it's a great idea! I'm still searching for a secretary like yours!

Moe said...

Oh I really like this! Found you from Sew Can Do Craftastic Monday!

Christine said...

This is such a pretty piece...Thanks for the tutorial.

Anonymous said...

This looks great and I love your pretty secretary! I've done this same thing in my bookshelves in my den! I love it.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Denise Marie said...

great job!

Lenore @ Lather. Write. Repeat. said...

Love it! What a difference some pretty fabric makes!

XO
Lenore

Sabrina said...

This is super!! I linked to you on my post today as I was doing something similar with contact paper on a bookcase. Here it is:

http://schtuffathome.blogspot.com/2010/08/girl-room-accessories-redo.html

I've done your fabric over foamcore technique also, to line drawers and make a desk into a dresser. Love your site, thanks so much.

Three Birds Inspired said...

I have a large china cabinet that is stained very dark. I love the look of it but you really don't notice the crystal and other items in it because of the walnut stain. This is a great idea that will really highlight the cabinet. I will hit the Dollar Tree, my fabric stash and give it a go!

Anna said...

Oooo! Suzan, please send pictures when you are done. I'd love to see the results.

Casey said...

lovely idea! and I love that it's easy

Kristen said...

It looks great. I love your fabric choice. I have a bookcase that I'm going to try this on. Thanks for the idea!

- Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl said...

Love it! Especially the green fabric. I did a similar fabric insert to my bookshelf, but decided to add batting. Nice to know I can skip that step when I don't have any on hand ;-).

Brittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com

The Single Nester said...

This really looks beautiful. I love the fabric!

Kim -today's creative blog said...

Great idea! Um......I'm feeling a little left out. :)

Unknown said...

What a terrific idea! I'm gonna remember this one! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Anything Related!
{Rebekah}

The House Creative said...

Gorgeous. I love the green pattern. What a fabulous piece.

Karie said...

What a beautiful piece. Thanks for the tutorial.

Robin Ange said...

The fabric is delicious! Love this! You have to link this to my Upcycled Awesome Linky party at http://tinyurl.com/Upcycled10

Twin Inspiration said...

Great tutorial. I love adding fabric to everything I can. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa
www.twininspiration.blogspot.com

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

Anna, this is so cute! I love your idea! And great tutorial! :)

Andrea said...

This is EXACTLY what i need to do! instead of painting that way I can change out the different fabrics for the holidays! Good Job!!

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Stopping by from Sew Much Ado party! I love these and how practical that you can change out with the seasons if you wanted!! Great job!

Unknown said...

Stopping in from Someday Crafts...I've employed the highly technical cover the foam core board and tape technique myself. Check out my window message board at http://froufrugal.blogspot.com to see how I did it. (hint, I used Duct Tape - it's a step up the technical ladder, but still just as affective).

Love your site!

Sachiko said...

Love the fabric! Thank you for linking to my party!

A Whole Lotta Magic said...

So elegant!

Sue
xo

Unknown said...

Wonderful idea! I need to do this to my china cabinet. Looks great.

Sew Can Do said...

I like how it's removable too. Thanks for linking to Craftastic Monday:)

Heather Bredimus said...

Hi Anna! I found your site off of Today’s Creative Blog! I love your craft! You are so talented! I just signed up to be your 177th follower! Woo hoo! I hope you stop by my new blog. I just started it 2 months ago and would love new friends! Please come see me at http://www.modernfamilymagazine.com