A table for the entryway

Months ago I saw this on Pinterest:



101woonideeen

I realize the blog is not in English, but we all get the idea. I saw a few other links of similar tables, and everyone seemed to be purchasing thrift store tables and sawing them in half.

Enter Mr. Cozye...

The way things go in this house, I am in charge of all things decorative and crafty. Usually I can attack these projects on my own, but sometimes, when brute strength is required, I ask for help. My husband grudgingly agrees happily goes along with my plans. Actually, he's a very willing participant, I just tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. :)

This was my entry way before the addition of the table:

I did the faux leather paint when we first moved in. The sconces were a wedding gift (Kohls), and the mirror was a $10 clearance find (Garden Ridge). The entryway, however, is exceptionally wide (~15" from door to wall), and a table right below that mirror just seemed necessary.  

After showing Mr. Cozye the inspiration, we headed down to our friendly neighborhood Lowe's for some supplies. We went with mid-grade lumber (a 1x12, a 1x4, two prefabricated table legs, screws, and some wood stain). After he cut the pieces, I stained them with a beautiful ebony stain (Minwax). We went with the ebony since there was already enough brown with the wall paint.

Measuring & construction complete, the table was mounted to the wall. Here's the table after one coat of polyurethane:

Yes!!! I think it looks pretty spectacular! There were some minor issues and I have a small spot on the wall to repaint, but otherwise it worked out very well. Oh, I should also mention there was a disagreement about whether or not a half-circle hole should be cut in the back side of the table. I ended up successfully pleaing my case and getting the hole. I want to put a Scentsy on the table and REALLY don't want the cat knocking it over. Plus, I think cords look so much better when they're properly contained. Not that I OCD at all. Really.

Once the final layers of poly dry, there will be accessorizing. I will post a final picture when it's done, but this is a good preview:

Oh...and a sneak peek of what's to come in the Cozye household... I was perusing Craigslist today, and came across a FREE PALLET posting!! Mr. Cozye and I have been discussing pallet upcycle ideas, so we jumped in the truck and headed out. Here's our score, 18 nearly-new pallets!!!



 Ohhhhh the plans I have for these guys.....

Because Daddy needs some style too...

In September of last year, two of our (our=me+hubby) friends (a married couple) announced they were expecting a baby in April 2012. I was sooooo excited! These folks are some of the greatest people I've ever met. I think I immediately started formulating a plan for the baby shower & gifts in my mind. Something you have to understand is the soon-to-be daddy is definately not hip with the current fashions or trends. In fact, you might say he's a throw back to another generation entirely. This man, in his early 30's, would actually fit in better in, say, the 1950's. Wait until you see the "after" pictures for his attire at the baby shower. Perhaps then you'll understand.

I digress.

I finally decided that Daddy would need his own bag. This became even more evident when they found out they were having a girl! I could never see this man carrying a pink, frilly, lacy diaper bag EVER!! So, I set out on the search for an appropriate item to repurpose into the most hip, happening Daddy Bag of the bygone generation.

Inspiration would soon be found (lucked into) at a small thrift store in the next town over. It was like the heavens opened and the angels sang. Did you know angels sing a tune entitled "50% off?" I didn't. Until that fateful day that the Crafting Gods bestowed upon me this gem:

Tada!! Size large sheepskin flight vest, cerca 1940. Fully fleece lined and complete with "Made in USA" tag, as well as manufacture tag. The previous owner's name was still inked on the tag (more on that later). I just about stole this baby for $10. Not even kidding.

It sat in my craft room for a few months. I had ideas of how to construct the bag, but I knew it was a one-shot gig. If I messed this thing up, there was no trip to Joann's to replace the goods. So I sat on the project until the week before the shower. I started by deconstructing the parts of the vest. In the end, I had a bunch of leather binding, two lined pockets, the bottom lighter strip of leather, and this main piece:

We sat some more. Then I measured. I loosely based the design on Simplicity pattern 2358 (view A), but really that was just for sizing. The only pattern piece I actually used was for the sides of the bag, and even then it was just to round off the edges. I used the bottom thick band of leather as the sides, and the fleece lined section for the main part of the bag and flap. I did have to sew together a few chunks of the vest to make it long enough. I was nervous at first, since I'd never really sewn leather before. I used heavy duty black thread and a jeans needle in my machine. It seemed to be easier to lay the pieces side-by-side and zig-zag the ends together. So that's what I did.

Here's the proud Daddy modeling his new bag at the baby shower. He put it on as soon as he opened it and started packing more of the gifts inside. I think by this point he had some socks, a dress, a bag of wipes and maybe the car keys stuffed inside. (See what I said about his attire? Totally matches the bag right??)

Oh, and here's the inside flap. I couldn't bear to leave out the original tag from the vest, complete with previous owner information.

Daddy totally loved the inclusion of the tag, plus the info that the original owner was in the US Army during World War II. He was actually part of the D-Day invasion. I did a little online research and found the man's obituary from 2009. Thanks, Chester, for serving our country so well and keeping this vest in such great shape. It's serving a new but important function now!

{tap tap} Is this thing on?

Howdy, and welcome to Cozye Crafts. Should I introduce myself first? My name is Kellye, and I'm a parttime housewife, Independent Consultant with The Pampered Chef, substitute teacher, law enforcement officer, and obsessed crafter. I wear a lot of hats. I guess you could call me a Jack (Jane) of all trades, master of some. At least according to my husband. I love that he thinks I'm amazing at everything I do and anything I try. Personally, I think I just get lucky a lot of the time.

I'm a native born Texan. I grew up in the Austin area and now live with my husband, 2 dogs & cat in a secure, undisclosed location. I graduated with a degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M, and have not held a job that actually relates to my degree since high school.

So the blog title is courtesy of one of my (many) bosses. He calls me "Cozy," which is an abbreviation of my maiden name. One of my friends told me when I opened my Etsy shop I should add the "e," since my first name has an extraineous "e" at the end. I think it's cute and it works. So welcome to Cozye Crafts.

I have no earthly idea what made me think I could start a blog, nor do I have any idea what I want it to accomplish. I guess I need a place to jot down my thoughts. Perhaps I'll share some user reviews on my Pampered Chef products. Oh, and I guess I need to learn how to write a proper craft tutorial. Maybe when I get my craft room organized I'll share some photos of my creative space. There could possibly be a rant or soap box in there as well.

In the meantime, welcome to my little world. I hope you enjoy your time here, and leave some love in the comments. I could use some encouragement. I also take constructive criticism well.