Designer’s projectsrepurpose castoffsfor a festive tableBy Chantal LamersSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Whether you’re a first-timehostess or seasoned at all thingssoiree, the aspiration is ultimatelythe same: Throw an inspired, in-viting shindig that sets the moodand gets guests swooning. In cele-bration of the impending holidayseason, we asked Design Sponge Senior Editor and freelance interiordesigner Kate Pruitt to share some do-it-yourself tricks for injectingrepurposed castoffs into a holiday tabletop.

The effect is a composed yet laid-back tableau that brims with nov-elty thanks to reimagined salvage finds that convey warm heirloomquality with carefree spirit. “In winter I become drawn to darker,moodier materials, and I wanted to use those elements to create a tablewith a rough yet elegant feel,” says Oakland resident Pruitt. With herfondness for natural and textured materials, wood and cork were obvi-ous choices. To imply the richness of a luxe den, Pruitt incorporated a

Table continues on L4

A feast for do-it-yourselfers

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Design Sponge editor Kate Pruitt transformedan old picture frame into a serving tray.

This holiday table featuresfour DIY projects that upcyclecastoffs, including assortedglassware, mismatched chairs,leather belts and sconces.

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DECORATING

Pruitt shows offcoasters madefrom slicessalvaged woodcovered infabric.

Mike Kepka / The Chronicle

1 Inside: For thestep-by-stepinstructions, seepages L4-L5

Photos by Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

Learn how to force bulbs at one of Studio Choo’s drop-in classes.

By Chantal LamersSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Rather than hit repeat on atypical holiday season of partyhopping, ever-growing giftlists and baking angel-shapedsugar cookies, consider thealternative. When it comes tothe do-it-yourself movement,San Francisco is a crafter’sdream, and there’s no bettertime to take advantage ofseasonal class offerings.Whether you choose to givehandmade presents or simplyutilize class time as a thera-peutic break from the holidaychaos, these artful lessons willlast beyond New Year’s Eve.

Festive floralsPut down the foil-

wrapped poinsettia. In Stu-dio Choo’s floral-centricclasses, taught mainly byowners Alethea Harampolisand Jill Rizzo, you’ll learn totransform fresh stems andfoliage into seasonal wreathsand centerpieces. Start offwith the fundamentals ofarranging, from bloom selec-tion to color palettes, andthen get to work. You’ll learnthe essentials from forming abase of greens to addingfocal flowers and finishingwith wild bits and vines. Ortry your green thumb at

wreath making, where allsorts of greenery and driedbits — from berries to succu-lents, branches and nuts —are fair game. For the non-committal types, considerone of Studio Choo’s 30-minute weekend drop-inclasses on olive oil and herbcocktail infusions, wreathadornment or bulb forcing.Studio Choo at Prairie Col-lective; 262 Divisadero St.,San Francisco; (415) 624-5981;www.prairiecollective.com orwww.studiochoo.com. Callor go online for class times.Classes are $150, drop-insstart at $10.

Classes continues on L6

Homemade for the holidaysCRAFT CLASSES

Q&A: Bravo’s ‘Top Design’judge and author of ‘Hue’ L6

Home&GardenSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | Section L

Golden GateGardener:Solutions forsooty mold L3

Instructions: Take off seat cushionsby removing screws on the undersideof the chairs. Measure seats. Pur-chase enough fabric to cover the seatplus an additional 6 to 8 inches on allfour sides.

Remove old upholstery; inspectfoam. If it appears to be crumbling,add a new layer before recoveringseats. Cover high-density foam withmuslin to create seat shape; add athin layer of batting fabric.

Using fabric scissors, cut pieces ofcloth for each seat. Place fabric onflat surface, centering the seat on topwith underside facing up. One side ata time, pull fabric tightly and staple itto the underside of the seat.

Give the chairs a good dusting andreplace the seats.

Reupholstered mismatcheddining chairsYou can whip up a set of chairs with unifying fabric. (Weadore this combination of wool and tartan.) Choose chairswith similar wood tones and removable seat cushions.

Chairs

Non-stretch fabric

High-density foam, muslin andbatting fabric (optional, asneeded)

Fabric scissors

Staple gun

Photos by Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle; styling by Meg Mateo Ilasco

fitting palette of navy withmodest glints of gold andtouches of bright green.

While appropriate forholiday fetes, the addedappeal of Pruitt’s six (sim-ple to advanced) projects isthat each can be used col-lectively or individuallyyear round. Her instruc-tions also allow plenty ofwiggle room to inject per-sonal taste and interpreta-tion. “If you stick to whatyou love — colors you likeand materials you’re drawnto — it will come together.If dark and moody isn’tyour thing, go with warmand bright and cozy.”

Pruitt, 28, has alwaysbeen resourceful. Growingup, she saw beyond theintention of her father’soffice supplies. Scotch tape,paper clips and the click ofa stapler were all fair gameand ultimately elements inan assemblage of her dailyart projects.

“I’ve always made thingsand I have always lovedart,” says Pruitt. “When Ileft school, I wanted to findsomething creative that Icould do as a career while Imade my own artwork.”After graduating fromStanford University withdegrees in art and art histo-ry, she joined the visualdisplay teams at Anthro-pologie in San Jose andthen Berkeley. “I learned alot in the four years I wasthere about different artis-tic mediums, how to buildstructures and create large-scale installations usinginexpensive, everyday ma-terials.”

About two years ago,Pruitt moved on to pursueher own projects: artwork,reworking found furnish-ings and freelance concep-tual interior design. Shortlybefore making that transi-tion, she submitted a de-sign project for a do-it-yourself contest throughthe blog Design Sponge.Recognizing Pruitt’s easyknack for rethinking foundobjects, the blog’s founderinvited Pruitt to become aregular contributor.

For more on this con-noisseur of salvage, take apeek at her up-and-comingprojects atwww.katepruitt.blogspot.com or read her whimsicaladventures in art and de-sign at Anthology maga-zine (www.anthologymag.com), where she’s an onlineeditor.

E-mail comments tohome@sfchronicle.com.

Feast of projects for do-it-yourselfersTable from page L1

A closer look at three finished products: the serving tray made from a photo frame, stenciled glasses and fabric-covered coasters.

L4 | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

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Instructions: Take a firmpiece of mat or poster board;cut to size of glass. Lay fabricover board, cut to approximatesize of board leaving a 1⁄8-inchoverhang an all sides. Usespray adhesive to attach fabricto board.

To make the handle, cutabout two 6-inch pieces fromthe belt. Use hole punch tomake holes in each side ofleather strip.

Center leather strips onopposite ends of frame, thenmark insert for screw about¼-inch inward to create han-dles. Use drill to insert screws.Attach nuts; attach felt padsto corners. Insert glass andfabric-covered board; replacebacking.

Note: If you have a framewithout glass, take it to aframe shop for new glass anda backing, about $12.

Old picture frame serving trayPruitt utilized a vintage oilcloth on her tray but vintage scarves, photographs andhomemade artwork can be incorporated in this project and swapped out seasonally.

Large picture frame (seenote)

Piece of mat or posterboard

Fabric

Spray adhesive

Narrow leather belt

Hole-punch kit

Four screws and bolts(same depth as thick-ness of belt and frame)

Small adhesive furniturepads

Drill

HOME

Instructions: Trace images onto paper. Ifyou choose to make silhouettes, use a mixof different profiles. Cut image out; tapeimage to the inside of the glass.

Dab pen on scrap paper. Trace theoutline of the image with the pen. Let dry,about five minutes. Dip paintbrush inpaint; paint inside the lines.

Lay glasses flat on soft surface to dry forabout 15 to 20 minutes. If necessary, add asecond coat of paint and let dry again.

To set paint, lay glasses on rack inside acold oven; turn oven to 350 degrees; settimer to 35 minutes. Turn off oven, and letglasses cool inside oven. Glasses will bedishwasher safe.

Mixed silhouette glasswareTake a grouping of plain, mismatched cocktail or wineglasses and quickly create a set by adding a graphic.Think up your own image or check out the Dover Pictori-al Archive (www.doverpublications.com) for copyright-free art and illustrations.

A few sheetsof scrappaper

Glassware

1 jar and 1 penof PebeoVitrea 160glass paintin glossyblack (avail-able at artsupplystores)

Small craftpaint brush

Sconce centerpiecesInterior and exterior sconces not only havegreat shapes, they’re also a bargain at acouple of bucks apiece. Repurpose thesebeauties into functional terrariums and hurri-canes by constructing oversize cork stoppertoppers and bases. Fill with a votive or withbranches, moss or small plants.

Instructions: Measure opening of the sconce ordecanter for which you’ll create the oversize cork.Then measure the height of the wine cork.

Roll out a few inches of contact paper; cutseveral strips of contact paper that are the sameheight as the wine cork.

Remove paper; coil around cork slowly. Makesure top is flush with cork; squeeze firmly as youwind. Continue with strips until oversize cork isdesired diameter.

Place cork on underside of contact paper; trace.Cut out circles; peel away contact paper; place onboth sides.

Plug into base, adjust for stability. Fill as desired.

Glass sconces or wide-mouth decanters

Cork stoppers

Cork contact paper

Scissors

Ruler

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Instructions: Using the kitchenshears, cut belts into 6-inch strips.

Mark position for each snap; usingthe hole-punch kit, hammer a holewhere the snap will go. Add snaps,following kit instructions.

Extra credit: Rub a dab of brownpaint onto shiny brass and silver snapsto match the belts’ aged look.

Leather napkin ringsThe worn, textured nature of afew old leather belts is a sweetjuxtaposition to a silk or cottonnapkin at the dinner table.

Used leather belts (6 inches pernapkin holder)

Kitchen shears

Hole-punch kit

Leather snap kit

Hammer

Brown paint (optional)

The DIY toolboxInspiration is just thestarting point for a DIYproject. We asked KatePruitt for her list ofessential tools for gettingthe job done.

Jigsaw: “I know somepeople are a little shyaround saws, but theblade on a jigsaw is smalland allows for easy ma-neuvering and versatility.You can use it to createall kinds of wood shapes,which will come in handyfor working with furni-ture.”

X-Acto knife and cut-ting mat: “Useful forprecise cuts and small-scale projects. You caneasily cut framing mats,create cut-paper artworkand cut intricate shapesand thicker materialswith much better accu-racy. And for being such aversatile tool, it’s alsoquite small and easy tokeep in a desk or withpens and pencils.”

Glue gun: “A glue gun is great to have around the house.Hot glue can be used on a wide range of materials in-cluding cardboard, paper, wood and all kinds of fabrics.The fast adhesion time allows you to get projects donequickly.”

Cordless drill: “Pick a lightweight drill with multiplespeeds and 14- to 18-volt batteries. With the hugeamount of bits available, drills prove useful when itcomes to working with wood, metal, plastic, and evenceramic and tile.”

A good pair of scissors: “A durable, quality pair of scissors (sharpen regularly) willmake every project easier and result in a much more accurate, precise level of craft. Ifyou work with different materials, purchase a good pair of fabric scissors and a sturdypair of general-use scissors, and don’t mix them up. Ever.”

San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, November 21, 2010 | L5

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Instructions: Cut the 4-by-4into ½- to ¾ -inch-thickpieces.

Sand wood with medium-grit, then fine-grit sandpaperuntil surface is super smooth.

Using a paintbrush, stainwood; let dry. Apply a coat ofsealant or polyurethane; letdry overnight.

Center coaster on fabric,cut fabric slightly larger thancoaster.

Using a clean paintbrush,apply a layer of glue to bot-tom of coaster; apply fabricto coaster; press aroundedges to seal seams.

Note: If you don’t have prop-er wood-cutting tools, take itto a lumberyard (cuts costabout 50 cents apiece).

Salvaged woodcoastersCast-off pieces of woodare a cinch to unearth atsalvage yards (look forpieces without nails orscrews). Otherwise, pur-chase wood at a lumber-yard and stain it toachieve the desired color.

4-by-4 piece of wood

Chop saw or miter (seeNote)

Medium- and fine-gritsandpaper

Stain

Sealant

Fabric

Fabric scissors

Glue

Medium art paintbrushes