July 2012
2 posts
6 tags
DIY: Paint-chip art
Here’s an easy way to make something spectacular for your walls — paint-chip punch-out art! You need: paint chips, a hole punch, a glue stick, a large piece of heavy weight paper and lots of patience!
I made a picture of a mommy and baby giraffe for my daughter’s nursery.
Start by punching out a whole bunch of paint chips in the shades you want. My suggestion is to pick two...
2 tags
June 2012
1 post
May 2012
3 posts
4 tags
5 tags
DIY: Hand-sewn animal mobile
I wanted Noelle to have a really sweet mobile to watch from her crib. This was a fairly time consuming project (hand stitching takes forever!) but uber fun - I made an animal mobile for the nursery using patterns I found for a giraffe, elephant and owl. I made a whale (no pattern, just eyeballed it) and some hearts, and tied them to grey painted dowels. It’s so light a little breeze sends...
3 tags
March 2012
2 posts
5 tags
DIY: Glider makeover
I wasn’t actually planning to get a new glider for Noelle’s nursery but I was lucky enough to have someone in the office offer me hers. When it was new it probably looked something like this honey/oak glider with beige cushions, but it was a little more worn out and covered with cat hair when I dragged it home in my trunk (7 months pregnant!). Nothing a little paint and new fabric...
February 2012
1 post
January 2012
3 posts
4 tags
8 tags
DIY: Birch tree wall decals
So one of the first projects for the nursery was figuring out wall decor — we painted the walls two shades of grey and I wanted a cool mural or motif on one feature wall. I really liked the idea of bare birch trees since she’s a winter baby and there are some really pretty ones out there but I didn’t want to fork out the $70 for them in case I put them on the wall and decided I...
December 2011
3 posts
4 tags
DIY: Christmas wreath
Time to create and hang the front door wreath! Each year I try to make something with materials around the house (here is last year’s and the year before). I’ve been loving a muted neutral palette lately, so I decided to use some scrap fabric in gold, beige and grey for this year’s wreath.
Materials you’ll need:
- cardboard pieces (cut up the boxes from all the gifts...
6 tags
November 2011
1 post
6 tags
DIY: Baby swing cover
Sometimes I wonder if baby product designers make fabric choices by asking a psychic octopus to select a winner. We’re getting ready to welcome a new baby girl, and some friends gave us their little Bright Starts swing, which I was thrilled about — one less thing to purchase! However I was not thrilled by the baby blue cheesy printed seat cover, so dated and not in keeping with the...
October 2011
2 posts
September 2011
4 posts
6 tags
DIY: Chunky cable knit sweater pillow
Pillows in chunky knits are pretty popular these days (Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom) and I wanted some of my own without having to splurge for them, or spend hours knitting! And this project was surprisingly easy to pull off — all you need is an old sweater and some creative manipulation..
Materials:
- 1 old sweater with a chunky knit pattern
- pillow forms
- tools:...
3 tags
Clothespin lamp shades
I like it when designers turn everyday mundane objects into home decor. Spotted this fun clothespin lampshade at Buenos Aires Design. More variations on this theme..
4 tags
5 tags
August 2011
2 posts
2 tags
3 tags
July 2011
4 posts
5 tags
DIY: Upholstering a wingback chair, part II
In my opinion, the most exciting part of reupholstering starts when you get to put the new fabric back on and you get a first inkling of what your new chair is going to look like.
We left off the last post with our chair stripped down to the frame and padding, here’s what happens next:
- Use the old fabric you just took off the chair as a pattern to cut out all the pieces you need...
5 tags
DIY: Upholstering a wingback chair, part I
I’ve wanted my own wingback in my living room for a while, and had the good fortune to find an old chair on craigslist back in November last year. Yes, that was 6 months ago *awkward cough*. (hey it’s been busy around here!) But finally I got round to working on my chair and it’s finally done! So here goes - part 1 of the process, taking everything apart.
What you’ll...
June 2011
3 posts
5 tags
DIY: Manzanita branch centerpieces, part II
Time to decorate the centerpiece we started in the previous post! Now you have a sturdy manzanita branch stuck in a cemented chinese takeout box, what you do next with this is up to you.
Here’s what I did.
Materials:
- artificial flowers (available at any craft store, I chose an olive-gold hydrangea)
- spanish moss (ditto, one bag goes a long way)
- fabric of your choice to cover the...
May 2011
4 posts
5 tags
DIY: Manzanita branch centerpieces, part I
Almost exactly two years ago, it was a couple of months before my wedding and I remember frantically looking online for a tutorial on how to make some centerpieces out of manzanita branches. I had decided I wanted my branches to sit in a box topped with moss, but wasn’t quite sure how to secure them, and also didn’t have access to a circular saw to build my own boxes. (I still...
3 tags
DIY: Cushion covers
I spent a fun and productive sunday afternoon sewing some new cushion covers! I used some cute leftover chenille upholstery material and as usual with scraps I found I didn’t have enough for two covers. Undaunted, I decided to add a band in a contrasting damask material to give it a more whimsical hand-made flavor.
So here’s how to make your own cushion covers when you don’t...
5 tags
April 2011
1 post
March 2011
1 post
February 2011
1 post
4 tags
DIY: Refinishing an old metal trunk
I think Restoration Hardware occupies a very special niche in the home decor/furnishings market — it’s got a strong masculine aesthetic that appeals to husbands and at the same time preserves a charming rustic feel that appeals to their wives. My husband was hankering after an industrial looking trunk end-table in their previous collection that was just a little bit (a lot bit) out of...
January 2011
5 posts
2 tags
3 tags
3 tags
3 tags
December 2010
5 posts
4 tags
3 tags
3 tags
November 2010
11 posts
4 tags
3 tags
