Channeling Willy Wonka

I'm totally loving the new Moonlight Garden line at Beacon Hill Fabrics.  Obvi I love bright colors and these are no exception in the bright color category.  No boring fabrics here, that's for sure!

Moon Blossom in Orchid and Midnight

How cool on a lounge chair?

Or as inspiration for a out of this world table setting?

Lioness in Walnut and Indigo

Can you spot the lion in the fabric above.  It's like Where's Waldo.  Such a fun game to play with fabric!  I'm still waiting for lickable wallpaper though. Personally, I'd love to taste snozberries.

I cant wait to get my hands on some of this fabric.  The colors are just itching for a fun bedroom or family room to cover

What do you think, could you live with this fabric?

Spring Throw

Its that time of year again, Spring.  In Boston the weather is a little nutty, one day it can be 70 & sunny, and then the next day its 45 and my bulky jacket is out again.  While it's still too chilly to fling open my windows for long periods of time I still want to bring Spring into my apartment. 

Obviously I love to have fresh flowers, but I often find myself switching out a throw pillow or two to brighten the place up as well.  Throw pillows are easy to switch out, can be inexpensive and are easy to store when you aren't using them.  They are a simple way to change the look of a whole space.

So on this lovely Spring day, here are some new throw pillows I've got my eye on 

L-R: Cancun Floral, Openwork Ramie, Contra Turquoise, Orange Boucle, Berry Peridot, Caitlin Wilson Mustard Signature,  Peacock Betwixt, Watermelon Trellis, Spring Pillow, Caitlin Wilson Peacock Scallop, Ivory Jute Braid, Paradise Bird

Any combination of these can create a new look bedroom or family room in less than 5 minutes. Here are a few I put together

Tell me, how do you bring Spring into your home this time of year??



PS- no IDEA how I missed this... House Beautiful named my painted kitchen drawers post as one of their top 5 blog posts a few weeks ago.  So excited!! Thank you House Beautiful!!

tulips no more

Awhile back Bailey of Peppermint Bliss posted about her love of this tulip fabric that she wanted for her little girls nursery.  Sadly it had been discontinued.  But, she is resourceful and found a way to make it all hers. 

As seen in Bailey's little girls nursery. LOVE!

Anyway long story short, I didn't think much of it then but now I keep seeing it I really want some of my own and I HATE that I can't have it.   The design is by Paule Marrot and was made by Bruschwig & Fils. I remember seeing its pretty colors at the design center way back when and I'm so mad at myself that I didn't get it then.  Figures, right? 

Brian Park Photography

Brian Park Photography

House and Garden magazine via Stylecourt

 

Katie Rosenfeld Design

Paule Marrot

My only hope of this pattern is to get this print by The Well Appointed House, but its just not the same. Sad Face.

love me some amrapali

I have a real soft spot for this Designers Guild fabric (and it comes in wallpaper too!)

The colors in it are all my favorites and the large flowers on the white background makes my heart melt.  I think I tend to love things that are out of my price range that I cant have.  Some kind of sick self torture or something.

Since I was already in a dream world I put together this cutie pie little reading nook.  It is totally not budget friendly.  

I'm  totally craving color and pattern lately, can you tell?

Happy Friday Everyone!

Designers Guild Amrapali wallpaper

Stark Leopard No Rose Rug

Blue Howell Leather Wingback chairs from Anthropologie @ $2,498.00 each

Baroque Style Giltwood Mirror from 1stdibs @ $6,300

Burton ottoman from Jayson Home & Garden @ $1,195

Penguin Classic Books @ $20.00 each

DIY Beach Towel Weights

On the 4th of July a few of my friends and I decided to pack up and head to the beach.  The Plum Island beach we were headed to is just over an hour drive from our apartment, so being the planner that I am I packed our beach bag the night before.

As I was getting our towels and large sheet in the bag I remembered the last time I went to the beach it was windy and I kept having to fix the corners of my sheet because they were constantly flipping sand at me- hated that!  My crazy crafty mind went into overdrive and I decided to whip up a little DIY project at the last minute. 

I was going to make my own beach towel weights / clips / tacks / whatevers.

I already had all the materials I needed: sewing machine, a bunch of small rocks (I had some small rocks in my potting closet, any small rocks would do), and fabric.

After deciding solid colored bags wouldnt do, I went with a nautical navy and white stripe design.  About 2 hours later, I had 6 rock bags ready to go!

The queen size sheet is held down perfectly with 6 weights

We just happened to have a small mailing scale at home, so I used that to make sure each rock bag was the same weight.  I also wanted to make sure they were heavy enough to hold down a sheet, but light enough that they were not a pain to carry. 

Once I finished making the towel weights, I realized I couldn't just carry them to the beach like that.  They needed a coordinating bag

With the left over fabric I made the coordinating striped bag to hold the 6 weights in.  I lined it in a bright yellow canvas to make it sturdy and finished it off with a coordinating yellow drawstring.

All in all this last minute project took about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  If I had decided to make them a solid color and not striped, this project would not have taken longer than an hour.  Either way, if you can sew a straight line this is a super easy DIY project that is sure to impress your friends at the beach- mine were  impressed for sure.

sew updated

Can you tell I'm tapped out on coming up with cute title names? sorry.

After I made my ottoman covers I decided it was time to make new pillows for my sofa too.  Since I already had the sewing machine out, it was now or never.

I got this fabric awhile ago and it was just waiting for this project.  It's kinda like a thin scarf material, so I needed to back it with fusing first, and then I got to work sewing piping and backed the pillows with a bright orange cotton fabric.

Ta-da!

I love that they have some pink in them, bringing in some of the color from the new ottomans.  They also have my favorite ORANGE, as well as some teal to tie int he walls, some navy to tie in the zig zag pillows, some neon to get my neon fix, and a mix of other pretty colors.

don't mind the bookcases- they need major HELP.

See my cute little monogrammed Lucite bench there- I just love it.

So there you have it, the new look of my family room. 

My husband asked how long we will be living with this look, I told him not to worry he will have another look to enjoy in about 3-6 months. 

Lesson #1 and a new skill

Lesson #1- and the ONLY lesson that should be on repeat in my ADD brain- MEASURE, and MEASURE again (and once more if your name is Lindsay) before cutting any fabric, wood, string, ribbon or floss for that matter.

Despite what I wrote in my ottoman post, the sewing project was not without its hiccups.  All that pretty orange piping I made and painstakingly pinned around the edge, being ever so careful to do the perfect job on my first big girl sewing project was a big, fat, FAIL.

Why? You ask. See Lesson #1.

When I measured the 15x15 top, that really meant 15x15 and NOT 15.5x15.75. The top of my slipcover was too big. oops. 

In between screaming expletives and throwing things I realized that I could turn my big, fat FAIL into a new pillow.  I saw the light.

look how pretty

If I'm being honest, the light came a few days later and I did find my mistake balled up in the corner of the family room.

But at this point I was fresh faced and ready to make my frown turn upside down.  I even took out the instruction book that came with my sewing machine and taught myself how to make BUTTON HOLES.

How did I not have this skill before?  I want to put button holes in everything now!

one more picture because I'm so proud

Look, orange buttons! Shocker, I know.

So my friends, that is Lesson #1 and how I turned it into a new skill.

Mr. Elephant wanted to pose with the pillow.

Have a good weekend everyone!!


PS- don't forget about the Joss & Main $150 GIVEAWAY- enter HERE.

New Outfits

I finally finished the slip covers for my Ikea ottomans and I love how they came out!  I cant believe I waited so long to make these.

Here is the before post in case you were wondering what they looked like before

And now here is the after

Hard to tell in these photos (not sure why, because you can totally tell in person) but the orange piping came out perfect!

I got that elephant vase to use at our wedding reception,  I love it and have been keeping fresh flowers in it ever since.

Super close up

They are bright and cheerful and just what I wanted.

I made a pillow in the same fabric for the side chair, and also made pillows for the sofa in a coordinating fabric. I am obsessed with the new pillow fabric- I cant wait to show them to you!

Since these covers were so much easier than I thought I think I'll have to whip up a few others- you know, just so I have choices and all

new clothes for the ottomans

When the husband and I moved into our apartment we had a couch and one chair. One trip to Ikea later and that all changed because we came home with two of these Solsta Pallbo ottoman/stool things. Perfect for extra seating.

The plan from the beginning was to recover them in something brighter than the natural colored slipcover they came with.  As you can see, we had them for 3+ years before I got around to it.

You can see them again here, right near my cute elephant friend

I think waiting to recover them was mostly due to the fact that I can never make up my mind when picking out a fabric. I'm my own biggest nightmare sometimes.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I found this fabric with the perfect bold design and fell in love.  There were just 4 yards left, it had to be mine.

You cant really tell from this photo, but its HOT pink on a white background- (why are my colors off?  ugg damn camera)

One other factor- this is my first recover/slipcover project.  I know it's an easy project, but my sewing skills pretty much begin and end at basic pillows.  AND to make things more difficult for myself I decided that I needed to add contrasting piping to the top.

Of course its orange, would you expect anything else from me? 

BTW, I made the piping myself and yea, I'm proud of it.  It was super easy and I can't believe I didn't teach myself how to make it before!

The sewing is far from perfect, so don't look too close.  I was not very good at keeping things even or cutting straight lines with this project- so it was alot of trial and error at my sewing table.

Once I got the piping pinned and stitched in place, it was time to turn it over and add the sides.

all pinned and ready to sew

Just making sure I have enough at the bottom to hem...with my luck I'd come up too short if I didn't measure, remeasure and remeasure again.

I'll leave you to ponder that part of the project for the weekend.  I'll be back next week to show you the finished result.  You're going to love it.  (at least I hope)

Hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!!

hoarding, LindsB style

I went fabric shopping again.  I know I sound like a broken record...fabric shopping, tray painting, I painted a box, blah, blah, blah.  It seems I only know how to do 3 things around here. 

I swear I know more than that!

Tell me what ones I need Be my enabler on this path to hoarding, which ones do I need?

This might be my favorite but I can't put my finger on why.  I think it kinda reminds me a Josef Frank fabric 

Looks like I puked up a rainbow and apparently I like looking at vomit because this one makes me happy.

Now that I look at this again I dont think I need this one...I dont have much gray and yellow going on in my house. 

Pretty colors- I think I need this one.

It has orange, which means I automatically like it.  You know, how you like one kid better than the other, kidding...how you like one color more than anothers.  

I already have this one in a HOT pink colorway.  It's hot.

I just liked the pattern on this one, it goes from back to white with pretty oval dots in between.  Dots gettin fancy now.

Its like Sophies choice.  Which one do I take?  Can I possible take them all?

"pulled" from the files

Creative ideas get pulled from so many different sources.  The pros portfolios, print magazines, online magazines and blogs are an endless source of inspiration for me.  

While going through some of my favorite portfolios I stopped short when I came to this picture from Eileen Kathryn Boyd

I love those green ottomans and the ring pulls!

When the husband and I first moved into our apartment I picked up a pair of these Ikea ottomans to have some extra seating around.

That Plain Jane canvas is just itching for a makeover.

A light bulb went off! With a few yards of fabric and cabinet hardware, my Plain Jane Ikea ottomans can look like Eileen's fancy green ones.

Off I went to do a little online shopping at two of my favorite sources (Lewis & Sheron Textile and MyKnobs.com, which BTW aren't to the trade only, so everyone can buy at these sites- WINNING) and came up with a few fabric/ hardware combinations that would update those ottomans in no time

HL Belami in Raspberry and Cup Pull

 Leeds in Graphite and Ring Pull

 Sudan in Sage and Bar Pull

 Rave OD in Mandarin and Acrylic Bar Pull

Anatolia in Gunmetal and Bail Pull

Nepal in Citrus and and Brass Ring Pull



Now if I could just narrow it down to one choice for my ottomans.


So, what are your favorite ideas pulled from the inspiration files? 
Do share!