How do you solve the dilemma of finding patterned curtains that will match your existing paint colors? Easy. Use the left over paint to stencil your own patterned drapes.
I saw this DIY project over at Apartment Therapy, and I thought it was a creatively, awesome idea. This budget friendly technique gives you unlimited possibilities in helping to tie in your drapery with the rest of your home decor. All you need is some canvas fabric, paint, and just the right stencil pattern.
Once you are done painting your walls, just use the left over paint to do your drapes!
With any DIY project, be prepared to put in some good ole fashion elbow grease.
By no means is this going to be easy. But the payoff can be immensely rewarding.
Voila! You won't have to worry about whether your drapery is going to match your wall colors.
The bench seat against the wall allows for extra people to snuggle up next to one another.
From freshome, they have some great tips on how to creatively accommodate larger dinner parties. Whether you are looking for permanent or temporary solutions, they have a few ideas that can help in any situation.
Get creative. Host your dinner party in a way that you can use some adjacent seating.
Share seating with the adjacent room.
Use dining areas both inside and out. And if you have a view like this, I want to be sitting outside!
At the beginning of January I blogged about wallpaper. I wasn't sure if wallpapers had just gotten cuter or if more and more people were just using it again. I guess it turns out that both are true. I came across an article on Real Simple that mentions how wallpaper is "back in vogue" and they offered a few amazing wallpapers and tips for how to do it yourself, so I wanted to share.
This is the Antoinette Damask by Blue Mountain Wallcoverings. I LOVE pink and black together and I love damask prints so of course I love this one!
This wallpaper is beautiful and really clean looking. It's Joli Trail in Aqua by Thibaut.
How can you really go wrong with black and white? Love the chair too! This is a peel and stick vinyl wallpaper; Black Jack and Ghost Stripes by Brewster.
'Tis the season once again and the world is rummaging through those old and dusty decorations, but we must not forget the infamous Christmas tree. Many want to find ways they can create a tree that is unlike any other. How do you set your tree apart?
Here's a few interesting ideas to spiff up your decor for the holidays:
Match your tree to the decor in your home. You don't have to go overboard with colors, keep it simple.
Make Christmas a little different this year with some DIY projects. If you're tired of the old traditional tree here's a few interesting ideas that will make your Christmas a little more special.
Go green with your Christmas tree by recycling plywood from a construction site.
Use old Christmas lights that you have stored away or find pine cones in your backyard to create a unique Christmas tree.
Come in our store today and check out the new ornaments we have received to add to your Christmas collection.
A. Paper Fan Ornament $3.50 (#086845) B. Slivered Spheres SM: $6.00 (#045661) LG: $8.00 (#045662) C. Kaleidoscope Paper Orbs SM: $9.00 (#086846) MED: $12.50 (#086847) LG: $16.50 (#086848) D. Wood Flower Ball Green $8.95 (#087505) MED: $15.95 (#087506) LG: $30.95 (#087507)
Down the street from High Fashion Home at Barcadia, Alex showcases his mastery with the oversized Jenga tower! Warning: This video is not for the faint of heart.
I am a person who loves to have a project. I enjoy days when there is nothing on my plate, yes. But I'm always looking ahead to the next project I'm going to tackle. Call me crafty, but I love to make things. On my list of things to try: stamp-making, french macaron baking, and Japanese Washi Masking Tape! It's already made its rounds all over the blogs, but I'm loving that there are readymade and homemade options out now. Here's a roundup of some of my favorites:
If you're more of a DIY type (which I am), here are a couple of great tutorials I've found:
This option shows you how to use watercolors to paint your own tape masterpieces. Great for those incredibly talented artists out there. (Not so much me, but I'll give it a shot!) Via Julie K. In Taiwan.
With all of the great fabrics I've collected over the years, I'm antsy to try this option. It's easy and colorful and requires zero skill with a paintbrush... my kind of craft! I found this tutorial at annekata via Creature Comforts (one of my very favorite blogs from which to get inspiration!). Click here to check out a free washi tape download from Creature Comforts as well. That's another one I want to try!
Last but not least, I love this super-cute use of Japanese Masking Tape: twist ties!
The readymade option: Gingham Twist Ties (set of 80) from Marchare on Etsy, $6.50.
It's all fine and good to clean out your closet. I've done it more times than I care to count. But what about turning you closet into something different altogether? Real Simple featured three closets that did just that...
If you can't use bright, funky wallpaper in a closet, you can't use it anywhere! What a perfect little work nook, complete with DIY wrapping paper storage and a light drape to hide it away when guests come!
I can't get enough of book nooks. What a charming alternative to a library! I love the step ladder that folds into a little reading chair.
And I've been spending all of this time looking for a small table on which to perch a bar, when all I needed was an empty closet. Okay, there is a touch of sarcasm there, because I don't have any empty closets with which to recreate any of these transformations, but I won't be living in my apartment forever, and these are lovely transformations, indeed. I love how they mirrored the closet to make it appear huge! Also, a lot of the drawers and such came from IKEA. Great storage, low price!
I wish I had stumbled upon this sooner. My husband's birthday is coming up in a week or so and this would be the perfect cheeky add-on to his present. You see, several months ago, John annoyed me into letting him buy Little Big Planet, which, in my mind, was just another one of his dang video games. He begged me to play it with him- just once- and see if I liked it. And you know what? I did. The main reason I liked it was the main character, Sackboy. He's just oh-so-adorable with his tongue sticking out all the time and his floppy arms.
So, like I said, I would love to make one of these for John, but, alas, I don't know how to knit (well), and I've just got too much other stuff to do. Someday, though. Someday.
Have you started wondering what lifestyle choices you can make to help out the environment? Check out Planet Green's How to Go Green index. So if you were curious about green laundry detergent alternatives or some green decorating tips for your home, their guide will cover A-Z how to make meaningful green changes to every part of your life.
It's always nice to bring a host or hostess a little something to thank them for the entertaining efforts, but rather than picking up a random little something at the store, put your own touch on a gift.
I love reading Creature Comforts- such cute ideas and inspirations. This was one of my favorites: Wrap a couple of matchboxes in cute paper, add a label, tie with ribbon or yarn, and voila! A homemade gift that anyone, regardless of age or sex, can use. Pair it with a yummy candle and you're done!
I love these eye-catching pumps from Dries Van Noten's Spring '08 collection. A-Mazing!
It takes a certain eye to be able to combine patterns that to the untrained eye look nothing alike. I may not have that skill, but I think these pattern combinations may inspire me to try sometime!
Love the varying patterns on these dining chairs. Very eclectic! (I can't remember where this photo came from. If anyone knows please tell me!)
Again, don't remember the source for this, but the combination of patterns is fantastic!
I couldn't pick just one pair of Dries Van Noten shoes, so I added all of my faves! Aren't they stunning? I wish I had a pair (or three)!
Anthropologie is jumping on the pattern bandwagon with their Terai Chairs.
I came across this picture on the Domino website (not sure how much longer it'll be up, be here's the link regardless). I'm not wild about the fabric choices, but I spied the top of the drapes and thought, "How cool! It's a four poster bed without the four posters!" Not only would this look lengthen your room, you can hide away within the fabric on cold nights, and you will never have to worry about banging your foot or elbow or any other body parts on the posts. Add this one to my dream home checklist...
In my ongoing closet revamping project for the new year, I wanted to cover a blank wall in an eclectic variety of hooks to hang incidentals like hats, jewelry, and the occasional pair of jeans. The picture above is my inspiration. All that is left is to buy the hooks and install them. Here are some of my favorite hardware choices:
Row Three: Letter Hooks at Anthropologie (These would be really cute in a kid's room or entryway spelling a name or word!), $16; Traditional Amber Glass Hook at Restoration Hardware, $24; Branch Hanger at Container Store, $20.
Perfect wrapping is a snap. Heidi offers everything you need in one package for your package. It's impossible to mess up! My favorite part is the ombre ribbon.
I know, I know... It's what's on the inside that counts, right? But nice wrapping never hurts either! Part of the fun of giving gifts is making the wrapping cool and artistic- a package that the receiver almost doesn't want to open because it's so pretty. It all starts with the right paper, and you can't go wrong with these:
Inject a little street cred into your wrapping with Monster Doodle paper by Jon Burgerman at Nineteen Seventy Three.
For the "Oh crap! I forgot to wrap your present" moment. Though, you'd better know someone in the UK if you want this, because they don't yet ship to the US. Wavy Stripe Shoe Box by Paperchase.
This would really pop with a bright red ribbon tied around it! Baubles in Blu by Pikku.
For a gift with a side of cheek. You're Welcome by Fish Lips at Verde Paperie.
I love mixing different colors of the same pattern when there are multiple boxes. Play by Eieio Studio.
Now that you have the paper, what do you do with it? Count on Kate's Paperie to tutor you in the art of gift wrap. Now go forth and wrap!
My goal? Not quite, but it is a beauty! Photos via Domino unless otherwise noted.
Who hasn't let out a sigh of frustration at the sight of their closet? I recently took a look at the state of mine and wanted to throw everything out and start over! Though on my budget, that's not an option. Since adding all of my new husband's clothes to my large, but full, closet, we haven't done any organizing. But now it's a new year, and I am determined to make the time. Often, we have an idea of what we'd like the end result to be: A copy of the impossibly perfect closets we see in Martha Stewart Living, but usually I can't get there because I piddle out halfway through the process lacking the necessary inspiration and direction. This time, though, I'm going in with a game plan with a little help from the masters: Domino, House Beautiful, and Martha Stewart.
A mirror or framed picture can spruce up an otherwise bland space.
Step One: Where to begin? House Beautiful had a great tip for that question (and a fantastic article that must be read in full): "Ask yourself: If all of this were gone tomorrow, what would I miss?" Refer to that answer as you clean out the overworn, the ill-fitting, and the uncomfortable pieces. It amazes me that I probably only wear about one-third of the things I own. Every time I purge I still hang on to some things that should have been donated ages ago. With that thought in mind, I can get rid of the things that are just taking up valuable space and make room for some shiny, new things I'll really wear!
Labelled baskets are a closet's best friend!
Step Two: Prepare for the New! Out with the old, in with the new, but not before the closet is prepped and ready for some much needed additions. This is the part where you get inspiration from photos and magazines! I've come up with a few goals I'd like to accomplish: First, to add shelving to the floor space for our shoes and boots. They're closer to my feet that way and easier to see, as opposed to using the over the door rack I have now. Second, I want to use baskets on the top shelf to group items like purses, gloves, hats, etc. keeping them out of sight. Third, I want to remove the extra rod we have and install several hooks to hang belts and bags. Martha Stewart has an article on her website that gives lots more great closet outfitting ideas.
Utilize floor space, because what else will you do with it?
Step Three: Get what you need. For this task, I took some guidance from The Lucky Shopping Manual, tailoring it to my needs. For instance, my job does not require me to wear suits, and I rarely don a cocktail dress, but I do need lots of comfortable flats and dressy jeans. Take a look at what you have and fill in the blanks, but be tough. Don't just buy something to fill a wardrobe hole. Buy it because it looks good on you and makes you feel great. Of course, this can't get done in one weekend. It's an ongoing process. Keeping a list of your needed items handy will make shopping easier when you can get around to it.
The shoes! Oh! The shoes!
Step Four: Organize what you have. Everyone agrees: group your clothes by item, season, and color. My husband's side will be a breeze. Dress shirts, sweaters, slacks, jackets. My wardrobe will pose more of a challenge. I figure I'll begin by separating by season, then item, then arranging by color. I love the look of a color organized closet!
A good wardrobe doesn't have to be big, just versatile.
Step Five: Maintain it! All that hard work will be for naught if I let it fall by the wayside once again. So step five is to clean, reorganize, and, if need be, purge every couple of months. The result? A beautiful closet, an easier morning routine, and a happy husband!
I can't get enough of book nooks. What a charming alternative to a library! I love the step ladder that folds into a little reading chair.
I love these eye-catching pumps from 
Love the varying patterns on these dining chairs. Very eclectic! (I can't remember where this photo came from. If anyone knows please tell me!)
Again, don't remember the source for this, but the combination of patterns is fantastic!
I couldn't pick just one pair of Dries Van Noten shoes, so I added all of my faves! Aren't they stunning? I wish I had a pair (or three)!
This would really pop with a bright red ribbon tied around it! Baubles in Blu by 
A mirror or framed picture can spruce up an otherwise bland space.
Labelled baskets are a closet's best friend!
Utilize floor space, because what else will you do with it?
The shoes! Oh! The shoes!
A good wardrobe doesn't have to be big, just versatile.