DESIGN SHARE

Happy Mothers Day

2012-05-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Don't Burst my Bubble

2012-05-10T11:10:00.001-07:00

This secretly thrills me to no end! If you know who he is, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't know who he is, google him and find out. Floating away in my bubble......

Where the Wild Things Are

2012-05-08T17:34:00.002-07:00

I Just heard Maurice Sendak passed away this morning at 83 years old. One of the most beloved childrens authors of all time, his books were definitely a big part of my childhood.

But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go - we’ll eat you up - we love you so!”
And Max said, “No!”
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved goodbye.”

Goodbye, Mr. Wild Thing

Shades of Target Designer Product Launches Past (or, look who's launching a line!!)

2012-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Remember the major hype that overshadowed the Missoni product line for Target last September, and before that the Calypso St Barth line? Wellllll, I predict that this October, we may see that kind of activity again. Will we experience the hours (all day) long website crash that occurred when Missoni went live? We just might, as this October marks the launch of none other than the Nate Berkus for Target line!!!! I. CAN'T. WAIT! I predict lots of natural fiber textures, chevron prints, clean lines and a few quirky objects thrown in. I know I will be there the morning the line launches, will you?

A few sneak peeks........

***UPDATE*** Looks like this is to be a multi-year partnership coming on the heels of Target ending it's 13 year partnership with designer Michael Graves.......hmmmm, vedy intrestink *said in my best Eastern European accent*

Hand Printed Slipcover for Vintage Settee

2012-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

All right, let me just tell you, I am THRILLED with the result of my recent slipcover endeavor. Remember the vintage settee I wrote about here, here and here? Well, I am finally finished and can't wait to show you how it turned out!! I actually finished this back on April 17th, but I took so many pictures, I had to go through them all, decide which ones were best and get them loaded on the laptop. Plus, for every project I write about, there are roughly ten others on the sidelines in various stages of progress. I twirl a lot of plates! I will let the pictures mostly speak for themselves, but I have to say again, this project turned out better than I had expected! I am so, so, so happy with the result. So here is a recap:

Started with this

Inspired by this

and this

via

Made this stencil

Printed this fabric

(six and a half yards of heavy white canvas)

Most of my fabric pieces had to have a curved shape, either cut on the bias or cut actually curved on the fabric itself.

This is an 'interior' shot of how I put things together. Even though I cut curves into the pieces, some parts still needed a dart here and there to ease the curves along. Here you can see some of those extra seams. This thing has more nips and tucks than Joan Rivers!

And made a slipcover

Not one to shy away from detail, I even printed the underside of the cushion platform.

So there you have it!

I wish I could give you a step-by-step sewing tutorial, but my methods are a bit in-exact, what I refer to as 'hack and slice.' I really just draped the fabric roughly in it's place, lightly drew the outline for that piece on the settee (back, side piece, backrest, cushion pieces, etc.)cut it out, and pinned it all together before sewing to make sure it fit together properly. Because I printed my own fabric, six yards was enough since I wasn't having to match up the print on any two pieces. Cost breakdown: $40-61/2 yards of white canvas, $8-one quart of interior, flat paint in Grape Jelly by Martha Stewart and $5.99-two packs of stencil vellum. Settee was free. So based on the price of the couch I listed above as an inspiration for this, I saved $5946.01!! Ay, that's a lot of paisley! I will write later about some other changes I made to this area as a result of the slipcover being finished. As they say, one finished project prompts 5 others! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like the settee; I really, really love it!

Sharing at these fab blogs. Go check them out!
Addicted2Decorating
Serenity Now
Homemaker on a Dime
Under the Table and Dreaming
Brassy Apple
DIY Showoff
Domestically Speaking
The Shabby Creek Cottage
DIY by Design
Someday Crafts
Beyond the Picket Fence
Momnivore's Dilemma
Miss Mustard Seed
Chic on a Shoestring
Between Naps on the Porch

Fun at the County Fair

2012-04-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't been to a county fair in about 15 years and never with my kids, so when the Pima County Fair rolled into town, we decided it was high time to get ourselves to it! It's funny, nothing has changed much. It's all the same greasy but good food, same games that ~~are~~ ~~a complete rip off~~ no-one ever wins, and same crazy, vomit inducing rides that I stopped being able to ride waaaay back when I was still a 'kid.' We stuck to the roller coaster type rides, the ferris wheel and a few others. Of course the 13 year old was begging me to go on 'The Zipper.' I had to explain that if I rode the Zipper, I would probably puke in his lap midway through the ride, so he changed him mind about that one. Really the only thing that has changed is the way they accept ride 'tickets.' There are no longer tickets...it's a card loaded up with how ever many ride tickets you purchase, and the ride operators have an electronic reader/scanner that deducts the amount of tickets needed for that particular ride from the card. Pretty easy, but I quickly lost track of how many ticket we had used or were left on the card. Anyway, we had a great time and may go back again before the fair rolls out of town on it's way to a strip of vacant land somewhere near you!

Ya gotta have the ice cream with the sprinkles!

Yum

2012-04-22T11:09:00.001-07:00

If you like coconut and/or macaroons, try this ice cream!! It's from Haagen Dazs, so you know it's rich and creamy....... Just don't look at the calories!

Seriously, It. Is. So. Good!

Slipcover Progress

2012-04-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to keep you guys in the loop as far as the progress I am making on a slipcover for my vintage curved settee...yes, I said Progress! A couple of sneak peeks:

This is the current state of affairs in my living room. It's worse than it looks in this picture....much worse! Loose thread everywhere, straight pins all over the place, several pairs of scissors lying around, but it's a productive mess, so....

This is the stencil I cut specifically for this project. As you can see, I am using purple to print the fabric. I am having to cut the pieces first, print the fabric, then pin it all together before sewing, which is why I haven't finished yet! But it will be done soon......very soon!

My blog friend Michelle told me this would be a challenging piece to slipcover because it has a curved back and seat, and she was right! She would know about re-upholstering tricky curves and tight spots...see her amazing chair makeover here. I felt a bit like an engineering degree would come in handy in figuring out all the curves and angles and how they fit together. Needless to say, I ripped a lot of seams! It's a good learning curve, though.......get it? Learning curve....*cymbal clash*

And it's all coming together.

I hope **fingers crossed** to have it finished today. I am really excited to have it finished and checked off the to-do list.

Stay Tuned!

Going For It

2012-04-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Remember the vintage curved settee I posted about here?

Well today I am tackling that beast and attempting to make a slipcover for it. You know how you always have a certain minds eye picture of what the finished product will look like? I only hope it comes out looking half as good as it does in my head!

I got six yards of heavy white canvas for $6 a yard and I am printing the fabric myself using a stencil I cut.....again, in my head it will look fabulous!

This piece is tricky because of the curves and I have never slip-covered such a tailored piece before. It is really well made so just getting the tailored skirt off was a real pain in the arse!

There were about a million upholstery nails in that thing so I had to use my pliers and puuuulll with all my strength to get that skirt off!

It's not the easiest thing to heft around either...awkward shape so it tends to tilt and pivot exactly when you don't want it to.

ANYWAY...I'm going for it. I printed a test of the stencil I cut for this and I think it's going to look soooo good. Well, at least in my head...............

Wish me luck!

Lazy Afternoon

2012-04-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

The weather in Tucson is gorgeous today! Nothing better than being outdoors on a day like this.

Inspired by the newest television ad for Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau Fragrance, I took a nap in a lush meadow brimming with wildflowers.........

.......... on horseback.

I woke up so refreshed and my horse was happy too, because he got to munch on all the flowers! I got a *little* sweaty after napping in the blazing sun....on horseback....but not to worry, I had my giant bottle of Daisy Eau with me, 'cause I carry that stuff everywhere....even on horseback....so I just dabbed a little behind my ears....and under my arms.....(it stung a little!) and smelled as fresh as the flowers! Then I rode bareback all the way home feeling like I had just emerged from a dream..............Oh lazy afternoon naps on bareback horses, how I love you!

Sitting Pretty

2012-04-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

I am loving this brightly enameled Faux Bois garden chair.........

Via

I would like to upholster the cushion in this fabric

Via

or this


HayesTone Design

And sit here.....

And drink this.....

Care to join me?

Outside Right Now.....

2012-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

.......this is happening.

A crazy riot of spring color!! And wouldn't this make the most gorgeous wallpaper pattern?!

Like this.....

Happy April!

High Style in Low Places: Rugs @ HomeGoods

2012-03-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

I go to HomeGoods a lot. They are my go-to source for interesting items to stage a tabletop vignette or for cool mirrors, bedding and bathroom stuff. The one thing I never really did shop there for were rugs. I would always check out the rugs and be disappointed to find some pretty tacky or downright ugly examples. I am happy to report, on my recent trip there, I spied some beautiful, colorful and on-trend rugs that were well priced. To wit:

I was drooling over both of these rugs! They are 8x10, thick wool pile and GORGEOUS!! And at $399, not totally out of range. Right on par with all the Ikat prints I've been seeing.

There were several flat weave rugs with Suzani patterns that were only $49.99 for a 5x8

And while not usually one to gravitate to animal prints, I really liked these two, of the same print, in different colorways. Again, thick wool pile, 5x8 and $199 each.

I really wish I needed a new rug right now! Does anyone switch out rugs as if they were throw pillows?! I might start doing that.....

Thanks for stopping by

Goodwill Goods::Objet d'art

2012-03-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Over the past six months or so, I have amassed quite a treasure trove of interesting objects from Goodwill. I am going to start a new series to share them all with you; Goodwill Goods. I will share the object, how much I paid for it, how I changed it to fit my design (or not) and how I'm using it now. Here is the first of the series.........

Found this way cool acrylic 'block' for only $1.99

What caught my eye was the shape and heft of it. It's about two inches thick.

I really liked that it was clear, but the acrylic had a few noticeable scratches on one side, so I decided to add pattern to that side to camouflage the scratches.

Found this funky paper...

Whipped out the Mod Podge...

Et voila!

I use this in many of the small tabletop vignettes I have around and it always adds a dose of geometry, color, pattern and interest.

Stay tuned for more Goodwill Goods!

A Nice Surprise

2012-02-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

While checking my stats on the blog today, I noticed a lot of traffic coming from....HGTV?! So I clicked over and sure enough, there was a link to one of my projects on the HGTV Canada blog page!! I know HGTV produces a lot of their shows in Canada, but I didn't know they had a different website than the one seen here. A big shout out to our neighbors in the Great White North!

Go Here, scroll down and click the link that says 'Floor Mat/Rug alternative' to revisit my floorcloth ideas. I honestly had NO idea, when I wrote that post, that it would garner the kind of attention it has received, but I'm gonna keep riding this wave as long as I can!! Maybe HGTV stateside will be next? Who knows....anything is possible! Have a great weekend.

Valentine Cuties

2012-02-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

Pink.

Ah, the color of love....the first blush of romance. I've written about my love for pink here and here. But this year, I'm doing Tangerine for Valentines Day. Literally.

Instead of the usual chocolate, my loved ones are getting these Cuties. They came right out of the bag with these stickers already on them, so I'm going with it!

Oh, all right, I'll throw in some chocolates, too!

And just so I don't completely slight the face of tradition, here are a few images of pink. Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day!

seen here

seen here (different holiday, but would work for Valentines Day also!)

seen here

will be posting about this stool makeover soon!

P.S. As I'm writing this, it's snowing in Tucson, AZ.!

Have a Seat

2012-02-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

I recently 'inherited' this vintage curved settee from a neighbor. It was sitting in her driveway waiting to be picked up for donation, so I asked if I could have it, and she said yes!

This sucker is heavy and solid as a rock! The upholstery has seen better days, but even so is still in pretty good shape for it's age. I will definitely take the skirt off to modernize it and instead of re-upholstering completely, I think I'll do a slipcover. This piece is exceptionally well made from a furniture company out of Pasadena, CA ( I lived in Pasadena when I was first married and our son was born there!)

Another reason I want to do a slip cover as opposed to re-upholstering is because of the filling.......

It says Cattletail and Hog Hair! I don't even know any furniture company that uses cattletail and hog hair stuffing anymore! Of course, I am aware of the Hastens horse hair filled mattresses which cost an arm and a leg......Anyway, I can see potential for a huge mess in trying to open up the cushions for reupholstering, so that's why I'm slip-covering instead.

I think I want to go in this direction....

A bold, graphic print combined with the retro shape could be really cool. Or maybe an airier and curvy print would work better........

Via West Elm

Yea, I think I really like the paisley print. What do you think?

A rough draft

Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me...........

Wish me luck!

A few cool things......

2012-02-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

I saw a few neat-o items while checking out a local second hand shop.

First up, there was an entire case of genuine Lab Glass beakers, bottles, vials and decanters. I LOVE the industrial look of lab glass.

There had to be over 100 pieces of lab glass in all different shapes and sizes. I imagined making some kind of wacky cool chandelier out of the bulb shaped ones......

sorry it's blurry, it says $14.95

.....but this was the least expensive one and I would need a lot of them to make a wacky cool chandelier, so had to scrap that idea. Fun to look at, though.

Next, I saw a beautiful Czecho-Slovakian lusterware snack/tea set. It was only $30 and in great condition. I didn't purchase it, but now wish I had.

It was a set of eight tea cups with plates in a beautiful orange and yellow combination with a touch of gold around the rims. Really cool set.

The luster was soooo pretty! Pure swirly iridescent goodness.

This was the makers mark on the back. I had never heard of P.A.L.T. before. After a quick google search, I learned this set did have some value higher than the $30 price tag it carried. Not sure of the production date, but obviously made prior to the 1993 split of the two republics. Still kicking myself I didn't buy it........

So, wound up walking out empty handed, but richer for having seen these cool items. You just never know when or where you'll find an idea.

What have you seen out and about lately?

Thanks for visiting today!

Come on Over.........

2012-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everybody! Today I'm a guest blogger over at 'Or so she says' a great blog featuring ideas, tips, tricks, tutorials, recipes and more, by women, for women and about women (but I'm sure men will enjoy it too!) They are featuring my post on floorcloths, so go check it out, and while you're there browse around a bit.....there are some yummy sounding recipes! Hope to see you there and a huge thanks to Mariel for the feature!

xoxo,

Hi-Low Highball

2012-01-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

So, we've all seen some version of the High Low Project where designers try to re-create a high end look using products that appear very similar, if not identical to their more expensive counterparts. I love trying to recreate an expensive look on a limited budget and even if cost wasn't an issue, I think trying to get a 'look for less' forces creative thinking. Some of my very best ideas have come from not having a large budget! Even if you can't make it yourself, there is always a less costly alternative on the market. Take for instance these glasses from Nason&Moretti out of Murano, Italy.

Available Here

Gorgeous, right? They better be @ a set of 12 for $1,140. Okay, they *are* Murano mouth blown crystal, but I would probably be afraid to drink out of them for fear of having to wash them...by hand... and dropping them from my slippery, wet, soapy hands to shatter into pieces. $95 bucks down the drain. Now, if I knew how to blow glass, I would attempt to make these myself, but since that is not the case, I get my drinking glasses from other sources.

I've had a long standing tradition to buy only one or two glasses at a time, creating a mismatched collection that are all alike in the fact that they are all different. I usually get mine at places like Homegoods, Ross, Pier one and World Market. In fact, I recently picked up a pair at Pier One on sale. They were originally $7.....

Good....

Better....

Best!

Only $1.68 each and in case you don't have a calculator handy, that's a savings of $93.32 per glass over the Murano tumbler set! Wowza...I could buy 678 of these for the same $1,140!!! But of course what would I do with 678 glasses?! Hmmm....I *could* start that party planning/decorating business I've been thinking about........food for thought.

Here are a couple of shots of my collection of drinking glasses me and my kids use every day, not one of which I paid more than $3.99 for at any one of the stores mentioned above.

I find them to be just as beautiful and ever more usable than their Hi-Ball cousins.

So just remember, you CAN have it all....for less! Now I'm off to find a glass-blowing class...

Cheers!

Conspicuous Style

2012-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

A big 'ol shout out to Stacy of Conspicuous Style! Stacy was recently featured as a guest on The Enchanted Home and in addition to showcasing her own amazing style, she did a roundup of some of her favorite ideas from other bloggers, one of which was my Tablecloth becomes Floorcloth project. She even called it one of her all-time favorites! That is quite the compliment coming from Stacy who has crazy gorgeous, glamorous and impeccable style. And wasn't it so sweet of her to include other bloggers in her guest post? It was her spotlight and she chose to share it with others....Conspicuously awesome. Thanks Stacy!

Please Pardon our Mess During Construction

2012-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven't posted in almost an entire month and while I have enjoyed the unannounced break, I do feel a certain urge to get back in the saddle. I did not intentionally take a break, but life got in the way, ya know? I had been house-sitting for a friend for the past six months -- not an easy feat with kids in tow...'don't touch that!' 'that's not ours!' 'leave that alone!'--but it was time for the homeowner to return from her contract position in another state, so we had to find new digs by Christmas!

We all know Christmas is such a busy time of year anyway, but add moving in to the mix and you have almost certain multi-tasking overload! Needless to say, moving is NEVER fun, but the promise of having our own space again was a key motivational factor. It meant we could finally get our stuff out of storage and it would be like a double-whammy Christmas! All the excitement of presents under the tree AND unpacking boxes of all the stuff from our old house, well it seemed like a win-win!

We got all the paperwork in order, put down a deposit, signed the lease and we were in the door on Dec. 20th, with just a few days to spare before Christmas. The kids were thrilled to unpack their boxes and the house was filled with shouts of happiness at a toy or book being re-discovered. It was great, if also completely chaotic, stressful, nerve wracking and exhausting. It is no wonder then, that on Christmas Eve I became violently ill with a stomach flu!! My daughter got the same flu two days later....and my son, two days after her. It was a whole lot of puking and it wasn't pretty! We all got over that...luckily it wasn't long lasting, just gross....school started back up and the schedule normalized a bit. I started arranging furniture, hanging pictures and unpacking boxes which takes up a lot of time apparently because I wasn't getting much else done: laundry, eating properly, blogging......you know, all the basics. Then, just for fun, I decided to get Strep Throat. Ay carumba, it hurt! I became a handwashing fiend in my determination to not. let. my. kids. get. strep! One round of Amoxicillin later and all is well.

So all this to say, I have a good excuse for the hiatus, but I'm back now and as I'm still getting settled in and trying to make order out of this chaos (!) I may not post as frequently as I would like, but I will get back into the swing of things very soon and I do want to thank each and every one of you for your comments and encouragement. It simply makes my day when I get a nice comment from a reader or gain a new follower. I have some pretty cool projects to show you coming up, so don't forget to check back! Meanwhile, here are a few shots of my new place in progress...or lack of.

Everything just got thrown into the room as it came off the storage pod.

This is every single pillow insert and piece of foam in my arsenal. My kids entertained themselves all afternoon jumping headfirst into the pile! It doesn't look like it in this photo, but the pile was about 5 feet high.

More chaos....yes that's faded paint on the walls and yes it's salmon pink! But I have the go ahead to paint, so that will happen soon.

The living room is pretty big so there will be the chance to arrange several seating groups. These walls are pale ballerina pink which oddly doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. The homeowners really liked pink! It's one of my favorite colors too, when it's done right.

The first thing I hung on the walls was this group of mirrors....I like the direction it's going....and again, the pale pink might grow on me.

See you soon....

Quick, Cheap & Easy!

2011-12-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

It's the trifecta of DIY projects and at this time of year, aren't we all looking for quick, cheap and easy solutions to holiday decorating? I am not in my own space right now and in fact will be moving over the Christmas break, so my decorating has been bare bones minimum. We do have a tree (artificial) which my daughter convinced me to buy. Goodwill was having their yearly 50% off every item in the store sale, so the tree cost only 12 bucks! Since all my ornaments and other Christmas accoutrements are in storage, I had to decorate the tree using found objects, second hand ornaments and a garland I made using craft paper sheets, a craft punch, fishing line and hot glue. I really like the way the garland turned out and it would be a great to make for other occasions as well. It went really quick, was very cheap and couldn't be easier, so I wanted to share with you guys. Most of you will have already done your decorating, but this could be a last minute bit of bling to add to your tree, banister garland, mantle decoration or wherever!

Found these great prismatic and glitter paper packs at Target in their scrapbook section, only .99 cents for a two pack. Cost so far: $2.97

Using a craft paper punch in a fluted edge pattern, I punched out dozens of disks in all three colors of paper I had. Paper punch was on sale for $7.00

Then using fishing line and a hot glue gun, I glued the disks on in a random color pattern. Since garland tends to twist and turn, I made the disks double sided which also gave the fishing line a place to be glued in. A disk of paper right side down, a dollop of hot glue, the fishing line run through the hot glue and another paper disk, right side up, on top. Easy and it goes really fast when you make an assembly line. I made about 30 feet of garland in less than an hour. Fishing line was $2.99 and I have hundreds of feet left for other projects.

All the other ornaments were either from the thrift store or stuff I had around already. Another r e e e l l y easy thing I did was throw some mini glass ornaments in a hammered silver bowl I got at Goodwill for $2.99 The mini ornaments cost more than the bowl at $5.99 for a pack of 50! Rocket Science? No. Beautiful? Yes!

LOVE the way it gleams and the bowl reflects the ornaments, doubling the sparkle! So, just a few quick, cheap and easy tricks I used to brighten up my holiday. Here's to ho ho hoping your holidays sparkle and shine!

West Elm Wish List

2011-12-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Wanna win $5,000 worth of products from West Elm? As if anyone would say no! Well, get over to their site, start a wish list and you are automatically entered! Check it out here. It's so fun to pretend to be shopping for all new stuff to make a gorgeous home and the chance to win some of it is even better! But hurry....it ends December 31st.

Here are a couple of things I added to my wish list, in case anyone wants to indulge me :-)

here

These are just a *few* items I loved from West Elm. What would you wish for?

Holy WHAT!??!

2011-12-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

NOOOOO.....!!!!!! This makes me very sad and confused :-(
Word is, The Nate Berkus show is to be cancelled......BOOO! You can read the whole story here

Via

The whole reason I started this blog was after going on the Nate Berkus Show a year ago last November and meeting some great people who had blogs. I really didn't know about the whole world of design blogs until I dove in and got started with my own, after being inspired by the people I met and of course, Mr. Berkus himself.

I had sooo much fun and Nate was so friendly and cute!

Well, Nate, we will miss you, but I'm really hoping this is just a bad hoax.

We love you, Nate!!

xoxox