Friday, November 20, 2009

Ribbon Wreath

I saw a ribbon wreath on my friend Stephanie's new blog and went out to buy the supplies that day. The idea came from here. I used wider ribbon and used four different kinds. I love the result, and it doesn't look super Christmasy. I think that it could be used throughout the year.

Paper Lanterns

Paper lanterns were the design inspiration for the guest bedroom. I love the colors.



Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Shiny!

My friend Christy from New York was in Atlanta last week, and so I drove over there to meet her for lunch. After lunch we walked around and stopped into West Elm, the place where I got our bedding. Just within the last three weeks since I'd been there, they have this new shiny shiny incredible soft bedding. Christy said, "You have to get this bedding!!" But since I had just gotten new bedding, I decided to supplement.



First I got these throws for the library. They won out over some chunky knit throws from Pottery Barn because they're machine washable and the ones from Pottery Barn are dry clean only (no thank you!).



Then I got these standard shams for the bedroom. The color is pretty close to the wall color, and I love the two standard shams in front of the Euro shams instead of the king-size ones.

And...More Sewing

Yesterday I made some curtain tiebacks. I think they look a lot better now.
These Amy Butler curtains were my inspiration. They would have cost $300 for two windows. Mine, including the panels I bought at Wal-Mart, were about $42. Plus a $400 sewing machine, ha.



I then hemmed a piece of fabric with a lining to go on top of an old sewing table. I ordered a piece of glass to go on top of it so it can be used as a desk. Then it will be safe for even a laptop or to throw your keys on there. The piece of glass is about $10. If you didn't want to hem a piece of fabric, you could put cute scrapbook paper and photos underneath it. I think that I'm going to do that with my nightstand and leftover wallpaper.



You know those rice bags that you can heat up in the microwave to use as a heating pad? My grandma uses one all the time for her arthritis and other ailments. She needed some new ones since one I got her several years ago caught on fire in the microwave. (There's only so long they'll last. The rice gets dried out.) So I whipped up a couple of new ones. I made one of leftover cotton and one out of flannel so it's supercosy. (It also reminds me of my grandfather.)



I actually put the rice in a plain bag first and made the outside to actually be a slipcover so they can be washed easily.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Leah Marie's Semi-Homemade

I was so pleased with how the bathroom valence turned out that I made two more for the guest bedroom. I bought the curtain panels underneath, making the whole project more doable. I think I'm going to do this same thing in the craft room. It's a great way to bring in a pattern without having to make long panels.



Sunday, November 15, 2009

Check Out My Fly Curtain, Yo!

I made a fabric valance for the guest bath last night. I'm pleased with my first attempt and have learned a few lessons for next time. Today I'm going to make a couple of valances for the guest bedroom windows in coordinating fabrics. I like how this fabric pulls in the other colors and explains why the walls in the bathroom are green.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Decals Are Addictive!

I liked the decal that I did in the dining room so much that I decided to get one for the guest bedroom. I wanted it to be a main feature on the wall above the bed, so I used this large cherry blossom tree from Dali Decals. I like a lot of their other designs too. When I look through them, I think, "Where can I put that?!"

I'm still on stage one of the room. There's still a lot more to come!



The decal consisted of one big branch (with 2 little branches you put on separate) and then all of the flowers were individual so that you could put them on where you wanted. This decal definitely took a lot more work than the chandelier; it took me several hours at least. Before the flowers went on it looked like a crack in the wall.