Category Archives: diy

11.28.12

E’s Windows.

A few readers emailed me about the sources on E’s Windows…. Here are the dets:
I actually ordered her Levolor roller shades from Lowes.  I actually used the Levolor site that has a great tool that allows you to customize your shade virtually and even change the wall color to see what it will look like.  Here’s a screen shot of mine.

One thing that was not great was their color options for trim. Very limited.  The only pink trim that they had was this rose gimp, circa 1984.  It is actually MUCH more faded than this in person.
They also wouldn’t allow me to order a scalloped edge without gimp, so I ordered the rose and replaced the trim with a hot pink gimp after they arrived.

Her curtains are made of clearance taffeta that I picked up at G Street Fabrics.  They have both a liner and a blackout liner to prevent fading.

The hardware is from Restoration Hardware.  I always wait for a good sale before buying anything there.

11.14.12

A Little Bit of Lilac Never Hurt Nobody.

What should have taken me 3 hours total, ended up being a project that sat in my garage for weeks.  It all started with this lamp.
I was wanting a lamp similar to this one, but there were many reasons why it wouldn’t work:  1.) The price.  2.) The size.  3.) The color was a little but more grey than I was looking for.

So, after finding this lamp at Target, I figured I’d make it work.  First, I primed it with STIX, painted it with leftover paint (we used that as the base color on E’s walls) and lacquered it.

 I topped it off with a $12.99 shade from HomeGoods and here she is now.  A perfect match!
Check in tomorrow to see more previews of E’s Room.

10.17.12

Designing Your Own Fabric.

I started working on our living room/dining room project long before the days of Spoonflower.  I was so annoyed during this process,  because I knew what I wanted, but I just couldn’t find it…  ANYWHERE.  So, I scoured the earth for the perfect yellow linen and worked with my go-to-artist, Corinne Marlowe to create a stencil that would provide the exact look that I was going for.  Not as cost-effective as buying something off the shelf, but to me, it was worth every penny.  I just love the way the metallic gold paint dresses up the linen.  It takes this space to a whole new level.
Here is the stencil that we created.
Corinne hand-stenciled the fabric.
And I had the panels made… And voila!  Here they are in the living room…
and dining room…
Dining room pictures by Ryann Colleen Photography.

09.25.12

Come, Create and Celebrate.

We had the absolute best time for E’s 7th birthday.  This year, we loaded up a van full of seven girls and headed out to Confetti Studio in Warrenton.  My friend Annabel and her friend Alessandra started Confetti Studio just over a year ago and just moved into their new beautiful space.  These might be two of the most creative women I’ve ever met– and that’s saying something.  The girls had the absolute best time creating and celebrating!
They painted beads to make adorable necklaces.
Then cut out shapes and used the sewing machine to make their own garland.
Lou was quite proud of her finished product.
Annabel and Alessandra- thank you for giving us a van full of happy girls.
The best part about it all was how appreciative E was… Something changed within her this year.   She has always been happy about her birthdays, but this year she went out of her way to thank us for all of our hard work.  Melted my heart.
Happy, Happy Birthday to my girl.  We love you so very much.
Invitation- Q.A. Design
Photography- Ryann Colleen

09.20.12

Some Birthday Treats.

Here’s the “How To” on the tags that we made for E’s school party.  You could use them for all kinds of Halloween goodies.  E’s school is “treat-free,” which makes it difficult when it comes to birthdays…. but we were up for the challenge.I found some great Halloween paintable sun catchers in the dollar aisle at Michael’s.

We made these Candy Corn tags in MS Word (you can fit 4 on one page.)

and cut them into candy corn shapes.

 The birthday girl went to work with my trusty tape gun.

And Bam!  $25 for 25 “treats.”