finding luxurious supplies on the cheap

cell phone included in photo to show scale
I popped into Homesense the other morning looking for a particular picture frame size. It was to no avail, but like a good little hunter, I immediately headed over to the department which contained the things I currently lack: decorator pillows. I bypassed the regular price pillows mind you, because I couldn't justify the prices. I headed straight to the clearance aisle.


No, I'm not looking for finished pillows that will do the trick. I want to make my own pillows. You see, even an ugly pillow could be a gem undercover. It wasn't hard to find pillow after pillow which contained feathers for it's stuffing. This week's find were 2 tacky (at least in my books) little accent pillows. They were $10 each, which is a little pricey since you can find a large reduced feather pillow for the same price, but these were rare finds. I've noticed little pillows on Etsy.com lately that I'd love to use for inspiration for my own little wonders, and why shouldn't they be feather pillows like all the others.

If you're into sewing, or at least equipped to sew pillow covers, there's no reason why you have to resort to synthetic stuffing...unless of course you have allergies.

my retro front entry was featured on Apartment Therapy!

I'm a little excited, being that I'm a seriously random and inconsistent blogger, and yet found myself being asked permission to post my latest interior design endeavor (a.k.a. making my house look purdy!). Beth Zeigler, a contributing editor for Apartment Therapy Los Angeles e-mailed me the other day to do just that.

I know i love my new front entry, but it's nice to know that others appreciate it as well.

I was featured here: Using Fabric to Transform a Cabinet

Take a look at your own stuff and see if you've got something ready and waiting to be brought to new life with a little bit of designer fabric or paper!


Cabinet makeover originally blogged here:

My Tribute to Early 70's

chair makeover

My hubby's grandfather gave us this chair eons ago. I once found a slipcover at a thrift store that fit this thing like a glove. I loved it so, but it was well loved when I got it and eventually fell apart. I can't find it now and could slap myself at the thought that I may have thrown it out! I could have used it as a template for a new one. Perhaps it'll turn up some day.

This chair had been sitting unused in the basement, so it was time to give it a makeover.


My sister put me onto Tonic Living, a store in Toronto that sells fabric online. I ordered a sample of this "retro-geometric must have" and was very happy with it.


I'm not over-the-moon about the final look. To me it says "masculine", and is a little formal looking. Maybe me and black just don't get along. Still, I can't deny that the chair has improved 100% even if I'm not head over heals for it.

my tribute to the early 70's

This piece belonged to my husband's parents, and although I've always liked it, I wanted it to really make a statement in my front entry. It's a record album holder from (I assume) the 60's or early 70's. I wanted to do something fun and little daring, at least for me. I chose the paint colour first, and then got the notion to do something different for the sliding doors. Over at Tonic Living I poured over all of the fabrics and found a Sandi Henderson design that looked like it just might be the ticket. I ordered a sample and it matched perfectly! The paint colour by the way, is Behr's "Bronze Green 350D-6".






I used spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the doors. This way if I ever grow tired of it, I can peel it off. I put new stainless steel knobs ordered from Lee Valley. They also turned out to be perfect replacements for the hum drum ones it originally had.

that thing on the wall is the original door chime cover, but i like it!
The painting that hangs over it is by a Montreal artist, painted in 1970. My adorable owl was a find at Winners/Homesense.

Needless to say, this area in my house is a tribute to the 70's. :)

{before}

put on a happy face!

put on a happy face!, originally uploaded by hyggelig happy.

Is this not completely adorable??!!!!!

thermostat in middle of wall

I've been trying to figure out my gallery wall for behind my couch. A gallery wall is the perfect solution to my problem on this wall. Can you see what is right smack dab in the middle of that wall? It's a freaking thermostat! How incredibly dumb is that!!

In the first photo, I had a small white frame taped with painter's tape stuck on the wall. I realized that I would do better with using a bit of a larger frame. This de-emphasizes it, at least I hope it does. Using a larger frame enabled me to re-arrange frames around it, using less frames and eliminating all the small ones. I think the second arrangement is much nicer.

I'm going to do something with the thermostat itself though. My daughter guessed right when I asked her to guess what I would do. She said "pop art?". I think I might make that old thing look like a print itself. I see a robot face when I look at it, but we'll see. Whatever I do, the thing needs the air to circulate around it so it senses the temperature in the room. Some day we'll have the darn thing moved to the doorway!


before

after
Now to figure out what colours the frames will be. I think all black would be too harsh and formal for my taste, and all white would be too predictable. I'm going to mix it up.

All I need now is more art to put in the frames!

pillow envy

Pillow for....., originally uploaded by flossyblossy.

I have GOT to learn how to quilt!!!!!

pillows

WIP-washing line, originally uploaded by monaw2008.

First off, this isn't mine, but I'd love to make something like it (minus the buttons - i can't help but see buttons and think "country style"). It's a pillow cover. Recently I've felt driven towards dusting off my sewing machine to make decorative pillows for the inadequately adorned couches in my living room.

I've ordered some fabric off of etsy and have plans to make some pillows. Not applique mind you, but this certainly has piqued my interest!