Decorating: Side Table Vignet

This should almost be Part 2 to the post about our bar re-do, as it is the direct result of that change. When we sold the large bar and downsized to the cabinet that fit in the dining room, we were finally able to center our huge sectional in the living room. Moving the sofa freed up a lot of space in front of the window, and I knew just how to fill it!

We had a matching tripod floor lamp in the guest room that we brought back downstairs, and with the estate sale clean-out of my Grandma and Grandpa's house fully underway I inherited a gem of an accent table. They used to use it as a pedestal for their smaller Christmas tree, so it's really special to me to have it in my home now.

It's a medium-stained wood, pedestal leg, round table. There is one drawer with a great lion's head pull, and the four claw feet off the pedestal are metal-capped. What character!!

I like little pops of color and sparkle, and was able to sprinkle both in with tchotchkes I bought at Hobby Lobby (can I just say that I love that store?! Every fall for the past 4 years I've trekked down to the Rochester location with my mom and sister to plow through their Christmas decorations - now that there is a store in Woodbury I am pleased as punch! Watch out, Mr. Becky - this could get dangerous ;) hahaha)

I found a really cool picture frame that is printed with several different state license plates, a "mercury glass" type owl, and a teal glass jug. I like grouping items in threes (or fours in this case because the table is large enough to accommodate) for visual interest and I really liked the mix of materials, finishes, and colors I was able to blend together. The final piece on the table is a glass 'snowball' candle holder that was also my Grandma and Grandpa's.

I love how it turned out - what do you think?

 

Craft Project: Sweater Pillow Covers

This is a really easy project, and you don't need a lot of skill to complete it. I'll start with the why because I like to tell stories, and then will get into the how.

Our current living room contains a good mix of masculine and feminine, style and comfort. When we bought our sectional almost 2 years ago it came with 5 accent pillows - good quality, and the fabrics chosen matched the sofa nicely. But I hated them - isn't that always the case?

I was on a quest last summer to find replacements and finally settled on a bright floral pattern with reds, yellows, greens,and blues. Great for spring, summer, and even fall - but not so great for winter. So, it was time to find an alternate!

I love the look of cable knit pillow covers; they are cozy, soft, add texture and interest - but they are usually really expensive. I also subscribe to the adage of using what you have, and hated the idea of having a bunch of extra throw pillows that I would have to find storage for somewhere in the house when springtime finally rolled back.

So, I had an idea: I will make my own!

No, not actually knitting 4 different covers - I crochet sometimes, but hate having deadlines when I do it - so that was out. I decided to be economical and earth-friendly and repurpose men's sweaters from the thrift store. It would be helpful to bring a pillow with you to ensure it fits in the sweater properly, but if you have a good idea of the size and how the sweater will fit & stretch that should work too. I picked out 5 sweaters of varying colors and knit patterns (I don't like matchy-matchy and wanted it to look like a collection versus cookie-cutter): red, cream, brown, and green. Let's get to work!

Supplies:
- Sweaters large enough to fit your pillows (qty for however many you are covering)
- Buttons (toggle buttons work great, but just buttons large enough to hold the fabric without leaving big gaps)
- Sewing machine (way easier than sewing by hand; I tried, and failed)

How:
- Lay the sweater out flat, and place your pillow on top of it
- Trim off the arms
- Trim off the neckline
- Sew the top (former neck opening area) closed
- Sew button holes and buttons to the hemline of the sweater
- Place pillow form inside new sweater pillow cover
- DONE!

If you're making multiple for the same area you might want to vary the types of buttons you use. For example, on my brown pillow cover I used wooden toggle buttons; on the cream pillow cover I used clear glass buttons. It's nice to have a variety to individualize each cover for added interest and texture as well.

Here is a diagram detailing how I made them, and a few photos of my completed projects! Total cost of materials: $35 for 4 pillow covers

 

 

I mixed in one store bought accent pillow embroidered with flat gold sequins for a little touch of holiday glam -- I think the third size and embellishments rounded out the set nicely.

 

(Accent "Noel" pillow: Target; Threshold Holiday 2013 collection. $19.99)

Decorating: Dry Bar

Hello friends :)

As promised, this site is to also share some craft projects and other musings -- it's not just all Bachelor talk.  So, the first I'll share is the latest project: redecorate the living room!

We moved into our current house about 18 months ago.  I feel in love with it just by looking at the pictures online, and totally jumped the gun by signing a 2 year lease right away.  I have since regretted the decision (it's far away from just about everything and everyone; the neighbors can be weird; and the space is so oddly laid out fitting our furniture in here has taken a lot of finesse).

We came with a lot of really big furniture, and with our lease up in September the idea of trying to find a new place with the right layout/square footage to accommodate all of this same large furniture was starting to daunt me.  Plus, we've had most of the same stuff for up to 4 years and I love to decorate - all of this added up to a change!

It started with selling our bar.  This was a feature piece of furniture in our house, and the first thing we bought after we got married.  Found at Becker outlet, it was supposed to be a TV entertainment unit.  I had a vision to turn it into a dry bar.

The piece was large (6.5 feet tall) but had a great structure - back lit shelves on top, a large "counter" space in the middle, 2 cabinets below, and finally a large drawer at the very bottom. Cherry finished with brushed silver hardware -- love at first sight.

My vision came to life with the purchase and self-installation of 2 different under-cabinet wine glass racks. One purchased from www.wineenthusiast.com and the other from www.Target.com. In total there were 9 slots that could have held a maximum of 27 standard wine glasses (ours held a little less because we mixed in martini glasses which take up a little more room than the wine glasses and champagne flutes). The upper shelves were storage/display for wine and liquor, the cabinets held the ice bucket/decanter/assorted bar ware, and the bottom drawer held cocktail stirrers, napkins, and coasters.  It was beautiful!

                                                                         Original Bar

As I said, we bought this after our wedding so have had it for about 4 years. We've moved it to 3 houses in that time, and it was getting to be a chore. In our last home it created a nice segue in the open-concept between living and dining rooms - in our new house it looked like it was wedged in the corner. Time to change things up!

So, we sold the old bar on craigslist.org, and I set my sights on a smaller cabinet that would fit nicely in the dining room. I found a red-painted, 2 door cabinet on www.Target.com. While smaller, it fits in great with the other dining furniture (also big pieces) and the painted wood adds a great pop of color to the main floor:

                                                                            New Bar

This piece will travel nicely when we move in the fall and can be versatile enough to go anywhere and be used for anything, making it a good investment piece.

I pride myself in having a knack for seeing furniture as what they could be and not necessarily for what they just are - so get creative when you are shopping too and customize pieces you love to fit the purpose you need them for! It's a lot of fun and you're guaranteed to have a unique home this way.

(New bar cabinet: Target - Threshold Windham Accent Cabinet; pricing varies by color)