Decor Pad

Decor Pad is a design inspiration site, kind of like Houzz in that you can create a virtual library of inspiration photos.  (I'm not saying it's as cool as Houzz.  That's a tall order.)  One interesting feature is called look 4 less where you can find cheaper look-alike versions of some designer items.
I found this photo there and I'm not sure why I like it so much, but I do!  I really do!

Uh, now I'm pretty sure I need a) banquette seating and b) to paint my pedestal table white.  I do like the idea of a nook, but the thing that I think mainly appeals to me about this photo is how vibrant the pops of color are in the muted room.  And the kid art.  Lovely.

 

Make Diapers and More from T-Shirts

I saw this news story of a woman who uses old t-shirts to make diapers, beanies and bibs (all from one shirt) and sends them to El Salvador.  Google has yet to reveal how to do this triple play, but here is a tutorial on how to make a diaper from a t-shirt from Natural Violet and there are scads more ideas on Hide Your Arms.  Like more ideas than I even had time to look at today.  You could learn how to deconstruct, recondition or cut up a t-shirt, make it into a wedding dress or make a customized silhouette t-shirt of your kids.

Special!

Slipcover: Finished!

My white slipcover is finished!  To refresh your memory, I got this chair 

at The Sharing Shop for $15 (I got that cute little number to the left of it for $10, but that's another story!) and posted about it here and here.  My sweet friend Lisa had some friends over one morning and taught us how to make a slipcover using this beauty as a model.  We used white cotton twill, bought at Hancock for something like $3.77/yd.  We cut off the headpiece thing and did away with the skirt. Now it still looks feminine but not as dowdy.  I love the way it turned out!  I have some vintage pillows that I've been meaning to list on Etsy so the chair didn't even make it in the front door before I started snapping away.

Oh my.  Look at those legs!

Wow!  That really shows off a pillow!

...Er, the beam of sunlight helped, as
did my mad photo-editing skillz.
;)

Is it just me or is the whole chair like,
"Hey look at this pillow!"
I love "her"!

Did I ever mention she has a sister?

I'm not quite sure what to do with this one.  

The white twill is not going to cover that print.

Remember when I posted about Cassie from Primitive and Proper and the gorgeous upholstered headboard she painted?  (If you didn't follow the link to see the after picture, go do it now for goodness sake.  It's breathtaking.)  I wonder if painting upholstery makes it hard or crunchy feeling.  I welcome any suggestions about what to do with this other chair and its bold print.

p.s. Thanks to all who participated in the first ever Vintage Suitcase Friday!  I'm looking forward to seeing even more participating this Friday!

First Ever Vintage Suitcase Friday!

I confess I'm a little nervous. I just dreamed up this idea last week and have been too busy having a blast with my visiting family to promote it since then. What if I have a link party and no one comes? You actually have until Monday evening to submit something. Please do!

Vintage Suitcase Idea #2

Please come back Friday to link up to Vintage Suitcase Friday!  I can't wait to see your trash to treasure projects!  As I mentioned last week, I will be hosting a link party on Fridays and I'd love to see what you have creatively redone or repurposed.  Of course it doesn't have to be a vintage suitcase, it can be anything.  As I countdown, here is another idea of what can be done to freshen up an old suitcase.  This one is from Tracy Porter and she has a great idea for turning a suitcase into a decorative shelf.  Please excuse her excessive perkiness.

Vintage Suitcase Friday

When I was waiting to pick up a $3 desk from the back of a thrift store on Wednesday, I saw this:

Hear me in my best Haley Joel Osment confidential whisper.  No, I don't see dead people...

...I see potential.  (Which is, admittedly, both a blessing and a curse.  If my "rescued" pieces were felines, I'd be the crazy cat lady by now.  I need to start my own business.)

I wonder what was wrong with these suitcases that they couldn't even be sold in a thrift store.  Were the latches broken?  Make it into a pet bed!

Natural Home has a tutorial here.

There are so many ways to redo a vintage suitcase that I have chosen one to be the poster child for repurposed items in general.

Look, it's smiling at you.  Winking, even!

What could you do to make something old new again?  I would love to see your trash to treasure creations!  Come back next Friday to link up to my very own party: Vintage Suitcase Friday!

An "Ode" to DIY and a Note to You

I really dig Ode Magazine.  They have a blog article celebrating the do-it-yourself spirit, "For example, sewing a couch cushion, growing a food garden, painting walls, or unclogging a toilet -- have you ever done these things yourself?"  Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but last week I unclogged my own toilet and it was really, um...empowering.  There I said it.  It felt good.  Let me know if you ever need to borrow a toilet auger.


A note:  My sister surprised me the other day by saying that she would never have thought of doing the projects that I have done on this blog because she's not that creative.  But the thing is, she is at least as creative as I am, if not more.  The only difference is I am "in the flow" as I like to call it.  (I don't actually call it that, but I'm sure going to start!)  Once you start creating it's kind of hard to stop.  Like a sickness.  Exercise that creativity muscle.  Mod Podge something or paint something.  Look around for inspiration.     


It's like writing.  They say if you want to be a writer, you should write every day.  See this Daily Pep Talk from a Best Friend called Today, You Become a Writer.  Today you become a creator!  Make time for it.


No excuses, OK?  We are going to get the ball rolling for you.  Only have like 10 minutes?  Go to wordle.net and create your own "beautiful word cloud" by pasting in your favorite quote or favorite attributes or whatever you want.  Then toy around with it until it is just the way you want it, print it out, hang it up on your bulletin/inspiration board and be proud of what you made!  So easy and fun!  (If you want to share, post a link in the comments section. I'd love to see what you make!)


Here is one I made using a quote from Louise Erdrich's The Painted Drum.  

Here is the text: 

Ravens are the birds I'll miss most when I die.  If only the darkness into which we must look were composed of the black light of their limber intelligence.  If only we did not have to die at all.  Instead, become ravens.  I've watched these birds so hard I feel their black feathers split out of my skin.  To fly from one tree to another, the raven hangs itself, hawklike, on the air.  I hang myself that same way in sleep, between one day and the next.  When we're young, we think we are the only species worth knowing.  But the more I come to know people, the better I like ravens.  If I have a religious practice, it is the watching of these birds.

You know, I made this quite a while ago and suddenly it occurs to me this would be great to Mod Podge on something...stay tuned!

Update:  See what I made with my Wordle here.