...and since my skin is thin, I'm trying my darnedest not to read the comments, just in case...
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1.24.2011
Check. It. Out.
Even though I've basically milked every square inch of our condo on this blog, if you want to see more and read about how I describe [i.e. not very articulately or professionally] my design aesthetic, check out our house tour on Apartment Therapy!
1.23.2011
Pillows for the Masses
In addition to being forced to watch NFL playoff games today, I was rather productive on some new items for my Etsy shop. Since I love a good accent pillow and I like 'em bold and bright and graphic, I made up a few for the masses. Check them out:
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1.22.2011
More Crafty Party Planning in My Future
In April, I will be hosting a baby shower for my best friend Sarah. This is so super special to me for a few reasons.
Second, she's havin' a baby! Her first one. That's a big deal!
And finally, after the wedding, I am officially all about planning a [craftacular] party! So, in the same fashion that I dove head first into planning my wedding without so much as a ring on my finger (yeah, I'm that girl), ideas are already swimming around in my head, and this baby doesn't even have a gender yet (well, I guess it has a gender, but modern technology is not yet able to reveal that gender).
The funny thing is that I've never even been to a baby shower, so I probably have no business planning one. ...and babies scare me, but I suppose that's neither here nor there. Anyway, the same way that my wedding was inspired by fabrics, Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo and Eleanor Grosch's Zoo Menagerie are so freakin' cute they almost make me want to have a baby (almost, then I realize that would be just about the worst reason in the world to have a baby....):
I love a good inspiration mosaic, so, in addition to the fabrics, this is what is inspiring me right now:
Just like my wedding, my vision is steering dangerously close to a child's birthday party, but hey, a baby shower is certainly a heck of lot closer to a child's birthday party than a wedding is so I'm going to go with it.
First, she was my matron of honor just 4.5 short months ago, and she threw me a great shower and an insanely fun bachelorette party. So, I totally owe her.
Second, she's havin' a baby! Her first one. That's a big deal!
And finally, after the wedding, I am officially all about planning a [craftacular] party! So, in the same fashion that I dove head first into planning my wedding without so much as a ring on my finger (yeah, I'm that girl), ideas are already swimming around in my head, and this baby doesn't even have a gender yet (well, I guess it has a gender, but modern technology is not yet able to reveal that gender).
The funny thing is that I've never even been to a baby shower, so I probably have no business planning one. ...and babies scare me, but I suppose that's neither here nor there. Anyway, the same way that my wedding was inspired by fabrics, Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo and Eleanor Grosch's Zoo Menagerie are so freakin' cute they almost make me want to have a baby (almost, then I realize that would be just about the worst reason in the world to have a baby....):
I love a good inspiration mosaic, so, in addition to the fabrics, this is what is inspiring me right now:
1. Etsy Seller Gifts Define via The Party Dress 2. Etsy Seller The Tom Kat Studio 3. Lovin from the Oven 4. Etsy Seller The Knotted Nest 5. Martha Stewart 6. Paper + Twine via Half Baked 7. Baby Favors and Things 8. Project Wedding 9. Better Homes and Gardens via The Party Dress 10. Martha Stewart 11. The Food Network 12. Tiny Prints
Just like my wedding, my vision is steering dangerously close to a child's birthday party, but hey, a baby shower is certainly a heck of lot closer to a child's birthday party than a wedding is so I'm going to go with it.
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1.16.2011
More New Pillows
Remember these beautiful, graphic houndstooth pillows that I saw on Apartment Therapy?
So, these pillows haunted me. I wanted them so bad! And I couldn't seem to find any fabric online that was both as large in scale as these and in blue, which is what I had my heart set on. I had several ideas for how to execute what I was looking for...including screenprinting (which didn't seem worth it since I only needed to make about a fat quarter's worth of fabric), appliquing (which seemed like a lot of work to not know exactly how the final product might look), and painting (which I actually tried and quickly learned that it was just too messy...and stiff). I picked the brain of my uber-creative friend Kate who had some interesting ideas, including crocheting/knitting, which could be super cool, but I just wasn't willing to put in the effort.
In the end, I went with what was arguably an obvious choice. I designed my own jumbo blue houndtooth and made my own fabric thanks to Spoonflower where you can basically get anything you want printed on a variety of different fabric choices. I created this design using my recently downloaded Inkscape software.
At first, I'd dismissed Spoonflower as an option, simply because I thought it would be too expensive. I mean, I paid $27 for a yard of cotton-linen blend canvas (which is easily outside my fabric pricing comfort zone). However, I can get about 6 pillow covers out of a yard if I use a plain backing. So, if you think about it, it's not such a bad deal at all.
Anyway, I'm loving my new pillows, and I'm so glad those Apartment Therapy pillows haunted me into creating my own!
I also threw together some new accent pillows for the bed. We have a teal coverlet with no shams. I felt like it looked a little plain, so I finally put some bargain fabric to use to make a couple of little lumbar pillows that I think are just enough to pass the Michael test.
So, these pillows haunted me. I wanted them so bad! And I couldn't seem to find any fabric online that was both as large in scale as these and in blue, which is what I had my heart set on. I had several ideas for how to execute what I was looking for...including screenprinting (which didn't seem worth it since I only needed to make about a fat quarter's worth of fabric), appliquing (which seemed like a lot of work to not know exactly how the final product might look), and painting (which I actually tried and quickly learned that it was just too messy...and stiff). I picked the brain of my uber-creative friend Kate who had some interesting ideas, including crocheting/knitting, which could be super cool, but I just wasn't willing to put in the effort.
In the end, I went with what was arguably an obvious choice. I designed my own jumbo blue houndtooth and made my own fabric thanks to Spoonflower where you can basically get anything you want printed on a variety of different fabric choices. I created this design using my recently downloaded Inkscape software.
At first, I'd dismissed Spoonflower as an option, simply because I thought it would be too expensive. I mean, I paid $27 for a yard of cotton-linen blend canvas (which is easily outside my fabric pricing comfort zone). However, I can get about 6 pillow covers out of a yard if I use a plain backing. So, if you think about it, it's not such a bad deal at all.
Anyway, I'm loving my new pillows, and I'm so glad those Apartment Therapy pillows haunted me into creating my own!
I also threw together some new accent pillows for the bed. We have a teal coverlet with no shams. I felt like it looked a little plain, so I finally put some bargain fabric to use to make a couple of little lumbar pillows that I think are just enough to pass the Michael test.
I picked up a roll of Ikea window shade fabric from Goodwill a couple of years ago for $3. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but for about 10 feet of fabric it was a great deal that I knew I had to snatch up. I paired it with some beige quilting cotton and some leftover batting and stuffed it full of, er, stuffing. Done and done.
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1.15.2011
Swappy McSwapperstein
Recently, I've put my name into the hat for a few swaps. The holiday ornament swap that I did recently was my first, and I really enjoyed it so I figured I'd give a few more a try. I guess these things have gotten so popular that everyone that wants to participate can't, but so far, I've gotten into the "Spicing Up the Kitchen: A Modern Swap" in which I'll make a few kitchen items for my partner and receive something in exchange.
It's a blind swap, which means that I don't know who's making something for me and vice versa. Since it's all so mysterious, you make a mosaic and post it in the Flickr group so that your partner can stalk you and get an idea of what you like. I put together the following mosaic to represent--not my actual kitchen--but the kitchen / vibe that I've been working towards.
![Kitchen Mosaic for]()
I got my partner's information this week. I'm not completely sure what exactly I'll be making for her yet, but feeling inspired by the information that I garnered from some short survey questions and a little Flickr stalking (which I can't share, because that might give it away!), I ordered this "Suburbia Vintage Kitchen Works" fabric from Caleb Gray / Robert Kaufman Fabrics to sort of be the star of everything I make.
It's a blind swap, which means that I don't know who's making something for me and vice versa. Since it's all so mysterious, you make a mosaic and post it in the Flickr group so that your partner can stalk you and get an idea of what you like. I put together the following mosaic to represent--not my actual kitchen--but the kitchen / vibe that I've been working towards.
1. Design Sponge 2. Andrew Tye via Bright Bizarre 3. Love Made Me Do It via Apartment Therapy 4. Apartment Therapy 5. Personal Photo 6. House Beautiful via Apartment Therapy
I got my partner's information this week. I'm not completely sure what exactly I'll be making for her yet, but feeling inspired by the information that I garnered from some short survey questions and a little Flickr stalking (which I can't share, because that might give it away!), I ordered this "Suburbia Vintage Kitchen Works" fabric from Caleb Gray / Robert Kaufman Fabrics to sort of be the star of everything I make.
I'm hoping I can find some time this long holiday weekend to do a little more research and formulate some more concrete plans on what exactly I'll be making.
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1.11.2011
My Name is Mandy...
...and I'm addicted to fabric. There, I said it. At the beginning of the year, I unofficially resolved to join in on Cut to Pieces' 2011 "Fabric Diet."
The reason for my need to take such a pledge? Well, I'd accumulated quite the little stash, but I had it tucked away quite tidily--but not necessarily entirely accessibly--in the top of our closet...
However, one Internet sale after another slowly led to my stash spilling out into the open...
The situation became untenable, particularly to Michael. Thus, the pledge to abstain from further fabric accumulation. I thought I was doing a pretty decent job. In fact, I've been deleting the various fabric shop emails that I receive before even opening them. I must confess, however, that I picked up a few yards of fabric on my latest trip to Ikea. Oops. But I would argue that I deserved an exception in this case as I very rarely make it out to Ikea. Plus, it's super adorable...
The ironic part is that I went to Ikea to pick up some storage boxes to get my stash under control. I appreciate flat pack, but after about the 10th box, I admittedly tired of the self-assembly.
But now, my stash is well under control with a few empty boxes to spare, but don't worry, I won't be using that as an excuse to stock up any further...for now...
The reason for my need to take such a pledge? Well, I'd accumulated quite the little stash, but I had it tucked away quite tidily--but not necessarily entirely accessibly--in the top of our closet...
However, one Internet sale after another slowly led to my stash spilling out into the open...
The ironic part is that I went to Ikea to pick up some storage boxes to get my stash under control. I appreciate flat pack, but after about the 10th box, I admittedly tired of the self-assembly.
Self-assembly in action...
But now, my stash is well under control with a few empty boxes to spare, but don't worry, I won't be using that as an excuse to stock up any further...for now...
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1.09.2011
New Workspace
This weekend, we took on a project to both squeeze yet more usage out of our limited square footageand to improve my posture. If you'll recall from previous posts, my sewing space isn't exactly ideal. I sew on the coffee table, which--when combined with doing all of my ironing and cutting on the living room floor--was slowly but surely turning me into a hunchback.
I've been doing tons more sewing recently, which has been a stark reminder of just how un-ideal my sewing situation is--not to mention the fact that I'd love to get a new coffee table at some point in the not-too-distant future. Unless I go with another clunkin' piece of mdf like our current Ikea table, any future coffee tables are not likely to withstand the weight of what I can only assume is a 100% lead sewing machine. So prior to the holidays, I set out on a mission to make my sewing situation more sustainable. In the end, Michael and I decided that we simply had no spare square footage to sacrifice on a permanent basis to a new desk. Thankfully, the internets led me to this gem...a murphy desk -- what a novel idea!
We finally found the time this weekend to install it. Despite some of the reviews on Overstock by some customers that I can only assume have never used a screwdriver, it was super simple to install, so in about 15 minutes we from this...
...to this...
...which converts to this...
Once I filled the nooks, crannies, and cubbies with all my sewing goodies, I really, truly felt like I'd suddently gotten my own little sewing room.
And to further prove its practicality, check out the view of the TV from the couch should I choose to sew when Michael wants to watch TV (which indeed happened last night)... Not so bad, huh?
I don't want to go on too much about it because well, it is just a piece of furniture...and a terribly practical one at that, but to me, it's kind of amazing. I gave it a try last night, and it honestly kind of felt weird how not painful it was to be sewing and how I could actually see the seams I was making. Crazy, huh?
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