Cheery Fabric Finds

 

Remember the Windsor Smith fabric that I used (and happened to find in a remnant bin) for curtains in the breakfast nook of our old house?

 

 

 

I often get emails asking for the fabric source, so when I recently spotted this new Braemore fabric online, I wanted to share since it’s similar but at a much better price point:

 

 

 

 

The chartreuse is my favorite but it also comes in a few other colors . . .

 

 

 

 

And, check out these companion fabrics.  I think a combination of these would make for a really happy breakfast nook or dining room:

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

All of these fabrics are available here.

 

A “Corner” Office

 

You may have noticed that I’ve had using every little area of your home on my mind lately, and this apartment is a perfect example.  At the end of Wednesday’s “Send Me a Picture” post, I asked readers to upload their own favorite spaces to my Facebook page, and this photo, uploaded by Skyla, stopped me in my tracks:

 

 

She took a small, unused corner of her 425 square feet studio apartment in D.C. and turned it into a stylish office space.  For impact, she painted this one wall a rich shade of emerald green.  (It’s “Hanging Vine” by Mystic Paint.)

 

She even made room for a small dining area:

 

 

 

 

Beauty really is in the details.  Take a look at more of her small, yet perfectly styled, space:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s no surprise that Skyla’s home is a finalist in this year’s Small Cool contest on Apartment Therapy.  If you like it as much as I do, take a minute to vote for her space here.  (Voting ends April 30th.)

 

 

You can also see more of her home by visiting Skyla’s blog, Sanity Fair.

 

Send Me a Picture: What I Love Most About My Home

 

I don’t know about you, but I always find myself dwelling on what still needs to be done around our house, rather than enjoying the things we’ve already done.  When you love “home improvement,” I think it’s easy to have that tendency.  So, to keep things positive for this month’s Send Me a Picture post, I asked several design bloggers to send me one picture that sums up what they love most about their homes.

 

SEND ME A PICTURE:

What I Love Most About My Home

 

 

 

What I love most about my home . . . are unexpected touches like our barn door.

Ashli, Mini Manor blog

 

 

 

 

What I love most about our home is our Living Room. It's where we spend the most time as a family, playing games or curling up to watch movies. It has great vaulted ceilings and is painted in a vibrant green that makes me smile the moment I enter the room. To keep it warm and cozy we have filled it with touches of our family through photographs, special books and cherished art projects.

 Jennifer Jones, IHeart Organizing

 

 

 

 

What I love most about my home is the built in bookcase in my living room. It was made for me as a Christmas gift last year. Styling it is certainly a work in project, but its potential is what excites me! The room now feels complete without the awkward, empty alcove which was there before.

Jane Gallant, Modern Jane Design

 

 

 

 

What I love most about my home from a design perspective is my office wallpaper. It look me a long time to narrow down my final selection, but I'm so happy with the end result! I don't think I'll ever tire of it!

Marianne Simon, Style For Living

 

 

 

 

My living room is in a state of being re-decorated, and I'm sort of in-between right now, but this spot is probably my favorite of what I've done so far. I love the little vintage kilim rug pillow on the sofa, and my new tree in the corner!

Kristen F. Davis, KFD Designs

 

 

 

 

What I love most about our home is that even though it's a rental, I've personalized it for us - including our cat Sephora. Being in a new space has allowed new ways to view & group existing pieces together to tell the story of us - from photos of NYC to palm fronds representing Miami. Most recently, hubs brought home a cow skull & horns, which will be an interesting element to add and now represent us living in Arizona.

Lynda Quintero-Davids (aka NYCLQ), Focal Point Styling

 

 

Want to share your own photo of what you love most about your home?  Pop over to my Facebook page to upload it. 

Finishing our Foyer: The “New” Ottomans

 

More tweaking to this little spot in our house . . . (I think it drives me crazy because I see it from my desk when I’m working.)  Anyway, remember the “pleather” ottoman cubes I stuck under the console?  I liked the shape but hated the look of them.  (I ordered them from Walmart.com a couple of years ago, btw.)

 

 

 

My aunt and uncle visited over spring break, and she happens to be one of the best seamstresses I know. . . .  Luckily, she was up for some projects :)

 

I didn’t have a specific color in mind, but we made a trip to the fabric store and I found this green linen, along with some white ribbon trim.  We started by removing the tops and stapling the fabric around them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I have little to no relationship with my sewing machine, she sewed the skirts and added the trim.  We carefully stapled the skirts to the inside of the bottom of the cubes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, once she was finished, I realized that the skirts weren’t going to work with the front metal bar of the console table I had there.  (More on that here.)  Nothing like good ‘ole thinking ahead. . .

 

 

 

 

Luckily, I had the parsons desk from my old office in the kids’ playroom that wasn’t being used much. 

 

 

 

I think it actually brightens up the space better:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big 4-0

 

No, not me (thank you very much).  But, my husband turns 40 today.  (Yes, he married a baby.)

 

 

 

Since he’s one of my most faithful blog readers and has always helped me with my big ideas (letting me stay home with our kids, decorating our house, starting my design business, stopping my design business, etc.), I have to dedicate a whole post to him on his big day. 

 

 

 

As I’m sitting here blogging, he is working to assemble and install a new light for our kitchen.  He’s been at it for three hours (on a Sunday afternoon).  And, it’s not because the old light bothered him in the least.  But, he knows that it would make his hormonal, pregnant wife very, very happy.

 

 

 

 

 

He loves God, is nice to people and takes really good care of his family.  He gets very little time to himself and helps me with the kids every day.  I don’t always say thanks, but I’m extremely grateful.  As I get older, I see more and more that this isn’t the norm.  He’s a good one.

 

 

 

 

So, happy 40th birthday to you!  Besides the new patio furniture, I’ll be delivering your other two gifts in about 3 to 4 weeks :)