Dream House Guest Post at Saved by Suzy

Today, I am excited to be sharing my idea of a dream house on Saved by Suzy. I discovered Suzy's blog recently; her posts are fun and interesting and one can learn so much from them and even though we have never met I am sure we would get along really well if we did!

via Southern Living photo Erica George Dines

The Dream House post was fun to work on and really got me thinking. Although I was busy with other things while doing this post I found myself thinking more about the topic and searching for that perfect picture to share. As you will see, I did not hold back. Do visit Suzy's blog here to read all about it and do check out the rest of her great blog. And let me know what you think of my Dream(y) House!

Thanks again, Suzy!

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Room by Room Entries & Foyers Party by Cottage and Vine

This was my first post about my entryway back in May of this year.

 

I live in a 1939 side-hall colonial which originally had white siding and a white door. I decided to change the color of the outside to a pale yellow and for a soft but noticeable contrast, this blue door. The color of the door is somewhere between Marlboro Blue and Blue Hydrangea by Benjamin Moore. 

The Entryway

I love the effect of the blue against the yellow walls. The walls are American Cheese by Benjamin Moore, where it is described as a "happy yellow-orange". This side of the house gets less sunlight and this shade of yellow lights up the foyer during the day.

Ignore the runner going up the stairs - 10 years old, faded and well-worn it needs to be replaced. The bench is one of my favorite finds. The tiles drew me to it.

This mirror is one of my first consignment store purchases. I loved the unusual shape and this space needed a mirror and some curves!

Cactus from the local Trader Joe's where I shop often.

Another favorite, really good purchase from a trip to India - this multiple votive holder.

                                                       

I received flowers in this stunning royal blue vase from a dinner guest many years ago. It's a sizeable piece.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this post. Over time, I shall elaborate on how this space fell into place and continues to evolve...stay tuned.

Today, I have linked up my entryway post to Room by Room hosted by Rene of Cottage & Vine. Click on the button below to join in the fun and/or to visit others who are participating!

 

 

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Good Design Finnish Style

There are many lessons one could learn from the design of this small Finnish apartment. How to  -

• design on a budget,
• be minimalistic, 
• incorporate pops of color, 
• create a wall of inexpensive artwork,
• create a kid-friendly space,
• use mismatched furniture in decor, 
• make a small space look larger,
• set up visible, organized storage.

Take a look..

Open plan dining, living, kitchen. Love the mismatched chairs.

Origami, a bird and a bunch of straws.

Basic black-and-white theme allows the use of a pop of color (small doses) here and there...blue-and-white patterned rug and blue-tipped chair legs.

For an organized look, books and DVDs stacked by color and size.

Magazine pages and postcards taped to the wall serve as inexpensive, easily-changeable artwork.

Design with kids in mind.

Gleaming white floors help light reflect creating an illusion of a larger space.

Black contact paper on cabinet front.

Neat light fixture

Aall images via Dwell photos Petra Bindel

Overall a welcoming, family friendly, cheerful, unique space with a ton of  charm. My favorite element would be the taped artwork and the simple but interestingly effective ceiling light fixture. Do you like the style of this apartment?

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

 

No-Sew Pillow Covers Update

Continuing on from Thursday's post about my no-sew throw pillow covers... I had decided to add ties to the opening of the covers. I found this very pretty ribbon at Michaels and as it had a blue/green polka dotted pattern I thought it would be fun to add it to the mix of patterns on the covers.

I could use this to make simple ties.

I cut 8" strips (this would give me something substantial to tie with). I proceeded to adhere them with some Fabric Fusion again...no fuss, no sophisticated method..very straightforward. I did one in the middle and one about 3" in from each end so three strips on each side making it a total of six for each cover.

These were held in place by my always-at-hand, ever-reliant weighty assistants...Off! and Mod Podge..

And once they were completely dry I inserted the pillows into the covers and then double-knotted the ties. It is fine (for me personally) if there is a little gaping but that is a personal preference. One might choose to make the strips shorter or to add another pair or more ties to completely secure the pillow.

I am going to live with these ties as they are for a bit...

...I might cut them shorter, I might secure the glued inside ends further with some passementerie and add a little embellishment to the outer exposed edges. For today, they look good and are functional. An easy project, don't you think?



I linked up to Tea-Time Thursdays at Kreative Korner.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

No-Sew Throw Pillow Covers

A few months ago I purchased a selection of napkins from World Market online (unfortunately no stores in the NY/NJ/CT area, from what I can tell). I love the colors in them (the blue-green combination) as well as the block print-like pattern and the ric-rac trim. I knew I would use them at some point in some capacity.

I wanted to add more throw pillow covers to my ever-growing collection and needed something different in the family room so I decided I to put some Fabric Fusion to work with the napkins. Also, these colors would work perfectly in the room.

I had purchased two different patterns (small and large) in this blue and green combination so I decided to combine one of each to create the cover.

I washed the napkins and did a light (as is apparent) ironing first. Next I determined which way I wanted the patterns to face when the pillow is turned around and where the opening would be. I then placed one napkin over the other (different pattern) as shown below, aligning them as best I could, right sides facing out (as you would if you were going to insert the pillow). 

I applied the Fabric Fusion to the hemmed portion of the lower piece.

I repeated this on three sides. Remember, these are homemade and no-sew and may not necessarily - in my case did not abolutely have to - align perfectly. This is a small section of the cover after Fabric Fusion was applied.

Once dried (after time indicated on bottle), this is what the seam looked like on the whole.

 

I think it looks pretty good!

Well, as you might have guessed, my work is not done. This is what I shall be working on today - the opening.

Old pillow peeking through

I considered different options and then decided on ties. These were so easy to put together thus far. I shall hopefully be able to share the completed covers with you tomorrow.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa