For the Love of Toss Cushions

Toss cushions have to be the fastest way to refresh an existing space, and my bedroom was in need of a cheap and cheerful update. With a few inexpensive Ikea down forms and some of my favourite fabics, I'm really happy with this colourful update! My sewing skills are another story (I have little patience/skill for it and tend to put my full body weight on the pedal to quicken the job)....

Fabrics: Schumacher 174582 Shantung Silhouette in Wisteria, GP Baker R1390-4 Paradise Bird Mauve/Sage, Dickson Howard 5200TW

I Needed a Little Marble in My Life

This little nightstand is nothing fancy. In fact, it's a cheapy from Home Outfitters many years ago, but I like it and it fits beside my bed perfectly.

I've been a craft/DIY lover since I was young, but lately I find it difficult to leave any off-the-shelf item untouched. Nothing is ever quite perfect until it has a coat of paint or "custom" detail to complete it. 

Here's one of the nightstand shelves before...as in, sprayed melamine. Good thing I styled this photo with Kleenex, inhalers and two books I haven't read since October.....

Anyway, these shelves pop off the pegs very easily (part of the heavy duty construction, I suppose) and make DIY-ing incredibly easy.

Before I go any further, I should confess that I'm a huge fan of anything marble, particularly Calcutta and Statuario. I love the crisp white with bold veining. Even this marble quarry is a thing of beauty...

Here's an installation of bianco carrara that I love (in addition to the freestanding tub).

After finishing a project, I was left with a single 12x24" polished marble tile. Typically this would be tossed aside, but it was too much a thing of beauty to just dispose of or leave for future projects! I held on to it and decided this single piece would be enough to refinish two of the nightstand shelves.



The tile was cut to fit on top of the existing shelves.

A little silicon caulking was enough to secure it in place.

The top shelf fell a little short in depth, so a smaller strip had to be inserted. We aren't expert tile fabricators, but a little more caulking glued everything in place. After it dried, the excess scraped off easily.

Drum roll...here's the finished product:

It's certainly a very minut piece of marble compared to the large marble slabs I typically lust after, but even this small improvement made the nightstand feel more luxurious. The idea of turning something ordinary and big-box into something personal, that incorporates marble no less, is my favourite kind of DIY project.

Impromptu DIY Part II

I finally have some photos to show of my updated desk (see: impromptu Sunday DIY)!  I'm so happy with how it turned out, and a quick (ha, well sort of) coat of paint and new hardware has given me what *feels* like a new desk!

I'm embarrassed to even show this, but here is the before.  It consisted of cream paint and hardware I remember choosing at Home Depot with my Dad 15 years ago.  A quick sand and off I went.  [Excuse my handy HP printer under there...the realities of life.]

And here's a refreshed after!

Two coats of Benjamin Moore's Aura Satin paint in Sea Life.  I love the colour of this (once worn) hair broach and tried to match it as closely as possible.

An inexpensive Ikea frame for my adored Leigh Viner print, and a custom mat finally do her work justice.

Some bold, masculine hardware in Antique Brass was the finishing touch!  Ordered on sale from Restoration Hardware (Quincy pull).

Sadly, it hasn't stayed looking quite like this.  The flowers have been moved out of the way for my dear laptop and the junk will surely pile up soon too.  But this inexpensive update has made coming home from work and sitting down to do some blogging that touch more glamorous.  

On a local celebrity note:  You know you watch too much HGTV when you feel starstruck running into a designer.  On a typical Monday morning coffee run yesterday, who was at the local Starbucks but this handsome architect, Matt Davis from The Designer Guys:

The 16-year old girl in me wanted to say hi and tell him I love his work, but the combination of him being on his laptop and me having 75% of my make-up on told me to keep walking.  But for the record, I love his work.

Impromptu DIY

Benvarden by Osborne and Little

I absolutely love Sundays. They're a great excuse to relax, do what you like and...be lazy. Gone are the days of multiple coffees and a drafting table, hurrying to finish school projects. The day is mine! I love to spend them cooking and baking, watching movies, and occasionally dreaming up new DIY projects. This Sunday, I was mid-shower when I decided to repaint my desk for the 700th time. (I've had this desk since I was a kid and it has been victim to most of my creative mistakes.) Within an hour, I was at Benjamin Moore having the latest colour mixed up.

Lately, I've been loving this "Sarah Richardson royal blue" that has a slightly purple undertone...it's bold, bright and feminine. I debated painting the top of the desk in this colour, and the rest a bright white. That idea died within about 5 minutes, when my resistance to anything too colourful took over. Back to the drawing board...

Insert Chelsea Textiles. Glossy lacquer. Neutral palette. This is so me.

Then I start dreaming of the hardware possibilities. Brass. Loving brass (when will my coworkers finally agree??). Maybe a glass and brass combo - feminine, traditional. We're getting warmer.

I must learn to let even the slightest bit of colour in. Open up the paint deck. Gray, with a hint of purple. Sea Life. Sold.

The girl helping me at Benjamin Moore is so sweet and recommends Aura paint in a pearl finish. Less odour, faster drying time and that lacquer look I love. Sold.

Colour looks amazing (running between Grammy performances and second coats). Go online to find hardware while it dries....at Restoration Hardware. Deal of the century - Quincy Pulls in Antique Brass on 50% off (maybe I am the only one loving brass?). Let's keep being impulsive. Sold.

Now I'm forced to learn patience...the hardware will arrive later this week. In the mean time, I finally buy a frame for my gorgeous Leigh Viner print. End up spending more on a custom mat than the frame. Can't win 'em all. Mat will be ready for Friday....all good things are worth waiting for?

Back with photos very, very soon.

DIY Project

I'd been seeing these gorgeous jewelry stands in online shops everywhere, and thought they're such a practical and chic way to display your jewels. Many of these images above were found in just a simple search, but Modern Chic Homes' best selling bird-and-twig stand is my favourite.

A few months ago, I decided to try making my own. Surprisingly, it's still standing! I dragged the dog out into the woods with me so I wouldn't look too bizarre, searched for the perfect branch and voila! Drilled a hole through a leftover piece of wood, sprayed it all white and put felt pads on the bottom. It's become the perfect spot for my go-to weekday jewelry.

Tile DIY

As a kid, I was quite the crafter. I bedazzled, knit, painted and podged my way from one project to another. But in recent years, I've become more hesitant to try DIY craft projects at the risk of things looking, well, tacky.

This is hardly a DIY project, and certainly a safe distance from being too Holly Hobby. DIY tile coasters. Just imagine these incredible Exquisite Surfaces tiles, in all of their hand painted and weathered glory, as a place to rest your glass. With just a few felt pads underneath, these colourful-but-too-scary-for-my-backsplash tiles will still have a stylish place in your home.