Gray inspiration

The apartment of Francisco Costa is featured in the December issue of InStyle. Fun magazine, useless website. No photos of Costa's place, but fortunately The New York Times did a spread last year. Love the serenity, use of ethnic and natural accessories, artwork and lots and lots of gray.

We love Young House Love

Thanks to Sherry and John over at the ever popular Young House Love blog for featuring our armoire to fountain transformation. For the two or three people on the planet who have not heard of YHL, this is the former This Young House (before This Old House got all huffy about trademark infringement), a peppy and practical home design and renovation blog. Stop by and say hello.

DIY Wednesday: Make a no-zipper shirt pillow

Wow. Another week has gone by already. And strangely enough, I have a legitimate DIY to post.

Here is how to make a pillow cover from a shirt. Besides reusing unwanted clothing, this project allows you to use the shirt buttons as a replacement for a zipper or envelope flap and makes your pillow cover removable and cleanable. This is the easiest removable pillow cover you can possibly make.

I started with this thrifted silver gray polyester blouse that was five sizes too big for me. As you may note from my blog header, I am fond of grey and leopard.

I also had pillows I had purchased from Target nearly 10 years ago. The pillow forms are down filled and in great shape, but the covers were getting worn.

You can use an existing pillow cover as your pattern. If you don't have one, measure your pillow's girth and make a paper pattern. Add one inch to the pillow size you measured to allow for a half inch seam allowance.

Button up the shirt. Center your paper square or your old pillow cover so that the buttons run down the middle of the square and pin. Cut out the front piece of your cover. Pin the pattern to the back of the blouse and cut out a back piece of the same size.

Pin the two pieces of fabric together with the wrong sides of the fabric facing out. Stitch all the way around the edge of the fabric using a half inch seam allowance. There is no need to leave an "opening" for turning the pillow right side out.

Trim off any excess fabric from your seam. Unbutton the buttons and turn the pillow right side out. Insert the pillow form through the open "button" seam. Then button up the pillow, as shown below.

The blouse I used had fabric-covered buttons, which made them pretty enough for display. If your shirt or blouse has ugly buttons, they can be turned to the back and the bare side of the pillow can become the front. Or, if you have time on your hands, you can sew on prettier buttons.

DIY Wednesday: Make a curtain room divider

This post could be subtitled 'All Good Things Come to Those Who Scrounge Regularly.'

A few months ago I posted about wanting a curtain to divide off the living room from the hallway for when we have guests over (since somebody ends up sleeping and changing clothes in the living room.) I went on and on about the possibility of stripes or even a chevron but concluded that I would find something free or cheap in about six months.

I was wrong. I found something free in two months.




I came across this embroidered fabric in a bin of discards. It turned out to be almost exactly double the length of my desired curtain and almost exactly the width of the entryway.



Bonus: The edges are scalloped, so no sewing required to finish the sides.



I decided to make this a real room divider e.g. a double-sided curtain, so that the curtain will look good from either side. This was done basically by throwing the length over the top of the curtain rod and hemming the bottoms. I then sewed the bottom edges together.

The fabric, which is even studded with little fake gem stones, is way more interesting than anything I would have picked out myself. If I were paying for new fabric, I would have played it safe. As it is, I think the curtain adds a bit of a Marrakesh vibe to the place.

Of course, now everything else looks drab in comparison.

Caught on camera

A little story . . .

I came home from work Monday, piddled around the foyer, hung my coat, washed my hands and finally turned the light on in the kitchen. There on the counter was this camera (a Fujifilm FinePix) and a note from my honey.

The phone rings. It's my honey.

Me: "Thank you! Thank you!"

Him: "Stop scratching your butt."*

He's calling from the deck where he's been standing in the rain for at least 20 minutes waiting for me to come home so he can see me surprised.

Anyhoo, this means . . . better photos for you blog readers.

For more examples of the many ways Mr. Bromeliad surprises me, see this, this and this. Aren't unexpected gifts the best?

*For the record, I was tucking my shirt into my waistband with my back to the window.

House Beautiful for $5

Since you now have $10 available from your no-longer-renewable subscription to the recently tanked Metropolitan Home, stop by Amazon's Cyber Monday magazine sale, which also includes Real Simple and Southern Living. And Cosmo, if you're so inclined.

Weekend

For a change, spent the weekend being tourists in our own backyard.