Homey Oh My - Modern home and lifestyle

Friday Finds

I often find myself wanting to share with you all some of the inspiring things I come across while procrastinating from writing a blog post. Seriously, it’s when I need to get work done that I get the most lost in link after link of “Man I wish I had time to make that” or “I need those pillows now.”

Thing is, not all of these finds conveniently fit a common theme or idea most of the time. They’re random, which is usually how I browse. SO, I’m thinking I’ll occasionally just lump these finds in a casual, Friday post where we can chat about what’s currently swoon-tastic. Shall we?

This diamond wall art from I Spy DIY is so simple and striking, and in my favorite color palette. And just look at how beautifully this shot is styled!! Even the reflection in the mirror was so thoughtfully calculated.

So I think I’m going to have to do something like this in order to finally have myself a bar cart (who else feels left out from the bar cart party?). I love how this IKEA hack bar cart from Sugar and Cloth is simple and chic. Really, you could do this DIY with any free-standing bookshelf or table, and the possibilities for customization are endless!

Oh, summer. Isn’t this scene dreamy? Poppytalk shared this sneak peek of their upcoming Target collaboration launching June 22nd. So far I love everything I’m seeing!

I have yet to own cocktail napkins or find a use for them anytime soon, but these… I very much want these. I can’t get over how adorable the tassel embellishments are. See the DIY tutorial at House of Earnest.

Smitten Studio shared this DIY built-in shelving, but lets spend a moment here to take it all in… isn’t Sarah’s style amazing?? I absolutely love everything she does.

My backyard envy continues to grow. designlovefest pretty much threw the perfect backyard dinner party, or at least this is how I’d imagine the perfect party would go down. There are so many gorgeous details!

I’m really digging the geometric copper design that Mandi from Vintage Revivals created on her photo frame mat, but what’s more is that quote. It so perfectly fits her personality, and I also have to agree with it ;) as long as I don’t think too hard about it… ha!! (Did I just admit that I’m boring?)

Guys… this is probably my favorite home tour yet. Katherine Vo’s home is the perfect mix of chic and cozy. I can easily see myself living in a space like this. Oh and what’s that? A blue velvet couch?? You guys know how I feel about blue velvet couches, right?

Hope this was an inspirational weekend send-off! Which of these inspires you the most? Will you be DIY’ing anything this weekend or throwing a perfect backyard party?

4 Comments

05/27 DIY

DIY Trash Can Plant Stand

This boring mesh trash can has been bothering me for years. I’ve had it since college, and sure it gets the job done, but again, it’s boring. The main reason I put off doing something about it was because I didn’t know what to do about it.

I first tried applying fabric around the outside with Mod Podge, which was a complete fail. I think the mesh, combined with the can not being uniform in diameter, were the factors to blame (it couldn’t have been me, right?!). So, I shoved it in a corner and kept dumping trash in it, until I came across some trim on clearance at Joann Fabrics.

Black and white stripes- so very me! I love how ideas will just hit me when I come across something random, like trim. I got 6 yards of it and spiraled it around the trash can, using tape to hold it in place.

I then used chalk to mark on the can where the trim was placed, as a guide for when I’d glue it on later. Using a hot glue gun, I first glued down one end of the trim. After unraveling the trim, I spiraled it around the can again, this time gluing down the trim onto the can as I went, making sure to follow along the path of the chalk marks.

After all the trim was glued down, I took a damp paper towel and wiped off all the chalk. And then I was like hey, if I turn it upside down, it could be a plant stand!

That was how it all went down. I’m always a fan of how the simplest ideas can completely repurpose things I was so close to ditching. It’s the BEST. The stand is sitting pretty next to the other plant stands I previously made.

I feel like there are tons of mesh trash cans out there like this one. Do you have one? Have you done anything to make your trash can less boring?

23 Comments

05/22 Inspiring Spaces

Blue Velvet Couches

I recently discovered that I LOVE blue velvet couches. Not only did I notice I’ve been pinning a lot of them, but I found myself wishing my couch was blue when I was photographing my no sew pillow covers, and since then I couldn’t get my mind off of the idea. It’s in these situations I go scouring for inspiration and gawking at all the amazing styling ideas. Do you ever do that? Come, gawk with me.

Not sure what’s going on with the two tone couch here, but I dig it, especially how it looks with that amazing blue rug.

I’m down for taking a baby step by starting with a blue velvet chair.

Or a bench!

I’m mostly looking at royal blue velvet, which I love for being dark and sultry and both feminine and masculine. I’m obsessed, and what’s even more is that a lot of these spaces were created by Emily Henderson, who is just out of this world crazy talented how is she even real just amazing wow. This is the first time I’m noticing that she likes using blue velvet in a lot of her spaces. I’m sold even more.

What do you think of blue velvet couches? Which of these spaces is your favorite?

Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

16 Comments

05/19 DIY

DIY No Sew Pillow Covers

I’ve been itching to update the pillows in my living room, and I came across a dilemma I’m wondering if you can relate to… Why is it so hard to find pillow cases in simple patterns and colors?? Or I guess the difficulty comes in hoping someone out there mass produced exactly what I envisioned in my head, ha! This situation absolutely calls for a DIY.

I had shared a no sew pillow cover a while back in a post about using up leftover fabric, and it ended up being the most popular idea from that post, so in addition to feeding my pillow addiction, I thought I’d do an updated tutorial with more details on the how-to.

Materials:
-fabric (I got the ikat polka dot fabric here and the striped fabric here– this pillow size is 16 x 26 in. I painted the purple one, which I’ll briefly show in a bit)
–Unique Stitch Adhesive
-fabric scissors (I LOVE the way cutting fabric with fabric scissors feels… weird?)
-ruler
-pencil
-iron

For the ikat polka dot pillows, the pillow inserts are 20 x 20 in., so I measured and cut out a 20 x 20 in. piece and two 15 x 20 inch pieces after ironing the fabric. This will be an envelope style pillow, which is the easiest way to go for no sew.

Starting with the 15 x 20 in. pieces, I folded back about an inch on one of the 20 in. sides of each piece and ironed it down. Then I applied the Unique Stitch under the fold to glue it down. This glue is my secret weapon to no sew projects because it holds SO well. I’ve found that the key is to apply enough so that it lightly soaks through the layers of fabric. If I can feel the stickiness of the glue on my fingers as I press down on the fabric after, I know the job is done.

I lined up a 15 x 20 in piece with the top edge of the 20 x 20 in. piece with the fabric faces facing each other. I glued the fabric pieces together where the red lines are in the photo above, which are supposed to be about a quarter inch away from the edges. Then I glued on the other 15 x 20 in. piece lined up with the bottom of the 20 x 20 in. piece. The folded edges of the 15 x 20 in. pieces should be overlapped.

I let the glue dry for at least a couple hours before turning the covers inside out and stuffing them with the pillows.
Karate chop that pillow and it’s done!

Now here’s another dilemma I encountered… Why is it so hard to find fabric in simple patterns and colors?? Maybe this next one isn’t as simple as I think it is, but it was simple to create it myself.

All I did was take some plain white fabric, tape on my design with painters tape, then pounce on the paint over it. I like using the Martha Stewart Satin Paints for fabric since no fabric medium is required. The color I used is hydrangea purple, which is an unusual choice because I don’t own a single purple thing. I was really digging the color for this pillow cover though, and the pretty name sealed the deal. This cover by the way is for an 18 x 18 in. pillow, and the envelope flaps were cut to 13 x 18 in. each.

I’m really liking the way the purple looks on my red couch, and of course the black and white never fails to please me. If you feel like the ikat polka dot pillow looks familiar, it might be because you saw the pattern in the background of this post.

**Quick pillow tip- If you’re looking for down-filled pillows, try the clearance section of HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, or any of the other stores like those. The pillow covers will be ugly, BUT, you’ll be getting the down-filled pillow inside them for cheap and then making your own custom pillow covers, like I did with this project!

Which of these three pillow patterns is your favorite? My boyfriend said the purple one was his favorite. Another unusual development!

43 Comments

05/15 DIY

Patio Style

Star Pendant / Beaded Pillow / Pom Pom Pillow / Embroidered Pillow / Sofa / ChairFire Pit / Rug / Elephant Baby / Leather Pouf

It is HOT outside. According to the calendar, it isn’t technically summer yet for another month, but it more than feels like it here in so-cal. It’s got me thinking a lot about outdoor lounging, though really right now I’m preferring the air-conditioned indoors! Still, the season of patio envy is upon us, and my patio-less self has been daydreaming about the kind of outdoor space I’d want to hang out in.

So for my pretend patio, I imagine this mix of classic, glam, modern, and boho details. I do enjoy mixing styles a bit, but overall I like to create a space that’s chic. What do you think of the space? While I was putting it together, my boyfriend so adorably requested that I put in a grill, haha! No no, so sorry, there’s no room for your grill. In all seriousness though, a grill would be badass and it’s certainly on my outdoor-must-haves list.

And just for fun, I want to share some seriously inspiring outdoor spaces I’ve been admiring. Which of these outdoor spaces would you want for your own?

Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

10 Comments

05/12 DIY

DIY Gold Mouse Pad

Another addition to my work space! Thus, it had to be gold. Back story… there was an attempt before this one to make my mouse pad cuter and I ended up ruining it :(. So this is attempt #2 and it turned out WAY better than my original plan. Isn’t it great how things work out that way?

Here’s how it goes.

I taped my design on the black mouse pad with 1/4 inch vinyl tape, then spray painted the mouse pad with one heavy coat of Rust-Oleum Gold Spray Paint. After removing the tape, I let the mouse pad dry for a couple hours before dabbing on a layer of Mod Podge with a foam pouncer. It dries clear, I promise! This is to protect the spray painted design from potentially rubbing off, though I did try scraping at it and it’s on there pretty good.

That’s it! Pretty simple, but makes a huge statement, and definitely much better than keeping the mouse pad plain like it was before, don’t cha think?

My favorite mouse pad EVER, and I couldn’t be happier with it. This is actually pretty similar to my gold leaf jewelry tray, which you might want to check out if you haven’t already!

*This post contains affiliate links.

46 Comments