New Bright White Lamp

Last week, I stopped by Ikea while Mom was around. I was a woman on a mission while there, because I knew I couldn't leave without taking home the new Tisdag work lamp to add a bit more extra bright white feeling to the top of my entry chest.

I'm sinply crazy about it.

I've been very busy all week continuing projects for my guest bedroom (say goodbye to these ugly shelves!), so I'm looking forward to some time with my husband this weekend.

'Til Monday, dear readers.

My Cheapo Mirror Gets Gilded

My posts this week have been dedicated to projects accomplished during Mom's visit last week--all of which enhanced my guest bedroom. Today's project didn't happen while Mom was around, but if you ask me it does improve the guest room quite a bit!

I picked up the old rounded mirror (below) from the local Habitat for Humanity Restore for $2 sometime during 2011 for the desk in my guest bedroom. The shape and the worn silvering of the mirror really spoke to me. That kind of age you just can't find on a new piece.

Changing Up the Curtains in the Guest Room

In an effort to save myself an bucket of cash, I created a copycat version of the "Toorie" curtains from Anthropologie for our guest bedroom last year. Trimmed in cheery red pompoms, the panels felt very "me" but I had a revelation about my guest bedroom recently--I wanted to remove some of the red accents. 

Gasp! I know, I know. 

Who am I?

I consulted with Mom, who has a great eye, and together we agreed that the addition of 1/4" black bias trim would add a refined look to the simple linen curtains. I also swapped out the white roman shades that hung in the small windows for these bamboo shades from Overstock. The bamboo shades now work with the mottled colors in the large jute rug. 

Notice that large mirror on the desk?

Check back tomorrow to see how it's been gussied up!

A Pair of Tasseled Pillows

Ready for another sewing project from the "Week of Mom"?

She and I worked together to create 2 new accent pillows for the bed in my guest room, made from fabric I purchased while in Copenhagen.

After constructing 2 12" x 16" pillows from this fabric, Mom and I added a pair of black and olive yarn tassels to each corner of the pillows. The tassels brought some much-needed contrast to the bed while also tying in black and olive green accents from the Lulu DK fabric headboard.

Tassels are pretty simple to make but, first, here's what I needed to make them:

1) a skein of yarn (I used Lion's Brand acrylic yarn in black and olive)

2) scissors

Want to see how to make a tassel in 5 easy steps?

 Now that the tassels are complete, take the extra yarn at the top of the tassel and use a large embroidery needle to sew it through to the inside corner of the pillow. Knot the extra yarn several times inside the pillow.

And, like that, the project was complete!

The dash of color at each corner make the pillows feel extra special, don't they?

I like that the pattern reminds me of our trip to Denmark and the tassels reminds me of spending time creating things with Mom. Talk about a one-of-a-kind accent.

Newly-Revamped Ticking Stripe Skirted Table

Over a year ago, I crafted a fabric-covered skirted table for my guest room from an affordable neutral twill drop cloth with lots of help from my mom. But, because I'm so darn fickle, I decided the neutral skirt was a bit too neutral. Mom was visiting last week so we decided to tackle 'Project: Skirted Table, Version 2.0'.

Inspired by the fabric-covered bedside table from Ivanka Trump's former apartment, I ordered ticking stripe twill in black/ivory to complement the existing colors in my guest bedroom.

(via Little Green Notebook / ticking stripe fabric via Fabric.com)

Ticking stripe, while a print, reads as a subtle pattern so it doesn't monopolize all the attention in the room. In addition to changing out the fabric, I also added a glass top as a finishing touch. 

With 4 yards of fabric in hand, Mom and I got to work. 

We decided to construct the table skirt from 3 large pieces of fabric: one piece that covered the top, front and back of the table vertically, one piece for the left side of the table and the last piece for the right side of the table. Mom smartly suggested sewing two buttoned tabs to the front of the table as an added detail. This element makes such a difference, doesn't it?

With the skirted table revamped, the piece deserved a prime location in the room. 

Now, it sits directly across from the bed and will get the attention it deserves.

What do you think?

All week, I'll be sharing the projects that Mom and I finished last week, so stop by again!

All Things Multifaceted

Have you noticed the facet trend that has crept into the world of home design? 

At every turn, in nearly every online shop, it's easy to find furniture, lighting, fabric and accessories that feature items that are multifaceted. The simple geometry of these pieces make them classically beautiful, albeit modern in their approach. I rounded up lots of pieces (17 in all!) that could add a multifaceted touch to your home.

(1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5)

(6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12)

(13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17)

So, like it or hate it?

Would you consider adding a faceted piece to your home for a little extra dimension?

New, Never-Before-Seen Pics of My Place!

Yesterday, I shared the exciting news that my apartment here in Philadelphia appears in the latest issue of Ivy & Piper. Thank you, all, for your sweet comments! I worked with the fantastic photographer Courtney Apple, who took so many beautiful pictures that I had lots of shots of my apartment to choose from for the magazine feature. They are too pretty to keep to myself. 

Without further ado, new and never-before-seen photos of my home!

(all images via Meet Me in Philadelphia)

It's amazing how seeing these photos made me fall back in love with our apartment again!

Hope you enjoy the images.