Antoinette Poisson Printed Pillow + Vintage Bamboo Armchairs

There's been a flurry of activity around these parts since I last posted. I could spend the next week or so recounting all of the activity that's been stealing my attention from this blog, but instead of wasting too much time looking backward I figured I'd choose the most "blogworthy" happenings to share...like this pillow.

Back in early October, Adam and I spent a whirlwind weekend in Brooklyn with two of our dearest friends. Though the real purpose of the trip was to celebrate our friend's thirtieth birthday, I certainly couldn't miss the opportunity to do a little shopping. Adam was a great sport, and hardly seemed bothered when I dragged him into John Derian's trio of stores is in the East Village.

I was on a mission, and one of my objectives was to check out the printed pillows from Antoinette Poisson, a Paris-based design firm specializing in textiles and hand-painted papers based on 19th century French patterns. The company had recently been written up in Architectural Digest, and its offerings are not widely available in the U.S. except for Derian's shop so I had to take advantage of being in the city to look at them up close.

Aren't the prints lovely?

(via Architectural Digest)

(all via Antoinette Poisson)

Back to the pillow. I couldn't resist when I spotted it at one of Derian's East Second Street shops--the only trouble was selecting only one pattern. I hardly settled, though, as the pattern I picked suits the existing colors of our den nicely, don't you think?

 In other acquisition news, this set of 4 vintage bamboo arm chairs came home with us from an estate sale this weekend. They're sturdy, they're navy and I couldn't bear to leave the sale without them. I just have to find the perfect spot for them...

(all via Meet Me in Philadelphia unless otherwise noted)

Have the shopping gods shined down on you lately the way they have for me?

J.Crew Indigo Top becomes Footstool Upholstery

Maybe it was the sudden early-fall chill in the air this weekend, but it was the perfect few days to take on a few projects around our house. Aside from today's project, we got busy tackling bathroom tile demolition that I'll share more about soon!

Today, I wanted to share my first DIY in a very long time--an antique footstool brought back to life with, of all things, a J.Crew cotton top.

New Exhibit: "The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank"

Is there a better way to start a week than with classic, colorful Swedish design? Definitely not.

As I wrote about Friday, the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia opened its new exhibition "The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank" last night. The museum kindly invited me to experience the Frank retrospective and I knew I had to share the details with you all.

Pillows are Here! (Plus a Discount Code!)

Happy Monday, friends! I'm so pleased to announce that my first batch of pillow covers--made from a bevy of great fabrics like Marimekko, Lulu DK, Roberta Roller Rabbit, Thibaut and GP & J Baker--are now available through my etsy shop!

Indigo, Girl

(via Ebay)

Maybe it's the impending summer season influencing me here, but I am all about indigo lately. The color and its use in textiles has it origins in India and Japan, which make for an exotic, well-traveled addition to any room. 

Colors and Fabrics for the Living Room

Are you tired of hearing about our living room yet? Well sorry, friends, you'll have to get used to it because it's the one space in our house that's getting a lot of my attention. Today, I thought it would be fun to chat about fabric choices for our tufted sofa.

New Textile Obsession: Gypsya

(1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5)

If you've been reading this blog for any time, you may recognize that I love all kinds of textiles...especially when they are printed and aren't ubiquitous. Yesterday, I stumbled upon Gypsya, a shop on Etsy that specializes in "handmade treasures" that are surprisingly affordable and one-of-a-kind.

A Fabulous $5 Fabric Find from the Thrift Store

Ever seen those jumbled collections of fabric that look like a glorified rag bag at your local thrifting haunts? You know the ones: they're usually gathered in discarded, plastic comforter packaging. Next time you spot one, it may be worth your while to see if amidst the junk fabric lies a hidden treasure.

...and here's why:

In a trip to my oft-mentioned favorite thrifting spot, I spotted an overflowing bag of mismatched fabrics for $5. Most of the bag's contents were probably polyester in nature, but one print in the sack caught my eye.

Once at home, I unearthed over 3 yards of a vintage Thibaut cotton floral print called "Primavera" from the bag and quickly put the vibrant fabric to work as a table runner for my dining room.

With a few more yards to spare, I'm wondering what I should make next with this pretty print. Any ideas?

Add this $5 treasure to my growing list of surprisingly thrift store finds (for more, check out this and this)!

Cozifying My Ikea Edland Bed

Perhaps you are familiar with the clean-lines of the Ikea Edland canopy bed, a piece that I've had for about two and a half years. For awhile now, though, I've wanted to soften the lines of the bed with a fabric touch.

I hemmed and hawed for awhile about which direction to go in; did I want a canopy? 

A panel hanging at the head of the bed? A set of panels at each corner? 

Talk about being indecisive, or at least I was until Jamie of I Suwanee shared these images:

 

(via I Suwannee)

And, like that, the decision was made; I'd add some panels to the left and right of my pillows.

After rousing endorsements of Gray Line Linen from Jenny and Bryn, I opted for this $9 white linen to complement the existing color scheme in my bedroom.

Over the weekend, my mom was kind enough to help with the sewing and she added a row of buttons to hang the panels to the frame of the Edland. The buttons make it easy to remove the fabric when they need to be dry-cleaned.

So, with that I won't keep you waiting any longer...here was the before:

and the all-important after:

 

 

To create these panels, Mom and I put together two 15" wide linen panels with little more than a straight stitch. The one detail that we added was a row of coordinating buttons at the top of each of the panels, which allows me to easily remove the fabric for dry cleaning down the road. I also chose to add a tie-back to both panels with the fabric I purchased.

I love the cozy touch the linen panels add to the bedroom, while also drawing attention to the tall ceilings.
I still have to add a piece of art above the bed to tie it all together.
What do you think? 

My Custom Fabric-Covered Tissue Box Cover

(Sister Parish-covered tissue boxes, $58, via The Zhush)

In the last week, I've been working on major, deep cleaning and redecorating my bathroom. After all of this work, I've been asking myself:  Why are tissue boxes inherently ugly? 

Would it be so difficult to offer a chic tissue box design once and awhile, Kleenex or Puffs?

 For this project, I used the following supplies:

1. fabric of your choice (I chose a sample of "Lascaux" by Alan Campbell in white/black that I had)

2. spray adhesive (optional)

3. tissue box cover (I purchased this one from West Elm)

4. paintbrush

5. vanishing fabric marker

6. scissors

7. bottle of Mod Podge

Want to jazz up an unfortunate tissue box in your home?

Step #1:

Start with crisply ironed fabric and lay it wrong-side up. Place the top of your tissue box cover face down on the fabric. Trace the top and opening the box cover with your vanishing fabric marker. Then, lean one side of your box cover (the face of the box) and trace about 1/4" larger than the edge of the box. Continue with all of the faces/sides of your tissue box cover.

Step #2:

With your outline marked, cut the edges of your box (it should look like a cross) and then snip the opening of the cover. Do not cut the opening out entirely.

 Step #3:

Put your fabric aside for a second and begin covering your tissue box cover with either Mod Podge (which I used) or spray adhesive. Start with the top of the box first and stop. Apply the fabric to the top of your tissue box facing rightside up. Smooth out bubbles as you go. Then, proceed to the next side/face of your box cover, applying Mod Podge to the cover as you go. Fold the extra 1/4" of fabric around the corners of one side.

 Step #4:

There will be 2 sides of the box cover that will have extra fabric wrapped around their edges. To create a clean edge, tuck the extra fabric you have and apply the fabric with Mod Podge. You will be left with 2 sides with crisp, clean edges.

Step #5:

Apply Mod Podge to the bottom of the box and fold your fabric over the bottom edge. Hold until adhered.

Step #6:

Brush your Mod Podge around the inside of your tissue box opening and hold the snipped fabric against it until adhered.

 Step #7:

Last and final step: apply Mod Podge to every side of the tissue box cover. At this point, be sure that there are no stray fibers on your fabric-covered tissue box because, when Mod Podge-d, they will be there forever! Also, Mod Podge dries clear so be as liberal with it as you want.

 And, voila! Like that, your tissue box is much, much more chic.
In less than 30 minutes (plus drying time), my bathroom has a fun fabric accent.

As you can tell, my bathroom is taking on a black-and-white color scheme and I'm looking forward to revealing more projects very shortly!

Would you try this easy-peasy project?

Fabrics For the Rest of Us

Do you ever feel like the fabrics options that we "ooh" and "ahh" over are just too expensive? 

 Maybe I'm alone here, but I love beautiful fabrics and hate their often too-high price tags. Sure, options from Kelly Wearstler, Kathryn Ireland, Lee Jofa, Trina Turk and the rest of the lot make us giddy with their designs; but I'll be the first to admit that I just can't afford the $80+/yard prices, especially if I'm looking to spruce up a pillow, sew some napkins, or refashion a roman shade.

There's no shame in being on a budget, am I right?

I've written about my love for vibrant printed patterns many times here on this blog, but until recently I was at a loss for a new, untapped source for great fabrics.

Well, tah-dah, I found one: Alexander Henry, a company that produces bold, modern prints in cotton. Alexander Henry largely produces fabrics for quilters, and I could see these prints used beyond the blanket at the foot of your bed.
Here are just a few of my favorites I've rounded up for your enjoyment:

"Joy of Life" in red abstract, $2.99 per half yard / "Anja Floral Paisley" in dove, $4.49 per half yard

"Taupe Stripes on Cream" in cream, $9.99 per yard / "Zanzabelle Safari Zikat" in green, $2.49 per half yard

"Vie en Rose Floral" in dove, $2.99 per half yard /"Sage Flowers on Cream" in cream, $9.99 per yard

"Anja Floral Paisley" in black, $2.13 per quarter yard / "Africa Spinning Stick" in red pink, $2.99 per half yard

"Amelie" in rose, $2.99 per half yard / "Still Life" in multi, $4.49 per yard

Okay, so no, these aren't upholstery-weight fabrics, but why not use these lightweight cotton options (with lining, of course) for a fabulous pair of drapes? Or a shower curtain? Or a table runner? Or a bolster pillow?

And...no need to go through a decorator for "to the trade only" fabrics. Be sure to try Etsy and Ebay, as well as online fabric stores, for the very best price.

Fabrics for the rest of us, and we didn't even have to sacrifice style.