Spontaneous piles seem to form around my house. Mail is probably the most often piled culprit. Why worry about opening mail and filing it when you can stack it up for a week? If you feel the same but are looking for a way to appease the neat freaks in your life, why not make…
I’ve been totally into the geometric triangle trend we’re seeing now in the graphic design world, especially because this motif reminds me of a patchwork quilt. So I couldn’t resist jumping on the triangle trend and stitching up some triangle patchwork wall art for my (very bare) living room walls, and I thought I’d share…
Around this time last year, Grace, Amy and I went to check out the “McMasterpieces” show curated by Sight Unseen as part of NY Design Week. We loved these pieces by Alissia Melka-Teichroew; they not only inspired one of our projects for last year’s summer newspaper, but they’ve been haunting me ever since. I love the…
Tights, furniture, hair — ombre fades are everywhere! I hope the trend continues; I think everything could benefit from a little ombre experimentation. I love the three-tone fade on this ombre dining chair tutorial from Jesse Dresbach of Nine Red Design. Jesse has a knack for brining modern techniques to found pieces of furniture — you may…
When we gathered here last time, we turned an uninspired coffee table into a boxed ottoman, and January brought us boxed cushion sewing. This month, I thought we’d think inside the box for a change and tackle one of the biggest upholstery projects to cross my path: upholstered walls! About a month ago, I moved…
You may remember the wedding of our lovely D*S contributor Brittany Watson Jepsen. Her huge paper blooms made such a splash that she started selling them in her shop, and just recently Brittany wrote a great article for Brooklyn Bride about the paper flower trend. I’m thrilled that this is a growing phenomenon; I adore anything made…
I don’t bring my lunch to work as often as I should. And by that, I mean never. What if I had a cool lunch tote? It might not help, but at the very least, it’s a fun project to practice your hand sewing and to make something interesting. Whether you need a lunch tote…
The last time we met, we got out our sewing machines and tackled boxed cushions. I have a feeling your pets (and you) have recently found a comfy and fashionable place to perch. So what better way to finesse our sewing skills than to try, try again. I found this stout coffee table at a…
I love repurposed vintage, especially when it’s combined with new technology. The sleek, monochromatic look of contemporary gadgets meshes perfectly with the candy colors and rounded shapes of mid-century design, and today we have an awesome project to celebrate this happy marriage: a vintage suitcase charging station by Sara and Stacy of SugarSCOUT. Combining their love…
We’re taking a short break from valentine projects, but there will be another awesome Valentine’s Day post coming up after this. Grace, Amy and I are gearing up for some major DIY time while I’m in NYC this month, and one of the ideas we’ve been tinkering with involves copper tacks — lots of ‘em….
I’ve been needing some more room for my growing record collection and all the while have been looking for the right sized vintage box. I was hoping for something somewhat military surplus, but never found the right size or condition. If I found something, it was always a one-off and typically poor shape. Here’s the…
I’ve always loved having an advent calendar to help me get into the holiday spirit. I adore that it counts down to Christmas day and inadvertently reminds me how many shopping days are left. But more importantly, I love a hefty infusion of holiday sparkle through chocolate. However, the store-bought variety left me wondering how…
A few months ago, we were asked to contribute some holiday gift DIY projects to the December/January issue of Ladies’ Home Journal. The magazine has just hit stands, and our projects are now available to view on their website! Some of these are variations on past projects, while others — like the vintage book tablet…
I’ve been obsessed with spherical shapes lately, and I can’t stop buying them in all forms. Wood, metal, glass . . . I even bought a pair of cement “pearl” earrings that I’m very excited about. With spheres on the brain, it’s no wonder I couldn’t resist sharing this super-easy tutorial for a hanging glass…
Lately we’ve been getting more requests for furniture DIY projects. Luckily this awesome tutorial from Sarah Torrence of 508 Restoration & Design for a salvaged barnwood headboard landed in my inbox, and was just too pretty to pass up. Due to their size and the amount of use they receive, headboards can be intimidating, even…
One thing I’m typically seen lugging around is a camera. Most camera bags are overkill, especially when you just want a bit of protection walking around, or you’re packing a camera in another bag for a short trip. I picked up a nice looking, heavy wool remnant from the Pendleton outlet last weekend, so I…
Finding a simple, modular piece of furniture that is reasonably priced but also well made can be hard sometimes. IKEA provides some decent options, but sometimes you just want something made out of beautiful, sturdy, solid wood. Thankfully, designer Silvia Song has created a great tutorial for a simple wood side table with a sliding…
The air is turning brisk, the leaves are changing colors and the sleeping bags are ready to be packed! Fall is here, and I can’t wait to sit around a campfire, roasting dinner and dessert with family and friends. When I grew up, we stretched out metal hangers for our camping skewers. They worked pretty…
This project couldn’t come at a better time for me; just this week, I decided to toss out my crummy old plastic cutting boards and exchange them with more durable wood ones. Kate of Centsational Girl has created a fantastic, easy tutorial for how to make your own custom cutting boards of any size and…
After seeing this perforated brass pendant lamp by Holly Rose, I decided I must take a class in metalsmithing — it seems so cool! I’ve just come around to brass recently, and now I love it! Holly has given simple brass sheets a whole new look by cutting out a fun polka dot pattern and…
