This mountain pillow is the second project in our holiday DIY gift series with Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag. You can check out last week’s project, a lovely bleach-dot clutch, by clicking here. Enjoy! — Kate I don’t know about you, but I’m loving all things mountains of late, and this simple snow-peaked pillow is…
We’re excited to kick off a short series of guest DIY projects from Merrilee Lilliard of Mer Mag. Merrilee will be sharing some handmade gift ideas over the next few weeks, starting with this lovely bleach-dot clutch. Thanks for joining us for the holidays, Merrilee! — Kate Hello, Design*Sponge readers! Merrilee from Mer Mag here….
Although I’m admittedly a chair addict, they’re not my only obsession. I am a sucker for lamps, and after years of collecting lamps in every size, shape and color, I found myself with a lot of lamps and no shades. The success (or failure) of a table lamp has as much to do with the…
Of all the recreational activities associated with summer, picnicking is far and away my favorite. It offers an irresistible mix of food, nature, nomadism, and efficient packaging. I should have predicted this love from the hours I spent playing Oregon Trail as child: I focused entirely on monitoring my list of sundries and supplies and…
Summer is here, and I am so excited to start filling up my free time with warm weather activities. When it comes to beaches, pools, picnics and the like, I am definitely a planner — I like to bring everything I could possibly want along with me so I’ll never be caught without water, sunscreen,…
Reverse applique may sound fancy, but it’s actually a crazy-easy sewing technique that allows you to add tons of color, texture and pattern to your projects with very little effort. In this technique, two or more fabrics are layered and stitched together, then sections of the fabric are strategically cut away to reveal the color(s)…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Have passport, will travel . . . yes. Have passport in a hand-sewn leather case? JET SETTER. In the spirit of this month’s Design*Sponge travel theme, let’s take a lesson in leather hand sewing that we can use for a passport cover or just about any small case-like thing you can think of. Hand sewing…
As you may have figured out from my My Life Scoop posts, I’m a bit of a nut for tech accessories, especially pocket-sized ones. I can’t get over how awesomely small our entertainment devices are becoming; it makes traveling with them so much easier. But one issue I keep running into is how to neatly…
Furniture DIYs are not something we get very often, but I love it when we do. It’s great to see people tackle larger projects with great results, and then find out how they did it! This platform sofa was created by Genevieve Dellinger as a chic, inexpensive alternative to the sofas on the market. Using…
This great winter project from Bliss Alexander-Smith is perfect for the chill in the air, and right now, I want a fireplace more than anything. For you lucky fireplace owners out there, this log caddy is an easy, stylish fix for carting your logs to and fro. I’ll let Bliss explain the rest, and be…
Deck your halls DIY-style this year with an easy handmade tree skirt! In this post, I’ll show you the basics of sewing a simple round skirt, which you can adapt to any custom size to fit your tree — from a majestic 12-foot fir to an NYC-apartment-sized mini-tree like mine. The fabric you choose will…
I have a funny, quiet-before-the-storm feeling because this could be one of the last weeks on the calendar before full-on holiday madness sets in. So why not take advantage of these last, few mellow days to indulge in a little old-fashioned embroidery and get some holiday prep done at the same time? These handmade, hand-embroidered…
A talented seamstress with a mission, Renske Solkesz decided to create her own wardrobe after finding herself frustrated with high fashion prices. When we saw her chic and modern wardrobe creations, we asked if she’d be willing to create and share a fun accessory tutorial with us. I’m super excited about what she’s come up…
Add a little fall flair to your kitchen with these quick and easy wool potholders. They’re super simple to make — just cut out the leaf shapes, add the decorative stitching and you’re done! You can finish one in an hour or less, and they’re a great beginner project for those of you still afraid…
It’s back-to-school time, and it’s hard not to have school supplies on the brain even if school days are nowhere in sight for some of us! Inspired by the good old-fashioned pencil case, I thought it would be fun to sew a lined, zippered pouch that you can use for pencils, makeup, electronics or anything…
