DIY - Upholstered Top Cedar Chest

Oh my!  The fabric just arrived for the top of my bedroom cedar chest and it is LOVELY!  I found it at Osborne & Little and am just head over heels for it!  Time to get motivated to give my old cedar chest a new look for my new bedroom.

Here is the "victim".  I originally bought this chest at Bed Bath and Beyond about 11 years ago for under $100.  Time to breathe some new life into her!

 You will need:

• Exterior and interior fabric
• Foam
• Buttons
• Grosgrain ribbon
• Staple Gun
• Hammer
• Fabric Glue
• Paint
• Paint Brush
• Sand Paper

1) Sand the chest and paint it!!  Two coats please... I choose the color of our walls BM Edgecombe Gray but in semi-gloss.

2) Cut Foam to shape and glue to top to keep from shifting.  If you don't have a custom foam cutter near by, you'll have to trim it to size.

3) Cover with fabric - pull tight and staple. It is MUCH easier if you have someone to help hold the fabric in place.  My husband was a sport and helped me :)

 I carefully folded the fabric at the corners to get them looking just right.

 My plan was to create a "tufted" top, but found the foam that I used too thick to drive the extra long needle through it...bummmmmmer it would have looked fabulous!  Instead I used the buttons as accent pieces to cover the holes for the original hardware. (see below)  I covered the buttons using extra fabric so they would match exactly.

4) Staple the fabric to underside and trim with grosgrain ribbon.  I used painters tape to help hold the fabric in place and a hammer to ensure the staples were flush with the fabric.

I used fabric glue to adhere the navy grosgrain ribbon to hide the staples and fabric seams.

Ta Dah!

And you may have spotted the headboard of the bed in the "before" picture painted various colors. Stay tuned...the bed is also DONE!

By the way, I was inspired by Jenny Komenda over at "Little Green Notebook"... check out her project here.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
Cheers!
Becky

Etsy's Hollywood Regency Finds

You know to search etsy for handmade crafts, stationery and art, but did you know there are a fair number of vendors selling vintage goods and furniture?

What do you think of these "Hollywood Regency" items?

Fireplace Candleabra

Moroccan Shelves

Zebra Arm Chairs

Brass and Lucite Candleholders

Chalkboard

Gold Gilt Tea Card

Etsy's Dumbo Offices

You've seen me reference etsy on this blog about a trillion times - I've used this kinder, gentler, more creative version of ebay to purchase everything from handmade clothing, jewelry, stationery, party supplies, pillows, art and more!  I love that by shopping on etsy I'm supporting small, creative artisans - it feels good, like shopping at the local farmer's market.

I enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at Etsy's offices in the Brooklyn neighborhood know as Dumbo, as captured by the New York Times.   The offices are almost exclusively decorated with wares purchased from etsy, with each new employee given $100 to spend on the site for goodies to adorn his/her new work space.  To read the article, titled "Online Bazaar Builds On Its Base With Sense of Community" click here.  And check back tomorrow to see our pick of Hollywood Regency items available on etsy!

New Year's Eve Tablescapes!

Now that the holidays are behind us (WOW - time flies!)  we are now on to New Year's Eve!  If you are looking for great tablescape ideas, look no further, Courtney Lake from the Blog "Courtney Out Loud" has created two inspirational and afforadable New Year's Eve tablescapes for us.  Have a look!

The "bright and bold" version:
The bright and bold tablescape was my first take on a non-traditional holiday table using colors you normally don't associate with the holidays.  It was my take on what a NYE day table would look like if set for a late afternoon casual brunch after the owners of the house got in from a late night of partying with friends.  I tend to do stories in my head for each project I do because it helps me set the tone.  So for this tablescape, the wife is a bit of a boho chic kinda woman who loves bright colors but done in saturated tones.  She likes JCrew but loves to mix in the vintage pieces she finds at her local shop and when she goes to visit her Mom in Palm Springs.  The husband lets her decorate the way she wants but prefers a bit more modern vibe, so he likes chrome, glass and silver and hard lines.  He loves his Tod driving loafers and is quite particular on how his  barber cuts his modern shaggy yet business appropriate mop of hair.

The "light and bright" version:
I imagined that this was the sister to the original tablescape owner.  This sister is a little more traditional and reserved,  and while she appreciates her older sister's panache, she and her husband prefer something more traditional and classic in their home.  They enjoy estate sales where they get their crystal and adore light and mono-chromatic color schemes.  She loves Max Mara, carries an understated Louis Vuitton bag (no monogram print for her) and reads Traditional Home on the weekend.  Her husband is a lawyer who appreciates his wife's eye for elegance and most of her design decisions.

Here is the  breakdown of the color-laden table:

Tablecloth: Crate & Barrel 90in round ($25 at outlet)
Plates & Salad Plates: Anthropologie ($7.99 for plate and $3.50 for salad plate)
Blue juice glasses: Anthropologie ($1.95 each)
Wine glasses: Ross Dress for Less ($5 on sale for the whole set!)
Flatware: Mix of vintage mother of peal pieces from eBay and everyday flatware from Costco :)
Napkins: Pier One ($2 each)
Centerpiece: A mix of existing holiday ornaments from Target & Michaels, plastic & birds from the Dollar Store and a found branch spray painted silver.
Votive candles: Michaels ($1 each)
Flower Vases: Ikea drinking glasses
Flowers: Carnations from Safeway ($4.99)
(Funny in that the single most expensive thing on the table is the bottle of champagne I used as a prop!)

As for the bright and light table:

Tablecloth: Custom made from fabric on Fabric.com (https://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=c80a418b-aeaa-4906-92b7-0fbc1e7f1a26)
Napkins: Crate & Barrel Outlet ($12 for 12)
Napkin Rings: Pottery Barn (part of their catering set they now sell)
Charger Plates: Ikea ($5 in the As Is Section)
Plates: Dollar Store ($1 each)
Crystal Goblets: Waterford Crystal given to us by my partner's parents
Wine glasses: same ones from the other table -- $5 from Ross Dress for Less
Centerpiece: It is a coffee filter wreath I made for $3
Flower vases: Crystal liquor glasses I found at Ross Dress for Less ($5 for a set of 6)
Candy Pots: crystal pots I found at Marshalls that should hold salt and pepper ($2.99 for the pair)
Party Favor Bowls: Both sets of crystal bowls are from Ross Dress for Less ($2.99 each)
Party Poppers: Mix of homemade using paper towel rolls and some bought from the Dollar Store
Crystal Candlesticks: Pieces I have picked up from antique marts and discount stores - none over $10
Flatware: Mix of mother of pearl from eBay and again my everyday stuff from Costco
Champagne bucket: CB2 (I don't remember the price....
Flowers: I recycled them from the other table....I just dried them off, cut them lower to fit the shot glasses and any leftovers got tucked into the wreath.

So there you have it.  Two tablescapes that basically use similar elements that can be used as inspiration or as jumping off points.  Everything I used is readily available at discount stores, Dollar stores or resale shops.  As I said, I even made sure that the flowers were easy to find and inexpensive (carnations from the super market).

Happy New Year and Happy Entertaining!

Best,

Courtney

Virtual Holiday House Tour Featuring Emily Clark, Tamara Matthews-Stephenson, and Everything LEB

The Virtual Holiday House Tour wraps up today with Emily Clark, Tamara Matthews from the Nestnestnest, and Lindsay from Everything LEB!

Emily writes, "I took a simple approach to Christmas decorating this year, simply because there is no time around here to do anything elaborate.  I used a lot of natural elements (greenery, pinecones, etc.) and added some sparkle with silver and white Christmas ornaments, candlesticks,  etc."

 
Tamara writes, "Decorating for the Holidays is a fun family tradition in our home.  Since we have many hand me down and homemade ornaments we enjoy unwrapping them every year and reminiscing their history.  Some of the traditions we keep the same every year on our tree:  baby’s breath tucked within the branches, a faux sugared cranberry garland we bought on a trip years earlier and bows tied on the edges of the branches (my German grandmother’s tradition).  This year we used gold bows.  Something new this year is we spray painted leaves and holly gold-colored for our Thanksgiving table so we used it on our Christmas tree to recycle.  I infused a bit more silver and gold this year than other years and was inspired a “Winter Wonderland” theme I saw throughout New York --Holiday House showhouse, magazines, store windows and the new Ralph Lauren store on Madison Avenue.

Since my children were very little each year we attend the Nutcracker Ballet at the NY City Ballet, so the music and decoration of the ballet inspires me a great deal every Christmas.  I have a large nutcracker that graces the bottom of our tree (made out of paper mache), as well as dozens of small nutcracker place holders that we use in various places:  this year we used them on our fireplace mantel alongside antique Blue Willow plates and red coral candlestick holders.  We have collected many beautiful ornaments over the years and I especially love mercury glass -- so I place extra ones around the house in large bowls – you can see here a McCoy shell inspired bowl houses a mixture of ornaments.  This year we opted for a single boxwood wreath on our front door.  I made a burlap bow with a gold ornament to adorn our red door."

Linsday from Everything LEB is super busy this year planning for her New England wedding, in just a few short months!  Check out her festive mantle, and those fabulous gold sconces!

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Becky and Deb