Archive for September 2011
More Sewing Studio / Office Changes!
Woohoo! It’s Friday, and I can’t begin to tell you how glad I am. A nasty bug has been kicking my butt all week and I’m ready for some rest and relaxation. There’s only two things between me and my couch, and those things are a) work and b) showing you the rest of the changes I’ve made to my sewing room.
First, in case you missed my updated sewing table area in the last post:
Now for my updated sewing storage wall:
Here’s a reminder of how it looked before: Read the rest of this entry »
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Sewing Corner: Storage & Decor Updates
Have you ever noticed that the best, most useful and lovable spaces in your homes are the ones that have evolved over time? I certainly feel that way. While it’s gratifying to collect inspiration and then execute a vision in one quick, dramatic before-and-after, the magazine-ready results may need to be tweaked after months of living with them.
Such was the case with my sewing studio/office/dressing room. With three crucial functions all occurring in this little 10′ x 12′ space, ever inch of the space needs to work as efficiently as possible.
After about 8 months of really working in my studio, I learned that some of my “great storage ideas” just didn’t work as efficiently as I needed them to.
Take, for example, my sewing corner. Here’s how it looked when I first put the space together last January:
And now:
Gosh, I think it’s a 100% improvement from January.
It’s funny, because at the time I put my sewing studio together, I was pretty pleased with the space. But now that I see the “before” and “after” photos side-by-side, I am a bit horrified at how I decorated / laid the space out in January.
First off, I had to change the setup of the sewing table. Read the rest of this entry »
Trash to Treasure: 4 Upcycled Storage Projects
I’m honored to be guest posting about my favorite upcycled storage solutions today over at my friend Samantha’s blog, Two Become One. Be sure to hop over and check it out!!
New-to-Me Sewing Studio Accessories
I’ve got a confession to make. Over the past month or so I’ve been redecorating bits of my sewing studio – when I really should have been sewing holiday products for my shop instead! But I just had to do it – I’ve found some sweet new accessories and after about 8 months of using the “new” space, I’d learned that some of my initial organization systems weren’t the most efficient.
I was going to share a big, long “reveal” post, but when I saw that Rhoda at Southern Hospitality was having her final Thrifty Treasures party of the year, I figured I’d use that as an excuse to let me fun, new-to-me finds show themselves off. :)
First up, this vintage fan, which I got from Just L for only $15! And yes, it totally works! At first I thought I’d re-paint it – I’ve seen all sorts of fun retro fans in bright bold colors. But I grew to love its slightly rusty and well-worn patina just the way it was. And it fits in perfectly with my collection of vintage glass jars.
Practical Tattoos: Gallery Wall Art
Hi all. I’m Julia, Jane’s virtual assistant. I hijacked the blog today because back when Jane posted on gallery walls I got excited thinking about art. I love art, and studied art history in order to be a curator (long story for another time, I am not a curator). Anyhow, this is the image that drove me to new levels of inspiration:
My brain started whirring on how practical but beautiful this small gallery is. I pitched the idea to Jane for a post on gallery art.
She said: “Heck yeah! You write it. It’ll be great.”
Cue nervousness – I blogged back in the day and quickly realized I’m a behind the scenes kind of gal. I likes me some spreadsheets, data entry, and email writing.
Enough about me, come take a walk through my virtual gallery of gallery wall art where we’ll look at gallery walls from the perspective of 1) usefulness and 2) Tattoo potential.
Wedding Planning & Wedding FAQs
Ever since Ryan popped the question, people have been asking us all sorts of questions. “When are you getting married?” “Where are you getting married” “Have you started planning the wedding yet?”
Even though I technically promised Ryan that I’d wait a month before subjecting him to wedding planning craziness, I couldn’t help but think about things. So we have had a few discussions. Here’s some random bits of info for you all. Opinions welcomed in the comments. :)
When are we getting married?
We’d like to get married next spring, summer or fall. No later.
Where are we getting married?
Gah. The biggest question. Beach wedding near our home (NJ, DE, MD, VA, NC)? Beach wedding in Florida? Destination wedding to a tropical island in the Caribbean?
My immediate preference was for a large (ish) local beach wedding. Our guest list for that is around 85 people. I love DIY stuff, I love party planning, and most of all – I’d love for our wedding to be a big party with those 85-ish people. I like the concept that you bring your family and friends together to witness your marriage and send you into the next phase of your life.
However.
The more I think about planning a wedding, the more overwhelming I realize it is. The concept of standing on a beautiful tropical beach and exchanging vows with Ryan is tugging at me. Bonus? I hear with destination weddings are a package deal, so you can let the resort take care of all the details. You arrive, run through things, get married, and have a great tropical vacation party with your family and friends.
We’d help our wedding party with costs, becuase it’s a lot to ask of your friends who may not have the funds for the trip. As a bonus, I think my mom would like to do that, I bet my brother and his wife would love a tropical vacation, and the friends who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a trip like that would benefit.
And it would be EASY, and save me TIME!
I know Ryan would be happy with it, but what if I regretted not having a fun big wedding with all sorts of little details and special touches that I’m finding on Pinterest?
How many guests would we invite to a destination wedding? Is it ok to invite a larger number, and let them know that if they can’t come it’s ok? Or does that just make them feel bad if they can’t afford to go?
And if my mom throws a party after for everyone who couldn’t go to the actual wedding, is that enough?
I’m. So. Torn. We’ll only get to do this once, after all.
The Dress:
Regardless of which way we decide, I know I want to wear a wedding gown that is flowy and comfy and lightweight, one that I can really dance and walk and play in, but one that still is elegant and really looks like a wedding gown. (As opposed to just a white dress.) I’ve got a Pinterest board devoted to collecting ideas, but here’s a favorite from it:
Or this:
The overarching theme is lace and chiffon. With a little train.
I’ll tell you what I won’t be buying: A dress with a trumpet-style skirt or mermaid. I don’t need to accentuate the width of my hips and butt, thankyouverymuch.
But what about my ethics?
I’m not going to buy a dress that was made overseas in a sweatshop. Unless I buy secondhand. This is also a topic for another day, so I’ll sum it up for now: I’ve already informed Ryan and my family that if we do a local wedding, I want to source from local businesses. No made in China purchases. Catering must be local food and humanely raised meat. Yes, this will cost more. But that’s no reason to leave my ethics at the altar.
The Budget:
I am horrified by the cost of weddings. So we’ll talk about this later. Some items will cost more for us than they would for others, though. See topic: “But what about my ethics?
So these are all the concrete thoughts I’ve got so far. I’d love to know your thoughts on the local big wedding vs. destination wedding/follow-up reception ideas. Or your real life experiences, if you’ve got them. Thank you!
Fall In Love With “Fallingwater”
Over the Labor Day holiday, Ryan and I took a short vacation with my parents, staying in a cabin in the rural part of western PA. While the cabin itself was fine, it wasn’t anything exciting from a decor or architectural standpoint. However, Ryan and I got our design fix when we visited two Frank Lloyd Wright homes: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.
While both homes were beautiful, and chock-full of innovative design and storage elements, it was the infamous Fallingwater that showed me exactly what all the hype is about.
Interior photography was not allowed, so I had to comb the web for some photos of my favorite elements. I’ve used captions to give credit for photos that are not mine. Please, if you “pin” any images that aren’t mine, make a note in the “pin” to give proper credit.
While I think the shape and harmony of the home’s exterior are awesome, I don’t love the actual look of the beige stucco or cement. The real design treats lay in wait across the threshold.
While He Was Out: My Engagement Gift to Ryan
This week I’ve managed to keep a couple big secrets from you. It hasn’t been easy, believe me! For the last week Ryan has been away in San Diego for business travel. I didn’t miss him as much as I should have, because I was busy whipping up a huge present for him: I totally painted and decorated his office, transforming it into the space he’s been envisioning for the last year. He’s had the paint forever, has been accumulating a special collection of vintage pieces for the space, but the space wasn’t getting done. Granted, the hot and humid Virginia weather hasn’t made for the best painting conditions.
I’d been wanting to do something for Ryan. Something big. Because he created such a special vacation and gave me the best proposal ever, along with the most perfect ring – his declaration of “I love you.” And I wanted to give him my declaration. Especially since it didn’t come in the form of “yes.”
Over the last few nights I emptied out his office, primed, and painted, and then decorated. I also managed to fit in a Craigslist purchasing trip (without getting murdered) as well as framing some special art for the space. I’ve been busy!
When I was out shopping for a few items to complete the space, I really had to keep focused on completing the vision I know he had, and not get too creative with it – because the point was not to exercise my design muscles, but to make him happy. :)
So at the time this post goes live, Ryan will most likely be discovering his new space. I won’t be there to see his reaction, unfortunately, because I have to attend an event for work. Because he’d previously declared his office a blog-free zone, I’m trying to stay conservative with the photos, only showing you the highlights and not getting into every nook and cranny of the space. Hopefully he won’t mind.
