Felt Christmas Ornaments + My Christmas Tree

For my new Christmas tree theme I found some sweet ornaments at IKEA that are very traditional Scandinavian and very simple.  So I bought some, but thought it would be fun (and economical) to make some of my own!  I was inspired by this post as well.

I used some inexpensive felt sheets from Hobby Lobby and some embroidery thread to add details.  I did a blanket stitch around the edges and very lightly filled them with stuffing.  I've done a blanket stitch before, but needed some refreshing so I used this youtube video, if you're interested. :)

I sort of forgot how small my tree was, so I didn't need to make too many to fill up my empty spaces.  I thought I would make a bunch that were similar, but it was too fun coming up with new shapes and patterns!  My favorite one is the star I made for the top of the tree.  I think its perfect.

And then when I put on my tree skirt it just looked so flat and limp, so my mother-in-law helped me fluff it up with some blankets and pillows.  (sorry about the cords in the back, no excuses today)

And the whole tree shot: (minus the star on top. . . this was taken on Sunday before the star was made, but I like that its taken in natural light, which is a luxury I don't have during the week!)

Have you set up your Christmas tree yet?

DIY Christmas (Stockings and ruffle tree skirt)

My husband has a very strict policy about Christmas music and decor.  Not until after Thanksgiving.  Me?  I say when ever the mood strikes after Halloween.  Like last week, it was so warm I wasn't really feelings the Christmas music until Friday's snow storm.  And then it was Tran Siberian Orchestra on Pandora all day long.

But regardless of your personal feelings as to when the Christmas season begins, the truth is if you're going to DIY Christmas presents or decor you're going to have to start before Thanksgiving.  So the other day I did something I've been threatening to do for three years: Made our Christmas stockings!!  Seriously I bought the fabric soon after we were married (Nov 21) and I always think of it post Thanksgiving.  Not this year.  And do you know how long those three stockings took me?  Maybe an hour each.  Nap time + an hour after bedtime and I was DONE! 

You'll have to excuse the picture quality.  By the time I get home from work, natural light is hard to come by!

My second DIY for Christmas this year was a ruffle tree skirt (tutorial here).  I made one last year for my student's donation to Festival of Trees, but it got donated before I got a post written about it.  My husband did take a picture of it when we went to the festival, but I'm excited to finally be posting details about this project!

Last year's tree skirt went with the "Christmas Orange" themed tree. 

I found a drop cloth that was 6' x 9'.  I cut it in half to so I had two 4 1/2' pieces and then folded them into a triangle to square it up.  And then I folded it in half a few more times and rounded the edge to make a circle.

 After adding just one layer of ruffles it starts looking so pretty!

After all the ruffles are done!  Do I cut that extra fabric at the top?  Add another ruffle?  Not worry about since presents will probably cover it?  (Probably the last one)

I'll probably put up my whole tree this weekend, so pictures coming Tuesday!!

Somethings I did differently than the tutorial:

• I used unbleached muslin for more of a homespun look.  (linen would be so much more expensive!)
• I thought about getting extra muslin for the base, but I'm glad I went with the drop cloth as its a little heavier weight and I feel like it will last longer.  
• I needed 2 1/4 yards of 90" muslin and I cut my strips into 3 1/2" instead of 2" because I didn't want it to take forever and honestly the pictures in the tutorial look like the strips are wider than 2". 
• I wish I hadn't cut the circle in the middle until the end because I didn't end with the perfect amount of space at the end. 
• Its so much easier than it sounds! 

Up next, some DIY Christmas ornaments!

What Christmas projects do you have going on this year?  Share!!

Linking up with: 

Crib sheet fabric

I'm trying to find a cute crib sheet fabric for my new baby boy.  You might remember that I'm adding in some orange to my aqua bedding to make it a little more "boy".  The sheets that came with the set were striped, so I'm trying to find something similar or equally simple.  The raindrops print on the crib bumper is so cute and I don't want anything to compete with it.  My crib set pattern, for reference:

Here are some ideas for crib sheets:

I'm keeping the aqua chevron rug with Olivia's room plan, so the chevron wouldn't be too overused in the space if I chose this one.

VIA

I love this print, but I worry it might be a little too busy. 

VIA

Or should I go with the most simple, the classic stripe?

VIA

Which is your favorite?

My three favorite colors

Don't forget to vote today!!

Painting Wood

Trends in fashion and interior design come and go.  I think we all know that.  When I was in high school you wouldn't even think of wanting a gold engagement ring (it was a topic of conversation on a regular basis, complete with sketches.  Don't act like you didn't do that too) but now I see more and more gold being used in jewelery.

One trend in interiors is painted wood.  I love it!  Natty by Design refinishes old wood furniture and I think her work is gorgeous. 

Of course furniture isn't permanent in your home and you could always change it out if the style changed.

My friend Elizabeth painted a built in shelf and phone desk.  Her son's nursery is so perfect, I can't imagine it with the original knotty pine. 

Centsational Girl painted her family room built ins.  In such a high traffic area, that is a huge commitment!   I absolutely love how it freshens up the room, but what do you do when painted wood is out and natural wood is back in style?

And last, Jessica at Decor Adventures has vowed to never paint her original wood trim in her home (over 100 years old!!)  Its stunning and fits the vibe of the house.  Plus, painting all the wood trim in a house would be a HUGE commitment. 

What do you think of painted wood?  Could you commit to it, knowing it might not always be in style? 

Shop Etsy: Feet on the Floor (+Discount Code!!!)

My friend Allison recently started an Etsy shop (Feet on the Floor) sharing some of her thrift store finds and I think she has the best taste!  I asked her a few questions about how she got into thrifting and she was so nice to answer them for me.

1. When did you start thrift store shopping?

    I have an actual memory of thrift shopping back to age 4 :) I pretty much grew up thrift store shopping-- and especially yard saling. My parents were really into it, mainly for economical reasons, but the adventure is and always will be part of the addiction.  In fact, growing up, my parents would make us kids stay and man our own yard sale, while they went out yard saling themselves :) So it's always been a part of my life, but I'd have to say that once I got out of college I really got into it to the point that I am today-- I'd consider it an addiction, and my family may or may not be worried that I am approaching hoarder status . . .

2. What is the best thing you ever found?

     That is way too tough a question! My very favorite part is the hunt, so finding stuff I love (which happens often!) always feels like the best score ever. Sometimes it's a score because it's just simply something I happen to be looking for, and other times it's just something I think is really cool or unusual. The icing on the cake is when it's also valuable, but that is definitely not a requirement for me to feel like it's an awesome find. Due to my aforementioned hoarding habit, I end up selling a lot of my finds, even though I think they are rad. The ratio of cool finds to what I can actually use is way off, thus my Etsy shop emerged out of necessity. Here are a couple of recent finds that are some of my "personal bests" as of late:

A 1960s era Danish style credenza, made of teak. Scored this for only $60 . . . worth somewhere around $600+.

A 1950s era Hand painted Kitchen set. The cool thing about this, is that I actually found the bread box down in southern California about 4 years ago. Then just a few months ago, I found the rest of the entire set at a thrift store in Sacramento. This set is actually up for sale in my shop :)

A pair of 1960s era designer patio lounge chairs in the perfect shade of aqua! The crazy thing, is there were actually 4 of these, but I could only fit 2 in my bus! If I hadn't been so far from home, I would've driven back and bought the other 2! This was a bittersweet score . . . ok that just sounds ungrateful. Picked these up for $20 each, worth around $250- $350 each.

A 1940s era embossed vinyl headboard (full size) in jade green. Ok, aside from this being super cute . . . I got it at a thrift store for $1. Only ONE DOLLAR! Crazy!!!

 3. What is your favorite place to thrift?

     My favorite place to thrift is somewhere I've never been :) I get to travel a lot for my job, so I am always thrifting in new places. I love finding new thrift stores! Ok that's the honest truth, but kind of a cop out answer. Of all the places I've been, I'd have to say that my very favorite place to thrift shop is probably El Dorado Hills (northern CA) because I always seem to find a TON of good stuff, EVERY time :) I also prefer the "mom and pop" type thrift stores over the chain ones, as they typically have better prices.

And of course I have to share with you some of my favorites from Allison's shop right now:

How cute would this guy be in a nursery?  I imagine lots of bright colors and painted wooden toys with this canvas just completing the vintage feel.  (Should I change my whole nursery theme just for this picture?  Sooo tempting!)

I'm shocked that this canister set is in such good shape and all together (I wrote that before Allison told the story about it!  Now I'm even more shocked!!).  What great addition to a vintage style kitchen.

I want this.  We'll see if my husband will let me buy it before yours will. 

This iridescent gold lamp reads like a neutral and could go with so many different styles.

I love these plates, and even though they're dishwasher safe I would use them as an art piece in the kitchen. 

I love traveling and have always been drawn to old fashioned suit cases.  Sure you can use this to travel with or you can use it to decorate with.  Vintage suit cases (if they're really flat) work great as a novelty end table when paired with a camp stool. 

All of these pieces can be purchased here (she also has a lot of cute vintage jewelery!!), and until the end of November you can use the code DESIGNSALT15 for a 15% discount!  How sweet is Allison?!?!?

(Also, follow Feet on the Floor on facebook to get the first peek at new shop items!)

Fall Fireplaces

I'm not sure I'll be allowed to keep blogging about interior design if I don't do a post about fall mantlescapes.  My biggest hurdle?  I don't have a fireplace!!  My mother-in-law does a gorgeous mantle for Christmas, so I'll share a picture of that in December. In the mean time I'll just show you some of my favorite fall mantles from blog land and dream about the day I have my very own fireplace. 

Emily used some branches and tree trimmings from her yard!  I love it, and it works perfectly for October and November.

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

At first glance would you even believe these awesome flowers are made of brown paper bags?  Genius.

Source: homemademodern.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

I love how these pumpkins/gourds have the ombre look going. 

Source: thenester.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

These banners made of burlap add just the perfect rustic touch to this Thanksgiving mantle.

Source: proverbs31girl.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

This fabric scrap garland is darling.  I want to make one for every holiday!  And birthdays!

Source: evamscott05.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

One of my very first fall pins from last year.  It might be a little late in the month for Halloween decor, but the fall leaves in the vases would transition to November nicely. 

Source: sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Did you decorate your mantle this season?  Leave a link in the comments so I can see!!

Set Design: Stranger Than Fiction

I've never seen set design play as big a role in a movie as it did in Stranger Than Fiction.  First, I love that movie, a good balance of funny and touching.  And I love the couple Harold and Ana.  They couldn't be more different, and the style of their homes really portray that.

Harold in his bedroom.  So stream line, so modern and so simple.  It does a great job of extending his character as an IRS agent obsessed with numbers into his living space, deepening his personality.

You can see a few more example of his home in this collage.   I have to say I'm really drawn to the extreme modern, but not flashy, interior of his apartment. 

And his hippie, tax evading girlfriend Ana.  Her home is a collection of mismatch thrift store finds.  Lots of bright colors and eclectic patterns.  It speaks volumes about the kind of person Ana is.

 And the awesome set design didn't stop with the main characters.  Harold stays temporarily with his co worker Dave, who is similar to Harold but has more of a playful side to him than Harold does (at first anyway).  His apartment shows that.  Its also modern and clean, but its more funky and space agey.  Its just genius. 

Of course characters in a movie can be a bit more one dimensional.  It might not be that easy to channel your personality into your interior design, but it does beg the question: What does your interior say about you?  :)

Mini Master Makeover

When we were first married we lived in an apartment with white walls (surprise, surprise) and I actually liked them in the master bedroom.  I went with a white, black and gray color scheme (never could get my husband on board with that "splash of pink" I had planned).  But when we moved into my in-laws house the beige walls did not jive with our gray art work.  We also had gray sheets, and I didn't want to have to buy all new king size sheets (expensive!) just for a temporary look.

So a quick, easy and less pricy tip for a temporary sheet change is just get new pillow cases.  I finally got around to that today. . . oh you know 10 months later.  And using some borrowed throw pillows from my mother-in-law (she's an addict) I did a little mini makeover on my bed. 

I decided to go with tans and creams and thought that might be a little too boring on its own.  I showed my husband Pantone's fall 2012 and had him pick the color he thought would look best in our room.  Actually I think I made him choose between tangerine and chartreuse.  He chose chartreuse.  I bought some chartreuse pillow cases, but decided not to use them in the end.  I guess the creams and browns aren't too boring on their own!

Source: pantone.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

Here's the pillow configuration with the green (this is the only angle that they looked even somewhat decent!) Don't mind the black and white lamp shade.  I'm trying to figure a way to temporarily cover a lamp shade. . . email me if you know a trick.

And here are the pillows with the green pulled out.  The textures of the other pillows really help give interest so a bright color isn't necessary.  

What do you think?  Would you add a bright color in? 

Striped king pillow cases: IKEA
Chartreuse standard pillow cases: IKEA
Knit white standard shams: Pottery Barn
Fringe pillow, suede pillow and knit throw pillows: borrowed from my mother-in-law
Zebra textured white throw pillow: IKEA
White duvet cover: IKEA

Guest Posting at Living Savvy!

Good morning!  Today I am posting at Living Savvy about my My Five Fall Favorite Kid Decoration.  I had so much fun helping the kids I nanny make Halloween and fall decorations for their house, go over and check it out!