
We moved twice in the last two years, and in the process, I gave away a lot of things. I feel like the universe has decided to reward me by sending me two great finds. First, I found this vintage … Continue reading
We moved twice in the last two years, and in the process, I gave away a lot of things. I feel like the universe has decided to reward me by sending me two great finds. First, I found this vintage … Continue reading
We recently moved into our new house, and I’ve been busy arranging and re-arranging things to get us settled. In this process, I was fortunate to receive a beautiful new sideboard cabinet from Hernest.com. This item was generously gifted, but … Continue reading
Oh wow, I am in love with the work of Lucy Penfield of Lucy Interior Design! She can execute a beautiful modern or bohemian room, but what I’m particularly smitten with is her ability to create space that has the perfect blend of classic and contemporary, casual and elegant, all full of whimsy and personality. This balance is what I am striving for in our home, and I am soaking up all the inspiration!
Here are my favorite elements of her designs:
This style is exemplified by her Highland Park Bungalow and Romantic Urban projects, as well as the Lake Cottage. I would happily move into any of these gorgeous spaces! Here are some of my favorite inspiration pics that capture that beautiful and unique blend of styles.
Isn’t this all fabulous?! I have always wondered if my blend of styles might be too scattered, but I love seeing how it is possible to bring together traditional and contemporary elements to create beautiful spaces. So inspired!
Julie AKA “Jewels”
I am so excited for our new patio space and have already enjoyed time out here eating lunch, reading, or catching up on some work. I started looking for some lounge chairs, but I couldn’t quite find what I wanted – or more accurately, what I wanted was way too $$$. But this story has an happy ending! I found these used chairs and made them over for $ to complete our patio space!
It’s no secret that I love anything with the look of cane or faux bamboo and also that I have a weakness for Craigslist finds! I spotted this set on Craigslist for $50, and when I showed up, the woman said I could have it for free. She also let me take the chairs without the table, so my karma of giving things away when we moved last year came back to me! I also picked up the chairs near my old neighborhood hardware store, so I stopped by to get some supplies and painting tips.
Here’s how to do it:
Here are some more pictures of our “new” chairs.
I feel they came pretty close to my inspiration pics, and all with the satisfaction with saving some money and a good DIY!
Everyone loves a good before and after pic:
I look forward to many more hours enjoyed out here with friends, family, or curled up with a good book!
Julie AKA “Jewels”
Sometimes, milestones are measured in unusual ways. I know my kids are getting big, because it’s finally possible to take a picture of JJ’s room that is not a total disaster! We (I) were focused on finding a new house … Continue reading
I have been in love with patio string lights for so long. Unfortunately, our last house didn’t really have a respectable outdoor entertaining space, but our rental house last year and our new house both have great patio spaces! I have been waiting to do this project creating posts to hang our lights, and I am so excited that we finally did it! It’s not hard (you do need some muscles!), and I am excited to share the how-to and our results!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s how to do it:
Of course, we had a warm spell last week and it’s cooled off again, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer to hang out here!
Julie AKA “Jewels”
Remember when I told you that painting a vintage mid-century dresser was on my DIY bucket list? I love how that first project turned out. And then! When I was moving and definitely should not have been accumulating more stuff, I found something I couldn’t resist: a Thomasville faux bamboo bedroom set for free on Craigslist! This included a twin bed frame and a little desk and dresser. The desk had a bookcase hutch, which I put on top of the dresser to make a hutch/ bar for our dining room.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s how to do it:
This new dining room bar is the perfect place to display our collection of vintage bar glasses. I collected them back when we threw a Mad Men party, and I still love them all!
The days off for New Year’s allowed me to finish this project, so of course, I decorated for our at-home countdown to the New Year!
There is still the bed frame, a little corner desk, and some mirrors that came with the bedroom set. It was a silly indulgence to bring them all home, but I still hope to find a home for them some day somewhere!
Julie aka “Jewels”
My brain has a tendency to look at furniture and think, “What else could this be?” Our family has been on a journey this past year – we wanted to move houses, and logistically, it worked best for us to … Continue reading
Are you looking for some DIY gift ideas? I had so much fun making the shibori-dyed zipper pouches for holiday gifts a few years ago that I decided to do this project again this time with larger pouches. The small size … Continue reading
A couple of summers ago, when I was addicted to macrame, I started describing my crafting style as “serial crafting monogamy,” and that was definitely true with these little polymer clay ring dishes! My latest variation is botanical prints! If you want to look back at other versions, check out the stamped white and gold dishes and the marbled clay dishes. I am sharing this post in time for those of you looking for DIY holiday gift inspiration!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s how to do it:
This is what the bowls looked like out of the oven, before paint and varnish. I like the matte look, but I suspect they’d get dirty over time.
Next step: paint the flowers, add gold paint to the rim, and finish with clear gloss varnish!
I’ve got at least one more variation I want to try making!
Julie aka “Jewels”