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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Made By Moi

A new little something to add to the wardrobe made by moi:



I can't take all the credit for this shirt... I was inspired by J.Crew, and needed something to compliment my favorite Stella and Dot necklace. The plain slubby knit v-neck tee is from Old Navy. I added the pleated ruffle neckline. Lots and lots of folding, but it was a fun activity and a great use for the sewing machine.



Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Liberty of London



I love Liberty prints. So ofcourse I'm excited to see it at Target!!! And they are releasing the line right around my birthday (great use for a target giftcard... hint hint!). Can't wait!




Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Lovely

{well this is quite lovely}


Found here


Weekday Lunch

I was looking through some old posts and rediscovered The Party Dress. This lunch menu and the kitchen book look scrumptious! I'll make the meal if you provide the lovely kitchen for cooking!


Found
here.



Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Sunday Sewing Project

Because its so cold outside (and due to all these repeat snowstorms), I have had more time to sew on the weekends. I love how relaxing it is to sit down with a project and think it through. Two weekends ago I made a slipcover. This past weekend I took it easy on the sewing and made two zebra pillows. Before packing the sewing machine up for the weekend though, I threw together some ruffles for a tank I bought at Target.

The results were not exactly what I expected...



I love the front, but the ruffles are very thick and scoop too low on the back so I can't wear it with any cardigans. Unless ofcourse, I choose to look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I think I"ll pass though.

This will have to wait until its truely spring and I can wear it without cardigans. In the meantime, I'm searching for tanks with higher backs so I can do the ruffle look right now!




A gift from Africa

My friend Andriana brought these lovely serving spoons back from her recent visit to Kenya. I'm so happy to have received them! They are beautiful accessories and work well with my bamboo wood salad bowl. My favorite details are the smoothness of the wood and the lovely contrast of the bone handles to the wood. Growing up, I always admired my Mom's pieces in our home from her travels to Africa. Now I have begun my very own collection. Thanks so much Andriana! I can't wait to use them!






Valentines Day

Sweets from my sweet on Valentines Day! He knows I LOVE petit fours and picked up a dozen for me. They were delicious!





Cute Tee

I almost froze while I sat at my office and watched the snow fall from my window. Brrrr... Enough snow here! I'm sure everyone in the mid Atlantic states agree. I think we need Spring. The fashion industry agrees (and has agreed since shortly after Christmas when Resort and Spring 1 lines rolled out).

With that being said, the first item that should go in your spring wardrobe (and mine too, hopefully), is this tee. Its so cute and could easily be paired with a skirt and denim jacket or flip flops and bermudas. Love it!

Found here.

Originally found on this blog.




Monday, February 15, 2010

Zippy Zebra Pillows


I made a pair of zippy zebra pillows over the weekend. I love the colors! So fresh and fun. Now I need to throw together a whole set of spring inspired pillows for the sofa!




Thrifted ribbon


Thrifted ribbon
Originally uploaded by La Belle Avenue
What lovely color inspiration! It sure beats the grey wintery skies we had today. I wish that spring was really here.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Before and After - the Green Chair

Remember this?




+ one snowy weekend

+ inspiration photos:



Found here


Found here



Found here






= slipcover pattern




A good use of a snow day, I'd say!





Saturday, February 6, 2010

Love it!

Love it!


Found here


Love it!


Found here


Love it!


Found here

I love the flirty ruffles and combination of textures on these shirts. This style of shirt definitely is trendy right now. I'm always attracted to them around Valentines Day. They're perfect for this time of year, under a cardigan, ofcourse! Pair with jeans or a skirt and an enamel ring and you're ready to go. Cute and stylish for work or Saturday afternoons. Love it!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Slipcovering Chairs

These chairs need some serious help:



They were destined for the dumpster, but I saved them from their fate and gave them a second home in my little apartment. I was never in love with the green striped fabric, but figured it was in good enough condition for them to be sitting in our living room until they could be reupholstered.

Halloween passed... chairs still green.
Thanksgiving passed ... still that ugly green stripe!
Christmas... do I even need to say it...
The clock struck 12 and 2010 rolled in - but the chairs were still green!
Now its February and I need to do something with them.

The longer the chairs sit here in my living room, the more that green just annoys me! And the truth about what has been holding me back from making a quick decision? Well a few things...

1. I don't know any good upholsterers around here.
2. I'm not sure that reupholstering is the best idea. These aren't "forever" chairs. They're just here for now. They solve a problem (we need additional seating) and they were free. Basically, I don't want to invest a ton of money in them.
3. I can't decide on a fabric! This should be an easy decision for an interior designer, but I blame it on seeing too many fabric options over the course of one day. Keep in mind my small budget, and that I don't want something that is too trendy. No Chiang Mai Dragon or Imperial Trellis. Love them, but they're so overdone! And no more white upholstery. Our sofa is white and most of the walls are white (renters... so we can't paint).

Those three big reasons make me think that I need to stick to slipcovering the chairs. No frumpy country granny slipcovers though. Definitely fitted, fresh, and maybe even a little sassy? They can be girly, because they won't always be in the living room. Though, Michael did suggest that we put them at the heads of our future farmhouse dining table (Yeah, we still need to find one of those... one day). I'm loving that idea though.

So, dear readers, I want to hear your ideas. Do you have any favorite fabrics? How do you see these recovered? Do you see long skirts on these, or something short and sassy? Maybe with a box pleat? And what about details? Contrast cording? Buttons? Since I'm snowed in, this is the perfect weekend for me to start thinking about these chairs. You send me your ideas and I'll start working on the slipcover design. Can't wait to hear your ideas!



UPDATE: Just searched slipcovers in my google reader and found a link to this homemade slipcover created by this amazing seamstress/blogger:



Found here

I hope mine comes out looking something like this! And I'm rethinking white. Its so lovely, and as I was saying before, the chairs won't always be right next to the sofa.


Bees


What charming candles! And what a great idea for housewarming gifts. They come packaged in sets of 12, but you could easily repackage into sets of 4 and place in a small rectangular box with beautiful raffia ribbon. Or gift them at your next dinner party! They would be perfect at each place setting.



Tuesday, February 2, 2010

More presents for Lovebirds

Here are a few Etsy finds for you lovebirds...

Return Address Stamp


found here


So intricate...


found here

My favorite necklace for Valentines Day

found here


Sweet Treats for Valentines Day



How cute are these Valentines Day Scrabble cookies? You could make these cookies for any holiday, but don't you think they are best at Valentines Day? Just make sure to share a few with the ones you love! Be sure to check out Bake at 350 for more cute cookie baking ideas and tips.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Valentines Day


If you're like me, you start planning holiday gift and decor ideas months in advance. Please keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that I act upon the planning and start "doing" months in advance. But the ideas are definitely up there in my brain... just waiting for a spare minute to start a project.

For each holiday, it seems as though I plan out ideas like I'm crafting for Martha Stewart or arranging a party for the White House, even if I'm only handing out a small card and a homemade cookie or two. Details details details... I love them!!!

Valentines Day is coming up and I think its the perfect opportunity to show you some of my favorite projects and gift ideas. So stop by L.Alden in the next few days and let the creativity begin!