House Beautiful

Archive for the 'DIY' Category

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DIY Kantha Pillows

Steph's Bedroom | DIY Kantha Pillows | Covet Living

See dems Euro Shams on my bed?  They started out as this quilt…

Kantha from Solo on Cedros | Covet Living

Or kantha quilt.  Most kanthas are about 60″ x 90″ in size, and are handstitched ditties made from old saris.  I see a LOT of ’em around, but it’s a crapshoot – the good ones are hard to find.  Then, I saw THIS bad boy at Solo on Cedros… (a glorious haven we’ve rapped about many-a-times that has – among other things – the most beautiful kanthas and Bolivian blankets/rugs, ever – thanks to Ruby, who handpicks each one.  And who Gus accosted last time we were there).

Ruby from Cedros | Covet Living

Anyhoo.  As soon as I saw this one, I (literally) hurled my whole self on top of it to call dibs.  THIS kantha – in all its lilac, coral and perfectly faded charcoal glory – was a diamond in the rough.  So I snagged it…  I think for about $100 bones.

IMG_5853

Though the thought of taking a pair of sharps to that gorgeous thing made me wince, I knew I wanted to make euro shams out of it – either for the sofa, or for my bedroom.  I wanted my new place in Cali to have a kind of an effortless, beachy Bohemian feel, and this was a good place to start.  Plus they would be so cozy as pillows (!!!) and just get softer and more lovingly worn with time.  So first, I laid the kantha out on the kitchen floor to see if I could get 3 big sections of the prettiest part for the face (front) of each sham.  And I used a super scientific measuring technique called “trace around the sham you already have.”  I definitely wanted to use more of the lilac parts than the orange:

DIY Kantha Pillows | Covet Living

PS, the opposite side of my kantha looked like this… yeah – like Woodstock. Probably best left in the 70’s and therefore best suited for the inside of the shams:

DIY Kantha Pillows | Covet Living

I wanted to make 3 Euro shams, so once the 6 sections were cut, I pinned ’em (faces together) and started sewing.  There’s a much better sewing tutorial than I could muster here.  The only thing I’ll tell you is that I ALWAYS double-stitch the seams, and always double stitch at the zipper.  Also – I would use a zipper that’s just a few inches shy of the pillow width (Euros are 26″ x 26″, so try a 22″ zipper if you can). Cuz you don’t wanna be fighting the sham every time you wash it and then try to shove the insert in there, like you’re trying to shove a hot air balloon through something the size of a lemon.  OMG, that sounds like child birth. #passthedrugs #cantwait

DIY Kantha Pillows | Covet Living

And there you have it!  Speaking of wee ones, I think a few of these could also be precious in a nursery or a kids room.  You could also reupholster a bench or ottoman in them… whatever tickles your pickle.  Check out my Etsy faves to see some of the ones I picked out to use for projects like this.  I probably spent about $60 on each pillow – including the insert – which is a STEAL if you’re willing to get crafty.  Otherwise, you can hit the el-easy button and shop over at Chairish this Sunday from 9am-11am EST!

Chairish Co Kantha Pillows | Covet Living

xoxo,

Steph's Scanned Signature

Let’s paint this room… turquoise!

AERIN Lauder colors

{image via Aerin Lauder}

When I rolled back into town and into the home I affectionately call “The Frat House” yesterday, I saw it with a fresh set of eyeballs and realized some SURRIOUS things could stand to change.  This is tricky considering a few factors:

a) I have to respect the fact that it’s not my house and I don’t have free reign.

b) Budget constraints.

c) Anything I invest in is subject to ruin… at the paws of my roommate’s adorable dog whose favorite pastime is puking (…maybe I’ll just forgo rugs?) and/or beer & wings getting flung onto things.  Gotta love boys.  The dining room is still holding up okay (my stuff overtook this space on move-in day…  whoops they’re welcome.)

Frat House Dining Room | Covet Living

So, there’s all that.  Common areas will be a challenge, so I decided to hire the local painters to start in my room… and there is no way to get more bang for your buck than a fresh coat of paint.  Plus painting is always a doodle that can easily be un-did, if need be.  My room is about a 10′ x 10′ shoebox space, and currently looks something like this:

Steph's Room | Covet Living

All the walls throughout the house are a sort of “contractor beige” at this point.  My bedding is all white (with the exception of the lilac & coral euro shams I made from a kantha I bought at Solo on Cedros in Solana Beach – diy on that soon – and the John Robshaw Jammu bolster from Bixby & Ball).  AND I would foam at the mouth to see my vintage Gerald Thurston lotus lamps pop against some pretty jewel tone….  like TURQUOISE!!*$^#^#@!!  Cuz hey.  Why the &%^$ not?  I just flipped back through my Color Palette board, and everything remotely close to that color is emphatically labeled: “This color makes me so happy!”  So there you have it.  This shoebox is about to transform into a little jewel box.

Perfect shade of aqua, via Sara Mueller Instagram | Covet Living

 {image via sara mueller’s insta}

The tricky thing will be picking the right shade of turquoise/aqua/blue…  I do also have these fellas in my room to work with:

(VIOLET RUG)

Steph’s Dining Room | Covet Living

…and that rug worked great with turquoise painted on the ceiling:

windsor-overdyed-in-stephs-dining-covet-living-510x680

(BRIGHT EMERALD DRESSER)

Note: This is an old photo from my Columbus house.  Details on that dresser redo here.

green dresser

So I don’t want to go all Pee Wee’s playhouse…  then again, Monica & Rachel did it in their apartment, so I might just throw caution to the wind on this one.  Plus Jamie Meares says we should #daretomix, and when she talks, I usually listen.  If this were my house-house, I’d probably being doing much more neutral, grown-up things, and I’d probably save the crazy for the powder room.  But in the spirit of the new year and of this being a color that makes me giddy, I say let’s just do it.

Friends Kitchen | Covet Living

I’m trying to hit on somewhere between a Caribbean-esque turquoise…

Pool Aqua Color Palette | Covet Living via Rue Mag
Turquoise Teacup | Covet Living

Turquoise Vogue | Covet Living

…and a bright, perky, pool blue.  Because the dresser is green, so I don’t want it to blend in with the wall.  I wouldn’t go as deep as the blue Carrie did:

Carrie's New Apartment | Covet Living

Maybe something like this?

Perfect Blue, Lisa Corti's Milan Apt | Covet Living

This blue is stunning too…

blue tile

{Image source unknown}

Or the color of this tile, which is a (lot) watered-down:

Blue Subway Tile

{Image source unknown}

The color in this hallway of the new HGTV Dream Home is close, but maybe a bit too green Tiffany’s Box aqua still:

HGTV Dream Home Wall Color | Covet Living

This is just about perfect:

Perfect Blue | Covet Living

Aqua matches | Covet Living

I’ll let you guys know how it turns out!

xoxo,

Steph's Scanned Signature

*Click on images for photo sources, unless otherwise noted.