{diy: wallpapered cabinets}

. . . have been a little obsessed with wallpapered cabinets for as long as can remember {recently here & here}, and even came across an extensive china cabinet that was papered and cleverly reconfigured as a display case for shoes, and ever since, have fallen more in love, and so, utterly delighted to come across interior designer amy, from the blog maison decor's, beautiful makeover of a french provincial china cabinet . . .



{p.s.} didn't it turn out beautifully? and also: a secretary repainted in paris grey


{images: all photography by amy at maison decor}

{how to: braided brass hex nut bracelet}

. . . have always adored bracelets -- gold, silver, sequined, leather, or extravagantly adorned with diamonds or swarovski crystals, but never could imagine that a few things from the hardware store -- a little twine and a few brass nuts -- could be transformed into such a stunningly elegant and impossibly chic fashion accessory . . .



{you will need:}
3 strands of twine cut into one yard pieces, 18 small brass hex nuts



{steps:}

1. gather the 3 strands of twine and tie a knot at the top, leaving about two inches of slack

2. start braiding

3. at about an inch of the way down, you’ll begin braiding in the nuts

4. before you braid the far left strand over the middle strand, thread on a nut, push it against the base of the braid, and crossover; depending on the thickness of the twine, you can wrap tape around the bottom tips to prevent the twine from fraying



5. keep your thumb at the base of the braid, holding the nut in its place

6. before you braid the far right strand over the middle, thread on another nut, push it against the base of the braid and crossover

7. again, hold your thumb tightly against the base of the braid, keeping the nuts in place

4. thread another nut onto the far left piece and crossover



9. repeat the steps, by threading the rest of the nuts to the outer pieces of twine before they are crossed over

10 & 11. thread, cross, thread, cross

12. finish the bracelet with another inch of braided twine and a knot



the bracelet should wrap around your wrist at least two or three times; trim it to your liking



mix with silver and crystal for a rock 'n refined look and you're set xo

......................................................................................................

{all images & instructions (with edits) from honestly . . . wtf via refinery 29; layouts by this is glamorous}

{valentine's how-to: sweet nothings garland}

. . . very much smitten with this impossibly sweet glitter garland, perfect for valentine's day, birthdays, or perhaps even, a random sunny wednesday in mid-winter . . .



{you will need:}
a printer, a sheet of white paper, scissors, glue, glitter, a glue gun, some baker’s twine, embroidery thread or satin ribbon, if you like

{one}
print out the words “i love you” in all caps in a font of your choice (here, arial font, black, size 100 pt)

{two}
cut out letters

{three}
apply a generous amount of glue to the front of each letter and sprinkle with glitter (here, red glitter, but pink or gold would also be lovely)



{four}
organize letters glitter side down and backwards, then lay out the length of string or ribbon that you would like



{five}
place a small dot of hot glue at the top of the first letter, and sink the string in; repeat for each letter, ensuring that they are the correct distance apart



{six}
hang somewhere lovely, in a doorway or an archway, perhaps, and expect to be kissed . . .


{images and instructions adapted from lovely indeed!}

{a beautiful idea: gold placeholders}

. . . absolutely adore the idea of painting vintage pin flower frogs a shimmery & always elegant gold and using them as placeholders, or for displaying favourite photographs, or even for beautiful holiday cards along the fireplace mantle . . .

{image: 100 layer cake}

{beautiful details: paint-dipped baskets}

. . . and while we're on the topic of wicker, a chance to flip through the latest issue of martha stewart living on the weekend over coffee, and absolutely fell in love with these summer-perfect paint-dipped wicker baskets -- whether dipped or brushed on, such a simple and simply wonderful way to give market and beach baskets a stylish update . . .

{photography by dana gallagher for martha stewart living, august 2010 via katiedid}

{storage inspiration: pretty jewelry display}

. . . isn't this the most loveliest way to display pretty gold necklaces and delicate silver earrings?

. . . have bits & pieces laying about on nearly every surface around the house -- a pair of glamorous & very sparkly earrings for cocktail parties on the bureau, a strand of pearls here and a pair of diamond studs there -- and would be so wonderful to keep things a little more organized, {especially on those mad-dash mornings}, while also turning favourite pieces from those we love into perfectly beautiful works of art . . .

{images: both via style at home, second also pottery barn}

{how to: driftwood table lamp}

d
. . . wonderfully inspired by what can become of a few pieces of driftwood, bits of string & a little imagination: australian stylist tim neve created this beautiful driftwood table lamp from a standard wood lamp base {below}, sanding down the lacquer to an unvarnished surface, affixed pieces of driftwood and tied everything with string . . .



{images & instructions: tim neve blog}

{inspiration: vintage brooch bouquets}

. . . have come across vintage flower brooches many times in quaint little shops on the way out of the city, and while have thought to group pretty clusters on the lapel of a boyfriend blazer, had never thought to fashion them into utterly enchanting and everlasting bouquets . . .

{images: vintage brooch bouquets by fantasy floral designs, photography by alice hu; ruffled via beautiful things to share}

{DIY: black + white}

. . . fun DIY: a black and white zig zag rug made of painted sea grass

{p.s.} another zig zag DIY

{image: bella sugar via pink wallpaper}

{DIY: fun weekend project}

Fun weekend project: a pair of nightstands freshened with a coat of high-gloss paint + modern chevron pattern, set side-by-side as a hall console

{before & after: chevron pattern how-to with downloadable pattern from Sunset magazine}

{shelter me from the storm}

A few weeks ago, misplaced tickets to an art show and, in searching for them, discovered an enormous amount of magazines all over the place. Since then, have been searching for a contractor to build custom shelving to help keep things organized, but until then, shall have to dream up creative ways to keep the magazines from taking over our place . . .

. . . love the idea of using stacks of them for a bench or low shelf, made extra chic with a beautiful, rough wood plank

{p.s.} more storage ideas for past issues

{images: 1 - scan from Your Home as a Santuary; 2 - scan from Weekend Projects; 3 - via iCiNG}