This amazing T-dress isn't the first Of Dreams and Seams project I've featured (see here), but it might be my favorite. I love the color mixing and the attitude in everything Katya makes. Click through for the whole project and stay for the vision!
This amazing T-dress isn't the first Of Dreams and Seams project I've featured (see here), but it might be my favorite. I love the color mixing and the attitude in everything Katya makes. Click through for the whole project and stay for the vision!
In only its second year, and plagued by unpredictable weather, Remix 2015 still delivered a few unexpected discoveries for me!
Creative repurposing of old drawers is one of my favorite things. This extraordinary media console by Kara Paslay is an oldie but a wonder! I love the mixture of vintage wood fronts, metal and color. She even managed to build in a hiding place for a DVD player.
Find the complete tutorial here.
Lots more images on Kara's blog.
This is an unusual post for me - one in which I overtly promote a consumer product. Why am I doing it? First, because I love the product: a new, 4x concentrated, laundry detergent from method. Second, because I've been a loyal method customer since their products first appeared on shelves in 2002. And guess what? They just opened a soap factory on the south side of Chicago!
The South Side Soapbox is to conscientious manufacturing what Wonka is to chocolate. For example, the roof isn't just green. It's a massive hydroponic farm that will provide tons of fresh produce to a neighborhood considered a food desert. Can you tell I'm a fan?
The final reason I'm happy to write this post; it involves laundry. In the last year, I've found myself saying (a lot): stop drying your clothes in a dryer. Hang them! Why? Because your clothes will last longer and it's more energy-efficient. If you're at all like me - more interested in quality and longevity than trend - you want clothing to last as long as possible!
Actually, if you're looking for ways to be a little more "green" and a little less wasteful in general, overhauling your laundry routine is good place to start.
1. Water: we waste a ton of it washing clothes. So making sure you've got a full load before you run the machine makes sense.
2. Energy: do you wash everything in hot water? Not necessary. Because a powerful, concentrated detergent, like method, works just as well in cold water.
3. Pollution: what chemicals are you wearing and sending down the drain with every wash? Make sure you're using a detergent that's naturally derived, biodegradable and hypoallergenic.
4. Packaging: Are you buying detergent in huge plastic bottles? Wouldn't it be nice if the stuff came in a container made from 100% post-consumer plastic? And wouldn't it be nice if that container was, itself, 100% recyclable? Yup, method.
5. Locally made! If you live in Chicago, method is now being made in your backyard. So support local manufacturing.
And shop online right now with a coupon! Click here and enter the code THREEFORME for $3 off your online purchase.
Does this all seem familiar to you? Then go test your laundry knowledge and win $1000 worth of beautiful clothes from method and Asos.
These chairs were listed on a local Facebook trading post as "faux bamboo" - $35 for the pair. When I picked them up they were bigger and heavier than I expected them to be. Because, as it turns out, they're solid wood with their original sprung cushions in place. I have since read up on this Hollywood Regency style club chair; once very popular and apparently making a comeback in my living room. :)
I design jewelry to create and celebrate beauty, and to make those who wear my pieces feel beautiful. To me, necklaces are like magic talismans that can transform not only an outfit but the person wearing it. - Tania Rodamilans
This idea for the kitchen was inspired partly by Pinterest and partly by need! First, I have a whole Pinboard dedicated to new uses for fallen branches. I love the many ways you can repurpose them indoors and used branches as a Christmas tree last year. Then I hung on to some of the sturdier ones when I moved in January (I got odd looks from the movers!)
The need arose when I found myself staring at my new "back splash" every time I washed dishes. It's ugly. It's in serious need of fresh paint, or a real makeover! But I'm renting ... so whatever I do has to be temporary. I also had no way to organize the paper towel, sponge etc. And that's how the idea arose. I spent $2 on leather belts at a thrift store and everything else I needed, I already had.
This weekend I made myself tackle the dull things I've been avoiding since I moved. Like hemming curtains. And moving stuff to the basement storage. My reward? Making this ... thing.
I'm not quite sure what to call it. A book vase? (I already made something I called that) Organic art? Maybe a book bud vase? I'm really not sure, so I'm calling it a mixed-media upcycle. And, whatever the name, I love, love, love how it turned out! And it was easy to make so read on for instructions!
1. Champagne corks
2. Alphabet blocks
3. Sewing machine bobbins
4. Vintage jewelry
5. Paintbrushes
6. Vintage car door handles / window winders
7. Nuts and bolts
9. Doll limbs (and head!)
10. Purse strap (or leather belt)
11. Plastic toys
12. Vintage rulers or yardsticks