DIY Inspirations --- oui?

Cleaning out the bathroom, I realized that I have no where to hang my necklaces. I was gonna just get some sort of rack or necklace stand but nothing strikes me as unique. I was being sucked into etsy last night and I came across this... It's part message board part jewelry holder. I thought.. omg I can totally make this. Oui? This might just be in my list of projects.


I really wanted to start working on my dining room but I'm kind of at a standstill financially with it. I found someone that can duplicate the Pottery Barn buffet for $300. That is a hell of a lot better than $1500!!! The Ikea one would've costed me almost $300 with the conversion from Euro to USD going the way it is now. So, if I can set aside that money, then I will have him make it. Once I can get that project going then I will feel a little better about my dining room. As of right now it looks like a hot mess.

With thoughts of my dining room simmering on the back burner... I have started on the bedroom. I've been on a bit of a Parisienne kick lately. I found this fabric on ebay ^ & I fell in love, but not for $229 (8.5 yards). I trolled etsy again and found someone selling 2 yards for $45. That I can do, I don't need much. Remember that chair project? Thats the fabric I was thinking of doing the cushion in.

(<< West Elm)
We have been on the look out for new bedding for a little while now. I came across some white bedding at West Elm for a decent price. I had my eye on it for quite some time and went back and forth on the colors. I finally went to buy it and with my luck it was sold out and on back order til November. UGH! I googled it to see if anyone had anything to say about it. It seemed that the consensus was that it had a low thread count and didn't hold up with washings. I thought "ok, can we make this?"... "si se puede!"
I stumbled upon another DIY lady with the same mentality and I followed her almost to the T. I found 2 flat white sheets at Ikea for a heck of a lot cheaper.

My changes to the design were:
1) I made the twisted "pleats" on the "wrong side of the fabric" so that I didn't have the fabric nubs hanging on the top of the sheet when I sew it together and flip it right side out.

2)Instead of alternating the pleats... i did every corner of the grid.
(mine >>)

West Elm $119
Shipping    $21
TOTAL     $140

Ikea €11,50 x 2 = $32 
yeah.. I think I win here.


It is on my bed now but not 100% finished. I am in between making ties to close it or using buttons. I had a duvet that we were gonna toss anyway so I cut the buttons off of it to recycle them... but I might just use charcoal colored satin ribbon and make ties like pictured here.

I really like the Pottery Barn: The All White Bed series. I am currently on the hunt for all kinds of pillows. I want all white bedding but I plan on bringing in the Parisienne feeling with the fabric mentioned above in the form of the dressing chair and some throw pillows. I started to make a pillow with some natural colored linen but I ran out of fabric and Ikea is currently out as well. UGH. I had enough fabric to make 3 flowers... I did make a table runner out of the same fabric but I'm not married to it and don't mind cutting it up to finish the pillow. A friend of mine has an embroidery machine and has kindly offered to embroider a "D" on it for me. I will hold off the flower making til the embroidering is finished. Not too shabby eh? I need to figure out how to make other types of flowers. Although, I do love those rosettes AND they were really easy to make. I think I'm gonna try them again on a headband :)

I hope to start the chair next week.. I have a relay for life event this weekend so I won't be doing much DIY til next week. But I do hear the whispers of a Union Jack pillow -- this might happen this weekend. Dunno where I'm gonna put it but I'm totally gonna make one :).