The DIY continues: Clearance chair camoflage

It's no secret that I could buy out the West Elm store if I had enough money and space in my house.  I love almost everything in the store this fall and often stop in on my lunch break to browse the clearance corner in the back by the bathroom.  Last month I was doing my usual walk through when I hit the jackpot - a gray striped scoop back chair for $34.99 (regularly $99).  I love the modern lines and that it's actually really comfortable to sit in while I type this post at my desk.

However, the nice people at West Elm Dallas don't mark down new chairs for fun.  My chair is missing a piece of gray laminate in the top right corner. The spot is about as big as a quarter.  It took me about a minute to decide to buy the chair, and most of that time was wondering if it would fit in the trunk of a Solara (it did). 

I knew, thanks to my constant Etsy browsing, I could find an inexpensive vinyl decal to cover the spot and I'd be good to go.  After some searching, I decided that the stripes on the chair would go well with a set of 3 bird decals for sale in the Elephannie shop.

Once my decals arrived, I wiped down the chair, removed the backing and positioned each bird where I wanted them (using the head of one to cover the damaged spot).  I used a credit card to smooth out any air bubbles, then peeled back the cover sheet.

Five minutes and $7 later, I was done.  I like the look of the finished product, but if I get bored with it one day I can peel off the birds and pick something new since vinyl decals don't cause damage.

Whatcha think?

I'm a believer - Gap City Flats

Earlier this month I got a Groupon for $50 worth of Gap merchandise for $25, knowing that I'd come across something I want eventually.  I'm so glad I did, because had I not had that little piece of paper I wouldn't have talked myself into buying one of my new favorite things - the Gap City Flat.

If you look online, you'd think there were no more to be had, but the NorthPark store in Dallas had about 10 colors in all sizes, taking up about 10 feet of wall space.  The leather is super soft, the sole is cushioned, and they fit in a little leather bag for traveling.  I've not had flats this comfy in a long time - they were perfect for the airport this week! 

I got the eggplant color, but pewter and cherry red were my second choices.  If you're interested, don't think about it or wait for the sale (they're only $39.50) because these are going fast and worth every penny.

Ta da! No-sew duvet cover curtains

Last month I mentioned that I have been searching for curtains with a fun print for very little money, which is easier said than done.  Everything I found was too expected, too cheap looking, or $89 per panel.  After much deliberation, I decided to get crafty and turn this duvet cover from West Elm into curtains for my office, and if I do say so myself, they turned out pretty great.  Here's how I did it:

First, I ordered a twin size duvet cover online from West Elm ($49 plus tax and shipping).  The dimensions of the twin bedding are almost the exact size of an 84" window panel, which is the size I need for my windows.  The stores don't carry twin size bedding but if you have a wider window, you could buy a full size in person.

Then, I went to Michael's and got two rolls of super weight Stitch Witchery for $2.99 each.  I used an entire roll and about 6 feet of the second one. 

At home, I used a pair of scissors to cut one of the duvet seams open, and then ripped it apart along each side.  I also cut off the inside ties and set them aside to use as tiebacks if I want them one day.  If you have sharp fabric scissors, you'd want to use them instead of ripping, but I was fine without.  Then, once I had to separate panels, I ironed each one to get the creases out (I was too impatient to wash the cover first)  and started at the top hem where the buttons are. 

I would cut about 6 inches of bonding tape and then fold over the existing hem and iron on top of it for about 10 seconds.  The instructions said to use a pressing cloth between the iron and fabric, but I found it unnecessary.  Then, I moved along each side and used the width of the bonding tape as a guide for the width of my "hem".  The end result isn't perfect, but whenever I got annoyed I'd remind myself that nobody is coming over to inspect the edges of my curtains.

A finished edge... just a tiny bit crooked

Then, once I'd worked all the way around each panel (this took about an hour from start to finish) I gave each panel another pass with the iron to get rid of wrinkles and then laid them out on top of each other on the living room floor.  I already had a set of curtain rings with clips on them, so I didn't need to create any kind of pole pocket or grommet rings but you could do that if you prefer those styles.  I laid the curtains on top of each other so that I could be sure that the rings were evenly spaced on each panel.

 

Once N and I hung them in the office behind my desk, I got to admire my handiwork and I must say I'm a little impressed.  They look as good as any other window panels I saw, and for a grand total of about $60.  I'll definitely be looking at duvet covers as I search for living room curtains.  

Whatcha think?  Have any of you completed a stylish DIY project lately?

And the winner is...

I gained lots of new followers and Facebook fans from the Nate Berkus giveaway, but not many entrants.  Luckily for the ladies who entered, that meant less competition!  I used my usual method where each entrant received a line in an Excel spreadsheet for each entry, and then used random.org to select a row number.

The winner is Karen, who left the following comment:

I can't see your profile to contact you, so send me an email by midnight on Friday to claim the prize or I'll pick a new winner.  Thanks!

Things every girl needs: Spanx tanks

I know what you're thinking - I don't need shapewear.  I thought this too once, mostly as a refusal to admit that I don't look like I once did and with the opinion that serious underwear is for old ladies.  However, one day I noticed how every third woman's bra was visible through the back of her top - even the skinny ones.  I checked out my reflection in the bathroom at work, and sure enough, mine was too since I was wearing a fitted tee.

Off I went to Nordstrom Rack and I picked up one of these - a tight, seamless tank top that smooths everything out and hides the bra (mine was $22).  It doesn't bring me down a size or make me uncomfortable during the day, but makes a big difference when I'm wearing something thin.

Check them out in store and see what a difference they make - you'll become a believer too!

Hurry up, Autumn. I want to wear boots.

The Nate Berkus Home Rules giveaway ends Monday evening - be sure to leave a comment on the giveaway post to be entered to win!

I've said before that Fall is my favorite season and that I love the clothes so much more than spring and summer.  Today I took a peek at the new fall collection from Lands End Canvas and am now more anxious than ever to break out my sleeves and knee high boots.  Unfortunately, it's still over 90 degrees here so I'll need to wait a little while to wear things like these. 

Softest Cowl Neck
I just ordered this in Ivory because I'll be able to wear it with every pair of trousers I own as well as most of my skirts.  However, I ordered a Medium and a Large because the size chart was strange and my last order didn't fit well.  Luckily, I can take the wrong size back to Sears.

Sweater Coat
The gray is very trendy this year, and I love the shape for traveling as well as layering over more professional pieces.

Leather Zip Hobo
Expensive, yes... but so pretty.  It's about half the price of a comparable Coach bag, but I could find one cheaper at TJ Maxx

Cardigan Sweater Jacket
I like the structure around the lapels, which sets it apart from my usual cardies

Essential V-Neck Sweater
I love this sapphire blue (and many of the other colors too) and think this weight of sweater would go in heavy rotation since I don't live in a climate with freezing temperatures and snow.

Cowlneck Dress
Most of us would need some kind of slip or shapewear under this, but I love the cowlneck and length of this style.

Heritage Trench Coat
If I lived somewhere where I would wear this a lot, I'd buy it in a minute.  The blue is classic, but still unique in a sea of black and khaki.

What pieces are you most excited to wear? 

This could be dangerous...

If you haven't noticed lately I've been, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, cheating on clothes with furniture.  My first love is still cardigans and necklaces, but after that I find myself lusting over beautiful rooms and unique accent pieces.  My house is still quite the work in progress and I turn to books and blogs like Design Sponge for ideas.  That's why I'm giving away the Nate Berkus book, which triggered an ad for his new line for HSN on the side of my blog.  I got curious and checked it out, and I really like it.  I never considered buying anything from HSN before, but that will soon change. 

Here are a few of my favorite pieces:

If you want to win Nate's book, leave a comment on the giveaway post to be entered.