Decor :: Padded Bench

{Supplies needed :: batting, 3" high density foam cut to the desired length, 1/2" to 3/4" plywood cut to length, metal corner brackets, scissors, fabric, 16" pre-made legs, and the following items that are not pictured :: wood stapler, drill or screw driver and liquid nails.}

{Lay the batting down on your flat work surface, then place the foam on top of it with enough space left on the batting to staple, and then the plywood.  Start stapling the batting to the plywood I like to start in the middle on one of the longer sides and work my way out. Once the long sides are done, start on the ends and do the corners last.  You want pull it tight but not too tight.}

{Once the batting step is done you'll want to cut off any excess batting.  Once that's done lay the entire piece on top of your fabric (again leaving space to staple it to the bench). Start stapling the fabric in the same manner as the batting and be extra careful to not pull the fabric too taut.}

{Flip the piece over and make sure that the edges are even, and if you notice any areas that are too tight you can just remove the staples with a flat head screwdriver and restaple that section.}

{Cut off the extra fabric. Then you'll want to mark off where you want to put the legs and once that is done apply some liquid nails to the legs where they'll adhear to the bench.  Once the glue dries determine where you'll want to put the corner brackets (I put them as far in to the edge of each leg - closest to the center as I could).} 

{Once the legs are attached it's all done! So place it wherever you want. We chose to put ours at the end of the bed, but I also think that it would look great in an entry way of a house.}

{Close up of the fabric and legs.}

I have been looking for a padded bench for the end of my bed for awhile and couldn't find one that was either in my price range or the look I wanted.  Since I had an idea on how to DIY this project and the look that I wanted I set out on a trip to Lowe's and Joann's to buy all of the supplies I needed and I'm very happy with the finished product.

Christmas Decor

It's not much of a secret how much I love Christmas and decorating for the holiday.  This year it felt extra special to decorate our house for Christmas.  Some of my decor were passed down from my grandparents like the "marble tree" and "Merry Christmas" banner, and others were an easy DIY like the pine cone garland.

Zara Home Launch

{Cozy Striped Blanket}

 {Glass Jars}

{Acrylic Nesting Tables}

{Acrylic Tray Table/Bar}

Have you guys heard that Zara started selling home furnishings online?! I first became of fan of Zara back in 2005 and have been loving its clothes and accessories since! These are some of my favorites that I'd love to get my house like yesterday. (In case you couldn't tell, I'm slightly obsessing over acrylic lately!)

Ikea Bookshelf Hack

I knew one of the first things I wanted when we moved into a house was a bar cart.  After looking around at some sites that sell them I found out that they're seriously pricey.  But one night when perusing Pinterest I found the perfect bar that I knew would work great in our house.  We already had the bookshelf, so I just went to Lowes to buy the rest of the materials.  It was a super simple DIY and just required four table legs, four flanges, and a screw driver. Now I'm off to make a drink!

Decor :: Headboards

{Cupcakes + Cashmere}

{Decor Pad}

{HomedIt :: not this tall though}

Currently my bed is sitting on just a standard H frame, and is quite frankly looking extremely plain in the room.   So I'm considering making a headboard, and have done it before but it was a very simple padded headboard.  This time I'm thinking about a more detailed style, perhaps with some tufting or nail heads.  These are some of my favorite looks currently inspiring me.

Life through Instagram

 {Wondering around Home Goods trying to get decor inspiration}

 {Tasty cocktail from Noble Rot}

{Picnic basket at the Portland Bloggers event}

{I won a photo shoot from Macey at Motormouth Studios!!}

{Delicious marionberry crumble from McMenamins}

Recently I've been busy trying to pack up an over cluttered apartment before my impending move.  I did, however, find some time to enjoy the little things in life.  How was your weekend?

Couch Dilemma

I think it's time that I face the fact that my couch has seen better days.  I bought it from a V.A. sale when I went away for school and it was vintage when I bought it.  Originally it was in great condition, that is until my cat got to it.  Right now I'm trying to decide if it's worth spending the money on virtually rebuilding it: foam, springs, remove hide-a-bed, reupholster, or just get rid of it.  I've moved it a couple times and it weighs a ton, and now I need to decide if it'll be worth all the work needed.  What do you think? If you were me, would you keep it and try to rebuild it?

Decor :: Gray Walls

 {Favorite Paint Colors}

 {Favorite Paint Colors}

{Favorite Paint Colors}

Last week I shared that my boyfriend and I are moving into a house.  One of the first rooms that we're planning on repainting is the master bedroom, because it is currently Key West/Jamaican colors.  We love the idea of a gray room, but didn't want all of the walls to be too dark.  So instead of doing all four walls dark gray, we're thinking three lighter with one darker as an accent wall.  These are a few of my favorite paint colors and looks. (The paint colors are given if you click on the links)

Decor :: Dining Rooms

{Farm Table via Pinterest}

{Shabby chic with a gorgeous chandelier via Pinterest}

{Wood table and acrylic chairs via Pinterest}

{Colorful chairs and striped walls via Pinterest}

In about a month my boyfriend and I will be moving ... into a house! I couldn't be more excited to no longer share walls with strangers and have a place to park my car that isn't at risk of door dings why are people so rude?.  The living room in our new place is somewhat large and I've been trying to think of table and other decoration ideas.  These are a few of my favorite dining rooms, some of my other favorite looks can be found here.

Dream Kitchens

{DesignSpongeOnline via Pinterest}

{Pinterest}

{Apartment Therapy via Pinterest}

Touring homes and watching design shows has been something I've enjoyed doing since I was young.  In fact when I was younger, I would beg my parents to go to open houses so that I could look around them.  So it's not a big surprise that this is something that I still enjoy doing.  One of my favorite rooms to think about designing is the kitchen, and more than that I love open kitchens and shelving.  These are some of my favorite kitchen looks.

Society Social Bar Cart

{The Sedgewick}

{The Double}

My boyfriend and I have been wanting a bar cart for our apartment for awhile.  So when I saw that Society Social had some great options, I immediately started picturing one in my home.  There are about six different options to choose from, but the two above are my favorite.  It'll be awhile until I can purchase one of them, but they're fun to imagine hosting parties!

Decor Envy

{Pinterest via Emily Clark}

Ok you guys, I'm envious of this cozy bedroom.  My room is already pretty well put together, but I'm definitely looking for some lovely pillows and a graphic lamp shade to complete the look.  Do you have any suggestions on where to buy great fabrics or pillows?

Newly Acquired

I recently acquired a few new things for my apartment due to some sad circumstances, but I'm happy to give them a happy home.  This vintage poster of an old Portland is probably my favorite thing that I got, and I can't wait to frame it.  I also got six of these crates, and am using the other four for storage around my apartment, and love these two for an end table.

Fan Style

{pinterest}

Most places around the country are most likely experiencing much warmer weather than we are in the Pacific Northwest.  So when the mercury decides to rise in these parts, it would be nice to have a more stylish looking fan to keep cool.  Do any of you know where to find a replica of this fan?

Silver Tray

{you can see the tarnish and sticky from the price tag}

 {halfway cleaned and polished}

{polished silver tray}

Saturday I went to Goodwill looking for a few things, and since I've made it a habit to look in the section that has a smorgasboard of metal objects and silver or silver looking platters.  I happened to spot another silver platter in disguise since there was no label showing that it was silver.  To my surprise when I got home and asked my BF to polish it for me it was in fact silver!  My favorite part of silver trays is the tarnish that happens naturally and the delicate details are so pretty.

High Gloss & Rue Mags

 {Vintage Airline Tags}

 

{Market Bag}

 

 {Eye Chart Pillow}

 

Earlier this week I was able to browse through two wonderful online magazines, High Gloss and Rue. These are a few of my favorite things that I found when reading - I want all of them!

Inspiration for my Dwelling

{Sorry for the iPhone photos of the magazine}

The office that I work in has a lot of subscriptions to various magazines, including Martha Stewart and Dwell.  These lovely photos are from the July/August 2009 issue of Dwell magazine.  I love the appearance of the floating books on shelves in the first picture, and that the shelves don't take up too much wall space.  My favorite part of the second picture are the pillows on what appears to be a coffee table.  The best part is that I have a very similar looking coffee table that I could convert into a bench when I have guests over!