Remember Me?

Hello Friends! I've missed you!

I've started this post in my mind so many times over the last year and 3 months and being stuck inside waiting for Frankenstorm to pass seemed like as good a time as any to jump back in! 

 I've managed to get several large projects (and lots of little ones) completed that I'd love to share with you and I thought I'd start with my master bedroom makeover!

The humble before shots can be found in this post from a few years back...


And here's how it looks today...

 

I made the drapes out of DwellStudio's "Vintage plumes" in birch over a year ago.

 I can't wait to tell you about my new (to me) monogrammed Leontine(-esque) linens!

I reuphostered the settee (a $30 CL find) in a metallic tweed linen.  

Here's a before shot:

and after!

I'd be happy to give a tutorial if there's enough interest!

There are still some more changes I'd like to make (still not sure about that mirror, shoulda painted the base of the settee before I reupholstered, accessories...), but it's come a long way!

So, what would you like more details on?

More big projects I hope to share soon include:

1. Overhaul of my foyer and adjoining powder room  including gorgeous wallpaper and a cheap and easy update for ugly floor tile.
2. Basement Family Room makeover
3. DIY storybook cottage bunkbed for my big girls' room
4. Kitchen dining nook refresh

Love,

Shabby Apple Winner!

The Winner of the Shabby Apple dress giveaway is...

GINAD!

please email me with your contact info at pammyfitz@gmail.com so I can get your prize to you!

The Very First Slipcover I Ever Made...

I got all nostalgic when I set up my bassinet for Felicity, partly because it reminds me of when my first two daughters were infants but also because the cover I made for it was the first big sewing/slipcovering project I ever tackled. I thought I'd share in case anyone else out there is trying to figure out what to do with an old/hand-me-down bassinet.





It's a little wrinkled in this photo, and the sewing is far from perfect, but you get the idea. I did it in two pieces- basically a skirt and a basket liner- so that I could take off just the top piece to wash instead of having to wash the whole thing.

I made a second one as a gift for my sister when her son was born and figured out a better way to fit the skirt. The skirt is made of 4 rectangles of the primary fabric (the width of the 4 rectangles should equal the perimeter of the bassinet) with 4 rectangles of the secondary fabric as insets in the pleats at the corners. You could also just do the skirt in one fabric. I also added piping along the edges of the pleat openings on the skirt and ric rac trim along the hem of the basket liner. Anyway, when I made my sister's cover I stitched the pleats closed on 3 of the corners, but on the fourth corner I hid velcro tabs in the pleat to open and close the skirt.


Here is my first born in the bassinet almost 6 years ago:



fast forward 2 1/2 years to the same child looking in on her baby sister:



and here they are today!



Don't forget to enter my Shabby Apple dress giveaway! You have until Wednesday at midnight to enter!

Love,

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

Hello loves! Sorry for all the silence around here! I can't even blame the baby- Felicity is just as sweet as she can be! She's such a peaceful baby and she's started smiling and cooing- so cute! I have an exciting giveaway to share with you today and stay tuned tomorrow for a description of the very first slipcover I ever made!


I have some fun news for you- Shabby Apple has offered a great giveaway to one of my readers! If you're not familiar with Shabby Apple, they sell beautiful vintage inspired women's dresses and little girls dresses, accessories and even maternity!

I love how this company started. Here's a little about them...

Shabby Apple welcomes you to great dresses that make dressing simple.

After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable (without wearing a tank top, cardigan or long slip), owners Emily and CK decided to do something about it.

They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren't buying the right dresses, but that designers weren't designing them.

Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else.

A return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit. No need to add anything...no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing (except accessories, of course!).

One of you lucky ladies will win this "Bali Ha'i" dress:




Here's a description:

A simple shift takes on a new form with a lei of tucks, folds and petal-like ruffles along the rounded scoop neck of the Bali Hai dress. Princess seams and careful tailoring keep the shape classic, and the cap sleeves and deep orchid color make it summer's perfect stand-alone piece.

I had a really hard time deciding on which dress to offer- there are so many that I love on Shabby Apple! Take a look and see which you like best!

Once you've decided you can use the code 'bibbidi10off' for a special 10% discount just for my readers!

Shabby apple carries sizes from XS to plus sizes..something for everyone! They even have a great 'shop by body type' feature to help you figure out which styles would be the most flattering!

This giveaway will start today Thursday June 30th 2011 and end Wednesday July 6th 2011 at midnight. I will announce the winner Thursday July 7th! This is open for US residents only.

HOW TO ENTER:

1) Visit Shabby Apple and take a look around, then come back here, and leave me a comment telling me your favorite style.
2) For another entry, visit SHABBY APPLE on Facebook by clicking HERE...show your love and "LIKE" them while you are there (so you can get special promotions and exclusive discounts!). Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me you did, and you are entered again!

If you are not on Facebook, leave me a comment anyway...and you will be entered!

3. For another entry become a follower of my blog. (This earns you another entry, so leave me a separate comment telling me you are a follower!)

4. Share the love...TWEET, FACEBOOK, BLOG or add the thumbnail below to your blog SIDEBAR. (Yes, this earns you an entry for EACH AND EVERY ONE you do! Do all 4 and get 4 MORE ENTRIES! Woohoo! BUT be sure to leave me a separate comment for each one tell me you did it!)

Love,

Introducing...

Felicity Grace
Born 3-13-2011
7 lbs, 9oz



My best diy yet. Well, top 3 for sure.

We're all doing well and Felicity is just as sweet as she can be. We are quite smitten.


Love,

Chinese Chippendale Chairs Makeover

Happy Friday! Before I show you my chairs I wanted to answer a couple of questions about my new fav product- Silver leaf rub 'n' buff. Amanda asked me how to apply it to cabinet hinges- it is super easy. I used a little angled eye makeup brush that I no longer use for makeup and just brushed a little onto the hinges right out of the tube. That's it. Once I covered the parts of the hinges that show from the outside, I opened the cabinets and brushed a little more on the parts that show when you open the cabinets. It really only took a few minutes once I got going.

A little note about R&B- it's actually wax based, so I don't know that it ever really dries hard like paint does. You probably don't want to use it on things that will be handled. One reader asked yesterday what I thought of using it on doorknobs- I don't think I would go there, at least not without some kind of sealer. You're probably better off with metallic spray paint for that application.

Now onto my chairs...

Remember this pretty Ralph Lauren Chinoiserie fabric remnant I found at DeBois textiles a few weeks ago?


(love those little pagodas!)


Here's where it ended up:


I also gave the chair frames a fresh coat of heirloom white last weekend during our brief bout of good spray painting weather:


I couldn't find a good "before" shot, but just trust me, they really needed a fresh coat of paint and new fabric!

I'm officially 39 weeks prego today, so I don't know how many more posts you'll see from me before my new little bundle arrives, but I'll definitely keep you posted!

Happy Weekend!

Love,

The new cabinet hardware came yesterday! Well, almost all of the new hardware. There was some kind of problem from the warehouse and I'm short a few handles, but they're working on it...

I went ahead and installed what I could so I could show you...

Before:



After:




I added a little silver rub 'n' buff to the hinges so that I wouldn't have to replace them (and so that I wouldn't have to take them all off and rehang the doors!) I'm really happy with the look and it only took a few minutes with a little brush...


I also finally repainted/reupholstered the chinese chippendale armchairs in my living room over the weekend. I'll show you tomorrow!

Have you made any little changes with big impact lately? Do tell!

Love,