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6 Easy-To-Make Holiday Centerpieces
Need some inspiration for your holiday table? Here are some ideas you can do yourself, or take to your florist.
A bark basket is filled with pine greens, twigs from a craft store, pine cones and berries. Buy large pine cones and use florist wire to wrap floral sticks to them. Place into oasis to create this beautiful centerpiece for a table or your coffee table.
This is a photo of my sister-in-law’s dining room. She lives in Verbier, Switzerland. You can’t see it, but a beautiful waterfall tumbles behind the window. Here, she’s get a beautiful basket, wrapped with leaves and tied with twine. The basket it filled with hydrangeas. Simple and lovely. If you can’t find hydrangeas, use another full flower.
I made this simple centerpiece using a wood, leaf-shaped basket from Scout, a home store in Royal Oak ($54.00). I used pine cuttings from the yard and layered large pine cones on top. Another cutting from a tree, tied with a satin ribbon, finishes the look.
This is another simple idea you can do yourself. Square, decorative boxes are lined with votives filled with water and a litte oasis. Pine cuttings and wild flowers are placed to create small, simple centerpieces. Make several and line them along the table, alternating votives candles.
I like this more abstract idea. You can use just about any sort of vase you have and fill them will a variety of roses and other flowers to create a colorful setting that matches your dishes. You can spray paint leaves to create even more bling factor.
This lovely idea using paperwhites is from My Sweet Savannah. Check out her blog for even more ideas.
DIY Project: Make your own shelves
Built-in shelves add a lot of character to a room. And they’re not too difficult to make. I love this DIY shelving from Marie Claire Idées.
You could easily create a version of this using LACK shelves from IKEA. These versatile shelves come in 12″, 43″, 48″ and 75″ lengths. If you don’t like the color, simply paint them in one you love. Notice the piece of decorative paper in the shelves shown here. That’s a nice touch, don’t you think?
To make these shelves you’ll need a metal L-square and a level to make sure your angles are at 90 degrees. Work your design out on paper before you start.
Want some other ideas for things to do with LACK? Check out this post from Apartment Therapy. And this one from Ikea Hacker.
Do you have a DIY shelving project you’d like to show off? Send me a photo!
Instant Room Makeovers: 3 Ways to do Slipcovers
We’re well into summer, but it’s never too late to bring the feel of summer into your home. Paint is one way to accomplish a new look. But you have to live with that all year round. A better way to makeover a room instantly, and one that can change with the seasons, is to throw a slipcover over the sofa and/or arm chairs. Even the dining room will brighten up with a set of relaxed slipcovers.
In a few months, when winter rears its ugly head and you’re longing for something more cozy, simply remove the slipcovers and you’ve got yet another instant room makeover. Plus, the original upholstery will seem new again after living in seclusion for several months.
Here are some decorating ideas and resources to guide you.
1. Custom Slipcovers
Here’s one of my own projects. The fabric on this wing chair (from Cowtan & Tout) was beautiful and in great shape. But the room was undergoing a total makeover, which meant a new color palette. A slipcover was a great solution. We have our new look without having to sacrifice the original fabric.
A custom slipcover was the way to go here. We wanted to choose just the right fabric and the unusual shape of the chair eliminated any ready-mades. Also, we could style the slipcover any way we liked. Here are some tips to custom slipcovers.
- Find a workroom by searching on Angie’s List or your local fabric shop. Ask to see their portfolio before you hire them.
- Create a work order for the seamstress or workroom. This lists all the details of the work to be done, such as the style you want. Include a photo, if you can find one, and any details such as welting, etc…
- Labor for a slipcover, like the one shown above, will cost about $300 and use about 9 – 10 yards of fabric.
- Save on fabric by selecting a solid. You won’t have to match repeats. I found this white twill at JoAnn Fabrics and took advantage of their frequent 40% off sales to get a great price – about $11.00 per yard. That’s better than any designer discount.
- You can dress up a solid fabric by adding a toss pillow.
More slipcover tips after the jump! (more…)
DIY Party decorations from France
The weekend is upon us and some of us are looking for an excuse to throw a party. So, here’s a craft project from L’Atelier Modele that will provide just that. I’m sending this out to my French and Canadian friends in particular.
L’Atelier Modele creates designs for all sorts of party decorations. Everything from placemats to name tag holders. I love their gift boxes. 
They’ve even done the centerpieces (lotuses). There’s a special section just for the luminaires.They’ve done the designing. You buy the instructions and materials to make them. As I said, this is for my friends, like Kim, who speak French. You’ll need to, or use a translation tool because the site is written entirely in French. But hey, it’s never too late to learn a new language.
I am a closet crafter, but don’t know a lot about the subject. If you’re into crafting, I suggest a visit to Poppytalk.
At any rate, do you know of a similar US site? Is this too Martha Stewart for you?
Crafty tutorials at Poppytalk
If you’re a crafty sort of person, Poppytalk has a nice list of “How-To” tutorials on their blog. Scroll down and you’ll find links to things like button and stencil making.
I like to paint, needlepoint, embroider and sew – though it’s hard to find time for it. What do you like to do?
How to make Batik fabrics
Yesterday I wrote a post featuring the beautiful batik designs availalbe at Etsy’s Brilliant Batik shop. Zyhan, the artist who creates these fabrics has generously given me step-by-step instructions so we can all try it ourselves.
Making your own Batiks
Here are my most simple steps for hand painted batik using wax.
1. Choose the most suitable fabric for dyeing. I always use a colorful, high weighted silk and cotton for better penetration of the wax. It can be a bit pricey but the results are brilliant.
2. We need to prepare the fabric for drawing. Pre-wash and ironed it. Then, stretch it onto a frame. You can use a cookie sheet and paper clips or anything else – so long as the fabric is stretched.
3. Draw your design on the fabric using a pencil. Then, use a ‘chanting tool’, filled with hot wax to trace over your drawing. Remember, you are applying wax to cover the area that you want to remain the original color.
4. Chanting’ takes some skill for the beginner. Always keep the wax hot. The ideal mixture for beginners is 30% beeswax to 70% paraffin. The wax line should be as thin as possible for the best result.
5. Next is the dyeing process. First, leave the traced wax to cool completely. Ordinary cold-water dyes are the best for beginners. Start with the lightest color, then darker tones. You may also use fiber reactive dye colors in the process.
6. Removing the wax can be tricky. Patience is the key. Remove it with a mixture of cold water and liquid soap, or use Synthrapol. Take care not to harm the cloth.
7. Wash the finished fabric with cold water and allow it to dry in the air. You now have your batik creation ready to suit your purpose!
Resources
Thanks, ZyHan! There are a number of shops that sell Batik waxes and the drawing pen.
1. Dick Blick
3. Maiwa Supply
Are you ready to give this a try? I’ve made a scarf and can report that it’s not hard to do. It’s fun to do with a group of friends and would make a great project for a party.
DIY project: Covering an ugly brick fireplace surround with metal
Design Hole reader, Elisa, sent me photos of a terrific project she and her husband did themselves. They covered their brick fireplace with sheets of steel. I asked her how she did it. Here’s her story.
Creating a metal fireplace surround
We first got the idea to cover our brick fireplace from a design magazine years back. This was a stainless steel fireplace with a curved design. So we went to Supermarche du Metal, in Lachine, Quebec City, to see what they had. The bottom line was we couldn’t afford to copy the exact design. It was waaay too expensive.
Before: boring brick and a tired brass firescreen
Then, we saw they had sheets of the polished gridplate that was in our budget. We bought two sheets and the very nice man from Supermarche directed us to a place where a guy could bend the corners. Luckily, we had exact measurements. We had the two sheets bent and delivered to our home.
The two metal sheets meet in the middle
We screwed the metal sheets into the brick with small screws on the side and middle. You can barely see the screws. If we ever get bored with it, it can easy be removed. We also sprayed the brass fireplace doors using heat resistant black paint to give it a more modern look.
Elisa did an excellent job, don’t you think? The end result looks very professional. Having perfect measurements is the key to a job well done. Thanks for sharing this with us Elisa!
If you’re interested in ordering sheet metal online, try McNichols.
Do you have a DIY project you’re proud of? Send me the photos via the “contact” link.
How to hang art in a grouping
Abstract, rambling art groupings are all the rage. Everyone who’s anyone has one! Except me, so I’d better get started. How do you create one of your own? Here is some inspiration followed by some tips to get you started.
Large in the middle, getting smaller at the ends. This is a nice mix of frame colors, art and photos.
A more formal grouping, yet still a-ramble is created by using the same color frame with white mats. Love that wall color. The grouping starts with one large piece in the center.
I like how the white mats play off the white wall across from the hall. The wide, rectangular shape accentuates the length of the hall.
This is a very well done mash-up. The two white rectangles balance the grouping.
Here I’ve created my own grouping. It’s one that’s easy to create if you’re feeling a bit intimidated. I have to admit that I was not born with this skill and I envy those who know just how to throw things on the wall and make it look great.
How to create an art grouping the easy Design Hole way
1. Start with your largest piece and place it at the center of the wall.
2. Work around the first piece in a circular fashion with smaller elements to create a rectangle or square.
3. It’s okay to work outside the lines of the rectangle. This makes it easier to add to your grouping as you find new things.
4. Consider mixing objects with art. Suggestions: letters, mirrors, a corbel with an interesting object resting on top.
5. Don’t get obsessed with frame color. You can mix it all up. Try to aim for some balance so that one frame color isn’t all lumped together.
6. Test your grouping on the floor and take photos as you move things around. This way you can return to a previous arrangement without having to rely on your memory.
7. If you’re like me and feel skittish when it comes to this sort of thing, you can cut out newspaper the size of your art and hang those on the wall first.
Chair of the Day: George Simons, Jr.
Would you like to see what it takes to make a chair?
My friends, George Simons, Jr., just put one together that’s pretty cool. It was “just a project.”
George suggests you start in the middle and work your way out. I just saved you several steps.
Now you have your weekend project a few days early. Ready, set, go!
Moxy Crochet
Helping people to support themselves and become independent is a growing phenomenon in depressed regions of Africa. 
Moxy Crochet is part of this growing trend. The small company (only seven people) are from the Khayelietsha neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa.
They work from home to create blankets, pillows and handbags. The team members work from home and meet every two weeks to exchange materials and news. Laura Summs, the chief designer of Moxy Crochet, pieces the elements together herself.
Moxy Crochet’s products are made from locally dyed cotton, wool and mohair. Each item is one-of-a-kind. They make their blankets in a standard size, but take custom orders.
To find out more about Moxy Crochet, or to place an order, visit their site and contact them directly.
It seems that crocheting is making a comeback. I think it’s the brighter colors that make these blankets so appealing.
Does anyone crochet? I’m thinking of learning how, since all I can knit is one long thing. This seems easier to do and to make something usable. Is it easy to learn?
DIY Slipcover
I’m working on a bedroom and was looking around for slipcover ideas when I came across this one over at Apartment Therapy.
I thought this might be a fun project for anyone who loves to knit. Am I nuts? This project can be found in the book, Simple Knits with a Twist, by Erika Knight.
Do you think it would be too stretchy? Thoughts from knitters, please!
DIY: Toile Pillows
Here’s a fast and fun way to add some French Ooh La La to your boudoir. First, buy a pillow in a solid color. Next, scoot over to The Stencil Library and choose your favorite toile stencil.
Use fabric paint and a stencil brush to add the design to the pillow. Done. Make a bunch for your friends.
These stencils ($42) can be found in their on-line catalog under On-Line Exclusives. They ship all over the world.