My DIY belly shirt. And chair.

Today I made myself a belly shirt.

Oh, and I also took an old chair that looked like this:

And transformed it into this:

My mom bought the chair about 30 years ago, and upholstered it herself using the brown floral print.
No offense mom, but I wasn't to crazy about the floral print, but I love the chair, especially the woodwork on the back.
So I took an old dress that I never wear, because it fits me horribly (but I LOVE the print):

 ...and cut it up (my mom was horrified at this idea, but finally came around...I assured her that the chair would be used much more than the dress), and with the help of an upholstery gun that I found in the basement...voila:

This was literally the easiest task. Took me 10 minutes max.

Note: I am not actually planning on wearing that as a belly shirt. This is a joke. 

Ikat

You know those friends who you hated when you first met them, but now you are practically in love with each other?

Well, my friends, that is my relationship with ikat. I used to hate it. I thought it looked like a "high-class" tye-dye. But it is much prettier than your Dad's 60's t-shirt or the shirt you dyed at your frenemie's 3rd birthday party.The colors blend together while still maintaing a geometric print. Ikat is an central asian way of dying each strand of thread individually, and then weaving them into beautiful patterns, for a tye-dye-ish effect.

For those of you not familiar, ikat prints come in any color and patterns:

Its all the rage now and is appearing everywhere- from shorts, to bedding, to dresses, to pillows.  Look at this gorgeous duvet cover:

If you could ever water color on a pillow, I'm pretty sure it would look something like ikat.

For more information on how ikat is made (its really interesting, and very labor-intensive) go to this site.

Have a Sparkling (water) Father's Day!

This morning my sister and I gave my Dad this super-cool future-esque carbonated water machine.

How sleek and contemporary does that look? Oh, and it is a totally appropriate gift for him consider he goes through one of these (a 12 pack):

in a single day. No more cans! Now we can all be eco-friendly, functional and stylish with our new soda machine!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

p.s.-  have to give credit to my Aunt and Uncle for the idea. They had one first. So technically, we copied off of you guys.

p.p.s. When we said Happy Father's day to him, he replied jokingly "I couldn't have done it without you."

My dad is a funny dude.

Layers from India

When I think of who inspires my style the most, no one has the impact of British-born designer India Hicks. She manages to create such an interesting, completely calming spaces. Her unpretentious yet classic style can be summed up into one word: layered.

From my (very) limited design experience, I find it most important to collect certain items, whether it be a lamp shade or an armoire that in some way speaks to you. I adore her collected, inherited, and bought items; isn't it so welcoming nostalgic? India has managed to make classic British design flow seamlessly with a breezy, beachy vibe.

My favorite part of the room? The built-in with all the straw hats. Functional, casual, and chic. (Note: this is most likely my favorite part because I am partial to a great straw hat.)

Oh, she also lives in Harbour Island year round (jealous much?).

She has her own blog http://www.indiahicks.com.

Life... a balancing act

Here I am painting my sis's room. It is Benjamin Moore's Calypso Blue. It is a pretty dark color, but her room gets a lot of natural light, so instead of being dreary, it comes off as a rich and deep color.

I C U

Or should I say, I CB2 you. Check out these awesome side tables from CB2. I'm using them in my sister's room for a chic, yet understated nightstand.

Pilot Post

SO, I have just quit my design internship.

Hmm. Something doesn't seem right here. A design lover like me would never pass up on an opportunity like that!

But, basically they were just making me organize closets and do their dishes. Oh, did I mention that one time two of them made me clean up a pile of sand that, um, they spilled. Yes. Sand. AKA the hardest thing to clean up EVER.

Anyways, this ending starts a new beginning....my blog! I have wanted to start a blog about my experience in design for so long. After all, I spend so much time reading design blogs, why not start my own?