Closet Cleanout

It's time for some good ole fashioned spring cleaning! Granted it's not spring, but a girl can dream, right? Basically I have as of late become really annoyed with my closet...it's too jammed packed and I don't even wear half of what is in it.

Case in point:

 

Therefore this weekend I decided everything must go! And by everything I mean the things I do not wear anymore. So I thought I would share this adventure with you. This is not so much a "how-to" (I'm not going to tell you how to run your life) as a "this is what I did this weekend." And by this weekend I mean for like an hour after I got sick of waiting for the power to come back on at the stadium during the Superbowl...ain't nobody got time for that!

Aaaanyway, upon starting this endeavor I decided that I would stop being so damn sentimental and get rid of these things I've been hanging on to for years. For instance, do I really need three, yes THREE pairs of floral patterned flats? One of which never really fit to begin with and I would only wear when I could handle the pain of the skin on my ankle being slowly torn off. No, clearly not necessary.

 

I'm sure I also do not need 15 pairs of jeans, when I only wear about 5 of them.

 

But cleaning out the closet also allowed me to rediscover clothes I had forgotten about. One big tip I would give about this sort of thing is to try everything on! You may be surprised by some of the gems you had forgotten were in the back of your closet.

 

My technique overall became to make three piles. 

1. Donations

2. Items to upcycle into either new clothes or some other craft project

3. Items to just throw away

I like to donate as much as I can, but sometimes old clothes can be reused to make something totally cool and awesome. I usually keep clothes that have a pattern I really like and I will figure out something I can make with them. Like this dress that I bought a couple years ago, that I'm pretty sure I only wore once because it never really fit right. But I kept it because it was super cute. I have finally come to the realization that it just will never fit correctly, but the pattern is adorbs, so I will find something to turn it into.

 

Now I know I mention throwing things away, which sounds awful. But there are certain things you really should not donate, like undergarments. Don't do it. It's gross. No one wants used undergarments. I mean it. Throw that shit out. Okay, end of rant.

Overall I ended up with a good sized bag of clothes to donate and a couple of items to hang onto for crafts. I feel mildly better about my closet situation. I'd show an after picture, but to be honest it doesn't really look that much better. So just imagine a really organized, pretty closet and pretend it's mine. Maybe that will be a project for another time, but that's a BIG endeavor.

~Jessica

EASY: How to turn King Pillowcases into Standard

I've carted these great pillowcases with me from apartment to house to apartment for years. I can't remember when I got them... probably when I was a teenager at a garage sale with my mom. They are obviously from the 60s, I'd say. Unfortunately, they were king sized. So, the other day I decided it was time to get new pillows. I was faced with the question of getting standard or king pillows, to fit my rediscovered cases. King pillows would not fit on my full sized bed though, so standard it is! Therefore, a compromise had to be made..

Solution! Turn king cases into standard!

1. Turn pillow case inside out
2. Measure 5" from seam
3. Sew vertically along the 5" mark
4. Turn pillowcase inside out

Cute, huh? AND now I can buy more random, mis-matched cases at estate sales because I know how to fix 'em  :)

Love,
Kelly

Ideas for designing your own wall collage

Wall collages have been prevalent among many design blogs in the past couple years. They need a makeover. How about doing one specific theme? Currently, I have a color themed collage in my living room. It is all black and white, which I chose because I have a tendency to decorate in too many colors at once...  


You can compose a collage around:

Content, like the sailboat collage above.

Color,  like I have in my apartment..

Or even a looser theme, where this person used neutrals and large mattings. 

I think these make even more of a statement than a regular collage and are also easier on the eye. It's also important to note that if you want a more cohesive look, be aware of the medium in which the art was created. If you are creating a family collage, are you using a collection of photographs and drawings? Maybe it could be more interesting if you only did all pencil drawings by your child, rather than to combine it with photography. Like most things, simpler is better, even with collages. :)

Love, 

Kelly

How to make a welt

Chairs before. Purchased for $15 each at an estate sale.

My dad and I reupholstered these chairs months ago. Since then, I have been dreading making a welt for them since I had no idea how to do it. So, instead of googling, reading, and researching, I bought the supplies and just did what made sense to me. haha You can also purchase a special sewing foot so you can get as close as possible to the piping while sewing, but the standard foot worked just fine. You just have to be especially diligent and firm with the fabric.

3 yds of fabric from JoAnn Fabric $20/yd

3 yds of piping

Place roping inside a fold of the fabric where you will sew.   Pin fabric about 2" from welt.

Set tension at 2-3 and sew as closely as possible along the edge of the  piping.

Using a strong adhesive, glue the welt to the edge where the fabric and frame meet.

Trim the stray fibers.

Finished product on the left


Love,
Kelly

Favorite Kitsch Film Interiors

I find the greatest inspiration for interior design through movies, like many. Especially when the set acts as a character itself, such as the movies below. If you know me, you know that my sole criteria for enjoying a film is that it is pretty. I am that vapid and uninteresting.

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

                                          Production Design by John Barry                                                                                                                                

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining

Production Design by Roy Walker      

^^ I wish I could find a better image for this scene...It's so amazing!

C'mon. It's beautiful.

Tom Ford's A Single Man

Production Design by Dan Bishop

Speaks for itself!

Sofia Coppolla's Marie Antoinette

Production Design by K.K. Barrett

Now, the Victorian style is not really my thing...but I can't help but be inspired by it for that reason. I am not a fan of blue, but somehow this dated, mundane blue is very interesting to me..not something I would think of. It's funny how a tired look can suddenly become new and fresh again when used in the right way.

Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums

Production Design by David Wasco

This movie interior seems like it is right out of 2012. The large prints and traditional portraits among modern  decor is very current IMO. I love the whole Floridian, mid-century kitsch thing he has going on.

Love, 

Kelly

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