DIY: Tapestry Turned Pillow

January 19, 2017 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Cool Hunting, DIY, Projects, studio, Weekend Warrior

A few lovely readers asked after the big pillow on my Charlottesville bed (as seen in my posts on the tiny shelf makeover and the postcard wall).

Isn’t it great?! In high school I picked up this old tapestry from a local flea market, then tucked it away in the depths of a closet where I found it a few years into college. I thought about putting it up on a wall, but what I really needed was a big pillow. Some inspiration...

I pinned this forever ago from Domino magazine:

Great teal bedspread from a post on House of Turquoise:

Love this as a cover for a sofa, too (via the blog Honey & Fitz):

This headboard is from the bedroom of Grace Bonney (of the great blog Design*Sponge):

After a bit of research, I learned that this type of textile is made by the Otomi people in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. There are so many options other than simply textiles: dresses, purses, you name it. And purchasing from certain sources also benefits the tribe--doing good deeds while beautifying a room!

Because I had a pretty neutral background (white bedspread and sheets, wood furniture, white walls), I thought this color-charged tapestry would give me just the right happy feel that I wanted in my room. I enlisted my dear mother to turn the tapestry into a pillow by sewing on a big piece of red duck cloth that we had on hand as the back and stuffing it with cotton.

I love projects like this that make such a big difference but are so simple to do—especially when we’re talking throw pillows! This can easily be replicated for small or big pillows, too.

A friend of mine was thinking of doing something similar in her new apartment, so I did a quick eBay search for Otomi tapestries where I found some great options, like this wall hanging:

Another wall hanging, very much like mine:

Placemat--could be made into a small pillow:

My favorite:

Of course, having a sewing machine is largely helpful for this project. Sewing by hand, using small stitches, would also work—just want to make sure that the stitches are set in from the edge of the fabric by about 1" so that the stuffing can’t peek through. (Do I sound like Martha Stewart?? YIKES) In retrospect, I would make an envelope pillow (great instructions from Jenny at Little Green Notebook here) and use a standard pillow insert instead of stuffing.

Or, of course, there are options to buy for yourself, like these from the same eBay search:

From One Kings Lane:

From the etsy shop mentioned above:

Pom poms!

Just used this gorgeous pillow from Roberta Roller Rabbit in a project and LOVE the yellow tassels:

Do you have any pillow DIYs you’d like to see featured on The Spoonful?? Contact me here or post in the comments below!

DIY: Postcard Wall

January 19, 2017 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Charlottesville, DIY

I have a habit of picking up postcards and other papers, especially while traveling. While studying abroad in Lyon, I amassed quite a pile of wonderful postcards which I loved too much to send away or keep hidden in a stack of papers. I also had, on impulse, bought a box of postcards based off of the wonderful Paris vs. New York book (and blog, here). With all of those postcards crying out to be used, I thought I would make a small-scale art installation in my college room (also shown here with the tiny shelf makeover), and the vast wall by my bed seemed to be asking for something wonderful to fill its emptiness. I could have just taped them up to the wall (like I did in my NYC entryway), but I wanted them to have more substance—I think my NYC entryway works because it feels like a massive bulletin board, but this space in my Charlottesville room by my bed wasn’t going to have the same feel.

I love the look of a bunch of similar frames (who doesn't?!). Here's an image from the wonderful Nick Olsen in last month's Architectural Digest:

All red frames from Elle Decor:

Bigger scale here from Elle Decor:

One of my all time favorite rooms by Tom Scheerer. Love the wood frames!

Yes. (Elle Decor again)

This collection of black frames by Steven Gambrel (a fellow UVA alum! Wahoowa) makes my mouth water:

And how great is this grouping by the revered Ralph Lauren? (Seen on Little Green Notebook)

But, alas, all of those frames would’ve been pricier than I was looking for in this project. What I really wanted out of the “installation” was a 3-dimensional quality with the postcards popping off the wall.

To achieve this 3-D look, I glued foam core to the back of the postcards and then hung them on the wall. Foam core board is super cheap—I got several boards from the dollar store and cut them down to be about ¼” smaller on all sides of the postcard. I recommend using an x-acto knife and straight edge when working with foam core; it's so much faster than scissors, which don't give a clean edge anyway.

I realized when I cut down the foam core that the white foam showed on the sides of the cards and was rather unsightly, so I grabbed some black craft paint and quickly covered up the white foam with black paint.

After the paint dried, I used rubber cement (which I prefer to Elmer's glue when working with paper because it doesn't wrinkle) to attach postcard to foam core board.

Because the foam core backing covers up the writing on the back of the postcard, I wanted to make a note to remind myself later where the cards had come from. I had some labels lying around, so I recorded the necessary details on the backs that way:

Then I hung them all up... ta-da!

Do you have any great DIY ideas to share? Contact me here or in the comments below... I'd love to share them on The Spoonful! And happy Labor Day!

A Red Bed

July 28, 2016 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Cool Hunting

This photo is from a little spot in the Bahamas called Ocean View Club (on my travel list!). How heavenly is this bedroom??

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I'm loving the pale blue/tomato red color combination. To recreate, I'd take a four poster bed like this one...

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... and paint it in a terrific red:

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Other accents should be the same red, like the bedsides and a frame or two on the wall. I love how the wall is filled up with the two benches on either side of the bed. I would recreate that look by painting a couple of benches (like this one from World Market) the same red as the bed frame and painting the top of the bench white (as shown in the inspiration image):

Of course, that could also be done with smaller nightstands (and if the red is too much, leave them natural wood!).

The pale blue accent wall is lovely and looks to be similar to this shade:

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Add little foo dog bedside lamps (less pricey alternative here):

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And an ethnic throw pillow on a crisp white bedspread:

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Island decor, delivered!

Do you have a room you'd like to see recreated on The Spoonful? Let me know in the comments below!

Snuggle-y Bedroom

April 04, 2016 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Cool Hunting

Schoolhouse Electric (amazing lighting--and more--shop in TriBeCa) posted this photo on instagram a while ago, and I came across it this weekend while going through old photos. How comfy?!

Want to recreate this cozy space for yourself? Read on...

Maps are one of my favorite things--probably because I was forever traveling as a child (I even covered my desk in maps! See that post here.) Etsy has a plethora of vintage pull-down maps like the one in the photo above:

Love this amazing pendant from Schoolhouse Electric:

Check out Schoolhouse Electric's bedding, too, because it's pretty great:

Here are similar lamps from Crate & Barrel:

And bedside tables from Ikea!!

Finish off the space with this big ole sheepskin rug:

And then you'll be ready to crawl right back in bed!

Have you seen a room you'd like to see recreated and featured on The Spoonful? Let me know in the comments below!

Things I Love: Canopy Beds

March 30, 2016 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Cool Hunting

Wouldn't you feel like a modern day princess in this room, sleeping on this bed (via Elle Decor and pinned here)?

This shot from Lonny Mag is also magnificent (pinned here):

The great thing about a dark canopy like this is that it doesn't have to feel princess-y! Check out this gypsy-esque rendition (pinned here):

Dying for your own? Anthropologie has a gorgeous version here:

Do you have a piece you'd like to see on The Spoonful? Let me know in the comments below!

In Honor of Spring...

March 21, 2016 by Lucy Clare Spooner in Cool Hunting

... I share with you this gloriously springy and feminine bedside moment (pinned here) by Bailey Quin of Biscuit Home (written up here by Southern Living):

I think I've just found my new favorite bedding store! Loving these awesome Boone sheets:

Wallpaper brought to you by Scalamandre (other colorways available):

Mildly obsessed with this Border sham (also by Bailey Quin and 50% discount now with code SHAMROCK):

I'll be dreaming of that simple monogram all day...

The Sophisticated Pom-pom

January 12, 2016 by Lucy Clare Spooner in DIY, Projects, studio

Hello! I'm back! I've kicked off the new year with a few little upgrades in my apartment; here's one of them. Let's back up a few months. When I was searching for ways to squeeze a little more storage space out of my little studio, one solution was to make the most of the under-the-bed storage. This meant simply using bed risers (yes, the same ones from freshman year dorms), which both gives me far more space and makes the bed so high that I all but need a running start to get in. :) Of course, I couldn’t leave that unsightly view uncovered, so I made up a quick and cheap bedskirt.

The beauty of making my own is that I could have a completely custom cover—it would be very difficult to find a bedskirt that I wanted in that length—for a fraction of the cost of having it made by an upholsterer. I used a painter’s drop cloth, one of my favorite sources for inexpensive, heavy-duty fabric.

I cut it to size, leaving extra room at the top to tuck in between the mattress and box springs. Then I hemmed it all around to prevent any fraying down the road. I left it just like this for a while; I kind of liked the simplicity. Then I ran across these bedding images and instantly became obsessed with this version of what I like to call a "sophisticated pom-pom":

From Mui Ma:

So simply lovely. Via L'Aviva Home:

Other color options available too (here):

And this from Urban just makes my heart sing:

I happened to have several samples of this trim (from Samuel & Sons) left over from various projects, which I negotiated to a spacing that I liked; the poms here are about 7" apart. (This city has some terrific trim stores, though: I've had great luck at Mokuba and M&J Trimming, but if you just walk around the garment district--especially 36th to 40th Streets between 6th to 8th Avenues--you'll stumble upon many other gold mines.) The trick for this look is to find BIG pom-poms. I also especially like these because they're not too white; they're actually the same ecru color as the drop cloth. Match made in heaven.

After spacing them, I simply sewed a few stitches on each to keep it in place and called it a day! From start to finish, this little project took all of 30 minutes, and I am so pleased with the result. The poms just make me smile!

I loved seeing so many of you over the break--and I can't tell you how wonderful it was to hear that you've been reading The Spoonful! So nice and I so appreciate it.

And if you have a DIY you'd like to share on The Spoonful, send it on over!

DIY: Tapestry Headboard

August 24, 2015 by Lucy Clare Spooner in DIY, Projects

I came across this fantastic image from Anthology magazine while I was searching for headboard ideas for my dear friend's new apartment. So cool, right?

Here's another inspiration image from the August Black blog:

She’s looking for a calming, serene retreat in her bedroom, but also loves the boho chic feel, which we’ll incorporate in other rooms of her apartment (more on that to come down the road!). Headboards are one of my favorite parts of the room to DIY because there are just so many options. This solution for a headboard is so very simple and can be quite inexpensive: all you need is the tapestry and a bedframe upon which to set the mattress.

I did a quick eBay search which came up with some gorgeous options, like this big Suzani tapestry:

Or this one:

Love the colors here:

And here:

Pretty pink:

To fit in with her image of a calming space, I encouraged her to pick out a more neutral one, like this:

Or this one:

The tapestry could be attached directly to the wall or it could be mounted on a wood support to be a bit sturdier--it looks like the inspiration image did the latter. Erin Williamson did a great tutorial here, and Mr. Kate used a gorgeous different technique here.

Have you ever used a nonconventional headboard? How did it turn out? Let me know here or in the comments below!