Kitchen counter space is in short supply in my apartment (I have about 10” total!) so I’ve been taking every opportunity to maximize wall space for storage. On the design*sponge team’s recent trip to Boston, I found an old wall mounted letter holder to store my kitchen utensils. While I loved the shape (and the little trim around the top) I was less enamored of the new yet dingy aqua paint job. While we all love to do to a good old-fashioned glossy paint job to hide a multitude of sins, sometimes it’s a refreshing change to instead reveal metal’s patina lurking underneath all that paint. -amy m.
i love fall wreaths, but as i was looking around at all the varieties i realized that they mostly come as circles (duh kate, that’s the definition of a wreath). not that i don’t love circular wreaths, but who says you can’t mix it up a little? while this project may not fit the literal definition of a “wreath,” it is certainly inspired by them and expands the possibilities. i made the letter “K” for my name, but i could see doing a small “hi,” or maybe even your address numbers. this would also make a very personalized, thoughtful housewarming gift, and it only takes a little bit more time than making a plain old circle. have fun! -kate
this clever faux-pottery project comes from diy queen erica domesek of p.s. i made this. inspired by mid century porcelain from west germany, erica decided to create the look of white porcelain using bottles, cans, spray paint and an elementary school flashback- puffy paint. this is a seriously fun- and simple- project that anyone could tackle on a rainy (or snowy) afternoon. thanks so much to erica for sharing- click here to check out more projects on her site.
chela edmunds is textile artist from melbourne, australia. she recently moved into a new apartment in brooklyn, ny and found that her beautiful windows overlooking the park only had enough blind coverage to reach chest-height. in order to let the sun shine through and maintain some privacy she created this simple but chic felted screen. she was kind enough to share her full project steps with us today, so if you’re looking to let light into your home and maintain a little bit of privacy, this diy is just the ticket. thanks again to chela for sharing her felt screen with us!
i’ve been dying to try my hand at sunprints for some time now- so yesterday i spent the better part of my afternoon creating a custom corkboard and tray for my desk. even though summer sun is fading, there’s still plenty of light left over to create a custom botanical (or lace!) print for your home. in the video below i’ll walk you through the steps to create your own sunprint using fabric and then turning it into a personalized framed corkboard and accessory tray. i hope you’ll enjoy the project and give it a shot if you have a few extra hours this weekend!
*ps: i’m heading out a little early today to catch up on some book work so i’ll be back tomorrow with a full day of posts*
since fall has officially arrived, i decided to make autumnal nature the theme for this month’s projects. sometimes i wish i could be a squirrel so i could stow away a giant collection of acorns, seeds, nuts, etc. in my little home inside a tree. when i stow a collection like that in my house it just gets kind of messy and spiders start living there, but that’s another story. ironically this week’s diy is actually sort of anti-squirrel, but they do just fine by themselves so i thought i’d give the birds some love. the wooden bowl for this feeder not only makes the perfect acorn cap, but it’s slippery so squirrels can’t hold onto it (hopefully). i wanted to put it out immediately, but unfortunately it’s pouring rain in oakland, so you have to see it in ‘faux nature’ for now. this is actually a great rainy day project though, or something fun to do with your kids.. have fun!! -kate
This past week I tried my hand at wallpapering a room for the first time and let’s just say it’s a lot like wrapping up a big, slimy Christmas present but with higher stakes. I only had one single roll of 1940s wallpaper (purchased from this amazing store) so I had to be extra careful to ensure I’d have enough to cover the whole room. If you’re not ready to take the plunge and paper a room, a great alternative is to paper your kitchen or bathroom cabinet doors. Less mess, less money, less time! Also- if you landlord is a stickler for rules, this project could easily be done on mountable pieces of thick cardstock and attached with removable adhesive strips. -amy m.
