PINK AND GREEN GUEST BEDROOM

Just delivered this job yesterday...

Closeup of the back side of the pillow shams.  Actually, you can use them either way, but this really is the back.

Front of shams, along with the throw pillow

Front of shams and back of throw pillow

Back, which I personally prefer.

Table skirt with 1" welt and table topper

Closeup of bed skirt

Shower curtain with matching valance

With jumbo welt tieback

Rod pocket valance and shower curtain (which is strictly decorative; there is a plastic liner behind)

There is still some work for the interior designer to do:  art on the walls and a bed side lamp and a matelasse coverlet to complete the bed.

I really enjoyed this job.  I love pink and green and working with colors that I actually like is just an added bonus.  Best of all, my client was thrilled!

MORE LILLY PULITZER PILLOWS

A pile of Lilly pillows!  I made 2 each of 22" and 20" and 1 - 18".  I liked the way they looked on top of each other, with the different ruffles showing.

Close-up of the ribbon that surrounds the 'picture.'

The buttons and ruffles matched

These were a little challenging to make since they were originally dresses.  I couldn't quite get a straight square because of the taper, but visually, it really isn't that apparent.

CAT-PROOF FABRIC

I have a client who rescues Persian and Himalayan cats and, hopefully, finds them new homes.  At any given time she has between 30 and 35 cats.  The funny thing is, never does her house small like there is even one cat, let alone as many as she has.  One of her biggest challenges is keeping her furniture safe from the scratching paws of all these residents.  After much trial and error, she found a fabric that none of the cats like.  It is a kind of fake ultra suede, and whenever she finds it, she buys ALL of it.  At the present she has several large bolts of it.

 One of her kitty cats, relaxing on the new chair cover.

Because of the style of the chairs, they were a bit challenging.  As you can see in the above photo, I had to make little tabs that snap on to connect the skirt to the base.  

The 'cushions' have batting inside, just to give the chairs a bit of padding, but not make them look so formal.

I had to do gathered corners on the front because of the shape of the legs.  A tailored pleat would have bowed out in a funny way.  

The slipcovers made the chairs more inviting.  My client was happy, and, maybe even more importantly, the cats were all happy, too!

LILLY PULITZER, RESORT 2005

I made this pillow from a Lilly Pulitzer dress.   My client got these adorable dresses, for little girls, from Marshall's for a fraction of the original cost.  I wish they came in my size.  I would totally wear them all!

As you will see on the photos below, the appliqués  were too small to make a pillow without enlarging them somehow.  I accomplished this by cutting the white denim 20" x 20" and sewing the appliqué directly to it.  I could have done it by cutting pieces and then mitering the corners, but that seemed like too much work and I wanted to frame the image with a small trim.  In this case, I used a pink polka dot ribbon.  The 1" ruffle is also a Lilly Pulitzer fabric.

The back has covered buttons from the same fabric as the ruffle.

The pictures above are of the other dresses that still need to be made into pillows.  They are all so cute.  I can't wait to make the rest of them.

BEAUTY AND INSPIRATION AT PARIS IN A CUP TEA SALON

 Beautiful table settings

The Paris in a Cup Tea Salon

Everywhere you look and in every corner there is something special to see

 Bejeweled shoes

Paris in rhinestones

Our wonderful hostess, Sharon Hughes

I waited a long time to finally meet, in person, Deb Ward-Kennedy

Yesterday was the Launch Your Creativity event at Paris in a Cup on the square in Old Town Orange, California. It was my second time attending.  The last time I went was in October 2011.  The unfortunate thing about that one was it was exactly one week after I was sexually assaulted.  I really have no memory of that event, though I do have a picture, so I know I was there.  Yesterday though, was a whole other story.  It was beautiful, the speakers were wonderful, inspiring women, the food was yummy and the love and support we all felt and held for each other was very much in the air.  The amazing speakers included Sharon (of course,) Tara Wilson, Jane Button, Christine Rose Elle, Jenny Doh, Lidy Baars, Debi Beard and Deb-Ward Kennedy.  Talk about a superstar lineup!  And as if this wasn't enough, they had a very special surprise in store for me!

This pendant was made by the fabulous Rita Reade!  The picture isn't great, but what it says is 'Brave.'  I am so touched by this gesture of love and support.  I do not feel like I am brave in sharing my story.  It is just something I feel like I must do.  You can check out my other site, At Long Last Heard, for my story.  

It was a magical, inspiring, beautiful day with magical, inspiring, beautiful women who are all following their creative bliss!

WHITE DENIM JUST NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE

 The two wing chairs and two ottomans got new white denim slipcovers.

 Back view with covered buttons.  In this case, buttons were not needed to get the cover on and off, so they are just for looks, they they do function.  Over time, though, fabric, and especially denim, can continue to shrink.  If this happens, the covers will be easier to remove and put back on.

It's a little hard to tell, but the skirts are not to the floor.  They are just long enough to cover the upholstery underneath.  It is a way to save on fabric when you are running short.  Plus, it gives a lighter feel to the piece and to the room.

SLIPCOVERS AND PILLOWS FOR THE BEACH HOUSE

Two posts in a week!  What has come over me?  Well, I can't promise I will be posting twice a week on a regular basis.  I do, however, wish to be more consistent in posting.  That, I will promise to do.

On a trip to Laguna Beach, oh, 3 or 4 years ago, we came across this fabric.  It was very expensive and, though, lovely, not in the budget.  After returning to San Diego, I was in a local fabric store and they had it.  For $6 a yard!  The exact fabric.  I excitedly called my cousin and told her what I had stumbled upon and asked how much she wanted.  At this point there were 3 bolts of it.  She eventually decided on 25 yards.  She wasn't sure what she wanted to do with it, but wanted to make sure there was enough to do a couple chairs or a love seat.  I purchased the fabric and then a couple days later, she decided she wanted more.  I went back and there was nothing left. 

At that point, my cousins were living in Rancho Santa Fe.  They have since moved to Carlsbad and now have a house on the beach.  Finally, it was time to use the fabric with the khaki sea stars.  It turned out there was 26 yards with which to 'play.'  She decided on two chairs, both with ottomans.  That was going to barely be enough fabric for all 4 pieces.   The solution was to do a contrast welt and to make the skirts a little shorter than to the floor.  The chair above is in the master bedroom and, as you can see, the ocean is right outside the sliding glass doors!  Beautiful!

This is the back of the chair that is in the downstairs family room.

Front of chair with matching ottoman.

After the slipcovers were in place, and her giant white slipcovered sofas were delivered, it became apparent that throw pillows were needed.  The fabric was all gone, though.  So I started googling 'sea star fabric' and finally found it.  Further investigation revealed a navy blue one as well.  In the end, I made 15 pillows in the white/khaki and 11 in the navy.  I did a navy welt because there was half as much of that fabric and my cousin wanted the maximum number of pillows it was possible to get from the available yardage.  My car was literally full of pillows on Easter Sunday when I delivered them.

Closer up picture of the family room chair.

SLIPCOVERS AND WINDOW TREATMENTS

I did not realize it had been soooo long since my last post.  I, of course, had the best of intentions to begin posting on a regular basis again.  As it turned out, my healing took much longer than I ever thought it would, and one of the casualties was this blog.  Now,  however, I truly am better and will be making a concerted effort to actually post my new work.  While it is true I did very little, if any, really, work while I was getting through my trauma, I am back to working full-time.  I had a call from a potential new client the other day and she had been on this blog and thought that I was no longer in business because there had been no new postings.  I'll say it again, I AM BACK TO WORKING FULL-TIME.  And below is one of my recent jobs:

Inverted pleat draperies.

Matching chair and ottoman in the sitting area adjacent to the bed.

And another ottoman at the foot of the bed.  I also did pillow shams, but my client will save those for her 'summer' bedding.