Inspiration Board – My Living Room

I am so excited about getting my living room finished. I struggled trying to decide upon a color scheme, but I think I finally figured it out, thanks to Target’s lovely yellow polyresin lamps. I was walking through a store in San Antonio this past weekend (I was there for my girlfriend’s wedding shower), when I spotted these beautiful little nuggets down the aisle. It was definitely love at first sight! I had been playing with a yellow, orange and teal color scheme for a while now, but I did not think I could pull it off, until I saw this gorgeous yellow in person. I was immediately inspired. It is perfect it is not too bright (sometimes yellow takes on a highlighter look, because it is so reflective), but this yellow is so warm and the perfect balance of mustardy yellow, while still being bright and cheery. The Hubby and I already have the furniture down. We bought a Sactional, which we absolutely love, because you can take it apart and put it in any shape you could imagine. We also have the black and white art to hang above the sofa/entryway table (ours are pencil drawings of famous places in New Orleans). The tables (coffee and sofa/entryway) we hate to admit are from Ikea, but they get the job done and look good doing it. We wanted to do an ottoman instead of a coffee table for a pop of color, but with the lamps, pillows, art, and fun rug I think we have the pop of color covered. All I have to do now is find that perfect rug (preferably one that does not cost $1,000), some more colorful accessories (I seem to always have a buddha in every room), and learn how to sew so I can make some decorative pillows to balance these bold and bright colors. I am very excited!

DIY: You + Me Fingerprint Art, Amy Butler Snow Mum Pillow // Love Sac: Four Cushion Chaise Sectional in Taupe Rhinoplush $3,260 // Ikea: Hemnes Coffee Table $119, Hemnes Sofa Table $179 // Burke Decor: Bombay Collection Wool Area Rug $115 – $2,010 // Etsy: Duralee Yellow Ikat Sofa Pillow Cover $45 // Walmart: Orange Buddha $59 // Target: Poly Slipper Chair – Aegan $299 SALE $239, Mix-and-Match Polyresin Lamp in Yellow $49, Mix-and-Match Lamp Shade $19

DIY Missoni Chevron Shoes

Who wants to learn how to make their own pair of Missoni Chevron Shoes? Me me me me me! As soon as I saw these, I had to share. Who needs to wait in line overnight at Target, when you have clever people, like the folks over at Refinery29? They came up with this super easy do-it-yourself project that will make you the envy of all your friends and foes. All you need is a plain pair of white canvas shoes, some fabric pens and a little bit of patience. I guarantee you will get tons of compliments on these kicks, especially when they find out you made them yourself.

Supplies

One pair of white canvas sneakers. Ruler. Manila file folder or other stiff paper. Pencil. Scissors. Fabric markers in various colors (ones with both a thick and thin tip are best)

 Directions

Step 1. Using the ruler, draw a straight line near the edge of the manila file folder.

Step 2. Draw a second line a half-inch down from the first one. Use the ruler to make tick marks at every half-inch interval on both lines.

Step 3. Next, create a zig-zag pattern inside the two parallel lines by connecting every other tic. For example, start at the bottom left-hand corner of the lower line, and connect to the second tic mark on the upper line. Connect the second tic-mark on the upper line to the third tic mark on the lower line, and so on.

Step 4. Now that you’ve just created all of those triangles, cut away the lower row of them (sorry!). You should be left with what looks like a row of teeth at the bottom of the folder. Feel free to use this template to create a shark or bear costume for Halloween.

Step 5. Okay, now take out your plain canvas shoes and remove the laces—you don’t want to color over them, nor do you want to try to color around them.

Step 6. Position the template onto the toe of the sneaker. You’ll be working your way from the front to the back of the shoe. Position the template wherever you like it best, but we felt it was easiest to keep things lined up by having the point of one triangle in the center of the shoe.

Step 7. Move the template back and trace another row of triangles, making sure all of the points more or less match up with the previous rows. To get a true Missoni look, vary the spacing of the template—there’s no right and wrong with this, so feel free to have lots of thin rows and then one giant row, followed by a medium and small row, and so on.

Tip: Be sure to make your pencil markings light so it doesn’t show through the marker!

Step 8. Okay, now it’s time for the fun part! Grab your fabric markers and start coloring in the rows, making sure that each row is a different color. The colors don’t have to be spaced evenly or in any sort of pattern (but go for it if you want!), so feel free to switch it up as much as you’d like. If your markers have differently sized tips, use the thin edge to outline the rows, and the thick to fill them in.

Tip: Even fabric markers can bleed a little bit, so try coloring every other row so the dye has a little time to dry. After a few minutes, go back and fill in the rows you left out. Also, if coloring in the lines is something that’s troubled you since pre-K, use some masking tape around the sole of the shoe and even to outline the rows so everything stays crisp and orderly.

Step 9. To make your kicks look extra-polished, make sure you color the inside rim of the sneaker! You’ve come all this way, so don’t skimp out on this step.

Tip: Make sure you color all of the nooks and crannies—you know, where the seams of the sneaker meet. These spots can easily get missed when you’re in the coloring zone, so don’t forget to go back and check for any white spots!

Step 10. Now, it’s time to color the tongue of the sneaker. This part can be a little awkward since it’s hard to get a good angle, but don’t worry, since you only see a little bit of the tongue, you don’t have to be too accurate. Just do your best and color the parts you can see, trying to match the colors and patterns from either side of the shoe.

Step 11. All that’s left to do now is lace up the sneakers and take them for a test drive! Your friends are going to be so enamored with your DIY skills, that they’re going to try to get you to make them a pair. Beware!

Note: Photographed by Amelia Alpaugh