Happy Monday friends, come on and take a tour of a recent spruced up seating area in our courtyard! I mentioned before that we’re hosting a party to benefit my kids’ public school next month and that fact has prompted me to fancy it up a bit more out here. One of the spaces in need of some upgrades was the seating area, so I added a new rug, some outdoor pillows, and built a coffee table for the conversation zone.

We still have an old sofa and chair I bought at an antique fair five years ago. I made the cushions with Dacron wrapped foam and Sunbrella fabric way back then. I wish I had more details to share about them, but I don’t recall the source of the foam, it was an online one from the east coast and I sewed the cushions before I started blogging so no pictures! The Sunbrella fabric is Dupione in Maize, it’s five years old and still looking really great!

I made some new pillow covers in bright patterns that include yellows, greens, and various shades of blue. These outdoor fabrics are all from Fabric.com, from left to right:  Belize botanical $9/yard; Kiwi Splash $9/yard; Dandelion $9/yard. I sewed all of them the same way I stitched up these envelope outdoor pillow covers last year.

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Hello all, happy Sunday to you! Again Amanda and I bring you another round of ‘Best of the Blogosphere’ highlighting our favorite picks from around the internet, enjoy this inspirational roundup of amazing room makeovers and DIY projects!

What a serene and inviting guest room makeover by Designer Dad Stephen Saint-Onge.

So many smart DIY touches combine to pull together this charming boy’s room at Just the Bee’s Knees.

Tour this chic den makeover over at His and Hers Blog, quite the dramatic before and after!

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Happy Friday everyone! We’re spending tomorrow at home sprucing up the yard and I’m running a 5K on Sunday with my daughter. I posted some new articles over at BH&G recently, here are the links.

A quick shout out today to a new sponsor, Golden Age USA. Visit their online showroom for chandeliers, rugs, mirrors, and more!

mirror / sphere chandy / 5 light chandy / rug

My latest article at the My Colortopia blog is live, it includes spring color palettes inspired by nature.

And some other links I enjoyed this week:

One cool dad

More psychology of color 

A creative idea for a housewarming welcome

26 successful people who failed at first

11 fab DIY rug projects

Our new favorite show

Wishful thinking

Keeping up appearances 

Don’t pander, make something for the elites

 Dear house 

Another round of ‘Best of the Blogosphere’ is coming up on Sunday, have a great weekend!

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Hello hello, how are you? I thought I’d continue the Solutions for Renters series today and chat about the bathroom – a space that poses challenges equal to kitchens in rentals since most everything is fixed. The cabinets, the fixtures, the tile. Yep, you’re stuck with it. So how do you make the space feel more like you? I thought about all the ways to tackle the job and came up with ten solutions.

1. Curtains with Style.  Add a happy shower curtain in a bold floral or a mod geometric and suddenly the space has more color and personality.

Better Homes & Gardens

Ten June

Better Homes & Gardens

2. Hide the floor. A stylish floor mat helps to disguise flooring and also brings comfort underfoot. There are plenty of retail options or you can get creative with a DIY project. As an alternative, ask if the landlord will allow you to adhere peel and stick linoleum tiles.

west elm / garnet hill / east coast creative

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