Tag: pattern

Personalized Holiday Gifts, and “Wheel Cars!”

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly.

A while back, I took a few quick pictures of the kids while we were waiting for a table at a restaurant. They were bored, hungry, and making funny faces to amuse themselves — August and Eleanor on each end, with a resigned Calvin in the middle who was over the whole thing. It totally captured their personalities. And now? Those faces can greet you as you have your morning coffee.

We have plenty of photos of all three of them where they aren’t making faces, but their silly pictures crack me up and I think it’s even funnier that they’re mugging for the camera on a personalized mug. Hello, grandparent gift! I got a matching set from Shutterfly where you can add Ghiradelli to your order; I included assorted squares of chocolate with ours.

Shutterfly offers non-photo personalized gifts too. I chose a monogrammed pouch for each of the kids in colors I thought they would like. We’re going to fill each one with treats before wrapping them up for Christmas, and then each kid could use them for their little toys and treasures.

I’m wishing I’d picked up a canvas tote for myself! I’m a sucker for embroidered initials.

And here’s the one I’m most proud of because I made the pattern myself. “Wheel cars” (as Calvin calls them) on a custom pillow and blanket! They’re going to go in his room, but the lucky kid got an early peek while I was photographing them to share here.

Eleanor and August each got a fleece blanket as one of their Christmas gifts last year from our family. They use them when they’re cold, but also when they’re playing, having pretend picnics, building forts, making superhero capes, and so on. Calvin didn’t get a blanket of his own, so I designed and ordered one for him.

I looked through our toy cars for the most interesting wheels, and then photographed almost two dozen of them.

I cut out those wheels in Photoshop, arranged them and created a repeating pattern, then added a background color and played around with the contrast until I liked the end result.

I realized when I was done that it would make a cute matching pillow for the bed, so I ordered one along with a plush fleece blanket. There are pre-designed pillows and blankets too, but Shutterfly made it super easy to personalize everything. I saved my pattern as a jpeg and uploaded it just like I did with the photo of the kids, and I love that we have something for Calvin’s room now with a design I made myself.

It’s a total kid pattern, but it was fun to make. “Wheel cars!” And now I want to make a million more. Photo collage style again, or break out the gouache and paintbrushes?

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Awaken your space with your vision. Shop Shutterfly Home Décor for personalized home accents that are uniquely you.

December 1, 2016
DIY Tumbling Blocks Hand-Painted Floor
This post is sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts.

The painted floor in the bathroom is done! It only took a million hours!

‘Tumbling blocks’ is a classic pattern that has been trending for a few years now. I think of it as a quilting pattern from the 1800s, but decorative rhombille tiling goes back centuries. If I were doing a full renovation of my bathroom, I would lay tile like this, but this project is more of a refresh. The wood floor was already painted and in need of a fresh coat, so I figured why not go for something interesting? And of course, I have painted a floor before. I know it takes time and I know I am sore by the end of it, but I also know it’s worth it.

I’ve seen people take on this particular pattern before, or a variation of it. Here are a few examples.
I found a free template, and I played around with the colors and scale in Photoshop. I was torn between black and white or pink and red, and I decided to go with the more colorful scheme inspired by this encaustic cement tile from Mosaic House.

I looked through my paint fan decks and chose three colors. I wanted pink and red, yes, but not too bright or candy-colored. The pale pink is Puppy Paws, the medium is Odessa Pink, and the red is Crimson — a quart of each in floor and patio low sheen enamel, stopping on the way at Dunkin’ Donuts for an Iced Macchiato.

I used to be more of a latte fan, but the macchiato has become my new favorite. When I was at the Dunkin’ Donuts headquarters last month, we were able to learn about the different hot and iced espresso drinks they offer and then make our own. Both drinks are made with milk and espresso, but a latte only has one shot of espresso and a macchiato has two, giving it a stronger coffee flavor and more caffeine (which was definitely needed as I worked on this project!). I like to order mine with a Mocha Swirl because: chocolate. Delicious.

So, coffee and paint in hand, I was ready to get started.

I started at the far end and worked my way towards the door. Luckily it worked out and my pattern stayed aligned with the floor boards (for the most part). If I were doing it again though, I would have started at the doorway where the pattern is most visible. That’s the recommendation when working with tile too. You want to start your pattern where you are most likely to be looking at it, and if it’s going to go wonky, you want that hidden toward the back.

I only drew out the pattern on the far side because I figured I would smudge/erase it as I worked if I did the whole floor. Again, if I were doing it again, I would have started at the doorway, but alas. I drew a portion of the pattern, painted some of the lighter areas, drew more of the pattern, painted some more, repeat.

I have a pretty steady hand, so I painted the whole thing freehand with a pointed artist’s paintbrush (round, size 16). You can create a stencil or tape off the pattern too, but neither really seemed easier to me than just going ahead and painting it with a brush.

It took three full days of work, and three coats of paint for each color, but it’s done. Hooray! And now you can pretend to play Q*bert in my bathroom.

I just have a couple of details to get to, and the whole space will be finished!
July 7, 2016
Progress?

I’d ordered curtain rods for the bedroom and its adjacent room a while back, and I finally got those up a few days ago. Brandon and the kids were having problems with glare on the TV at certain times, so we needed to be able to block some light during the day. I don’t have curtains for the room yet though (because its future is uncertain while we plan the nursery’s location), so I hung a couple of mismatched, too-short curtains.

Were you wondering if this room could look any worse? Ta da! I did it!

The rods look stupid-high in the picture (I’m aware), but they do look all right in context. Or at least I think they will, with matching curtains in the right length, and some paint on the walls. I’m considering painting out that picture rail too, though I haven’t decided yet. It’s in a weird place, it doesn’t align with the others, and it isn’t original. And something is wrong with either those rods or the finials. They’re from the same line but the screw posts are not long enough for the threads to catch. I had the same problem with one of the finials in Eleanor’s room, but I thought it was a fluke (because 3 out of 4 were fine).

Anyway! The reason I haven’t committed to curtains yet is that if we are keeping that room open to the master bedroom, the curtains should match or compliment each other between the two spaces. A solid color in a slubby, textured fabric could be nice, but then I do love the opportunity to use a good pattern. Here are a few options that would work with the rug and bedding we already have.

top row: 1 • 2 • 3 // center: lamp • bed • bedding • rug // bottom row: 1 • 2 • 3

I may do a pattern in the adjoining room and a solid in the bedroom to keep things from looking too busy, or just go all out with print. What do you think?

April 7, 2014
Deciding on New Kitchen Curtains

I now present to you a series of awkward photos in which I stand on my countertops, holding up fabric to the window in approximation of curtains. Ready?

(the photo backdrop)

(the tablecloth)

That’s a photo backdrop and a tablecloth, both by Rifle Paper Co. for BHLDN. I bought them to use in a baby shower theme photo shoot, and as I was falling asleep the other night, I realized they would make awesome kitchen curtains.

The backdrop’s pattern is larger and I thought it might be too overwhelming, but now I think I like it better. Which is good, because the tablecloth is no longer available and it was going to break my heart a little to cut the fabric up. (I’d been searching eBay for another, but no luck.) Which one do you prefer? Wait, don’t answer yet… there’s more.
(more…)

September 19, 2012
A Guide to Mixing Patterns in Your Home

Mixing patterns in fashion happens all the time (I’m always a fan of stripes and florals), but people seem to shy away from doing it in their homes. I mean, other people tend to shy away — not me. I’m a pattern mixing fool, so today I put together a guide to doing just that. Huzzah!

I think of Photoshop as a decorating tool, just as you would consider a designer’s measuring tape or sketchbook. Seeing how everything comes together digitally has been the best way for me to get a good idea of what will work in a space, and I love putting together layouts for you. Below is the guide I’ve created, with 27 patterns matched to perfection.

• You can find the links to all of the patterned chairs and pillows used in the graphic above on my Pinterest board.

The trick to mixing patterns is to start with a bold scale. I like accent chairs in oversized prints, so I begin there. Pick something like this one in pinstripes, or maybe something a little crazy like this one in raspberry ikat or my floral grandma chair. It will be easier than you think to make it work! For example, my chair may seem limiting at first, but there are so many colors in it that it’s easy to find a match. (In my home, that match is of course pink. And now coral too.) Next you add a contrasting pattern. In my case, the next thing would be my pink zigzag rug.

You can stop at two patterns, but you don’t have to. I certainly don’t! Vary the scales enough (something large, something significantly smaller, and then maybe a teensy ditsy pattern), and everything will look fine. This corner of my living room, below, has a whole lotta pattern going on. Bold floral fabric on the chair, a zigzag rug beneath, wallpaper in the room beyond, a textured (read: patterned) side table, art above, a patterned throw, and a patterned pillow. But it all works.

This post is presented by smartwater.
smartwater, simplicity is delicious. Click here to learn more.

July 24, 2012
Patterned Black and White Pillows (Each Under $50)

I put together a couple of guides to mixing and matching throw pillows last week. Many of you requested a few more affordable options, so I gathered a collection of great black and white patterned pillows under $50.

• stripes • floral • funny • graphic • monogram • rad

That dog pillow cracks me up! He’s so serious.

October 6, 2011