Tag: video

The #LoveYourThings Shoot with Scotchgard Brand at the Randolph Street Market

I am a compensated Scotchgard Brand blogger ambassador. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

A few months back, Scotchgard Brand invited me to Chicago’s Randolph Street Market to hang out at their booth, chat with visitors, and take part in a video about things we love and how to protect them. There are always amazing vintage and antique pieces at the show — you might find your new favorite chair or rug, suitcases to stand in as storage, or maybe an old textile that has been (or can be) made into pillows.

The antidote to the all-white interiors trend, eh?

OK, but then you get your finds back home — these things that have already had a long life — and you don’t want to be the one to ruin them. And that goes for our new things too, of course. You know the pair of armchairs in our living room? Someone once spilled orange soda all over them when we were having a party. The person felt awful about it, and luckily the spill came right up, but if it hadn’t… yikes. Either we would have had to reupholster (two chairs, in this case, because they should match), live with a very strategically placed blanket, or ignore the stain. I use Scotchgard Fabric & Upholstery Protector on them now so nothing like that will happen again, because I don’t think we would have been so lucky had it been a drink like red wine. Once you see how it works, which is what we showed people at the Randolph Street Market, you realize what a good idea it is to protect the things you love with it. It repels liquids and blocks stains and can be used to protect your linens, furniture, rugs, clothes, car interiors and more.

Here are a couple of behind the scenes shots from our shoot.

And here’s the video.

I’ve used Scotchgard Protectors for a bunch of our things now. A purse, a couple of chairs, and yes, the crazy floral floor model chair I’m talking about above. I’ll show you how easy it is in an upcoming post. What are some things you love and want to protect?

January 21, 2016
Honor Roll (Videos)

This post is sponsored by Vimeo. #YourVideosBelongonVimeo

I’m not the most prolific vlogger, but I’ve been a Vimeo Plus member for years. I like the interface and layout of the site, and their password protection so I can share things privately with friends or clients. Plus I feel like I’m part of a larger community of people making the kind of videos I wish I could pull off, but that I do try to learn from!

Here are a handful of my favorite videos on Vimeo, some of which I’ve shared here before, and some that I haven’t.

Shake it Little Tina from Adam Carpenter.

Beauty of Mathematics from Parachutes.

beet cake from tiger in a jar.

Symmetry from The Mercadantes.

Breath from The Mercadantes.

Traffic Signs & Jake The Rapper / COOKIE JAR – Directed by Ben&Julia from Ben&Julia.

If you’re looking for a place to host your videos, I’ve partnered with Vimeo to share an offer with you. Their business accounts (the PRO subscription) are $17/month, but you can save 10% on Vimeo Plus or PRO! Use promo code: LOVELY10APR. You’ll be a part of a larger network of professionals and a community centered on high quality video, with a site layout that puts the focus on your work with no distracting pre-roll commercials or banners. You’ll also get 20GB of storage per week, stats, portfolio pages, and more. Your videos belong on Vimeo.

Vimeo PRO from Vimeo.

Thank you Vimeo for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Vimeo, all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

March 30, 2015
Three Easy Wallpaper Projects

This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.

I flew out to New York a couple of weeks ago to film a segment at the Meredith studio for Better TV. (I went to six cities over the course of a month while in my third trimester, so I’m glad to be done with traveling for a while!) I shared a few wallpaper project ideas for the video below — ways to use it besides on your walls — using the allen + roth line from Lowe’s.

Decoupaged Letters

We spelled out “LOVE” to give the basic idea in the video above, but I think it’s the kind of project that would be great for personalizing a nursery or kid’s room (either with their name spelled out in full, or just their first initial).

Materials Needed: metallic brocade wallpaper • water and a small brush (to activate paste) • scissors • craft letters

Instructions: Place a letter face down on your wallpaper, trace the shape, cut it out, and set aside. Next, begin covering the sides of your letter — a little water will activate the glue on the paper’s backing. (If using paper that isn’t prepasted, Mod Podge works well for this project.) Long strips of paper are fine for straight sides, but smaller pieces work well for curves. After all of the sides have been covered, affix the top piece and smooth into place.

Drawer Liners

Lined drawers are always a nice touch, right? You could use adhesive paper made for drawers of course, but wallpaper comes in so many more colors and patterns. Lined shelves, in a closet or otherwise, are another opportunity for customization. And if the wallpaper has a nonwoven backing like the allen + roth line does, it’s easy to remove if you ever want to change the style.

Materials Needed: striped wallpaper • water and a small brush (to activate paste) • scissors and/or razor blade • metal ruler or other straight edge • drawers or shelves

Instructions: (Pretty sure you can figure this one out without instructions, but here goes!) Cut a piece of wallpaper to the size of your drawer or shelf. Activate the paste on the back of your wallpaper by applying water with a brush, and place the paper in your drawer. Smooth, then trim edges with a razor.

Bookcase Update

We used grasscloth to add texture and change the color of the back of a bookcase, but obviously you can use any style you like, depending on the look you’re going for. And that bookshelf? Truly a quick and easy project. We had actually started with a white bookshelf on set and the grasscloth looked great on the back of it, but it wasn’t reading well on camera. In a very quick, very last minute switcheroo, we swapped out the white bookshelf for a black one instead. I think it took all of 15 minutes from start to finish!

Materials Needed: grasscloth wallpaper • wallpaper paste • razor blade • metal ruler or other straight edge • bookcase

Instructions: Remove the backing from your bookcase if possible. Trace it onto your wallpaper and cut out. If the back of your bookcase can not be removed, measure and cut a piece of wallpaper to size. Activate the paste on your wallpaper by applying water with a brush, and place the paper on the back of your bookcase. Smooth, then trim edges with a razor.

Come Say Hello

Remember, I’ll be at my local Lowe’s this Saturday, offering one-on-one design consultations and doing another fun project with wallpaper that you can make and take with you! RSVP to PublicRelations@Lowes.com to make sure you’ve got a spot.

July 31, 2014
Ombré Nesting Tables (With a How-to Video)

Brought to you by 3M DIY.

I found these vintage wooden nesting tables at the Renegade Craft Fair, here in Chicago, a couple of months ago. I loved the shape of them, and that they nested together, but they looked a little plain in my library.

I decided to paint them in an ever-trendy ombré/gradient effect, figuring that when the trend moves on I can always repaint them again later. As I was preparing to paint, I look more closely at the tables and realized that someone had already painted them at some point, in a faux-bois effect. At least I didn’t have to feel guilty about being the first one to take a paintbrush to them!

I gathered everything I needed to get started: a lead test, sandpaper (150 and 180 grit), a mask, painter’s tape, paint and primer, a drop cloth, paint stirring sticks, and a good 2″ angled paintbrush. Below is a video showing the whole process.

I didn’t know how old that painted surface was, so I used a simple lead test to be sure that the tables were safe to work with. Then I sanded the tops with the rougher sandpaper, wiped them down, and taped off the edges. It would have been ideal to disassemble the tables and just work on the tops, but they were held together with a combination of dowels, glue, and magic. Prying them apart would have been difficult — possibly disastrous — so tape it was. Next I primed them, painted, sanded again with fine sandpaper, and applied a final coat of paint.

The three colors are Benjamin Moore’s Coral Gables and Petal Rose, and the third was a 50/50 combination of the two. I was careful to do a thorough job of sanding, and I made sure to abide by the recommended paint drying times (16 hours between coats because it was oil-based). I think that’s going to make all the difference when it comes to durability.

I love the way the tables play off of the new red pot of the fiddle-leaf fig tree, and the whole area feels a whole lot happier. Bringing that pillow up from the living room certainly helped too! It feels right to add a little more color to the area, since the kids play there a lot. August has already taken to using the nesting tables as stairs for his little animal figures.

This post is a collaboration with 3M DIY.
To learn more about safety and preparation, visit 3MDIY.com.

November 1, 2012
Eleanor at the Park with Brandon

“It’s gonna be POV.”

October 8, 2012
Nineteen Months Old (August’s Monthly Photo, Plus Video)

I’ll be taking a photo of August sitting in the Eames rocker and wearing his pin each month until he’s two years old. I also took monthly photos of his older sister, Eleanor, until she turned two.

August’s Previous Photos
The First Year • Thirteen Months Old • Fourteen Months Old • Fifteen Months Old • Sixteen Months Old • Seventeen Months Old • Eighteen Months Old • View All

August turned nineteen months old on Saturday, and I spent the day yesterday putting together a stop-motion video showing what our photo shoots are like. He wasn’t sitting still, so he got to play with a toy this time around. Eleanor makes an appearance with her toy bottle, and Brandon pops in as well. Me? I’m behind the camera, of course.

September 12, 2012