Happy Weekend!

It is finally starting to feel like fall here in the South, which then inspired me to make a wreath. A couple days ago I went to Michael's and got to work. Unfortunately, I was out of Command hooks so the wreath had to wait until today to be put up. I just used some silk flowers, wrapped yarn around the curvaceous R (which, may I add, was a big pain in the behind) and tied it all onto the wreath. With this, I leave you to an enjoyable weekend!

{UPDATE} Geometric have been posted on our Facebook Page.

Geometric Patterns

After moving to Atlanta, I was approached to help out with a local Islamic Sunday School. Since I am not much of a teacher, I thought I could help with administrative work. I helped with organizing an Islamic Art Competition for the students has three categories which includes Islamic Patterns (geometric or floral), Calligraphy and Architecture. We thought it would be fun to auction the art work as a fundraiser for the school and it would be a great way to show case the children's art. I decided to make some geometric patterns of my own to submit for the auction.

I found my inspiration from the following:

via: here

Detail from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It features the classic 8 point star found in many patterns.

This is a beautiful screen which can be bought here

My pattern is not complete yet, but I am very excited about it! Hopefully, I will have it done in time for Sunday school. Once completed, I will share on the Facebook page.

Gallery Wall in the Bathroom

Recently, we have been obsessing with graphic prints of sayings and proverbs. We thought the place to display our favorites would be in our bathroom! Before I started on my bathroom gallery, I thought I would check to see if anyone else had tried it. I searched it on Pinterest and here is what I came up with! Looks like I am not alone! Now instead of magazines, you can ponder at the art all around you.

via: Apartment Therapy

via: Apartment Therapy

via: Apartment Therapy

via: Apartment Therapy

My bathroom is currently a light espresso color. I am definitely going to paint it but I'm debating between green or doing yellow and white vertical stripes. I love how this Anna Spiro Trellis wall paper contrasts with the frames. 

via

What do you think, yellow and white stripes or solid green walls? 

With my gallery project, I just started a new line of products for Minnie & Co. We will now be offering graphic prints! Feel free to give suggestions.

No-Sew Curtain Tutorial

I have to apologize for my lack of posts this past month and a half. I have had a very active and busy month with lots of projects, which I will be posting about this week.  So look for an influx of blog posts ranging from home decor to new Minnie&Co products!  For today, I have a no-sew curtain tutorial for your viewing pleasure!

I got this fabric from my Mom a year ago to use as curtains in my home. I had made make-shift curtains by sewing some quick stitches, but it did not do the fabric justice. The embroidery is all hand made by the craftsmen in India, and I wanted it to hang in its true glory. 

The fabric is very thick and the wool embroidery is even thicker, making it very difficult to cut straight. I had to use the old trick of cutting a small tear and pulling a thread to guide my way down. Unfortunately my sewing scissors were missing so I had to resort to my dingy old elementary school day scissors. Sorry for the picture quality, this was a late night project and I was using my camera phone for pictures.

First, you lay you the fabric flat and you cut a little snippet into the fabric.

Then you pull the strand(s) poking out in the middle firmly but gently. Be careful not to tug or the thread will break.

You will need to gently push the fabric up while pulling the string. You will feel the thread(s) that you are trying to pull in the process.

When the thread breaks you will need to cut the fabric along the line you just created by pulling the thread out. If you look closely, there is a line on the right of the dots on the fabric. Be careful not to cut too far because you will need to look for thread again. Repeat the steps until you have cut a completely straight line.

Now you will need this iron-on adhesive to bond a hem on both ends of the fabric. Then you will need to align the adhesive to the bottom and then fold in once. Secure the folds with straight pins to hold it in place. Lightly run the iron on the edge just so the adhesive sticks enough for you to pull the pins out. Then, cover with a cotton fabric and iron over the whole edge.

When done, use some clip curtain rings to hold the curtain up. I got my rings from Bed, Bath & Beyond and my curtain rod from Home Depot. I wanted a dull metallic gold finish so I got some spray paint and painted them. 

Here are my curtains all hung up. I love how they look with my stenciled walls, it is the perfect mix of patterns. 

Nuts about Organizing?

My husband always thought I was nut when it came to organizing, but according to him, this takes the cake. I have tried to organize my fridge multiple times in my lifetime. Before I got married I made labels to allocate an area for everything in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, that did not work. People just do not like to look for where things go. I had come across a pin on pinterest in passing where a woman got freezer bins from Bed Bath and Beyond. Although the bins were nice, they were too pricey for me. So, today, annoyed with how ugly my fridge looked, I went out in search for small baskets that didn't hurt my wallet.

Look at these fabulous baskets! They were all only $1 at Target. I always go through the dollar days section in Target and every time I find something wonderful. 

Here is how my refrigerator looks now after all the baskets were packed and arranged on the shelves. I have a good feeling that this method will work, now there is no other option for where to put things back! To make it easier for my husband to look for things I am going to put labels on the baskets. 

 

Asker decided to stock up on Emory water bottles

Isn't it a beauty? I periodically open my refrigerator  door just to stare. Next project is my freezer! I hate how food gets crammed in there. Maybe Asker was right, I am a nut..

Planning ahead

We have been in Atlanta for almost two months now. I have been trying to figure out how to arrange our furniture in our new home, which has double the square footage of our old apartment, to have the best arrangement possible. We decided to put our old bedroom furniture into the guest room. We want something with a little more edge for our new master bedroom. I have had an idea for what I wanted to do for the rest of the apartment but I had some difficulty with the exact style and pieces I would need. After going back and forth with some pieces for the living room, I decided to make a tentative plan for what I wanted to do for our place to use as a guide for myself. It is not set in stone, but it allows me to have a visual of what I want to do with my old furniture and what I would need to get. 

The area I set aside for the reading nook was actually supposed to be the dining area because we needed space to keep our books. Asker and I are both avid readers and take pride in our book collection. We want to keep the number of books growing, therefore we would need more space to store them. The chairs in the reading nook are from our wedding reception. They are not exactly reading chairs but I think they serve their purpose and look great. 

Since I re-purposed the dining area, I had to find a new place for my dining table. We were not planning to use the breakfast bar area so I moved our dining table there. I had it pushed against the wall to have it use less space and put the two side chairs against the wall. When needed for entertainment, the table can be easily pulled out. 

Our master bedroom is still bare and our living room has some ways to go. I plan on taking my time with the apartment instead of rushing it. We have the essentials which is more than enough for now. 

This was the first time I made a 'blueprint' of how I was going to decorate. It really helped me visualize how my apartment would look. The furniture is not made to scale but it is enough to give an idea of how much space I have. 

Have you ever made a blueprint of how you are going to decorate? If not, what do you do?

Trellis, trellis, trellis...

Wallpapers have come a long way since the old granny print days. Today, they offer a wide variety of designs that just make you dream about a room revamp! There are so many fun designs to pick from whether floral, geometric, scenic or abstract. I think it is safe to say that there is a wallpaper for everyone out there now!

I love the mix of the patterned wallpaper and the fun arrangements of photo frames.

Source: Pinterest

 Jill Malek's line of wallpapers made me swoon. Although it would not work in our home, I can not help but stare.

Jill Malek wallpaper

Jordan, from Oh Happy Day, used Sherwin Williams' EasyChange wallpaper in her foyer. The wallpaper peels right off once you are done with it. Read her post if you are interested on how it works. I love how this pattern looked in her foyer. If it wasn't so costly This would be up on my living room wall right now. 

I wanted something that could give me the wallpaper look without the cost. I came across wall stencils that many bloggers have been talking about. I ordered this stencil from Cutting Edge Design:

Trellis Allover Stencil

I am not done painting my living room yet, but once I am done I shall give a full post of my trials and the overall result. You got to see a bit of my wall in my last post. Here is another sneak peak:

I love how my wall looks with the beautiful mirror my mom got me as a house warming gift.

I can't help but step back from painting to admire my walls' progress. It went from blah to whoa! It adds character to the room but it is not loud. I also love how nicely it meshes with other patterns. The pattern inspired me to make some invitations based on the trellis design. I love how fun and sophisticated the pattern is, it looks just as good on paper! I am going assemble a sample of each this weekend. So, stay tuned for my trellis suite!