Weekend Reading 10.17.21

I’m leaving Italy tomorrow after a week of beautiful scenery and great weather and lucky me this was a great time to visit.

There was some additional paperwork and tests needed to get here and fly home but it went smoothly since I budgeted extra time for that. I came with two of my best travel mates and we had a great time. Of course I’ll share my experience on the blog soon!

Now it’s back to real life! I read it will rain this week so I’ll be catching up on work and making favorite homemade soups. :)

Favorite links from the week: 

I especially love the design of the built in bookcases in this home.

Bravo: this mural wallpaper is stunning.

Ideas for childproofing your home without sacrificing style.

100% agree: the best brand of paint for refinishing cabinets.

Loved reading the process of this glass artist.

So clever and fun, this geometric wainscoting.

Eww, I mean cool! How fun for Halloween: Jello blood worms.

Recommended plants for bedrooms.

Her underwater dances are impressive.

Martha is the queen of indoor Halloween.

Stanley Tucci reflects on how Julia Child changed his life.

Vacation rental of the week: this villa in Sicily.

Via HVAC http://www.rssmix.com/

8 Days in Italy: What I Packed

It’s been a few days I’ve been in Italy, visiting Venice, Florence, and Verona. In the past ten years I’ve visited a lot of European countries but I haven’t been back to Italy in almost two decades so I’m thrilled to return! If you follow my stories on Instagram, I’ve shared some images of what this week has been like so far.

I’m not a fashion blogger, I travel for the experience and to take a lot of pictures of the landscapes and scenery. I value comfort but I don’t want to look sloppy either so I will bring clothing that make me feel good while I walk around town. I travel light, wear layers, rewash and rotate my outfits. I stick with classic styles but I prefer to mix feminine and edgy.

Today take a peek at some of the separates I brought with me on my trip to Italy and the travel gear I bring with me too!

 

long sleeve swing dress / faux leather jacket

black camo leggings / red lace cami / black combat boots

mustard crewneck sweater / lace trim top / stretch ripped jegging 

satin leopard print skirt (similar here) / gold sneakers

marble leggings / black v neck sweater / black sneakers

tie dye sweatshirt  / red midi skirt (similar)

packable puffer jacket / lightweight moto jacket

black floral blouse (similar) / black jeggings/  black stretch rayon dress /

I brought clothing that can be mixed and reworn in different combinations. Comfy leggings or jeggings, a few dresses and skirts, patterned or colorful tops and super comfortable shoes!

 

samsonite spinner / this lightweight duffle (sale price here)

jewelry bag / black crossbody (night)

marble cosmetic bags / small backpack (day)

 

A few tips that I follow that help me pack super light:

1. Roll instead of fold your clothing, it’s amazing how much this saves space!

2. Stay in a vacation rental with a washing machine mid way through your trip so you can wash and rewear clothing. Keep in mind some places only have a washer not a dryer so budget 24 hours of time for clothes to dry.

3. Try every outfit on! I’ve skipped this step before and realized I’d gained or lost a little weight or I brought the wrong version of something and smacked my forehead not doing this. Especially since comfort is so key!

4. Stick to a basic color palette, mix in one or two patterned dresses and a few colorful tops/sweaters/skirts.

5. Shoes: comfortable is essential but cute is important too! I like leather sneakers plus a pair of boots in colder weather or sandals in warm weather. The one thing you don’t want is blisters so break in any shoes before you leave, but bring blistercare gel bandages just in case.

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I’ll be in Italy a few more days! I’ll share the regular weekend post on Sunday and back to blogging when I get back to the States next week.

Ask any questions you have and I’ll get back to you in the comments. Ciao!

Via HVAC http://www.rssmix.com/

Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico

Sponsored by Calico

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I loved my loud floral armchair. It was a floor model, and there was a small rip in the linen fabric when I bought it. I experimented with ways to fix it, ultimately landing on a patch that blended pretty well! I was proud of my handiwork, and the chair was really cute in our last home and in this one.

Ten years on though, the fabric on the seat had started to look a bit threadbare. It went from noticeably “hmmm” to “oh no” pretty quickly and it was beyond my abilities to repair any further. But I still loved the chair! No need to replace and treat it as disposable — it was time to reupholster.

I visited Calico in Hinsdale and worked with Linda (she was so helpful!) to pull fabric options. Calico’s design services are free, and you can make an appointment for your local store. There’s a whole before and after gallery to get you inspired, and you can request a reupholstery quote too. Calico reupholsters more than 10,000 furniture pieces every year!

At our appointment, Linda had pointed me toward a floral very similar in feel to what the chair had. It would have been sort of a floral 2.0 update, and it was definitely in the running, but we looked at options for changing it up too.

Calico lets you borrow their fabric samples so you can be sure they look right on the piece you want to reupholster, and so that you can make sure they work with the rest of your home. I rethought a couple of my top choices after seeing them with the rest of my furniture. I like the armchair being in our bedroom (a pretty neutral backdrop), but wanted to keep the option to use it downstairs if I feel like rearranging at some point.

I felt like I was close to choosing, but on a follow-up visit, I noticed a print I hadn’t seen before. Like little granny squares? I had to borrow the sample to see. I did a Photoshop mockup for both too.

Floral 2.0 (Cassaro Luxe Collection Passion Fruit) or little granny squares (Scalamandré Kirov)? I went back and forth, but the little granny squares charmed me. I returned my fabric samples and placed my order with Linda. Calico handled everything from getting the fabric in, picking up the chair, having it reupholstered (including some freshening up of the foam padding), and then having it delivered again.

My chair! She’s so cute! It looks perfect.

Having a piece reupholstered is so fun. You get to fall in love with a piece all over again. It was cute and quirky for ten years, and now it can be cute and quirky in a different way for the next ten years! And in better shape, too.

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© 2021, published by Making it Lovely as Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico | No comments | This post may contains affiliate links; I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The post Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico appeared first on Making it Lovely.

Via HVAC http://www.rssmix.com/

October Mood: Dark Walls

What is it about October that makes us all want to hang out in dark cozy spaces. I believe it’s the combination of Halloween and candlelight flickering against the walls that casts alluring shadows plus the cooler weather and daylight savings time that brings the night faster.

What I notice with dark painted walls is that gold or brass glisten beautifully, wood textures come alive, and shadows are more dramatic. These examples will tempt you to paint your walls  a shade of deep green, blue, charcoal, or black.

villa betula 

the future kept

arazi levine design 

source unknown

colette wallpaper – the pattern collective 

shop mohd 

ideal home uk 

studio mcgee 

eche martinez 

hotel st vincent 

deuce city henhouse

vernich interiors

horchow 

apple and oak

Via HVAC http://www.rssmix.com/

Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico

Sponsored by Calico

---

I loved my loud floral armchair. It was a floor model, and there was a small rip in the linen fabric when I bought it. I experimented with ways to fix it, ultimately landing on a patch that blended pretty well! I was proud of my handiwork, and the chair was really cute in our last home and in this one.

Ten years on though, the fabric on the seat had started to look a bit threadbare. It went from noticeably “hmmm” to “oh no” pretty quickly and it was beyond my abilities to repair any further. But I still loved the chair! No need to replace and treat it as disposable — it was time to reupholster.

I visited Calico in Hinsdale and worked with Linda (she was so helpful!) to pull fabric options. Calico’s design services are free, and you can make an appointment for your local store. There’s a whole before and after gallery to get you inspired, and you can request a reupholstery quote too. Calico reupholsters more than 10,000 furniture pieces every year!

At our appointment, Linda had pointed me toward a floral very similar in feel to what the chair had. It would have been sort of a floral 2.0 update, and it was definitely in the running, but we looked at options for changing it up too.

Calico lets you borrow their fabric samples so you can be sure they look right on the piece you want to reupholster, and so that you can make sure they work with the rest of your home. I rethought a couple of my top choices after seeing them with the rest of my furniture. I like the armchair being in our bedroom (a pretty neutral backdrop), but wanted to keep the option to use it downstairs if I feel like rearranging at some point.

I felt like I was close to choosing, but on a follow-up visit, I noticed a print I hadn’t seen before. Like little granny squares? I had to borrow the sample to see. I did a Photoshop mockup for both too.

Floral 2.0 (Cassaro Luxe Collection Passion Fruit) or little granny squares (Scalamandré Kirov)? I went back and forth, but the little granny squares charmed me. I returned my fabric samples and placed my order with Linda. Calico handled everything from getting the fabric in, picking up the chair, having it reupholstered (including some freshening up of the foam padding), and then having it delivered again.

My chair! She’s so cute! It looks perfect.

Having a piece reupholstered is so fun. You get to fall in love with a piece all over again. It was cute and quirky for ten years, and now it can be cute and quirky in a different way for the next ten years! And in better shape, too.

---

© 2021, published by Making it Lovely as Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico | No comments | This post may contains affiliate links; I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

The post Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico appeared first on Making it Lovely.

Via HVAC http://www.rssmix.com/