House Things

I’m a pillow fan. Switching out pillow covers or buying new ones if the price is right is such an easy way to update a room, add a pop of color, make yourself feel better on a dreary wintry day — i.e. whatever your need, pillows often can help and they’re a lot less caloric than, say, that container of dark chocolate. Anyway, this pillow cover caught my eye to kick off Top Three Thursdays on Etsy. It’s made from 100% recycled wool sweaters that are washed and dried to felt them. The 12X18″ pillow cover also features a zipper for easy switching out with another cover (see above) and dry cleaning, which is what this cover requires. The pillow cover, which is available in Ply Textiles‘ shop , is $79.

This next Etsy find goes in the not-for-everyone category, or more particularly if you’re not a fan of the NRA, you might not like this. I thought, however, it was an intriguing use of a gun icon and could totally see it in a man cave for the right person. The sconces are actually ceramic and slip cast through plaster molds, i.e. gun-inspired rather than the real thing. The gun measures 4X7″ in height and has a 4″ shade. They come wired and ready to use. Total height is about 13″. Price for the pair, available in Ceramic Ryan‘s shop , is $150..

And finally, love this rethinking of the classic Eames fiberglass chair from Bomb Factory Furniture. Shop owner Freddy Hill grabs tired, rejected (who rejects Eames????) mid-century chairs and replaces the steel legs with these made from bent laminated bamboo. You can pick the leg color (natural or carmelized). Price is $350.

A lot of bird feeders are more function than form. This one from Joe Papendick‘s shop on Etsy, though, is a stunner that would add a bit of art to your backyard. Hand crafted and welded from steel and copper, it is about 6 feet tall.  The design allows for the roots of surface vegetation to reach through and firmly anchor the piece into the ground. The top ‘feeder’ portion is designed to allow for enough gentle movement to replicate the subtle natural motion of tree branches. Price is $325.

Clearly I’ve got a metal thing going this week on Tope Three Thursdays, our weekly celebration of all things Etsy. Just take a gander at this fabulous holiday display from West Vintage Trading Co.

Each electric star fixture is made out of wood and metal. There is a in-line switch that turns the lights on and off and you can get them in colored lights if you prefer. Size is 24 X 24″. Price is $150. Meets UL specifications. LOVE THIS!

And finally, something decidedly not metallic. As regular readers know, one of my fantasies is about starting a reupholstery business in which I find sad furniture, re-paint/sand/reupholster, and sell it to adoring fans on places like Etsy. Delusional I know but in the meantime, I also stop when I see someone like the mother-daughter team behind  Found Design Miami who is doing it.

This ottoman started out as a small table with a marble top circa 1960. They removed the outdated marble and built a cushion upholstered with a hand silkscreened Dia de los Muertos fabric. Just perfect I think. Price is $75.

A lot of bird feeders are more function than form. This one from Joe Papendick‘s shop on Etsy, though, is a stunner that would add a bit of art to your backyard. Hand crafted and welded from steel and copper, it is about 6 feet tall.  The design allows for the roots of surface vegetation to reach through and firmly anchor the piece into the ground. The top ‘feeder’ portion is designed to allow for enough gentle movement to replicate the subtle natural motion of tree branches. Price is $325.

Clearly I’ve got a metal thing going this week on Tope Three Thursdays, our weekly celebration of all things Etsy. Just take a gander at this fabulous holiday display from West Vintage Trading Co.

Each electric star fixture is made out of wood and metal. There is a in-line switch that turns the lights on and off and you can get them in colored lights if you prefer. Size is 24 X 24″. Price is $150. Meets UL specifications. LOVE THIS!

And finally, something decidedly not metallic. As regular readers know, one of my fantasies is about starting a reupholstery business in which I find sad furniture, re-paint/sand/reupholster, and sell it to adoring fans on places like Etsy. Delusional I know but in the meantime, I also stop when I see someone like the mother-daughter team behind  Found Design Miami who is doing it.

This ottoman started out as a small table with a marble top circa 1960. They removed the outdated marble and built a cushion upholstered with a hand silkscreened Dia de los Muertos fabric. Just perfect I think. Price is $75.

Mixing it up with patterns and prints is something I love to do. I’ve even reupholstered chairs in multiple patterns. It’s not surprising, then, that I found Pattern and Print alluring. They sell everything from scarves (beautiful!) and paper accessories to items for the home. Since this is a home decor blog, I’ll focus on those, but if you’re a scarfie (and I am for sure!), check them out — with your credit card far away so you’re not tempted.

Here are a few of the home goods that caught my eye. Which ones do you like?

Lambswool mini-blanket with vintage stripe, $125

Hand screen-printed pillow, $88

Large bowl by Jill Rosenwald, $175

Canvas hamper, $88

New website alert: Harabu House is dedicated to modern living, global flair and has a ton of items to make your home special.

Here are just a few things I fell in love with:

Stone-shaped candles come in shades of gray and are molded from unscented palm wax. They’re sold in sets of six for the medium, 3 for the large. Group them together to make an interesting and intimate tablescape. $16 for each set

This is — wait for it — a bread basket. Designed by Josh Jakus and made from 100 percent felt, this clever basket stores flat and then you just fold it up when you’re ready to use it. Love that! Price is $62.

It’s back to school time, and while I don’t have any wee ones anymore, I do think these washable, eco-friendly sandwich bags in the Silver Bobbin’s shop on Etsy are what I should be using for my own lunch. Maybe I wouldn’t use the hungry hippo print — or maybe I would — but the point is I should man up and stop using plastic entirely. I already avoid bags, bringing my own in favor of plastic or paper at the store. I also use mesh bags for a lot of my fruit and veggies. So why not this?  This sandwich and snack set has two bags about 7″X7″ and 6″X6″, meaning you could use them for other stuff besides sandwiches and snacks, such as toiletries, vitamins or make-up. The Silver Bobbin also brilliantly suggests using them as goody bags at parties so kids are sent home with something they can use again and again. Love that! The bags come in a ton of different (yes, even more adult) colors. Each set is $11.25; you may never buy plastic sandwich bags again!

Back to school has me thinking about blackboards, which has me wishing I had a chalkboard in my kitchen, which found me stopping on this cool one in Etch Attic‘s shop. At 15.5 inches high X 11.42 inches wide, this baby has plenty of room for important thoughts or errands you don’t want to forget. Price is a very reasonable $25.

Finally, if you have to carry your work home with you — whether from school or the office — why not do it in style with this messenger bag designed to fit an 11″ Macbook Air found in Stash, the shop run by Mari Forsell?The black and white wool tweed with herringbone weave will mark you as a hipster to be reckoned with. The bag is lined with off-white waterproof cotton canvas and has a large flat compartment for the computer plus 3 small pockets inside and two rivet reinforced pockets on the outside for smaller items. The strap is fully adjustable between shortest 30″(shoulder bag length) and longest 55″ (messenger style). Size is W 13.5″W X 8.5″H X  2″ D. Price is $115. Don’t have a Macbook Air yet? Not to worry, the shop has other shapes and sizes, including camera bags.

Yup, after a summer of hotter than most weather here in the Northeast, I woke up this morning with the undeniable sniff of fall in the air. If you are from around here you know what I mean — the air is cooler but without any hint of humidity and just a tinge of crispness to it, a sign of what is coming down the road. Which means it’s time to think of touching up your seasonal accents — if you’re someone who does that kind of thing, and I’m assuming if you read decor blogs, you probably are — and that has got me thinking about pillows. They’re such an easy way to spruce up a room or make a room feel a little more seasonal. Here are a few from Company C that got me thinking autumn. Which do you like?

Deco Pillow, silk appliques on plush velvet with embroidery, $130

Flutter Pillow, embroidered, $130

Birdcage Pillow, appliqued and embroidered, $130

Greta Pillow, velvet, wool felt, embroidery and cotton, $130

Top Three Thursdays on Etsy kicks off with a fabulous chair from Wild Chairy (love that name). In my post-work world, I am a furniture — particularly chair — restorer, who takes sad, dilapidated, vintage chairs and such, and with a little paint and fabric transforms them into total wonderfulness. This chair here, which I imagine was in sorry shape prior to Wild Cherry’s focus, is like what I imagine making. Price is $525.

Among the items I will be using in my new hobby as a furniture restorer will be drawer pulls. A new drawer pull, with perhaps a little paint, can do wonders on just about anything. I have changed pulls on my kitchen and all my bathroom cabinets and it’s been amazing what a difference it makes. Here are few that caught my eye from Vintage Skye‘s shop.

Vintage Farmhouse Floral Stamped Drawer Pulls, $6

Numbered Stamped Drawer Pulls, $18

Faded Union Jack Dresser Drawer Pull, $6

And, finally, I will need fabulous fabric to make my revived furniture killer. I happen to be a big Amy Butler fan so I immediately fell for the swatches available in ZeetZeet‘s shop. Here are just a couple that could work well on furniture I think.

Laurel Dots, Amy Butler, $8.99 for one yard

Buttercups, Amy Butler, $8.99 for one yard