Spring Floral Throw Pillows

Spring is in full swing! And what better way to celebrate new beginnings than by jazzing up your home with some of these joyous floral throw pillows?!

1) From left: 'Floral' throw pillow by Georgiana Paraschiv
                     'Bloom' throw pillow by Aimee St Hill 
                     'Mix Flower 2' throw pillow by Juliana Curi

2) From left: 'Spring Orange' throw pillow by Aimee St Hill
                     'June' throw pillow by Aimee St Hill
                     'Prelude to a Dream' throw pillow by Rebecca Allen

3) From left: 'Lazy Day Floral' throw pillow by Zoe Wodarz
                     'Mix Flower 1' throw pillow by Juliana Curi  
                     'Big Leaves Blue' by Aimee St Hill

4) From left: 'Lush 1' throw pillow by Jacqueline Maldonado 
                     'June Yellow' throw pillow by Aimee St Hill
                     'Spring 3' throw pillow by Aimee St Hill
                      

Rattan Rocker Revival

Hello!!

Today I'm excited to be able to post another furniture make-over!! This time a living chair to go with my yellow couch.

I found this super cool chair in my boyfriend's parent's basement and immediately decided it would be perfect in my living room!

First I hauled it out of the basement (after getting permission of course) and gave it a good clean! The dog didn't help, she has NO respect for personal boundaries!

Then I painted it white! I started with a coat of primer then added two coats of semi-gloss, water based emulsion. I had a little of the automotive painted left after finishing the table so I gave it a quick once over with that and voila!  

It was looking pretty good at this point but it wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on! I wasn't much liking my chances of being able to remake the original cushion either. It's a pretty odd shape to make a cushion for, what with the round piece and then the odd kinda sloping angle of the arms. Not easy!

For anyone with a similar chair and more accomplished sewing skills I would recommend this pattern. I was excited to find it but not quite confident enough to execute it! Instead I cut two pieces of foam in a kind of deep D shape and slapped together a couple of covers for them! 

At first I considered just buying a yellow fabric to match the couch but I couldn't find the right yellow so I decided to co-ordinate with some of my throw pillows instead! I found this great fabric at

Sanderson. It's a liiiittle bit pricey but luckily I didn't need much to cover the foam!

I had intended on making this a 'How-to' but I became very self-conscious about my technique (or lack there of) about half way through and decided it's probably better for everyone that I don't write instructional posts when it comes to construction!! If you're looking for instructions with clear, logical steps you should visit The CSI Project. She covered a bench not a chair but it's the same principle. Plus she has a totally cool foam carving knife which I seriously wish I owned!!! The foam under my cushion covers look a lot more like I let a dog chew them into shape rather than carefully cutting them myself!!! Thank goodness for wadding (batting if you're in the US)!!!

I love my new living chair and think it looks great with the couch! :)

 

I'd also like to draw your attention to one of my cushions (the only one I didn't get from IKEA)!! 

I'm super excited about it for two reasons, 1) I made it using a tapestry set which took several months and 2) I get to tell you guys about this incredibly cool online craft store I discovered!!!

Felicity Hall produces modern tapestry sets!!! It's sooooo cool! She has a whole bunch of designs in different colours. They are so fun to do and soooo much more interesting than the traditional tapestries we're all used to seeing! Here you can see how the flat tapestry looked when it was finished! 
  

And finally a little promo of my products! :) You may not have even noticed it in the picture but one of my Kess Inhouse throw blankets made it's way to my living room recently!

You can find it here!

Thanks for stopping by!! Oh, I almost forgot the all important before and after photo!!!

Until next time don't forget you can now follow me on Pinterest to keep up with my latest products, inspirations and now home make-overs too!!

Couch Makeover

Hey guys!

I was lucky enough to be given a couch (in fact quite a bit of furniture) for my big move! And since the table turned out so wonderfully I figured why stop there!

The picture below is not the best example of this couch before. It did have cushion covers when I received it but I had removed them (for reasons you will find out later) so unfortunately this is the only 'before' picture I have. 

 

I was eager to get started on the painting but first I had some mending to do!

I'm not sure the picture below does the sagginess of the seat justice but trust me it was a pretty sad looking frame. Luckily it was an easy fix!

First I removed each section from the base of the chair and cut all the old fabric away so that I was left with a basic wooden frame.

Then I cut a piece of cotton canvas a couple of inches larger than the frame. I placed the frame in the centre of the fabric and beginning at one edge I folded the fabric under and stapled it to the wood.
I continued folding and stapling in this way along one whole edge before moving on to the opposite edge and sides, pulling the fabric tightly to ensure the surface was taught.
  

I kind of made it up as I went along when I came to the corners. Basically I cut away any bulky extra fabric and folded one side under the other so that it was nice and neat.

Here's how the frame looked with the new canvas seat!

I knew this was gonna be nightmarish to paint by hand (what with the lack of flat surfaces and all the tiny, difficult to get to crevices) but I'd run out of my trusty automotive paint and unfortunately another mixture was just a teeny bit out of budget :(
I figured I would have needed about a million cans of spray paint and probably some expensive finger surgery if I'd decided to go down the spray can route. Instead I used a semi-gloss emulsion and a paint brush.
It took 3 coats of paint including primer and two days (along with some fairly serious sunburn) to finish but it turned out great!

 

As you can see I didn't bother to paint the inside. That section of the frame is hidden under the seat of the couch and can't be seen from the outside. 

Once the frame was looking snazzy it was time to tend to the cushion covers! Remember I said I would get to those!? Well here they are!

They're not the happiest looking cushions are they? Personally I'm a big fan of yellow so instead of replacing the fabric I decided to revive it!

I used Dylon Sunflower Yellow dye and 500g of salt (to fix the colour). Dylon is very easy to use and gives great results when the instructions are followed correctly. I've dyed a lot of things over the past few years and I've learned that when using a single colour in the washing machine it can't hurt to add a little more dye than you need! I wanted a really strong yellow so that's exactly what I did!

  

I used 3 boxes of dye for 6 cushions and the result was better than expected!! See for yourself!

 

I think you'll agree it's a HUGE improvement!!! :D

Juuuuuuust in case you need more convincing here's the before and after of the whole couch!

Note: If you're worried about dye being left in your washing machine try running an empty cycle when you're finished. This will get rid of any residual dye that may have been left behind in the drum! 

That concludes my couch makeover!! Thanks for reading!!! :D

I'll be posting more furniture refurbishments over the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled! 

Table Makeover

Hellooo!!!

I've been super busy over the last few months but I have some exciting things to tell you all! I've become absolutely obsessed with furniture make-overs on Pinterest and I've finally had a chance to do some of my own!!! Eeeeeeee!!!

I've wanted to take a sander and some paint to the table in my workspace for some time now and a few weeks ago I finally got my chance! I'm moving to a new place and thought it would make the most perfect dining table!

I found this great post on Centsational Girl  and proceeded to follow the instructions...mostly...  

My table took somewhat longer to clean and sand since it was pretty beaten up. Here's the all important 'before'!

A couple of years worth of ink and masking tape will do that to a table. Here it is with all the grime cleaned off it!

 
Anyway, Once I'd extracted the masking tape from the table and removed most of the ink and dye (I found nail polish remover did the best job of this as well as removing the sticky residue left by the tape) I began sanding!

I didn't have an orbital sander but a palm sander seemed to work pretty well for most of the table. I actually ended up doing a lot by hand especially around the edges and in other areas that weren't flat. I don't know much about sandpaper grades but I used the roughest one I could find and it made easy work of some of the more stubborn blemishes.




There were a few holes in the wood which I wanted to get rid of before painting. I filled these with putty! I didn't do any research on which one was best, I just used whatever I had lying around. This one was really easy to apply, you just use it straight out of the tub and smush it into the holes with a palette knife (or something with a flat edge). Then you can paint over it!

I applied two coats of primer with a sponge roller, sanding in between each to ensure a nice smooth surface. I was able to complete both coats in one day as it was very quick drying!






Here is my table after two coats of primer! I think you'll agree it looks a lot better! Those lines you can see across it are where the putty filled the holes.

The following day I began painting! I used a semi-gloss emulsion which I applied with the same foam roller for three coats, leaving 24 hours between each. I wanted to avoid brush strokes on my table but ended up getting an equally annoying orange peel finish. Only later did I discover that you should never use a roller to apply gloss paint! Typical.

This is how the table looked when it was finished. I should mention that I painted the table while it was open like that because I didn't want the sections to stick together. I don't know if that's a thing but I think it's better to be safe than sorry!!

I observed the three day curing time before applying a paint protector (in fact I didn't touch the table for 6 weeks because I went on holiday)! Unfortunately everyone was not quite as respectful of my table and when I returned there were a few marks and dings in it. This is why we can't have nice things!!!

I wasn't convinced that the wax recommended on Centsational Girl would give my table the kind of protection it obviously needed against my boyfriend and his general (but somehow loveable) carelessness. I considered Polycrylic but was warned that it might yellow over time. Knowing I wanted to avoid this my aforementioned boyfriend suggested something that would give me a completely flat finish whilst being ultra durable - automotive paint!!! I'm in love with this stuff!! It's quite a bit more pricey and you do need a special spray gun to apply it but it's so much fun to apply and the finish is totally worth it!

Make sure to follow all the instructions on the tin carefully (it needs to be mixed in very specific measures) and always spray in a well ventilated area WITH a face mask!!! This isn't your regular spray in a can!! If you spray in thin even layers, building them up slowly you end up with a gorgeous glossy finish with no drips, no brush strokes and no bobbly orange peel sections. Just lovely glassy (sturdy) paint! :)

This is the finished table (with the middle section removed)!!!!

I can't wait to show you how it looks with the chairs!! In fact I'm gearing up for an entire room reveal so keep your eyes peeled!!
 

Boho Brights

Hi everyone! This month DENY Designs have gone upload crazy which means I'm able to announce that I have yet more new products to share with you!!

I really wanted to mix up a lot of patterns with this collection so I pulled inspiration from some really cool bohemian rooms, and furniture. Take a look!

Bright Boho Bathroom

Shop the look 1) 'Ivy Teal' shower curtain
                       2) 'Ivy Pink' shower curtain

Bright Boho Bedroom

 Shop the look: 1) 'Ayanna' duvet cover
                         2) 'Leela Navy' throw pillow
                         3) 'Stripe 2' throw pillow
                         4) 'Ivy Teal' sheet set

Bright Boho Lounging

 Shop the look: 1) 'Leela Orange' throw pillow
                         2) 'Leela Purple' throw pillow
                         3) 'Spring 2' throw pillow
                         4) 'Ayanna' throw pillow
                         5) 'Ivy Pink' throw blanket

FYI my 'Spring 2' pillow (pictured in 'bright boho lounging', number 3) is also available HALF PRICE on One Kings Lane until Friday June 28th!!! Click here to go to One Kings Lane!

To see the entire 'Boho Brights' collection click here!

Thanks for reading guys!! Happy shopping :)

Image Credits:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71635249/bright-floral-pillow-cover-decorative?ref=shop_home_active
http://www.fashionrooftop.com/bohemian_raphsody.htm
http://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=105685
http://www.pin4reno.com/bedroom/2013/4/4/bright-boho-bedroom/
http://allthingsnice4life.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

Coasters For Any Occasion

Hey guys!

Just a quick post today to introduce some of my new coasters :)

Painted Chevron Coaster

Add a bit of colour to any table with this bright and colourful coaster set!

 Buy it here!

Leafy Coasters

These coasters would fit right in with your floral table setting! Not a fan of flowers? No problem! This simple two colour design will go great with almost anything :)

 Buy it here!

Moroccan Coasters

This coaster set would be right at home in this modern Moroccan style dining room. Get yours now and add a touch of Moroccan charm to your table!

Buy it here!

You can get your hands on all these coasters and loads more if you head over to Queen Of De Tile!

Thanks for reading! Remember if you want to stay even more up to date on new Aimee St Hill products (or you just wanna say 'hi') you can like my Facebook page :)

Happy decorating!!! 

Image Credits:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

http://www.allaboutyou.com

http://birdsofafeatherphoto.com

9 Fabulous Illustrated Pillows

Hi guys!!

Lately I'm really digging what I call 'hipster' home decor. You know, white walls with pops of bright colour, mismatched, quirky accessories and the occasional piece of refurbished 70's furniture. You know?? The kind of place that might house a trendy graphic designer or crafty collector of mason jars!

Are you with me? Just in case you're not here are some examples.

One of the things I love about this style is that pretty much anything goes! Funky illustrated accessories can hang out with bold graphic throws and that old dated couch suddenly looks cool again with those unusual cushions you bought from that place you can't remember the name of! 

If you're looking to liven up your couch and you happen to like this style then you're in luck!
I've done a bit of digging around the DENY Designs website today and put together a list of 9 pillows that are just perfect for adding a bit of fun to your living room!

1) 'Bright Roses' - Aimee St Hill                           6) 'Technicolour Raindrops' - Fimbis
2) 'Cross Out Black' - Wesley Bird                       7) 'Banquet of Flowers Love' - Julia Da Rocha
3) 'Illustration' - Aimee St Hill                               8) 'Girl' - Aimee St Hill
4) 'Triangle Seas' - Pattern State                          9) 'Dreamer' - Holly Sharpe
5) 'Honaw' - Kris Tate

All these fabulous throw pillows (with the exception of pillow number 8) and more are available right now at DENY Designs.com so head over and take a look!

Until next time, happy decorating!! :)


Image credits:
http://0509ravenous.tumblr.com
http://www.ikeahackers.net
http://decoholic.org
http://limmynem.com
http://www.clickforart.com

3 Different Colours, 3 Different Looks!

Hello!

I'm back again with another post about colour and to introduce some of my new products (for those of you who haven't been following me on Facebook).

If you've been paying attention you'll know how much I love colour, and you may also know how much I like creating complex patterns. Sooo it seemed sensible that I base my latest print collection on something that incorporates both those elements!

Pinterest has provided me (and all of us) with inspiration from around the globe on a huge variety of subjects. I took a virtual trip to India and Morocco in search of interesting colour combinations, textiles, architecture and design.

After recovering from a sensory overload I got to designing!

I did think about combining all the products into one big, super colourful example but instead I decided I would show you three ways to achieve Indian/Moroccan fusion in your home using three different colour schemes.

Indian Jewels

This first colourway is vibrant and fun. Mix and match patterns together for an eclectic look or pair with plains to brighten up your living room, bedroom or kitchen.

Shop the products:

1) Paisley Orange Duvet                   7) Ogee Orange Quatrefoil Mirror

2) Ogee Orange Throw Pillow             8) Vintage Floral2 Throw Pillow

3) Basic Paisley Throw Pillow            9) Vintage Floral Throw Pillow

4) Aabharana Fabric Collection         10) Intertwined Magenta Shower Curtain

5) Vintage Floral Sheet Set              11) Vintage Floral Quatrefoil Mirror

6) Vintage Floral Duvet                        

Colour palettes courtesy of Design Seed.                                

Ocean Blues

This next colourway is loaded with all the moods of blue. Use with white for a fresh, clean look or mix together for a rich, bold combination.

 
 Shop the products:
1) Ogee Blue Shower Curtain                     6) Damask Coasters
2) Decorative Blue Wallpaper                      7) Decorative Blue Sheet Set
3) Intertwined Blue Duvet                            8) Blue Is Just A Mood Throw Pillow
4) Ogee Blue Throw Pillow                          9) Paisley Blue Duvet
5) Paisley Blue Throw Pillow

Colour palettes courtesy of Design Seed.    

Image Credits: Blue Archway                     

Moroccan Emeralds

Whether it's a statement wall, a refurbished dresser or just a few carefully selected accessories green is in in a big way! Scatter a couple of these cushions on your couch and your friends will be green with envy! (sorry, couldn't resist) :-P

Shop the products:

1) Paisley Green Quatrefoil Mirror                               5) Simple Ogee Green Throw Pillow

2) Paisley Green Throw Pillow                                    6) Ogee Green Shower Curtain

3) Paisley Green Duvet                                              7) Louvre Green Table Lamp

4) Ogee Green Throw Pillow

Image Credits: Green Dresser, Green Seating, Moroccan Street.
Indian image - Via Pinterest (source unknown), Moroccan image - Via Flickr

That's it for now folks. Happy decorating! :)

The Tropical Room

With Summer approaching I thought it would be a good time to write a post that celebrates that time of year! This week it's all about tropical home decor!!

Tropical Bathing

One of my favourite accessories when it comes to tropical decorating is plants! Adding greenery or fresh flowers to a room can really bring a sense of outdoor living inside! If you're not the green fingered type try incorporating plants into your bathroom another way; maybe with a great painting or shower curtain.

Shop the look: Artwork, DENY Designs shower curtain (top), DENY Designs shower curtain (bottom), bathroom accessories.

Tropical Sleeping

I absolutely LOVE this bedroom! The wall covering and the painting give this room a really cool retro vibe while the mixed prints on the bed keep it modern. If you're planning on putting lots of prints together make sure you establish a colour scheme. Adding a highlight colour like the blue in this bedroom keeps things interesting.

Shop the look: Lamp, Kess Inhouse throw pillow, DENY Designs throw pillow, duvet.

Tropical Dining

Colour is essential when creating a tropical room. The exposed wood looks great here set off against the bright furniture! If you're not a fan of painted furniture there are plenty of other ways to inject colour into your room. A great table setting might be all you need! How about adding a tropical print table cloth or some chair covers? Maybe a piece of artwork? Colourful tableware can go a long way to creating a tropical vibe. You could even create a simple centre piece by adding a nice vase or plant. Whatever you use, remember to look for colours that highlight others in the room. 

Shop the look: Tropical dinner set, artwork, throw pillow

Tropical Living

Creating a gallery wall is a great way to add interest to any room. The important thing is to stick to a theme whether it be colour or subject. Look for pieces that relate to each other in some way and continue the theme with other accessories. This will keep your room looking cohesive.  

Shop the look: throw pillow (left), throw pillow (right), artwork

Happy Decorating!


Image Credits:
http://room-galleries.myhomeideas.com
http://www.cainco.org
http://www.decoist.com