Sewing at City Craft

Last night I had the first session of a sewing class at City Craft.  The focus of this particular class is on creating a throw pillow with custom cording and an invisible zipper. Considering how much I love fabric and pillows, knowing how to create them on my own might be dangerous. My poor husband already has to deal with pillow overload on our sofa and bed!

Anyhow, we primarily worked on creating the custom cording. I finished a little early, so I cruised the fabric area. They have a fabulous selection of designer fabrics (including Michael Miller, Amy Butler, and Joel Dewberry) and my brain was going crazy with ideas on how I could use my favorite ones in our house. Here are some snapshots...

 

Imagine Roman shades in this fabric....

  

Little turquoise action...

  

I'm all over this b/w zig-zag...

  

The peacock blue one in the middle really caught my eye...

  

Baby trellis!

  

They have tons of oilcloth, which I love!

 

 

Finally, this orange and turquoise print will be mine in some form or fashion.

 

I'll report back next week with my pics of my finished pillow. Happy weekend!

Giveaway time - thanks Graphic Image!

I'm so excited to offer you a fantastic giveaway courtesy of Graphic Image - one lucky winner will get a super cute leather camera case! 

Both stylish and practical, this case will keep your digital camera from getting dirty and dinged up in your purse or carry-on bag. Looks like you could also slide an ID and a credit card in there and ditch the big purse, for those times when you're wanting a lighter load. Hope you have a fun spring trip coming up to debut this hot little item! The winner gets to pick their favorite color :)

Also, readers can use the promo code, knightship to get Free Shipping on the entire site! It expires March 2nd. Get over there quickly because they've got a huge sale going on that ends this weekend!

To enter to win the giveaway, do one or more of the following:

1) Become a Knight Moves follower and post a comment saying you did or that you're already a follower...feel free to share your favorite thing from Graphic Image as well!

2) Follow me on Twitter and tweet it up about this giveaway...don't forget to work @KnightMovesBlog in there so I can count it.

3) Write about the giveaway on your blog, linking to this post. Make sure you put a link to your post in the comment area here.

One entry will be counted for each of the above actions...and the last day to enter will be Tuesday, March 2nd. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 3rd. Good luck!

Exciting Happenings at Nest

Two things to report from a fabulous Dallas store called Nest:

1) They are giving away a $50 gift card! Details here. If I'm the lucky winner, the Jonathan Adler Richard Nixon Throw is coming home with me!

 

I also love these little cuties

2) They are graciously hosting an event benefiting the North Texas Food Bank called Furnish and Feed. Basically, the more canned food you donate, the better the discount gets...up to 40% off in-stock merchandise! They're also including special orders in the promotion, so I'm thinking now is the perfect time to order the Jonathan Adler custom rug for our den. I've been stewing over it for months and I need to bite the bullet...the rug is going to be gigantic at 11'x13'. I love it when charity and shopping collide :)

Crushed

I went all stalker-crazy on this amazing sideboard by Paul Benson only find out that I'd have to sell our cars, donate plasma and my eggs, and become a woman of the night in order to pay for it. Dang.

Judging from Paul's website, he's a true craftsman and this piece really is a work of art, so I can see how it's worth almost $30k. Apparently it's a combination of car paint and lacquer that makes this perfect shade of orange. It's like Hermes for your home! Sadly, my dining room will have to march on without it. If you do have the funds, you can buy it from Distant Origins.

Looks so great as a bar in this room designed by Steven Gambrel!

  

Photo via Habitually Chic

Paul making the magic happen...keep up the good work!

Crazy for Cloisonné

 

Thanks to One Kings Lane and their fabulous sales, I'll soon be the proud owner of this beautiful cloisonné bowl. Made by Jamie Young, it's from the same collection as my favorite lamp! Can't wait to get it...and just stare at it. 

Cloisonné is mesmerizing. It's an incredibly intricate fabrication process and most pieces have gorgeous colors and bold designs. This art form has been around for ages -- I'm talking old as in ancient Egypt -- and hasn't really been corrupted by modern manufacturing techniques. It's still painstakingly created by skilled artisans...which is one of the reasons why my lamp was such a nightmare to find. 

 

P.S. Let me know if you need a One Kings Lane invite and I'll send one your way!

Clever Kitchen

Checked out my new Twitter friend's website and found this super smart kitchen design. If you're in Atlanta and need kitchen/bath design work, Jamie McPherson is your man!

I love the marble counters and the wood bar top, but what really caught my eye was that tiled ledge. It's such a unique and stylish way to blend in the vent hood.

Very impressive chalkboard/secret storage area!

My only question...where is the fridge?

National Margarita Day

Apparently today is Margarita Day, a commercial holiday that I'm glad to celebrate! Read about it here on the Food Channel.

As a Texan, I'm blessed with easy access to these delicious drinks because Mexican food is a staple in our neck of the woods. Since I've had my fair share over the years, I consider myself qualified to share my favorite marg recipe.
 
We affectionately refer to them as Faux Ritas
Very simple...
1 can of frozen limeade
1 can (use the limeade can) of tequila - or less if you're pregnant...jk
1 can of diet sprite*
1 Corona light**

Stir everything in a pitcher and serve on the rocks, with  salt on the rim if you please. Welcome to light, fizzy goodness...but beware, since they are so tasty and refreshing, they can go down a little too easily!

* I've substituted a variety of things here including Sunkist and sparkling blood orange soda
** Any light beer will do the trick

I'm having a major case of the winter blues so I'd really like to just have a waiter bring me a margarita while sitting here.

Merci Beaucoup

I wanted to thank Kirsten for featuring Knight Moves on her blog last Friday! It's such an honor because 6th Street Design School is a fantastic blog...pretty sure I've poured through every single post she's ever made. Too bad I'm not her classmate in interior design school :) Anyhow, thanks so much for your support, it's very encouraging!

Whoops

This room was what prompted me to compile the black and white post and then I completely forgot to include it! It's from the Lake Forest Showcase House featured in Traditional Home...in the caption they say it's a "gentleman's room" which confuses me (and also creeps me out a bit). Those beds look very similar to the one at Ethan Allen I've written about before.

 

  

Also included in the "Showhouse Rooms Bathed in White" slideshow, this ridiculously cool black ceiling!  I'm not in love with the room as a whole, but I do fancy those Greek key x-benches.

  

I'm thinking a version of this open-back sofa would be the perfect fix for my living room problem. It could face the fireplace and hopefully would unify the two sides of the room.

  

This shot makes me want to recover the settee in our living room (shown below) in a heavy ivory silk. I also adore those little striped accent pillows.

  

 All above images via Traditional Home

After seeing these head-to-head, I just might have to get a price on this upholstery project. The settee is from the Wisteria outlet, so it wasn't expensive to begin with.

Black & White

I'm very into black and white. If you have a hard time making decisions or focusing on a coherent vision for your interiors, b/w is a great place to start. Then it's easy to add pops of color with accessories and the end result can be simple, chic, and timeless. I especially love patterns in black and white...when used correctly, you can get a bold, fun effect without looking tacky. Here are some examples of great rooms with b/w elements or themes.

 

Ondine Karady

  

Elle Decor

 

Madeline Weinrib

John Jacob Zwiegelaar of John Jacob Interiors

 

  

Source unknown

  

Diane Bergeron via DecorPad 

  

Source unknown

  

John Jacob Zwiegelaar of John Jacob Interiors

J. Crew's Upper East Side store, designed by the company's Creative Director, Jenna Lyons

via Lonny Magazine

  

mcgill design group

 

Kelly Wearstler

  

 Windsor Smith's kitchen via House Beautiful

 

Source unknown

 

Courtney Giles

  

Via DecorPad

 

 House Beautiful

  

Source unknown

  

Design by Nathan Turner, via Domino

Domino

  

Source unknown

  

Source unknown

 Burke Decor 

 Via Absolutely Beautiful Things 

I apologize for the lack of photo credits! I have so many unlabeled pics in my coffers so please feel free to comment with sources if you know them. I'm making a point to label my screen shots now!