Sarah Hearts

It’s always intriguing to peak into other designer’s workspaces. It’s kinda like taking a peak into their mind, their creative process. We all have a unique way of working and contractuing our workspaces. The studio/office above is from Scout’s Honor Co., a stationery studio in Vermont.

I love how the dark slate walls are contrasted with the bold white trim. It’s neat to see how to otherwise neutral room if filled with color by the materials and sketches that are scattered throughout.

Many students went back to school this week so I thought I would put together a little idea board for college students. I remember when I moved into my first apartment at college. I was so excited to decorate it and make the space my own. So here are a few ideas for your room, whether you’re moving into a dorm room or an apartment, that are fun and functional!

1. Trellis 3-Drawer Cart, $19.99 | 2. Brocade Wall File, $29.99 | 3. Woodland Garden Duvet Cover, $69-79 | 4. Polo Desk Chair, $199 | 5. Starburst Rug, $62.99 | 6. Laundry Box, $29.99

Now that we’ve been in our house just over a year we are finally almost done with our bedroom. When we moved in we immediately began working on the den (formerly called the “wood room“). Then we moved to the living room, office and guest room. We left our room for last because we wanted to focus on the areas guests would see.

When we moved in the bedroom walls were ivory and all the trim was a dark khaki. We wanted to lighten up the space and I had long been in love with yellow and gray so it seemed like the logical choice. We used yellow and gray (plus orange) for our wedding back in 2008 and I loved it. We purchased the gray and white Marimekko duvet right when got married. We wanted to save some money so we kept the same bedding and furniture when we bought our house. Because the duvet is white and grey yellow was our first choice for the wall color. We went with Buttered Sweet Corn by Glidden in an eggshell finish. The coverage was great! We only needed one coat with minor touch ups.

One weeked my father-in-law was in town he hung the ceiling fan for us. It’s Hunter and we purchased it from Home Depot (I can’t remember the model name of hand). It’s simple and looks so much better than the once was white now yellow and grayed fan that was there.

About 2 months ago Kevin decided that he wanted to mounted the tv in the living room and the one in the bedroom. He cut the wall, ran the wires, and cleaned up after installing the living room mount in less than 2 hours. Then we tried to mount the one in the bedroom… 2 days later and 4 trips to Home Depot and it was complete. We came across an obstacle, a 2″ x 4″ obstacle to be exact. We ended up using a flexible drill bit to cut a hole though the piece of wood (which we later learned is called a fire wall… I think…).

Remember how I drew our silhouettes for our birthday decorations? We will loved them so much I had them giclée prints made on thick, ivory colored Reeves BFK paper. I found these frames at JoAnn Fabrics a couple of weeks ago for only $9 each.

The last project we have in the bedroom is changing the door handles on the accordion closet doors. The previous home owners installed door handles that are brass die-cut Chinese characters. Not quite our style and unfortunately, they are not a standard size. The holes they cut in the doors to install them are not in a straight line. So it’s been impossible to find replacements. When that project is done, I will definitely before and after photos.

Do you happen to have a gray and yellow bedroom? If not, what color palette did you use in your bedroom?

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! We spent the weekend in Miami and had a great time visiting family. I had been wanting to make new wreathes for the front doors since I still had the neutral holiday wreathes up. I brought some of my crafting supplies with me to Miami so my crafty mom could help me assemble the new wreathes. I used the same process as I did when I made the holiday wreathes.

I purchases the grapevine wreathes at Hobby Lobby for only $2 each! I used some existing felt scraps I had and a glue gun. The entire thing took less than an hour to make and looks so cute. I plan on making one with oranges and yellows for the fall. I think they would be so cute to use as a backdrop for a wedding ceremony or to hang on the church or reception venue’s door. They are the perfect blend of rustic country and crafty charm.

Click here for the tutorial on how to make the roses.

I have another patriotic post for you! Today I collected my favorite diy tutorials for creating cute 4th of July decorations. I can’t wait to make the sparkler holders. They are so clever and I love the details in the design.

We are heading down to Miami tomorrow and will be spending the 4th with my parents. We’re planning on having a picnic in the park while we watch fireworks. I’m thinking I will make some kinda of dessert in a jar. Maybe cheesecake with strawberries and blueberries? Do you have any 4th of July traditions? Any  decorations you always make?

1. Glitter star banner via Better Homes & Garden.
2. Festive cans via Martha Stewart.
3. Printable sparkler holders, matchbook wraps, and straw decorations via Twig and Thistle.
4. Printable party bunting and flags via Creature Comforts.
5. 4th of july banner via Country Living.

I have been planning on making a headboard for our guest room since we purchased our home last year. After diligently looking at thrift stores and garage sales I finally found one to use as my “base” for only $3! After asking you which fabric I should choose, I ended up choosing the Lovely Lattice pattern from Waverly. The fabric has a “lattice” print in cream on a grass green background. I purchased it from Fabric.com and purchased the foam from Jo-Ann Fabrics site (I found great coupons for both here). All my supplies arrived by the end of last week so it was time to get started!

If you would like to see how I upholstered the headboard or would like to make your on, here’s how!

1. You will need:
- A flat headboard or a sheet of 1/2″ plywood cut to your desired headboard shape.
- Upholstery fabric (for a queen size headboard, I used about 3 years)
- 2″ sheet of foam (I purchased a roll and pieced it together)
- Batting (I purchased a large roll for $9.99 at Jo-Ann fabrics and only used less than half of it)
- Spray Adhesive
- Box cutter (if you have a small hand-held jig saw it would be  perfect for this step, but not necessary)
- Staple gun and staples
- Magic marker

2. Start by placing the foam on the ground. You may need to cut it so it will be large enough to cover the headboard. Make sure the foam is butting the other piece(s) so there are no gaps. Then place the headboard face down on the foam.

3. Using the magic marker, trace along the outline of the headboard. If you were to remove the headboard, you should see a marker path like mine above.

4. Using your box cutter or jig saw, cut along the marker path. It is easier if you remove the headboard while cutting the foam.

Flip the headboard face, or right side up. Using the spray adhesive, spray one side of the foam and adhere it to the right is of the headboard. Repeat until the entire headboard is covered in 2″ foam.

Place the batting on the floor. It should be large enough to cover the entire headboard with about 5″ extra on all sides. Cut a path through the  batting about 5″ from the edge of the headboard. Repeat this until you have trimmed all sides of the batting.

5. Use the staple gun to attach the batting to the headboard. Start in the center of the headboard and work towards the outside. While you staple, be sure to pull the batting taught. This will help secure the foam and ensure there are no wrinkles in the fabric later.

6. Repeat this process until the batting is stapled to the headboard on all sides.

7. Temporarily lift up the headboard and place the fabric, face down, on the ground. Then place the headboard face down on top of the fabric. Just like trimming the batting, trim the fabric to about 5″ all the way around the headboard.

8. Use the staple gun to attach the fabric to the headboard, the same way the batting was attached. Repeat this process all the way around. Be sure to start in the center of the headboard and pull the fabric tight as you staple. If your headboard is curly, you will need to fold the fabric slightly as you staple along the curved sides. If your headboard has any right angles, fold that the same way you would fold gift wrap on the package.

Let me know if you have any questions about this process if you are going to give it a try. This project took me about 3 hours to complete and cost me around $100 total. It’s an easy way to dress up a bedroom and create a unique piece of furniture.

For some great upholstered headboard ideas, visit moreheadboards.com. Happy DIY-ing!

I have always loved doilies. The are so simple, yet have such amazing detail. My grandmother crocheted her own using a tiny hook and cotton yarn. Doilies can be used  in so many ways. I have gathered my favorite modern takes on the doily. (I even made a doily banner that’s perfect for weddings).

Do you have any doilies in your home? How do you use them?

1. Handmade table runner via Ashley Ann Photography 2. Doily Lamp by Shannon South 3. Lacy Sunday wall or floor decals by Blik  4. Wall art via This Next.

Today I would like to introduce a new little “series” of posts I will be doing. They are called, “Inspired Design” and they are room boards that are inspired by a person. I hope you enjoy getting to know some of my talented friends and get some great decorating ideas!

This week features, Cat Valdes, better know as Catrific. Cat is a vlogger who shares everything from parking tickets to travel with her viewers. She also works at the super cool daily photo social networking site, DailyBooth. And that cute French bulldog? That’s her new puppy, Beta!

Here’s the room I made for Cat!

1. Snap Frames, Set of 9, by Umbra.
2. Ork San Francisco poster.
3. Parlour Lemongrass Sofa from CB2.
4. Throwboy DailyBooth pillow.
5. Dwell Studio Draper Stripe Rug.
6. Custom Adjustable Dog Collar and Leash by bigpawsaints.
7. Chevron Dog Bed by MarthAndAsh.

Now that we are wrapping up the renovations and decorating (for now, we have dreams of a new kitchen) in our home , we are venturing to the great outdoors… well at least our yard. We recently dug up evrything out of the back yard in preparation to lay sod as soon as the rainy season arrives. In the meantime, we would like to plant some bedding plants in the front yard. Our front yard is very well shaded by three large oaks so it’s been difficult to find plants that will bloom in the warm Florida shade. I stummbled upon Floridata, a site with tons of info about Florida plants.

What flowering plants are in your yard or porch?

{Above are the best options I found for flowering shade bedding plants in Florida, zone 9}

This past weekend we went down to Miami to visit my family. While I was there I disovered Casaideas, a new home goods store. Casaideas is a South American based retail store that recently opened it’s first U.S. store in Miami. The store contains many textiles, kitchen, dining, and decorating goods. Think Ikea meets Pier1 with a colorful South American flair. The items are priced from a couple dollars for a mug to around $100 for bedding. I was disappointed that they didn’t have any furniture or lamps, however, I absolutely loved it! Here are a few snap shots of the store.

They had a large selection of stationery, including bright printed notebooks. They have mirrors, frames, and vases.

I absolutely loved the “pan” box. They had a great collection of the moss green tins. They also have lots of dishes, including this cute mug with wooden lid for only $4.99. I think this would be such a cute gift! Their branding and store windows reminded me of Romero Britto meets Keith Haring, simplified, iconic art.

They have a wall of colorful, embroidered throw pillows. I love this lime table cloth that has little flags sewn into the seams. They have a decent selection of cooking utensils, silverware, and bakeware.

Here’s what I bought! A chenille yellow throw for our bed ($24.90), a geometric, floral pink serving tray ($9.99) and a plastic juice container ($9.99).

If you are in Miami , you definitely have to stop by this store. It’s awesome!