My mom, who is a really talented seamstress, gave me a Singer HD-110 sewing machine as a Christmas gift about six years ago and truly I can’t say enough nice things about it.

She has a gorgeous Pfaff that she uses for making clothes, quilting and embroidery, but my mom says she wishes she had my machine too for heavier duty home projects like pillows and drapes (the HD in the name actually stands for ‘heavy duty’). We both love it.

If you want super fancy stitches or a computer screen, this sewing machine is probably not for you. But if you’re looking for a work horse – one that will sew through layers and layers of thick fabric and hardly ever break a sweat (or a needle), this steely lady is your gal.

HIGHLY recommend.

This slide show is inspiring me to get going on my spring cleaning and organizing – even though it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet around here. Isn’t it fun to get a peek into someone’s cabinets and drawers?

Martha sure loves her P Touch. It’s hilarious to me that she labeled the label maker (with a sort of passive aggressive message?)

If you like to cook, you understand how essential it is to have good, sharp knives. I have a set of Wusthof Classics that work great (this knife is my favorite), but I’m really jealous of all of Martha’s Japanese knives.

There’s no such thing as too many vintage linen napkins!

I’m always drawn to Bakelite (pronounced bake-a-light), which you can find at flea markets and all over ebay and etsy. I love the vintage and warm feel of the resin.

What a pretty collection of rolling pins, and I especially love these salad servers.

I’ve used little dishes and bowls to organize small jewelry, but I think these jadeite dishes are so cute for organizing first aid supplies (as long as the drawer was out of reach of little hands. My kids like using bandaids a little too much).

Off to organize my kitchen drawers!

This IKEA curtain rod is a favorite of mine. It’s less than $30 and looks great as is in a brushed nickel finish, but I especially love to paint it with Rustoleum’s Metallic spray paint in brass (not gold! too pink).

You can pick up a bag of inexpensive rings to also paint while you’re picking up the Rustoleum at Home Depot.

Fabric is every decorator’s weakness. I have the hardest time passing up a color or pattern or weave that catches my eye! Truth is, I don’t pass it up often, and that’s why half of my office is dedicated to fabric storage. (not so good)

I think there is a time and a place (and a budget!) for all different methods of fabric shopping. I am a big fan of online browsing (L&S is truly great), and I go to Design Centers a lot (some of these photos are from D&D showrooms).

But I have to say that I really, really love to find those less-known usually local fabric stores that almost always have vintage yardages that are selling for a song. And don’t tell me there is no such place in your town. I’m sure there is! There has been one in every city I ever lived in.

Interior Alternative (Newark, DE)

Here in Manhattan, I love Mood and B&J for the sheer quantity of selection, but probably my two favorite stores are in my neighborhood: P&S and JEM fabrics.

Vintage Brunschwig et Fils at Mood

Citrus cut velvet chevron? Yes please! at P&S in Tribeca

P and S has a great selection of burlap in tons of colors. I’m considering this neon pink to cover a lampshade in my girls’ room.

LEOPARD! EMERALD! SILK! $50/yd at Mood

The key to success in finding that great hole in the wall is persistence. First, ask around. But if/when everyone suggests Joann’s (which by the way sometimes has awesome stuff in their clearance stacks), type ‘fabric store’ in google maps and hit up every last one of those places.

And don’t judge a store by it’s first few rows of unfortunate Christmas themed calico. That happened to me last year when we moved to Dover. I noticed a sign out on the highway: Wholesale Fabric Store! Open to the Public! I stopped by to pop my head in and quickly decided the selection was lacking, based on the rolls I could see from the front door. A month or two later I decided to give it another shot and discovered an entire room in the back full of beautiful vintage fabrics! Also, the owner of the store became a friend, so win-win.

Fun, right? It’s Waverly! These are from Mood…

Do you have a less-obvious source for fun fabrics in your town? How great would it be to start compiling a little directory? I’ll start:

Boston, MA: Zimmen’s in Lynn
Dover, DE: Wholesale Fabric on Rte 13
Newark, DE: Interior Alternative
Phoenix, AZ: Home Fabrics and SAS
Philadelphia: Jo-Mar and lots of the shops on Fabric Row (I like about half of them on 4th). If you’re looking for vintage yardage, go straight to Home & Office Decor on the corner of Fitzwater and 4th. It’s not clean or organized, so be warned, but there are deals to be had!
New York City: P&S and JEM (don’t miss out on all the french trims! Such an amazing place!)

This weekend I was digging around my computer looking for a photo I took last year some time. It was fun to flip through all the phone pictures I’ve taken on my work adventures and I thought I’d share some this week.

Never thought I’d say this, but I am so inspired by the colors in these rug pads from Home Depot. Lots of these colors are going into my apartment – cobalt blue, touches of neons, jade green, persimmon, mustard, even a little pink, with lots of white, black and gray.

From the comments section of yesterday’s post about the DIY Draper chests:

I have a question for you…
I am currently redecorating my living room and dining room. I decided to go with a 70’s British bachelor pad inspired look. Sort of a well traveled look with some Kuba cloths and other ethnic textiles for art. Lots of navy and gray.
Then I looked at this Draper project and realized I am still in love with Hollywood Regency. I am not too far into things to make the switch. It’s just that things like x-benches, Chiang Mai (love and have been holding onto a piece for a while now), chevron, painted furniture, and so on…seem so done now.
Are we too exposed to design? I love my blogs, especially yours (very honest unabashed flattery), but are we over-exposing ourselves (Keep Calm Carry On)? This is something I have been wondering about for a while now. It seems like once I finally get to taking on a project (making ikat drapes now), it starts to seem cliche.
Do you think we are moving too fast with interiors, or do you think we are moving in the right direction where anything goes. Sort of like fashion, you can still wear your skinny jeans or flares. When you start a new project do you agonize over doing something new, or do you just go with what you love at the time even if the idea has been seen?

House Beautiful

Just two days ago I was brainstorming with my mom an idea for my apartment when I nixed the project we were discussing because I felt like it had already been done on blogs or in magazines. I think we both realized how silly that sounded as soon as I said it. Why wouldn’t I do what I really love for my space regardless of whether or not a version has been done before?

I feel like it’s especially tricky as a blogger. If I put up a picture of campaign dressers (which I love), I’ll usually get one or two anon commenters talking about how campaigners are so over and so boring to them. And here’s the tricky part – we look to blogs and magazines for inspiration, for fresh looks, so I can understand in a way why the commenters are annoyed. They’re saying – “Yup! Got it. We know campaigners are/were cool. But what’s next?”

NYT

Are we oversaturated with design trends as bloggers and blog readers? Totally. I have hundreds of blogs in my Reader and sometimes I feel like I’m seeing the same thing over and over again. So I’m there with you.

But I also think it’s easy to forget that most people in the world don’t read design blogs. Most people don’t really know about ikat or suzanis or lacquer or lucite the way we all do. It’s crazy to think that someone is discovering a Keep Calm poster for the first time today!

A neighbor stopped by my house a few months ago, noticed my ikat skirted console table and said – “I love your decorating style…but what is that funky fabric on your console table? Crazy!”
And then just a few weeks ago I was meeting with a client here in the city, who reads my blog and who is a blogger herself, and she told me how much she loves ikat but feels like she can’t have it in her home – like it’s too expected now or something.

NYT

Are we decorating for ourselves or for our design-conscious friends (or blog readers)? Every time I feel like some of the sparkle of decorating is wearing off, I realize it’s because I’m over-thinking it or worrying too much about what other people will or won’t like. Unfortunately I think that comes with the territory as a design blogger. Still, don’t let yourself fall into that trap. If one in a thousand visitors thinks your decor is dated because you love your Chiang Mai pillows and the Keep Calm poster, don’t sweat it. Guaranteed the other 999 will wonder where you got them.

Maybe it’s time we take a collective chill pill about decorating and see it all for what it is and should be – a fun way to express yourself and your style.

What do you say?

PS Have you been watching Portlandia? Shell art is OVER! Seems so appropriate for this post.

PPS All the Miles Redd images above feature ikat chairs, which I love and think I might go ahead and do in my house, even though they have been done before. :)