guest post: 4 Things to Consider Before Your Next Big Rug Investment

*** enter to win a $100 Wayfair.com gift card HERE ***

Take a look at these important rug features before you take the plunge.

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1.     Measurements

There’s no way around it—busting out that tape measure before you purchase a rug is an absolute must. Carefully evaluate the space where you want to place the rug and consider how it will fit with other items in the room. Take a look at what furniture will be on the rug as well as how other furniture will look positioned next to it. If you have a clear vision of exactly where the rug will be placed before you purchase, it will ensure the best possible look and usability of the rug in your space. For the best look, choose a rug that’s large enough so that all the legs (or at least the front legs) of your major furniture pieces will sit on the rug.

2.     Materials

Location is paramount when considering the material and price of a rug. If it will be placed in a high-traffic area or room, then splurging on handmade, 100% wool will offer the best results. Rugs made from less expensive synthetic fibers won’t last as long, but can be useful in a quieter space as a trendy statement piece or accent. As far as investment rugs go, handmade woven or knotted rugs offer unparalleled craftsmanship that will last a lifetime and are worth the money.

3.     Shape

Keep the big picture in mind when choosing the right shape rug for your room. It helps to think about what types of shapes are already present in your décor, and how a rug will frame the whole space. Your best bet is a rectangular rug—it will never go out of style and will work well with most room arrangements.

4.     Color

When making a big investment in a rug, it can be scary to decide on colors and style. Oriental-style rugs often incorporate a variety of colors, which are ideal for matching all kinds of color palettes as your décor changes throughout the years. Don’t be afraid to go with a colorful rug, but evaluate what potential color schemes will work well with it before you buy. Select a rug color that truly aligns with your personal décor style, and then you can be sure it will fit whatever you choose to combine it with in the future.

For rugs you can shop by size, materials, shape, and color, we of course think Wayfair is a great option.

Bio: Catie Parrish relishes the opportunity to inspire others to create thoughtful, stylish spaces in their homes. A graduate of Drake University, Catie lives in Boston with her news-nerd husband, Chris, and their wrinkly rescue mutt, Gus. An ardent enthusiast of all things tasty, curious, or pretty, when Catie isn’t writing, you can likely find her whipping up a batch of guacamole, captivated by a good book, or on the hunt for the sofa of her dreams. Catie is the managing editor at Wayfair, the internet’s largest furniture store.

guest post: decor for tiny rooms

Hello I am Amber from The Vanity Room. I have a passion for interior designing and blogging is the perfect platform to quench my creative thirst.  I love to indulge in the internet and dig for ideas as I feed off the inspiration. I am very thankful to Shannon for letting me contribute to her blog. She is an extremely humble person with an amazing down to earth personality. Today I will be sharing with you some of my favorite DIY ideas to decorate tiny rooms in our house.

Decor For Tiny Rooms

Small rooms can be frustrating as they are difficult to decorate.  Many of us have small rooms that we have to live in and deal with on a day to day basis. This means that most of us, with more meagerly proportioned rooms, are left wondering how on earth we can make the best of our tiny rooms.

Good choice and use of furniture is key in any small room – more so, in my opinion, than in a larger room. Choose furniture that precisely fits into place, whether it is a table under the window, a bookcase across the narrowest wall or even a storage unit fitted along the longest wall. While these bigger than expected pieces of furniture may take up a reasonable amount of room, they more than make up for it by optimizing the storage space available in the room – which frees up the rest of the room, making it seem that little bit bigger! 

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Mirrors should be installed in every small room. Different types of mirrors can be used. Choose the biggest mirror you can find, or even use mirror tiles. Position the mirror across the narrowest point of the room, as the mirror's reflection will appear to double that small area, opening the room out to a more generous size. 

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Make good use of the full height of any room – whether it is in the kitchen, conservatory or living room! Bookcases that reach up to the ceiling are considerably more capacious than one that only reaches to head height! You can buy some incredible bookcases from Ikea.

 

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Bathrooms are often low-level rooms, which is a sad waste of all that space near the ceiling! Install narrow shelves that run around most of the bathroom to make space for bulk purchases of soap, shampoo and toothpaste and you will make the bathroom seem bigger in the process! I saw some amazing bathroom accessories at My-bathrooms. Under basin storage is a must in any small bathroom, as this makes good use of otherwise wasted space. Apply your DIY skills here; all you will need is some paint and an old table. Paint the old table in matching color to your bathroom and insert it under the sink. If your shower has a frosted glass or plastic door, think about changing this for a fabric shower curtain which can be pushed to one side to 'open' out the room a bit more.

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In the kitchen there is often a huge array of equipment, tins and other foodstuffs that need to be stored safely. Invest in fold-out, rotatable cabinets to maximize the use of every inch of available space. 

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Large televisions, while much thinner and less bulky than older models, still take up a fair amount of space. Limit their footprint by wall mounting large TVs, which then removes the need for a television stand. 

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Choose plain furniture for small rooms as bright, busy patterns can make the furniture look big and bulky; too obtrusive for the dimensions of a smaller room. Use light paint or wallpaper to further add an open feeling to small rooms, and think about raising the pelmet as high as possible. Small rooms acquire an air of grandeur from a long, graceful fall of fabric. Use optical illusions to transform small and poorly proportioned rooms; for example adding stripes to counteract the effect of a long thin room, and picking out unusual room features (such as a large chimney breast) in contrasting paint colours. 

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These few ideas and hints are very easy to implement and will hopefully inspire a fresh determination to decorate your small rooms, and give you some ideas on how to make a small but perfect interior – no matter where in your home it may be!

guest post: spray paint earrings

Hey everyone, my name is Randi and I am coming here from Sowdering About to share with you a recent craft of mine.  I have been dabbling in making jewelry lately and came up with this super easy way of making some pretty neat earrings.  Oh and did I mention they were cheap?

I bought these little metal pieces from a craft store when we first moved to Seattle.  I really liked how they looked and although at the time I had no idea what I was going to do with them, I had to have them.  Plus I think they were maybe $1 for the pair. 

And they are pretty right?  

When I was cleaning up and organizing all my craft stuff (why is there so much stuff?  I swear it just multiplies), I came across them again since I had lost them for a while.  I had just finished working on my washi tape earrings, so when I found them, I immediately thought EARRINGS!  It worked out well too since all my jewelry making stuff was already out.

They needed color though.  They needed to be teal.

It just so happened that I am currently obsessed with teal and I want everything in my life to be teal.  So I took these bad boys outside to my work table and spray painted them.

Once they were dry, I looped a ring and a fishhook through them and viola!  Brilliance.

The spray paint I used was a satin finish.  They aren't super shiny, but they aren't flat either.  They are SUPER lightweight too.

Total time with drying was about 20 minutes.  Total cost was about $1.50.  

What do you think?  Do they live up to their name?  

Thanks for having me here today!  I look forward to visiting again!

Randi blogs in a blue recliner from the wet city of Seattle where she and her family live.  She blogs about her crafting adventures and parenting trials, because if you can’t find humor in your own life, then who will?  You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

guest post: apple hat

Hello!

My name is Katie and I am a visitor from Katie’s Crochet Goodies. I crochet many items such as hats, leg warmers, head warmers, headbands, mug cozies, face/bath scrubbies, and much more! I have even started sewing as of recently! I am a military wife and currently live in Arizona. We moved from North Dakota, and originally from Washington State, so we are on to a great start at exploring the Country!

For those of you who crochet, you know how awesome it is to find free patterns, especially ones as adorable as this! 

Make sure you download this pattern and keep it tucked away for fall…or even better, a baby gift for a teacher! I have my degree in Elementary Education and I was extra excited when I found this pattern. This Apple Hat pattern is offered in multiple sizes (Newborn, 3-6m, 6-12m) By Salena Baca. 

Here's another picture of my finished product, modeled by the amazing My Lil Britches Photography based in Minot, ND. 

I'd love for you to like my Facebook page and stay updated on new items, pattern links, specials, and promotions! I do custom orders so contact me if you are curious about something from Pinterest!

Thanks! Katie

guest post: printable seed packets

Why hello!! My name is Dawnelle and Shannon and I have decided to switch blogs for the day so we can meet some new friends! I hope you don't mind... Before we get started let me introduce myself a little. I am considered many things, mother and wife at the top of the list. It wouldn't be a good introduction though if I left out lover of sharpies, chief executive nose wiper, avid obsessor of texture and fabric, head laundress, or bohemian lover and interior designer. I write over on Just Dawnelle about my sweet family... what I think, feel, love, believe, and do to get myself through this adventurous thing called life!

I'm super honored to be here with you today sharing a little spring project with you! Shannon is marvelous isn't she? So are you ready for a little project that could be perfect as a hostess gift, teacher gift, or special little treat for a good friend? Let's do this!


The time is coming, spring is coming... which means the time is coming to plant! Oh I can't wait for all things green and fresh... flowers... herbs... fresh vegetables and fruit... I'm DYING for something green! Plus don't you think there is something magical and creative in growing something?

So, in honor of that wonderful time of year I put together this little herb garden kit, complete with a free printable for the labels, for a few friends of mine. It has all the seeds in one place to plant a fabulous, delicious, aromatic herb garden! Throw in an adorable pair of gardening gloves, maybe an apron or pair of rain boots and you have yourself the perfect little spring gift!

SUPPLIES

 Paper cutter (or scissors)

Glue Stick

Stapler

Seed packets

Small flat pack glassine bags (3-1/4" x 4-5/8")--You could totally use brown kraft paper or cello if you wanted to! (My bags came from here)

Labels

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Begin by printing the labels here and cutting them out. Each label has the name of the herb and a small description on the front and the growing and harvesting instructions on the bag. The printable includes labels for sweet basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.

Take each label and fold them in half so the title is on one side and the instructions on the other.

Time to fill the bags! Pour a few seeds into each glassine bag. Be sure to keep your seeds labeled so you don't get things mixed up. Once they're in the bags it is pretty easy to get them mixed up.

Fold over the top of each bag twice (so you don't have any magical escaping seeds) and staple to keep it closed.

Add a little glue to the folded label and attach it to the bag! You can always staple the label as well if you would like. I didn't want to see the staples though so I chose glue.

Ta-da! Tiny little packages of seeds. Tie them all together with some trendy baker's twine, stripes of fabric, or a great piece of trim and there you have it!! An adorable little packet of seeds perfect for a small little container herb garden! What do you think?

Download the printable labels HERE.

Well what did you think? Isn't is so super fun and easy?? Be sure to head over to Just Dawnelle and check out some other fun projects here and stick around... let's be friends shall we?

doily votives ::guest blogger::

Dana from Let's Meet For Lunch is back today to share another cool diy project. Remember the flower picture she shared last time? Really fun and versatile. This project is just as fun and can be used for a variety of spaces and occasions.

Hey Sewing Barefoot readers! I’m so excited to be here today with a pretty cool idea for doily votives that could be used as a cute decoration around the house, or even for something more special - like wedding centerpieces. Sheesh, if I had known about Pinterest when I got married, you better believe that I would have done way more cool things... So here I am thinking of you in case you’re getting ready to tie the knot!

diy flower picture ::guest blogger::

Dana from Lets Meet For Lunch is here today to share a fun and creative DIY project. I'm already itching to make one for myself. Enjoy [and check out my Apple Dumpling recipe on Dana's blog here]. There's nothing wrong with eating and crafting at the same time!

DIY Flower Picture

Hey Sewing Barefoot readers! I am so excited to be here today with a little DIY project of mine. I’ve always loved crafts and DIY stuff of all kinds. I was even an Arts & Crafts Counselor at a summer camp for 4 years running in college (Listen, it was that, or being an Athletics Counselor... which was completely and TOTALLY out of the question). I’m not always the best at them, and my stuff hardly looks professional... no judging! I’m sure you could do far cooler things than I did with this little project, but the thing I like about it is that anyone can do this. The hardest part is cutting out the petals and deciding where you want to place them. If you used a template, they would look even more consistent, but I kind of liked the idea of free-form petals. You can do whatever you want to get the effect you are going for!  

I normally take a picture of all materials needed, but for some reason I became a cutting fiend and totally forgot that part. So imagine that you have a picture here of some scrapbook paper in varying colors/patterns that you want, and scissors. A little further on I’ll show you what else you need.

Cut some strips of the paper, about the size that you want the petals to be. I made mine around 2 inches. Then stack the sheets on top of each other, to make quick work of cutting them (I have 6 stacked up in the picture).