DIY touchscreen gloves

Do you happen to live in a place where winters can be unbearable?  And every time you're outside, it just so happens that your phone rings?  And well, because it's a smartphone, you have to take your glove OFF to answer it, which leads to your fingers becoming pretty much numb?  Well that was the story of my life...until now.  This little spool of miracle thread can save your life (and by life, I mean save your fingers from frostbite).  

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What You'll Need:

Conductive thread (with 1 to 15 ohms/foot resistance) 

Gloves

Needle

Total cost: $3

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This miracle thread is actually called conductive thread.  I ordered this little guy off ebay for something like $2 for 4 or 6 feet, but you can also buy it through my amazon store here.

Once you have your thread, the only other thing you'll need is a pair of stretchy gloves.  I chose gray because then the thread blended in even more.

Step 1:
Turn the gloves inside out.

Step 2: 
Sew an "x," a star, a bunch of little stitches, basically any sort of pattern, on the fingers that you use for your phone (I did my pointer finger and thumb on each hand).  The pattern doesn't matter, the main point is to have it take up as much of your finger pad as possible.

Basically, the conductive thread transfers the electrical current in your body/fingers to the phone, which is otherwise blocked by normal thread (aka your gloves).  So, you want to maximize the surface area of the thread touching your finger so the phone is more receptive to the touch.  Now I'm probably going to hear from my nerdy engineer of a fiance that I explained it all wrong, but you get the gist of it. :)

Here's a picture from this step.  I outlined my stitches in photoshop because you couldn't see them with the gray on gray.  

Step 3:
Turn the gloves right side out and enjoy!  Yep, it's that easy. (I must have deleted my finished photo but I'll take another one and post it later for you guys).  Good luck!

wedding wednesday: gray

A color that is going to be making its presence known in our wedding, and also a color I absolutely love love love in home design is gray.  The neutral color looks striking when paired with practically every color, and I just adore it in nearly any room of the house.

Exterior:
One of my favorite uses of gray lately is on the outside of the home.  I am obsessed with houses that have gray shingles, white trim, and a bright door.  It gives a fun and contemporary feel to an otherwise traditional approach.

Not only does it look stunning when paired with bold colors, but it also complements natural wood tones nicely.

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Interior:

Inside the house, I drool whenever I see gray walls paired with black and white furnishings or black and white photos in a crisp, clean frame.

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DIY headboards

One of my very dearest friends Emma recently moved into a new apartment (affectionately known as "the shiba"), and asked me if I would put together a post on headboards you can make yourself.  I, of course, jumped at the opportunity and can't wait to share with you the many options I came up with.  For each project, I estimated the price assuming you didn't have any of the materials to begin with.  However, in many cases, you may be able to create the headboards for little or no cost if you happen to have the paint or supplies laying around the house.

1.  Tufted Headboard
Level of difficulty: moderate
Total cost: about $150-$175

Kristi over at Addicted to Decorating crafted this beautiful headboard herself.  While it may be a bit more time and labor intensive than some other options, you end up with a headboard that looks like it was purchased right out of a Z Gallerie catalog.

Click here for the full tutorial.

2. Painted headboard/headboard decal

Level of difficulty: easy

Total cost (painted headboard): under $10

Total cost (headboard decal): $30-$50

These painted/stencil/decal headboards don't have a tutorial associated with them.  If you are painting your headboard, I would recommend drawing out your pattern on the wall with a pencil first, then fill in the pattern with two coats of paint.  

For stenciled headboards, attach the stencil to the wall with a spray adhesive or a low tack tape, and then paint inside of the stencil with an acrylic paint.

If you choose to buy a wall decal, here are some great sites that sell them:

Urban Outfitters, Dezign with a Z, Blik, and Etsy.

  

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3. Picture Frame Headboard
Level of difficulty: easy
Total cost: $20-$30

This DIY headboard from Better Homes and Gardens is super easy to make.  All you need is a few picture frames (enough to span the width of your bed), and some fabric or wallpaper in a pattern you like.  If you don't like the color of the frames, they can be changed easily with a coat of spray paint.  Put the patterned wallpaper or fabric in the frame, and then hang the frames so the bottom of them is level with the top of your mattress and that they butt up against each other.

Read more here.

4. Crown Moulding Headboard
Level of difficulty: moderate
Total cost: $50-$70

Chelsea from Design a la Mode created this striking headboard with just some basic materials from Home Depot.  Add a little plywood, trim, and paint, and viola: gorgeous headboard.

Read the full tutorial over at Design a la Mode.

5. Antique Map Headboard
Level of difficulty: easy to moderate
Total cost: $40-$80

This headboard also doesn't have a tutorial associated with it, but I have been absolutely drooling over these headboards for awhile now.  You could pair this headboard with either of the two previously mentioned headboards (frame several antique maps or frame out the whole map using crown moulding).

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6. Recycled Door Headboard

Level of difficulty: easy to moderate

Total cost: $30-$60

I have seen many variations on the recycled door headboard, but I must say I think Mandi's tutorial on Vintage Revivals is one of my favorites (plus the before and after of the whole room is exquisite)!  I love the personal touches she adds with the fabric panels - so easy to customize yourself.

  

Read the full tutorial on Vintage Revivals.

7. Fabric Panel Headboard
Level of difficulty: easy to moderate
Total cost: $40-$90 (depends on the fabric)

Brooke from All Things Thrifty totally nailed this headboard.  I just love how it pulls the room together.  To create this look, she used foam, fabric, and backer board, and then carefully assembled all of the pieces together.

Read the full tutorial here.

Another design using the same approach can be found here on the DIY Network's website.

8. Frame Your Own Artwork

Level of difficulty: easy

Total cost: $20-$50

I was inspired when I saw this image of artwork being used as a headboard.  It would be so simple to go out and buy a canvas, paint whatever you want on it, frame it out using 2x2's from Home Depot, and there you have it: an instantly beautiful, completely one-of-a-kind headboard.

I also think it would be really neat to take a blank canvas and fill it with rows of peacock feathers, then frame it out with 2x2's painted white.  The contrast between the white and the feathers would be stunning, and the feathers would add great color and personality to the room.

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9. Recycled Window Headboard

Level of difficulty: easy

Total cost: $20-$40

Emma had already started crafting a headboard using a faux window technique which I love.  I couldn't find any images of window headboards that I liked because all the windows were spaced funny, but I found one using shutters that is similar.  I think the key to making it look right is to have the windows all touching each other, and have the bottom of the windows be level with either the top or bottom of your mattress (depending on how tall of a headboard you want).  

I like the image below, I just think it would look more like a headboard if the shutters were all dropped down to be level with the mattress.  If there's too much of a separation between the mattress and the "headboard," you run the risk of it looking like a piece of artwork as opposed to a headboard.  

Once your window panes are all assembled, another great way to add personality is to add patterns or pictures in the individual window panes.

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So to all of you looking for a DIY solution, I hope this comes in handy!

wordle.

So the other day, my wonderful friend Jenn shared with me this awesome thing that she made:

What is it you ask?  It is a picture of my blog from this awesome website called wordle!  What you do is you enter a bunch of text or a website (in this case she put in the address to my blog), and it randomly assembles all of the words that you enter, or else the most common words that appear on your site.  The larger words are the ones that most frequently appear, although there is an override setting that you can enter if you want certain words to appear larger.  

You can then adjust the words into a whole bunch of configurations and change the colors and fonts however you want...so cool right?!  I started to get a little carried away...

While you could do it with literally any words you like, I think it would be so neat to put in your wedding vows or a lyrics to a favorite song, print it off, and frame it.

Thanks so much, Jenn, for sharing this with me!

wedding wednesday: sequins

Want to add some serious glam to your space?  Adding just a few sequins will add some major sparkle and shine and make quite the statement.  From adorning entire walls with sequins to adding a individual accent sequins, the possibilities are endless.

Let's start with the grandiose and work our way down.  First up we have the sequin accent wall: this is a bold, bold move, and you'd have to have the right kind of space to pull it off.  While it may look adorable in a little boutique or stunning in high fashion clothing store, sequining your living room wall may not always be the right move.  Now if you have a super modern home, you may be able to pull it off, otherwise I would save it for smaller walls and smaller doses.  For instance, maybe you could add some sparkle to a wall in your bedroom or bathroom.

These may be mosaic tiles, but you could achieve the same effect with sequins.

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Moving down in scale we have furnishings.  One way I love adding sparkle to a room is through the shower curtain.  I personally am not a huge fan of full blown, sequin covered shower curtains, but I do love when they add sequin accents to it.

The image on the right is about as full of sequins as I could personally handle.  I much prefer the delicate sequin lines that accent the shower curtain below.

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Sequin chairs are another way to glam up a space.  I love the different color options available, and I think they would make a great accent in a fun home office space.  The first three chairs sell at All Modern (which is a site I adore) for $2,900 a pop. I however, think these could be a great DIY...perhaps that's in my future?

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Moving on down in scale again, we move into accents.  Pillows are by far one of my favorite things to be sequined.  They add just a touch of sparkle in a dose that any room can handle.

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And last but not least, add some sparkle to your walls with a little wall art.  This particular art is a super simply DIY - just take some cut out letters from your local craft store and jazz it up with sequins and a hot glue gun.

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