Seaside

I thought I would keep you all up to date on my latest board design and the textile I have chosen to upholster it with.

I've had my eyes on this beautiful material and it was originally what I wanted to use for our own headboard because it looked like something you would find in a Pottery Barn catalog, but I quickly came to the sad conclusion that it wouldn't compliment the bedding we have in our master bedroom.

Since I haven't learned to do fancy things just yet such as, the nail head trim or monogramming techniques, I have fallen in love with textured materials to replace those methods. It adds a lot character and it gives the board some added depth, and of course its more comfortable to rest your head against!

This board would fit a nautical themed bedding or "beachy" bedroom decor with its beautiful coral detail,and the robins egg blue color is just so stunning! The material would  attractively compliment colors such red and yellow.

This headboard will be up for purchase shortly and it if you would be interested in owning it for your home please email me at: jilliannesdesigns@gmail.com

New Direction

I have been brainstorming for over a year to come up with a way to work from home as my days off of work would allow. I have enjoyed re-purposing and still have a few projects I would like to finish, but it takes time and a lot of expense. Many of you know I try to maintain a very busy schedule so time is of the essence.  I have a love for textiles and even though I don't know how to sew, I wanted to find a way to create with beautiful materials!

My husband has lovingly been a huge help and support to get me started as well as a few others who have passed along their knowledge and expertise in the fields of board cutting and design; Jermaine Franks, Billy Stanfield and of course my dearest family and closest friends! 

There are few things that are necessary to make headboards so I have been learning a lot recently in the world of power tools!  It has been so much fun!

It has also been a lot of trial and error when it comes to the design of the headboards as well. I have 16 different styles but trying to work without templates has posed to be quite a challenge. 

I wanted the first headboard design to be for our bedroom.  I had a fun opportunity to go to Mill Village Outlet in Raleigh and this place is every sewer’s and upholsterer's dream come true! You literally get lost in this store with all the rows and rows of fabrics galore. This is where I have bought all of my upholstery products. The prices per yard are reasonably priced and I can't wait to go back to what’s become my new favorite shop! 

Speaking of shop, we set up “shop” in our garage and it has worked out very well for the time being. I have designed and created two boards so far, fit for a queen and a twin bed. I have an amazing job lined up at a cute little shop here in Smithfield.  Peggy Scott owns Curtain Calls and she designs custom window treatments, shades and blinds. She has offered to advertise for me by designing a small scale board for her shop. She has been great to work with and a joy to get to know! She has also given me excellent resources for all my products as well!

I am just now working on my business cards but would love if my followers would help me spread the word to help my change in direction become a success!

 

I would love to invent and create one for one or all of the lovely rooms in your home. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have! - jilliannesdesigns@gmail.com

Here are two of the boards I have completed. 

Nautical Wonder Revealed

I exhausted my search for several weeks to find the perfect canopy to compliment my turquoise beauty,but there were two that I fell head over heels for.

Unfortunately, one shade fit the ocean vision I was trying to achieve, whereas the other one fell into another category all its own. The mustard yellow shade complimented the hue of the lamp strikingly, but the piece itself would be a tough to incorporate into a specific decor. So, I resolved to stay true to my original concept, and although the thought of parting with the yellow shade was all too much, I decided to keep it to use for another design project!

Here's hoping my transformed nautical wonder will find its place in a lovely beach house or in a space inspired by the sea!

Nautical Wonder

2012 began with a promise of projects galore.  And while I haven’t posted them to show you what I’ve been working on, I can assure you that I have become quite frenzied with many I have yet to complete.  And today, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of one of my simple projects that has me over the moon delighted.

I discovered a great thrift shop in Cary where I will regularly go to find my diamonds in the rough.  This place is full of project treasures!  The shop is called Dorcas Ministries – Christian Community in Action.  Dorcas Ministries is named after the seamstress from Joppa (in the Bible) who was known for her generosity to the disadvantaged.  Their mission is to “provide residents of its designated service area, emergency assistance for their essential human needs, including shelter, clothing, food, fuel, transportation and medical care.”  Their mission also references and is based on a portion of scripture that encourages us to show the Love of Jesus Christ by serving people in need in the local area.  I’ve included the scripture for you to read.  It is Matthew 25:31-45.

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

   ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 To show the Love of Jesus Christ by serving people in need in the local area! What a mission to draw people to the Gospel by attending to their physical needs, but also helping them see their eternal need. I love the mission and its emphasis and the impact it has had since its establishment in 1968. You should check them out at: http://dorcas-cary.org

When I was walking through this shop, my eyes were immediately drawn to a lamp that was high on a shelf in the center of the store.  It was hefty in size, but had great shape and character. I immediately had thoughts of changing it into a nautical wonder. The base of the lamp reminded me of a sea shell and I am totally in love with this seasons color, TURQUOISE! And get this, it was only $4.00!  A definite must-buy!

I'm still on a quest to find the perfect shade to complement its new found transformation, but I wanted to show you what I've accomplished thus far with this seafaring marvel! 

 

There must be a love story behind this lamp! :)

My beautiful hue of Turquoise!

 If anyone would like to make this feature a part of your home decor please contact me!!! Stay tuned for the finished product!

Luminescence

Some of you may remember my previous post regarding the beautiful chandelier that we bid on and won at the auctions that we regularly attend.
My dear friend told me that she would love to have the light fixture to display in their dining area. Even though I had several visions to transform the piece, I was thrilled that she jumped at the opportunity to showcase the classy feature!
We attended that auction together, and the candelabrum was one of the very last items to bid on before the power went out due to a thunderstorm. It was an exciting, "light flickering"  event to say the least!
We started to brainstorm on how to design and customize it and the conclusion we came up with was to do absolutely nothing to it due to the purchase of other decor that was complimentary to their lovely space.
Shortly after the auction they purchased a large piece of wall art and the large frame was the exact beautiful bronze color of the chandelier itself, and the sconces on the far wall were swoopy in nature and mimicked the light fixture's personality.  So... it was my home to theirs!
I took a Saturday afternoon to clean it up and pack it up nicely for transport. I have added a few photos to take you on our journey from tempestuous to luminous!
Troy and Jenna your dining room is exquisite! Enjoy!

The chandelier displayed at the auction

I loved the shadows

bronze beauty

Meet Opal the Octopus! Ready for delivery!

 

Wall sconces on wall behind

The opposite wall

A dining room of pure sophistication and beauty!

hallowed hush

I love to shop at Target when their Christmas inventory goes on clearance for 80% off full prices to stock up on fancy Christmas decor and wrapping paper for the following holiday season.
I had my eye on these beautiful frames when they were full price, and I was thrilled to pieces when I was able to purchase each for $2.24 and $3.04 with a total savings of $29.70.
The only detail I wasn't too keen on was color of the frames, and with the purpose of hanging them in our living room, it would result in a total clash crisis with our wall color, so the only solution was to change up the shade of the frames.
I didn't want to do traditional Christmas hues such as green or red, so I thought I would do a clean, crisp wintery tint of turqoise.
I went to Home Depot and purchased a color sample for $3.28, which was more than enough to cover each frame. I also purchase a mini roller ($1.97) and small flat brush ($0.97) to get the best paint coverage.
Here's my lovely outcome.

 

Hard at it...

My apologies go out to my followers as my life has become quite hectic with work, work, and more work.
I have decided that beginning January 2012 my design schemes shall commence with furry!
Since the start of my design blog I have had friends willing to help me gain experience and build my portfolio by undertaking various projects. I have been asked to preserve a Widdicomb furniture set manufactured in the late 1800s. It has required several months of careful and thorough research. I've joined forums to gain knowledge from professionals and I've had many visits to my favorite wood shop downtown Raleigh for some great expertise. Since I'm very green at the whole preservation process and the many steps that are involved in sustaining the value, I find it utterly important that I know exactly what Im doing before I tackle such an undertaking. I am quite privileged to have such an incredible task!
The chandelier in my previous post has a wonderful home to be displayed in and I'm thrilled beyond words for it to be showcased in this beautiful dining room!
So needless to say...regardless of my lack to put my latest blueprints into words, I've been hard at it and so has my remarkable husband! For my birthday he so lovingly labored in making me a large workbench to make it easier for me to produce fabulousness, but in that course of action our garage got turned upside down. I bet you all can guess what's next on OUR project
list? We hope to get the garage prepped for all my harebrained ideas! So til then.. I wish you all a most beautiful holiday season. Merry Christmas!