DIY {re-furbished antique bench}

As you already know, this past week I was back home in Connecticut helping my mother get ready for her Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale.  Since I am contributing some handmade pillow covers to the sale I needed to create the perfect display.  Now my mom has lugged this antique bench around for almost 20 years and still hasn't re-furbished it and   we thought, what not a better time than now!  With my need for a cute display and her wanting to add a custom piece to her upstairs hallway, this bench was the perfect fix for both of us!

So we went on the hunt for the perfect fabric and trim to coordinate with my pillows but more importantly her decor! With us being in a sort of time crunch we narrowed our choices down to this variegated, "vintage looking" fabric wit coordinating avocado piping. 

 Next, my mom sanded prepped and primed the bench while I worked on upholstering the new fabric, foam and batting to this custom made piece of wood we are using for the seat {you may have noticed in the first pic that the actual seat was missing}

 Thank goodness for a warm sunny day! Between my mom and I we were able to get this DIY project done in a day and a half{including drying time}!!  Oh how I love having someone working beside me, I get so much done a whole lot quicker than if I were doing it by myself!  Oh, and my apologies for the iphone pics...I have much better ones when this bench makes its debut at the sale on May 5th, but until then....

 Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

Found Fridays {Elephanté}

You didn't really think I would make the trip back to Connecticut and not go thrifting did you?! It wasn't more than 2 hours after I stepped off the plane after a long redeye flight and no sleep that my mom and I stopped at one of her favorite weekly pitstops.  I seriously must have been channeling the need for some good luck with all the new projects we were about to start when we found this ceramic elephant {among a ton of other things}!! We named him Elephanté.  Here he is bulldozing through the rhododendrons that just bloomed in my mothers front garden. 

To the Hindu way of thought the elephant is found in the form of a Ganesha who is the god of luck, fortune, protection and is a blessing upon all new projects.  With plenty of new projects on the horizon this past week we sure needed all the luck on our side!  I can't wait to share some of them in next weeks posts!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns  

Gettin Ready: Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale!

This past weekend was all about preparing for my trip home to Connecticut. While I would love to call it a vacation its really not...I've got lots of projects planned with my mamacita in my short visit to get ready for her Bi-Annual Garden Art Sale.  With this being the second year in a row and 3rd sale we are excited to showcase more artists work, including some of my own.  So I've been working overtime here to get a small collection of pillows together as a contribution! 

The special collection I am creating all started with this fabric:  very green and garden like wouldn't you say?!

In trying to keep things light and fresh I then went on the hunt for coordinating fabrics and trim...Lucky me everything I found was a remnant of some sort so this collection stays true to my eco approach!

So off to the seamstress these go and off to Connecticut I go....stay tuned for more behind the scenes DIY stuff throughout the week!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

   

Found Fridays {green with glamour}

Another pair of chairs are off to get upholstered and boy did I get lucky on this one!! I snagged these beauties for dirt cheap at only $20 for the pair..Yes I said $20...for both..which is almost unheard of!  Being that they are missing a whole lot of caning and have a whole lot of god knows what going on with the existing upholstery these are gonna cost a pretty penny to get back into shape for sure.  But, when they're done they are gonna be green with glamour, and I guarentee your gonna be feeling green too, only with envy! With a little more tufting being added and some new velvet fabric in the perfect shade of green I might just have to keep these for my own living room!  So, when I get back in 2 weeks from some last minute trips I have planned this chair makeover will be complete and I will have some more b&a photos that I won't wanna wait to share! 

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Up For Sale! {pink and perfect}

I have been holding out on sharing some of these pics while the new e-commerce site was being built but I just can't hold it in any longer! Here is a little sneak peek at some of the items up for sale for our spring collection, I can't wait to list more so keep checking back, new items will be added daily! And that gorgeous hot pink tufted bench already sold within 2 days of being posted so don't hesitate, cause these one of kind beauties won't be around long!

All items seen here are posted for sale here on my ebay store and the clock is ticking!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Found Fridays {the inseparable duo}

 I recently found these 2 chairs, actually at separate places, but since they were so close in style I decided to make them a inseparable duo.  I could have upholstered them in different fabric but I chose to keep it simple by upholstering them in the same fabric this time.  And, while most of the time I like to just give it a new paint job, this time I chose to darken up the stain a little.  More so I did it like this because I wanted them to compliment that gorgeous hot pink tufted ottoman bench I recently shared with you.

So if you love this combo as much as I do then stay tuned cause they will be up for sale soon...or come back every friday to check out my new finds! 

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Photoshoot Inspiration: Counting Down The Minutes!

 So tomorrow is the big adventure...the much anticipated photoshoot day! With a 5am wake up call to hit the road we are all hustling here to pull together all the final details. Food props {check}, flowers {check}, pillows: just picked them up from my seamstress and they look sooo awesome, so another {check} in that department! Needless to say there are a ton more little details to consider, especially with where we are going to shoot. But since I still can't give away all the deets I would like to leave you with another inspiration pic {funny enough I found this after we planned the whole shin-dig}. With that said, keep tuned in to see all the behind the scenes pics I will be tweeting to you tomorrow!!

{image via luxe-gifts}

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

J'Adore Adore!

I love when I wake up to an inbox with a message telling me the latest issue of Adore Home Magazine is up and online!! It's by far one of my absolutely favorite digital magazines, so much so that I flip through the pages for months after to stay inspired to keep moving forward towards the bigger picture...that being said...someday I will being reading about my stuff in their mag..{I hope..no..I know}.  But in the meantime, here are some of my favorite pages {the ones I will be flipping back to for days to come}

Enoy!

 While there are soooo many more pages to swoon over I happen to choose the most colorful...maybe because we are approaching summer soon here in Southern California where things are just starting to heat up! More of the April/May issue of Adore are just a click away!   

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

Found Fridays {feeling blue}

Since I am forever and always on the hunt for some great vintage pieces with good bones I decided to bring you a weekly snapshot of the things I find each week along my travels. So lets kick it off!

This week i'm feeling blue...literally! About a week ago I found 5 of these kings crown thumbprint indiana glasses at one of my weekly pit stops.

 

But, since I couldn't settle for just 5, the hunt continued to complete the set.  With no luck at the surrounding shops I turned to ebay.  I'm actually still undecided whether or not this was a blessing or a curse! Why you ask? Well, as a  result I found more of the same glasses but I also kept finding more and more and more. Like a kid in a candy shop the bidding wars began!

As a result, the past week i've gotten 1 box after another, making it feel like christmas every day here! So what's the final count? Dare I ask myself that question as if there was one...but as of right now I have over 50 glasses with more on the way! Not only have I caught the blue bug but my mother has too :) having found a ton more on the east coast {quantity t.b.d. as soon as she unpacks all her goodies!}.  

With this thrift store find turned obsession I have plan a party so these lovely glasses get to show themselves off, and show off they will! Stay tuned for their table debut!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Photoshoot Inspiration

I shared this pic yesterday of some fabric I was using in my next vignette and boy is this one gonna be HOT!!..(hint) 

My girls and I are actually planning a photoshoot to capture it all next week but, since I can't quite yet share all the deets on the location just yet, I thought I could at least tease you with a few inspiration pics that are helping me set the scene. Do you dare to guess?!!

{image via inez and vinoodh/french vogue}

{image via agent bauer}

{image via 100 layer cake}

Till then all I can promise you is bold colors, flowy fabric, and a few magic tricks that will be sure to make you feel the heat! More inspiration pics to come as I countdown the days till the shoot, so stay tuned...

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns 

Reclaimed Wood Headboards: My Top 5

Today I woke up in a dreamy state of mind.. instead of forcing myself to ignore the fact that I wanted to stay in dream land a little longer I decided to bring that feeling tone to the blog.  The first thing that popped in to my head was these reclaimed wood DIY headboards that I have been coming across everywhere.  Such cool ideas, such hard work put into making all of these and most definitely one of my favorite eco approaches to design.  I mean, if you owned one of these wouldn't you want to stay in bed all day too?!!

Here are my top 5: along with the cats and dogs who love them too!

This one is over the top, literally!! It is by far one of my all time favorites...An installation like this allows you to hang anything you want on it...wether it be hanging lanterns from the top or planters.  It even helps you hide those electrical wires no one wants to see.  This type of headboard definitely claims center stage in this bedroom!  

{image via living etc}

I love the chevron look of this one from Brooklyn to West...its nothing like i've ever seen! Check out the story behind Brooklyn to West and all the other ways to get your hands on a headboard like this here...or eat their pasta! Thats right you read correctly, they have a restaurant too {il vecchio}...up in northern california, which I am definitely checking out on my next road trip north!

{image via brooklyn to west}

How about this one? The simplicity of just adding some gold stripes takes the basic plain reclaimed look up a notch without going overbaord.  Get the full material and instruction list on Camille Styles

{image via camille styles}

Or how about a little "love" for this one?!  Check out behind the scenes pics of this install on House Tweaking

{image via house tweaking}

And last but not least, we all have seen that gorgeous wall from Hillary Swank's Manhatten apartment in Elle Decor last fall {if you haven't yet you can check it out here}. Well, Jonathan of Happy Mundane wanted the look and conquered it with this DIY headboard project.  His step by step experience can be found here on is Happy Mundane blog.

{image via happy mundane}

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearn

Spring Countdown: Its Here!?

Faux Flowers Anyone?

 Happy first day of Spring!!! While today is so chilly it feels like anything but spring I was reminded how fortunate I am to live in sunny California...where a spring day can happen any day.  However, this presents a dilemma for all you non cali folks who may still be feeling the winter blues.. And, since I don't want you to miss out if the flowers don't happen to be blooming in your area yet here are 3 ways you can still get your dose of "garden florals": even if they aren't the real thing.. 

Paper Flowers /Fabric Flowers/Frosting Flowers

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

So are you inspired for Spring yet? Well ready or not here it is!  So if you are feeling crafty...more like daring, to take on one of these bright(and tasty) DIY projects then here are all the amazing and easy tutorials you need to get started!

 Paper Flowers DIY    Fabric Flowers DIY    Frosting Flowers DIY 

Creativley Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

Spring Countdown: Only 2 Days Left!

Floral Prints? Its on trend for sure right now not which is why I can't wait to tap in to some of the spring goodies I've purchased for my closet!  Now, the past few days I have only been talking about how to include them in your interiors but why not your wardrobe?!  The other day I got inspired when I drove by the Neiman Marcus in Bev Hills and saw this Alice and Olivia jumpsuit in the window!...Can I just say WANT....

So how are you going to include "Garden Florals" into your wardrobe this season? Happy shopping!

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns

Spring Countdown: Only 3 Days Left!

Why Not Host A Sunday Brunch?!

Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous out! Flowers have been starting to bloom and I have to admit...I really wanted to bring a little spring essence inside so I decided to have some friends over for a Sunday brunch!  Heres how I pulled it all together...with only a few hours notice and a budget!

First I took inspiration from the various colors in the flowers blooming just outside my apartment...reds, oranges and greens.  While at first glance none of these flowers looked like they coordinated with each other but I just started picking and gathering a bunch to see what would happen and this is what I got! 

A beautiful and uncontrived mix of what I learned was red calliandra( or as i call it the pom pom flower), red and white camellia, orange clivia, red gerranium, and huge green calla lily leaves to bind them all together.  Just remember..you don't have to be a professional florist or buy a ton of expensive flowers from the market...just seek and you shall find!  

Next thing I did was take some of that bargain floral fabric I found a few weeks ago and use it as my table cloth.  While I didn't have time to sew it all up and clean up the rough edges I used it anyways.  All I did was put the fabric through the wash and give it a nice hot iron.

Now to set the table....I kept things less than matchy matchy.  In fact, since I have been collecting so much vintage dishware I actually found it hard to choose just one collection to go with...so I decided to mix it up. But, if you don't have a collection of your own going, simple white dishes will do, maybe some clear vessels....really anthying! Especially when you are topping and filling them with colorful delicious food...let that be the added texture and color. Mmmm yum!
  

 So gather your favorite fruits (lots of color to work with in that department) and ask a friend to bring some croissants from a local bakery or their favorite juice and there you have it...Everyone will have something they enjoy to eat and less stress(and money) on you to buy all the goodies. 


Happy Brunching!


Creatively Yours,
Cassandra Stearns

Spring Countdown: Only 4 Days Left!

 Why Not Add A Little Art?!

Or Make Your Own..

Impressionistic or Expressionistic? Aw heck, I'm not really sure which it really is but either way I love it!  Its all about the relaxed boundarys and for me, the vagueness of things leaves more to my imagination and gives me an unreal color experience!  

So I decided to bring to you (in no particular order) some of my favorite pieces of art work done by some incredible artists, all of which can be purchased for under $100!...And you guessed it..they are all takes on garden florals that will blow your mind!

image via saatchi online
 "Red Giselle" by Hedwig Pen

image via art by autumn rose on etsy
"Eden" by Autumn Rose

image via art by autumn rose on etsy
 "Lolly Blossoms" by Autumn Rose

image via linda monfort on etsy
"Scarlet Roses" by Linda Monfort

image via saatchi online
"Red Roses and Oginski Polonaise" by Hedwig Pen

If you've been inspired by these here's How To Purchase!!

1."Red Giselle" by Hedwig Pen

2."Eden" by Autumn Rose

3."Lolly Blossoms" by Autumn Rose

4."Scarlet Roses" by Linda Monfort

5."Red Roses and Oginski Polonaise" by Hedwig Pen

Creatively Yours,

Cassandra Stearns