Sometimes I rather fancy myself a matchmaker of sorts. I like to pair raw pieces with the right refinish and then pair refinished pieces with the right buyer. I’m like the Hitch of furniture if you will. I’ve even been known to take lonely-heart items in my workshop and fix them up together (remember my light fixture family tree for example?).

I didn’t originally plan to pair this dresser and nightstand together, but the longer they sat next to each other in the workshop, the more I realized their clean lines and tapered legs “spoke the same language” as we like to say. Both had debilitating body damage that made paint inevitable. The dresser had some serious scratching and that nightstand - some water damage (did you see the glaring chunk of missing veneer?). So I decided to bring them together in holy refinishing matrimony.

Both pieces were perfect candidates for a coat of “Black Boudoir” by Behr - a favorite inky blue/ black shade that plays well with brass hardware and warm wood tones.

Although their original stains were similar, I sanded both sets of legs down to their skivvies and gave them a buttery wax finish.

Ok so I might be a bit of a one-trick pony. In addition to the repeat color pallet, I also deployed a favorite for the hardware - these Amazon.com brass whistle knobs have made their appearance here and here - oh yeah and here too. But really people - I am who I am *insert shoulder shrug emoji here*

For the styling, I had a fun opportunity to play with a new-to-me product: an oversized tapestry from Tapart - a company that sells modern tapestries by independent artists. The silky quality to the tapestries almost makes it feel more like a vintage scarf than a wall hanging, but they adds an easy punch to any space and have a variety of designs from surreal to graphic, abstract to cheeky matras.

I love to play around with art in our home but sometimes I catch myself craving something with a HUGE impact (just preferably not to my wallet). I mean, how many of you have resorted to hanging a sarong on the dorm room wall for this very reason? Well save your sarong for the beach ladies - you can still keep your wall décor casual with this hanging piece of fabric while simultaneously offering up some upscale visual impact.

It’s no wonder that Tapart and it’s contemporaries at Urban Outfitters and Society6 are now offering tapestries as a simply stylish way to dress your vertical décor space.

What I love most about this company is that each tapestry supports the artist who designed it as an alternative way for them to sell their work.

TapArt is an online marketplace of artists. We handle and market our artist's designs while they focus on what they do best - creating artwork.

thetapart.com

Check out their variety of inventory here and if you see something you like, use the code catestyle-20 to get a 20% discount. Oh! And hit me up if you are interested in these inky newlyweds or would like to here more about our purchase and shipping options.

Inky Dresser + Nightstand
Now Available for Sale
Dresser: 34”W x 19”D x 45.5”H
Nightstand: 24”W x 15”D x 23.5”H
$695 for the set

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Well, well, well. Look who's back with another DIY tassel project. Another one, you say? Why yes! Most of you are probably fortunate enough to have missed or forgotten the last time I made tassels. Some four years ago I scarred my family for life when I stuck these beauts all over our house. Literally. Oh, I was proud. Those kitchen ones are no joke LOL!

I recently went on a quest to find something large scale for a big wall in our living room. I had some short white shelves pushed up against it and a few small things hung above those, but the ceiling is so high and this wall so grand, my little vignette wasn't doing this side of the room any favors. I wanted to play up the large scale of the wall with something proportionately....large! After seeing this image on Pinterest, I knew what I wanted to try.

So I had to ask myself. Can tassels be redeemed?

For this project I used yarn rather than fabric. The steps above show you exactly how I made each tassel:

1) Wrap the yarn around some 8-12" object 15-30 times around. I tried to vary the size of each tassel and didn't keep an accurate count of how many times I went around. I just knew some would be fuller than others. 2) Pull the ring of yarn off the object. 3) Grab ring somewhere in the middle and tie a string or twine around it. 4) Cut the opposite end of the yarn ring open. 5) Gather the bundle together 6) Grab at the twine/string you tied around the ring and wrap a nice little 'neck' of twine/string about 2-3" below that

Then tie about 6' long pieces of string to a wooden dowel. I got mine from Home Depot and stained it. Space the strings about 2" apart.

Hold the wooden dowel with the strings up on the wall where you'd like it to go, and make sure to use a level! It's hard to eyeball something this large when you're right up on it. Mark the ends where you want your nails/hooks to go.

I hung mine on two large nails at either end but this part could go so many different directions. Only after hanging the dowel with the strings tied to it do you want to tie on your tassels. When it's up on the wall you'll be able to see better the scale and where you want the tassels to start. Don't over think as you're tying the tassels on - a piece like this shouldn't be too methodical but rather soft and organic.

It's definitely the strong focal point I was looking for to carry that wall! This piece speaks the same language, (as Cate says), as the trendy wall weavings that you can find just about everywhere, but at less than $20 to make myself it was less of a financial investment for something that, let's be honest, may only be in our home for a season. Our home is my place of inspiration - it's where I try out new ideas and styles and see how things can work together. This is where I can really stretch my creativity without risking a client's trust or budget.

So, what do you think? Have I redeemed tassels under our roof? Well, my sons think they look like octopuses, my daughter says they're dolls, and in my blessed husbands own words, "It's okay." LOL! Interpret as you wish.

Thank you all for coming by!