Fourth of July Home Dec/ Beach Pillow

Hi Everyone!!

I am so excited to share with you our first tutorial VIDEO for you guys to follow along with. Soon, you will be able to purchase everything needed for these videos in a simple kit, but until then, ill be linking up everything that we used.

We started with this AMAZING pillow, I personally can’t wait to throw it on my towel at the beach and snuggle up and tan with it! But you can definitely use it as a home dec/lounge chair pillow as well!

Here is what you will need to complete this project:

Pillow form We are using a 20″x 20″

Silver City Stripe Fabric We used 1yrd of this

Pompoms We used 6.5 yards

We also highly recommend these fabrics for this pillow:

Serape Stripe & Sunbrella Astoria Stripe

In this video we will walk you through all the steps to creating this gem! We hope you enjoy the beach vibes music and cannot wait to see what you create!!!

We want to see your final product!!! Tag us on Instagram or Facebook and hashtag #MLEVINECREATION for a chance to win some goodies!!

Need Feedback :)

Hey everyone,

I need YOUR input!!

Im new over here at Michael Levine and want to really connect with you guys in new ways.

One way I am thinking is offering DIY kits for purchase on our site. That being said, whenever we do a tutorial for something, we would offer all the contents needed in one kit, just for you!

For example, this cheetah print DIY that I have planned for you guys this week, if a kit were put together for you to reproduce it, would you be interested in purchasing it?!

LET ME KNOW! I would love to get involved with your input in any way, shape or form!

xo,

Jackie

What a find…

About 5 years ago I was leaving work and as I was driving through the alley behind the apparel store and I saw this chair siting off to the side of the road.

Something about it, probably the carving and detail work, stopped me in my tracks. I put my car in park & got out to take a better look.

The arm that was “missing” was  actually on the pavement and the upholstery was slashed, but besides that the chair was in pretty good condition. I picked it right up and put it in my car. Thank goodness I have a big car to schlep the children around. It really came in handy. I was so happy with my find, but in the house we were in I had no place to put it so it went into the garage. Year after year, it moved houses twice, I would look at it and think how cool it was how I found it. I would admire the detail work, and yet I would leave it in the garage. Finally, when we moved into this new house I knew I had to use it.  It would be perfect in the entry. I decided even though I had no idea how I was going to redo it, I was going to put it out. This would force me to do something with it. Well 9 months have gone by and I am ready to get on with it. I found beautiful fabric, very similar to the original, and a great light blue/aqua gimp (we will be putting Home Decor trim online asap). I have to add a side note here; while I am so glad we have an online store, sometimes, if you are close enough to come in, you can find these great small rolls, that are not re-orederable, but just perfect for the project you’re working on. This is one of those cases.

The only thing I am undecided on is how to refinish the wood. I love the natural look of it. It is beautifully distressed and part of me wants to just put a clear coat on, reupholster it, and call it a day. The other part of me, the fun, add some uniqueness and color , wants to do either a cream/white wash or a blue/aqua wash on it. Mostly on the carved areas. I think a full lacquer would be too much, but some color may be a really nice contrast to our Great Grandmother’s antique hall tree and my dads mahogany piano stool. (I shipped this stool from Antigua when I went for a visit. It was sitting outside a hurricane destroyed home and it was still in amazing shape. My dad, as well as all his cousins, took piano lessons on that stool. It is like having a little piece of my families history in my entry.) Here is a picture of the still very blank entry.

This is the next area I want to focus on. It needs a rug, thinking round, and probably a few antique family picture as well as a beautiful picture from my wedding. The wall to the left has french doors and the drapes are going to be this fabric…

Usually I am so decisive, but for some reason this is giving me a hard time.  Here are a few pics I found online that come close to what I am looking for, but none of them are exactly what I’m imagining in my mind.

In general I like the feel of this entry. The mix of the white wash table with the more modern glass lamps and the interesting wood mirror. It is relaxed, but also current and fresh.

This one is too much blue, but I do like the bold pop of color.

This one has just a touch of blue mixed with the white. I worry the white will just blend into the white molding.

This is a little more blue, but still very subtle.

Any thoughts would be welcome. I don’t want to make the chair too country or too shabby chic looking. The house has a contemporary beach vibe to it. There is a lot of molding and Cape Cod features, but the fireplace and kitchen are more on the modern side. To get a better feel of the house take a look here and here. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Enjoy!

Pillow, dog bed, or kid magnet?

When “Best In Show” came in, we all thought it was a great new Home Decorating print. Robin thought it would make the cute dog bed, so off she went.  She combined it with our brand new chenille fabric and a winning combination appeared. Making a pillow or dog bed is a pretty quick project that can infuse some pattern and color into any room. Here are a few pictures of the pillow coming together….

 

As anyone with children knows, the best toy is something that was not intended to be used as a toy. It can be the shoe box from you new shoes or the work pillow I brought home to photograph. I came home and left the pillow on the fire-place to photograph later that day. When I came downstairs this is what I found…

It immediately became a great place for Sarah to play. Before I knew it the doll was out and the pillow was not mine any more.  As you’ll see below, she took her dogs and gave them a dog bed. Needless to say it took a few days to get the pillow back to work with. It is now in the window for you to see, but let me tell you Sarah was  not happy about it. While the intention was a dog bed, it would also be a great throw pillow if it was a bit smaller, but for Sarah it was a great comfy new play place. I guess you’ll have to make up your own mind, dog bed, couch cushion, or perfect play place?

Enjoy!

Fabric Friday, August 8-9-13…

Fabric Friday

How is it Friday again? The weeks just fly by here. Every time I take a warehouse walk there is so much new fabric that it is amazing. Here are a few new products that we just got in. Just a reminder these fabrics are not online yet. They are the newest of the new. I have linked to where they will show up in a few days. We also update the new arrivals page every week. This a another great way to keep on top of all the new product that we’re putting online.

We have had a few people ask us to put ribbing online. We love to hear your feedback. I went to our main warehouse, found some cotton ribbing,
as well as some rayon ribbing and here are a few. They will all be online next week.

I love this laminated cotton. It is right on trend with the chevron print and the bright colors.

 This collection called Tailor Made, from Timeless Treasures, is a beautiful flannel and has a great hand. The textured prints really have dimension.
They look like a textured knit as opposed to a flannel print. Really cool!

Since we just blogged a great romper in a silk charmuese, I thought we would put a few more options online.
Some of these are silk charmuese and some are poly charmuese. We’re always looking out for every shopper and their individual budgetary needs.

 Here’s a new basic from Riley Blake called Small Gingham.

The double-faced wool is just gorgeous! Perfect addition to your fall wardrobe.

This beautiful modern collection from Michael Miller is called Waterfront. It was designed by Violet Craft and is clean and fresh. I love the combination of the bridge,
the geometric, the cherry blossom tree, and the birds. They all compliment each other so well.

While I can’t believe summer is coming to an end, we always have a few warm weeks in September & October. If you’re still looking to make a swimsuit here are some beautiful,
made in Italy, solid swimwear. It is also great for activewear, yoga pants, dancewear, and cycling shorts. Make sure to take a look online. I love that we have both shiny & matte.

Here are a few beautiful textured home decorating fabrics from P. Kaufman. The two multi colored ones come backed. They are 80% viscose and 20% cotton. They are backed with 100% polyester.
They would make amazing pillows, dinning room chairs, and more.

You will be seeing some adorable pajama bottoms on our blog  from this fabric soon. We have so many new flannels, but who doesn’t like Dr. Seuss?
This new collection, from Robert Kaufman, called Cat in the Hat 2, is really bright and perfect for either a boy or girl.

We just received a large batch of new cottons from Alexander Henry. I will be showing more on Facebook this week. They range from Christmas, to Folklorico, to skulls, to Pin Up’s, and a few things in between.
They have some really great novelty prints! This one is called Sea Sirens.  It’s a bit naughty, but also so nice. Love these mermaids!

Since the mermaids were for the guys, here is one for the ladies. Hurry Down the Chimney has 3 prints and they all feature the abs that Santa only wishes he had!

So that is it for this week. Since it was a really heavy cotton print week I will post more on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Have a great weekend!

Enjoy!

The first fabric Friday…

I was supposed to be relaxing on the beach, with a drink in my hand, but instead, due to tropical storm Flossie, I’m back at my desk typing. I am disappointed to say the least, but work must go on.  We’re hoping to reschedule, but so far we’re not having an easy time of it. Anyway, today we want to show you some of the new products that just hit our warehouse and should be online by next week. I will show the link to where they will go when they are online. Remember it takes us about a week from warehouse to online. Thank for your patience, it will be worth it. The licensed cotton prints are perfect for children’s decor, accessories, and apparel. The apparel fabrics have an amazing feel. I know they are going to sell quickly. When I was photographing them in the retail store people couldn’t keep their hands off them. The new home decorating fabrics have are beautiful. The navy embroidered one is so classic. A few of the home decor fabrics are linen blends. I always love the look of linen blends. For me they read as relaxed, airy and timeless.

Cotton Prints

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham

Licensed Cotton Prints

Hello Kitty

Modascapes

Kyoto Garden

Apparel

Double Knit

Eyelet

Stretch Denim

Sweater Knit

Voile prints

Striped Knits

Home Decorating

PKaufman

Just a reminder that our cotton prints and our flannel prints are 10% off everyday. Also this month, August 1st through August 31st, the entire Home Decorating store, as well as the entire Home Decorating section online, is 20% off.  To top it off, if you order more than $75.00 online you get free shipping everyday. What a deal! Next week I’ll have some new notion products to show you as well as more fabric. See you next Friday!

Thanks for checking in.

Enjoy!

Dream House, Construction, Part II

So finally the worst was over. The major dust had settled and it was time to watch the pretty stuff roll in. This island, in Winter Cloud Quartzite, made me so happy. It gave me the loook of Carrera Marble, with all the durability one needs when you have three children. Especially one five year old who loves to paint and craft.

During the building process I was always walking through the home decorating store and looking at fabric. I was just waiting for that one piece of fabric to jump out at me and finally it did.

This Braemore fabric had everything I was looking for. The house has an East Coast feel, yet has many modern touches. I wanted to use various shades of turquoise throughtout the house and keep the walls pretty nuetral. It gave me a relaxed beach feel and reminded me of our travels to Hawaii, without being kitchy, yeIt it felt fresh and modern. It was perfect and I was so excited! I am so glad I found this so early in the process. It really influenced many of my choices. My wall color is the light taupe grey and the hardwood floor is the dark brown.

 The backsplash behind the range and in the kitchen, laundry/mudroom, and the girls bathroom are all different shades and shapes of turquoise and green glass tile .

 The house is pretty open and only has one living space. It is anchored with a long firebox, book shelves, and a television. The stone I picked out, Silverwood Marble, is also a taupe grey/brown that works really well with the fabric.

Honestly, for the first few months I wasn’t sure when this fabric would show up, but I always knew I would use it. As the months went by and my piece traveled to every store with me, I finally had that ah-ha moment. It would be perfect for the drapes in the dining space. Now that we just got a couch, which sits ajacent to the dining space, I am planning on using it for a few of the decorative sofa cushions.

Next week we will be making the pillows for the kitchen banquet. From the kitchen you can see the living and dinning area, so I am still usng some turquoise, but will be adding a pop of red to go with the red bar stools abd banquet chairs.

Check out our Instagram account to see the fabrics I finally decided on yesterday. I really love them and think they will bring this space to life.

Enjoy!

The streets of New York

Being in New York is a mix of chaos and beauty at all times. As I walk from Mid Town to Soho I hear horns and music from a street musician, I see trash on the sidewalks and beautiful cabbage plants growing in the center divider.

I smell subway fumes

and bakery delights.

I have to say every time I visit New York I truly enjoy myself. Yesterday on my walk I was inspired by some of the great windows I saw or the shops I went into. I just want to share a few pictures with you. Hopefully they will inspire you too.

I love this bed from Jonathan Adler. While there is no way I can afford this, I love the shape of the headboard and the mix of pillows. A subtle nod to Morocco. I think I can achieve the same look in my new master bedroom for 1/3 of the price by shopping lower priced stores and/or making a few of my own pillows with our fabric.

These chairs were right in the front of the store. The chevron is still going strong. So many stores in Soho were featuring it. I like the look, maybe even just for an ottoman. We are getting more & more home decorating fabric everyday.

Another trend that is still going strong is the spike. I saw them on so many types of shoes and in so many different store windows. Of course there was the standard spike,there was also a great skull on the flat, and then the surprise was the spiked converse. Check out our spikes and studs, both in store & online.

                                                               

One of the stores I always visit while in New York is the ABC Carpet & Home store. Again very pricey, but always inspiring. This time they were in full swing for Christmas so I had to look for home items that were not all about the holidays. The one thing they had tons of were pillows. Every color pallet you could think of was represented. I just snapped a few pictures.  I loved the idea of infusing these bright colors throughout my house, yet being able to change it up easily if I tire of them. The pinks were so fun.

As were the neutrals with their texture and metallic pops. I know we just received a few metallic Jacquard that would work great.

Another thing they were doing a lot of was making fairly small pillows out of a variety of sequins or sea beaded fabric. Many of them were in holiday colors, but here are a few that were not. Again, a fun pop for any room especially if you’re having a holiday party. Even a runner made with what someone else would use for their party dress will add glam to any table. 

Lastly, felting was popular. I saw felted scarfs and big flowers that really were just a fun accent for the home, but these children’s shoes/slippers really caught my eye. They were so colorful and fun. 

Here’s a blog that has very similar elf slippers. They are made with Cascade 220. Check out all our colors. So many options.

Also here is a free pattern for the elf slippers.

Of course, there were so many great apparel items. I could have taken picture after picture, but my husband got tired of losing me when I would stop to take pictures when he wouldn’t realize & would just keep walking. It was comedy after awhile. Here are three of my favorite pieces.

                              

I love the nubbiness of the sweater wraps. The three looks in the Rebecca Taylor window are all so chic. I wish you could see the last look better. I love the sequin jacket with the skinny black pant. So simple and put together. Lastly, I had to represent the faux fur that was everywhere in New York. I also love the crop leather jacket!

Well that is it. I’m on my way home. Hopefully we will get back next fall and I will bring you more from the streets.

Fur Pillow

Love this fur pillow or the Ikat one? One of our buyers spotted them at Barneys New York. Want one too? You can make them with fabric from our website. We have great fur and Ikat. Enjoy!

While at Barneys New York, #2

This ottoman and pouf covered in faux fur are beautiful! You can find fabric to cover your piece at lowpricefabric.com!