try not to labor too much

The only thing better than heading into a weekend is knowing it is a three-day weekend. Summer is slipping through our fingers so soak up every last minute of it.

For those in the US - happy labor day! And for all of my other friends, happy weekend!

i HATE my maytag dishwasher

I am so behind. I've got piles of work to do, emails to answer and projects to finish amongst other things. So if you are waiting on an email from me I'm sorry I haven't responded yet.

But for the moment I just have to vent and let you know that I HATE MY DISHWASHER.

We have a Maytag QuietSeries and it has sucked from the first month we got it.

It doesn't clean dishes but actually leaves so much goo on them that they are often worse when we take them out. There is never a load that I don't have to re-wash at least a quarter of the items again. Now I know I am not a mechanical engineer but I was under the impression that a dishwasher was supposed to...wash!

The prongs inside the racks started to rust and fall off within six months of purchasing it brand new from the Maytag store.

We've called and emailed and I can tell you that Maytag customer service doesn't know how to clean up a mess any better than their dishwashers do. They gave us gems like 'read the manual' or 'call a repair man'. I felt supported.

Then, about two years into our hate/hate relationship we got a letter from Maytag saying that the dishwasher was being recalled for a faulty drying system (that isn't all that is faulty about it Maytag). They offered to send a repair man free of charge to fix this issue (and only that issue) OR issue us a $100 credit toward a new dishwasher. However, that new dishwasher had to be at least $300 more than we paid for our existing dishwasher.

I am not buying a single thing from Maytag again so that credit was of course thrown out. I've spoken to others who have had similar issues with Maytag. I guess misery loves company.

Do you have any dishwasher recommendations? Had any problems with an appliance in your house? Ever wanted to strangle an inanimate object?

yep, that pier 1

This is a big week for me. I've got my first photo shoot and I'm pretty excited. It's too early to divulge any details (as soon as I can promise) but I will say that my sourcing adventures have led me to a place I hardly ever go.

Pier 1.

Crazy, I know. I posted this picture on Instagram (you should totally follow me btw, we'll have great fun together) and everyone was as surprised as I was to find such goodness at old Pier 1.

Look what other lovelies I found.

Next time you're out running errands, stop in. You might be surprised.

Happy Monday!

new sponsor - arianna belle

What better way to wrap up unofficial 'pillow week' with my official pillow source? A lot of you probably already know about Arianna Belle, maker of all things lovely, and if you don't you'll thank me in a minute.

I found Arianna way back when while doing one of my late night Etsy pillow searches. (I know how to have a good time) She created my Schumacher Ric Rac pillow and I've been a member of her fan club ever since.

Girlfriend can create anything you can dream up, her work is impeccable and her taste is spot on. Here are some I've added to my wish list. (take notes hubs)

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

Check out her shop and prepare to drool. Welcome Arianna Belle to the LBD family, I'm happy you are here!

Interested in a sponsorship with little black door? Email me!

ribbon trim pillow diy

So last week I was all about bathrooms and this week it appears that pillows are the flavor of the day. But then again, when aren't pillows my jam? Never. The answer to that question is never.

My pillows pinterest board (say that five times fast) is full of wish list pillows and fabrics to make into more pillows. But since my Publishers Clearing House check still has not arrived, I need to get...creative on how to make these pillows happen.

1 // 2

Case in point.

I love these pillows long time. But they are a bit out of budget. So one day while drooling I thought, "I've got pillow cases and I've got ribbon, how hard can this be?"

The answer - it was so easy I almost feel foolish to share the step by step. Almost.

I started with a simple white pillow cover from IKEA (the Ritva, for only $7). I love the Ritva because its cheap (duh), it has great texture and a nice boarder.

Next was the ribbon - I sifted thru my stash and decided on this navy and white ribbon I used way back when. And if you remember that post you must be my mom as I'm pretty sure my mom was the only one reading this thing back then.

First step - layout your base lines and cut the ribbon/trim to size. I decided to use the natural boarder on the pillow as my 'end' which allowed me to get nice straight edges.

Second step - balance. What is that weird thing in the bottom of the picture? It's a tape measure. I know, weird and very uncharacteristic of me. But I wanted this to be as pretty as I imagined it in my head and for the design to work properly it does need to be accurate. Never a favorite word of mine, but I did it. The measurements themselves are totally arbitrary but once I decided on one side what looked best, I made sure to measure that same spacing out everywhere else.

Step three - add your diamond pieces. You will want to make sure that they meet precisely in the middle of the pillow on each of the four sides to ensure your pattern isn't lopsided. I'm not a fan of lopsided pillows.

Once everything is in place, grab that trusty fabric glue and go to town. Oh, and I did cut down each end and then iron the end of the ribbon to the underside of said ribbon in order to prevent fraying and give it that 'perfect' edge.

And it's (say it with me) just that easy!

Zoey is photo bombing my beauty shot. Don't focus on the dog, look at the pretty pillows. Ooohh. Ahhhh.

Very little work for very big impact. And so fast. I was done in 20 minutes. Give it a go, you know you wanna.

So I've used the words preciously, exact and measurements all in the same post. Doesn't sound like me at all. I must be growing, or hallucinating.

Are you precise with your DIY projects? Ever try a different path for your projects?

weekend progress

It's Monday again. Joy.

How was your weekend? Mine was jam packed.

I finished some curtains for a client and they are ironed and ready to deliver today.

We transplanted the almost-dead hydrangeas to a spot in my yard where I know hydrangeas thrive and put in something else. (which needs to be trimmed)

We had a last weekend of summer campout in the backyard which was a huge hit, even if the hub's back is still paying for it.

I made a pillow with my new trim from Fringe Market. And when I say made I mean that I glued the trim onto a plain white pillow cover from IKEA. That's my kind of sewing.

If you don't know about Fringe Market yet you need to. They have amazing trims in all different colors and patterns, they will do any type of custom order you need and they are some of the nicest people of Etsy. Trust that I'll be ordering much more from them. Love them.

And we ended the weekend with a campfire and some neighborly BBQ. Now I've got to get ready for Amelia to start Kindergarten tomorrow. Wahoo!!! How is it possible to have a child in Kindergarten when I'm still a young dewy 18 year old myself?!

How was your weekend? Glue anything? Burn anything? Brave the back to school section at Target?

colorful shower curtains

Obviously I've got bathrooms on the brain as this is the second time this week I've written about them. All those pretty pictures have inspired me to do a bit of a refresh on my loo.

Full disclosure, I've already painted. (I'll share that soon) But I want to do more. For those who might not have seen it before, or who don't remember, we are talking about a rather petite space - check it out here - and it is our single solitary bathroom. That's right, go ahead and shed a tear for me.

So it will remain rather clean (in theory) and simple but I love the idea of giving a little pop with the shower curtain.

Natalie Clayman

Design Manifest

Bailey McCarthy via Rue Magazine

Kristen Ewart

You can barely peek at that wonderful pink herringbone shower curtain, but you can see how it finishes the space. Its also the bathroom in one of my all time favorite houses btw.

Tobi Fairley via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Jonathan Adler

M.E. Beck Design

Anna Spiro via Pinterest

So what do you think? Would you inject some color and (gasp) pattern into your shower curtain? Or do you like the classic crisp look of white? Are you a one curtain person, or a one curtain on each side kind of house?

refinishing the bench - part 2

So the bench.

When last we left our story (read part 1 here), it looked something like this.

After all the sanding was complete, and my tears were dried, I called over my mom and dad to take a look at what I was working with. After decades of refinishing furniture and selling it, they are like the experts on Antique Roadshow. I bring them things, they tell me the good/bad news and then I jump for joy or kick them out of the house, depending on their answer.

The verdict - it was determined I was looking at a piece made of at least two different types of wood. Damn you furniture!

But after a cool down period I realized/remembered that this is not a fancy piece. This is backwoods furniture y'all. The people sitting in these pews were most likely in their farmer overalls rather than suits so it was never meant to be a fine antique.

So I gave in and decided I couldn't fight an old church pew. (its probably sacrilegious or something) It will be whatever it is. After all, I have it (and love it) because of its history, not its beauty.

So all though some spots never came out, no matter how much I sanded, I decided it was time to move on and stain. Embrace the character. Embrace the character. (this is my staining the bench mantra)

And after three coats of stain and two coats of clear polyurethane here she is. Some of her red paint still shows thru (some wood 'released' the paint better than others) and I like that. It is a reminder of how it looked as I grew up and my little nod to all the years my parents had it.

Ignore that table behind the bench and those lamps, that's a whole other post.

This isn't a tutorial on refinishing (obviously) but rather just a tale to remember that not all furniture will cooperate with your plan. And sometimes that's for the best. Love what you have and it will work for you.

Have you ever had a bossy piece of furniture that wouldn't cooperate? 

best of pinterest - bathrooms

Happy Monday y'all. Raise your hand if you could have used an extra day this weekend. Me too. And thanks to everyone for your ideas on the battle of the dying hydrangeas. I think I've found a solution which I'll share as soon as I get around to fixing it.

But for today, let's talk pretty bathrooms. I've had bathrooms on the brain lately, must be all of that potty training madness, so I thought we could ease into the week with some eye candy.

I like the idea of a his and her sink but with each side having a bit of its own personality. Especially since right now all we have is one his/her/her/her sink.

A large shower would be fun because this is a dream and why not have a large shower.

And of course a soaking tub with a view so I can look out at the ocean just beyond my pool.

In a master bath I like the idea of keeping everything white

and then adding some amazing fixtures

and marble. Some sort of marble.

The room will be bathed in natural light thanks to a skylight or two. (C'mon, that was a good Monday morning pun.)

And the cherry on top, some wonderful scones

Yes, it might be a lot of space for CoCo to clean. but he loves to stay busy. And since he makes his own organic cleaning solution, the whole place is left smelling like lavender. That CoCo, he's the best.

How about you? What does your dream bathroom look like?
And don't forget to come back on Wednesday to see how the bench turned out.

Find more great bathroom idea on my Pinterest board.