Hasta La Ideas

For some reason, wingback chairs have gotten an unfortunate reputation for being in the homes of the old and stuffy. Your grandfather may have had an imposing tufted leather wingback chair you wouldn’t dare touch. But the old and stuffy were definitely onto something with these chairs. They’re designed to be super comfortable and offer some great support in case you ever dose off. The winged nature of the chair gives a place for your head to rest when you start tilting to the side. Now you know why your grandfather loved that chair so much! These days, you don’t have to look stodgy when sitting in a wing chair. In fact, many styles these days mesh well with your modern decor. Some like the Painted Dot iChair with built-in speakers from PB Teen are downright playful! Another one of my favorites is the Lambert recliner for maximum comfort when reading or taking a quick nap. For more modern takes on a traditional wing style, check out my slideshow!

Jeffery Rudell is a contributor at CraftStylish, a web site devoted to inspiring projects and instructions for creating and crafting. Below, he shares a surprisingly easy-to-do design!

This little creation was sitting in the window of a small shop on a side street in New York City, and the moment I saw it I fell in love with it. The shopkeeper, however, was unwilling to sell me the display prop out of his window. He did, however, offer to show me how it was made: “It’s simple,” he assured me, and then proceeded to demonstrate that fact right at the counter of his shop. I wish that I had the benefit of a tiny video clip to prove to you just how easy this is to make. Instead, I am stuck having to make due with sequential photographs. The resulting tutorial looks much more complicated than it really is, but this is only because I have erred on the side of being thorough in my directions. Don’t be scared away from this project by the number of steps. Once you learn it, you’ll be making them with your eyes closed (or while watching TV, which is how I do it). Since I first became acquainted with this design, I have put it to use in many ways€”as paper baubles offered as ersatz thank-you notes and as wrapping for small presents; I’ve even (at a much larger scale and with the addition of a little glue) made pinatas in this manner. They also make wonderful holiday ornaments when built using foil origami papers.

All you need are six equally-sized squares of paper. I’m using 3-inch x 3-inch pieces of origami paper, but nearly anything that will take a crease nicely will suffice. I hope you enjoy this project and please let me know what uses of your own you come up with.

Click over to CraftStylish for a step-by-step guide to making your own origami Bloomin’ Box for spring!

Now matter how often you tell yourself that you absolutely need to officially act on that saving money kick you’ve been ambitiously planning for months, somehow by the end of the week you find yourself deeper in the hole than you hoped. Even when you try to behave financially and opt for a thrifty Happy Hour in place of your more extravagant night-out plans, somehow your wallet comes home empty by the end of the evening! So if over-spending is inevitable once you step foot out of the house, is the only solution to simply lock yourself up in your house and count the tiles in your ceiling? No way! Sure, desperate times call for desperate measures, but life as a hermit is never the answer! Believe it or not, plenty of fun can be had right under your own roof, especially when you involve the right company! From do-it-yourself photoshoots, movie marathons, and a homemade potluck dinner, you may not have fun for free exactly, but you’ll definitely save money and gas while staying comfy and getting the chance to tap into your creative side, too! Click READ MORE for the complete list of fun night-in ideas!

WellDressedHome.com is one of those websites that you wish you had discovered well before you did. Why? For starters, their assortment of gifts and decor is completely random, meaning you don’t have to choose between traditional, vintage, or modern when it comes to adding a personal touch to your home. Then, there’s the range of trinkets related to wine and cheese, two of my great loves in life (I’ve decided I get more than one). Plus, everything’s affordable, so choosing between a Jonathan Adler puffer fish and the foot in the door doorstop is basically a non-issue. Last week we offered you the chance to win a $250 gift certificate to WellDressedHome.com– click READ MORE to find out if you won!

I love flipping through home decor magazines and blogs to find my own home decorating inspirations. I recently went though all the tear outs I’ve saved and found that most of the pages I really liked featured rooms with lots of art. Whether it’s hanging on the walls or standing on floors and tables, a room with some nice art definitely sends a cultured vibe. But anyone who’s walked into a gallery knows that art isn’t cheap, right? Nope! There’s no need to spend your life savings on decorating your home with art. These days you can find meaningful and unique art at practically bargain basement prices. Show off your bring with some clear glass diamond shaped sculpture you can use as a paperweight or conversation piece. Short on space? A graceful bust can do double duty as a necklace holder as well. Check out my slideshow for more art you won’t have to rob a museum to get!