Pepper Design Blog - Page 307 of 358 - A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

Shabby Chic {Handmade Paper Rosettes}

January 28, 2010

I love when you find inspiration in the most unexpected of places… the other day I was thinking about those little accordion paper fans I used to make as a little girl by folding up 8 1/2×11 sheets of white printer paper. They might turn into turkey tails for Thanksgiving or maybe even folded hearts for Valentine’s Day.

I found this lovely inspiration board (below) at Paper Crave and it brought me right back to the 2nd grade. The grown-up version of paper accordions comes in the form of folded maps, book pages or antique wallpaper.

I really love the simple way these accordion paper poms fit into every type of party decor. I can imagine them delicately hung above a wedding reception dance floor, lined neatly over a bridal shower dessert buffet or in bright & bold hues for a child’s birthday party.

The rosette ‘table confetti’ is my favorite. And how pretty are the button and brooch centerpieces? A little pearl bead would be perfect.

Once Wed designed an entire grey, green & pink dinner party around this theme (see top top photo), and design*sponge shares it here. To make your own paper accordion rosette, Paper Source provides a free downloadable pdf. And finally, a super easy DIY awaits after the jump! Continue reading →

{A New Launch}: Pepper Design Studio

January 26, 2010

After a long-awaited formal introduction… I’d like to take a moment today to announce that Pepper Design Blog is launching Pepper Design Studio: a small graphic design venture aimed at assisting fellow bloggers with all elements of successful and clean graphic design improvements (ranging from buttons & banners to WordPress migration).

I noticed a niche that needed attention in our blogging world: many bloggers are fantastic writers who build beautiful stories and inspiration through their posts, but not all of us are graphic design ‘experts’ (and having that ace in your back pocket can be helpful for everything from blog design to fixing that pesky html code for your blog button.) That’s where ‘The Studio’ will fit in. The goal is to be that quick assist for clean, easy & pretty design collaboration available to the everyday blogger (or business-minded individual) without having to hire a full-time ‘web master’ (aka: $$$).

While I build out a fancier ‘media kit’, please see my more informal introduction under ‘The Studio’ link next to ‘Home’ and ‘About’ on the top navigation bar.

And be sure to check out a recent WordPress migration for Alexis over at MadeByLex – built and designed with both aesthetics and user-friendly navigation in mind. The site represents her classic style, and the custom theme and buttons showcase her creations for the world (all elements were customized based off of hand-picked inspiration by Alexis). For comparison, her older Blogger template is on the left.

{On that note, I’d love to hear what your favorite blog layouts are? Are there any blogs that you absolutely love for the friendly interface and general ‘usability’? And on the flip side, any aspects of popular blogs that you detest?} I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Take care, everyone!

Favorite Fabric: Heather Bailey

January 25, 2010

I found this beautiful collection by Heather Bailey (shared by All Things Lovely) and thought it would be an ideal addition to PDB’s Favorite Fabrics (see the right hand sidebar button for the entire list to browse). If fabrics with names like ‘kissing booth’, ‘porch swing’ and ‘sugar mallow’ don’t make you smile, the country chic-meets-retro prints most definitely will.

Her latest line: Nicey Jane, is a feminine kickback to all things your grandmother probably loved (you might find yourself reminiscing about a window treatment or two!).

I’d adore a quilt made out of big patches of her entire collection.