Weekday DIY Project: Make a Fabric Chandelier

Irwin Weiner ASID - We've been featuring weekend do-it-yourself projects lately on Design2Share, but we wanted to throw everyone a curve ball and feature an easy project to tackle during the week. A fabric chandelier makes a great DIY wedding decoration, or a fun accessory for a deck, patio, breakfast room, or children's bedroom. The project requires some scrap fabric; and you should let the eventual occasion and/or hanging location of the chandelier dictate the color and pattern of the fabric(s) you choose. Other tools are a good pair of sewing scissors, some embroidery thread and a needle, a ruler, and an embroidery hoop. 

The project also calls for some fresh greenery, but if you're going to use the chandelier as a more permanent indoor or outdoor accessory, choose dried herbs or decorative floral leaves to wrap the embroidery hoop - or simply wrap the hoop with the same fabric you're using to hang the chandelier. You can make several chandeliers for a more dramatic decorating impact at a wedding or outdoor party. Imagine several hanging down from a pergola or wafting in the breeze from the underside of tree branches! All the steps for making this chandelier are demonstrated in the following video, and you can go to the premiere

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Grandin Road's Delightful Obsession with Halloween Decor

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm told that Halloween is now second only to Christmas as the holiday that homeowners use to redecorate their homes in a holiday theme. And it's fairly evident when you go down the streets of most any town. Front yards are turned into graveyards, wispy ghosts hang from trees, and everything's coming up pumpkins and mums. 

I've made myself perfectly clear about avoiding going overboard with decorating for any holiday. I'm not a big fan of turning your home into a holiday theme park, for heaven's sake - and think of the expense! - but I'm not about to bah-humbug anyone's Halloween and begrudge you the fun of decorating. So, have your splurge, and perhaps go to an online store like Grandin Road, where their Halloween Haven has an amazingly large collection of Halloween decor, collectibles, costumes and accessories, and more. This video will preview some of their many imaginative holiday pieces, like spider web chair wrap (top photo), yard fog machines (second photo, above), and the Martha Stewart Glass Eyeball serving tray (below).

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Favorite Fire Pits to Keep You Toasty Warm in Autumn

Irwin Weiner ASID - People living in all different types of climate areas are making increased use of outdoor living spaces to extend the entertainment, relaxation, and hangout options of their homes. Fire pits help to bring warmth, coziness, beauty, and an exciting focal point to patios, pools, and backyards. We've picked some of our favorite pre-made fire pits from the outdoor furniture specialists at Home Infatuation. (You can build your own pit, of course, but sometimes it's easier to order a stylish pre-made model, like the Ak47 Design Zero Outdoor Fire Pit in the top photo.)

Barefoot Beach Fire Pit from Artisan Rick Wittrig

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Celebrating Morocco's Majorelle Gardens

Blue Workshop, Majorelle GardensJanet Ramin - The deep cobalt blues and contrasting bright lemon yellows that compose the color palette of the Majorelle Gardens appear to have stepped out of a Matisse painting. Every scene, every vista, everywhere you look could be the setting of an unforgettable painting. The Majorelle Gardens were the brainchild of French artist Jacques Majorelle, a contemporary of Henri Matisse. Majorelle envisioned a green, cool oasis amidst the hot red Marrakesh desert and proceeded to turn a mirage into reality. 

Despite a fruitful association with Morocco, Jacques Majorelle was not a native of the country, nor did he start his artistic career there. He was born and raised in Nancy, France, of a very artistic family. His father was the famous ebeniste or cabinetmaker, Louis Majorelle. His father helped found the School of Nancy – a group of designers, artists, and cabinetmakers famous for their Art Nouveau style sculptures, glasswork and cabinetry. With this background, Jacques easily moved through French artistic circles, coming into contact with many of the artists of the early twentieth century. 

(Art Nouveau style building)But when he developed tuberculosis, Majorelle was forced to move to sunnier climes, first stopping in Spain, then eventually further south, into Egypt and Morocco. This move became a turning point in his artwork – the tribal and desert scenes he encountered became the source for his Orientalist period of work. He painted Bedouin natives and life behind the walled medina. 

(Casbah by Jacques Majorelle) Majorelle eventually immersed himself with the French community in Marrakesh and by 1919 decided to settle down there. He also began to plan his oasis in the desert, the Majorelle Gardens. 

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