DIY: Homemade Seat Cushion Covers

Linda Grasso - While visiting a home in seaside La Jolla a few weeks ago, my eye was immediately drawn to this lovely outdoor patio ensemble - specifically the colorful purple, blue, and green seat cushion covers. When I asked the hostess where she purchased them, I was surprised to discover she not only made them herself, but she created them from napkins!

"I fell in love with these wonderful Provence-inspired dinner napkins that an interior designer brought over. She got them from from La Maisonette on Girard in downtown La Jolla. I thought, I love the bold colors together - why couldn't they be seat cushion covers? And I just had them sewn together! Quite frankly, I'm thrilled at the result!"  

So, are we!

Linda Grasso is the energetic engine that drives SheSez. Her site exemplifies great living, with a California flair, for women of style and substance. Its mission is to inform, inspire, and entertain. Linda says,

We love sharing the unique, interesting, cutting-edge things west coast women are doing. Women all over the world look at California for ideas and inspiration from beauty to health to style. They want to replicate our open-air lifestyle, amidst such breathtaking natural beauty: the ocean, sun, mountains, warm weather. Let's face it, west coast women lead the way for progressive living - whether it's practicing alternative medicine or the latest type of Yoga, we aren't afraid to try something new.

Make Simple Flower Arrangements from Your Garden

Linda Grasso - There's nothing as lovely as having flowers indoors. It brightens up a room and brings a little spring inside. That being said, not everyone wants to spend a lot of money for short-living flowers, no matter how beautiful!  

One of the things I've always enjoyed doing is using my garden for arrangements. Your yard doesn't need to be as impressive as Martha Stewart's and it doesn't always have to be about flowers. Think outside the box! You might have gorgeous camilla bushes in bloom like me - but the flowers are so heavy and the branches are short and leggy. No worries. Make a short and fat arrangement like the one I made below, resting the heavy flowers on the edge of the "vase." This container is actually an old pencil jar my son used at one time.

Sometimes I use fresh spices growing in the garden or pretty branches or leaves from a tree. Right now my calla lillies have just started to bloom. I have a few flowers but I'm not ready to cut them. Instead, I'll go for an arrangement of the tall, majestic leaves.  

Get creative with containers too. I spotted this old silver-plated lazy susan-type tray of bottles in an antique store while visiting my Dad and his wife in Maryland a few years ago. They surprised me by sending it to me as a gift. What to do with it? For awhile I had vinegars and oils in it by the stove, but it seemed to get in the way. Instead, I use it for arrangements, clipping whatever I have in the yard - in this case dahlias - and putting it in the little bottles. I've also used some fresh spices - see the mint peeking out of the top? Remember when you use little bottles like this, you have to refresh the water every day or two.  

I bought the antique basket below for $5 while in La Jolla last summer. I bought some mums from Trader Joe's and then covered the top with fresh moss. The colorful display lasted for about two weeks. Then I took the flower pots out - hacked them back to the quick - and put them aside outside under a sprinkler until they re-bloomed about 4 months later. They then came back inside for another show.

So, grab your clippers, open your eyes, and head outside. Your yard and its treasures will surprise you.

Linda Grasso is the energetic engine that drives SheSez. Her site exemplifies great living, with a California flair, for women of style and substance. Its mission is to inform, inspire, and entertain. Linda says,

We love sharing the unique, interesting, cutting-edge things west coast women are doing. Women all over the world look at California for ideas and inspiration from beauty to health to style. They want to replicate our open-air lifestyle, amidst such breathtaking natural beauty: the ocean, sun, mountains, warm weather. Let's face it, west coast women lead the way for progressive living - whether it's practicing alternative medicine or the latest type of Yoga, we aren't afraid to try something new.