A Wink of Leather || First Flip of 2019

Welcome back StyleMutts! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with family, friends, and food-but-not-too-much-so-you-feel-bloated food.

I myself tackled several projects around the house between Christmas and New Years (as I often like to do) and realized something...  It’s not so much the time off I enjoy most this time of year, but the moments leading up to a new year where all the challenges from the past year become eclipsed by the possibilities of the next.  What projects will I tackle? What ways will I surprise myself? What trouble will I get myself in to and then have to figure my way out of?

I like this mixture of hope and possibility.  And I’m not-so-much hoping I’ll become someone new or a better version of myself in 2019, I just want to keep being me. Doing what I love. With the people I love. And I recognize that I’m blessed already for having been doing just that all through 2018.

And I love what I do with you - sharing finished pieces or new ideas and pushing myself to try something I’ve never done before.  Friends, I managed to squeeze in one last project in 2018 to be the first project to share in the new year!

Meet Blondie:

She’s not much too look at - just a neon shade of yellow wood finish but she had great lines so I brought her home to the workshop.  One of the things that stood out to me most was that she had such tall legs - and I got to thinking... I could really have some fun with that.

First order of business: paint.  The original buttered wood wasn’t doing her any favors so I went with a good neutral: Silver Drop by Behr.

The color is a soft blend of white and a delicate light gray.  It’s not too harsh but still very warm and fresh.

To play up the height of the legs, I decided to add some interest with a “wink of leather” as Chelsea would say.

I added crossing leather straps in an X shape that are secured to each leg.  They are completely removable if you need the under dresser storage but add such a fun surprise detail to an otherwise “Plain Jane.”

Let’s take a closer look shall we? 

Originally I tried riveting the leather together  but couldn’t get the straps to bind so I ended up using brass screws with a nut on the back to hold them taut and in place. 

I also replaced the original ring pulls with bright brass whistle knobs.

I love using these knobs in projects to give a easy modern upgrade (like here and here).

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece, this White + Leather moment is available for sale!  Email my contact info below for purchasing or third-party shipping options.

White + Leather Dresser
Now Available for Sale
63”L x 18”D x 34”H
$695

 If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Leather Edition ||Reader Round-Up||

Um can you tell Chelsea and I are [slightly] obsessed with ALL THINGS LEATHER?  No?  Well then, you must be new [and welcome btw] ;)   

We love leather so much so that we invited you here and here to jump on the leather bandwagon and share your juiciest leather decor touches with us.  And I am pleased to say that thanks to your submissions, we have quite the reader round up to share today!

How genius is Anna @annabode of Annabode + Co's classy leather touch on such a stunningly simple DIY?  Who says you have to settle for the cheap plastic door stopper when you can have this!

It's been way too long since I've done a #DIY post! Feels good to get my hands dirty again. 🎨✂️📏🔨. Here's a sneak peek of what's coming up on @homemadebycarmona next week...any guesses?? #stylemuttsloveleather

A photo posted by Anna Elyce Smith (@annabode) on Mar 19, 2015 at 6:09am PDT

And the mystery #DIY is....a door wedge! Simple, easy, and oh-so-good. Learn how to make it using scrap wood on @homemadebycarmona today! 🚪✋ #stylemuttsloveleather

A photo posted by Anna Elyce Smith (@annabode) on Mar 23, 2015 at 6:13am PDT

Corinna from A Designer at Home [@adesignerathome] made a snazzy new lamp shade with some simple leather embellishments:

I know I've shared my leather reupholstered chairs a ton lately, so I thought I'd share this oldie for the #stylemuttsloveleather tag. @primitiveandproper tagged me to share a leather piece and it was hard to narrow one down without bombarding with another chair pic. I "reupholstered" a cheapo lamp shade with a faux leather fabric and hand stitched those swanky darker pleather diamonds atop. I friggin love it even if it was a labor of love. I'm sure @sgardnerstyle @domicile37 @ericareitman want to jump in on this. You guys know the @chelsea_stylemutthome @cate_stylemutthome duo are amazeballs!

A photo posted by Corinna Ashley (@adesignerathome) on Oct 27, 2015 at 11:59am PDT

Denise  from The Painted Home [@thepaintedhome] and Laura [@misplacedtexan] creatively use belts when not employing them as a fashion accessory:

Why yes...yes I do love me some leather! #stylemuttsloveleather

A photo posted by Denise Sabia (@thepaintedhome) on Oct 27, 2015 at 9:24am PDT

This is one of the first decor things I posted on IG. It's my little mama's favorite belt. I tied it around my curtains in the lake house laundry room. She passed away in 2010, but I know she'd be tickled that I used her belt in my decor. I love seeing it every day. Submitting to @chelsea_stylemutthome @cate_stylemutthome new hashtag #stylemuttsloveleather ❤️ #day #leather #leathercraft #easydiy #curtains #belt #remembrance #lakehouse #lodge #farmhouse #cottage #plaid #drapes #rustic #rustichome #fabric #tieback

A photo posted by Laura (@misplacedtexan) on Oct 21, 2015 at 9:33am PDT

And who doesn't love a cute leather bench slash small-space coffee table submitted by Liv [@Liv_Berg_]:

McStreamy is back on the market ya'll. snatch him up for a steal of a deal...more pics in my feed 👍🏼 DM me for deets; promise you'll never find a professionally renovated, furnished vintage for this price again! #airstream #liveriveted #myliverivetedlife #vintageairstream #forsale #glamping #camplife #trailer #home #adventure #homeiswhereyouparkit #outdoors #explore #pendleton #travel #tinyhouse #tinyhouseforsale #stylemuttsloveleather

A photo posted by Liv Berg (@liv_berg_) on Oct 24, 2015 at 3:31pm PDT

Gypsy life🌻 #airstream #Pendleton #liveriveted #explore #tinyhousemovement #adventure #travel #vintage #interiordesign #decor #gypsy #boho #wander #nomad #67Overlander #mcstreamy #remodel #small #simple #ontheroad #maxxlife #airstreamdreams #stylemuttsloveleather

A photo posted by Liv Berg (@liv_berg_) on Jul 14, 2015 at 9:57am PDT

Cassie of Primitive and Proper [@primitiveandproper] rehabs a cane-backed chair with a sexy leather seat:

I was tagged by @cate_stylemutthome to share a #leather #diy idea for #stylemuttsloveleather . I painted this chair gold and covered the seat in leather a couple years ago and still love it! This also gave me a chance to show off my new pillow from dharma jewel in #mysticct . It was a steal at $29 and is imported crewel work bison. Now I want to see your favorite leather DIY @sarahmdorseydesigns @adesignerathome @the_gathered_home . Make sure to use the tag above from @cate_stylemutthome and @chelsea_stylemutthome ! #bison #gold #leatherchair #pillow #design

A photo posted by Cassie Bustamante (@primitiveandproper) on Oct 27, 2015 at 9:22am PDT

And Ashley of Bigger Than the Three of Us [@ashley_biggerthanthethreeofus] KILLS IT with these sleek and simple leather cushions: 

I've never worked with leather before but I'm now the biggest fan! Seriously, I'm all like 😍😍 for my newest project! It's on the blog so make sure to stop by.

A photo posted by Ashley (@ashley_biggerthanthethreeofus) on Nov 3, 2015 at 4:52am PST

Thank you all for submitting such F A B U L O U S leather decor!  And we hope you all will continue to use the hashtag and join in the love-of-leather fun: #stylemuttsloveleather.

StyleMutt Home: Leather Edition ||Belts||

Hi All! Grab a cuppa and get comfortable; it's the post you didn't know you've been waiting for. Cate and I are pretty darn excited to be sharing our love for leather here during this magical time of year. Leather is kind of a big deal around here. Among all the nitty gritty logistical details of starting up our cozy design resource business, leather was right up there as one of the first topics we knew we wanted to cover - not just thoroughly, but annually! And not just by ourselves, but with guests! Because no leather party is fun to attend alone. (I'm assuming. Can anyone out there attest? Anyone?)

So it's a funny little dream of ours to hit hard with leather every year. Don't question the dream, it just is. Who's on board? We want to know what you've done with leather in your home. The sky is the limit! We're looking for people to share their leather projects here so if you've got one, send it along to admin@stylemutthome.com or tag #StyleMuttsLoveLeather on Facebook or Instagram!

I've got the sweet pleasure of kicking things off today with some budget friendly belt projects! Cate will be stopping in next week with a leather project of her own that she's recently whipped up, so stay tuned!

Anyways, belts! Use what you have or find these thrifted beauties for pocket change. Belts are such a cost effective way of adding a snap of leather to your decor, and I'm excited to share three uses I've enjoyed trying for my own home. These are listed in order of most difficult to least. And the most difficult one is only because you have to pull out a drill. Big whoop - it's still a piece of cake!

1. Update hardware on an existing piece of furniture with leather tab pulls! How? Figure out how many pulls you need, measure your belt, and divide the measurement by how many pulls you need. (Okay, so I forgot about the division when we were discussing the level of difficulty. Hang with me creative arts majors!) Whatever number you get is how long each tab will be. Cut with strong shears or scissors. Then, use your drill to drill a hole through both ends of the tab, (fold the tab in half to do this so the holes are lined up). Finally, affix to your piece with nuts and bolts!

2. Hang a round clock or mirror! So you don't need a power tool for this one, but you do need a hot glue gun. All you do is lay the belt out flat, pretty side down, then squeeze the hot glue directly over the center line of the belt as you roll the clock on right over the glue. Make sure you leave enough belt loose to hang your new updated piece by!

3. Belt a pillow. No dangerous power tools, no scalding hot glue, this one is about as lazy as it gets, folks; my favorite kind of DIY! I tried this a few years back when we were celebrating our first Christmas in our home. We'd spent what we could on used, thrifted furniture for our house. By the time the holidays were rolling around I tried to think hard of how to get our home festive using what we had. I wrapped some floral pillows in plaid blankets and belted our white ones, shown here, in a few of my own belts. It's such a subtle touch but it's just enough to make magic happen.

Now it's your turn! We want ALLLL the leather projects you've got to share. Don't forget, tag #StyleMuttsLoveLeather on Facebook or Instagram, or send them to admin@stylemutthome.com. This isn't so we can 'Ooh' and 'Aah' for our own sake, (naturally we'll be doing that anyway since it's our second language) - this is to share here and spread that inspiration around! We will credit every project back to you here and our social media channels.

Thank you all so much for stopping by! Can't wait to see what you come up with!