Textile and Decor

Fireplace for $4.99! Really?

2011-10-09T17:00:00.003-04:00

The fireplace video is almost as good as real, with few significant improvements: it costs only 4.99, secondly – it does not require firewood, and more – it does not make your room a mess. But most importantly – you can take it with you, from your office to the living room, to your bedroom.

Download Fireplace Video 16:9 ISO file safely from DreamHost.com.

Galerie 240

2011-04-01T15:47:00.004-04:00

This painting by artist, singer and songwriter Tom Wilson of Lee Harvey Osmond and Blackie and the Rodeo Kings is represented in Galerie 240 at 240 Guigues Avenue in Ottawa.

I was lucky enough to be invited to exhibit my decorative pillows in the Galerie 240.

This pillow made of wool fabric with silk Poppy flowers is from my new collection "Floral Inspiration" and could be enjoyed and purchased as well at Galerie 240.

The pillow with Tulip is from same collection as above.

The ruff cotton behind the delicate silk flower, the beautiful Spring colors and original design make this one of a kind pillow a must have. Please visit the gallery to enjoy this pillow.

Combination of textured fabric and shiny silk in dark gray with soft frill in pink is so pretty!

Need a name for the pillow: any suggestion?

Steel and Flesh?

This one I call "Crazy Pillow". It is unexpected, playful approach to a decor.

Also could be seen at the Galerie 240.

This one is a total fun! The walking bird is adorable!

This pillow could be used inside or outside the house. It is made of outdoor fabrics.

Galerie 240 is the place to see the pillow.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my creatins.

Decorative pillows

Decorative pillows from Waverly screen printed cotton

2011-02-25T12:38:00.002-05:00

Set of two decorative pillows, made from Waverly screen printed cotton are the new addition to my Etsy shop.
Pattern name "Harmony" Colors: blue, green, light blue and off white.
Size 11" x 17"

Decorative pillows

New Decorative Pillow Cover with Red Birds on Dark Gray Wool Fabric

2011-02-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

Decorative Pillow Cover with 2 Red Birds on Dark Gray 75% Wool /25% nylon blend fabric. Birds are from wool/polyester blend fabric. Clutches stitched with 100% wool yarn.

Pillow cover size 14" x 20"
Zipper closure.

Tranquillity Video

2011-01-11T13:25:00.003-05:00

My husband has just published his DVD title Serene Stream #1. He is a TV cameraman on weekdays. This was his weekend project. We went to the park for a day, and he shot a series of beautiful scenes of the small river going over the rocks and through the woods.

Here is a 3 minute sample on Youtube. Full 45 min long DVD plays as a loop and works great as a relaxation and meditation video. It serves as a great background video when you get tired of the fireplace or a cottage lake on the cable.

Unfortunately the DVD is currently unavailable, I will keep you posted.

Decorative Pillow/Cushion with Red Poppy Flowers Design

2010-08-13T12:29:00.000-04:00


Red Poppy Pillow by LenkArt

Pillow made of 100% good quality upholstery weight cotton.
The Poppy Flowers are appliques and embellished with "free" motion embroidery technique.

"GREEN'' PILLOWS

2010-06-27T17:01:00.001-04:00

Just finished those two very green pillows: they are green in color and they made from cotton, very Eco friendly.
Modern design and trendy colors.

Available at Etsy.com

1. Decorative Pillow Green Grass and Vegetables

2. Decorative Pillow with Polka Dots

Another fun pillow with bird design

2010-03-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

Decorative pillow/cushion with red bird design on the gold/ochre background.

Made of 100% good quality upholstery weight cotton. Invisible zipper closure.
The bird is embellished with free motion embroidery technique.

Silk Decorative Pillow Cover with 3D effect insert in the middle, 16 x 16 inches

2010-01-30T19:49:00.004-05:00

I had this idea for a couple of month in my head and wanted to try it, but was extremely busy with other commercial sewing projects. Finaly one Friday, just put the work aside and tried few different techniques on silk fabrics and was pleasantly surprised with outcome of the pieces. I finally decided to use one of them in the pillow.
This is my original design, so it is very unique and one of a kind.
This pillow will make any chair or sofa a focal point of the room.

Silk Decorative Pillow Cover with 3D effect insert in the middle, 16 x 16 inches. Colours are khaki and burgundy.

Pillow cover has invisible zipper closure, and contrasting piping all around. Professionally finished.
Back is khaki colour.

Cute Silk Decorative Pillow

2009-11-15T13:27:00.003-05:00

8" x 17" Silk Decorative Pillow with Yo-Yo Flowers and Red Bead.
This pillow made with good quality silk and lined with polycotton fabric for better appearance and durability.

Hand sewn closure.
This pillow one of a kind and designed and sewn by me.

Staffed with 100% white new polyester fill.

This pillow is a jewelry for your chair, sofa or bed.

ArtFire - new place to sell handmade

2009-10-28T13:14:00.005-04:00

Check out the new site to buy handmade. And sell handmade for free.

Pillows for Pink Army Auction

2009-09-27T22:19:00.006-04:00

LenkArt has taken part in a Pink Army run to support breast cancer in Ottawa, the Capital of Canada. A-Morning anchors Lianne Laing, Kurt Stoodley and Sandra Blaikie auction a set of pillows donated to a fundraiser.

Decorative pillow, cushion with red bird design and embroidery ( free motion embriodery)

2009-09-27T19:10:00.003-04:00

Isn't this decorative pillow just cute?
Hand made and originally designed, this pillow is one of a kind.

It is available at www.lenkart.etsy.com

Red bird for adoption

2009-09-13T17:08:00.005-04:00

Decorative pillow/cushion with bird design

Made of 100% good quality upholstery weight cotton. Invisible zipper closure.
The bird is embellished with free motion embroidery technique.

Size 15" x 15"
Pillow has polyester pillow insert.
Invisible zipper closure for easier access to the pillow insert for cleaning purpose.
Back is just same black cotton fabric.

Decorative pillows

New Set of Two Coordinating Decorative Pillow/Cushion Covers for Home Decor

2009-08-22T12:57:00.003-04:00

Two New Handmade Contemporary Pillow Covers from Designer fabric.

They are made of good quality designer polyester fabric and has a self-piping all around.

Pillow cover has invisible zipper closure and measures 18" x 18".

Decorative pillows

Pillow cover size 18" x 18".

New addition to my pillow collection

2009-06-21T18:14:00.004-04:00

Decorative pillow/cushion with bird design. Available at Etsy.com

Made of 100% good quality cotton. Invisible zipper closure.
The bird is embellished with free motion embroidery technique.

Size 15" x 15"

Decorative pillows

Decorative Pillow "Portrait Of A Cow"

2009-04-30T11:46:00.003-04:00

My cow is unique and one of a kind.
I called it "Portrait Of A Cow", because every cow deserves to have a portrait - they all are hard workers and supply us milk.

It was inspired by two different sources: the paint ad and a fabric with cow prints.

This pillow was created from 100% cotton fabric and polyester felt. Pillow size is 14" x 14" with polyester pillow insert and hidden zipper for easy removal for cleaning.

If you want to adopt this cute cow, feel free to visit one of following links to do so: www.lenkart.etsy.com or www.lenkart.com

Decorative pillows

My Pillow Design

2009-02-16T20:38:00.007-05:00

My pillow design was used to create this beautiful decor for model home.

Interior Decorator Marisa Ciamprone-Tiwari created this gray, black, white and red coloured decor. You can visit her website at www.casacose.com to see more of her creations. Casa & Cose Designs is Ottawa, Ontario based business.

I was so proud Marisa chose my pillow design and asked me to sew the real pillows for this model home.
You could see more of my creations at www.lenkart.com or www.etsy.com

Decorative pillows

Upholstered Seat

2008-12-07T22:09:00.004-05:00

Upholstered seat covered with black and white indoor/outdoor fabric. Black covered button and black lip cord adding an additional details and nicely finish the seat.

custom drapery
Decorative pillows

Just Cute Pillow...

2008-11-02T18:41:00.004-05:00

Isn't it adorable?

A little pillow for perfect finishing touch for the couch or chair in a nursery or little girl room. Made of 100% cotton striped fabric and linen/ cotton mix in a middle with pink palm tree appliqué.

Available at ETSY.com

Decorative pillows

Thai Pleat

2008-10-23T22:22:00.006-04:00

This is a new pleat to use on draperies. It is different and fresh.
Those pleats take more fabric than pinch pleats, so be prepared to spend more money on a fabric.

custom drapery

Minutes Matter Rendering

2008-10-13T23:21:00.003-04:00

Italian Strung on Eyebrow Window

Just was playing with Minutes Matter Studio again. This is amazing software to help imagine the look of a new window treatments on your windows.
Next time I will try to do a rendering on a photograph.

custom drapery

Enhance your living space

2008-09-21T07:39:00.003-04:00

Enhance your living space with this beautiful pillow cover!

This beautiful and colourful pillow cover made from cotton will brighten up any room. The same fabric featured on the front and back.

This pillow cover measures 16" x 16" and closes with a zipper.

Decorative pillows

CRAZY PILLOW

2008-09-09T12:38:00.007-04:00

I started to sew this crazy pillow about three months ago, but for some reason put it aside. A couple of days ago I found this unfinished decorative pillow and decided to finally finish it.

Now you can see the name is right - Crazy Pillow You could buy this pillow at ETSY.com

www.lenkart.com

Decorative pillows

MM Studio - new rendering

2008-09-09T12:32:00.004-04:00

Just couldn't stop playing and trying to produce renderings.
So exited to be able to learn and design custom window treatments with MM Studio.
I am in process of discovering new resources for the custom window treatments designing.

www.customdrapery.ca

custom drapery

Minutes Matter Studio - software for window treatments design.

2008-08-30T21:24:00.008-04:00

Minutes Matter Studio is a computer program to help clients to visualize their dream window treatments and designers/ decorators to create the best renderings, illustrate the effects of a custom design before fabrication begins in the workroom.
This program maximizes the design process, saves hours of time during consultations and eliminates costly communication errors!

I just started to play with this program and in ten minutes I created a simple rendering for two storey window:

It is just a beginning and a long way to achieve knowledge and perfection, but the tutorial for this program will help me with my goal.
www.customdrapery.ca

custom drapery

My pillow was featured in Artful Blogging Magazine

2008-07-14T09:21:00.007-04:00

February brought the opportunity to participate in ONE World-ONE Heart Event.
So I got a chance to showcase my pillow and my blog to the whole world and I grabbed the chance with both hands.

The participation not only brought a lot of creative visitors to my blog, but also gave me unexpected exposure in Artful Blogging Magazine.

Below is a picture of the pillow I was offering to win in ONE World-ONE Heart Event.

To read more about this wonderful event please go to http://oneworldevent.blogspot.com

Web community

Drapery Heading - Part Three

2008-07-01T14:56:00.004-04:00

Just found two more interesting drapery headings for draperies.

Cartridge pleats:

Box pleats with a button:

Pictures are borrowed from following website: www.draperyconnection.com

custom drapery

Draperies headings - part two

2008-05-25T13:36:00.011-04:00

Goblet pleats are another very elegant type of decorative pleats for draperies. Pleats fall from each goblet and can be stuffed with an interlining or stiff buckram placed inside each pleat to ensure shape.

Cut-away goblet pleat with a button

Goblet pleats with a button

Simple goblet pleats

Goblet pleats have a rich, elegant and sophisticated appearance and look wonderful with most décors. f

custom drapery

Draperies headings - part one

2008-03-29T12:51:00.009-04:00

When you think about draperies heading - what first come to your mind?

Pinch pleats?

But there are many other types of pleats and headings are available. Even a pinch pleats can have some twist with little details like covered button or tassel.

I will try to showcase as much draperies heading ideas as I could find through the books, internet and magazines.

1. Pinch pleats are the most commonly used pleats to finish drapery heading. Pinch pleats offer a uniform fold and a tailored look. Two and one and a half times fullness is standard.
Traditional

Pinch Pleats with Buttons

Pinch Pleats with Little Rosettes

Pinch Pleats with Tassels

Now I will go and try to find more ideas for pleats.
So stay tuned...
custom drapery

Decorative Accent Pillow ''Princess''

2008-03-10T19:06:00.009-04:00

This pillow was originally designed and hand made.

Hot! This decorative pillow in hot pink colour is essential accessory for princess room.

Size: 11”x17”
Fabric: Twill looking fabric made of 100% polyester, embellishments – polyester taffeta.
Stuffing:100% new white polyester. Hand sewn closure.

Decorative pillows

HAND MADE ART

2008-03-03T21:49:00.007-05:00

Hand made cross stitched art is unique and affordable wall art.
For a long time people were embellishing their clothes and household items with hand embroideries.
This traditional cross stitch design was cross stitched about 10 years ago.
Another sample of my work is about 11 years old and pattern was found in special edition magazine by "Burda"

I agree, that cross stitching is time consuming craft, but it give you a surcease in your everyday crazy life.
I found this free and fun cross stitch text generator at Magic Robot Cross Stitch website.
So sit, stitch and enjoy!

ARTISAN of the World Catalogue

2008-02-29T10:30:00.008-05:00

ARTISAN of the World Catalogue is a guide to Handmade online shopping. It was created by
"Artisanimpact" designers and team and dedicated to the many artists whose own crafts are a work of art.
ArtisanImpact.com is a handmade jewelry shop in Montreal, Canada. The designers put aside time to create this catalogue.

Catalogue features many talented artists and crafters who sell at Etsy.com
Lenkart was featured on page 18, and I am very proud!

selling online

What can you do with narrow stripes of fabric leftovers?

2008-02-15T15:49:00.010-05:00

What can you do with narrow stripes of fabric leftovers?

In my opinion even tiny pieces of fabric could be used to produce beautiful things.
I have 2.5” wide stripes of nice silk fabric, and I don’t want to waste them, because the fabric is pretty and it is a natural silk.

Below are my original sketches for decorative pillows to be made out of those stripes and other tiny leftovers.

I decided I want to start with decorative pillow with white window. I even found a name for this pillow – Night Window.

Here is the first part of that pillow:

Next I added several stripes of silk. I call this parquet technique:

Than I added more stripes on the other side of the “window”:

Now I have to decide what technique to use for the back side of the pillow. Should I use the same parquet technique, or just to sew stripes along or use a whole piece of silk fabric to make the back of the pillow?

I will let you know after I make my decision, and I will post the photo of the finished pillow as well. So, stay tuned.

Decorative pillows

And the winner of my 2008 OWOH giveaway is:

2008-02-14T19:02:00.004-05:00

Thank you all for participating and your lovely comments about my pillow cover. For those, who interested to see more of my creations or even want to bay them, there are two places: www.LenkArt.com and my Etsy shop.

Music please!

And the winner of my 2008 OWOH giveaway is: Danielle

Danielle said...

Beautiful pillow cover. I'm partial to red so I absolutely love this. Please enter me in your drawing. collectiveelements at gmail.com
February 8, 2008 1:43 PM

She won Originally Designed Decorative Pillow Cover made by designer Elena Filippova.

I will ask Danielle to send me picture of this pillow at her place, and if she will send it to me, I will post it on my blog.

ONE World-ONE Heart give away

My Pillow Featured in Treasury on ETSY !

2008-02-12T22:05:00.004-05:00

My Pillow Featured in Treasury on ETSY !
Follow this link to see it: http://www.etsy.com/treasury
etsy

ONE World-ONE Heart Event

2008-02-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

"What IS ONE World-ONE Heart?

It is a blog-wide giveaway event. The original idea behind this was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. Last years event had nearly 100 participants and many connections were made because of it......friendships that are still going strong."

Thanks to Stasi Rose for sharing an information about this event on her blog.
Lisa Oceandreamer is your host for this event and there is more information about the event: OWOH has a blog which lists all the blogs involved and gives the details.

You need to participate until February 13, 2008 and leave your name and join in each blog’s give-away.

How to participate and win:

1. Write a comment ( a nice one, please) about my pillow cover.
2. Leave your name in the comment
2. Leave you e-mail address in the comment, make sure your email address is a valid one and not one of the no-reply ones.

This information will be used to chose a winner and contact the winner for further information, such as shipping address, full name, etc.

I will accept all entries until February 13th and then the winner will be announced on February 14th and then your gift will be shipped to you!
There are no hidden fees - you will not have to pay insurance, shipping. But you may be responsible for any customs fees or taxes your country might impose.

What will you win : Originally Designed Decorative Pillow Cover made by designer Elena Filippova

This pillow cover is one of a kind. There no other pillow cover like this one exist.

Information about pillow cover:

Size: 15”x15”.
Fabric: 100% polyester.
Zipper closure.
Hand Made. Dry cleaning recommended.

How I will chose a winner? Old method: hat and numbers!

Happy winning! Please don't forget to include your name and e-mail in your comment. Thank you,

Elena

ONE World-ONE Heart give away

New Linings - The Next Evolution

2008-02-01T17:31:00.000-05:00

Alendel Fabric Limited introducing the latest innovation in Drapery Lining.

Texline Napped

This new lining has sateen front side of the fabric, while on the back side , the fibers have been raised combining Interlining and Lining together.
It is made of 50% Polyester/50% Cotton, has crease resistant finish and available in White or Ivory color.
This is a nice lining to use, especially with thin fabrics. It will help to have fuller body and better drapability.

Waterline

Another new product is Waterline lining with Crease Resistant , Water and Stain Repellent Finish which helps prevent your draperies from condensation, fading and sun rot.
It is 50% Polyester/50% Cotton mix and available in two colors: White or Ivory.

This Next - Social Shopping

2008-01-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

Lenkart.com products now showcased on www.thisnext com. If you are looking for new trends in home decor, design or fashion it is the place to stop and shop!

I hope to see you at www.thisnext.com

selling online

Powder Room Makeover

2008-01-05T13:55:00.001-05:00

Before renovation walls were covered with very dated wallpaper. But it wasn't the problem.

Problem was that wallpaper was glued directly to the drywall panels. While removing the wallpaper walls were damaged and it was hard to make them smooth again, all imperfections were visible.
To hide that problem, we used a faux paint technique and it worked perfectly.

New tiles, counter top and light fixture were added to finish the look.

wall paint

Etsy - place to buy hand made.

2007-12-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

Etsy.com is a place to buy and sell hand made. It opened its "doors" in 2005 and became very popular all around the world very fast. Artists, photographers, crafters of all kind, designers are exhibiting and selling their unique items through Etsy.

Visit Etsy yourself and see beautiful work of creative people.

selling online

New Decorative Pillow in "Black & White" Collection by LenkArt

2007-12-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Decorative Pillow Cover "Absolute" is a new addition in "Black and White" Collection offered by www.LenkArt.com.

This accent pillow cover with sophisticated sheen of the white silk fabric and the rich black stripes will add contemporary element to your home decor.

“Black and White” Collection features decorative pillows which combine the traditional luxury of natural Silk and contemporary clean line design.

Decorative pillows

Book " Simple Cushions" by Katrin Cargill

2007-11-29T09:31:00.000-05:00

This book is full of interesting ideas and step-by-step projects for over 100 cushions of all shapes and sizes.
Includes 20 illustrated instructions to make your own cushions and decorative pillows.
For those, who don't know how to sew, but want to add a few cushions to their home decor , book will give various ideas and inspiration.
Katrin Cargill is also an author of The Soft Furnishing Book, The soft Furnishing Workbook and Pure Country.

Decorative pillows

Try-a-Window-Treatment

2007-11-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

I found this good tool to plan your decorating projects and chose the colours you like for your walls, window treatments, rods and furniture:

Color This!

"Now you can try your hand at designer decorating. Our Color This! suite lets you choose paint colors for your interior walls and exterior siding, along with fabric, window treatments, flooring, roof color, trim, and more. Simply choose and apply the colors and materials, then save your rooms to view later, print on a color printer, or e-mail to a friend. Design, plan, or just have fun!" http://www.bhg.com

window treatments

Dress Your Naked Windows!

2007-11-21T14:36:00.000-05:00

Window treatments add visual interest to any windows and rooms. Naked windows are looking empty and unfinished.

You don't need to cover entire window to achive finished look. Top treatments, such as valances, dress the windows and give them softer, more decorative look.

Swags and jabots showed below added warmth to the living room. The treatment made of natural silk and lined.

Swags and jabots are complicated window treatments and require professional approach.

window treatments

Stylish Way to Dress Your Naked Windows

2007-11-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

Window treatments styles and forms change in popularity from time to time. The advantage of Roman shades is that they never seem to go out of style with their clean, sophisticated lines.

Roman shades are one of the most stylish and very efficient and practical way to add a touch of elegance to all of your windows.

Roman shades can be used as a standalone window treatment fitted outside the window or fitted inside the window recess and combined with curtains and top treatments for a layered look.

The range of fabrics and colors available in a market will allow customizing the look to any desired style you might have. Roman shades are a simple and practical window treatment to accent a room or to provide privacy and protection from bright sun.

window treatments
home decor

Book: Vintage Fabric Style

2007-11-03T13:24:00.000-04:00

I found this book and decided to add it to my large collection of books about sewing and inteior decor.
Authors are Lucinda Ganderton and Rose Hummick.

Book is full of stylish ideas and projects for your home, using quilts and flea market finds . Book contain many pictures of decorative pillows made of vintage fabrics, bed covers, a padded jewelry box and table linens.
I found a website on a back of the book: www.rylandpeters.com

inrerior decor

Door knobs, handles, fingerplates, door pulls and pretty well everything you could imagine putting on a door.

2007-11-01T18:49:00.000-04:00

One thing many people forget to think about in their houses are the doors, which is strange really because doors are the first and last thing that people will see.
I found some very elegant door furniture at a British company called Drummonds. They make door knobs, handles, fingerplates, door pulls and pretty well everything you could imagine putting on a door.

All their door hardware is made of solid brass by an ancient manufacturing method called the 'lost wax process' but it can be plated with chrome or nickel for a more modern effect.

Shown below are two of Drummonds door knobs, one in chrome,

and one elaborate copy of an original door knob from an old English country house that comes with a matching escutcheon.

door knobs

Hand Made Pledge

2007-10-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

It is very interesting to browse through the web. So many talented people and people with passion to do hand made items.
hand made

How Many Is Too Many?

2007-10-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

How many decorative pillows do you have on your sofa?
One, three, five or seven? How many would be too many?
I love pillows and I have five of them on my sectional and I want to add more.

I am going to add 2 or 3 more in the near future. Stay tuned.

decor
decorative pillows

Art & Decoration magazine

2007-10-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

I found this Art & Decoration magazine in Costco store on Quebec side. The magazine is printed in France!

I have heard before that Europeans are using more decorative pillows, than people do here in North America. But after checking the magazine through I see it for myself now. This is true, they use decorative pillows more often, and they use pillow styles different from America as well.

I love decorative pillows and I have a lot on my bed, and I plan to add new ones to my sectional sofa in living room.

decorative pillows

Choosing the right size for your new decorative pillows.

2007-10-06T12:14:00.000-04:00

How would you decide what size of a decorative pillow is right for your chair? Not too big, not too small, but just the one, which fits perfectly?

First decide what shape you want. Personally myself I would exclude the round one to be used in a chair. It would be suitable for a sofa, but not for a chair. It brings us to basic options of square, triangular or rectangular decorative pillow shape.

Let’s say, you decide to use a square pillow for your chair. How would you decide on a size? Right – you measure the chair first to find out how mush space you have for your decorative pillow. And you need to remember about harmony and proportions. If the chair is small and you want a big pillow for it – it would be out of scale. Same thing with the big chair: if you put a tiny pillow there, it will be lost and also look out of scale. Are you saying that you adore that little pillow and want to use it any way?

Well, you have few options: you can ignore that proportions are wrong and enjoy it anyway. Or you could add another bigger pillow and put this tiny one in front of a bigger pillow. You should remember that visual appearance of stuffed pillow will be smaller, than its measurements. Why? Because the measurements are given for flat pillow cover, but after being stuffed its outer lines get smaller. For example 16” x 16” pillow will take about 14” of a chair space. And you need to leave some space on both sides of a pillow, so it does not look squeezed into the chair.

How to choose between square and rectangular shape? Consider the height of a chair back. For taller chairs I would use square ones, for shorter chairs I would prefer the rectangular one.

But, hey, aren’t the rules made to be broken?

interior decor

Bedroom Makeover - Part Two.

2007-09-23T13:59:00.000-04:00

I found this chair in the garbage 9 years ago. I liked it then, and I like it now. But fabric was very old and dated , so I decided to reupholster it myself. Fabric choice wasn't difficult, I already had draperies and decorative pillows from same fabric.

It took me a while to take all the staples out. I used old fabric parts as my template to cut new fabric.

It was my first experience with the upholstery, but I think I have achieved what I wanted.
It may be not perfect, but it is my home and my chair and I love it the way it is.

I called this "Horse Pillow". I know, it does not exist in the nature - the horse with leopard skin pattern, but the fringe on this decorative pillow reminds me of a horse mane.

Bedroom decor

Wild and Beautiful. Bedroom makeower - part one.

2007-09-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

Animal prints - some people love it, others hate. We are all different, thank god! Otherwise we would all end up having same colours, fabrics and furniture in the same houses. Would not that be a nightmare!

Let's go back to animal prints.

Those beautiful full operational draperies are made of leopard print faux fur fabric. The little valance covers and hides inexpensive I-Beam rod. It has small drop size for a reason. There is only 6" above the patio door leading to a balcony, and the owners are relatively toll.

The chair and the ottoman were reupholstered with the same fabric to keep the animal print theme. The ottoman provides a sitting place in the morning and a storage surface for the bed cover and decorative pillows over night.

Colours on the bed cover and on pillows are in harmony with colours on the draperies. For sewing enthusiasts it will be easy to make draperies and decorative pillows. Even upholstery probably won't be a problem.

If you are not sure about your skills, I would recommend to hire a professional to do the job.

Bedroom decor

Is Black and White a New Trend in Home Décor?

2007-09-09T16:48:00.000-04:00

It seems everyone is offering black-and-white decorative accessories nowadays.

Was not black-and-white around before? May be I wasn’t looking for white and black items and just didn’t noticed them?
Lately I was going through my collection of Burda Magazines I’ve collected over the years and suddenly found these beautiful dresses made in black and white. Magazine I found the dresses in is November 2003 issue of Burda. That means I have had it since 2003, but probably was not paying attention all that time.

In 2005-2006 I’ve designed a collection of decorative pillows in Black and White silk. Look at the pictures of the 2003 dresses and my 2007 pillows.

Do you see the similarity?

I do not have the pillow similar to the next dress, but may be I should make one?

I am wondering, how strong the influence of fashion industry is on interior décor? I have feeling that it takes about 2-4 years for colours, fabric patterns and textures from fashion industry to be adopted in Home Décor field.

Below are black and white decorative accessories that I have found in various local stores in Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Ikea store (right):

Loblaws (right):

Zellers (right):

LenkArt.com offers a whole collection of Black and White Decorative pillows for those who love clean lines of contemporary décor style.

interior decor

Custom Wall Art

2007-09-03T10:47:00.001-04:00

Whether you are moving into new house or renovating your old good place, it's worth consider the wall art. Wall art is an integral part of interior decor and can't be ignored. In my opinion it's as important as a wall color or the choice of the sofa fabric.

From this point you can choose from the closest department store or from an art gallery. The choice is yours: either a mass replica of Mona Lisa or unique work of unknown artist. Often both options may cost you same money.

Featured here are the two art works by Andrei Filippov: Fireworks #1 (above) and Hydraulics (below). Both are photograph prints available in custom sizes and finishes, framed or non-framed from ImageKind.

wall art

Decorative Pillows for Children Room Decor.

2007-08-28T10:07:00.000-04:00

So many styles of decorative pillows for children are available on the market, that it is hard to decide which one to buy. Start with defining overall style of the room you want to achieve. Than look at the decorative pillow and decide for yourself: will it suit the style you've chosen for your kids room?

Would you like to have fun and funky style for your children room decor or you'd prefer your kid to be surrounded by more elegant style?
Another thing to consider: would you buy the cheap one made in China or custom made decorative pillows for your kid space?

You could find a lot of decorative ideas online. Nowadays you can buy decorative pillows online. This new way of shopping saves your time, gas for your car and finally environment.

decorative pillows for kids

You Said It Vinyl Lettering

2007-08-23T18:17:00.001-04:00

Want to put the piece of wisdom on the wall? Your name? Congratulations? Corporate slogan?

I have recently found featured on Curbly interesting wall phrase service. You can create your own quote or choose from the library of Wall Phrases.

You Said It vinyl lettering is an on-line source for adhesive pre-spaced lettering and graphics that can quickly and easily be created for walls, boards, cars, glass doors, mirrors, plates... you name it!

Wall Art from Leftovers

2007-08-12T21:37:00.001-04:00

This collage was created from leftovers of my other project (bed cover). I had a lot of fun doing it.
denim art

Silk Decorative Pillow "Black Ears"

2007-08-12T18:55:00.001-04:00

This decorative throw pillow made of natural silk.
It looks like a circle in the middle, but it is not a circle. If you put it flat, you will see that black parts are triangles.
silk pillow

Textile for Textile

2007-08-10T20:40:00.001-04:00

Textile promotion works well for textile decor. I have ordered few t-shirts with the name of my online pillow store on the front side from Vistaprint. Good job!
print t-shirt

Fabrics for Children's Bedroom

2007-08-06T12:08:00.001-04:00

Few more colours from recent Maxwell Fabrics sample book. The fabrics are medium weight, 52% Cotton, 35% Polyester, 13% Acrylic. Patterns from left to right: Shaggy, Ping Pong Crayon and Ping Pong Sail.

Vivid colours are good for large items like bedding covers or draperies, as well as for accessories like decorative pillows.

children bedroom decor

33 Pieces of Ribbon

2007-08-06T11:43:00.001-04:00

It's not a plagiarism, but a purely inspirational piece of art, or 33 pieces of art one may say.

33 pieces of a polyester ribbon represented in two colours: green and blue, all bunched up to create a mood of shiny and fluffy pile.

interior decor

254 Pieces of Felt

2007-07-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

Textile is not just a decorative material, but could be a pure art media. National Art Gallery of Canada features a "sculpture" Untitled by Robert Morris made exclusively out of precisely counted pieces of felt randomly piled up on the floor. Curious public does not always get an artistic point and occasionally throws garbage onto the pile to add some visual accents.

Clearly, what is the artistic point? Slicing the pieces of felt? H-m-m... Organizing the pieces on the floor? That seems to be the cleaner's job and in this case has to be credited appropriately. No such credit on the wall.

Look for my works inspired by this "piece of ... art" in future postings.

modern art

Black-and-White Fabrics from Maxwell

2007-07-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Flipping through my sample books I have discovered some nice Black-and-White fabrics. The ones on the photo are from left to right: Carnaby Street, Saville Row and Twiggy. All are 67% Acrylic, 33% Polyester, 18,000 Double Rub.

Black and White is coming back into interior decor, and will probably stay there for some time.

fabric sample

Trunkt

2007-07-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

The LenkArt online pillow store was featured on www.Trunkt.org, The Buyer's Guide to Independent Art and Design.

Outstanding Licence Plates

2007-07-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

PL8S stands for PLATES in the licence plate enthusiasts lingo. So that's exactly what it is: Outstanding Licence Pl8s, or Plates, online collection of the personalized plate photos.

People from all over the world share their pictures with the blog author to get them published. You can find plate photos from Europe and USA, Canada and New Zealand.

Vanity is Never Too Much, reads the banner on the top of each collection's page. But it's really not about vanity, but freedom of expression. Most of US states and Canadian provinces allow car owners express themselves via messages on their licence plates.

Latvia after years of the totalitarian rule finally set free in 1991. Now liberated Latvains can fancy personalized licence plates on their Europian, American and Japanese vehicles that pushed out Ladas from the streets of Riga.

Personalized licence plate photo pillow made by LenkArt.

And if there is not enough vanity for someone, they can always place their plate number on the pillow. The plate photo pillows are custom made by LenkArt. The plate photo is being printed on the specialty fabric and embedded into the pillow.

textile decor

Magic of Decorative Pillows

2007-07-11T22:43:00.000-04:00

Decorative pillows are the simplest and the most economical way to bring colour and texture to any room. A plain sofa may magically become a focal point, if you decorate it with unusual or exotic pillows.

You may use different pillow covers for different seasons! It is an easy way to create new mood in the room. When you buy or order custom made pillows, make sure they have a zipper closure: it’ll be handy when it comes to cleaning or storage. You could use the same pillow inserts with variety of pillow covers.

The pillow is not only a pretty and decorative object sitting on your sofa or chair. It also supports your back or neck after long working hours. It makes your weekend relaxation more comfortable and pleasant. A fluffy pillow, a nice book and a glass of wine… What a dream!

Dream with LenkArt.com and have a nice pillow!

decorative pillows