modern – Francois et Moi

Thanksgiving Chic: 8 Ideas for a Modern Chic Gathering

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:34:12 +0000

Simple ways to throw a modern chic gathering that’s thoughtful, but not stuffy. If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you’ve got to read! So you’re hosting Thanksgiving and looking for ways to make it feel thoughtful, but not stuffy? This post was written exactly for you! Whenever I have people over, I’m striving to make things feel special and tasteful, but not like I’m trying too hard. And it’s a hard balance to strike! So I’ve put together eight Do’s and Don’ts or things to consider for a modern, chic gathering. It’s written with Thanksgiving in mind, but it easily translates over to Christmas and any gathering really. Hope you find this helpful! Skip Formal Place Settings They’re stuffy and old fashioned! Instead, set out stacks of dishes for guests to dig in and seat themselves. Use Your Everyday Dishes, Silverware, Etc. to Elevate the Vibe None of this disposable dinnerware/serveware business. It’s less waste and way more chic. On the opposite end of the spectrum, don’t feel obligated to bust out your wedding china either. Your everyday dinnerware is effortless and homey. Do Use Specialty Drinkware Do use any fun drink glasses you might have on hand, like cut crystal or […]

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Nordic Christmas Home 2018

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 21:01:12 +0000

Come tour my Nordic Christmas home. Fresh greens, candles and texture galore: It’s dressed to the nines for the Holiday season. As with so many of us, decorating for Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, second only maybe to early May when we finally shed our heavy coats and boots—oh the boots–after a LONG winter. Christmas is a close second though. It’s such a happy time of year! The funny thing is, I don’t actually go ‘all out’ decorating as compared to some. We do a garland on our living room arch, a tree in the corner of the living room, and then little additions of fresh greens, berries, potted amaryllis and candles throughout the house. No décor in the bedrooms. My decorating game plan definitely skews Nordic with a focus on bringing outdoor elements in, celebrating light during this dark time of year, and overall just creating a warm, cozy place. We mostly use the same decorations from year to year with a few additions and tweaks here and there. What is your decorating M.O.? Do you go all out? Use the same décor every year or switch things up completely? I’d love to hear your traditions! Okay, […]

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Class Update: How to Make a Brass Wall Sconce

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 18:12:32 +0000

Happy Friday to you! Before diving full force into the weekend ahead, I wanted to share a little update about my DIY Lighting Skillshare class. (Catch the original post here!) A million thank-you’s to everyone who has signed up for the class so far! The 25 free spots are now full, but if you’re still interested in taking the class. Skillshare is offering 3 months of unlimited class access (take my class + 1000’s of others) for just $.99! Here’s the link to getting in on the $.99 promotion: http://skl.sh/2d87wtk Also, a few people have inquired about where to find the materials and supplies needed to make the sconce, so I want to mention that the full list of materials + links on where to source everything is available for download in the Project Description section of the class. I’ve spelled out EXACTLY what you need and where to buy it, so there’s no guesswork involved! Hope it’s a great weekend ahead! Follow

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6 Modern Wall Sconces Under $75 + A Tiny Announcement

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 17:41:42 +0000

If you guys follow along on Instagram, then you already know that my husband and I are expecting for the first time! We’re crazy excited and (a little nervous!) about this new important role as someone’s mom and dad that we’re about to assume. Here’s a little peek at the photo announcement. Hop over to Instagram for more details! Before the baby arrives in February, Ken and I have several updates and changes we need to make happen in our home, including turning our current guest bedroom into a nursery, and carving out a new guest room space in my current blog studio. We only have 3 bedrooms in this beautiful Tudor so something’s gotta give! We’re kicking things off by getting the blog room/guest room sorted out, and I’ll be showing you the concept for the space soon, but as I was pulling everything together, I came across several extremely affordable modern wall sconces that were just too good to share. So in case you need a little ambient light in your life, (and let’s face it who doesn’t?) you can make it happen without too much bank account heartache! Ranarp || Brady || Iron Clad || […]

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Make A Modern Cross Stitch Cushion

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 24 May 2016 13:51:27 +0000

When I think of cross-stitch needlepoint, my mind goes to that of my Grandmother’s craft and in no way modern & textural. But this project is here to change all that and (hopefully) help us rethink the art of cross-stitch. It’s a needlepoint seat cushion made with a rug hooking grid + super chunky yarn and the finished result is a deliciously textural surface that’s perfect for softening bare accent or dining chairs. If like me, you love the Mid Century style and a good thrift store find now and again, then maybe you won’t think I’m crazy when I tell you I purchased this old beat up chair that was missing it’s cushion and had structural issues, annnnd I couldn’t have been more stoked about my score! Now before you send me straight to the nut house, hear me out. The chair was a Mid Century diamond in the rough rattan occasional chair that cost me $4–Yep, four $1 bills–at the North Loop Salvation Army. As for those structural issues? Nothin’ a DIY gal like myself couldn’t fix! Of course, what I hadn’t accounted for was how I’d style the chair in my home–I just saw it, picked […]

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DIY Prismatic Magnets (Video)

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 12:51:31 +0000

I’m pumped today (to say the least) to share my first ever stop motion video! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at one for a few months now, because I think they’re downright fun and quirky. So as I was developing a tutorial for Homedit on how to make a set of interactive prismatic magnets, I realized the “interactive” component to the magnets make them just about the perfect project for such a video. Check out the short and sweet video below! I love how graphic and colorful the magnets turned out. They’re playful and fun for the kiddos, but also totally at home in any modern home. Head over to Homedit for the tutorial on how to make a set of Prismatic Magnets for your fridge! The song in the video is Cheerful Clapping Whistler and the video was created in Wondershare Filmora Video Editor.

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5 DIY’s to Try // No. 15

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 12:57:35 +0000

Ahhh….summer, glorious summer. The sun-filled season us Northerners wait year round for is finally here, so let the good times roll with these 5 fun things to try in June. Happy summering to you and yours! Style Me Pretty’s Grapefruit Sorbet Bowls are a playfully summery way to serve sorbet or ice cream this season. Not to mention less dishes to do afterwards! Win! Create a low maintenance cactus garden to keep things bright and cheerful around the homestead, inside or out! I’m loving Oh Happy Dane’s clever Father’s Day Shadow Photo for Daddio. June 21st will be here before we know it! Lovely Indeed’s colorfully modern backgammon game makes me want to spread out a blanket at the park and play boardgames all. after. noon. Camille Style’s femininely boho DIY Hammock is PERFECT for those upcoming lazy days of summer. Pairs well with a good book + strawberry lemonade + peace and quiet.

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Minimal X-Shaped Coasters DIY

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 13:19:08 +0000

Hello there and happy Friday! It’s another Homedit tutorial here on Francois et Moi today where we’ve created a striking set of X-shaped modern coasters from balsa wood and a little paint. These playful numbers were inspired by a beautiful set of brass originals. But instead of working with metal, we used a malleable wood for a quick and easy fabrication. (You can actually cut balsa wood with a scissors!) I love the graphic, minimal design, and the way they sort of make you re-think what a coaster needs to look like in order to support your glass or hot pot. Use them individually, or group them together for a trivet effect. Get all the how-to details over at Homedit! And check out more of my Homedit tutorials right here.

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Valentine’s Day Flower Wall

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:45:50 +0000

I don’t typically do a ton to decorate our place for Valentine’s Day, but this year in an effort to combat the foggy, grey disposition outside, I decided to create a cheery flower art installation on our living room wall using a combination of fresh and silk flowers. (Silk flowers have come A LONG WAY in recent years–they’re not your Grandmother’s faux flowers!) The glorious invention of decorative washi tape makes this diy’s effort to impact ratio totally worth it. Just adhere the flowers to the wall with washi tape in an overall heart pattern and then pour yourself a glass of wine, because you’re done! Our flower wall functions as festive art in our home, but this project would also be right at home as a photo backdrop for a Valentine’s Day gathering too. Cruise on over to Homedit.com for the full project just in time for V-day!

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Milk Glass Soap Dispenser DIY

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 17:43:24 +0000

Homedit recently asked me to create a simple soap dispenser tutorial for them using a Mason jar, and of course I was up to the challenge! We are canning folk here in the Francois camp, so Mason jars are always close at hand in our kitchen. I love the look of vintage milkglass, and thus I gave the jar a quick coat of lacquer white, added a nostalgic oil-can pump and called it a day. Check out the full tutorial at Homedit!

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DIY Danish Modern Coffee Table

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:17:20 +0000

Living room coffee tables in small spaces wear many hats. They function as drink perches, game tables, casual dining tables, craft tables, etc. and our coffee table is no exception. Our new small(er) square shaped living room was calling for a downsized, multi-functional table with not only a smaller footprint, but one that visually felt lighter too. (Previously we had an old train cart which we still love, but there was just no squeezing a rectangle into a square.) So when brainstorming what exactly our new coffee table should be, I dug into my DIY happy file and pulled out a Martha Stewart Living article I’d torn out and filed away for a rainy day. The spread was called Table It, and they highlighted several sources for DIY-ing your own table with crazy cool “legs” you can find online. I landed on the unfinished 16″ danish table legs from tablelegs.com, and then sourced a 30″ round tabletop from a kid’s pink activity table that I found for peanuts at The Salvation Army here in the North Loop. The table was in rough shape, but after removing the base and spray painting the top with an Appliance Grade White Epoxy Spray Paint (to make it super durable and wipeable), […]

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