tutorial – Francois et Moi

Quirky Little Stool DIY

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 18:56:15 +0000

I’m a sucker for a quirky, little [insert object here]. The kind of pieces with personality–ones that make the room, just by embracing their flaws, asymmetry, oddly tiny scale, etc. I think it’s these unusual pieces that give rooms/homes personality, approchability and charm. I initially made this quirky little stool for my back hall. I wanted a little corner spot to sit down and tie shoes or set a heavy grocery bag on. The original idea was to use 1″ thick wood dowels and attach them to the top with hangar bolts/angled plates. It ended up being a bit of a Pinterest fail–it was really tough to get the hangar bolts super straight in the end of the wood dowels and because of that the legs weren’t very stable. Below is a shot of that version of the stool, where you can see it’s crooked. I actually really like with the fact that it’s crooked, but being unstable, no one could really sit or set anything on it. It was just taking up space. I think it’s these unusual pieces that give rooms/homes personality, approchability and charm. I decided to switch to pre-made legs that came with a hangar bolt […]

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DIY Modern Bench Cushion with Leather Straps

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 16:08:34 +0000

Francois et Moi’s tagline, Handmade Modern Home, is not only about getting our hands dirty and DIY-ing one-of-a-kind pieces for our homes. It’s equally about celebrating expert artisans and feathering a conscious home rooted in soul and intention. Today we’re combining the best of both worlds–I’m teaming up with KUFRI Life Fabrics on a bench cushion project that has the most fab details… Let’s start with the fabric, shall we? KUFRI creates the most luxe hand-woven textiles that expertly balance rustic texture and refined sensibility. Woven by artisans in India, each yard is as individual as the maker who created it. The inspiration for the bench cushion was born from my infatuation with deconstructed design details. Like this one, this one, and this one, for example. I’ve introduced a little of this flavor to the DIY bench we made last year as a way of softening its strong clean lines. (Go HERE for the DIY Bench tutorial.) KUFRI’s Spring 2018 collection launched a few weeks ago, and the moment I saw pattern REX in the Grey colorway, I knew its small-scale soft pattern, and organic texture would be the perfect counterpart. The cushion has an envelope closure on […]

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Pretty Plate Clock DIY

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 22:21:59 +0000

With our guest room taking on a new roll as the nursery, Ken and I have been busy adding guest room functionality to my blog room. It’s like musical rooms around here right now: a little chaotic, but mostly just fun. The blog/guest room transformation will be revealed next month, but in the meantime, I wanted to share this little plate clock DIY I created for the space. It’s made from a Suite One Studio dessert plate (Love her work so much I decided to hang it on the wall!) and the premise of the project is pretty much just attaching a clock mechanism to the plate. Believe me you got this! As you guys have probably heard me say before, the trick to DIY-ing isn’t having the best knowledge or skills (I mostly learn along the way), it’s more about picking inherently cool materials from the start so minimal effort is needed along the way in order to end up with a cool piece in the end. Hop on over to Sugar & Cloth for the tutorial on how to make this time-telling gem! Follow

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Lampshade Making with HOW + A Giveaway!

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 17:05:37 +0000

I’ve had this antique marble lamp base for ages that I’ve been looking for a lampshade for so when HOW – Hands On Workshop asked I’ve I’d be interested in test driving their DIY Beginner’s Lampshade Making Kit, I was like, heck yeah–I’m in! HOW – Hands On Workshop creates Beginner DIY Kits for budding makers that you can make in your pajamas if you like! The customizable kit ships right to your doorstep and includes all the materials needed to create the craft + step by step, detailed instructions. They also have great video tutorial resources too. Does it get any easier than that?! You guys know I’m a fabric nut, so I was excited that Hands on Workshop uses authentic Japanese Tenugui fabric for their lampshades and that each DIY kit has fabric/color options to personalize your project just to you. I’ve wrapped pre-made lampshades with fabric before, but I’ve never made the actual lampshade itself, because I have to say I was a bit intimidated by it. I didn’t think I could make one professional looking enough to want to use in my house. Not to mention, where do you find the supplies? Hands on Workshop totally blew […]

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3 Beautiful Ways to Tie a Bow with Ribbon

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 14:11:21 +0000

I love tying up gifts with ribbon bows, because I think they add such a pretty touch to even the smallest or simplest gifts, and effortlessly make last minute presents seem thought out and pulled together. Sometimes you just need to put a bow on it! There are 3 bows in particular that I use all the time for birthdays, Christmas, and just because, and I’ve created tutorials for each of those bows over at Homedit. Give them a tie and let me know which is your fave! Tag on Instagram with #francoisetmoi . For more of my Homedit projects, go here. Happy Wednesday!!!

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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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5 DIY’s to Try in the New Year

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:03:28 +0000

Happy New Year! A few projects to help us kick the year off right… Spruce up your walls with this STUN-NING diy wallpaper from SF Girl By Bay. How charming are these air clay leaf trinket bowls from Urban Comfort? Stay hydrated this year with fruit-infused water from Free People Blog. Deck your walls with Jenny Collier’s tutorial for custom gold foil art. Get your vanity in ship shape with this easier than easy copper pipe jewelry stand tutorial from Home Depot.

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F&M for Homedit.com: Saw Horse Craft Table

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:58:43 +0000

Happy Tuesday! Does it feel like Thursday to anyone else? Gotta love short weeks! Recently I built a craft table (in under an hour!) for our new place using saw horses and a pre-made tabletop from Ikea. No more laying out projects on the floor–Woo Hoo! Pop on over to Homedit.com for more images and details on how it came together!

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How to Make: Wild Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:09:19 +0000

We recently discovered a cocktail at Heyday in Minneapolis that knocked our socks off and was the catalyst for our interest in experimenting with home brew bitters. The cocktail was an ‘old fashioned’ type mixed up with wild cherry bark vanilla bitters, a bit of cane sugar and a garnish of orange zest. Oh so delizioso. Check back on Friday, as I’ll be sharing our take on that killer Heyday cocktail! If you’re not super familiar with bitters, they’re considered to be the ‘salt and pepper’ of cocktails, adding complexity and that ‘je ne sais quoi.’ There are a billion different theories on what proportions make the best bitters (a matter of taste and preference, I guess), so after alot of research, we landed on the recipe and procedure below. Cherry bark vanilla bitters calls for super high proof bourbon, rye and a whole bunch of herbs that you’ve probably never heard of! The warmth of the cinnamon, cardamom and star anise make cherry bark bitters the perfect accompaniment to winter cocktails. I can’t wait to hand these out at the Holidays! Ingredients: We purchased most of our herbs at Mountain Rose Herbs. 8 oz dried cherries 3 c 101 proof bourbon (divided in two 1-1/2 […]

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{Handmade} Mermaid Tear Pendants

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 13:27:52 +0000

We brought home a handful of pretty mermaid tears (sea glass pieces) that we collected this spring on the beach in Positano, and since we’ve gotten home, I’ve been looking for the right project to put them to good use (other than looking pretty in a jar on our end table). So I decided to pick a few of my favorites and turn them into mini sea glass pendants. I didn’t want to have to drill into the pebbles since they’re so small, so I used wire and strong adhesive instead, and I love how they turned out! Materials List: sea glass pebble(s) 26 gauge brass wire gold toggle clasp & ring or gold lobster clasp gold jump rings 18″ gold chain clear drying glue 18 kt gold leafing pen wire cutter pliers Step 1. Cut a 10″ piece of wire and wrap around sea glass either creating an “x” with the wire, or wrapping the wire parallel. Step 2. Tightly twist wires around each other at the back of the sea glass. Step 3. Create a loop with the right side wire and tuck underneath the horizontal wire wrapping the gem. Tightly twist wire tail that created the loop with the other […]

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