Pepper Design Blog

Friday Guest Blog Interview: One Pretty Thing!

I am always impressed with the fun ideas and inspiration that One Pretty Thing has to share on a daily basis! Rachel scours over 4,000 (yes, 4,000!) craft forums, blogs and sites each week to pull together the best tutorials and DIY projects from around the internet.

Each morning she posts a roundup of her favorites, in the afternoon a compilation of DIY projects from the blogosphere and on the weekends reader projects from OPT’s Flickr community. There is never a shortage of crafty inspiration!

Rachel began the site after searching for an all-in-one blog that shared links to many different tutorials. Her solution was an easy to search and navigate site – Rachel has sorted out various projects by category and holiday so you’re always bound to find something to fit your style or theme.

Pepper has been fortunate enough to have a few projects shared on the site. It’s always an honor to be featured with such wonderful crafters (plus Rachel’s the sweetest! You’ve never met a kinder blogger). Now to get to know Rachel and OPT a bit more… let’s dive right into the interview and images! Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Centsational Girl!

Have you visited Centsational Girl? I’m head-over-heels for this thifty DIY blog that shares project on renovating, revamping and refurbishing in the most budget-friendly way.

Kate puts it best: “I’m a simple gal with a simple dream:  transforming the drab into the fab with an arsenal of paintbrushes, primer and power tools. I’m in pursuit of diamond style on a dime, and I refuse to believe quality must always be expensive.”

And her home is beautiful! You would never know that this district attorney-turned-mommy blogger created these fabulous spaces with so many wonderful DIY projects. Take her living room, for example – I would have guessed a photo shoot from one of my favorite home decor magazines:

{Swoon} and then some. Kate calls Northern California home (that’s my kind of girl) and spends time raising her three children after having left her law practice behind. “This site is where I share my adventures in DIY projects, interior decorating, and home improvement. My passion is finding hidden potential in the most tired of objects. I adore rescuing a dated piece and revamping it with a fresh new look.”

For Kate’s answers to PDB’s four quick q’s (plus a photo gallery of her inspiration, a few of her home projects and more) follow the jump. Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: New Dress a Day!

Fashion-meets-design-on-a-dime with today’s Guest Blog Interview. New Dress a Day shares Marisa’s creative journal of 365 items of clothing on a $365 budget in 365 days. Checking in with Marisa’s latest makeovers & creations has become a daily habit as she shares her designs, process and incredibly inspirational end results.

When Marisa lost her job last year she turned to a creative endeavor that would keep her occupied and pull her through a tough time.

In Marisa’s own words: “I’m spending the entire year without doing an ounce of traditional clothing shopping… The thing that makes this girl happiest is scouring flea markets, vintage stores and garage sales… I love finding vintage goodies that may not fit me perfectly or translate well with the current state of fashion and then make them work on me. I get out my trusty sewing machine to change hems, cut sleeves and tweak to transform a lowbudge piece that had its’ moment back in 1976 and give it another shot today, decades later.

Each day for the entire year, I’m going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I’ve found from these places. On top of this, I’m giving myself a budget of $1 a day. 365 days. 365 items of clothing. 365 dollars.”

Neat, right? Generally, Marisa starts out with a vintage piece that is quite out there – a muumuu, an oversized pair of overalls, a frilly 80′s smock – but the end result is hip, stylish and fun. I love to incorporate unique pieces into my closet collection as well, and this has been all of the inspiration I need for a good Goodwill hunt.

Today Marisa shares a bit about her personal inspiration, favorite trends as well as a few fun suggestions for trying her project out yourself. I’ve added a healthy dose of my favorite ‘before & afters’ for even more eye candy. Read more »