How To Paint a Tile Backsplash By: Grace Bonney

I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes, you can totally paint a tile backsplash. It’s all about planning your design and having the right materials. Inspired by the graphic look of Moroccan tiles, I added a geometric pattern to a standard-issue white backsplash, and the result contributed a ton of style to a formerly drab kitchen. Click “play” to watch and learn, and check out the full list of materials and step-by-step instructions on One Kings Lane’s Style Blog! For more fun projects, check out my Weekend Decorator page, and get a behind-the-scenes look at projects I have in the works over on Instagram. —Megan

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Reimagined Woods-y RAST By: Monika

Materials: Rast night stand

Since I decided to update my end tables I searched for an inspiration. I found this amazing furniture with exaggerated cartoon wood grain by Richard Woods and Sebastian Wrong. I loved the colors and the fun contrast, so I decided to try to get this look. RAST night stands were a perfect size for my space. The original shape of the night stand wouldn’t work for me, so I decided to move the two shorter sides to the edges of the boards creating a simple box.

Photo: IKEA.com

I traced the exact position of the holes and marked the new position. I drilled the new holes and speckled the old ones, sanding off any excess. Once that was done I moved on to painting the cabinet. First I taped off the edges, since I wanted to have some unpainted wood left. I primed all boards on both sides. I wanted to keep the inside of the cabinet black and white, so I painted one side of each board with white paint. After letting them dry, I tranced the woodgrain design onto the planks, and then followed the tracings with a brush and black paint.

After letting it dry at least 24 hours, I moved on to the other side of the planks. Since one of the short sides is the bottom, I didn’t have to paint the other side. I divided the three remaining boards into color sections and painted them with 4 different colors alternating to my liking. After the paint dried, I again traced the woodgrain onto the planks and followed the tracings with the black paint. I let it dry for 24 hours, removed the tape and put it together. I looked around the cabinet for any necessary touchups. Once I was satisfied, I covered it with two coat of clear varnish for durability. I let it dry for 24 hours.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1v5rkKP From Monika

40 Reasons To Choose Happiness By: Grace Bonney

For some reason, whenever cooler weather starts to set in I have a hard time not getting a little bit grumpy. Instead of enjoying the crisp air and changing leaves, I immediately start envisioning the pounds of dirty snow that are soon to crowd our blocks and all of the long walks trudging through muddy slush that Hope and I will inevitably take. But this year I’m committed to staying positive as the temperatures drop, starting with a little help from our favorite submissions in the #DSHappy hashtag challenge. All last month we gathered our favorite entries and today I’m sharing 40 of my favorite images from more than 4,000 submissions. From lush flower arrangements and stunning interiors to happy dogs and a room full of bunnies, these photos are bound to bring a smile to your face for the rest of the week. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to share such special photos from their families, friends and personal lives. xo, grace

Image above by _Papetal_

Click through for all 40 photos after the jump!

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Extendable Kitchen Island using Expedit and Linmon By: Ann

Materials: Expedit, Linmon, OLOV, Rill

We originally wanted a table at the end of our kitchen that could be easily moved out of the way. But we had no money left in the budget for one. So we added casters to our old Expedit, and used a no-longer-needed Linmon table top. But we like the way it worked as an island, and we still needed it to be a table, so we added the legs to the table top and made it a sliding top by nailing quarter-round to the underside to make a guide that allows it to slide out to whatever length we like.

We don’t recommend using Olov legs as we did, because they really aren’t long enough, and we had to rivet them into place to prevent their sliding down and becoming too short. Try the Gerton leg if you can stomach the price ($30 each).

Something else I like about this island is that I can move it to the end of the kitchen to make a buffet when we have guests, so I show it in that position too.

via IKEA Hackers http://ift.tt/1vwwh0F From Ann

BEKVÄM stool crochet cover By: matemo

Materials: BEKVÄM stool

I have the BEKVÄM stool in my bedroom a long time ago and although I painted it with the BEHANDLA paint just after buying it, it seemed like something was missing to match with the decoration.

So I decided to make a zpagetti crochet cover to customise it while adding my personal touch.

In order to do so I’ve started from the “Sunburst Granny” basic pattern and I’ve added some crochet rows to adjust it to the the size of the stool.

You can see more details and information on my blog.

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10 Quotable Biz Ladies To Keep You Motivated By: Stephanie

As we enter the last quarter of the year, it can be so easy to take a backseat to your business and just let it coast into the new year…or maybe that’s just me. I’ve often found that the last three months of the year prove to be the most trying for keeping on a steady business track, with all of the holidays and events that come with this season. So if there is anything I can do to keep me moving forward, I cling to it like the last Thanksgiving biscuit!

I thought it might be helpful and inspiring to collect 10 more inspiring quotes from our incredible and eclectic group of Biz Ladies profile contributors. They’ve been so generous with their thoughts, advice and even failures for us to learn from, and they’ve shared more than a few nuggets of wisdom as well. Here’s to keeping the momentum going through the winter! -Stephanie

Click through for all 10 quotations after the jump!

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Poäng chair upgrade By: lapetitemaisoncouture

So this is how I upgraded my simple POANG chair into a lively, colorful one.

See more pictures and instructions here.

Please come in and… Have a seat!

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