I can’t believe I have not made one of these until now. My new little fabric and paint swatch books lets me hold my house in my hands. When I am out shopping, I have all my swatches with me.
I was inspired to create a swatch book after seeing this DIY version. Before I had the chance to stitch together ziploc bags, I stumbled upon inexpensive photo albums at Target. For about $2 I had the foundation of my swatch book. I chose a style that had cover artwork I liked and could reuse for something else.
To personalize my swatch book I removed the cover art it came with. I replaced it with swatches of one of my favorite fabrics of all time (Braemore Gazebo Cloud). I used the same fabric on the front and back covers.
Inside I used 1-2 photo slots for each room in my house. For each room I inserted the paint chip for the wall color. My paint chips from the Martha Stewart line fit perfectly. In addition to the paint chip for each room, I added any relevant fabric swatches.
For the basement family room, I even stuck in a small sample of bamboo. It is not the same kind we used in our basement, this sample is a vinyl product, but the color is a good match.
For rooms with less swatches, I just used one page. My two boys rooms fit side by side.
I have several empty pages at the back to add on new rooms. Since I never had a consolidated place to keep all my swatches before, I am still hunting down a few to add to the book.
I used a super special process to label each of the rooms…washi tape and a permanent marker. I know, I am so high tech! I simply wrote the name of each room on the washi tape with a permanent marker. I made sure to let it dry for a moment to avoid smearing.
In other news, how cute is my new lucite tape dispenser by Russel+Hazel? It and the two new roles of MT Washi Tape are from local shop of all things pretty, Mara Mi.
My paint and fabric swatch book has been so handy to throw in my purse and have with me when I am home shopping. No more risk of buying something that doesn’t go with the other items in my room. It is also great to have with when I need to pick out spray paint or other finishes for a room.
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Hi, Jackie. Can I make a suggestion for your empty swatch book slots? Print the relevant dimensions of your rooms or major furniture pieces. These are helpful when shopping, too.
Adrienne,
That is genius!!! Adding measurements is an amazing idea. Thank you!
I love this idea! So smart! I’m definitely going to make one of these.
Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant idea! I’m always trying to guess if something matches or coordinates well, and I hate getting something home and it is just one shade off from working in with our decor. This would take all the guess work (and many returns) out of it!. Thanks for sharing!
Genius! That’s such a great idea! I’m so doing this…thanks for the idea to make house shopping so much easier!
Fantastic idea!I’m going to do this. I think I’ll also add a photo of each room, and maybe measurements?
Love it! If only I had fabric swatches for my furniture and decor items….I guess this could a ‘going forward’ type of project
What a nifty idea! =) How often have I stood in a store and wondered if that beautiful throw pillow would go with the wallpaper!
Anja,
Definitely add the wallpaper samples…great idea! I don’t currently have any wallpaper in my home, but I imagine it is just as hard to match as fabrics.
This is great! Definitely pinning this for the future.
Love this idea. I would also add window dimensions for each room.
What an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing =)
I love this idea. I finally got around to making my own and I love it! http://engineeringahome.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/custom-decor-swatch-book/
I love this idea. I finally got around to making my own and I love it! engineeringahome.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/custom-decor-swatch-book/