25 October 2011

Napkin pillows!

Well Hi, another weekend come and gone :(. I have been really busy preparing my house for the winter months. Not to many new projects going on, but I do have a few up my sleeve. I can't wait to show them off but first I have to get them finished!

I wanted to share another custom project that I dared to take on over the weekend, you can see the first one here. It was quite a daunting task, I have to admit I was a little intimidated.

It all started with a trip to Pottery Barn (many of my project do) and I was browsing around trying to get some inspiration. I cam across the sale rack, yes they have one! There were some great looking napkins just sitting there calling my name. I picked them up and thought to myself, these would make great pillows for my living room. Now, I have seem pillows made from napkins MANY times. I couldn't credit just one person/blog for the idea. I just thought I would share how to get custom pillows for very little time and money.

Here you go:

Step 1:

Get yourself some great napkins, dinner napkins from wherever. Just make sure they are opaque enough to mask the "stuffing" inside.
The two I found were $3 each at pottery barn. But I only had two, so I needed backs for the "pillows". The napkins were 20"x20". Not a typical size (as I found out later), I found a great set at Bed Bath and Beyond, nice texture and color.

Step 2:

Pick out your thread and zippers for the pillows. If you don't already have them.  I don't of course. I've never even used a sewing machine before!



This is what I picked and as you can see it turned out great. They key is to bring everything with you..



Step 3:

Next you need to get everything pinned and ready to sew. Sewing a zipper is not that hard, it just take some time. Take your time and pin it well so it doesn't move and then sew it slow. :)
Also, you have to sew the pillow inside out, the two "good sides" face each other. Make sure the zipper is also facing in, it is a little confusing so check your work before you start the seam. I started with the zipper.


See how the zipper is facing down?  I pinned it to the backside seam of the napkin, and I repeated the same step on the other napkin. Here is what it looks like once you get to the end. It hard to sew the corners with a zipper. I just bent the zipper back and did the corners.


Step 4:

As you can see the hardest part is getting the zipper seam just right. It took a couple times :(  I also had some help!
The last part is pinning and sewing the other 4 sides. This part went really really fast. The most important thing to remember is keep it straight and even on each side.

I love them, I think they turned out great for about $8 dollars a piece!

So after all that you end up with this: 



On the Chair:

 On the Couch:



I like them on the couch, but I can see them form the other rooms on the chairs better. I'm sure I will flip flop them around a bit... :)

Have a great day!!

17 October 2011

Shhh...One of my little secrets!

Welcome back Monday :( I was NOT ready for today, I needed another day off this week. Especially because it has been so rainy and dark out. I hate that weather. But TODAY or course the sun is shining bright, its cold but that sun makes everything better.

So I thought I'd share a little secret I use as a small change with a big impact, bigger windows, taller ceilings. If we try and accentuate the wall height it may give the allusion of taller ceilings. I use curtains! I don't hang them at the top of the window. I hang them at the ceiling! It really gives the window a more dramatic appeal and elongates the wall, making them seem "taller". You get what I mean?

Lets take a look... First let me tell you, I DO NOT spend alot of money on curtains. And you don't have to either. Typical curtain panel length is 84" and typical wall length is 96". You can buy 96" curtain panels and spend the extra money on them, like I did in the master bedroom, they puddle just a bit because you can't hang the rods right at the 96" mark. And let me tell you I paid for them, they are from JCPenny, but that's what worked in that room.

So I make my own semi-homemade version. I'm not a sewer, I'm trying to learn.. So getting some fabric and sewing my own is out the window...  Here's how I do it...

Step #1, pic out some 84" curtains. Pic a fabric that will easily transition, mine are partial silk. $15 dollars from Marshall's.

Step #2, take the curtain and a coupon to Joann fabrics and pic a fabric that has the same consistency, a silk type, get about 2 yards, more like 3 if its your first time. Also get a roll of Iron-On Hem Tape, like 1/4inch size, here(Note: this depends on how much gap you have between the bottom of the panel and the floor)

Step #3, hang the rod, make sure it is really really straight, this is the hardest part i think. I always check my holes 10 times before I actually screw it in :) :)


You will end up with a gap like this...


Step #5, Measure the distance from the seam at the bottom of the panel to the floor. You want to start at the seam because it will then look like it was made that way. Cut the piece you need about 1/2 inch longer on all 4 sides.

I.e. Seam to the floor = 13 inches and width of curtain = 40" your piece should be 41x14, got it?

Step #6, Get out your ironing board, iron and hem tape. I didn't even take the curtains down. :)  Lay the fabric out.



Fold each side over about a quarter inch, maybe a little more, and iron a nice straight crease into the fabric. Trust me this step is necessary, it makes the seam tape go down MUCH easier.

then...

Step 7:

Iron the seam...



Do this on all 4 sides...

Step 8:  Then iron the piece of fabric onto the curtain at the top of the bottom seam.  Do little sections at a time to make sure you get it on straight. And you end up with this...

I have done this on all the back windows of my house. And so far I love it, I haven't changed them so they are obviously working out well. And for about 10 bucks a panel, I can't go wrong! :) :)




 These are a little long, I may fold them up again, haven't decided yet :)


Do you have any little secrets?  If so I would love to hear about them.  Have a great day!!

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11 October 2011

Mom's House

Hey how's it going, I was so busy this weekend but I did get in a nap.. i love those. I think that is the best thing about childhood :)

So as I have been getting ready for winter... :( painting and cutting bushes I have been trying to convince the hubby that the projects in my brain are actually going to be fun ;)

I have a few up my sleeve but in the mean-time I wanted to show off the place where I grew up, my mom's house. Obviously before I got my own house I lived here. I did have a hand in decorating this one as well.

She has a little bit of a different style than I do and I obsess over things and she kind of just goes with the flow... I should take a lesson ;)  She has a few updates in mind and some that are in progress.  Anyway lets start the tour:

Kitchen:

 Family Room:
 I love the mantle, its very original and the layered curtains...

 Great Room= Living and Dining Room.  I love how this is one big space but it feels like two. Often very hard to accomplish and it is done very well here....
 Look at that little puff ball smiling at me :)...

Living Room:
 Dining Room
 Powder Room: love the vanity, mine are inspired by this one :)
 Solid mahogany bedroom set, can get that anymore, pictures dont do it justice...
 Master Bath:

Hope you enjoyed the tour, like I said she has some projects that are in the works and I will probably feature some here. Hope you have a fantastic day and thanks again for the comments they make my day :)

03 October 2011

Family Room...Take 3? :)

Hi All, Thanks so much for the very sweet comments on my fall porch and master bedroom posts. I really enjoyed linking up to so many great blogs. I'm getting the hang of this blogging thing!

A few weeks ago now I started my family room update and I challenged myself to only spend $200 and update the entire room, to be more cohesive and inviting. I liked what I did, but I wasn't in love. I really spend alot of time in that room and I want to love it.  So I started researching some more and found a few things that I liked. A gallery wall, yea, they are crazy expensive if you have to purchase the frames, and can become massive and cluttered very quickly. I tried it. It was only about $50 for the whole wall but I felt it was too busy. Not my taste. I was starting to think "what is your taste exactly?"

Then, I decided to go looking for a large enough piece for the wall, I ended up with a very modern piece from Kirkland's. It was huge, about $50 as well. I took it home expecting it to grow on me. As I pondered, obsessed, and pondered, and obsessed, it wasn't growing on me. It was too harsh, not my style. So I took it back, and there I was back at square one again.

So now where do you start, I could surf the Internet, again and again looking for inspiration. Or I could just look within the room itself. I was going for a light and airy feel, with cohesion and coziness. As I was looking at this huge empty wall, I saw the pillow from pottery barn. It the pattern was organic and the bird natural.



A little tropical, but not so much. Lets see if I can find some images I can print myself and add to some frames I found on sale at sears. I picked up these 16x20 frames for about $13. And I printed some 11x14 sepia colored images I found online. I think it turned out good. They fit the wall perfectly and they are much lighter giving the room a more airy feel. I also decided the red lamps were a bit much and with the new organic/nature inspired images. I exchanged them for some wood "leaf" lamps to go along with the new redo.

What do you think?  Which option do you like the best?  Did I make the right choice?  Let me know!

Option #1


Option #2
 Option #3
 Option #4, What I have decided on.
In this last photo, you can see the lamps, They have square lamp shades. I think they work quite well.

Let me know what you think?  Have a great week!

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