Easy envelope pillow covers

Like most people, I have several perfectly good throw pillows that no longer match my decor. And while there are some really gorgeous ones out in the stores, I don't want to shell out $30/each for new ones, either.

I found some funky fabric at Hancock that was calling to me. I love funky, unusual things in my eclectic decor, and this white denim with gold foiling fit the bill. I wouldn't normally look twice at something like this, but it kind of reminded me of cowhide while still remaining animal friendly :).

I removed the red silk covers and then sewed envelope pillow covers for the down pillow forms. I wanted them to look a bit nicer, so I added black piping. Believe it or not, as many projects as I've sewn over the years, I've never sewn piping. It was a bit tricky figuring out how to connect the end pieces, but once I did, it was easy. I put them in the corner of the pillow so they wouldn't be as noticeable.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I'd like to eventually have our monogram embroidered in the middle with black thread. I think that would be a fun touch.

I'm not sure where I'll put them, but they are neutral enough to go anywhere in the house. Right now they are sitting on my extra dining chairs that I have flanking the table in my foyer.

Have you worked on any sewing projects lately?

What do you mean this isn't our bed??

Dogs rule this house. And I'm completely ok with that.

Oh Christmas Tree x 6

It's no surprise to anyone that knows me that I love Christmas trees. In years past, I've had up to 11 in the house. Granted, not all are huge full-sized trees, but 11 trees nonetheless. I love having a little bit of Christmas in every room!

This year, I only managed to get 6 up. And here they are...

This is the "dog tree" that I put in the foyer this year. It has precious little dog ornaments that I've collected and been gifted over the years. It's also a sweet reminder of my precious dogs that have since passed.

New this year is my kitchen tree. Well, I've always had a little tiny table-top sized tree in the kitchen, but this year I wanted a big one. The tree itself, along with every ornament (with the exception of two) were bought last year on clearance after the holidays. All of the ornaments are food/candy/drink related. I love it. I think it's my favorite!

 

This is my little vintage ornament tree. All of the ornaments are vintage glass that I've collected from garage sales, antique stores, etc.

 



In our guest bedroom I have the red cardinal tree. Included with the cardinal ornaments are antique glass prisms from chandeliers, and glass icicle ornaments.

 

In our bedroom, I put up a Texas/western tree for my husband. Because he's country to the bone, so this fits him perfectly. I have random Texas/western themed ornaments, and to use as filler, I have pieces of cotton still on the stems that I stuck in the empty spots.

 

And finally, the white dove tree. It's moved around the house over the years...sometimes in the living room, sometimes in the bedroom. This year I put it in the dining room.

 

It was my goal to get this stuff all packed up this last week since I was off work, but since that nasty cold bug had hit our house, I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe this weekend. :)

Painting with a Twist - Pet Portraits

Painting with a Twist  - the concept is basically a BYOB painting class. You show up with your wine, they provide the art supplies and instruction based off of the design for that day. There are similar classes, such as Sip 'N Doodle, Canvas and Corks, etc. These can be found all around the country. Every so often they offer a "Paint Your Pet" class.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to a Paint Your Pet class. We emailed the pictures of our pets ahead of time and when we arrived, they were sketched out for us, ready to paint.

That night, I painted my chihuahua Kola.

 

A few weeks ago I went back to paint Cissy my rat terrier.

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

 

 

It's the little things: "pillow jewelry"

So you know how sometimes things around your house just begin to look - blah? That's how I felt about throw pillows I have in the master. They are down pillow forms with brown velvet cases from Ikea. They were pretty inexpensive, and because the cases are removable, they are extremely versatile. I originally bought them to go on the sofa. But the dogs took them over and I was constantly brushing dog hair off of them.

About 2 weeks or so after Christmas, I was at Target shopping their seasonal sale items (and by the way, 50% off is not really mind-blowing to me...75% off and I'll likely buy crap just because it's a good deal). I found these two monogram pins in the Christmas clearance section. I don't know why they were Christmas items, but that's ok. I got them for about a buck each. I love monograms, and for that price, I'd find a home for them.

After letting them sit on the kitchen table for a couple of weeks, the thought occurred to me to put these on those brown velvet pillows. Why not?

I think it's just what they needed. Simple, cheap, and cute.

It's the little things: knobs

Sometimes you need a pop of color or just a little refresher for a room, a piece of furniture or your wardrobe. And it can be done easily and without breaking the bank.

I have this gorgeous antique chifferobe that I bought in college. It actually wasn't even for sale, but was a display piece at an antique store. I convinced the owner to sell it to me since it was such a cool piece. For years I used it in the living room as an entertainment center, which worked out well. The TV fit on top of the drawers. The drawers held CDs, DVD, etc. The "door" portion held the VCR, DVD player and stereo. It has since retired to the guest room and houses extra quilts and afghans.

This poor thing has seen better days though, as it's been moved around from house to house and room to room and has become a little wobbly. Drawer bottoms need regluing, joists need fixing. But it's a great piece, and I love it.

So in the interest of sprucing it up, I decided to give it some new knobs. The current knobs are plain wooden ones - simple, effective, but boring.

I checked out Hobby Lobby's selection since they were 50% off and found these cute ceramic knobs with a fun patina look.

After a couple of minutes of switching them out, this is what we now have.

Much more interesting I think. And it adds a small touch of color and interest.

Have you done anything recently to spruce up an old piece?

T minus 40 days until Christmas

Are you ready? I'm still trying to get over the fact that we are halfway through November! And since Thanksgiving is around the corner, this means Christmas decorating will be in full force soon.

 

Ok, so let's talk trees. Everyone has preferences between real and fake

(because I do 11 trees, it's easier to have fake)

(Not only that, but I had a dog one time that would lift his leg and mark the real Christmas tree - can't get too mad - I mean really, it's ok to pee on trees outside but not inside. I can see how that's confusing!)

 

So. How do you prefer to decorate your trees? Do you like themed trees or a hodgepodge of handmade, store bought and childhood ornaments?

 

Christmas lights - are you a fan of multi-colored, white, or a single color?

 

Tree toppers - What do you like to top your tree with? A star? An angel? A bow? Something completely different?

 

For myself, I like to have my main tree be the hodgepodge of ornaments - including some from my childhood, those given to me as gifts/on gifts, ones I've purchased, etc. But all of the other remaining trees are themed. I'll share those with you once they are up and staking out a nice piece of real estate in my house.

 

Speaking of themes, here are some fun ones I found online. All images are courtesy of Pinterest.

 

Silverware for your kitchen tree:

 

 

 

Candy

 

 

 

Coastal

 

 

Americana

 

 

Sock monkeys

 

 

What are your favorites? Have you seen any unusual trees?