Goals Scrambled. Outcome: Scrabble!

So....remember those goals I set back in January?  I did so well on meeting my January and February goal!  Check out my Barbie Birthday Cake and Lumpia.  I know that my March goal was to make a flowerpot jewelry holder but...I kind of skipped ahead.  I jumped on down to my June goal of making scrabble tile throw pillows.  With good reason!

My husband's best friend is getting married...TODAY!  We drove from Florida up to Northern Virgina for the special day.  I knew that I wanted to make the couple something rather than buy it...I'm that kind of gal.

I just knew the scrabble tile pillows I keep seeing all over Pinterest would be the perfect little gift for this funky fun couple.

Here's how I did it...

cleverly disguised

You may remember the pillows I made for our couch and love seat out of place mats and napkins.  Well, I love them and we still use them however, they have fall leaves on them.  It's just a tad bit past the season for fall leaves!  I wanted to change the pillows somehow but didn't want to buy all new ones and more stuffing.
I was reading my friend Mary's blog one day and she had a tutorial for  making pillow slipcovers, the kind that overlap in the back like pillow shams.  How perfect!
I had bought some fabric at Wal-Mart not too long ago, and I decided to use it.

What you need:
Sewing machine
Fabric
Tape Measure

How to make it:
Determine the size you need to cut the fabric down to.  To calculate this measure the pillow from seam to seam (you are measuring half of the pillow) Mine was 13 inches by 18 inches.  Next, multiply the width by two, (13 x 2 = 26) add about an inch and a half to allow for seams (26 + 1.5 = 27.5) then add four inches, this will be the overlap (27.5 + 4 = 31.5).  For the length add about an inch for seams, which came out to 19 inches for me.  All righty, now that the math is over my fabric was 19 inches by 31.5 inches.
Next, you want to hem the edges that will be seen because of the flaps.  That will be the shorter of the two sides.

Lay the piece of fabric with the hem facing up (as pictured) and fold one side in and then the other on top of it.  I knew that I needed it to be 13 inches on each side.  I measured and adjusted the folds to get the right size.

I then pinned the folds down and stitched straight down the two sides.

Now, turn the pillow slipcover right side out and voile!

Stuff your pillow in your slipcover and you are done!

A simple and quick little face lift for your pillows.  I want to stencil something on the pillows but I am not sure what just yet.  I will be sure to keep you updated on what I decide to do.
Oh, and thanks Mary for the tutorial!

pillows and baskets, oh my!

My DIY attitude extended well into my wedding planning.  I started looking for ring bearer and flower girl baskets and was absolutely shocked at the outrageous prices I saw.  They were wanting twenty bucks for just a basket...on clearance!  YEAH RIGHT!  So needless to say, I decided to make my own!
First I went to my local Goodwill.  There I bought a small basket and a small pillow for a total of $2.  The basket was dusty and not so attractive, the pillow was some needlepoint teddy bear on a ship or something...I'm not so sure.  I was only using the stuffing from the pillow, so I got one that was very firm.
Next I hit up the Wal Mart fabric department.  I chose a simple fabric in a light orange and some ivory tulle.  I chose a light orange, because my at the time fiance and I liked how it looked better layered with the ivory tulle.  I suggest if you are buying fabric from different stores, or you are combining more than one fabric, try them out together.  Surprises aren't always a good thing one something like this!
I bought a half a yard of both fabrics, because I got them from Wal Mart (not a specialty store) I only paid about $4 for all the fabric.  While there, I picked up a spool of brown ribbon for about $1.
When at home, I unfolded the orange fabric and put the basket on it.  I cut a square out of the fabric big enough to fold up around the base of the basket and still have a decent amount inside the basket.  I used a hot glue gun to glue the fabric in place starting from inside the basket.  I then cut a long rectangular piece of orange fabric to cover the handle with.  I also used the glue gun to keep the fabric in place.  I repeated these steps with the tulle.  I then decorated with the brown ribbon.
I wasn't quite satisfied with the result.  I felt that it needed a little something more.  I decided flowers.  I found some flowers that I liked and weren't too big or too bright or too ugly at A.C. Moore.  The flower I chose had a good few blooms on a stem, so I only needed one.  I got the flowers when the store was having a sale, they cost me about $3.  I removed the blooms from the stem and placed them on the basket in a few different places before I decided on the arrangment I liked best.  Now, the basket was done, onto the pillow. 
This one, I was confident about.  I cut two orange squares of the same size, slightly bigger than the size I wanted the finished pillow to be.  I cut one square of tulle slightly larger than the size of one of the orange squares.  I made small folds in the ivory and pinned it to one of the orange squares so that they seemed to be the same size. (I twisted the tulle from the middle to give it texture, this is why I need the extra material).  I then layered the pieces of fabric with the tulle between the two orange pieces. (Remember, you sew the pillow inside out so that the stitching does not show).  I pinned the pieces together so that it would be easier for me on my sewing machine to keep the layers together.  If you do not have a sewing machine, you can always simply stitch it by hand.  The pillow is only used for a short while and does not necessarily need to stand up to the tests of a washing machine or anything!!
Sew three sides of the pillow completely shut, on the last side leave about three or four inches unsewn (preferably in the middle of the side rather than close to a corner of the pillow).  Turn the pillow right side out and stuff the new pillow with the stuffing from the thrift store pillow.  Stuff it as firm or as soft as you would like.
For my finishing touch, I twisted the tulle from the center of the pillow.  I then used a dab of hot glue to keep the twist in place.  I did a sot of tufting on my pillow by sewing a small button on the back of the pillow, pulling the thread ALL the way through the pillow.  I then used the brown ribbon on the pillow and the rest of the flowers I bought to decorate the pillow.  This project took me about an hour and a half.  I did it over 2 days, though. 
Hope this helps someone out, or at least inspires someone to create something original for their special day!

pillow talk pt 2

I bought place mats and napkins to make pillows from.  In pillow talk pt. 1 I told you how I made the napkin pillows.  Now, onto the place mat pillows!  I bought four place mats and wanted to make four pillows.  I could have made just two by using two place mats each but, didn't!  I happen to have some plain brown fabric left over from some wedding crafts and decided to use that as the back side of the pillow.  The fabric I used had some stretch to it...make sure yours doesn't!  It was a pain in the neck, but in the end worked just fine!
First I cut a piece of brown fabric down to the size of the place mat.  I then put the place mat and piece of fabric together, with the place mat facing down (what you want to see when the pillow is done should not be showing).  Sew around three whole sides of the pillow, close to the outer edge.  Once you get to the last side, sew about a third of the way on each side.  This should leave about a third of the side open to stuff the pillow.  Turn the pillow right side out and begin stuffing.  Stuff the corners first with hand fulls of filling working your way to the middle.  Stitch up the opening and voile, there is your place mat pillow!
I could have simply used another place mat for the back side of the pillow and skipped the extra fabric cutting step.  However, I wanted to get as many pillows as possible from the materials I had.
I hope you enjoy your pillows made from place settings!  Get inspired, create something gorgeous!

pillow talk pt. 1

When we bought our couch and love seat they each came with two throw pillows.  They are quite possibly the ugliest pillows I have ever seen in my life.  I must admit, they are quite comfy.  However, comfort does not always win out in the home decor battle.  Therefore, I was bound and determined to get some new throw pillows.  I registered for some gorgeous pillows for our wedding...and there they still sit on our registry.  I understand why no one bought them, they were $25 each!  What?!  I mean, it can't hurt to ask.

Being a crafty gal, I knew that I could come up with something that would work just as well.  I went to Wal Mart and scoured the 'dollar a yard' bins in the fabric department (which, I am appalled to find out the newly redone Wal Marts no longer have a fabric section. BOOOOO!!) but, found nothing that spoke to me.  I kind of had an idea of the colors I wanted to bring into the living room.  Then, while I was walking past the seasonal home decor isles I spotted table settings in the colors I was looking for!!  The little light bulb above my head went off, the wheels started turning, a smile came to my face...needless to say, it was a great trip to Wal Mart.

I bought 4 placemats for $2 each and a set of 2 fabric napkins for $2.  I then went to the craft and fabric department and bought a bag of Poly-Fil (stuffing), I got the biggest bag because I wasn't sure exactly how much I would need.  That costs me $8 (I made 6 pillows and still have a little left over...not bad).

I started with the napkin pillows first.  I folded the napkin in half, inside out.  I then broke out my sewing machine (the greatest Christmas gift I have ever gotten) and sewed around the 3 edges (not the fold).  On the last of the three sides, I left a small area in the middle.  This open space is so that I could get my hand in to stuff the pillow.  Be sure not to make the opening too small, you will wind up ripping it open when you go to stuff it.  Turn the pillow right side out.  Be sure the corners are pointed out as much as they will.  Start stuffing!  Take hand fulls of stuffing and push it into the corners first, then fill in between.  Pack it firmly or not, whatever you like.  When your pillow is all stuffed, hand stitch the remaining opening closed with a needle and thread.  Try to stay as close tot he edge as possible so that it is less noticeable.  Once your opening it stitched shut make a small knot in the thread and cut it off as close tot he knot as possible.
There you have it!  A pillow from a napkin!  Now, click here to see how to make a pillow from a place mat!  Get inspired, create something magnificent!