Tag Archive | pillows

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time  from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude.  I am so sorry  for those that  have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health.FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

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We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

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With Love,

Penny

 

 

A Lesson in German

Apr13

Happy, happy Palm Sunday! Here in Texas, spring is in full bloom and Mother Nature is really working overtime as we are expecting some severe weather – yet again.

We have this beautiful piece of dark walnut furniture from Germany that my mother-in-law gave to us. It is actually called a Kuchenschrank, or Schrank (pronounced Shrunk). It  simply means cabinet, but there is nothing simple about it. It is fairly ornate and it takes up my entire dining room wall. I won’t even repeat the words that my husband used when we were moving that thing into the house twelve years ago. We both agreed that we would never move again, just because of the inconvenience of dealing with that one piece of furniture.

It is so dark and overpowering that it really has been in need of some updating. I knew that I didn’t want  to paint it, but I have been putting a lot of thought into sprucing it up with some pops of color. Everything else around me is so springy-looking and splashed with shades of  blues and greens.

light bulb My idea – find a light, spring colored fabric to work with and use it as a canvas for my dishes and keepsakes!

 

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I found this fabric at Walmart and purchased four yards of it.

 

 

 

 

 

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This thing can also be quite a dust collector! I did feel a huge sense of accomplishment after I dusted it all and washed all of the glassware….

 

 

 

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I used quilt basting spray to adhere the fabric to the wood. That is some great stuff! It is not  permanent at all so if I get tired of the fabric or want to go back to the original wood, it is noooo problemo!

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I really like the way that it turned out. My husband usually just rolls his eyes at me when I start a new project, but that man of many words actually said, “Wow”!

 

 

 

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I even had enough fabric left over to make a couple of pillows! Whooo-hoooo!

 

With Love,

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Let’s Wrap Up Those Dropcloth Pillows!

Feb16

I had fully intended to do a post last week on making rosettes for my dropcloth pillows; but somehow, life had other plans for me! My father-in-law has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and broke his femur a week ago. I am amazed at his strength and continuous faith as he battles with constant pain and uncertainty about future.

Those of you who know me, understand that my way of dealing with all uncertainty is to get my crafting supplies out and get after it! My motto is: if you can’t be in control of life, take control of completing some of the numerous projects that you have started and not finished! Do you agree? After all, there is nothing more empowering than cleaning out a closet that has been a mess for years, when you have a huge presentation to do tomorrow that you haven’t even begun to prep for…..

Anyway, I digress…

Here we go – Super Cute Dropcloth Rosettes!

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First, I cut strips of dropcloth – yes, painter’s dropcloth that you can buy at Home Depot or Lowe’s (cheap, cheap, cheap). I made the strips about six inches in width and twenty-two inches in length. The only other supplies you need are:

spray starch

an iron

crochet thread

yarn needle

hot glue gun

decorative buttons

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I folded my strip of dropcloth in half and starched the heck out of it before ironing. Then, I simply ran a stitch along the rough edge and pulled it tight when I got to the end. The fabric forms a circular shape and it pleats nicely (thanks to the starch). Image

I knotted the thread and ironed over the pleats one last time.Now for the fun part – I found some really cute vintage buttons at Walmart that I placed in the center of each rosette. I got so carried away that I now have rosettes on picture frames, lampshades, and pillows!Image

The hubby told me NOT to place them on our appliances ♥. Okay, okay – so maybe I am not in control of my crafting.

Valentine’s Day… My Prince is Away, So Crafting I will Play!

Feb6

This is actually my very first blog post ever! My palms are sweaty and I feel like a skydiver ready to step out of the security of the airplane –  taking a plunge into something new, and yet, strangely excited to see what happens on my journey.

My name is Penny and I guess that you could say that this is my Mid-Life Crisis! Ha! I have always had a passion for writing and when time allows I am watching the DIY channel, pinning craft ideas on Pinterest, and recently I discovered Bloglovin’. Needless to say, I am like a junkie looking for my next creative fix. My family and friends can vouch for me – I am not crazy (As Sheldon on Big, Bang Theory would say, “My mother already had me tested”), I just love the idea of escaping from the world for a while and creating. I  recently made some really cute Valentine pillows out of leftover dropcloth, stencils, paint, and batting. I think they turned out pretty cute and I am anxious to share them with you.

After cutting out a heart pattern on freezer paper for a pattern, I traced it onto dropcloth. Then, I used stencils to decorate the hearts with white, acrylic paint. Simple, right? You could use red paint so that the pattern popped a bit more, but these are multi-purpose heart pillows. I have two friends whose daughters are getting married this summer and won't these pillows be precious for decorative purposes! Yep, two birds with one stone!

After cutting out a heart shape on freezer paper for a pattern, I traced it onto dropcloth. Then, I used stencils to decorate the hearts with white, acrylic paint. Simple, right? You could use red paint so that the pattern popped a bit more, but these are multi-purpose heart pillows. I have two friends whose daughters are getting married this summer. Wouldn’t these pillows be precious for decorative purposes? Yep, two birds with one stone!

This is a picture of the first pillows that I did. I added some 'bling' and I can't wait to show you what they look like now. I will take more pictures for next time, and I'll show you how to make some dropcloth rosettes.
This is a picture of the first pillows that I did. I added some ‘bling’ and I can’t wait to show you what they look like now.
I will take more pictures for next time, and I’ll show you how to make some dropcloth rosettes.