Pillows, Pillows and More pillows.

Pillows, Pillows and more pillows!
Throw pillows. Changing up décor with the coming of summer! There are a thousand tutorials of how to make them and there is a good reason they are easy and inexpensive!
Finding good home décor fabric is not hard but it can be unpleasant-in that home décor fabrics are often more $$$ per yard.
There are a few ways I like to combat that (meaning the $$$ unpleasantness) and one of them of course is buying just enough to make a great throw pillow.
Seeing the pottery barn catalogs with shower curtains trimmed with pompoms got me thinking, because you see my kiddos LOVE pompoms, they are like the coolest toy ever! So I knew I had to use them in my décor and going with the logic seen above I decided a throw pillow was the perfect way to add that to my living rooms décor.
Step 1: Find a fabric you like-wash it-dry it-iron it.
I make all my pillows envelope style for two reasons: 1- I hate putting in zippers, and 2-the envelope style does not require zippers and is therefore less expensive (and faster).
Step 2: cut fabric.
Because the trim will go on the outside and we want a nice seam to follow, do not just cut one big rectangle, and cut three separate sizes. One square (the front) and two pieces to overlap in the back making an envelope.
Step 3: Now make a double hem on the two back pieces and iron in place before sewing. Then sew the hems. (you only have to trim the one side on each piece that will be left at the opening.)
Step 4: Next place all of the pieces right sides together and pin in place.
Sew together.
Step 5: Turn pillow inside out-we are almost finished. AT this point you really could be done but we aren’t yet. Because we want to use our trim! Now iron the outside of the pillow so that all the seams are crisp.

Step 6: Beginning in a corner place trim over edge of pillow and sew.
Now we just get to feel excited about having such a playful pillow on your couch!

Shower Curtain = pillow.

So the goal was to have a pillow close to this in appearance.

But there was a problem with that, its pathetic I won’t pretend it’s not, but I hate making button holes! I know pathetic! But it was the truth, enter shower curtain.

Shower curtains come with pre-made button holes. (They are actually the little holes for the shower curtain rod hooks, but let’s not fuss about that) so my problems were solved.

For these pillows I used a Ross store shower curtain that I got a few years ago. All shower curtain fabrics are different the one I found is very comfy fabric, I think in general they are pretty nice but sometimes the fabric can be rough or thin a wash in the machine and dryer can help soften them up.

So for this pillow I did use one big strip and then you just fold it (right sides together) and sew up the sides. 

Then I turned the pillow right side out and sewed on my buttons. The hardest part was going to Walmart to buy buttons-don't do that ladies unless you have to the selection was-to say the least- disappointing.

I also started making a lumbar pillow. but it is not yet finished.

So Basically yesterday was pillow making day.

Summer reading-go to your local library!

So those of you who know me can attest to this- I am an avid reader. Every Wednesday my kids and I head to the library and I pick up my holds and grab a stack of home decorating books while I am at it. I let my kids fill a big bag full of whatever books they want and we read those books until next week when we return them and get more. My good friend Holly who lives down the street from me is a book reviewer (the link to her blog is here) so I get plenty of good reading material from her as well. 

In case you are squinting trying to read the spines-from left to right- a Chinese LDS hymnbook, A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck), Inspired You (Miss Mustard Seed), The trial of Mary Lou (Ron Carter) The Nesting Place (Myquilyn Smith, and My Dear Sisters (Gordon B Hinckley)

When I was at the Library this week I saw the summer program advertisements getting set up (school is almost over), I got excited! Last summer I made a halfhearted but decent effort to participate in the programs for adults and I ended up winning some small prizes like a free car wash- can’t sneeze at that! 

Also did you know that reading is incredibly beneficial? No really it is! Go here for a long list of articles about the benefits of reading! Did you know that the CDC report says "In 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that children watch no more than 1 to 2 hours of "quality programming" per day," If you have kids at home this summer those 1-2 hours will go by very quickly which is just one more reason to get them involved in reading!

 So today I have a challenge for you (I heard that moaning!) Go to your local library- or the website for your local library, and see what programs they have in your area! Most libraries have programs for all different ages including children and teens. It can be a really great way to stay motivated to learn over the summer vacation! I set a personal goal to participate on my own and with my kids in the summer reading programs too!

It might be just what you need to help you look forward to a productive and relaxing summer (because reading can be relaxing)! 
*Too see some of my favorite books click here to go to my amazon read and loved wishlist page. It is a list of books that I find myself rereading the most often-as well as some of my kids favorites most of them are books I have in my own home for keeps!

Color and dishes

Remember yesterday when I mentioned my mismatched colorful clearance isle dishes?

Here they are! (Well three of them-the rest are tucked into the cabinets).

I love the color that a few patterned dishes add to space. Like flowers after winter it’s so exciting and stimulating.  

Aren’t kids wonderful?! I get to be with mine all day-and a lot of the times I am up with them at night too. Somehow the moments of shear exhaustion at 2 am become the most precious memories.

Its those memories that standout in my mind like colored dishes in a (mostly) white kitchen.

(I know, I know,  I wrapped those two topics together pretty smoothly didn’t I?)

Happy Wednesday world.

Eat in Diner

I have always thought that phrase would be funny to hang in a kitchen. So I finally made a sign for myself. I just painted over a different sign I already had.

I painted the whole sign and then traced out letter by letter the phrase and filled it in with paint.

I used frog tape to help with the border I did around the edge.

When I was about finished I decided to free hand a few details to the border for fun.

Let the paint dry completely.

Sand gently and apply the stain taking off  as much as you can. You could also use a dark wax for this part.

Once the sign has dried it is ready to hang.

Did I ever talk about my dining area? I really like to collect colorful dishes even as I have my off white obsession. . My dishes are off white except my mismatched collection. I have a rule with colorful printed salad plates, I never by matching salad plates; it’s kind of a game I have. In the end they all coordinate because I choose pattern and solid colors. I usually only buy one at a time- the game is really about finding one salad plate I like in the Clarence section.  There is something about the mis-matched-ness of all the plates that says to me-yep I am fun and colorful! 

Layers of Jello

Have you ever had a big day that seemed to form in layers? That's how mothers day was, I felt like it was not one day but 3. The part of that day before church, the time at church and the evening after church. All good layers but a distinctly different flavor.
Well... hers me moving on.
Was your mothers day good? I hope so! We had a great day, the highlight was really the 2 Skype calls we had from my brother who is on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and my sister who is also serving a mission for the LDS Church..
To learn about the Mormon missionarys follow the link here. Or go to www.mormon.org.
It was so exciting to see and talk to both of them over Skype I am so grateful for the modern inventions that make that type of communication possible!
I made sure we got a picture together just like we did last year.

 Also I made these adorable flowers for my mommy for a mothers day gift. The real gift I will give her (at her request) is for me to help her clean and organize her garage and craft things. I wanted to bring her something sweet for mothers day like I did as a child so I made her some paper flowers in yellow because that is her favorite color. I want to mention here that My Hunkcules*  made me a crafty gift for mothers day but I think it will get a post all its own another day.

The other big highlight was my dads layered jello. When I was young every fast Sunday ( In the LDS Church that is the first Sunday of each month) we would sit back and enjoy a tasty Sunday dinner, the kids really only helped with one aspect of dinner and that was the layered jellos cups, We would each pick a flavor and help stir it and  (best of all) add ice to help it chill faster, and remove the ice and suck the jello off of the ice. Yes as a child that was the BEST treat ever. So in case you have never tried this simple and easy desert for yourself or with your children I highly recommend it. There are "quick set" directions on the back of the jello box basically you make one layer at a time adding them on top of one another while they are firming.

* Hunkcules- what i sometimes call my husband from the disney Hercules "Hercules honey you mean hunkcules"

This weekend is Mothers Day

...Take a moment to reflect on your mother.
I wanted to share this video about mothers with all of you today.

Have a great mom day

The masterpiece.

The masterpiece.

Do you remember that show?  Probably not, it was an old VHS movie that my mom had when I was young. It was one of those seminary movies (seminary is an LDS class for youth often taken in the morning) . It was about a dying girl who said she would not live longer then the winter struck leafy vine outside her window. And the elderly artist upstairs saw the night the leaf died and fell, wanting the girl to wake up in the morning and see her vine and leaf still there; He went out into the winter night and painted a leaf onto the wall, it was so lifelike that the girl  (who spent her entire day looking out the window at that vine) could not tell that it was just a painting. She was so excited that the leaf withstood the winter and felt that she could too. The painter saved her life- I always cry at the end because it’s so sweet; and then cry some more because (of course) the elderly painter died (probably from age and exposure-you know standing on a ladder at night in the winter to paint). I know now that you are all crying with me over such a touching story beautiful summarized (I know:) Lets focus on the good moral of the story.
There are two:
Ready? Well one moral is of course that we can all bless the lives of others. Its also about the preciousness of life.Selfless service, and about how we can use our God given talents to bless those around us.
It got me thinking.

I thought about the beautiful influence art can have.

*Sigh* -I think we should all pause right here and picture a great work of art

… Go ahead….. Think of something….. or if you cant come up with anything  just google The Last Supper by Divinci or something……Got it?   Okay  great.  I Hope that gave you an uplifting moment.

My kids and I painted this morning and I am sure that the art they made is a masterpiece –at least to me, their mother.

Happy Friday-before-Mother’s Day to everyone.

*Note: To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Often we are called Mormons-Click here to go to our information website where there are Frequently asked questions and information about our beliefs. You can also go to our church website here.

www.lds.org

www.mormon.org

Another side note this show is NOT on youtube.