Easy Pillowcases

Years ago I bought some fabric at a sale. I really liked the design and colors, but I didn't have a project to use them on.

Skip to 2013. I have a very ugly floral covered sofa with two throw pillows also in a hideous floral. A slip cover took care of the sofa, but the pillows were going to be more challenging.

The old cover and fabric for the new.

I finally got a project! I didn't have a pattern, but I do have removable pillow covers. The original cover had a zipper, but I didn't want to deal with that. These are decorative pillows and I don't expect a lot of dirt to get on them. I decided to use an overlap to be able to remove the pillow form.

Backs of new cases, pulled open a bit to show overlap

Step one was to cut around the edge of the original pillow case on one piece of the new fabric to create the front.

Step two was to cut around the edges of the original pillow case on one piece of new fabric, adding about 8-10 inches on one side. This would allow some overlap.

Step three involved cutting the larger piece in two. I didn't cut it in half, but approximately 1/3 of the way up. I left enough for a generous seam for both sides of the overlap.

Step four: create hems for both pieces that overlay each other. Fold edge in, press, fold, press, pin, sew.

Step five: align the three pieces with right sides together. Your back pieces should overlap. Sew around all edges.

Step six: Trim seams as needed. Flip right side out and stuff with a pillow form!

Front sides of completed project

Art Gift for My Artist Friend

I lost my job right before Christmas this year, so I had to be very thrifty for gifts. What's more thrifty than homemade gifts?! Of course, the gift still has to fit the beneficiary, so that makes it even more tricky. I have a friend who is an art teacher at a local elementary school. So she likes kids and art...hopefully. When I think of kids I think bright colors and big messes, and that thought led me to Pintrest where I found this pin!

All done! Yes that is a tootsie roll wrapper there...

ComeTogetherKids Blog is where this project is originally from. Due to slightly differing techniques our pictures turned out a little different. I used a hair dryer and that added a lot more splatter. (Check: messy) Also I put a word inside my heart because my friend says "Delightful" all the time. I thought it added another personal touch. The big box of crayons was on sale for $2.50 (check: colors) (check: cheap)
If you don't want to follow the link, here are some basic instructions.

Supplies:
Canvas or canvas board
Big pack of crayons
hot glue gun
contact paper
white paint
hair dryer or heat gun.

Instructions:
Arrange crayons in the order you like along the top of the canvas.
Glue them down. You can take the wrappers off or leave them on, whichever look you prefer.
Cut a design out of contact paper and place on canvas. The paint is because the paper will lift up on the edges and let the crayon leak in. (could try gluing around the edge to keep this from happening)
Use hair dryer to melt crayons. The longer you melt the further down the canvas it will travel.
Once you are satisfied, let dry.
Add personal details and touch up with the white paint.

My First Attempt at "Art"

My friend Tom had a good idea for home decorating: make other people do it for you! It's pretty genius! He supplied the canvas and told everyone to make art on theirs. I feel very nervous around canvas and paints, but I found a neat alternative. I Googled around a bit and came up with this piece:

Put a bird on it!

It required very little painting, but a lot of patience. I used a USA Today as the base layer because they use color in their articles. After modge-podging all the newspaper on, I drew out my branch and birds. Followed with a black acrylic paint. I could have also used a sharpie to make this project totally paint free, but I was already pretty high from the glue...

So I guess now I can say I'm an interior decorator?

Storage Wars! On my closet...

I live in a tiny apartment and have no storage space. What am I supposed to do with my shoes! I tried using a laundry basket, but that was really inefficient because the shoes I wanted to wear were always on the bottom. Which lead to ALL the shoes being tossed out onto the floor.

Since I can't permanently modify anything in this stupid place, I needed a solution I can remove when I go. I went to my old standby, Pintrest. People use all kinds of crazy things to hold shoes, most of them not practical for my life (such as making cubby holes beneath each of your steps in the staircase).

I saw ladders being used for shoes, scarves, books, knickknacks, etc. So for months I looked for a ladder that I could transform into my storage hero. I found nothing. At least nothing that wasn't really expensive. So I decided to make one. And by that I mean, boss my boyfriend into making it for me!
We went to the Home Depot and got 2 1x2's, paint, and three dowels. I measured, and he cut and assembled.

Baby Ladder and Daddy Ladder

Once it was put together, I sanded and painted it this lovely green color!

Shoe Gymnastics

It holds all my high heels with room to spare! No help for unheeled shoes though. But its a step in the right direction!