Update to the no cost makeover

Wow, nearly 2.5 months since my last post.  That's a record.  I miss you all!

I did end up doing my little "no cost" make-over, but it was slightly modified in terms of the "no cost" part.

In order to get the blue, tan, white & black color scheme I talked about in my post, I ended up buying some fabrics to make the toss pillows that pulled the design together.  So, I'll count that cost.  The rest, I just moved the furniture around like I figured I would, but still haven't bitten the bullet and painted that ladder shelf. (Going from white to black, to really pull the theme together.)

So, the fabrics I purchased were super inexpensive- one was $5.99/yd, the other two were 2.99/yd.  I purchased 1.5 yards of the black and white damask, and 1 yard each of the trellis and circle damask.  Also, I had found a white fabric shower curtain on clearance for $2.50 at Target, so I used that also to make two solid white pillows.  I still have enough of the trellis fabric to make another pillow, so even though the fabric total was around $16, I didn't use it all!

Also, the mirror above the fireplace was purchased in 2010 (Just before Christmas) so it doesn't count in my 2011 project cost tally (but for score keeping purposes, it's a huge round, chunky mirror, exactly like I wanted, and it was $45.)

So, I moved the couches, moved the ladder shelf, put in another table and my Louis XVI chair, moved the sofa table, and added in a small cabinet (yet to be painted) with a lamp.  We got a new TV stand (also in 2010), and have the glider from 2010.  (Love the glider, but it's hard to decorate around!)

Stay Tuned!  I've got a lot of posts coming up soon- even though I haven't been posting much, I've been taking photos of everything I'm doing.  It's been a busy place around here, and is just about to get busier!

PS: Baby C is growing like a weed!  Here's a sneak peak at his weekly pictures.  YES!  I'm still taking a new photo EACH week!

Week 1:

Week 10:

Week 20:

Boat Applique Pillow

Wow, I AM getting good with the sewing machine!  Or, at least I hide the imperfections well.  :)

Remember when I made the polka dot slipcovers for the glider?  It's super cute by itself, but I thought the small little 12x16" I had bought would be so cute as an accent (Plus, potential actual lower back support on the glider, if needed!)

I've had a few pillow cover creation mishaps, so I thought since I've taken to sewing lately, that I might be able to do this one quicker and easier, and I did... but I cheated.  How, you ask?

This small pillow was encased in a plastic bag when I bought it, that I realized fit PERFECTLY around the pillow, and allowed it to be nice and plump.  So, I cheated by using the bag as fabric cut guide.  You know what?  It worked!  It even had an envelope closure, instead of being seamed all the way around. 

So, with the extra drapery lining fabric I had (solid white) leftover from the nursery curtains, I made the 3 fabric cuts: 1 for the front, and 2 for the back to make the envelope closure.  Again, straight seams made this easy to put together.  I did turn it right side out, and fit the pillow in, and needed to bring the side seam in a bit, so I just turned it out, and made a new seam.  Fit better the second time.

I pulled the quilt out, and picked the boat I wanted to duplicate, and drew it out on a paper so I could cut the fabric to the right size (after all, the rest of the nursery is starting to look polished and pulled together, and the last thing I wanted was the accessories to look sloppy)

I had planned to sew the appliques on, but since I did kind of mess up by sewing the whole case together first, that didn't quite work...  But, fabric glue worked just fine.  I could hand stitch them later, if I feel so inclined.  (yea right, after the baby is born?!)

   

But anyway, as it's all coming together, I love it!  Here are some photos of the little pillow on the glider, and how it all fits together in the room.  Oh, and did you recognize the sail fabric?  It matches the "C" artwork frame I did a few weeks back.  Check that project out HERE.  :)

And, if you're interested in the painted barn stars on the wall, I love them!  I posted about them just the other day... check that post out here.

So as it all comes together, I can thank this little puppy:

Who knew I'd become a sewing fanatic!  I always felt more crafty than being a seamstress, but perhaps it's just another tool to be crafty.  Who'da thunk?!

Whilst Shopping, the images...

Whoever invented the camera phone should be given a pat on the back.  I had a "totally business" Blackberry (with NO camera) for 2 LOOOONG years, and when we got iPhones this past November finally, I've enjoyed having a camera again!

Because you can be inspired anywhere, I snap pictures constantly.  As I was walking at Target today, I realized I have nearly 150 photos on my little iPhone.

Here are some of the photos I've gathered Whilst Shopping (hence the title!) and I hope that some of these inspire some of you as well.  Enjoy!

TARGET FINDS:

Ok, I want this storage cube as a side table, asap.  It appears to be really solidly made, but is still $99.99.  I found it online at Target HERE for you.  :)  I'm going to watch for this one to go on sale, I like it that much.

 

This pillow is white, but the lighting in Tar-jay doesn't condone fantastic iPhone shots.  I love the strips that mimic ruffles, and because I'm dangerous with a sewing machine now, I totally thought I could make this!

And doesn't this little stool remind you of something?!  Yes!  I'm not crazy to have a zebra ottoman!  This little stool was $49.99, not bad, but my $15 table, and $6 yard of fabric will be cheaper.  :)  You can find it online HERE.

 

This looks simple enough to make.  A thin square pillow, with a black button through it, and a black ribbon ruffle border?  Yep.  For $24.99 though?  Probably cheaper to make it!

Thanks Target!

HOMEGOODS FINDS:

 

I love this fretwork mirror.  The silver/champagne color, and the detail.  I think this one was $39 or $49.  Ultimately, it really inspired my painting I created in black and white.

This is a kids size Louis XVI chair for $39.  White?  Yes!  Pink Pleather?  Yes!  How stylish for a little coutour girl.  Makes me want to change up my Louis XVI chair!

 

This canister was nearly 18" tall, and I loved the color, but didn't have a place for it.  It was on clearance though, my favorite spot in the store!  :)

The green metalic glass, and oil rubbed bronze coloring on this peice caught my eye and made me walk back and take a photo.  I think it was $16.99 but I'll wait for it to go on clearance in the hopes I can find a spot for it by then.

 

Remember my love of the fleur de lis lately?  Like in this small stencil project?  Isn't this table neat?  I've been seeing stenciled tables online lately, which I'm sure could be made to mimic this photo, for less that $79.99.

How fun are these chests!  They had yellow, blue, and green stripe versions.  I'm totally on the lookout for some pieces to do this treatment to now.  I think these were $129.99 each.  

 

And onto a few Easter decor items.  I loved this egg tree, that sort of mimics a topiary.  The colors are so country, but I love the softness of them.  The eggs are speckled, so find a tutorial out there in blogland (there are plenty!) and make this tree (then make sure you share it with me!).  The $19.99 price was actually pretty good for this one I think.

Then there was this cool egg, that's a takeoff on the technique I used for this wreath.  The paper is stiff, and the "petals" are attached in big sections, like the size of a wooden pencil eraser.  I liked the idea of the craft, and just need to put it to use at some point.

So I love this color so much, I'm considering it for the master bedroom!  This plate set was everything I love: Fleur de lis (notice a pattern here?!), scalloped edges, dot detailing.  Can I just have these to hang on the wall somewhere?!  Not bad at $3.99 each.

How fun is this lamp from the children's section?!  They also had a pink and white version.  A glass lamp base with pom poms in it?  Too cute!  And, totally a DIY project :)

 

I really liked the crisp black and white on this bucket, and it made me wonder if I should add the wreath detail around my bulletin board bee.  What do you think?

Thanks HomeGoods!

 

Anyway, I hope you had fun shopping with me.  I'm super bummed I didn't take a photo of the antique buffet I was eyeing at the Salvation army yesterday.  It was in awesome condition, with original beautiful hardware.  The catch?  Even when this store is extremely well priced normally, this piece was $399!  Even on a 50% off day, that's still $200.  I may see if they've marked it down by next weekend, if it's still there.  I could totally see someone snatching it up, even at $200, or $399!  (Just not me... my buffet cost me $20!)

Hope you all are having (or had!) a great weekend!  I'm finally mostly better (except my remaining pesky cough!) so it's back to the grind for me.

Take care, and stay dry/warm/[cool?] depending on where you are in the world!

Fancy Felt

As you probably saw in this pillow talk *giggle* post, I was really interested in the felt Christmas tree pillow, and figured I could do that myself!

Now, I'll preface this by saying- this feature was supposed to be of TWO pillows.  However, I seem to have misplaced the 2nd pillow cover, and thus only did one.  I'm only crying on the outside inside.  I think I bought two.  Did I only buy one?  They were $5 each.  I had to have bought two.  My ADD isn't letting me sleep till I find it, but I wanted to post this for you even though sadly we only have one.

Anywho... I digress.

The supplies were listed on the post from the original Michael's project that I linked on my pillow post.  I basically made it up from the picture, but here's what I used:

• 1 presewn (I suppose you could sew your own!  I can't... yet...) pillow cover.  Mine was 16"x16" from Ikea and was $5
• 1 8x10" sheet of green felt (I actually used 2 5x7 sheets, but you get the picture) I got my pack of felt at the dollar store
• small section of white felt, or whatever color to make the trunk and star at top
• Fabric glue
• circular pattern to trace (I used one of my new glasses from my grandmother)
• and the usuals: scissors, pencil (or something to mark the felt that isn't dark

First, I stacked my two thin sheets of felt on top of each other, and drew circles with the help of the glass.  Stacking the sheets made it much more efficient when cutting them out- sort of like a two for one special!  And who doesn't like a sale?!  :)

 

Then, cut your circles in half, so you have little half circles.   These will be the pieces for the tree.  I needed a total of 28 half circles, or 14 full circles to make my tree.

I sketched out a rough pattern of the tree, and stuck pins in it to hold it in place.  This way I could see if the scale was right before I started gluing.  (as you'll see later, my tree "branch" placement didn't conform to my pattern...)

The next part took me a minute to figure out: to get the right shape that you'll glue to your pillow cover, first put a line of glue along the straight edge of the half circle.  Turn the piece around, so the glue is facing out from you.  Slightly pinch, from the back, the circle, while bending the pointed ends up and toward each other.  Since the glue was facing out, you can now apply direct to your fabric pillow cover.  The straight ends may not match up exactly.

After the first piece is attached, now the fun begins!  You need to determine if you want a skinny tree, or a fat one like mine.  Had I realized, I would have put the pieces closer together on every row... mine turned out more like a triangle, but you get the picture!  Once you determine how you want it to look, attach your pieces to the entirety of your patern.

Then, decide on the trunk length/width, and the size of your "star".  I made one that was too small to begin with.  The one I stuck with was about half the size of the green half circles.  I liked the white because it had a nice contrast against the tan color of the pillow.

Once everything was attached with the fabric glue, I gave them all another good pat so they'd stick, and that's it!  Done in about 45 min!

Isn't this just so cute!  I could see doing something similar with shiny fabrics for Valentines day!  :)  (Anyone thinking THAT far ahead yet?!  I know I'm not, really, I swear!)

Hope you like it, and if you do this, I'd love to see your version!