Easy Pillow Covers

Since I made new curtains for my dining room, I've been wanting to update the pillows in the adjoining living room.  I knew there had to be a way to make simple pillow covers, but just hadn't taken the time to figure it out.

 
Last week, MoneySavingMom posted about this tutorial on her blog and I was hooked.  These pillow covers were not only easy, but they were fast, and used my existing pillows as pillow forms.  No kidding- it took me less than one hour to re-do all these pillows (I made a total of six covers from the leftover fabric of my curtains).

I love that there are no raw edges, no hand sewing and no stuffing involved in these pillows.  It's just a simple pocket for your existing pillows!

Plastic Canvas Earring Holder

I'm not sure where I first saw the idea of an earring holder, but this idea has been in my mind for while.  My husband's great grandmother passed away in October 2009, and we inherited a house full of treasures.  I snagged these picture frames and knew they would be perfect for this project.

 

 I really liked how these frames were deep, because I had planned on hanging them on the wall, but changed my mind at the last minute.  Nonetheless, I still liked the square shape and depth of the frames.

So, I spray painted them white which cheap Wal-Mart spray paint.

I gave them a couple of coats and let them dry.

I picked up a large sheet of clear plastic canvas at Jo-Ann's.  It was about $1.  I cut two pieces to the size of my frame openings.

I put hot glue on the ledge of the frames.  The space was very narrow but somehow it worked.

 

Then I stuck the plastic canvas on top of the hot glue.

While it was drying, I went to my jewelry and found all my earrings I normally wear (and some that I don't normally wear but should start wearing!).  I collected both the hook kind and the post kind.

Once the hot glue was dry, I started decorating these frames....

 Like I said earlier, I had originally planned to hang them on the wall, but this ledge on our bedroom hutch was just too perfect for these new beauties!

As you can see, the hook type earrings just hang in the holes nicely, while the posts are secured with the backs.

I even added a few bobby pins in one empty space!

I just love it!  I repurposed old frames, and with a $2 investment ($1 for spray paint and $1 for plastic canvas) I have a whole new jewelry display!!! 

Wine Cork Art

I've been collecting wine corks for a while.  When my husband's great grandmother passed away in 2009, I found a large stash in her house.  Others have come from friends and memorable events.  I've always wanted to do something fun with them, but never had the right inspriration.

I found this frame last weekend while I was at a yard sale.  It was the perfect depth for the wine corks and it was a neutral color.

Don't think I'm a horrible person for crafting over the Declaration of Independence.  Certainly I can't be as terrible as the person who sold it for $1!

 

So, after I got over re-purposing this frame, I started arranging and gluing my wine corks in a pattern.  It took some creativity to make them fit with no holes or gaps, but in the end, I was really happy with how it turned out.  I like the way it is subtle and doesn't "pop" on the wall... just what I wanted.

 

 

And there's more!  It doubles as a hot pad for serving dishes!

 

How to Streamline your Spices

The magnetic spice rack idea is floating around the web on hundreds of sites.  I can't remember where I first saw it, but the idea has always captivated me.  I love storing spices in stainless steel containers, love reducing clutter in my cabinet space, and love the look of spices stored in uniform ways.

My metal containers are from Ikea, and a package of 3 is $4.99.  These containers are larger than I expected, and the lids fit very securely.  They have an extra large magnet on the back so rest assured it won't fall off your magnetic surface.

I used my labelmaker (free after rebate at Staples a few years ago) to make clear labels for each container.

 

I chose to put my spice containers on the side of my refrigerator.  My kitchen isn't that large, and this area of my refrigerator is easily accessible when I'm cooking or baking.  I have seen others put them on a cookie sheet and lean it against a cabinet or backsplash, or you could have a piece of metal cut to fit on the inside of a cabinet door.  Whatever works for you.  But, for me, the magnetic space on my fridge was already paid for and involved no extra trips to the store.  :)  I also feel like it's a form of artwork in my kitchen... functional artwork.

Wouldn't this be a great wedding or housewarming gift?  You could buy spices in bulk from Costco or Sam's, and then put them in these containers and give them on a cookie sheet!  I just may do that for my next wedding gift....

How to Make Custom Curtains in Four Hours

So, as I said earlier today, I had a few hours this afternoon to work on my living room/dining room curtains.  I had already measured the windows and knew how I wanted to design them, so the hardest part was done.

These were the curtains I had previously.  My mother and I made them last year for our rental.  They worked perfectly in the rental, but just weren't what I wanted for this house.  I was looking for something long, flowing, softer and more neutral.  So, after about four hours, I had made this pair of panels for the dining room window.

 

I love the way they turned out!  

The sewing details and more photos are below, so if you are interested in making something similar, keep reading.

The blue bird fabric is called "Nestled in the Branches" and is part of the Legacy Fabric collection at Jo-Ann's.  I'm not a huge Jo-Ann's fan... I don't think they are very helpful, but their store is closer to me and I liked this fabric.  It was $9.99/yd and I had a 40% off coupon.  I bought 5 yards, because I have two other windows and some pillows (and maybe a table runner) to do.  

The taupe satin fabric (which I'm really not sure if it's satin... it may be something else with a satin look) was on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $1/yd about 5 years ago.  I remember buying it when we lived in our apartment in Louisville, and I used a little bit of it, but had a lot left.  Can anyone else not resist fabric at $1/yard?

I put a 12 inch strip of the blue fabric at the top and bottom.  The taupe fabric measures 60" finished, so total my panels are 84" long.  I need to get hubby to raise the rod a little because the curtains drag the floor- I just put it in the previous holes since I'm not so handy with a drill.  

So, 60" of taupe fabric, and two 12" pieces of blue bird fabric.  Sew together... make sure your birds aren't upside down!  :)

Since the fabrics are different weights (thickness), I topstitched the blue bird fabric to the seam allowance of the taupe fabric.  Is this called a "stitch in the ditch"?  I've always heard that term and not sure what it means.  Anyways, whatever it is, I did this so that my fabric would lay nicer (or hang nicer, really). 

I used muslin (from Wal-Mart) for the lining.  I sewed three sides of the muslin to the taupe/blue bird panel, right sides together, like a giant pillowcase.

Turn right side out.  Press seams flat.  Then, since I didn't want to do any handstitching, I just ironed my top fabric a little over the lining.  (Thanks for this tip, Mom!)  This makes your lining stay in the back and not creep around to the front. 

I then hemmed my curtains by folding them over twice (to hide raw edges) like a regular hem.   Because I didn't want to topstitch on my finished product, I used stitch-witchery to glue the hem down.  This is a great solution for things you won't be washing regularly.  I fell in love with this stuff when I made a dust ruffle for my friend Steph.  

 If you will fold in the corners like you are wrapping a present, they will finish prettier.

I bought curtain rings with clips from Ikea ($2.99 for a pkg of 10) so that I didn't have to sew a casing.  

Total project cost:

Bird Fabric- $35

Curtain Rings- $9 for 30 rings

Curtain Rod- From rental house

Taupe fabric- From my stash, but maybe $8???

Muslin Lining- Don't remember, maybe $10

Total:  $62 for the finished product-- 3 windows, pillows and some fabric left over!  Not bad!

Four Hour Curtains

Today my MIL has my kids and I am attempting to make new curtains for my living room.  I have about 4 hours before I head to work tonight, so we'll see how much I get done.  Hopefully I'll have some progress to post soon!

Valentine Ruffle Wreath

Last year I made this Valentine Ruffle Wreath.  I packed it away with our other valentine decor, and it stored so well.  I just fluffed the ruffles and hung it on our door!  

 This wreath was really easy to make and kid-friendly, too!  I cut out the felt while watching a TV show with my kids.  My son loved playing in the scrap felt and practicing his cutting skills.

There are so many variations with this wreath- you could do different shades of pink, throw in some lavender color, etc.  Or, you could stick with a traditional round wreath form (available at the Dollar Tree!) and vary the colors.  I'm thinking red and green for Christmas, red, white and blue for patriotic holidays, pretty spring pastels for Easter, warm fall colors for Thanksgiving, and of course orange and blue for the Florida Gators!

Before and After: Coffee Tables and End Tables

Over 18 months ago, we moved across the country and planted roots in Florida.  We sold a lot of our furniture and lived with family for a few months.  When the time came to move to our own place, I started hunting for cheap furniture to paint, update, whatever... money was very tight at that time and I was scrambling to make a rental house feel like our home in a city that was foreign to me.  If you've ever been in this situation, you know the feelings I was experiencing. So, enough mushy-gushy stuff....

I found this end table/nightstand at a garage sale for $5. 

 

And this four-drawer chest at the same yard sale for $8.  I know it says $10 on the price tag, but I talked them down!  :)

 

And this coffee table was free- lying beside a dumpster at an apartment complex.

 

With the help of my parents, sandpaper, paint, new knobs and a lot of time, we transformed these three pieces to work for our home.  They make our house cozy and also served a practical purpose.  

This piece needed new baseboards around the bottom, new paint and new knobs.  It was probably the easiest piece of the three.

This four-drawer chest got new trim around all the drawers, as some were in pretty bad shape.  My dad actually rebuilt one drawer all together.  Obviously, it got new paint and hardware, too!

 

And the coffee table... there was originally no drawer when I found rescued this beauty.  So, my dad built a "fake" drawer (just the front plate) on it, and we attached a knob.

 

And for anyone who may be wondering, the paint color is Coffee Bean by Eddie Bauer.  Happy Painting!