KEEP CALM

DIY CHRISTMAS PILLOWS

I had EVERY intention of coming home from work and cleaning my basement tonight...BUT...that didn't happen.  I sat down at my computer for...seriously like two minutes...and the next thing I know I'm setting up light room on my patio and in my dining room.  (Sigh) 

I'm really excited to share this idea with you though!  I made a really neat Christmas pillow that was super easy and the best part is, it was totally FREE because I already had all the materials needed.  I have seen a lot of really cute pillows online with little Christmas sayings and I wanted something similar for my living room.  A lot of the techniques required freezer paper to transfer an image to fabric, which I didn't have, so I needed to figure out an alternative method.  I found one that worked great!

I started by setting up a light- on a vacuum box of course- and shined it at the sliding glass door in my dining room.

I printed the words 'Silent Night' onto regular paper and I just taped the papers to the door with the light shining in the background.  

Please ignore the snowflakes on the back side of my 'Night' paper.  That was for a project that didn't happen so I reused it. :)

Next I hung a 20ish by 20ish piece of painters drop cloth on the door and started to trace the words with my Sharpie maker.  I know this is super high tech, but please try to follow along.  Hehe.  I'm totally kidding.

Once I had everything traced I just filled it in and voilà! 

Here is the finished product...well almost finished.  I still need to sew the actual pillow.  In this picture the fabric is just laying on top of a pillow.  I was that excited to post this.  :)

 So what do you think?  It was really easy and cheap.  Do you have an idea of how you could use this same technique on one of your projects?  I think I'm going to make a second one the says 'Holy Night' and put them on my living room sofa.

Even thought I didn't exactly do what I was planning tonight, I still had a fun and productive evening.  The cleaning can wait for tomorrow.

Update:

SWAP TILL YOU DROP

I hosted a swap party, and it was a lot of fun!  I asked everyone to bring a few home decor items that they no longer wanted and then they were able to swap them for something new.  We drew numbers to see who would go first.  Then I called numbers three at a time and those people went to pick out their new items.  Once everyone had their chance to pick an item we did a second round.  Each person was able to go back through once for each item that they brought.  I think everyone left with some great stuff!

I tried to keep it simple, but anyone who knows me well will tell you that is impossible for me. :)  Soooo, I kept it as simple as I possibly could.  I decided to make a few treats and serve with hot chocolate on a stick.  Mmmmm, it was so yummy.

I would definitely recommend a swap party to anyone who is considering it. :)

I set out tags so people could label their items in case it wasn't obvious.  I also set out name tags since not everyone knew each other...yes I am that person.  :)

PROGRESS IN THE BATHROOM

A few months ago I told you about a tool called Chip It.  Chip It takes any image you have and creates a coordinating color pallet.  You can see that post here. 

Almost a year ago I bought a shower curtain for my bathroom, but I never put it up because I wanted to paint first.  Well, after almost three years in my home I FINALLY painted my bathroom.  I'm so happy to finally be making some progress in this room.  It was the only room in the house I hadn't done anything with.

I'm not done with the room yet, but here are a few picture of the new paint color, shower curtain, and wainscotting.  Have I ever mentioned that I <3 wainscotting.  :)

 

I took these pictures on my phone, so I know they aren't the best.

 This light REALLY needs to go.  It just glares at me every time I walk in the bathroom now. :)

I know the space isn't finished, but progress is progress, right?  For now, the little changes I have made make me happy when I walk in the room.

THRIFTY CHRISTMAS DECOR

I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but I'm already super excited about Christmas.  I want to make this Christmas season special.  Too many times I look back after the holidays and realize there was so much I didn't do.  I get too wrapped up in the busyness of the season that I forget to sit back and enjoy.  I've made it a goal of mine to soak it all in this year and to remember what the season is really about.  

I know it's a little early, but I started putting up my Christmas decorations and I wanted to share them with you.  Everything here was really inexpensive...bonus!

I already had this hurricane so I just added the fake snow, trees, and the little family picking out their Christmas tree.  Isn't it cute?  I absolutely adore this. :)  I found everything at Menard's.  I think this whole thing cost under $10.

Here is a closer look.

This is actually just a Christmas card I got from someone last year.  I LOVED the picture so I decided to save it.  I already had this frame, so I just swapped the picture I had in it for this Christmas card.  Cost: FREE!

I used the leftover snow (from my hurrican above) in these Ball mason jars and added a flameless tealight and a sprig of evergreen I had leftover from another project. I did buy these mason jars, but I imagine a lot of people already have most of these items on hand already.  I know they are simple, but I think that's what I love most about them.  They look beautiful at night too.  

I hope that everyone has a happy Thanksgiving and spend some good quality time with friends and family this year.  Think of all that you have to be grateful for and remember to ENJOY this holiday season.