Howdy! It's good to be back! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, New Year's and are staying warm this winter season. Our weather in Central Texas is wonderful this week, but I won't dwell on how wonderful because I know there are many out there cooped due to the very cold weather! On a more positive note, this post might be a great solution to bide a little time indoors this season. :)
Anyone have boxes or bins of extra fabric around the house? I don't have a ton, since I'm not much of a seamstress, but I definitely have a little! I sometimes hit the clearance remnants at JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby or Hancock's and come home with pieces of really cute fabric! I just can't pass them up and hope to make something fun out of them. Then they usually sit and sit in a bin. Well, I finally got around to making something one of my fabrics! THREE somethings, actually. :) I found this cute outdoor fabric from Hancock's. I paid $5 for about a yard of it (a steal when it costs $15/yard or more for this stuff). It may look familiar to some of you. :) I'll give you a hint: It's in my Creative Space series. (If you missed it, you might find some ideas for a space of your own! :)
I like to call this my "Fab-Fabric!" It makes me smile. :) See?
Fluff It.
Anyone recall this photo? Yep, it's my upcycled chair! Notice the adorable pillow?
Well, it's a FAKE! Yep, I'm coming clean. I really wanted a cute pillow using my fabric for my chair in time for my blog post months back. I had the fabric, but I hadn't made the pillow. SO...I made a quick decision and wrapped the fabric around my daughter's doll pillow and taped it in back with masking tape. LOL! Hey, it did the job, right? Well, here it is, 2013 and I'm ready to get REAL...
I found this "LOVE-ly" little fleecy pillow on clearance ($3.50!) at Ross. A much better size and shape pillow for my chair. Score!
Now to cover it. I searched and found what seems to be the most popular way to recover a pillow: an envelope pillow cover! You can make and replace them whenever you want a change - Brilliant! The Decorated House blog has a great little tutorial that highlights Mary Dobson's Five-Minute Cushion method. There's no way it's 5 minutes, but it's definitely the fastest pillow cover I've ever made! If you have a sewing machine, it's definitely quick. It just requires two hemmed edges and then two pillow sides stitched since the fabric wraps around with an envelope opening in the back. This is soooo much smarter than stitching 4 sides and 2 separate pieces! It's also very easy for those those non-seamstresses like me. Hand stitching and Stitch Witchery will probably work, too, but a machine will save many more minutes! :) So, what do you think?
My chair is now complete with a new pillow with a real sewn cover!
I heart this.
Frame It.
After my pillow-making, I had more Fab-Fabric that I wanted to add somewhere else in the room. I had found some old white frames in a closet and the light bulb came on: "I'll FRAME IT!" :) I removed the glass and got to work with my scissors and Tacky Spray. I spray-glued the fabric to frame insert and trimmed the edges. I also had a cheap ($1), flat metal cross on hand that I'd picked from a craft store one day. After a 10-second black spray paint session + a little dry time, I created this using more Tacky Spray. You like?
It took me a whole five minutes to make! It cost me $1 (cross) since I had all the needs on hand. I'm very pleased with my second flash of Fab-Fabric in the room on my hutch! Even more I especially love that it represents my Lord and Savior!
Flower It.
I happened to be browsing Pinterest the same day I'd framed the fabric and came across the cutest thing! I saw these cute flowers made of a similar grade of fabric, so I just HAD to make one! It would be a perfect and easy embellishment using my last strip of Fab-Fabric.
These were made by Emily of Jones Design Company. Her simple tutorial and free printables convinced me. :) I found a white button in my sewing box and got to work!
A little cutting, a little needle and threading, a little hot glue, and......DONE!
This one was REALLY easy. I did it while watching some Netflix! :)
$0 to make this one.
It's the perfect 3rd and final pop of my Fab-Fabric in the room for my bright pink IKEA lampshade.
Guess what? I'm out of Fab-Fabric! It's bittersweet. I now have a little more room in my fabric bin. Having glue, spray paint, an old frame, a needle & thread, and a button meant I spent $9.50 total. A stocked creative space comes in handy. ;) I hope you enjoyed these three little creations and maybe got inspired to do one (or more) of them. I promise you can do it. I am all about EASY DIY, so if I can make it, anyone can.
In the spirit of creations, may we all be reminded that we are God's creations, made for a purpose.
"For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10
Thank you, Lord, for creating me in Christ. Help me to do your good works to the fullest!
Keeping Him in Mind,
