Personalized JUMBO Fleece Pillow

Casey's niece Kylie has a birthday coming up very soon.  I thought for awhile on what we should get her after talking with her mom.  Kylie said "ANYTHING BUT CLOTHES"...ha I so remember when I was that age and the SAME way...no clothes...it's all about the toys!  Casey's sister said Kylie LOVES to read!  We got her some books for Christmas and she read them so quickly and happened really enjoy the serious.  Instead of just getting her books this year, I decided to maybe make her a creative place where she could read her books.  They already have bean bag chairs, so that was out.  Then I thought of a reading mat of some sort which would be nice, but not very private for when you need your quite time to read.  I combined the privacy idea with a mat and decided to make her a tent with mat and pillows!! She will have her own oasis in her room where she can hide out and read a good book, play, camp out, whatever he little heart desires. 

After I got approval from Casey's sister that I could make a big tent (collapsible) for Kylie, the planning began!  Last night I completed Phase 1: personalized pillow for the birthday girl.  I of course can't leave out the little sister ( trust me, I know from experience that when there are two of you, a little something for the other doesn't hurt).  That being the case I decided to make Kinsey her very own personalized fleece pillow for the tent as well.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Fleece

Felt

Stencil

Iron on Heat N' Bond

Chalk or Fabric Pen

Pillow Form or Stuffing

Sewing Items

Step 1: Create the stencil for the name either from the computer or using an existing alphabet stencil.

Step 2: Cut out the letters and trace them onto the felt.

Step 3: Measure the fleece to the correct size for the pillows.  I measured 2 ft X 2 ft, adding a 1/4 ' onto each side for seam allowance.

Toby wanted some attention so he laid down on the fabric and tried to eat my ruler

Step 4:  Cut out the letters from the felt as well as HEAT N' BOND to fit each one.

 Step 5: Iron on the letters to the fleece fabric in the appropriate place.  Make sure to place a cloth in between the iron and the letters when ironing.

Step 6:  Sew the letters onto the fabric where the front of the pillow will be for extra "security", outlining the edges of each letter.

Step 7: Turn the fleece fabric inside out and fold in half to form your pillow outline.  Pin down the edges and sew.  Remember to leave a 5" opening so you can turn the pillow right side out and stuff.

Step 8:  Stuff the pillow with Pillow Form/Stuffing until your reach the fluffiness you want.  I ended up using 3 bags of pillow stuffing for my pillow.  Since I only had three bags, I could only complete one pillow last night.  The other one will have to wait for more Poly-Fil.

Step 9: Close the opening by folding in the edges, pinning, and sewing shut.

Now you have a VERY COMFY jumbo fleece pillow!

I made Casey test it out and he was surprised at how comfy it was.  Now on my to do list is to make him a smaller one that he can sleep on ha. 

I can't wait to get the whole project finished and show you all the final tent masterpiece.  Next on my list is to finish the other pillow for Kinsey and then start building the tent.  Stay tuned!!

Bedroom Curtain Alteration

Hope you all had a great weekend!  I have a BAD case of the Mondays after a long weekend...I went to KC for a Bachelorette Party which was A BLAST and then came home to play 2 softball games last night.  Let's just say it took all the energy in my body to get out of bed this morning.
Casey and I have been in our new place for almost a month now...I can't believe it!  Everything is situated and organized, but now it's a matter of putting those "homey touches" and decor up and around the house to make it feel more like home.  Curtains have been one of our top priorities since we have quite a few windows at our place.  I love natural sunlight, but at night it is nice to have privacy.  We put the curtains that were previously in our bedroom into the living room (the living room has a bigger window space that works perfect for the two panel curtains we had).  That left us with no bedroom curtains.  We do have a pull down shade, but those aren't always the prettiest things in the world.  I really wanted to make curtains, but I am also nervous about that since I have never tried before.  With that being the case, I decided to do a little "half and half". 

I found a curtain on sale at TJ Maxx and snatched it up.  It was floor length, and our window is standard size (1 window frame) with a window sill.  Also, the owner left window treatment bars for us which was super nice, but they are very thick. The existing hole in the curtain barley fit and it was very snug - wouldn't slide very well.  With all of that being said, I altered the curtain to fit the window.  Here is how it went down:

Step 1:  The curtain had a two small slots allotted for hanging, one smaller and one a little bit bigger.  Our curtain rod fit into the second slot, but was VERY snug.  It didn't allow for us to gather the curtain to one side in order to keep it open during the day.  Therefore, I took out the seam separating the two slots to form 1 big slot.

the two slots the curtain came with

ready to get to work with my handy seam ripper

aftermath = 1 big slot

Step 2:  Hang the curtain on the rod over the window and measure the length.  Pin at where you would like the curtain to fall.  I wanted the curtain to lay level with the window sill just resting on top.

Step 3:  Take the curtain off and pin along your marks.  Then place the curtain back onto the rod to make sure it lays where you want it.  I had to re-mark my hem line a couple of times to get it JUST right.

Step 4:  Once you are satisfied with the length, cut off the access leaving an inch of extra fabric for seam allowance. Make sure to level off any uneven cut marks when comparing both ends of the curtain to give you a smooth finish.



Step 5:  Pin up the hem and sew. 

Step 6:  (OPTIONAL)  In order to help keep the curtain to one side of the window when opened, I added a ribbon to the back so I could tie up the curtain to one side.  I measured the ribbon around the curtain and hand sewed it to the back.

Step 7:  Hang up your curtain, test out your ribbon tie, and admire your hard work!

Now that I have a taste of curtain altering, I might be brave enough to take on curtains from scratch for another room...we will see!

The whole time I was hanging curtains, these beautiful birds were keeping me company outside the window.  Casey and I were given an bird feeder as a new home gift, and it attracts exotic/unique birds.  I love it!

Fabulous Friday Finds

Fabulous Find #1: 

Sometimes I go shopping with a coworker during lunch hour at work, and we have a TJ Maxx super close to where we work...how convenient!  I have been wanting a Michael Kors Watch recently but they are a bit pricey.  The other day as I was @ TJ Maxx I decided to look around the jewelry counter to see what kind of watches they had and there it was...Michael Kors watches.  They particular store that I went to had these two watches for $99.95!! Compared to their original price of $225-$250, I think that is a great deal!!  If you are in the market for a new watch, go check out your local TJ Maxx store!

Fabulous Find #2:

Express  is having one good promotion going on right now...buy 1 pair of jeans and get the next for $29.90.  Compared to the usual price of jeans there ranging from $60 +, nabbing a pair for $30 is a STEAL!  Of course you have to buy a more expensive pair along with it.  With the fall season approaching, jeans are a must, so go pick up two pairs and you'll be ready for Fall and Winter!  These are two that I would pair up:

Barely Boot Zelda Slim Fit Jean Rinse Wash - $69.95

Zelda Jean Legging - $69.95

Fabulous Find #3: 

Colored Jeans are quite the buzz right now.  JCPenney has stepped up their game as far as their clothing selection (in my opinion) and they have these super cute City Street Skinny Jeans (Juniors) for $19.99.  They come in 5 colors: Green, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Grey.  Great price for a stylish pair of jeans!

Fabulous Find #4:

Target actually has a coupon - Do you ever see these? It is online ONLY though, so I guess it isn't that surprising.  However, Target always has a great selection of items and with their fall lines coming out I think we can expect great things!  Go into the store and shop around, try things on, then go home and order the right sizes to get your 20% off!

20% off purchases of $75 or more on select apparel, shoes and accessories through August 27, 2011

20% off purchases of $75 or more on items from the Men's, Women's and Kids Apparel, Shoes and Accessories categories. Discount applied to the subtotal of qualifying items. Discount will be applied at Checkout. Discount not applicable to gift wrap, tax, or shipping and handling charges. May not be applied to previous orders. Offer expires August 27, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Kailey Tall Boots - Brown

Aren't these boots so amazing!  I really want to buy a pair now!! But I will control myself...ugh hate that self control!

Fabulous Find #5:

Get 40% off at Michaels for all Martha Stewart Craft Paint or Accessories.  There are some amazing projects that have been popping up on a couple blogs using Martha's amazing products.  Check out House of Smiths and Tatertots and Jello to see a few.  This product kit has EVERYTHING from paint to stencils to tools.  There are endless possibilities to the projects you can create using Martha's Paint & Accessories.  Head over to your local Michaels and grab some craft supplies for your next project!

Hope you all have a great weekend and go get your shop on!  I will be heading to KC tonight for one of my besties Bachelorette Party - WOOT WOOT!  Can't wait to see all my friends!!

Adding Pizazz - DIY Table Runner

This past weekend Casey and I had a lot of family and friends over for a BBQ/house warming get together.  I made a quick and easy table runner from some scrap fabric I had lying around to help spruce up the dinning room.

Step 1: Measure the length of your table and add 5" for a little extra "hang off" + seam allowance on each end for the length.  For the width, cut 11" with a 1/2" seam allowance on each side.  You can vary the width depending on the width of your table along with your own preference. 

Step 2:  Cut your material and sew your main fabric with 1/2" seam allowances on all for sides.

Step 3:  Cut 2 pieces of contrasting fabric 20" wide (double the width of the runner) and 4" tall.  Ruffle the fabric using your sewing machine.

Step 4:  Attach one ruffle to each end of the runner.
Step 5:  Place your runner on your dinning room table and "oooh and ahhh" over its beauty!