Colorful Felt Pillow Covers

I make these appliqued felt pillow covers for family gifts and decor. 

I use straight stitching on my Singer and I'm not too awful picky

 about keeping everything neat and tidy. I like the texture that

 the multiple stitching gives to the thick felt and

 LOVE all the colors available. 

 Here's a gallery of my designs so far. This year I'm going to try some 

Halloween and Christmas designs, those should be fun!

It really is a simple process. Cut out the felt shapes and sew them in layers

 on your pillow fabric. You can be as neat and accurate or as abstract and casual as you prefer. 

Do you have questions about the DIY? Just ask them below and I'll answer them all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Page Leaves And Fall Garlands

Loving your fall garlands but ready for a bit of a refresh? Add book page leaves to punch them up with great texture and neutral color. It's easy!

I am always on the lookout for autumn leaf garlands at thrift stores and yard sales. And there is always the Dollar Store! Then I add leaves cut from book pages to give them a little extra decor kick. You probably have everything you need on hand already. 

Here's how to do it...

Make a template from one of the garland leaves. We used cereal box cardboard. Trace the leaves on pages of a book you don't mind using. We used a 25 cent paperback that was ruined by water on one corner.

You can layer the pages and cut up to six pages at a time. Use a smaller pair of scissors, such as manicure scissors, for this task. It makes it easier!

Use a glue stick on one leaf. Add a long 8" stem of florist wire then glue a second leaf on top. Putting glue on the second leaf helps to make a secure bond.

Add your leaves to your garland, twisting the florist wire around and around the existing garland for a good hold. Curve your leaves just a bit. The wire inside them helps hold the curve and makes them look more pleasing then just flat leaf shapes.

See how the book page printing gives interesting texture to the colorful garland? I like this alot!

I love the way the new book leaves punch up this garland.

For beautiful table decor use a garland as a runner and add other book page accents. So pretty!

They look great against my muslin curtains. But then I couldn't leave well enough alone and so I added....

twinkly lights!

Ooh aah.

This is a fun and easy project. Plus, cheap. 

Try it out!

I'll be joining these fun linky parties. Drop on by!

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2015/10/pj-299-an-upcycled-link-party.html

http://www.littlemisscelebration.com/2015/10/02/best-of-the-weekend-6/

Quick Change Wreath Decor

I had this idea to make wreath decor that was easy to change out on different kinds of wreaths and didn't require loads and loads of hot glue to hold them on.

Here's what I came up with.

I crashed my stash and found all kinds of colorful, glittery Autumn leaves, berries and twigs. Most of them are from the Dollar Store. That's a good start!

I wanted the backing to be sturdy enough to hold all the elements but also lightweight and thin enough so the design would blend with the types of wreaths I want to decorate. The Mountain Dew box was just the right weight. I hot glued all the leaves and rosettes and berries in place on the front then attached florist wire through several holes in the cardboard on the back. 

Voila! A pretty arch of autumn colors and elements ready to go on a wreath form. I added the glittered coppery butterfly for a perfect pop of shine.

Here it is on my coffee filter wreath. It looks great! I made the wreath with white coffee filters hot glued to a basic twig wreath. Even unadorned it is pretty but this added flair is just gorgeous!

And here is the same spray on a burlap wreath I made. Presto, change-o in just a few seconds! Wow, this is working out better than I'd hoped! I made the burlap wreath using hot glue on a straw wreath form. The mix of the plain burlap and the colorful arrangement really pops!

And here is a spray on a plain old twig wreath. The fancy and the plain really look good together. Again, it took mere seconds to switch from one wreath to another!

And here it is on a tan coffee filter wreath that I made using a Dollar Store hula hoop as a base. I really LOVE how this looks all together! Not only does it look good it is super simple to change over from one wreath to another. I think it would even look good over a round mirror for a neat accent!

I'm thinking of doing another arrangement with black and purple spray painted leaves for Halloween and then, of course, another one for Christmas. Those will both be fun projects, I'm looking forward to them!

Come link up at these parties and join the fun.

http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/2014/09/up-in-smoke-again.html?utm_source=Friends

http://www.simplenaturedecorblog.com/fabulous-friday-partyfall-features/

http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/link-up-52/

Lighted Autumn Hurricane

I scored this gigantic glass hurricane at a yard sale for $2. It is 20" tall and 8" across at the belly with a wooden base. I love it's size and how I can dress it up all year long. Plus, $2!! That still makes me grin.

Last spring I filled it with vine balls, book page decor balls, driftwood, monkey's knots, pine cones and my favorite green glitter dragonfly. I LOVE how it looked with a few of my cobalt glass pieces.

So this fall I restyled it for Autumn. Now it is a lighted accent to my Thanksgiving decorating. I like it. I like it alot!

I grabbed a garland and a short string of 50 lights from my stash....both Dollar Store buys from years past. I twined them together and stuffed them into the glass. The problem was, they all fell to the bottom and left the top of the glass empty.

The Welding Man suggested that I put a piece of dowel inside to support the garland, so here's what I came up with. To disguise the dowel I covered it with an Autumn leaf print napkin cut into strips. A bit of hot glue at the top and bottom kept the paper in place. We threaded it through the garland and used florist wire to hold it at the top. Then we plugged it in and I am pleased as punch at the way it looks!

Here it is at the corner of my "bookcase in lieu of a mantel" with my Thankful wreath, my faux stained glass mirror, my oak family tree painting and another, smaller, unlit hurricane. It really brightens up that corner and is a beautiful night light. I checked it often for too much heat from the lights and it is safe, just warm.

Now I'm thinking that smaller hurricane needs lights, too. I can put it in the corner of the living room with my Autumn tree branches. And for Christmas I'm thinking silver balls and ornaments and pine cones and a bit of greenery, all lit up!

I'll be joining the blog parties on my sidebar, come along and link up! There is a wealth of creative projects out there!

http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/2014/09/up-in-smoke-again.html?utm_source=Friends+of+Ivy+%26+Elephants&utm_campaign=c40032f638-Up+in+Smoke+Again&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a51593f650-c40032f638-42477

http://www.playpartypin.com/2014/09/weekend-re-treat-link-party-86.html

So ready for fall, y'all!

I love Fall! I love the cooler temps of crisp mornings in September after the scorching dog days of August. Each year we build the first fire in the wood stove on the morning of the first day of school, so the kids have a bit of warmth and cheer before they head for the bus. I love a nice wood fire in the morning!





But most of all, I love the colors of Fall. I love the bright and myriad hues of the frosted leaves against the beautiful Oregon firs and cedars. Vine maples trace a path of fiery color in the dark forests and brighten the darker days as winter approaches.






In my house I already have a lot of red and the autumn lets me kick everything up a notch with golden hues of orange, yellow and even nice, deep, chocolate browns. The lighter colors of summer are retired, and warm colors come in to brighten things up.


Last summer I scored over two dozen sprays of beautiful silk leaves in autumn colors at the Goodwill. I use them everywhere in the house clear up until I switch over to Christmas decor. I love the way they brighten things up! I have half a dozen flower arrangements between my dining room, kitchen and livingroom. They make me smile everytime I see them. Here are some of them from last year, dressed to brighten the darker fall days. I got them out yesterday and I'm looking forward to redoing all my vases again this year. Plus bringing out the afghans and quilts, and making some new, twiggy wreaths, and decorating for Halloween....yup, I am so ready for fall. How about you?

I'm linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Fall Inspiration party with this post. Come see all the beauty on her blog, you'll love it!

http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/08/fall-inspiration-link-it-up.html