I {Heart} My State Art {Tutorial}

When I started this project, I was planning to make another pillow cover like this one. However, I didn't have enough dropcloth left to make another one. I was going to use the freezer paper method and make a silhouette of my state to replace the bunny silhouette from Spring. It took me about five minutes to change my mind and I decided to make this. It will be a great addition to the living room!

 

I'm sharing this with these friends!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Diaper Clutch {Tutorial}

I don't have babies in my house anymore, but I have lots of friends who do. I decided to make something baby-related because it's Spring and lots of baby showers happen in the Spring. It's been awhile since I did a baby-related post so here you go! This diaper clutch is very practical for throwing in the diaper bag or car to keep a few diapers and the travel wipes in. Just grab it and go when you don't need the whole entire diaper bag. This is perfect for the quick trips into the store or for keeping in the car or stroller for those unexpected diaper changes! I decided to make this one to match the tote bag/diaper bag I made here. {And you may see these in my etsy shop real soon.}

First, take your chosen fabric {I used leftover dropcloth from these projects} and measure one piece - 20" long x 8" wide.
Now, fold fabric longways with right sides together. So, you'll have a folded piece that is 10" long x 8" wide.
Pin sides together. Sew or serge the sides.
Turn right-side-out.
Follow directions below.

Make the strap by taking a 2.5" wide strip of fabric, folding it in half. Iron. Then, fold rough edges under 1/4" and iron. Finally, sew a straight seam down the open edge. Strap is done. Sew it as pictured above.

 You can find the freezer paper method here.

I'm sharing this with a few of these parties!

15 Minute Dropcloth Table Runner {Tutorial} + Centerpiece

My kitchen table is the most used table in the house. It gets eaten on, drawn on, colored on, crafted on, etc etc. It was the first table I ever bought and I've had it for 11 1/2 years. So, it's starting to look a little worn. I normally leave it plain or just with a vase of flowers on it because it gets used constantly, but after making my dropcloth curtains for the door behind it, I felt like it looked mighty plain. I started thinking about what to do and decided that since I happened to still have the dropcloth left out from these projects, I'd make a table runner out of it! It literally took about 15 minutes start to finish. It's as simple as sewing a straight line. Everyone can do it! So, if you need to brighten up an old table consider using this durable and washable dropcloth.

 If you want to make a quick and cheap centerpiece for Spring or Easter, this is what I made. My girls love it. It's simple and I think they just like having something Eastery on the table.

I spent $20 on two 4'x15' dropcloths at Big Lots and so far I've made these curtains, this kitchen curtain, this pillow cover, a tote bag {soon to come} and the table runner out of them. I still have quite a bit left to make many more projects! I'd say that's pretty thrifty.

What dropcloth projects do you want to make?

I'm sharing with these parties. Happy Spring!!

Bunny Silhouette Pillow Cover {Tutorial}

This is a two for the price of one kind of tutorial! I love throw pillows because they can change the look of the room in just a matter of minutes and usually for just a few dollars {if you make your own!}. This post will show you how to make a pillow cover with a velcro closure AND how to personalize it. I love the idea of using throw pillows for seasonal decoration, but I really wanted to be able to use the down pillow insert for more than just a few weeks during the year. With the velcro closure on this pillow cover, I can use this pillow insert all year and just change the covers with the season. It's a win-win situation!!
I made this pillow cover out of ... dropcloth! I told you to stay tuned for more dropcloth projects, right?? Here's how...

Now, you can leave it like that or you can personalize it. I chose to do a bunny silhouette in honor of Spring and Easter.

I love how this turned out! And I love even more that I can take the cover off and store it until next year and still use my pillow insert for another DIY pillow in the future! I'll definitely be making more. To see more of my dropcloth projects, click here.

I'm sharing this with some of these parties!
Follow me on Pinterest here where I post all the projects from this blog.

Personalized Window Treatment {Tutorial}

I've been busy bringing Spring inside my house lately starting with the curtains. As I mentioned here, I was getting very tired of all the dark colors in my house. I love a bright house these days and because I'm not ready to paint my whole downstairs {yet}, I had to find a way to brighten things up. I made these curtains for my sliding door then add some artwork to fill in the gaps. Next, I tackled my kitchen window. We have dark kitchen cabinets {which I'd love to paint white} and had a dark window treatment. Here's the before.

I was happy to take down this window treatment and start over. So, I used some leftover painter's dropcloth that I used for the sliding door windows and got to work. Here's how...

 

The hardest part of this project was cutting out the letters which took only a few minutes. It's really quite simple and not nearly as intimidating as I had thought it would be. I'm ready to find more projects to do with freezer paper!! I've got a huge roll! The possibilities are endless.

I recommend these products for this project:

Quilter's Freezer Paper

Reynold's Freezer Paper {I personally use this}

Acrylic Craft Paint

Paint Brushes

 

I'm sharing this with some of these parties. Stay tuned for more dropcloth tutorials!

Art as a Window Treatment {Before & After}

Spring is here {as far as I'm concerned} and I'm ready to give my whole house a makeover. For 6 years, we've endured a darker color palette and although I loved it at first, I really don't love it anymore. The browns are really bothering me lately. So, my downstairs has been slowly getting a facelift with brighter, more current colors and I love it! The biggest problem on my first floor {besides a big brown accent wall that will be changing soon} was my sliding door window treatment. I've googled, checked out Pinterest, etc. and no one has any good ideas for dressing up a sliding door. I had to dig way down deep into the creative recesses of my mind to find something I now really love to look at. Here's the before.

While I loved it in the beginning, the big overbearing brown burlap valance just had to go. And the curtains...well, they were dirty and I shrunk them in the dryer so they were about 3 inches above the floor before I finally took them down for good.

Here's the after.

I posted here about how to make these no-sew 30 minute dropcloth curtains. I absolutely love them and honestly, it didn't even take 30 minutes to make them. However, I wasn't sure what to put in the blank space between the door trim and the curtain rod. We have 9 ft ceilings and the space just felt too empty. Here's where the digging down into the recesses of the creative mind comes in. My talented brother made me this art of one of my favorite verses {Jeremiah 29:11} for Christmas a year ago and it just hit me that they would fit perfectly in that space. Not only that, but I would be able to see them and enjoy them every single day, multiple times a day. Serves as a great reminder and a perfect way to accessorize my sliding glass door. I only wish I had thought of it sooner!

This is probably my most favorite window treatment in the house right now! I can't wait to show you more. I've been taking down all the dusty old curtains and making new ones. Stay tuned for more!

 

I'm sharing this with some of these parties.