Pillows for the Bedroom

I finally added a tad bit more to our master bedroom (ha, only bedroom!). Remember, I'm in the process of making it lovely? If you've missed out, you can check on it here, here, and here. 


I have been eyeing this fabric at Jo-ann's for quite some time. You know I won't pay $30 per yard. (Maybe someday when I make lots of money. Oh wait.... I'm a teacher.) The waiting and quest of finding the ideal pattern paid off. I scored big time.  Finally, the upholstery was 60% off! Hellllo! I love a good sale! I bought a yard of the paisley print and sewed two small pillowcases for my Crate and Barrel pillow inserts that I already owned. Total price for the two pillows, 12 dollars. With a coupon, gift card, and a little cash I bought the ruffle pillow at Pier One that I've been eyeing ever since I worked there. Perfect combination! And boy, do I love it!

I hope you're not intimidated by sewing. If you don't have a sewing machine...


1. I think you should get one. 
2. They're not that scary to use, promise!


Here's how I sewed my pillowcases. The professionals would roll their eyes...

I used my old pillowcase for measurement. 

I first cut two equal squares. 

Then I sewed 3 sides together, outsides facing in with a half inch seam.

Next, I turned the fabric inside out and put the pillow insert in the case. 

After that I pinned and sewed it shut. 

(Shhh! I know it's ugly but no one will see this seam, it's on the bottom.)

Wa-la!

Yes, I should have put a zipper on it or hand stitched it but seriously, who has the time for that! 

(Don't be fooled it's on my to-do list of learning.) 

Surprisingly, I love making my bed each morning now. Weird, right? My favorite colors lighten up the room. This picture makes it seem more goldeny than in actuality. You'll just have to stop over to see what it looks like in person! Here's to falling in love with my sleeping quarters!

Here's another pillow making idea that may be useful. The cool thing about it? You don't have to use a sewing machine!


Question of the Day: How did I learn to sew pillows? 


Answer: By making little bean bags and Barbie pillows. Cute, huh?

Hanging Pretty

via

You know I was having a hard time finding the right accent colors to match my new lovely duvet. Luckily, while I was at Joann’s I found a bolt that I loved on the red clearance rack which resembled my above inspiration photo. After buying 5 ½ yards, my total came to 16.50! I was shocked. I didn’t realize it was cheaper then the red tag price. Cha ching! It was a no brainer for me.

My next step was to decide on what style I wanted...

via

With grommets, easy to open and close. I ruled this out due to my lack of experience with them.

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Curtain rings may be a quick fix. It was my option B.

via

Tab tops give a more relaxed look.

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I choose the pocket pole style simply because it was the easiest for me!

If you know me, you know that when I get an idea I run with it fast. Sometimes too fast. I wasted no time looking up how to sew your own curtains. With some sewing experience I just decided I was going to do it. Here’s my process. Good or bad. Professional or unprofessional. So be it!

Wash and dry fabric before measuring and sewing. (Usually I don’t do this because I don’t like waiting but I was very glad I did. I'm pretty sure the fabric shrunk.)

Oops! No worries, just cut it off.

2.       Cut 2 equal panels from fabric.

3.       Pinned the vertical sides of fabric panels with about one inch hem.

4.       Sewed the vertical sides of fabric panels.

5.       Folded the top over about 2-3 inches and pinned. I stuck my curtain rod in to make sure they fit.

6.       Sewed the top of the curtain panel (where it would hang)

7.       Repeated step 3-6 for second panel.

8.       Hung curtains without the bottom hem to see if I liked the length.

9.       Recruited The Mr. to move my curtain rod up 6 inches. Yay! Remember when I first noticed this?

10.   Rehung curtains and measured 2 inches up to sew bottom hem.

11.   Sewed the bottom hem and ironed with starch.

12.   Hung and fell in love! (Wow, I was amazed, adding 6 inches of curtain height did a lot to this room!) 


I'm proud to introduce you to the new lovelies that await me every night…..

Some of you might be intimidated by my sewing but seriously any one can make curtains. Check out YHL's tutorial for no sew curtains. You can buy iron on hemming tape. It's awesome! (I used it with the lovely Brienn Darr when we recovered her chairs.) Total time spent....Eh, probably 2 1/2 hours or so. Best part...sewing machine worked like a champ! (That's not always the case!)

Things I learned about curtains:

They're pricey. Get over it!

Raise 'em up!

Ikea curtains demand hemming. (Huh, didn't know that.)

You should measure your purchased curtain panels if sold separately. They are not always the same.

Keep thread on hand. I was so thankful I could bulldoze through this project because I had just the right color thread to match the fabric.


On a more personal note, today I'm celebrating having only 17 more days of students! Wow, that went fast!

Bedroom Progress

Or Lack Thereof...

I am in the process of redoing (well making it enjoyable for the first time) my bedroom. So far I’ve taken all the red and orange out! Hallelujah! I bought a new muted gray duvet, created a diy chandelier, and rearranged my closet (may be my favorite so far). I can honestly tell you that color has a huge effect on the mood of a room. I often find myself laying on top of my bed because of the warmer and cozier feel. Although the room looks pretty empty, it will eventually feel a little more put together. I have been doing a lot of Goodwill, Craigslist, thrift store looking. I’m kinda tired of it. (This is when my cheapness gets annoying!) I know what I’m looking for but I haven’t commited to anything. Yikes! I thought I would share my ideas with you. (Hoping this will encourage me to seal the deal on some pieces.)

A new duvet started the process.

And then I made a chandelier out of wax paper and embroidery hoops.

Disaster strikes! Old and new combined.

Then I rearranged my closet. Oops! Forgot the after shot, but it's sooo much better! Trust me!

And that's as far as I got.....Boo..

Here's some ideas of some future possibilities:

Love these curtains from West Elm.

I asked my dad if he would make this for me. I even considered making it myself...

I would love to get rid of the tower fan we have by our bed and replace it with something like this. 

(Hunny, I love you but I think it's time.)

I think a starburst mirror would be a perfect focal point above my bed. This one is stunning!

Nightstand reading lamps found at Pier One. 

(Why didn't I get these when I worked there last summer?!?!)

All you non-modern fans might call me crazy. 

Perfect for the desk and small space?

What am I stuck on?

Nightstands

 I want something airier looking, taller than normal, and cheap. That combo is almost impossible!

Color

I can't decide on accent colors! Yellow is great with the gray but everyone's doing it. Lavender is beautiful but I don't think I can get The Mr. to give two thumbs up to it. I love green but do I need a break from the color...

I DO love seafoam green with it! This picture stunned me as an inspiration for color. Now I just gotta find the right pieces.

Thank you for this Crate and Barrel.

Revamping My Bedroom

Yesterday I shared with you that I am in the process of revamping my bedroom. I had been putting it off because I didn’t want to spend money on transitional pieces while we wait for our home that awaits us. Well, news at the Ahern household is… we’ll be waiting a little longer. I decided it was time to enjoy the limited space we have. Here’s a timeline of the process which is still in progress. Let me warn you, once I get an idea I have to run with it. (It’s in the deepest part of my blood, thank you dad.)

Sunday, April 3 at 2:00 p.m.- Browsed HomeGood and came across the perfect item, a must have. Duvet cover!

Sunday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m.-Decided on my DIY project for the bedroom. Spent 2 hours running around town looking for a certain type of hanging basket. No success. Boo.

Monday, April 4  at 6:00- Jo’Ann Fabrics for $14 Plan B materials.

Tue.-Fri.- Worked on the DIY project randomly. You know, in between loads of laundry, Modern Family and Parenthood shows, and reading.

Sat.- Assembled project and adorned the room with it. (Thank you, Mark!)

Are you curious yet?

Here were my supplies:

• wax paper
• iron
• parchment paper
• circle cutter
• cutting board
• wire
• white spray paint
• embroidery hoops
• tacky glue
• 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Any ideas?

Ok, guess it’s time to spill the beans!

I made my own capiz shell chandelier. Yesss! Saved my self a couple hundo! It’s awesome and wasn’t too hard to handle. I’ve really been into chandeliers in the bedroom lately. These are some of my favorites:

via Rambling Renovators

a favorite blogger house of mine, House Tweaking

and then I laughed when I re-looked at Young House Love

When I saw this DIY project on desing*sponge, it screamed out at me. I HAD to do it. Quickly I began. 

 This is the part I would have done different. Just pay a few more bucks and get a hanging planter basket.

I used embroidery hoops and wire.

A crafty colleague of mine (thank you Sally Ball) let me borrow her old cutter. All I did was buy $3 replacement blades. Score! I also used an old cutting mat; by the end it was toast.

 After ironing 3 sheets of wax paper between parchment paper and cutting a lot of circles, it was time to glue them to the ribbon.

 Assembly line.

 Started with the bottom layer first. Glued with sticky tack glue.Clipped for security.

 Used a hanger to hold it while working. It was a champ!

 2nd layer.

 and the third! 

I ended up cutting one circle off of the bottom layer and also did two layers on the top layer. One on the outside and one on the inside.

 Me looking up.

Ta-dah! 

(Sorry for the shadowy picture, night time does that.)

I am a little embarrassed to show my cover up for the fixture but it works for now...

Do you know what it is? Yes, paper plate spray painted white.

Here's the tutorial I used. So fun and easy! 

(If you're not into this, check out their DIY page, your mind will be blown, promise!)

Also, I loved seeing this...

via West Elm 

How much did I save? $269-$14= 255 bones. Awesome!

I'll continue to post on my bedroom as it progresses. Today I spent some time looking at wallpaper. Hmmm....another DIY project? Just maybe...

It Only Takes One

You know that I can’t wait for our future home that awaits us! I try not to have a pity party too often (ok, I just lied). We do have good reasons for waiting to put some serious dough on the table. If you forgot you can check them out here. (I seem to recheck everyday.) Patience is a virtue, right?!

I needed this!

Well, let's just say there was a little chit chat with The Mr. where he told me we will have to push our time frame back. (Yes, a tear almost fell down my face). His suggestion….rent a house. Awesome....…not! At first I wanted to push him off his bike (thank you 83 degree weather!) but with all the love I had I just reminded myself of my husband’s great wisdom. He’s usually right. Some of the apartment things that are about ready to make me jump out of my skin are…. NO GRILLING (I’m convinced it’s a sin), lack of space for more people/parties, less out of town guests and their babes staying over, storage (I’m getting really good at stacking and cramming). 


If we were to rent a house in a different location would it actually free us up to do those things? Maybe if we find the right house. We’re stuck in these walls until at least August, probably longer. I will tell you I'm pretty stoked we currently live across from the cabana pool!

Realizing that I have lots of time to dream about our home that awaits us, I decided to change up our bedroom to something a little more “me”. It only took one stunning, jaw dropping purchase at HomeGoods and one DIY d*s project to inspire me to revamp our bedroom in our tiny little space (well and a lot of, oh I hate the way this looks self talk the past I don’t know how many months). 

Here is a sneak peek of the lovely item that I just stared speechlessly at for 5 minutes while in HomeGoods. It was a must have!

 I can’t wait to share my DIY project I just finished for my bedroom. Little clue…it involved a paper plate, wax paper, and ribbon….that’s all I’m going to say. Check back tomorrow for all the dirt on how I’m warming up our bedroom.

Out with the old!