21 halloween decorating.

I finished my Halloween table runners, so I figured it was time to share some photos from around the house.  It's looking pretty festive in here this year!

First stop, the kitchen!  This is hanging out in the middle of our kitchen island today.  But I moved the Boo pumpkin over from the table for this picture :) 

 Spiderweb quilting!  This was really fun!

 Here's what the kitchen table looks like lately.  (The Boo pumpkin has been moved back to it's usual home).

 Over in the living room, here's one side of the mantle.

 And the other side...

 The coffee table is looking pretty fall-ish too.

Table runner #2 is in the foyer on the little table to the left of the door.  Yes, I have two of these owls!  They're too cute to just have one :)

The dining room table is decorated too, not so much for Halloween but for fall in general.  I really need some different flowers for in here!  They're looking a little too springy to me.

That concludes the tour for today!  No decorating upstairs since it is a disaster up there... construction is so messy!

2 upcycled sweater pumpkins.

Sometimes I see something on Pinterest and need to make it immediately.  Like these upcycled sweater pumpkins for example!

 I had some old sweaters set aside for a project like this, so I'm happy I could give them a new life!

They are so cute and quick to make too!  I'm not going to do a tutorial, but you can use Vanessa's fabric pumpkin tutorial to make the pumpkins (just make them larger of course and use a strong thread, like embroidery thread), put a random stick from your backyard in the center for the stem, and add some felt leaves!  I added burlap to the tops of mine for a little extra texture.

I've been on a bit of a fall decorating kick this week, and these are perfect for that purpose.  I'm tempted to make a few more!  My husband has been joking that I'm going to turn into a pumpkin soon with all of the pumpkin flavored drinks I've been having lately, so I might as well add a little more fuel to that fire :)

These were very much inspired by the pumpkins from Whimsy's Workshop, in case you'd rather buy some!

2 Flanged Pillow Tutorial.

It's no secret that I love decorating my house, so I think it makes sense for me to start sharing some tutorials for items for our homes!  The easiest way to switch up your home decor is with pillows, so I'm going to start there!  Today I'm going to show you how to make some classic flanged pillow covers.

You will need:
Fabric (quilting cotton or home decor fabric) for pillow front & pillow back (yardage determined by size requirements below).  I used Lux metallic prints from Timeless Treasures
Muslin for lining the front & back of the pillow, if using quilting cotton or other thin fabrics (yardage determined by size requirements below)
Coordinating thread
Rotary cutter & ruler

Determining Pillow Size & Yardage:
Since pillow sizes vary so much, I'm going to give you the calculations to make your own size, rather than giving instructions for a specific sized pillow.

Unless your Front Panel Height + 2*Back Panel Height is less than 42", the required fabric yardage will be Front Panel Width*2.  If you are using different fabrics for the front and back for your pillow, your yardage of the front fabric will be Front Panel Width, and your yardage of the back fabric will also equal Front Panel Width.

These measurements might seem complicated but they are actually really simple once you start plugging numbers in! :)

Instructions:

Step 1:  Cut your fabric & muslin.  You'll need to cut 1 front fabric and 1 muslin piece, each Front Panel Width x Front Panel Height.  You'll cut 2 back fabric and 2 muslin pieces, each Back Panel Width x Back Panel Height.

Step 2:  Lay one of the back pillow fabric panels right side down, and layer the muslin on top.  Align the edges.  Fold the edge of one of the long sides up 1", and then another inch to enclose the raw edges and create the hem.  Pin into place.

Step 3:  Topstitch along the hem with a 1/4" seam allowance, and then topstitch again with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Step 4:  Repeat steps 2-3 on the other back panel pieces.

Step 5:  Place front pillow fabric on top of the front muslin piece, with the right side of the pillow fabric facing up.  Then, place one of your back pieces wrong side facing up, with the unfinished edges of the front and back panels aligned along the bottom edge.  

Step 6:  Place the remaining back panel right side down with the hem facing the center, and the top unfinished edge aligned with the top edge of the front panel.  Pin the layers along all sides.

Step 7:  Stitch around all four sides using your determined seam allowance (I used 3/8" here).  Backstitch at the beginning and end.

Step 8:  Clip the corners, being careful not to cut the threads.

Step 9:  Turn the pillow cover right side out through the envelope closure opening.  Push the corners out with a turning tool to get them nice and pointy.  Press the seams open.

Step 10:  Now we are going to create the flange.  Topstitch along all four sides of the cover using your determined flange size (I used 1" here).  Backstitch at the beginning and end.

Step 11:  Stuff the cover with your pillowform. 

That's it!  Now make a bunch more and redecorate your house with them :)

  Here's a closeup of the envelope closure on the back.

 Look at those pretty flanged edges!

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  

Thanks to Timeless Treasures for providing the gorgeous Lux metallic fabrics I used to make these.

8 a few foyer updates.

Awhile back I posted about how I'm going to take more pictures of areas of my house before they are completely finished.  This is another one of those posts!  The foyer in our house isn't at all the way we want it to look, but it is going to be a long time before we finish this room so right now I'm trying to make the best of what we've got!  Eventually the wallpaper will come down, the floors will be redone or stained darker, the trim will be white (in here and throughout the house) and the carpet on the stairs will be torn out.  Until then, I'm just happy to have a few things hanging on the walls and some furniture to fill the space!

I picked up a piano bench at a warehouse antique sale recently, cleaned it up a bit and put it in the nook near the stairs.  It's a nice place to set a bag down or sit down to tie your shoes!  The art and decorations will look a lot better once we paint the walls (most likely some sort of light gray), but it's better than looking at the bare wall.

 I added a small tray with some decorative items in it for a pop of color in the corner.

 We also got new rugs in here a few months ago which I love!

I picked up an old chair at the same antique sale, and reupholstered it with a random home dec fabric from my stash.  I don't think the chair will stay in here forever, but it works until I get some sort of little cabinet or table to put here.  Plus it matches the rug, which was a happy accident!

This little table has been in here since last October, but I hung a new mirror to fill the space above it earlier this year.

We also painted the door a peacock blue which kind of ties all of the blues together when it's open.  More on that subject once the project is finished... still need to paint a little more and repair some trim.

This room still needs a lot of work but it's feeling much more welcoming in here lately!

1 felt garland stocking tutorial.

Want to learn how to make this felt garland stocking?  It's fully lined and super fun!  I'm guest posting about it over at Purple Panda Quilts.  Here's a link to the tutorial.

Lyanna is hosting a Stockings for Kids drive to give stockings to foster children in her area. There's only a couple days left of the drive (stockings need to be mailed by Dec. 1st) but with so many fun tutorials, you can finish one or two cute stockings by Thursday!

Have you made a stocking for Lyanna's Stockings for Kids drive yet?

9 thrifty.

I have been having some really good luck while thrifting lately.  It started a few weeks ago when I stopped at the ReStore and found this gold framed mirror, which is perfect above our mantle.  I had been searching for something similar to this for quite awhile so I was really excited to find it.

Then, last week my husband and I went to an estate sale and found some great pieces of furniture.  We came home with two desks (we're using them as console tables), a rocking chair, and my favorite, a 1910-1920 era fainting couch.

The first desk is exactly what I was looking for to put under the floating shelves in our living room.  It's got great details and a pretty shape and matches the wood in our house perfectly.

The smaller desk is currently in our foyer, and definitely came in handy while we were passing out candy on Halloween.  We'll probably paint this one since the finish isn't the greatest.

We're not sure where the rocking chair is going to go yet, but my husband fell in love with it.  The cushion needs some work so we have some time to figure out where to put it.

And then there's the fainting couch.  It's currently sitting in the middle of our living room waiting to be reupholstered.  It will most likely replace the loveseat that you can see behind it once it's finished.

The detail of the wood on this piece is amazing.  I'm on the hunt for some gorgeous fabric that will complement the dark wood, but also lighten the piece up a bit since it's so heavy looking.  Light gray velvet or some metallic linen are on the top of my list at the moment, with nailhead trim to give it a little sparkle.

I also came home from the estate sale with some smaller items, including a brass pedestal, lotus bowl and some little teapots...

Three jadite bowls and the best cookie press ever (my mom has the same one, which used to be my grandmother's), which I can't wait to test out while making Christmas cookies...

a silver pedestal bowl and gravy bowl set...

and last but not least, six blue mason jars.

Then today, I stopped at one of my usual thrift stores and found this 1940s Royal typewriter, which is in amazing condition (and still works!) for $10.

 I also couldn't resist picking up a few things for Christmas while I was there.

Hopefully my luck will continue, but I probably just jinxed myself.  Have any of you been feeling extra thrifty lately?