Ever since I saw sweater pillows in Pottery Barn's catalog, I've wanted to make one myself. That day finally came Saturday when a couple of my friends and I had a craft day. We found some pics for inspiration and headed out to thrift stores.



These pillows are super fun and easy. You can use cotton or wool sweaters, but wool is my fav. I especially like to shrink it first. If you've ever accidentally put a wool sweater in the wash, you ended up with a doll-sized sweater. That's shrunk wool. Shrunk or "felted" wool has an amazing texture. You can buy it in craft stores, but it's easy to make your own.

Most thrift stores have an endless variety of sweaters.



I got a little side tracked when I saw these pinks and greens. I thought they'd be fun for spring even though I originally went in for some beige sweaters.



When you get home, toss the wool sweaters in the washer and dryer. You will want to put them in a mesh bag or closed pillowcase though so the fibers don't clog your washer.

I found some great ideas on Pintrest for making flowers, so we embellished our pillows. I'll share the link with you on how to make these at the end of this post.



You can put them on hats or headbands too!



Here's Tamara and Teena's projects! Aren't they awesome?

Tamara made this one for her daughter for Valentine's Day.

You can get creative with all kinds of embellishments. I found this at Hobby Lobby.



If you have more patience that I, you can sew the trim on, but me....Hot glue and presto!

 

Here's the blog I found with easy directions to make the flowers. Hope you have some fun making your own!

My son had some fun of his own with this video. I asked Garrett to help me upload it to youtube and he did some "creative remixing" with my voice. This is what I'm paying college music production tuition for?? If you need a good laugh, you are bound to get one here!

Want a fun girlfriend project? These books also make great homemade Christmas gifts! Tamara and I had so much fun with this project. It's almost impossible to mess them up because the purpose is to make them look distressed and vintage. Slop on the paint, rub it on...it doesn't matter.



On these, I used silver paints. Some I spray painted and others I used Plaid Treasure Gold in Pewter. Just put on a glove and rub it on.



You can use thrift store books, or even hardback books that you are done reading. Just remove the book jacket.



Jazz up the cover with stencils.



Here's the one I used:

Embellish the books with silver or gold jewelry findings, buttons or other blingy things. I got some of these at Michaels and some from my own stash.



This is a super fun project! Tamara did all of hers in bronze, but you can experiement with all kinds of colors and embellishments. Have fun!

Yesterday I showed you my neutral palette in the living room, but I saved the punch of color for the kitchen. I LOVE red!



You may have seen a lot of this deco before, but changing up the flowers for the holidays add a dramatic change.

A dish of ornaments makes a splash of red on the kitchen table. I love my Dollar General salt and pepper shakers. Paying $2 for them kind of balances out how much I paid for the harlequin platter at The Red Chateau! Thank God for Groupon!!



But, I got the hobnail glass and vintage silver spoons at a garage sale dirt cheap. The spoons are even monogramed with "C". I even got napkins this summer for a dime!! Aren't they cute?



I especially love the corner by my stove. It displays my mother's apron, an amazing vintage cookie plate with mercury glass on the bottom and some vintage tart tins.






I found this bottle of cake decorations at The Rink! I went crazy! I love small little details. It hasn't even been opened!



Adding a few red ornaments to the cookie tins makes a perfect pop of red.



Quick Change Artist: I switched out the flowers in this kitchen urn by the sink and added a couple of sprigs of greenery. Super fast and easy, but makes the Christmas theme carry all through the kitchen.  



I added more red flowers in a big urn along with a few ornament sticks.



Cheap ways to change up a shelf:
Add a single ornament to a glass garage sale candle holder.
Hang candy canes in a little purse or put them in a glass.
Display old Avon purfume bottles like this bird.



My $3 upside down dented lampshade repurposed as a flower pot all dressed up in red!



Don't be afraid to hang stockings in random places! Who says they are only for the fireplace?



The grande finale: Embellish your light fixture with extra greenery and bulbs!



Have a beautiful Christmas! If you want to visit my other blog, you might enjoy reading these Christmas stories:

Mistletoe Market

What is Your Nothing Except

Is Your Christmas Too Extravagant?

O' Skinny Tree

Habitual Ritual: The Meaning Behind Tradition

Ever since I saw sweater pillows in Pottery Barn's catalog, I've wanted to make one myself. That day finally came Saturday when a couple of my friends and I had a craft day. We found some pics for inspiration and headed out to thrift stores. These pillows are super fun and easy.

Want a fun girlfriend project? These books also make great homemade Christmas gifts! Tamara and I had so much fun with this project. It's almost impossible to mess them up because the purpose is to make them look distressed and vintage.

Yesterday I showed you my neutral palette in the living room, but I saved the punch of color for the kitchen. I LOVE red! You may have seen a lot of this deco before, but changing up the flowers for the holidays add a dramatic change.

Last year I told you I traded my fat tree for a skinny tree. Why? It doesn't take as long to decorate and the same amount of bulbs make it look totally full.

I love the day after Thanksgiving. It's an ephoric day of Black Friday bargains and massive Christmas decorating!! I can't wait to get out my boxes of decorations, put on some Christmas music and sip on some hot cocoa! Some of you got a head start though! Cheaters:)  My daughter saw a comic the other day with a turkey snapping at Santa Claus saying, "Wait your turn!!" Each year I love to make something new to add to my decorations.

Do you ever get tired of your furniture? At one point, I was in love with this bookcase, but after ten years it needed an update! I wanted to tone down the dark colors in my house and bring in some white.

Do you ever get the urge to make something? I do! I love to make things for myself and for my friends.

It started in the Spring and it's lasting through the summer. My love affair with green is still going strong. Here's a few things I've done lately.

WITH GREEN! Every season it seems I have a new favorite color and this spring, it's green! I'm totally in LOVE!

I should have taken a picture of this before I started so you could see how ugly it was, but you can trust me....it was an ordinary ugly drawer divorced from it's dresser. For that matter, if you're not into shabby chic decor, you may still think it's ugly, but I love the transformation of an old junk drawer to a new display piece. You can find old drawers at thrift stores and curbsides, but I got my for $3 at Habitat for Humanity.

This Dumpster Diva/Garage sale queen celebrates decorating and vintage remixing. Lately, I've discovered that I have a lot of sistas!! So I thought I'd share a little peek into some of my favorite finds.