Lean on Me

I found a fun and quick project to make bookends in this issue of Better Homes and Gardens Do It Yourself Magazine. The only materials needed for this project is fun fabric and decorative sand, which I found in the silk flowers aisle at Joanne Fabrics.

First, I cut inexpensive muslin 9 inches by 11 inches for the interior bag that holds the sand. I folded the 11 inch width in half and sewed the side and bottom. I repeated those steps with the decorative fabric I chose. Make sure you put the right sides together when sewing the two sides for the finished bag. I then poured the sand in the interior muslin bag, folded the unfinished edge, and stitched it closed (this doesn't need to be perfect since it's unseen). I turned the finished bag right side out and put the sand-filled muslin bag inside. I folded the unfinished edges to the inside and top stitched along the edge to finish my bookend! SO SIMPLE and CUTE!

I love that you can make different patterns and colors depending on your decor or books you want to display!

The magazine suggested using a plastic bag to hold the sand inside and also instructed to top stitch around all edges of the bag to finish it. I tweaked the process a little and found it was pretty quick and painless! I hope this gives you some inspiration!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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A little help...

Today I thought I would share something that has really helped me grow spiritually this past year. I have been listening to a radio station called K-LOVE. This station includes Contemporary Christian music and short educational elements that really help guide people to understand God more.

I have found listening to this radio station in the car really helps me think about and talk to God all day long. Before, I had a bad habit of only seeking God in the bad moments. I'm so glad that I have something like this that encourages me to pay close attention to the world around me and build my relationship with God.

This station has little interruption from music with no advertisements! K-LOVE also has updates on national news. You can listen to K-LOVE nationwide or online! You can find your local station here.

Have you heard of K-LOVE? I would love to hear if this station has made a difference in your life!

A Baby Girl Quilt

My friend and co-worker at the salon is having a baby girl in September. She and her husband are so very deserving and I couldn't be happier for them!

I decided early on that I wanted to make her a baby quilt. I have made quite a few quilts for myself, but sewing for someone else adds a whole new level of pressure. I am somewhat of a perfectionist!

I have learned everything I know about sewing from my Mom, who is a quilter. My sisters and I also had some good practice by participating in 4-H while growing up. I am truly blessed that Mom has passed on her knowledge and still helps me with all of my sewing projects...I'm still learning!

I asked my friend a few questions about how she planned to decorate her nursery. She is keeping the overall scheme of the room neutral and bringing in accent colors of pinks and reds. She also decided to paint an accent wall in aqua. I started with fabrics in the Bliss collection by Moda and then added a few extra fabrics from my stash. They were the perfect combination of colors including aqua, red, and pink. I also love how the patterns have a vintage feel.

I pieced the quilt using a neutral center square and a log cabin style on only three sides to make a rectangular block. The unfinished block is 5 inches by 7 inches. I quilted it with a double straight line on the vertical and horizontal. Each line was sewn a quarter inch from the pieced seams. I then quilted around the perimeter of the center square which made it stand out. I just love how it turned out!

I used a Bliss fabric in flannel for the back!

The binding really accented this quilt!

I surprised my friend with her new quilt last Friday when all of the stylists went to lunch to celebrate her pregnancy. She absolutely loved it and said it will go perfectly in the room! I'm glad I got it finished and that she will enjoy and appreciate it! 

The Hunny and I are working on finishing up the barn today so I will be back to painting furniture soon! Thank goodness, because the furniture is starting to pile up! Hope you enjoy your Tuesday!

My Little Black Puppies

The puppies are 6 weeks old today! We have been enjoying having them around and cannot believe how big they have grown. Each one has their own unique personality and it will be hard to start giving them away. But I can't have 6 puppies running around. They have already taken a liking to my flower beds!

It's so funny to see how the puppies, kittens, and chickens all react to each other. The puppies play pretty rough with the kittens, but are scared of the chickens! Zoe has been such a good mother keeping them fed and Black Dog just stands so wisely while they jump all over him like a playground.

It was a little difficult getting good pictures of them just because they move so quickly and usually gather right at your feet, but here are just a couple I thought you might enjoy!

Here are all six at about 4 weeks old.

The puppies playing with Black Dog

It's hard to see, but her back toes are white!

I will have some fun sewing projects to share next week! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Rocking Chair Makeover

I found this rocking chair at an antique store a few months ago. I loved the style of it, but that fabric had to go! The 70's look just isn't what I was looking for.

BEFORE

 

AFTER

I decided I want her to sit in the corner of the Master Bedroom where the windows are (which makes for difficult pictures :/). I found this simple geometric pattern that worked perfectly with the curtain fabric!

BEFORE



AFTER

After removing the hundreds of staples (which oddly, I don't mind) I was surprised to reveal the past owner had used a sample of carpet for padding! I used some foam I had on hand and cut it to size. I used the piece of board from before as a template for the foam and fabric. I allowed a few more inches around the edge to fold over when cutting the fabric.

I then layered all three with the front of the fabric face down and the board on top. I began to pull tight on one edge and using a staple gun, secured it with just three staples. I then moved to the opposite side to secure it with three additional staples. Afterward, I moved to the other two sides and repeated this process until finished. This method allows you to get the fabric very taut. I had so much fun working with the staple gun! I screwed the board back in place and am now enjoying a brand new (more comfortable) chair!

I did this project before I had my blog so I apologize for not having pictures of the process! It truly is an easy project to recover a cushion and can make such a huge difference! Hope this inspires you to try a quick furniture makeover with fabric and a staple gun! 

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