Grain Sack Slip Cover

Sunday was a good day.  Ben's family was here to drop his sister off for college and it has been a fun-filled week of family fun time.

Funny story.  Kind of.  Ben's mom met Herbert this morning.  She screamed and jumped up on the couch even though Herbert doesn't live in the living room.  You see, Herbert is our house mouse that eats my measuring cups (not joking) and poops all over my kitchen.  Let's just say, my relationship with Herbert started out a lot friendlier than what it has become.


One of my dear friends also had a house mouse.  His name was not nearly nice as what I named my mouse.  He passed this morning.  It wasn't sad.  This is hopefully a preview to Herbert's fate, but I might be sad.


Sunday morning, we said goodbye to Ben's parents after a week of fun family visiting time, so we've spent the rest of the day recovering from said week of family fun time.  We've slept, we've watched a movie and sometime, somehow, by the Lord's good graces, also ended up being productive.  I don't know about you, but usually when I have a day of recovery, I literally do nothing but sleep, eat and watch movies.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  I became an adult today.


This previously mentioned productivity also means I have a project to share with you.  Hoorah!


I made a slip-cover for one of my old raggedy pillows that somehow made it through college.  I've never made a slip-cover before.  I still hardly know how to sew.  I made it up as I went along and got lucky with the results.  Isn't it pretty?!

Ben gave me an old grain sack for Christmas that he found at my favorite antique shop.  I knew from the moment I laid eyes on it that it was destined for greatness.  Scroll back up, see?  Greatness. 


At the time, I thought I could make a cool stocking out of it (since I had Christmas on the mind), or a pillow, and since I can't hang a stocking all year round, pillow it was.  It's pretty.  I want to look at it all the time.


So, this is my process according to how it worked in my brain.


I started with my grain sack and the pillow I wanted to cover.  You don't have to use a grain sack.  You can use any fabric you like - just make it pretty please.

I then measured the pillow for accuracy because I was trying to be good.  I don't usually like accuracy.  I skip accuracy.  Don't be like me.  It's not smart.


The pillow I wanted to cover is an 18" x 18" square, using a rotary cutter, I cut my fabric for the front 19" x 19" so I would have room to sew about half an inch on all sides assembling the pillow.  I cut the square for the back 20" x 19" because I wanted to leave the middle open like a slip cover.  I then cut that square in half so each side was 10 inches long and 19 inches wide.

 




Fold the edges about half an inch on the 19 inch side of the 10" x 19" rectangle and pin them in place.  Repeat for the second 10"19" piece.  Sew a straight stitch to make a clean edge.

Once both sides of the back are done, pin them to the front side, inside out.  It's important to do this inside out so you can turn the rough edges inside, creating a clean seam.  Sew about a half inch along the pinned lines.

Clip the corners of the pillow while it is still inside out so when you pull it rightside out, the corners will be clean.  Once you've turned your pillow right side out, you can push a pointy object, like the tip of your scissors, into the corners in order to push them completely out.  Stuff your pillow in and Voila!

{Sorry about the disheveled look.  It was no makeup Sunday}

Look!  I made it from scratching and it worked!  I'm so happy with the way my pillow turned out - especially since I was making up the process as I went along.  On another day, I will sew some buttons on the back to keep it from opening, but I've had enough adventure for one night.  Till then, I bid you adieu.

She Loves You - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I like the Beatles.  Can you tell?

So, I'll warn you.  This post is going to be a bit different from the usual.  Take it as you like. 

I've been thinking about love lately.  To get a little more particular, I've been thinking about the word "love."  I have been realizing that I have unintentionally been replacing the word for something less, like "heart" or "like" to reference my feelings toward things. The more I think about it, the more sense this makes to me.  Let's be honest for a second.  I think we'd all agree that "love" is a very powerful word, yet, we use it so inadmissably.  I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it, we're all guilty of it.  Maybe it's not that big of a deal, but I would like to think that when I tell my husband that I love him, that word truly has special meaning in an effort to grasp the reality of what I feel.  In the english language, this one word has so many possibilities of dimensions, that it makes it hard to define.  I don't love hats the way I love to make things and I don't love to make things the way I love my husband. 

In the greek language, there are different words for the different dimensions of love.  I'll spare you super in-depth explanations, but it's interesting, and I think important to think about.

First, there's philia, the kind of love that would exhibit from a friendship or family relationship that exemplifies loyalty.

Next, there's eros, the passionate kind of love, love a step beyond friendship.

Finally, agape is unconditional love.  The kind of love that the Lord exhibits to us.  Love of sacrifice, patience and perseverance.  The kind of love that is displayed in 1 Corinthians 13.  And it's this kind of love I want to strive to give my husband but also impossible to obtain entirely.

All I'm saying is to consider these things the next time you talk about how much you love a dress.  I would never be offended by someone using the word "love" to express their feelings for minute things, I just want to be more thoughtful in the way I choose to use the word.  I want to make a point to use the word "love" when I'm referring to and striving toward the agape version of it. 

With that being said, here are some things I "heart," if you will:

{essie nail polish in pretty nudes and pastels. essie has the best color selection} 

I also wanted to update you on how big little gus gus is getting!  I can honestly say, with full confidence that I love this little guy that's getting to be a big guy.

He's my pride and joy!

Also, just saying, I want to paint everything in my house right now. I've been waiting for the urge to fade, but it's not.  Therefore, you may be seeing some painting posts coming up.

One Dress:Three Ways

As I have mentioned now about a bajillion times, I was in a fantastic wedding last weekend.

In preparation for this wedding, the bridesmaids were sent on a hunt for a perfect dress of their own following the parameters of a neutral color palette set by the bride.  Sounds easy and exciting right?  Well, not as easy as I had hoped.  I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of picky.  In fact, I bought and returned 3 dresses before I found "the one."  Whoops.

Of course, before making my final decision, I couldn't help but peruse Anthropologie's wedding line - BHLDN.   A little out of my price range, but a great source of inspiration.  

First, I had a tiny love affair with this dress before I realized it was a little out of my price range.  By a little,  I mean by a lot.

{Gorgeous right?  But for $375 it is unfortunately never to be a part of my wardrobe}

However, where there is patience, there is reward.  Just when I didn't think I was going to find a dress that I truly would wear again, I ventured into American Apparel and found the above dresses fraternal twin sister.  

{Little change in color, and you'll need a slip to wear under it, but at $52, this is a far better option - for more reasons than the price.  Although, for the record, it saves you $323 - that's like, a lot of money!}

Ok, so I'm sure you're wondering why this is the better option for reasons other than the cost, and I'm going to tell you.  You see, I have this rule about buying clothes.  I don't like to buy something unless I have a few different ways to wear it.  This particular dress can be worn 3 different ways - classic, casual and somewhere in between.

This is how I wore it for the wedding. Classically 

{I made a belt to imitate the one from BHLDN.  It was easy.  I bought some cloth ribbon in a shade darker than my dress, cut to a length long enough to tie around my waste with a little extra.  I then sewed the ends down for a cleaner look and to keep it from fraying.  When I tied it around my waist, I added a vintage brooch where the knot was.  Voila.  I heart belts because they act as a nice accent to draw attention to the smallest part on a woman's body.}

{I wore this petticoat slip under the dress to add a little oomph at the bottom, and also because I heart it.}

{I also heart shoes.}

Take 2:  Somewhere in between classic and casual.

{I pulled this skirt over the dress and added a little red skinny belt from H&M (remember when I talked about bringing definition to your waist line!) and some nude espadrilles.  Just a tip: Choosing nude shoes gives the illusion of height for us short gals out there}

{I love a good nude color palette}

{Ben had to get a shot of the bling}

Take 3:  Leaning toward casual.

{Ok, so it's not casual like jeans casual, but quite a difference from the original.  I just threw on my favorite oversized striped cotton tee and tied the bottom and tucked it under so it hit where I wanted.  Again, my goal was to define where my waist line hits so I don't look too boxy.  I also added a chunky necklace, a fedora and some chunky wedges}

{Have I ever mentioned that I heart hats?  Well, I do.  I heart them}

Weddings are a great excuse to get a great dress.  I know I'll get a lot out of this one and hopefully have inspired some thought in getting some more use out of what you may have in your closet.  It's fun to try unexpected combinations.  Just try.  If it doesn't work, it doesn't and life will continue, but you could come up with something fabulous.

A "sneaky pete" into the future...

Remember last time when I promised you some sneaky pete?  I knew you would.  Well, unfortunately I can't sit with you on the porch while we spoon it into our mouths in an effort to stay cool during a hot summers day.  However, I can provide the means to get you there.  So, take this recipe, make this delicious adult beverage, and please, please sit outside and drink with friends.  Perhaps put on a record, might I suggest some Bon Iver, and a round of scrabble?

{Looks yummy yummy right?}

Sneaky Pete

2 Cups Cranberry Juice

12 oz. Frozen Orange Juice

12 oz. Frozen Lemonade

1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar

3 32 oz. Sierra Mist

1 fifth Gin or Vodka

Stir well and freeze overnight.

On another note, I have a "sneaky pete" into the future for you.  I've been doing some soul searching and something I am learning to accept about myself is that I'm really not all that creative in and of myself, which is ok.  I absorb a lot of my creativity from other people.  Every once in a while I will have a seemingly original idea, but more often then not, I saw it somewhere and decided to re-create it.    Maybe that still counts as creativity.  I mean, does creativity have to get caught in the transcendance of traditional ideas, or can it also be the interpretation of those previously transcended ideas?  I'm hoping the latter can be included because I would define myself more as an interpreter.  This concept brings me to introduce a new section of the blog.  Ok, so this section is still in the "idea" stage more than anything else.  Translation: I haven't started yet.  I'm just throwing this out there.  Do what you will with it.  While this blog is developing, I don't want to limit what it could be.  Therefore,  there may be new "sections" that come and go as quickly as they began.  I have a short attention span.  I am sorry.

The inspiration for this new section comes from feeding off others creativity.  I get so excited about the projects I see on other blogs.  There are some incredibly talented and creative people out there and I want to take what they have to offer and, in return, offer my own interpretation while learning a few things in the process.  So, I will be using some of the ideas I find out there in the blogosphere, creating them, and then sharing them with you all. 

Of course this won't solely make up the contents of each post.  I will still be sharing some of my side projects, thoughts and ramblings because, like i said before, I have a short attention span and can't focus on just one thing.  I mean, what's the fun in that really?

For now, because I like books with pictures, I will share one more with you before I go.  Last weekend was wedding weekend and my incredibly talented friends made their own wine.  Here is one of their delectable bottles complete with homemade labels.  I only wish you could have a taste.

Welp, now that my taste for pictures has been satisfied, I must bid you adieu.  I'll be seeing you soon.  I can't wait for our next adventure!