Fluffy Easter Egg Pillows...No Calories!

When I was a kid, Easter was serious business in our family.  My grandmother is a devout Catholic and sang in the small church choir so she had the perfect view to make sure EVERYONE was at church and paying attention. These days, Easter is that time of year when my diet goes out the window and I find myself sitting in my car devouring Cadbury chocolate eggs and wondering where it all went wrong.  Despite all that, I love all of the egg crafts surrounding this holiday.  Who doesn't love a beautiful egg?  These (no calorie) fluffy egg pillows are the perfect way for me to celebrate.  My favorite part was stenciling my own fabrics!  If you can't find what you need, my sweet friends, figure out a way to make it yourself and don't forget to 

Make Your Mark!

Sweet and fluffy!

Bright pastels are my jam!

HERE'S WHAT I USED

Pom Pom Trim

Grosgrain Ribbon

Cotton Fringe

So Soft Fabric Paints from DecoArt

Stencils

Poly-fil Stuffing from Fairfield World

Cosmetic Sponges

Watch how to make them here!

Perfect for the little ones!

Happy Easter!

Unicorn SPiT Pillows

Did you know that you can dye fabric with Unicorn SPiT?  Well, you can!  It's easy and soooooo much less messy than traditional fabric dyes.  The colors are beautiful and vibrant, too!  There are several methods used on these pillows, but my favorite was the plastic bag method, which I'm sharing below.  Have fun!  Make summer pillows! Oh, and always Make Your Mark!

 For this pillow I painted stripes on moistened cotton fabric....Easy!

A little plastic bag and you're ready to "print" your fabric for this version!

Watch how I did it here!

STUFF I USED

Unicorn SPiT

Poly-fil

Cotton fabric

Sewing machine

Plastic bags

Minwax Clear Lacquer

Spray bottle and salt

Straight pins

HERE'S HOW

1.  Tape a plastic bag flat to a paper protected table making sure that the plastic is bigger than the fabric you're colorizing

2.  Squirt lines of Unicorn SPiT about 4" apart on the plastic

3.  Smoosh the lines together with your finger starting from light color to dark

 *I wore gloves for this

4. & 5. Moisten your cotton fabric (I used a piece that was 20" x 20") with a spray bottle and carefully place it on the plastic bag

6.  Take another piece of paper and place it on top of the fabric and press down so that the Unicorn SPiT prints on the fabric

7.  Remove the fabric and sprinkle salt on it

*When the salt dries it will give it a dotted, dappled look

8.  When the fabric is dry, seal the Unicorn SPiT with Minwax Acrylic Lacquer

LET'S MAKE THE PILLOW

9.  Pin a piece of same size fabric on top of the colorized fabric marking off a 5" area which will not be sewn

10.  Stitch around the edges using a 1/2" seam allowance

11.  Flip the pillow inside out through the 5" hole and stuff with Poly-fil

12.  Pin and hand stitch the hole closed

Summer fun

Artist Pillows DIY

When I was a kid my mom had a poster of the very famous Blue Nude by Matisse in our hallway. I loved it. Many years later I was wandering around the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and was surrounded by several of Matisse's famous cutouts.  They were HUGE and took up entire walls and I was completely blown away! The Museum of Modern Art in NYC is having a Matisse exhibit until February and if you can get there to see it, I'd recommend it.  As a tribute to this amazing artist, I decided to create some pillows inspired by his beautiful paper cutouts.  I hope you enjoy them.

I love the shapes and the mix of colors

A fun way to have art in the room that's not on the walls!

Watch the video tutorial here!

Some inspiration

 YOU'LL NEED

Heavy white cotton fabric

Cotton broadcloth in different colors

E-6000 Stitchless Iron On Glue

Pillow stuffing

Iron

Sewing machine

Scissors

Matisse inspiration

Lightly draw out the shapes on the colorful broadcloth fabric and then cut out

Figure out the placement on your pillow fabric

*I made my pillows 20" x 20"

Carefully squeeze the E-6000 Stitchless glue around the edges of your cutouts 

 Iron the cutouts in place until the glue disappears

Pin the back of the pillow over the ironed-on cutouts

Using 1/2" seam allowance, stitch around the pillow and leave an 8" opening so that you can turn it right side out

Clip the corners at an angle

*Clipping the corners leaves less bulk in the corners when you turn it right side out

Stuff the pillow and stitch closed

If you want to, create yarn tassels for the corners in different colors and stitch them on

Done!

Happy Thurs-DIY!

Happy Thurs-DIY!  We have 8 amazing projects to keep you busy this weekend (or to tuck away for your next craft night)  Hop around and see what my crafty friends have been making and get inspired.  Oh, and hashtag #ThursDIY to join the fun!

I show you how to make animal silhouette pillows with this super easy technique! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0c7iCA1lFE

 Cathy Attix makes stenciled pillows that are sure to brighten any room!  http://ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/diy-stenciled-pillows.html

 The marvelous Margot Potter is rocking an Ugly Christmas Sweater Purse DIY......Um, I love it!  http://diydoyenne.com/diy-ugly-christmas-sweater-purse/

Kathy Cano-Murillo makes stamped affirmation necklaces and is having a giveaway too! http://www.craftychica.com/2014/08/metal-stamped-affirmation-pendants-giveaway/

 I'm showing you how to makeover belts and shoes for back to school!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvXzJcf-fVo

 Cathie Filian is also having a terrific giveaway for her new line!  Super cute stuff, too!   http://handmadehappyhour.com/2014/08/08/giant-jewel-pop-shop-giveaway-34-components-for-diy-jewelry-making/

 Heather Mann is rocking shark week with super comfy (and cute) shark flip flops!  http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2014/08/tutorial-soft-shark-flip-flops/

 Check out this fun photo Confetti from Femme Fraiche! 

 http://femmefraiche.com/diy-photo-confetti/

Graphic Animal Silhouette Pillows DIY

Need a quick sofa makeover or a gift for your favorite nephew or niece?  How about making them an Animal Silhouette Pillow with E-6000 StitchLess Iron On Glue.  Just cut out your shape, coat it with the glue and iron it on!  You'll be the envy of all your friends.  

My pillow zoo!

 I think my dad would love this one

 My niece Jennah will love this!

I'm keeping this one!

See the video tutorial here

YOU'LL NEED

Silhouette of animal you like

E-6000 StitchLess Iron On glue

Paintbrush

Graphic fabrics in black and white

Cotton fabrics in bright colors

Sewing Machine

Pillow stuffing

Needle and thread

Scissors

 Print this in gray scale (to save ink) and enlarge it to fit a standard sheet of copy paper

 Cut out a piece of fabric big enough for your silhouette

Pin and carefully cut it out

Try different silhouettes (Google ANIMAL SILHOUETTE)

 Cut two 19" x 19" pieces of graphic fabric

Pin and stitch them together using 1/2" seam allowance

Leave a 5" hole on one side

Paint an even layer of E-6000 StitchLess on the fabric silhouette

With the glue side down, center it on the pillow and iron it in place

Stuff the pillow with pillow stuffing

Pin the 5" hole closed

Stitch closed with needle and thread

Done!

Rocket Ship Stencil DIY

Every kid loves a rocket ship (especially this big kid) and this stenciled t-shirt and pillow couldn't be easier to make!  I used FREEZER PAPER.  Yup, you heard me......plain old Reynolds Freezer Paper. It has a plastic coating and can be ironed on fabric to create a crisp stencil in which to fill in with paint.  You're going to LOVE this technique!  Use Americana Multi-Surface Satin Paints from DecoArt (which are washable) and you're ready for blast off!  Try different shapes and have fun!

Ready to blast off!

Here's the how-to video

You'll need:

Americana Multi-Surface Satin Paints in Orange, Blue and Grey

Reynolds Freezer Paper

Iron

T-shirt

White cotton fabric (1 yard)

Pillow stuffing or pillow form

Paintbrush

Sewing machine with matching thread

 Draw a rocket ship, fold it in half and cut it out so it's symmetrical

Fold another piece of paper in half and cut out some flames

Fold some freezer paper in half and trace your cut out pieces on to the fold

 Carefully cut out the shapes in the freezer paper

Iron the freezer paper on the t-shirt OR on your pillow fabric

Fill in the shapes with the Americana Multi-Surface paints and let dry

Peel off the freezer paper and enjoy your new Rocket Tee!

 For the pillow, repeat the process for the t-shirt and then cut out some stars in the freezer paper

Fold your paper in half and then half again to create 4-point stars

Repeat the process from above for the rocket ship and flames

Peel off the freezer paper when the paint is dry

Fill in some stars with gray paint for the pillow

Stitch the pillow together using 1/2" seam allowance and fill with stuffing

Stitch the pillow closed and you're done!