Table Topper

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I'm heading out to Corpus Christi again for a few days but before I go, I wanted to share a quick project that I worked on this week. My spool bookcase has been sitting next to my living room sofa as a little side table but I've been having difficulties hiding these holes on top of it.


I figured the easiest and most practical way was to cover them with a cute table topper. I used a round hamper as a guide for a template and used long colorful strips to compose it. The binding was a bit of a challenge. It was my first time tackling a round binding but it turned out great. I used quilter's linen in primrose.


And on days when I don't feel like looking at such busy prints, I can flip it over and enjoy some grey seeds. My table is happy now.


I'll be back at the end of the week to share a tutorial with you and reveal some swap goodies. Have a great week!

Spool Bookcase (Tutorial)

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I'm pretty sure most of my spending money goes towards books and fabric. I have more books than I know what to do with and probably ten more books on the way from Barnes & Noble as I'm typing out this post. What do I do? Get rid of some? Nonsense! Make room for more!! This bookcase was inspired by this lovely pin that I stumbled upon a few months ago. My hubby has a bunch of these fabulous spools at work and I made him bring me one this week so I could make this beauty!


Here is what you'll need to make your own:
- A small cable spool
- Wooden dowels
- 3 to 4 casters (swivel wheels)
- Molding glue
- Saw
- Measuring Tape
- Paint
- Drill and screws


I've been asked where you can find these types of spools. They come in a variety of sizes, this being the smallest one. Mine measured a little over 1 foot. These types of spools or reels are used for cable or electrical wire so you might want to check your local Home Depot or ask your electrician if they have any they're throwing out. My husband works in the oil field and they are everywhere so it's easy for me to get my hands on one.

To get started, you'll need to paint your spool and your dowels. I used a white Behr paint with the primer already mixed into it. I tried covering up one side of the table using four coats and did not like the result. The flaws stood out a lot more (and not in a good way). I painted the other side with only two light coats and loved it. It has a beautiful vintage and worn look.


After it dries, turn it upside down and position your caskets where you want them. This picture shows three wheels but I ended up using four so it wouldn't topple over. Just drill them into place.


Next, measure the gap between the top and the bottom of the table. This will be the size your wooden dowels should be. Using the saw, cut about 5-6 dowels.


Using molding glue, position and place the dowels around the table about a foot apart and hold in place while they dry. If you cut them down to the perfect size, you don't even need to hold them. They should just stand on their own.


Now fill it with books and admire your new bookcase!! It's not too fancy, but it's cozy and it makes me smile. Enjoy!




**If you have used any tutorials by Pink Stitches, please post your pictures on the Pink Stitches Flickr Group! I'd love to see your beautiful creations and feature some of my favorite projects!**

Kaleidoscope Pillow

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I'm so glad I was able to cross this project off my to-do list this week. If you follow me on Facebook, you've already gotten a little sneak peek. I had been wanting to make a Kaleidoscope pillow ever since I saw Angela's last year. Then I saw Jeni's and she included the link on where to buy the special ruler needed to make the blocks. I was thrilled! The ruler comes with instructions on how to make the blocks.








I used 6" blocks to make an 18" pillow and I decided it was time to use my entire Flea Market Fancy collection. I am in love with the combination of my favorite fabric line and my new favorite pattern. I plan to make one more pillow using my FMF to complete my spring set of three!

In other news, I've been teaching myself how to knit. I have a bucket list of things I want to achieve before I turn 30 (and I'm turning 28 in a couple of weeks so I need to get crackin!). I've crossed crochet and sewing off my list and the things that remain are knitting, learning French, and learning to play the piano. I am one step closer to crossing another thing off the list! Wish me luck!!

Lately

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This is going to be sort of a boring "work in progress" post. I don't have anything complete to show you but I have been working on quite a few things. My sister is having a baby at the end of July and I have been assigned a baby quilt. This is straight from my sister's head (and Pinterest boards). She bought some organic fabrics for me to work with that are based on the color scheme she has planned for the nursery and drew out what she wanted me to make with them. I have never worked with just solids before (or organic fabrics for that matter) so this was a little out of my comfort zone. But I like it.



She wants me to add some grey borders to the top and bottom so we'll see how that turns out. I've also been working on some bags for myself. I am making another 241 Tote (pattern here) using some Echino fabric. I've made five bags with this pattern and still have not had my fill of it. I also bought this book last weekend at B&N and am trying out a cute bag I saw in it using the yellow pearl bracelets fabric I recently got my hands on.



Other than that, I've been working on brightening up my craft room. I saw this picture at Target and just had to have it. I also put up some patchwork stuff on the walls and draped my heart string lights on my desk. I wish I could repaint these walls but my husband insists that there are a million other projects in the house we must attend to. So that'll have to wait.




I'm excited to get it all done so I can show you the entire room. There are still a few minor changes I want to make but so far, I'm happier with my cleaner work space. Hope your week has been productive! Have a great day :)

Happy Mail

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Sorry I've been absent for such a long time. I went to the beach last weekend and when I returned, I couldn't snap out of relaxation mode. So not much sewing going on around here unfortunately. And when I did get around to turning on my machine, I discovered that it wasn't working properly. So now I REALLY can't sew anything. Huge bummer because I was really looking forward to participating in the first week of Zakka Style Sew Along over at LRstitched.

I'm dying to try that zig zag tote. And the prizes are incredible. Make sure to check it out if you haven't already.

Last week, I received a special package from my bloggy BFF, Nicke. I always love getting mail from her. She knows exactly what I love! Like this amazing purple and grey log cabin pillow!!


She was also sweet enough to include some out of print Katie Jump Rope prints (which I've been wanting forever!!) and some coordinating zippers. She's the absolute best!




She has the cutest logo. I'm totally crushing on my new pillow. And coincidentally, it matches perfectly with my new Anthro curtains.

I ordered them last week and I.AM.IN.LOVE. And ofcourse, I couldn't leave the website without adding these adorable colored pencils into the shopping cart. Aren't they cute!? And they're only $8!!




Before I sign off, I wanted to thank all the people who volunteered to test my Leap Pad Case Pattern. I don't know if you all have noticed yet but last week, I shut down my etsy shop. I haven't decided yet if this is temporary or not but as of now, it's closed. It was getting to be too stressful trying to keep it stocked and to be honest, I had to deal with some pretty mean people about matters that were completely out of my hands (like shipping). I'm a full time mom and by no means a successful buisness-person. It just got to be too much for me. So I might end up posting the case pattern for free on my blog later on. You'll know soon! I've said this many times, but I'm so grateful to have a loving community of supportive bloggers and readers out there. You guys bring so much positive light into my life in a world that is so full of negativy. Thank you all!

I'll be back tomorrow with a sponsored post from Shabby Apple!

Christmas Pillows

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It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmaaaaaas!

I put up my tree and decorations awhile back but haven't really posted anything about it yet. I thought I'd share a few Christmas pillows I made for my living room.



I made this one with a bunch of red and green scraps that I had. I just made a bunch of HST's and came up with this little guy.



For this one, I just made a simple star block & sashed it with some Kona Snow.



And my personal faaaavorite! I'm so in love with this bow pillow. The red fabric is a rich, dark linen that gives it a beautiful rustic look.







I bought some dark green linen with the intention of making a matching set but never quite got around to it. I might eventually end up making one but for now, my to do list is impossibly long.

I'm getting together with an old friend tonight and I'm so excited to spend some time with her. She recently got engaged and I just looove talking about wedding preparations! Looking forward to a relaxing evening. Have a great day!

Living Room Makeover

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Awhile back, I had posted about wanting to do my own board and batten in my living room after I had finished AJ's room. I had also expressed my new fondness for the color grey and wanted to incorporate that in as well. We started working on it about three weeks ago and kept adding a little here and there between the weeks that my husband was away at work and my sewing marathons.

Here is what our dining room and living room looked like before:






The walls were dark and neutral. Everything was beige or brown. Not a speck of color or brightness. My living room has only one window and my dining room has a large patio sliding door along one side. There really isn't much lighting in this area. I wanted to lighten up the space and give it a shabby chic look. Here is what we ended up with.




I took out the middle wedge in my sectional and pushed the entire thing against the wall to create an open space. I took the wedge upstairs to my craft room.




For the board and batten, we painted four feet of the bottom of the wall with white Behr paint (eggshell finish, primer included). The top portion of the wall was a Behr grey paint we had mixed with primer to match Martha Stewart's Driftwood Grey color.

Next, we bought 16 feet pieces of thin, flat moulding and cut them up to 3'10" pieces. We painted them the same color white as the bottom of the walls and applied them to the walls about 3 feet apart using Moulding Glue. Then we chose an inexpensive chair rail moulding and cut the pieces to fit the walls right over the thin mouldings. We also added mouldings around the window and patio doors.


Our plan is to add some crown moulding in the next few weeks. We're in no rush. We redid these two room and painted the rest of the downstairs all for under $200.

Once we're done with everything, I'll share some more pictures of the rest of the walls and rooms. For now, I am really enjoying the fresh new look of it. It feels like I'm in a completely different home!

Scrap Buster Fall Pillows

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I'm in love with my new fall pillows! Well one is for me and I made the other one for my cousin, who happens to share my fondness of fall and holidays in general. Since it was a birthday present, I let her have first pick. She chose the one on the left.


Hers has the orange polka dot backing. Mine has a soft green damask print. Both have envelope closures (easiest thing in the world to do!).


If you're interested in making some for yourself, I got the tutorial from here. The only difference in mine is that I made them 18" instead of 16". I just added two inches to all the measurements given.


Hope you all are enjoying FALL so far! Have a wonderful Thursday!!