BRIGHT AND SHINY DECORATIVE PILLOWS

It's easy to hit the holiday refresh button when you have a few simple tricks up your sleeve for customizing plain pillow cases. Since we're spending this Christmas in a new space, I wanted to add some cozy touches to the living room without spending a lot of money. I took three plain pillow cases and a handful of supplies I already had on hand and came up with a set of pillows that feel cheerful and festive.

These same steps can be changed out with different colors for fun new pillows in any season, but they're an inexpensive way to make a big impact during the holidays when you want a little more sparkle. Below are three easy tutorials you can tackle in an afternoon.

Supplies:-alpha stickers (similar to these)-metallic fabric paint
-washi tape
-paint brush
-chipboard or cardboard

To make the painted negative space pillow, think of a fun phrase and spell it out using your alpha stickers. Start from the center of your words and work your way out for even spacing. Place some cardboard inside your pillow to protect it from leaky paint. I used tape to mark off a clean edge around the pillow case and then painted right over it to the edges of the pillow instead. Paint over the tops of your stickers and give the pillow top two coats of paint. Remove stickers and let it dry. 

Supplies:-pillow case
-gold sequins
-tacky glue
-chalk
-ruler
-needle and thread

To make the swiss cross sequin pillow, outline the shape of a swiss cross with your ruler and chalk in the center of your pillow. Add glue to the left section. Then start laying down your sequin trim starting in the top left corner, slightly overlapping your chalk line so it doesn't show. Keep running your trim up and down in lines, making sure your edges line up at the top and bottom. Once you get to the middle section, add more glue, and continue in your rows until you finish the final section. Tuck the last sequin cut underneath the one before it to hide the tail. Loosely stitch it down after it has dried for a little more stability.

Supplies:-pillow case
-thick yarn
-metallic fabric paint
-foam paint brush
-needle and thread

To make the pom-pom pillow, wind your yarn between your hands so that it stretches about 12" wide and about 75 times. Then tie a double-knot around the center with another piece of yarn and again about 3" from each end so that you have tied it in three places. Trim off the end loops and halfway between the knots. Fluff your pom-poms and trim them up so there aren't any stray pieces sticking out. Paint any geometric shape on the front with your gold paint and foam brush. Once it's dry, insert your pillow and stitch your poms on each corner. 

I love how decorative pillows help a space feel a little more pulled together and finished!

If we're honest, the swiss cross pillow will have a forever home on my bed. I just can't quit gold sequins!

TRY THIS: NO-SEW SWEATER WRAP

Guys, I made a sweater from a favorite blanket. Well, it's not really a sweater, per se. It's not a poncho or capelet either. Maybe tunic? I'm not sure what to call it, but it feels similar to wearing a poncho (if you've ever owned one of those or a similar garment), and it's SUPER cozy. I'd like to think this is a more fashionable version of a Snuggie. 

So, if anyone has ever wished they could find a way to wear a Snuggie in public, man, we are kindred spirits. And also, this post is for you. 

This blanket was a present from my dear friend Holly. You know Holly, she's been teaching us to crochet lately. She's the sweetest. And last year she gifted me this beautiful blanket, and it's been used as a throw blanket at our home since. Until one day I found the dogs had dragged it out the dog door while we were at work. It got quite dirty, and I was afraid it was ruined. I had it dry cleaned, and they were able to get most of the stains out. I just love the colors of this blanket, so I decided to turn it into something wearable instead. 

Now, I actually have been working on my sewing skills. We are currently developing a sewing-based e-course (written by Rachel and Katie), and I've been learning a lot as I help them edit, save materials, move things over to our shop site, etc. But since this fabric is a synthetic fleece and doesn't fray, I knew I could easily turn it into something wearable without any sewing skills at all. So, I went for it. Here's what I did. 

I have this vintage body form. But, if I didn't, I could have just as easily used myself and a full length mirror. This project was all about draping. Whatever you use, it needs to be something along these lines.

First, I figured out where I wanted the front opening and head area to be. In case you're curious, my blanket was originally about 65" in length.

I measured to center my cut and created a space for my neck. I cut 14 1/2" in (found from draping), and I decided how big to cut the neck hole by measuring my neck and adding an inch. 

After every cut, I draped the blanket back onto the form (or sometimes myself) to make sure I was on the right track and things were laying properly.

After draping again, I found that the arms were too long. I had to essentially "roll" the sleeves, which doesn't really work with this kind of garment. So I cut off both edges. This meant I lost the navy blue stripe, but I still had three of the four original colors, so I was OK with that.

The last thing I did was cut two small holes for a belt to loop through. I had grabbed this red belt from my donation pile, and I planned to swap it out with a better one later. But it ended up working so well with the colors that I just kept it—repurpose win!

I like to wear this with the belt looped around the front of the tunic but not the back. The belt goes on the inside around the back. You could easily wear it either way. I just like the flowy look of the back, so this is what I prefer.

As you can see, you just wrap it around, belt it, and you're good to go. One day I wore it with a long sleeve cotton shirt underneath, and another day I wore it with a sleeveless, sheer collared shirt. I preferred the second as the fleece won't move as much against the long sleeve cotton, making it a little more tricky to move in throughout the day. Also, this gets seriously warm, so the sleeveless shirt felt better underneath in addition to allowing for more movement with the fabric. 

And there you have it. About thirty minutes of "work" and no sewing skills, and I love it! Thanks for letting my share my "new" blanket sweater with you

BALSA WOOD DIAMOND ORNAMENT

Hey, it's Laura again! I don't know about you, but I love seeing all the cool 3D things people create with paper. There are tons of clever little boxes and animals you can make, but I got extra excited when I discovered all the gemstone templates that exist online. Make my own diamonds?! Yes please. I thought the diamond shape would make a fantastic ornament for my Christmas tree, but I didn't think a decoration made out of only paper would store very well from year to year. That's where the balsa wood comes in! The wood makes the design much sturdier and doesn't change the overall geometric feel of the diamond.Supplies: Balsa wood (I used 1/32 inch thick), diamond template (I used this one), printer paper, cardstock paper, X-Acto knife, gold craft paint, ornament hooks, super glue, screw eye hooks (13/16 inch).1. Print out your diamond template. Place template on top of your balsa wood and use your X-Acto knife to trace over the outline of the template to cut out your panels. 2. Print another template on a heavier cardstock and use scissors to cut out your template. Pre-fold your template and flatten back (this makes it easier to fold once your wood is glued on). Attach each panel to its designated spot with super glue. 3. Assemble the diamond by using the super glue to attach the tabs in the appropriate spots. Before you glue the top piece down, make sure to screw your eye hook into the middle of the top panel (this is what you'll attach your ornament hook to). 4. Paint the diamond with the gold paint. Once it's dry, you're ready to hang your diamond!
In addition to making a few solid gold diamonds, I added a coat of glitter to some to add a little variety (just paint a coat of Mod Podge and sprinkle loose glitter on top). I love how these ornaments turned out. They add a punch of gold-plated fun to our tree, and I can tell everyone that I got loads of diamonds for Christmas. Score! 

MAKE YOUR OWN SKULL STRING ART

One of my goals this year was to create a couple of decorations for each season that I would be excited to store and pull out for years to come. This skull string at is a new favorite! It's large (2x3 feet!), so it makes a great statement piece above our piano in our dining room. It catches my eye and makes me smile each time I walk into the room. Do you wanna know a secret? It's really simple to make! Here's how:Supplies: 2’x3’ piece of wood (about ½ inch thick), white nails, black paint, and white string.

1. Paint your piece of wood black and let it dry completely. 2. Print out a skull photo (we used one we found with Google) as a blueprint copy with the widest part of the skull measuring about 18 inches. The shape of our skull print is all that matters- so no worries if the print comes out a little pixelated. 

Note: If you don't have time to get a blueprint copy, try this (easier) method instead!3. Tape your skull on top of your black wood and use a highlighter to plan out where you want your nails to go (you will want to make an outline around the skull, eyes, nose, and mouth). Space your nails about one inch apart and make sure to put one at any point your outline switches direction.4. Use a hammer to nail in your nail outline, but be careful not to go through to the other side of the wood. Once your nail outline is in place, you can rip off the paper skull guide underneath the nails.5. Tie your string to one of the nails that outlines the head and follow the nails to make a string outline around the head (go around the head twice). Do the same for your eyes, nose, and mouth outlines.  6. Starting at the bottom of your skull, begin to wrap the string in a zig-zag pattern between the nails and continue to zig-zag your string until your area looks full. Make sure to switch the direction of string often and include strings going both horizontally and vertically. 7. Repeat this process for the middle third of the skull and then, finally, for the top third of the skull.8. Tie your string to whichever nail you end on, and you’re finished!

Tip: When the season's over, use craft paper to wrap this art up for storage and label the package, so it's easy to find next year. You don't want to damage those pretty strings.

There's nothing more satisfying than a DIY project that turns out exactly how you envision it! If you give this project a try I think you will be surprised how easily it comes together. Do you have any halloween themed crafts you've tried and loved lately? Tis the season!