Tuesday, January 29, 2013

No-Sew Pillow!!!

Okay-so I'm trying to get crafty people. And I don't mean Amy Taylor (dear sister) crafty. That girl could pull a toilet out of the dumpster and make it cute. (I must blog one day about all her creations.) I just want to be able to do some simple things to "customize" my space. Painting candlesticks and making throw pillow covers is on the list of DIY this week. I have so many throw pillows that are from different "eras" of my decorating tastes and I hate to just chunk them! Throw pillows are expensive! Plus, I have lots of leftover fabric that matches my dining chair covers. So to "marry" the dining room & living room together, I was determined to use some of this fabric to make covers for my existing throw pillows. After I priced this project with some professionals, I decided to get crafty.....and so I found a blog where a girl used hem tape to make an "easy and adorable" envelope type pillow cover. It looked fool proof, so off to the Hobby Lobby with my 40% Off Coupon I went. $1.50 and 2 hours later this is what I ended up with....


The cover came out shockingly good & secure!!! The problem was that the pillow was too FAT for the case! (Should have measured extra room for the width of the hem tape.) I looked like I was stuffing a turkey! So after I got The Big Lebowski out of the case I balled up one of my old *magic pillows (definition below) and it fit perfect!  Here's the end product:


And the back actually does close! It's good enough for me! It really wasn't that hard, but I'm going to keep my eye out for a sewing machine.  : )

Magic Pillow: The term "magic pillow" originally came the softest set of down pillows that my Grammy & Big Jack had at their house. They told me that the pillows were magic and if I layed down on them they would make me go to sleep! And like any kid wanting to be a victim of magic, I MAGICALLY, I did fall asleep! Hmmm.....Ladies and Gentlemen, the only magic here was this idea by my grandparents! What a genius way to get the kids to hush and go to sleep!!! HA! So anyway, when I was 11, Grammy & Big Jack gave me my own set of magic pillows! I was elated. And hooked. Ya'll, if Jeremie didn't just make me buy a new pillow when we got married (for the health of my spine), I'd probably still be sleeping on them, even though they have worn down flat as a flitter. I could never bring myself to throw the pillows away, so I was thrilled that one has been re-purposed for this throw pillow! And once we do have kids, I WILL be putting this thing back to work!  

Monday, January 21, 2013

Dining Room Transformation!

This week we finally finished the dining room!!!! (With the exception of a rug and some artwork.) I love how the colors turned out together!

This is how the room was designed before we bought the house:


Although I really liked their decor, I had my heart set on mixing & matching a dark table with white chairs. So we started out with J's great aunt's table, which I love because it's a family antique and it's beautiful! Then, I prowled Craigslist for about a month and finally found the dining chairs that had just the style I was looking for. So the next phase looked like this:


I thought I was going to paint the chairs myself, but after realizing what a huge project this would be (and the fact that I have NO artsy-knack) I found a lady in town (The Dumpster Diva) who painted & distressed them for me. I DID recover the cushions on my own with the help of J's measuring and a very powerful staple gun. To finish the room off, we found an awesome rustic chandelier! And here's the final product:



I LOVE how it turned out! It was so nice to see my vision come together!!! Now on to the Living room!

Monday, January 14, 2013

A Few Thoughts....

I don't really have any special topic to report on, so here are just a few thoughts:

  • Someone please tell me HOW it got to be the middle of January already. 
  • I really don't want to jinx myself, but 7 less pounds, another sinus infection & a set of steroids later, I am finally feeling like myself again! There are no words for how thankful I am. I have never been so happy to do house work in my life. 
  • I don't think I've publicly announced this on my blog, but I have the BEST hubby in the world. J has done an awesome job this past month taking care of me. So if YOU think you have the best hubby in the world, I'm sorry, you are wrong. ; ) 
  • As HOT as Texas is in the summer, it has been equally as cold. It sort of hailed the other night, except it looked like Dippin Dots. Just wished it would've come in Mint Chocolate Chip.
  • I signed Jeremie & I up for an event at church to find a Bible Study group. I totally had the box checked that said "Married 3+ years: Empty Nesters".  HA! Sort of wish I hadn't have noticed and we walk into a room of elderly newlyweds. 
  • I get emails from Stein Mart about all their sales & new merchandise. This week, I received an email that said "It's Rodeo Season! Get your perfect look here!" Yes, among Spring, Summer, Winter & Fall, apparently Texas has another season called "Rodeo". And apparently I need to make room in my closet for the appropriate apparel during such season.
  • I am in love with the show Downtown Abbey! Makes me talk like a Brit!
  • I haven't put gas in my car since November 28th!!!! That is how much I have been couped up in the house! The low fuel light finally came on today-hope I remember how to operate a pump!
  • I am not making resolutions for this year! After reviewing the list I made for 2012, I laughed out loud. 
Well, that's about all I can think of for now. Happy Trails!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Happy 2013!

Here we are entering another year!!!  I try not to be one of those people that is always saying that "Oh, this year has flown by!" or "Where has this year gone?!"  I like my year to feel like a year and know where it has gone.  But I'm gonna be totally cliche, and say "This year has FLOWN by." This year was essentially consumed by deciding to move to Texas, to actually moving to Texas, to buying our first home and moving AGAIN. I read most of my blog posts from this past year and it feels like everything happened yesterday! (And it made me terribly miss my Tallahassee folks--love ya'll!) But it was interesting to look back at everything that has transpired this year! I PRAISE God for his presence this year. I have never talked so much to the Lord like sweet Jesus himself was sitting in the room, but I know I talked his poor ear off this year! (And some of this might have been adjusting to being at home by myself with no one else to talk to.....LOL.)  An excerpt about the new year by Jim Reimann really spoke to me:

"It seems we often approach a new year with mixed emotions, sometimes hesitant to let go of the past, even as difficult as our past year may have been.  We tend to view the past with the idea that at least it is something known, while we view the future as a complete unknown.  For believers, however, this should not be the case.  Although we do not know the future in detail,we know the One who has made great promises to us as He guides us there.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  
-Jeremiah 29:11-13.

So.....on a lighter note, our New Year's celebration was quite calm compared to our Christmas-tree-burning, ball-dropping party we hosted last year. We both were more interested in rest & relaxation, so we cooked a  good meal and rang in the New Year in our pajamas. I think lights were out by 12:30. I did snap one picture of my boys....


Now if that doesn't make your New Year happy, I don't know what will!!!

Happy New Year from the Wells!