"You're seriously going to spray paint your pillows??"

That's the question my oh so understanding boyfriend asked me last night as I was plugging away on my latest project. And that's exactly what I did. I spray painted some throw pillow covers. Have I mentioned lately how much I love spray paint? It's seriously a small love affair. I was a little hesitant when spray paint and fabric were involved, but if I do say so myself, they turned out AWESOME! Here they are in all their glory.

I got this idea over at V and Co. where she gives a tutorial here. I am going to go ahead and give you my version of the process (although it was almost exactly like V and Co's). There were a few things I would have done differently, so this is the story of the lovely painted pillows...

You will need:

Muslin
Freezer Paper
Pencil
Spray Paint
Scissors
Iron
Sewing machine or some mad hand sewing skills
Like colored thread
Pillow insert

I first started off with some muslin (you can get it at any fabric store - I got mine at JoAnn's Fabrics for $2.99/yd - CHEAP!). I cut two 19"x19" squares (that is the size of my pillow inserts) and four 19"x12" rectangles (these will be used for the backside of your pillow cover).

These are two of the four 19"x13" pieces. 

I then downloaded the "wheat" stencil pdf at V and Co. found here and traced it onto my freezer paper (you will need long, skinny strips of freezer paper for your "stems" - those are really easy to free hand). Not sure if it's necessary to mention or not, but you could use whatever design you wanted. I still want to find a really pretty floral pattern and try it on my other two pillows.

After tracing all the "wheat leaves" I thought I would need, I then cut them out and ironed them onto my 19"x19" piece of muslin SHINY SIDE DOWN (trust me, if you miss this step, it will stick to the bottom of your iron - not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything...).

After you have ironed your wheat onto the large piece of muslin, then it is time to bust out the spray paint. I ended up using Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in Warm Yellow and Valspar in Petrol Blue (although I had a Krylon brown pictured above - I changed my mind. Also, as a side note, I was much more pleased with how the Rust-Oleum turned out on the fabric. The Valspar is a little sticky and more stiff. Not sure if that's because I used more paint, or just the nature of the brand). Spray very light coats onto your fabric until it is nearly covered. Mine ended up still having a big of white show through, but I chose to leave it. I thought it gave it a more interesting look, and it is harder to notice when it is right up against a pillow.

Yes, that is carpet you see in that picture. Please ignore the fact that I spray painted inside in my little one bedroom apartment. I am VERY impatient and it was super windy yesterday so inside it was. I did have both doors open (both on the east and west end) so it created a nice draft for ventilation :). 

Once that has fully dried (I waited over night for the yellow one to dry, and about 2 hours for the turquoise one), then peel the wheat off of the piece of muslin.

Once you have done this, it is now time to get sewing. I created what is called an "envelope" slip cover. You can find a tutorial for that here. 

Once your pillows are sewn, turn them right side out, insert your pillow inserts, and enjoy. An easy, cheap, and cute way to update your throw pillows to match any decor change you wish to make. 

A few things to be mindful about when making your pillow covers. First, make sure there is no "overhang" when you're putting your leaves on the stems. This becomes very apparent when you pull the wheat off the muslin like shown below.

Also, I used green throw pillows with brown polka dots for my pillow inserts for the turquoise pillow. I realized as I was constructing these pillows that you would be able to see the insert through the white muslin on the back, so I spray painted the 19"x12" pieces as well. I would not recommend this. While it wasn't terrible, it's much easier when one side is spray paint-less fabric so it's not so stiff and easier to work with. I would just buy a different color fabric for the back, or use a white insert (although it won't be as cheap that way if you don't have one laying around). Also, for the first pillow, I used two 19"x11" pieces of fabric instead of 19"x12" for the back. You can't really tell in the picture, but the pillow is popping through on the one with the white back. That's when I changed the measurements so I wouldn't have that problem with the other one.

All in all though, it was a GREAT project and I am really really happy with the results. 

I am on vacation all week long, so I'm hoping to keep posting projects as they get finished. Until the next time, happy Monday!

I'm linking up to these great parties

Pretty in Plum

So here it is. The long awaited post with some of my first DIY projects. As I previously mentioned, I have only been in my new apartment for a little over a month now, and two weeks of that month was spent in my parents' camper during the Fair. Needless to say, I feel like I am just now beginning to get a handle on some of my projects. I have FINALLY had some time to start working on my rooms, and my bathroom just came together last night. I'm still not sure if it's completely done, but then again, what room ever is? I am pretty happy with it for the time being. I will say that the canvas hanging up is not at all what I had originally planned. My paint was not cooperating with me, it was windy outside, etc. Basically, the canvases ended up being a "mistake that turned out ok" project.

The paint color on the walls is an "oops" gray paint I found at Lowe's for $5/gallon. Holla!! The square I painted on my wall looked MUCH lighter then when I painted an entire wall, but after I finished and put it all together, I really like the results. Especially for $2.50 (I only used half the gallon).

This is an upclose of the canvases that I painted. It cost me $7 for a pack of 2 at Hobby Lobby, and the acrylic paint cost me $2 per bottle (I used 3) at Michael's. I ended up thinning out the paint a lot with water before I started painting the "circles" (that's what they were originally supposed to be - they ended up being random swirls though) because the paint was super thick and not coming out as well as I needed it to. This caused splatters to start forming, so I went with it and just splattered the heck out of both pieces. I actually kind of like the look it gives it.

I have never been one to leave any extra toilet paper out in plain sight (I am an organizational FREAK and it drives me bonkers), but now that I live by myself, I have no one to yell at for another roll of toilet paper should I forget to bring one in with me. Talk about inconvienient. So I found this cute little basket at Salvation Army for $.99 and I knew it would be perfect for 2 rolls of toilet paper. It was a darker brown color, so I primed and painted it with Krylon Semi-Gloss White and there you have it. A cute little solution to my occasional would-be toilet paper issues.

Another issue I had was counter top organization. Again, I like things to be accessible but pretty and before this little basket thing, it just looked like a big mass of my "daily need items" in the corner of the counter. I bought this little metal container at Goodwill for $1.99, and spray painted it white. It is perfect for my q-tips, cotton balls, and perfumes that I typically leave out on the counter. I don't know why, but I love it so much more when they are all in the same container - even if it is totally see-through.

So there you have it. My "rental" bathroom transformation. If this was my own bathroom (meaning I owned it and was not renting it) then I would've painted the vanity as well and framed the mirror so it wasn't so "builder grade" quality in there. But alas, I am just a renter. I feel like it's a pretty great tranformation for a little one bedroom apartment though, and can't wait to get started on my other rooms. Completing this room was just what I needed for some SERIOUS motivation to get moving on the other rooms. I am on a stay-cation all next week, so stay tuned for a lot more projects. Here is a little sneak peak at one that I will be working on next.

Have I mentioned that I loooooooove turquoise? No? Well I do. A whole lot. I'm pretty sure that will be painfully evident after I show you some other transformations. Stay tuned. Until then, happy Tuesday!

In desperate need of some inspiration

I will start off with aplogozing....again. I.suck.at.blogging. There are a million and three excuses I could give you as to why I have STILL not posted any of my projects on here, but I will simply offer this one. I am what you could call a design basket case right now. I have a million and three projects going on in my head. I am obsessed with finding new projects that will make my apartment look a-freakin-mazing, all the while not finishing ONE single project I have in the "works". I'm hoping that is going to change tonight, though. I found a can of pretty amazing "oops" paint at Lowe's last night, and I have my bathroom taped and ready for paint. I PROMISE I will post pictures when I feel like it as soon as I finish.

However, this post is more than just an "I'm so sorry for being a sucky blogger". This post is an I.need.help. post. Not the kind of help that comes from counseling (although some days I seriously think that wouldn't hurt). I need design suggestions. I got this bedding for my birthday.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it. It's great for a girl like me. And by a girl like me, I mean a single (not single as in no boy in my life single - don't worry honey, you're not that lucky - single as in "I live all by myself and can decorate my bedroom as girly as I want" single). Here's where the problem comes in. I am having a heck of a time trying to decide on a paint color. That's right folks. I can paint my apartment. Any color I want. With no prior approval. Can you just imagine the happy dance that took place inside my head when they told me that? It was awesome. And not only CAN I paint, but I NEED to paint. Have you ever been in a place that was painted with the cheapest paint possible? No? Well I have. What happens when it's painted with really cheap, crappy paint you ask? Every single thing that touches it leaves marks. I kid you not. It's RIDICULOUS. I have pink marks all the way down my stairwell right now because of my sister's laundry hamper. I have silver marks on my bedroom wall from my watch rubbing up against it. Not good. So now that the Fair is over and I got extra days hours of sleep this weekend, it is time for me to start painting.

Now is where I need your help. I think know that if I find a paint color for my bedroom, the rest of the decor will be easy peasy. It's just picking that paint color that is sooooo hard for me right now. So I need opinions. Keep in mind that my bedroom is not huge. I have a sliding patio door that goes out onto my balcony, but that is it for natural light. And if I don't paint it a nuetral color, I will have to paint it back before I move out. This isn't a huge deal, but if I can get by without having to paint a place twice, then that would be super. All of my furniture is black, and I'm trying to stay away from a taupe color (or at least the "cookie cutter" taupe that every one has on their walls). So here is a link to my bedding (I apologize again - I'm at work {don't tell} and don't have access to a camera or my bedding at this moment to take a picture, and the picture I tried to steal borrow from the Website is really crummy quality). If you would so kindly look at my bedding and then leave me a comment with your suggestions, I would be forever grateful. I will let you know when I finally make a decision. I am on vacation (woohooo) in a week and a half and plan to do some serious painting and decorating then and I PROMISE I will fill you in on the progress as I go. So here it is. Comments are appreciated. Happy Wednesday!

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=462278&CategoryID=39043