DIY- Fashion Pillow!

So I found this idea on Pinterest that was originally from here. I loved the idea so much and decided to really make it my own. I used the same quote from the pin because I just loved it as soon as I saw it. But as you will see my quote is a little different from the original pillow, and both of us varied from the original quote Robert Fulghum quote. However you could use any quote or drawing or anything you want!

To start with, I of course, went thrifting! I found bins full of really nice pillows for $1.99! So naturally I bought all sorts! I picked out ones I thought had the best colors.

From there I just got a stencil and went to work! At first I tried to use the "fabric markers" like the original post suggested, however I quickly learned that was not going to work. I found two types of fabric pins; one being just like a regular permanent marker, but with a longer and thinnner tip, and then one that was like a paint pin that you had to pump. I had a feeling the paint pin would not work well, since they never have for me before, but they did not have the color I needed in the thin one. So after using the pump fabric pin and it not working very well, I ended up just using acrylic paint with the stencils. Please note though the thin fabric marker did work very well and I would recommend it.

So here is my final product!

Needless to say I am ABSOLUTELY obsessed!! And it was SO EASY to do! Happy crafting everyone! I cannot wait to make another one myself!

Love Always,

Elle

P.S. LIFE ALERT::: it snowed in Raleigh tonight!! We are anticipated to get up to 3 inches throughout the night. It is so beautiful outside! I felt like I was in a movie, it was amazing and made me so happy. I finally got to use my snow boots!! :) Loving the Big Girl life!



Where ever you go, go with all your heart.

Greetings cyber world! So much has happened since we last talked.

As I said before I finally feel like I am getting settled, and “making my house a home” should I say. Since I have gotten to know the city better, I do plan on moving in July. So I have been spending all my time dreaming of my new home and how I am going to make it beautiful! (Ikea here I come!) I have found these adorable townhouses that back up to a creek and the beautiful Lake Johnson. I cannot wait to sign my lease in the middle of next month and make it official!

Also, I just got a promotion at work! I am officially a Sales Manager and have 24 people reporting to me, all of whom are older than me. It is essentially the exact same thing I have been doing, except now I have a permanent position and am guaranteed a job. I also no longer have to clock in and out and am not eligible for overtime any more. It is a lot of fun, and has been a great journey so far. I am beginning to see the fruits of my labor and am excited for the future! I cannot wait to start working in the visual and design aspect of such a big corporation.

My company gives me so much vacation it is crazy. I feel like every time I blog and I am talking about my next vacation. It has turned into about every 8 weeks I have a paid week off. So I will again be going to Florida in a week and a half to celebrate spring break like a college kid all over again! I might be a Big Girl, but I will always rage like a Seminole. I am also going to FINALLLLY visit Harry Potter land like I have been dreaming about for 2 years now!

I have been spending most of my free time crafting and reading. I have found that when I make use of my free time, instead of sleeping incessantly, it feels like I have a lot more than I thought I did. I do not necessarily feel like I am ALWAYS working, when I keep myself busy with other things. This has been a nice realization and a big part of what I mean when I say I am settling in and finding my balance. I have decided to post my favorite crafts on here and will start doing so more often for all to enjoy!

I may be becoming a Big Girl, but I will always be a day-dreaming kid at heart! <3


Love Always,

Elle

Canvas Prints- on a budget!

Recently I have seen that canvas prints have become very popular. I have seen ones like these with a variety of different quotes in almost every store I have been in lately.

I definitely wanted to jump on this bandwagon, because I think they are so cute, but my budget does not justify spending $30 plus on something I always thought looked so simple.

So instead I have been improvising! And of course, it started at a thrift store.

I found this painting, which ended up to my surprise not being canvas at all but a big piece of wood, at a thift store for $4.99. I picked it because it had such vibrant colors. I originally had bought vinyl letter stickers to stick on to spell out the quote I chose, however the quote is kind of lengthy and after opening the pack I realized that I would need almost 4 packs to have all the vowels I needed. Being that the stickers were around $7 each I had to come up with a different plan. So, I decided to use masking tape instead and formed the letters out of pieces of tape. I then spray painted it with the color of my choice.

After I spray painted it I peeled off where the tape had been to reveal the quote.

After I peeled it off, I realized it did not quite turn out the way I had wanted it to. In retrospect, I wish I had used a more contrasting color like black or royal blue and I think it would have shown the letter better, but that just was not the color I wanted for the whole thing. So yet again I found myself having to improvise and decided that I could just simply outline everything!

In the end, I like the way it turned out. It has a child like quality which is what I wanted. In the future, I would probably choose a shorter quote to use the vinyl letters (since I already bought a pack!) and a contrasting cover color so the background stands out more. It was a fun project and something I cannot wait to hang up in my new home!


Love Always,

Elle