Monday, November 29, 2010

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 41

Heather shares her vibrant life through the rough difficulties of past circumstances.  She also shares fun projects that you're sure to be inspired by!  

Fall bunting?  Don't mind if I do!

I love these wreaths, especially the ones that Heather made!  I can't wait to try my hand at these!

Be inspired to have a handmade Christmas this year.

Head on over to Heather's Blessed Little Nest and be inspired by her faith in our Father and her crafty ideas and design.  
Happy Blogging!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Shutterfly Christmas Card Promotion

I received an email from my friend Jade a couple of weeks ago informing me about Shutterfly's free 50 Christmas Card promotion for the year and thought to myself, "I don't have any good pictures of Stephen and I from this year that I can use for this promotion.." and so I wrote it off.  However, after seeing all the different blog posts showing all the different options that Shutterfly had, I knew I must take a picture of Stephen and I and take advantage of all this amazing deal!  I can't wait to send the cards to family members that we don't get to see that often so that they have a good picture and a sweet card to wish them a Merry Christmas with!  So, I went through all the different amazing choices that Shutterfly had to offer and let me tell you, it took forever!  They have SOOOOOOOOO many amazing different designs on their website that it took forever for me to go through all them because there were literally so many of them that I loved and wished I could get a variety pack :).  After many different times of looking through the choices, here are the three that I finally chose that I like the best:

Choice #1
I love this one for many reasons.  The first reason that I love this one is because it says "Merry Christmas" on it - I really like my Christmas cards to say this instead of "Seasons Greetings" or "Happy Holidays".  The second reason that I like this is because it has brown background and all the reds and greens look so good on it!  And, as you'll be able to tell from the next 2 choices, it has that traditional, timeless look to it and I'm so drawn to that.

Choice #2
You see what I'm talking about as far as the traditional look goes?  I love the font choice on this card as well as the colors and design around the picture and in the background.  And again, this one says "Merry Christmas" :).

Choice #3
How could I not like this one?  I love the brown, red, champaign color combination as well as the most meaningful message!  The design of it isn't my most favorite but everything else about it wins me over!

Phew!  That was a lot of visual stimulation! :)  If you have a blog, you should totally take advantage of Shutterfly's amazing Christmas Card Promotion!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Christmas Pillow Extravaganza

This year, I decided that I was going to make Christmas pillows to cover our regular pillows on our couches.  The greatest thing about this project is that I already have pillow inserts for the pillows so all I have to do is make the covers for them.  I had a couple of inspirations in mind from visiting other blogs, but then I had some visions in my mind for what I wanted to make my pillows different.
The first pillow that I decided to tackle was my ribbon pillow.  Below, you'll see the tutorial for this simple project - I know that some of you (me included) like to see picture step-by-steps so that's what I've included.

What you need:
-1/2 yard of fabric (more or less depending on the size of your pillow - mine was a 12x16" insert
-Ribbon (I used grosgrain ribbon and I bought 4 different colors and 2 different widths)

What you do:
-Cut your fabric: for my 12x16" pillow I cut a 13x17" piece for the front and then two pieces for the back (I like to make the envelope pillow so that I can just simple take out the inserts and change the outsides) my two pieces were 13x14" and 13x8"
-Take your smaller pieces and on one of the 13" sides fold it and sew it to make a neat edge:

-Take your front piece (mine is 13x17) and use it to measure your ribbon and begin cutting all your ribbon the size of your pillow front.

-Mess around with your ribbon and decide what pattern with your ribbon that you're going to do.
-Going ribbon by ribbon, pin them on and sew a straight stitch down the center of them.  Once one is done, go pin on another ribbon and then sew, repeat until done:




-Once you've finished sewing on your ribbons, lay all your pieces right side facing each other and pin them together:


-Sew 1/2" inseam around the edge of your pillow
-Turn your pillow right side out and admire your work:



-Stick the pillow insert in it and then place it on your couch and enjoy it's beauty!


Stayed tuned as Christmas Pillow Extravaganza II will be creeping up on us soon!
Happy Sewing!
 The DIY Show Off 






Monday, November 22, 2010

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 40


Glory has a plethora of great recipes and decorating ideas to make your next special occasion (or just any meal) delightful!

I absolutely love these and can't wait to make them in May for my moms on Mother's Day!

We all know how I feel about fall so I was thrilled when I saw that Glory had included this post as a place where I could find lots of yummy fall treats.

If you're going to be planning a baby shower anytime soon, these would make a great addition to everything else

Head on over to Glorious Treats and see all the amazing baking recipes that Glory has to offer!  Let me know which treats you love the most :).
Happy Blogging!